Disclaimer: contains opinions. All opinions stated belong to the quoted person, and do not represent the views of ESCUnited as a whole.
Hi everyone! JESC is just around the corner (it happens TOMORROW!), so it’s time to push through with our next update on the participating acts. In today’s post, we are reviewing the entries from Germany, The Netherlands, San Marino and Ukraine.
What opinions do Alexandros, Boris, Holly, Rebecca and Sam have in store for these four? Who is going to be our favourite, and is anyone going to beat Armenia in the overall classification? Let’s dive in, shall we?
#11. GERMANY
Bjarne- “Save the best for us”
Languages: German & English
Music & Lyrics: Ignacio Uriarte, Kai Oliver Krug & Thomas Meilstrup.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 7 – “Okay, Germany, I see you with this one. It’s a lovely ballad with a great video, beautiful vocals, and everything else you could want. I also think this is a good example of how old-school music can be mixed up with modern elements. It evokes nostalgia while also incorporating an electronic beat throughout the song. As for the stage performance, I can envision many exciting elements and am eagerly anticipating seeing it come to life.”
BORIS – 2 – “How many times are Germany going to miss the mark before someone (me) starts using “This is German” as an insult? “Save the best for us” mistakes self-righteousness for wholesomeness: It is painfully twee, and borders on lecturing the audience for destroying the planet before our children can enjoy it. I find it unwholesome. Do you *understand* the concept, dear composers? Tone down those imperatives, empty platitudes and forced falsetto’s, if you will. Bjarne himself is a likeable lead with a good voice, but this bad, *bad* song reduces him to a mouthpiece used by adult songwriters to voice their own malcontent for the sake of sounding morally superior. This is *German* (derogatory).”
HOLLY – 6 – “Bjarne’s vocal tone is stunning, reminiscent of a young James Arthur and carrying the same emotive power. The song itself has a lovely message and I love a choral refrain, but the chorus is generic and the electro pulse towards the end is confusing, both of which take away from what is otherwise a nice listen.”
REBECCA – 5.5 – “A bit of a generic message, but I really like the framing of its delivery as “I want to see these things when I grow up.” Coming from someone young, these sorts of environmental messages always hit a bit harder. I’m interested to see how they bring this to life on the stage, because it could be very cool!”
SAM – 5 – ““Save the Best for Us” isn’t the only song in the contest with an environmentalist theme, but it is the most on the nose. It’s not a bad song in a vacuum, but it belongs at the end credits of a nature documentary – not at JESC, where it simply doesn’t hold up against the power ballads and pop bangers, despite Bjarne’s vocal talent. “Crystal Waters” and “Vallëzoj” also touch on the idea of preserving nature but in ways that don’t overwhelm the songs. This has to follow Spain, which won’t help its final result.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 25.5/50
Highest mark: 7 (Alexandros)
Lowest mark: 2 (Boris)
Percentage: 51%
#12. The NETHERLANDS
Stay Tuned – “Music”
Languages: Dutch & English
Music & Lyrics: Jermain van der Bogt & Willem Laseroms
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 6.5 – “The song has a great rhythm. It reminds me of another song this year, but I can’t quite place it, or maybe just a generic rhythm. Overall, I think this song has the potential to have a top10 placement, and with the singers’ stage presence, it could even go higher.”
BORIS – 6 – “I suppose the Dutch thing at JESC nowadays is to send effervescent kids with basic dance tracks that whiplash between Dutch and English. But this latest attempt of theirs is so generic it borders on parody. The kids are the saving grace here, giving us loads of charm and “I WANT IT” energy. The song itself does not possess an ounce of originality however, and that makes it boring for what it is. If this does well on Saturday it’ll be due to the effort put in by their performers, and not their composers.”
HOLLY – 7 – S Club 7, eat your heart out! It’s so easy for anthemic dance-pop to come across as forced and hollow, but not here. The charisma from all of these kids is off the charts, not to mention their voices! This is going to be a banger of a show on stage
REBECCA – 5 – “The melody in the main chorus reminds me of a hit from the early 2010’s, and it distracted me enough throughout the whole song that I had to listen to it again (oops). This one falls a little too far into the “kids pop” genre to be up my alley, but it has a fun sound and playful energy that will definitely work well on stage.”
SAM – 6 – ““Music” has a melody that sounds very similar to “The Nights” by Avicii, as well as every other Eurodance song you’ve ever heard. It’s fine. It’s fun. But it’s not a standout. Based on their Junior Songfestival performance, the group’s members are talented and energetic and good at hyping up the crowd. I’m just not sure it will be enough to compete with the likes of, for example, Armenia.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 30,5/60
Highest mark: 7 (Holly)
Lowest mark: 5 (Rebecca)
Percentage: 61%
#13. SAN MARINO
Idols SM- “Come noi”
Languages: Italian
Title in English: “Like us”
Music & Lyrics: Miodio.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 3 -“I didn’t quite grasp the meaning of the song. While I find it to be a pleasant tune, I believe it’s not particularly suitable for JESC. It lacks depth and fails to captivate the audience’s attention. However, the music video is visually appealing, and the group’s energy is evident. Nevertheless, I feel that the overall presentation is somewhat lacking in excitement and creativity. I would like to see more of their performances, particularly their stage plans, to gain a better understanding of their artistic vision.”
BORIS – 4 – “This sure is one of the songs in JESC 2024.”
HOLLY – 3 – “As a Miodio apologist, I expected more from them as songwriters. The instrumental has a cool sci-fi vibe, but I desperately wish there was a bit more complexity here. Why put together a group of talented young singers and force them to sing in unison the whole time? These girls deserve better.”
REBECCA – 3 – “Maybe I’ve just forgotten what it was like to be a be a pre-teen girl, but there’s not much about this one that speaks to me. The lyrics didn’t make a lot of sense, and the song doesn’t go anywhere tonally that would’ve caught my attention. The music video was very well shot and edited, and the vocals were solid overall, but that’s about all I can say. (I appreciate the Stray Kids namedrop, though—they have good taste in music!)”
SAM – 5.5 – ““Come noi” is the too cool for school entry in this year’s JESC. The lyrics reference TikTok and Stray Kids, and the music video depicts Idols SM walking through the streets in matching sweatsuits. This casual, nonchalant vibe is reflected in the melody, which is slow and relaxed. Unfortunately, this may lead to the song getting lost in the shuffle. There are some nice vocal harmonies, but overall, “Come noi” isn’t a very dynamic song. There are no real solos among the four singers, giving none of them a chance to shine individually and making it difficult to distinguish their voices.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 18.5/50
Highest mark: 5.5 (Sam)
Lowest mark: 3 (Alexandros, Holly, Rebecca)
Percentage: 37%
#14. UKRAINE
Artem Kotenko – “Hear me now”
Languages: English & Ukrainian
Music & Lyrics: Svitlana Tarabarova.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 5 – “I genuinely enjoyed his energy, and what surprised me was his clear enunciation. However, I didn’t like the lyrics, which I find basic and insufficient for his vocal range. His vocals seem powerful, but this song diminishes their impact. The staging was decent from the NF, but I hope they create something more impactful at JESC.”
BORIS – 9 – “The rhythm, the vocals, the vision. Yeah, this is just… very good. SOMETIMES THE REVIEW IS JUST THAT, TOUGH GINGER SNAPS. “Hear me now” is fun uptempo composition that uses its tempo to create a sense of urgency, is very well performed by Artem, is very well staged in the NF. It has the triple threat under control. A small quibble is that the song is a bit on-the-nose with the “home” message, but like… kid’s hometown *was* destroyed in the war, so: let’s let that slide. Ukraine should be a contender to win JESC 2024 and if you don’t approve, then blame the other countries for not trying hard enough.”
HOLLY – 6 – “Ukraine haven’t reinvented the wheel, but as one of the only live performances we have thus far, this makes me so excited for the live show. To so effortlessly switch from breathy to belting over and over again is a feat, but to belt the entire last minute of the song, not miss a single note, AND nail those dance moves, Artem has talent in spades. Please someone find out his practice schedule, I need to take some notes.”
REBECCA – 8 – “Whether it’s ESC or JESC, Ukraine is really good at showing off their artists and songwriters. That high note at the beginning actually made me gasp! If I wanted to nitpick, the lyrics in the chorus are a little repetitive, but they’re catchy enough that I don’t mind much. Artem has a very powerful voice that goes really well with the style and theme of the song. There already seems to be a very solid concept for the staging, too, so the whole package comes together incredibly well.”
SAM – 10 – ““Hear Me Now” is a certified banger. If this song came on in the club, I would unironically vibe with it. Overall, this is one of the strongest entries and a real contender for the win. Ukraine reminds us once again that war has not dampened their creative energy or their ability to produce bops. Artem Kotenko is a pop star in the making, and the national final staging (outfits included) evokes Y2K nostalgia in a way that works well with the song. Not to mention, Kotenko has a killer voice.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 38/50
Highest mark: 10 (Sam)
Lowest mark: 5 (Alexandros)
Percentage: 76%
THE SCOREBOARD 14 out of 17 counted)
- ARMENIA (Cosmic Friend) – 83%
- SPAIN (Como La Lola) – 76%, Highest 10, Median 8.5
- UKRAINE (Hear me now) – 76%, Highest 10, Median 8
- ALBANIA (Vallëzoj) – 75%
- GEORGIA (To my mom) – 73%
- CYPRUS (Crystal Waters) – 72%
- ESTONIA (Tänavad) – 70%
- NETHERLANDS (Music) – 61%
- ITALY (Pigiama Party) – 60%, Highest 7.5
- NORTH MACEDONIA (Marathon) – 60%, Highest 7
- FRANCE (Comme ci, comme ça) – 58%
- GERMANY (Save the best for us) – 51%
- POLAND (All Together) – 41%
- SAN MARINO (Come noi) – 37%
ARMENIA maintain their lead over Spain, with Ukraine doing the best of the four newcomers (tying with Spain in score but losing the tiebreaker). San Marino now close the ranking, with a low 37% average.
WILL THE LAST UPDATE shake up the order, or are we cruising towards Armenian supremacy? Stay tuned for the final update (set to be posted in the morning) where we close our reviews with Portugal, Ireland and Malta!
Who do #YOU like best? Who do #YOU deem the winner of JESC 2024? Share your opinions with us in the comments, on our forum or via our discord!
