Carian
Well-known member
You missed my point. Even if she 100% right, you simply don't say such things. And if you do say things like this, don't expect in turn that audience will spare of harsh words and bad critique. That was my point.
Slovenia SLOVENIA 2016 - ManuElla - Blue and Red
- Thread starter escYOUnited
- Start date
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You missed my point. Even if she 100% right, you simply don't say such things. And if you do say things like this, don't expect in turn that audience will spare of harsh words and bad critique. That was my point.
Carian
Well-known member
And who says that Georgians have NOT? Each and every competitor must be ready for debacle - and take it with some dignity. She didn't.
strupberry
Active member
- Joined
- February 7, 2011
- Posts
- 410
I wasn't aware of her after-show reactions, I'm generally against all sorts of bullying, bad mouthing and negative thoughts, no matter how the other person acts. 
Georgia qualifying isn't such a shocker to me, there's a lot of alternative rock fans across Europe, myself included. Their song is the only one in this years selection I'd download and listen to even after ESC.
Georgia qualifying isn't such a shocker to me, there's a lot of alternative rock fans across Europe, myself included. Their song is the only one in this years selection I'd download and listen to even after ESC.
Carian
Well-known member
I wasn't aware of her after-show reactions, I'm generally against all sorts of bullying, bad mouthing and negative thoughts, no matter how the other person acts.
Georgia qualifying isn't such a shocker to me, there's a lot of alternative rock fans across Europe, myself included. Their song is the only one in this years selection I'd download and listen to even after ESC.
Well, the funny thing is that Georgia qualified only thanks to juries, and also Manuella got most of her points from juries and not the televote. So, basically both of them share the same destiny, only that Georgia still managed to convice more viewers than Manuella did
Nikoreindeer1973
Banned
I wanted Slovenia in the final top 10.
DanielLuis
Well-known member
- Joined
- March 14, 2011
- Posts
- 8,605
This is probably explained with the fact that the jurors each year are different. If someone is a jury this year, I think they can't be a jury again for 3 or 5 years.
GianlucaTomoe
Banned
I miss ManuElla, she really was one of the cutest contestants of ESC 2016 
The fact that she was in the top 10 of the jury voting means that ESC must immediately come back to 100% jury voting.
The fact that she was in the top 10 of the jury voting means that ESC must immediately come back to 100% jury voting.
lavieenrose
Albania Superstar
I miss ManuElla, she really was one of the cutest contestants of ESC 2016
The fact that she was in the top 10 of the jury voting means that ESC must immediately come back to 100% jury voting.
Yes, so that Montenegro can qualify.
Sunday's sun leads me to review the latest effort of my dear Slovenians
ManuElla - Blue and Red
Status: Good (eventually)
Song: Every member who knows me a little bit is aware that Slovenia and I are in a committed relationship when it comes to Eurovision, we broke up on one occasion (2010) since 2009 and weren't in good terms in 2013, but apart from that, we've always spent nice (2009) to wonderful times together (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015). So far, no wonder Slovenia is still my favourite country as their entries are right up my alley. This year, I was so confident that I followed their NF quite closely and found my annual gem... But against all odds, another song was chosen: I obviously talk about "Blue And Red". The lyrics deal with a love relationship that has come to an end, and instead of crying and letting herself go, ManuElla decides to take the bull by the horns by taking control over her own life again. The message is rather nice actually but it is awkwardly expressed: yes, every year we do have our fair share of silly/incomprehensible/weird lyrics, it's not a poetry contest, I got it! Still, lyricists could care a little bit more about meaning: "Blue is blue and red is red" is not a stroke of genius, even by ESC standards. But whatever, blue refers to the pain ManuElla experiences whereas red refers to love and passion, a colour she wants to focus on from now on. Musically, it is a crossover between country, pop and something else I would be unable to name. The introduction is interesting: drums resound and an almost ethereal vocalized melodic line suddenly set an intriguing atmosphere, at least it made me want to listen to the rest. Then we have a quick transition to a country-flavoured part with electric guitar and banjo before ManuElla starts singing the first verse. The beat is rather allegro, the instrumentation is actually quite rich and "alive" if that makes sense, it's like a "chord conversation" between rhythm changes and instruments (banjo, electric guitar, piano). The chorus is the most country-sounding part, it is rather lively: I don't know why I can't keep on thinking Lady Antebellum could have sung this, what I like about it is that it is not too much, it's not very original but it's pretty decent considering they went for a crossover. The guitar riffs during the second verse are really enjoyable tbh, but the part that imo gives some originality is that vocalized part the singer does at the beginning, right before the second chorus and (cleverly) during the last part of the song instead of just repeating the chorus ad nauseam like some lazy countries did. I find that actually "catchy" and beautiful to listen to. Yes, remember I said this song was as dull as Danishwater, but that was actually in comparison with the other song of the NF that had some potential: "Crno Bel", because "Blue And Red" was definitely more colourful (pun intended) than lots of Eurovision entries this year imo. So I admit my words were too mean (Danishwater is the blandest blandness that exists), this isn't bad, it's just not what I expected or wanted from Slovenia: had it been sent by the Netherlands, I guess I wouldn't have complained (it is better than Slow Down). Damn Slovenia! You had a better song on offer!... Overall, I ended up liking that effort, even though it won't join the rest of the Slovenian entries that I love.
Voice: ManuElla's voice isn't too special, but not too anonymous either, she's pretty and she can sing live. Her semi performance wasn't perfect but she definitely did her best and elevated the song with her vocals.
Staging: Slovenia were never strong in the visual department and this year, it didn't change. ManuElla began to sing in the dark while white spotlights were pointed at her. Then the backdrops suddenly displayed blue shapes and white and black lines: it wasn't anything special, it felt like a typical x-factor staging to me. One could notice a small part of her face moving at the back (her mouth and nose basically) as well. The stage turned dark again and white lights surrounded her when the vocalize part started. During the chorus, the backdrops showed unstructured and striped parts of her face again but in a sepia colour. A shirtless dancer arrived during the second verse and began to... pole-dance?
there must be a more accurate word for what he does. Personally, I didn't find him useful as the presentation was already kind of meh and not very fancy, but he represented the man ManuElla talks about in the song: she moved on while he goes round and round in circles. I liked the fireworks in that performance, I don't know why. ManuElla's gestures seemed slightly awkward to me, like she over-rehearsed them, however I liked the fact she seemed to pray like a Christian rock singer during the vocalizes. She wore a white sleeveless dress that was split at the front and with a very VERY plunging neckline and nice black leather adornments: I loved it tbh, she was beautiful that way (damn, that cleavage wasn't playing! ) and her ponytail was the best hairstyle she had during the Eurovision week, so yay!
Outcome: Slovenia failed to qualify, which was 100% expected to me because the name "Slovenia" doesn't sell, they were "coincidentally" placed right after the Australian pet and overall I think the visual performance really undermined any true impact the song could have had on people. Juries surprisingly voted for them (10th place) whereas people decided it should have come second-to-last, so they finished 14th in the semi overall. From "Danishwater" to "ok" to "ok, that's rather good", Blue And Red grew on me, it's nowhere near as great as past Slovenian efforts and - I say it one more time - "Crno Bel" was MILES better than this to me, yet this was still a pretty good and interesting effort considering this year's Eurovision lineup. In my personal ranking, Slovenia is 16th (out of 42), which is definitely a good place for a song I bashed a few months ago. Crno Bel was robbed though, it would have gone straight into my top 5, but oh well it belongs to the past now Dear Slovenija, I hope next year will be a better year for you, I need me some awesome Slovenian song please, Raiven can come back anytime.
ManuElla - Blue and Red
Status: Good (eventually)
Song: Every member who knows me a little bit is aware that Slovenia and I are in a committed relationship when it comes to Eurovision, we broke up on one occasion (2010) since 2009 and weren't in good terms in 2013, but apart from that, we've always spent nice (2009) to wonderful times together (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015). So far, no wonder Slovenia is still my favourite country as their entries are right up my alley. This year, I was so confident that I followed their NF quite closely and found my annual gem... But against all odds, another song was chosen: I obviously talk about "Blue And Red". The lyrics deal with a love relationship that has come to an end, and instead of crying and letting herself go, ManuElla decides to take the bull by the horns by taking control over her own life again. The message is rather nice actually but it is awkwardly expressed: yes, every year we do have our fair share of silly/incomprehensible/weird lyrics, it's not a poetry contest, I got it! Still, lyricists could care a little bit more about meaning: "Blue is blue and red is red" is not a stroke of genius, even by ESC standards. But whatever, blue refers to the pain ManuElla experiences whereas red refers to love and passion, a colour she wants to focus on from now on. Musically, it is a crossover between country, pop and something else I would be unable to name. The introduction is interesting: drums resound and an almost ethereal vocalized melodic line suddenly set an intriguing atmosphere, at least it made me want to listen to the rest. Then we have a quick transition to a country-flavoured part with electric guitar and banjo before ManuElla starts singing the first verse. The beat is rather allegro, the instrumentation is actually quite rich and "alive" if that makes sense, it's like a "chord conversation" between rhythm changes and instruments (banjo, electric guitar, piano). The chorus is the most country-sounding part, it is rather lively: I don't know why I can't keep on thinking Lady Antebellum could have sung this, what I like about it is that it is not too much, it's not very original but it's pretty decent considering they went for a crossover. The guitar riffs during the second verse are really enjoyable tbh, but the part that imo gives some originality is that vocalized part the singer does at the beginning, right before the second chorus and (cleverly) during the last part of the song instead of just repeating the chorus ad nauseam like some lazy countries did. I find that actually "catchy" and beautiful to listen to. Yes, remember I said this song was as dull as Danishwater, but that was actually in comparison with the other song of the NF that had some potential: "Crno Bel", because "Blue And Red" was definitely more colourful (pun intended) than lots of Eurovision entries this year imo. So I admit my words were too mean (Danishwater is the blandest blandness that exists), this isn't bad, it's just not what I expected or wanted from Slovenia: had it been sent by the Netherlands, I guess I wouldn't have complained (it is better than Slow Down). Damn Slovenia! You had a better song on offer!... Overall, I ended up liking that effort, even though it won't join the rest of the Slovenian entries that I love.
Voice: ManuElla's voice isn't too special, but not too anonymous either, she's pretty and she can sing live. Her semi performance wasn't perfect but she definitely did her best and elevated the song with her vocals.
Staging: Slovenia were never strong in the visual department and this year, it didn't change. ManuElla began to sing in the dark while white spotlights were pointed at her. Then the backdrops suddenly displayed blue shapes and white and black lines: it wasn't anything special, it felt like a typical x-factor staging to me. One could notice a small part of her face moving at the back (her mouth and nose basically) as well. The stage turned dark again and white lights surrounded her when the vocalize part started. During the chorus, the backdrops showed unstructured and striped parts of her face again but in a sepia colour. A shirtless dancer arrived during the second verse and began to... pole-dance?
there must be a more accurate word for what he does. Personally, I didn't find him useful as the presentation was already kind of meh and not very fancy, but he represented the man ManuElla talks about in the song: she moved on while he goes round and round in circles. I liked the fireworks in that performance, I don't know why. ManuElla's gestures seemed slightly awkward to me, like she over-rehearsed them, however I liked the fact she seemed to pray like a Christian rock singer during the vocalizes. She wore a white sleeveless dress that was split at the front and with a very VERY plunging neckline and nice black leather adornments: I loved it tbh, she was beautiful that way (damn, that cleavage wasn't playing! ) and her ponytail was the best hairstyle she had during the Eurovision week, so yay!Outcome: Slovenia failed to qualify, which was 100% expected to me because the name "Slovenia" doesn't sell, they were "coincidentally" placed right after the Australian pet and overall I think the visual performance really undermined any true impact the song could have had on people. Juries surprisingly voted for them (10th place) whereas people decided it should have come second-to-last, so they finished 14th in the semi overall. From "Danishwater" to "ok" to "ok, that's rather good", Blue And Red grew on me, it's nowhere near as great as past Slovenian efforts and - I say it one more time - "Crno Bel" was MILES better than this to me, yet this was still a pretty good and interesting effort considering this year's Eurovision lineup. In my personal ranking, Slovenia is 16th (out of 42), which is definitely a good place for a song I bashed a few months ago. Crno Bel was robbed though, it would have gone straight into my top 5, but oh well it belongs to the past now
Dear Slovenija, I hope next year will be a better year for you, I need me some awesome Slovenian song please, Raiven can come back anytime. 
LastDreamer
Banned
"Crno Bel" was my least favourite song from their pre-selection. xsorry
That doesn't surprise me
as you eliminated 4 of my 8 hottest favourites in your full ranking (2000-2016) right from the beginning We don't have the same taste, but that's ok! 
RomanFromRussia
Well-known member
"Slow Down" is my no.1 of the year while "Blue and Red" is among my least favourites of the year. I wouldn't say that "Slow down" is worse than "Blue and Red" because dutch song is way more atmospheric and it has a message, also it has retro-style and it makes the song outstanding.
GianlucaTomoe
Banned
Regina has released the Slovenian version of her EMA-entry "Alive in every way"... it's called "Naglas" (which means "accent"):
GianlucaTomoe
Banned
A Slovenian friend of mine said on Facebook that "Blue and red" is being played much more in the Slovenian radios now then it was in spring. Can some other Slovenian person confirm this?
Carian
Well-known member
Okey, dear tuorem, only while reading your post, I have realized that actually the rest of Europe missed the point of what Manuela actually tried to "say" by Blue is blue and red is red. I've thought that the reference is self-evident, but actually it is not. By blue she means MEN, and by read she means WOMEN. The whole phrase (at least this is how I understood/still understand the lyrics) is: men are men and women are women, and there is nothing to do about it. It is in our nature. So, now I am a bit shocked and actually curious how many Europeans missed this "metaphor"
Carian
Well-known member
I do not listen to Slovenian radios, but it is probably true. However, it is also important to add that this entry is not even closely as popular as the entries of the previous couple of years. Both, Tinkara and Maraaya were top 2 in their respective years by the airplay they had got in 2014 and 2015. I believe that Manuella's song is barely in top 30. But i should check up before I start swearing
Carian
Well-known member
Now I've read your entire review. I agree, but I strongly disagree on that the song is a grower. Deedeeleh deedeeleh dooh, as Scarlett O'Hara would say, nanny, stop saying nonsense Manuella is a decent girl, but she is no entertainer, and my advice to her is: girl, leave music to others, stick to computers (cuz she has a degree in this department hehehe). Anyways, thanks Tuorem for sharing your precious insights. Keep them coming
Manuella is a decent girl, but she is no entertainer, and my advice to her is: girl, leave music to others, stick to computers (cuz she has a degree in this department hehehe). Anyways, thanks Tuorem for sharing your precious insights. Keep them coming
GianlucaTomoe
Banned
xslap