escYOUnited
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Georgia GEORGIA 2020 - Tornike Kipiani - Take Me As I Am
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I read it in another thraed and was soooooo happy for him - and for me in that matter.
I'm gonna be honest, his style is verrry far from what I usually listen, probably he would be my bottom 5 with any of the covers he made on Georgian Idol. However, this song was lyrically and melodically perfect and really appealed to me and made it to my top 10, and I really love Eurovision for this very reason. It introduces to me music that I'd otherwise never know about. It's very unfortunate if he has to go for another song. I want to cheer for him next year with the same song. Please don't ditch 'Take me as i am' puhlease!
crashworld
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It is great that Georgia is sticking to him!
I'm happy they're sticking with him even if I was, to my deepest regret, not a fan of the song. If EBU asks for a whole new track in 2021 then he still has chances to make a dash for my top 10.
I am still so happy that Georgia "takes Tornike as he is" and keeps him next year! I truly love the song and don't know - in case it should be a new song - if he will be able to keep up with it, but I know that he will have the big possibility to be in my top 10 (top 3?) again. To see him back makes the camcelation a bit lighter.
To see him back makes the camcelation a bit lighter.
A-lister
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I think the guy has potential, and I wouldn't mind a rock song next year, but this is just dire so he is one of those that could do good with having a year to develop a better song. The lyrics are just, I dunno, probably the worst this year, and the repetitive annoying melody...
Please give me some 90's grunge, but do it right for 2021!
I dunno why Georgia often comes with these weird entries that always feel so badly produced, I don't mind that they try other things and think outside the box, but why the amateur production, songwriting and general structure of songs every time? You wanna go for rock? Fine! , but look at Hungary 2018 or Iceland 2019 for inspiration on how you make interesting, in the Eurovision-context, "out there" Rock-ish entries. I want badly to like a Georgian entry, because I really like that they try to bring something different to the contest, but I just can't and the only entry I truly liked so far from Georgia remains their debut one which to this date remains one of the best debut entries of a country in ESC history, but seems like a one-off?
Please give me some 90's grunge, but do it right for 2021!
I dunno why Georgia often comes with these weird entries that always feel so badly produced, I don't mind that they try other things and think outside the box, but why the amateur production, songwriting and general structure of songs every time? You wanna go for rock? Fine! , but look at Hungary 2018 or Iceland 2019 for inspiration on how you make interesting, in the Eurovision-context, "out there" Rock-ish entries. I want badly to like a Georgian entry, because I really like that they try to bring something different to the contest, but I just can't and the only entry I truly liked so far from Georgia remains their debut one which to this date remains one of the best debut entries of a country in ESC history, but seems like a one-off?
Ezio
Veteran
Georgia split the Austrian ORF jury: some gave zero points, some gave maximum points. There is a show right now on ORF where they rank the songs.
Waterloo, Nadine Beiler, Manuel Ortega and Conchita Wurst loved it, Cesar Sampson and Petra Frey gave zero points.
Waterloo, Nadine Beiler, Manuel Ortega and Conchita Wurst loved it, Cesar Sampson and Petra Frey gave zero points.
I can understand that this song splits people. Many say that the has a great powerful voice, but want a "normal" rock song. But I think otherwise. This song wasn't normal, that's why I loved it. It is unique, something different. 
My review:
GEORGIA 2020 - Tornike Kipiani - Take Me As I Am: "come thru!"
I'd be lying if I said I loved every single entry Georgians have sent over the years, but I definitely respect them for doing them and sending risky songs. They could buy imports and rely on basic pop like their immediate neighbours, but no, they serve language and music genres that aren't the most popular ones in the contest, and I'm here for that. On top of that, they always send something different from past years, so it's really interesting to follow their journey as far as I'm concerned.
When Tornike was selected and a description of the song was released, I got good vibes instantly... And I must say the final product was close to perfection imo. "Take Me As I Am" is a mixture of influences that speak to my soul, to say that I'm not a rock fan is an understatement, the reason why it works for me is the balance of rock-ish vibes behind the electro varnish that makes the song oddly accessible while not falling into the "been there-done that" trap. Of course, I enjoy the despair-like mood and ever-evolving quality of the arrangements (these drums and synths! so good!). Composition-wise, I like the powerful melody and mastered build-up, I just wish it didn't end so abruptly, maybe three minutes weren't enough for the song to be complete. The main drawback for me is the lyrics, I like the theme they went for (it's even quite original for the contest), but I don't really like the way it's been formulated with the nationalities and stuff, not to mention the pronunciation of some words irks me a bit.
Shame this situation bothers me because I was ready to take Tornike as he is, body and soul.
Vocally, Tornike is flying in the air above all the peasants of this edition: his tone, his vocal power, his grunts, his interpretation are unmatched. It's just what the song needed to reach new heights. Awesome job in this regard. I was so looking forward to the live performance...
Honestly, this was a very strong effort to me, they really did that. I'd like to mention that - as a French jury member in the ESC United Eurovision 2020 online contest held a few months ago - I gave Georgia the first place in my ranking BOTH in the semi and the grand final. It was THAT good to me. Apart from the lyrics that come down to personal preference, it ticked all the right boxes for me and it did stand out a lot in the lineup imo.
Prediction-wise, I'm not sure how it would have fared in the end, but one thing I'm confident about is that Georgia would have been in the final. The song is strong, it stands out, it's got drive and impact, Tornike would have brought the house down on stage and the staging most likely would have been well thought out after last year's visual effort. Georgians didn't cut back on their musical demands, but "Take Me As I Am" still had a relatively wide appeal imo, there was nothing like it this year and it would have been a real breath of fresh air.
Although I would have loved to see the whole package on stage, I am THRILLED that Tornike will be back This guy has it all. Please guys concoct us another gem for 2021, if it's in the same genre and vibe, chances are I will love it. Georgia FTW 
GEORGIA 2020 - Tornike Kipiani - Take Me As I Am: "come thru!"
I'd be lying if I said I loved every single entry Georgians have sent over the years, but I definitely respect them for doing them and sending risky songs. They could buy imports and rely on basic pop like their immediate neighbours, but no, they serve language and music genres that aren't the most popular ones in the contest, and I'm here for that. On top of that, they always send something different from past years, so it's really interesting to follow their journey as far as I'm concerned.
When Tornike was selected and a description of the song was released, I got good vibes instantly... And I must say the final product was close to perfection imo. "Take Me As I Am" is a mixture of influences that speak to my soul, to say that I'm not a rock fan is an understatement, the reason why it works for me is the balance of rock-ish vibes behind the electro varnish that makes the song oddly accessible while not falling into the "been there-done that" trap. Of course, I enjoy the despair-like mood and ever-evolving quality of the arrangements (these drums and synths! so good!). Composition-wise, I like the powerful melody and mastered build-up, I just wish it didn't end so abruptly, maybe three minutes weren't enough for the song to be complete. The main drawback for me is the lyrics, I like the theme they went for (it's even quite original for the contest), but I don't really like the way it's been formulated with the nationalities and stuff, not to mention the pronunciation of some words irks me a bit.
Shame this situation bothers me because I was ready to take Tornike as he is, body and soul.Vocally, Tornike is flying in the air above all the peasants of this edition: his tone, his vocal power, his grunts, his interpretation are unmatched. It's just what the song needed to reach new heights. Awesome job in this regard. I was so looking forward to the live performance...
Honestly, this was a very strong effort to me, they really did that. I'd like to mention that - as a French jury member in the ESC United Eurovision 2020 online contest held a few months ago - I gave Georgia the first place in my ranking BOTH in the semi and the grand final. It was THAT good to me. Apart from the lyrics that come down to personal preference, it ticked all the right boxes for me and it did stand out a lot in the lineup imo.
Prediction-wise, I'm not sure how it would have fared in the end, but one thing I'm confident about is that Georgia would have been in the final. The song is strong, it stands out, it's got drive and impact, Tornike would have brought the house down on stage and the staging most likely would have been well thought out after last year's visual effort. Georgians didn't cut back on their musical demands, but "Take Me As I Am" still had a relatively wide appeal imo, there was nothing like it this year and it would have been a real breath of fresh air.
Although I would have loved to see the whole package on stage, I am THRILLED that Tornike will be back
This guy has it all. Please guys concoct us another gem for 2021, if it's in the same genre and vibe, chances are I will love it. Georgia FTW 
