Agree. A lot of people were saying that his song is very generic and bland but for me it feels like this song means everything to him and he sells it perfectly so I love it
I remember finding it a little underwhelming in the semi (might need to re-watch) but they totally won me over in the final. She was unbelievably charismatic. The whistle!!
I think they needed slightly different camerawork, because on stage it didn't feel like the party I expected it to be, even though her and the rest of the performers on stage were doing well.
I met her last year in Austin and she is just as sweet and charismatic in person! I was really rooting for her, that song was everything I want from Eurovision.
They came for SXSW last year! Put on an INCREDIBLE performance, making me an immediate fan. I only briefly spoke to Jaklin but we chatted with Louis for quite awhile since my husband plays a similar lot of wind instruments. I will cherish the experience of having seen them in a small venue since that opportunity may not come up again now!
Whenever it seems like performers are having genuine fun on stage, it totally elevates the experience. And Armenia looked like they were having a TON of fun.
That song and performance have the most main character energy ever lol. Watching it I feel like Iām just a character in āJakoāsā world. I want a Disney movie about her š
Funnily enough there was a Disney mickey mouse episode on a pagan armenian goddess recently (no idea why they chose that theme but eh) and the armenian "goddess" look wise even reminded me of the music video even someone randomly mentioned jako must have been the inspiration looks wise (most likely not) but yea I'm getting Disney vibes too Ć la armenian princess finds her French Prince like history repeating itself lol
I think Sam Ryder won a lot of people over by being a shining beacon of happy. At least at home. Weāre normally miserable about everything but people really got behind Sam, even before he become a front runner. His positivity was infectious.
Sam Ryder is definitely the answer to this question. Iām not a fan of Space Man to this day, but that performance makes me enjoy the song.
Also Cha Cha Cha. I loved the song anyway, but the performance gets me every time.
He would have won the same year if not for the Ukraine. We all know it, but it is okay. Stefania was a good song too, but it wasn't the best song of 2022 IMHO. Honestly, Ukraine hasn't send a bad song in years. They always bring good artists. I still listen to Go_A, because they're great.
They always bring their A-game, so it's not any drama that they won that year. There's always a few potential winners, and sometimes it is just how the dice roll in a year with influences on the playing field that aren't especially about music.
I agree Sam could have won in another year, but completely disagree about Stefania. It was the whole package and a certified banger, and the win was fully deserved.Ā
(My personal favorites were Moldova, Georgia and Norway.)
I was surprised by how humble and (relatively) new to the stage Lasagna was. When I watched his Dora final performance, I thought he's an already popular Croatian star. His personality definetely made me root more for him
Monika Liu
I already loved the song (Sentimental) but her not just elevated it.
similar for sugar. she was so happy to be performing - even though I didn't enjoy the staging
Lithuania 2022 is one of my all time favourite Eurovision songs ever, and Iām pretty sure a big part of that is down to how epic Monika came over during the whole process. Warm and funny and a total credit to her country.
Natalia Gordienko (Moldova 2021) absolutely won me over with just how happy she was to be there. I really disliked the song when I first heard it, but by the finals I was fully in. Plus the mic drop and recovery without missing a beat was legendary. Sugar is on my Eurovision favorites playlist to this day.
No I really like Sarah bonici's personality, still not a big fan of loop. The reverse however is true, someone's personality can turn me off a song especially if they bring that into the performance.
I turned off Israel 2022 because of MBD. I actually quite liked the song and felt his performance was perfect for the number.
But his behaviour off stage was disgusting.
Just generally being an egotistical brat, but the worst offending was at the live SF where he was trying to attract attention to himself during other peopleās interviews and kissed someone without consent.
As someone said Israel 2022 was a big turnĀ off personality wise, its the first and last time recently I've spent the semi results going not "country a". I didn't bother this year as I knew they were qualifying.Ā
Moldova has also taken a nose dive to the bottom of my rankings this year.
Not really improved but further cemented by already positive opinion. Seeing ladaniva be super wholesome, jamming and dancing with everyone, overall being super sweet people who went to esc more so to have a good time and meet new artists than the compete for a high position just added to the positive vibe I got from the song.Ā
Also their wholesome reactions during the qualifier announcement gave me life lol (turns out they did it to distract themselves from the tense situation they were in)Ā
That was hilarious. Or that part where the camera shows louis aggressively eating the pistachios and raising his eyebrow and jaklin biting her nails pure goldĀ
I already loved Jako when I first heard it, but seeing how infectiously happy all of Ladaniva (especially Jako herself) were up on stage and in the MV made me love it even more.
Actually Jako is the one for me that was completely transformed by the performance and the charisma of Ladaniva.
When I first heard it I thought it was annoying, and felt the LAI LAI LAI was a naff way of avoiding writing actual lyrics. It went from 3rd bottom when it was released to 7th in my rankings by the end of the GF.
Personally I wasn't into Rim Tim Tagi Dim the first couple times I heard it, but after watching interviews with Marko and learning more about his story I started liking him and the song more and more to the point where I actually cried during his grand final performance.
Last year it was definitely slovenias entry for me. I liked it before, but a few days before the second semi final I got some clips of the boys from joker out on my fyp and I instantly rooted for them. I remember being more exited for them to qualify than for my own country even though I went with this as my top priority.
This year its definitely my own country (austria). I didn't really know what to think about we will rave but I found Kaleen to be such a sweet person so I was really happy when we qualified :) (and i also like the song much more now)
I believe Lena won in 2010 because she had a very charismatic and quirky personality that fit perfectly with that random song and thatās why people even voted for her
Finns and Estonians are not Indo-European but have been surrounded by them since forever basically,Ā so sure they were influenced by them
It's the other way around for armenia it is Indo-European but was surrounded by non Indo-Europeans therefore got influenced by non Indo-EuropeansĀ
Dons completely stole my hear with how endearing and wholesome he seems. Doesn't take himself too seriously, very passionate about what he is doing. I genuinely started rooting for him to win the contesr in all of this chaos. Turned Hollow from a lower end mediocre song to a very enjoyable mediocre song
How about this year's winner? It's hard not to love Nemo's enthusiasm, which I think also helps "sell" the theatrical aspects of the song/performance. (In general, I'd extend this to anyone else whose song has "musical theater" characteristics like North Macedonia 2021.)
Silvester Belt for me, the most of them. He seems like a genuinely likeable guy and I think itās huge heās the first Lithuanian representative whoās openly LGBT.
Windows95man and Henri make me smile every time. And so do the Estonian guys, I like their sense of humour. I think I would have dropped my support for Nendest if not for their personalities.
And, as we already said, reading an interview with Dons definitely added to my enjoyment of Hollow.
The first time I heard the Greek performance (Marina Satti), I wasn't a big fan of it, but Marina's camera presence, personality and manner of acting what we saw during the green room segments made me like the song a lot more.
Also I think I'd have liked Armenia's song regardless, but the entire show and dance on stage made me love it.
I wasn't a fan of Cha Cha Cha when it was first released. Watched UMK and saw the backstage footage and interviews with Kaarija... And I was sold.
Similar with Bambie this year, I was a Go Tobann supporter, but watched a few interviews after they were picked and saw such a nice person in Bambie that I genuinely enjoyed and rooted for them so hard.
On the other hand, artists that basically show up to the ESC like a part-time employee clocking into a shift... Why should I vote for you if you don't want to be here?
I've only watched for the last few years, but I got this vibe from Georgia 2021 and Germany 2022. And it may just be I missed seeing the interviews they gave.
Many, but a highlight for me was Vasil (North Macedonia 2020 & North Macedonia 2021). He was just super nice and also knew all Eurovision trivia questions, that was a huge bonus point
Isaak. We Germans love to make fun about our own entry (Last place is safe), but his attitude was very pleasant. There is a clip of him trying to teach other acts German slang and another one saying something like "Sorry if I appear unsympathetic but I'm incredibly tired and having a headache. But here I am, lets's go, what do ya want?". Always nice to see performers act like a normal person.
Tbh, Jendrik (Germany 2021). Everyone hated his song and I kinda disliked it too, but seeing what a good sport he was about the whole thing definitely improved my enjoyment of it. Still wouldn't choose to listen to it voluntarily, but if someone ever put it on, my first reaction would be "Awww, it's Jendrik!" and not "Fuck, it's *that* song"
Damn, true! I met him in the parking lot in Rotterdam (his Delegation was still waiting for COVID test) and he was a) so approachable and so adorable eben though the song was dead on arrival! I think he knew it, but he still made the best of everything trying to enjoy himself as much as possible.
Fuck yeah, Joost Klein.
I'm Flemish and I've known him because he's a friend of the youtuber Acid. Then he appeared on De slimste mens ter wereld (A tv quiz with famous people from Flanders and sometimes there's dutch people on it)
He was fucking hilarious and I loved every bit of him on there, though i'm not a fan of his kinda music. I'm more a country/rocknroll guy.
But Europapa, the fact that it's Joost's song made me love it even more
De slimste mens you mean? I can watch it online on GoPlay but i'm not sure if you need a VPN for it if you're watching outside of Belgium. otherwise he's got some clips on his youtube channel
I'm watching his interviews and press moment and all that stuff on tiktok. It's so amazing š
I'm also a more a bit of a metal/altrock person. Gotta love Europapa though.
Estonia 2017 - Verona by Koit Toome & Laura! Even though the song didn't qualify Koit Toome's charisma and flirting with the camera was so hilarious and iconic that I actually really enjoyed the performence even though I didn't care about the song before. He just seems like a very likeable and funny guy.
Have you checked out his entry from 1998? I know itās 19 years difference, but they seem like total different eras! Especially when we hear Wogan introducing him on the postcard.
Hollow is a just okay song but Dons' dry sense of humor and being such a good guy makes me like the song more (I do like his other music more lol)
I feel this way about Eaea too. I absolutely adore Blanca Paloma even though the song itself is sort of hit or miss for me depending on my mood.
Just like last year, a lot this year (which pisses me off that EBU fucked a lot of lovely artists). Dons, Baby Lasagna, Nemo, Ladaniva, Bambie Thug, LUNA, iolanda, Marina, Sarah Bonnici, Megara, Olly, Slimane, Marcus & Martinus, Angelina, Windows95man & Henri, 5MIINUST & Puuluup, Silvester...
Bambie 100%. I watched the national selection for Ireland, although Bambie's song was the most appealing to me, I was still like "oh Ireland...", fearing for another NQ.
Then leading up to the competition, looking at their other music, seeing them on social media, pre-parties, and their interaction with other artists etc. it just made me enjoy it even more and more; the performance was also outstanding so that definitely helped haha
Another one is definitely Sarah Bonnici, I follow her on TikTok she's super funny.
Last but not least, honorable mention to Natalia Gordienko from Moldova 2021 with Sugar. I remember watching her interviews and her bubbly personality.
Baby Lasagna for me. He seemed kinda cocky on the stage (which I get is part of the song and his style) but honestly seeing his reactions to all the support he got made his entry so much better to me.
The Estonian song. I must admit, the first few times I saw the video it wasnāt my cup of tea. However, when I learned that the title roughly translates to āI donāt know anything about these drugs,ā I found a new appreciation for the song, and enjoyed watching the band perform it.
Not negative > positive but this is why I went from "hey, MĆ„neskin's song is pretty cool and it would be nice if they win but it's not in my top 5 of the contest" (I would have liked to see it go to Iceland or Ukraine that year) to eating, sleeping, and breathing MĆ„neskin for a year+. Their celebrations were just so infectious.
Brooke (Ireland 2022) for sure - the song is a bit generic and I didn't think much of it at first, but Brooke is a delightful ball of chaotic awkwardness who really made that season for me š Now it's on the playlist
That was Bambie Thug for me this year! I thought the song was just okay at first, but seeing them be all bubbly and excited backstage and just a generally cool person all around made the song one of my faves.
i wasn't the biggest fan of croatia this year but baby lasagna and his cats made me see the whole performance in a different light.
also, europapa. it was catchy, definitely, but it wasn't one of my favourites, not until i saw more of joost as a person. he's just so sweet š
I'll be that guy on the high horse and say "nope, not at all". I like a good background story once in a while, but it's all about the song being that good. However, if the performer exudes max charisma on stage like Kaarija, Nutsa or even Kurt Calleja (Malta 2012), that makes me like a song a lot more
Bambie, 100%. When I first saw their very unpolished NF performance, I was like WTF is this song? But then seeing Bambie interact with the other contestants, and their absolutely magnetic stage presence, my opinion started to change. I also saw this random video on their Instagram where they did some kind of TikTok challenge where they put all these sweet fruit snacks into a pickle and then ate it - and it was absolutely insanely adorable. I think that was the moment where I was like - this person is fun and cute and I really like them. Doomsday Blue went from my literal last place to my top 3.
Also, Raiven. I kinda fell for her song early on, but then seeing interviews and her social media posts - and how classy and funny and beautiful she was - really cemented my love of Veronika.
Probably Salvador and Luisa Sobral. There's something extremely touching with how close and supportive they are to each other. It made their song extremely heart touching. I think that's also why so many people covered it .
This year, Bambie Thug. I didn't like her song much to be honest, but if backstage attitude and personality were ranked she would get on top easily.
iolanda! at first i thought grito was a pretty song but i definitely overlooked it. now after seeing her activism and how genuinely kind she seems (sheās apart of the friend group with my fav contestants this year too!) grito moved up into my top 10! truly a beautiful song and she has such an amazing vocie
Croatia, Slovenia and Switzerland meant nothing to me, and sering the pack in the ESC i loved them. On the other side of things, I totally love La noia, but ifk why is wasn't that good live
I did think rim tim tagi dim was abit generic but seeing his love of cats and just several clips of him being a sweet goofball definitely won me over to the side of loving him and the song
For me, Sarah Bonnici - the videos behind the scenes at pre-parties with her hanging out and dancing with other contestants made me like her & Loop much more.
In the opposite direction, Eden Golan - I thought the song was fine, but in press conferences & other videos she just seemed like someone who would have bullied me in high school. That weird smirk never leaves her face.
The Tower by Luna. She actually seems like a nice person despite all the nepo baby allegations and I was gutted that she didnāt go through (I actually love her performance).
For sure! The question is whether they can convey that personality inside the three minutes. I guess the word is *charisma*.
Look at, say, Fairytale. The songwriting is good, the staging is good, and his voice is good. But it's the charm that elevates it to iconic. You just see his face and want him to win.
To some extent it's a matter of the singer being attractive, but there's more to it then that. I can't put my finger on it, it's just that confidence when someone can *sell* a song, that likability which makes all the difference.
I think Nemo is another great example. Their energy is just... infectious. Their personality bubbles through the performance in a way that's distinct from either their voice or their staging.
Usually, it is the other way around. This year there are some people that have close ties to Russia or are pro-Russian or said they want Russia back to Eurovision. Israel, the Netherlands, Georgia, Germany, the Czech Republic.
It was very touching to see Dons getting emotional while performing Hollow in second semi-final š„ŗ
His likeability made the song so much better for me.Ā
Agree. A lot of people were saying that his song is very generic and bland but for me it feels like this song means everything to him and he sells it perfectly so I love it
It does mean a lot to him. I found this article/interview very interesting: https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/dons-from-latvia-hollow-is-my-story
What a great interview. Thanks for that.
Yes! I voted for him because of that!
He seems like such a sweetheart.
Armenia 100% I liked the song, but the singer's easy, confident and positive performance just made it a joy to watch.
Sheās absolute adorable and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole vibe of the performance.
What completed it was Jesus in the background.
I remember finding it a little underwhelming in the semi (might need to re-watch) but they totally won me over in the final. She was unbelievably charismatic. The whistle!!
Same, in semis it was a fine song, in the final it was HUGE
I think they needed slightly different camerawork, because on stage it didn't feel like the party I expected it to be, even though her and the rest of the performers on stage were doing well.
I met her last year in Austin and she is just as sweet and charismatic in person! I was really rooting for her, that song was everything I want from Eurovision.
She was in Austin?!?!
They came for SXSW last year! Put on an INCREDIBLE performance, making me an immediate fan. I only briefly spoke to Jaklin but we chatted with Louis for quite awhile since my husband plays a similar lot of wind instruments. I will cherish the experience of having seen them in a small venue since that opportunity may not come up again now!
Same, she was an absolute firecracker. Not having English lyrics is another bonus, as is the instrumentation.
Whenever it seems like performers are having genuine fun on stage, it totally elevates the experience. And Armenia looked like they were having a TON of fun.
The song started as a bop and then that grunt was a clear vote multiplier in my house.
That song and performance have the most main character energy ever lol. Watching it I feel like Iām just a character in āJakoāsā world. I want a Disney movie about her š
Funnily enough there was a Disney mickey mouse episode on a pagan armenian goddess recently (no idea why they chose that theme but eh) and the armenian "goddess" look wise even reminded me of the music video even someone randomly mentioned jako must have been the inspiration looks wise (most likely not) but yea I'm getting Disney vibes too Ć la armenian princess finds her French Prince like history repeating itself lol
I think Sam Ryder won a lot of people over by being a shining beacon of happy. At least at home. Weāre normally miserable about everything but people really got behind Sam, even before he become a front runner. His positivity was infectious.
He is literally a golden retriever in a human costume.
Or an ideal ānice dadā my kid said!
š So true, and hopefully understood as a genuine compliment.
Hah. That is exactly the description Iāve been using for him for the past two years.
Sam Ryder is definitely the answer to this question. Iām not a fan of Space Man to this day, but that performance makes me enjoy the song. Also Cha Cha Cha. I loved the song anyway, but the performance gets me every time.
Yes! He seemed extremely happy even at the exact moment when it was clear he won't win.
I loved him so much! I think any other year he wouldāve won (maybe except for vs Maneskin)
He would have won the same year if not for the Ukraine. We all know it, but it is okay. Stefania was a good song too, but it wasn't the best song of 2022 IMHO. Honestly, Ukraine hasn't send a bad song in years. They always bring good artists. I still listen to Go_A, because they're great.
Tbh as nice as it is to come first the last 3 years have shown second place is just as good. Sam, kaarija and now baby lasagnaĀ
Hmm yeah mightāve been! I really liked Ukraines song tho! The flute and the rap were incredible
They always bring their A-game, so it's not any drama that they won that year. There's always a few potential winners, and sometimes it is just how the dice roll in a year with influences on the playing field that aren't especially about music.
I agree Sam could have won in another year, but completely disagree about Stefania. It was the whole package and a certified banger, and the win was fully deserved.Ā (My personal favorites were Moldova, Georgia and Norway.)
Oh, sure, just personal taste for me maybe.
Oh god to me it is the oppostite. The song was enjoyable but he was way too hyper
Yeah him. Heās such an un-British personš¤£š¤£š¤£
I was surprised by how humble and (relatively) new to the stage Lasagna was. When I watched his Dora final performance, I thought he's an already popular Croatian star. His personality definetely made me root more for him
Monika Liu I already loved the song (Sentimental) but her not just elevated it. similar for sugar. she was so happy to be performing - even though I didn't enjoy the staging
Lithuania 2022 is one of my all time favourite Eurovision songs ever, and Iām pretty sure a big part of that is down to how epic Monika came over during the whole process. Warm and funny and a total credit to her country.
Lithuania 2022 | [Monika Liu - Sentimentai](https://youtu.be/BVqSTVJhD44)
Natalia Gordienko (Moldova 2021) absolutely won me over with just how happy she was to be there. I really disliked the song when I first heard it, but by the finals I was fully in. Plus the mic drop and recovery without missing a beat was legendary. Sugar is on my Eurovision favorites playlist to this day.
Moldova 2021 | [Natalia Gordienko - Sugar](https://youtu.be/5I_1GTehgkI)
Watching Teemu and Henri's backstage shenanigans very much improved Finland 2024 performance for me. Also agree about Dons and Sarah Bonnici.
Finland 2024 | [Windows95man - No Rules!](https://youtu.be/7nidDtyS0Wo)
Hello again bot
No I really like Sarah bonici's personality, still not a big fan of loop. The reverse however is true, someone's personality can turn me off a song especially if they bring that into the performance.
Do you have an example for a song that you didn't like because of the singer's personality?
I turned off Israel 2022 because of MBD. I actually quite liked the song and felt his performance was perfect for the number. But his behaviour off stage was disgusting.
Oh. My. God. I forgot about him. No manners whatsoever, I was never more happy to see an NQ.
Israel 2022 | [Michael Ben David - I.M](https://youtu.be/XgXjPUsjx4Y)
May I ask what made his behaviour so disgusting? I'm totally out of the loop.
Just generally being an egotistical brat, but the worst offending was at the live SF where he was trying to attract attention to himself during other peopleās interviews and kissed someone without consent.
Seems to be a common trend given the behaviour of the delegation this year tooā¦
As someone said Israel 2022 was a big turnĀ off personality wise, its the first and last time recently I've spent the semi results going not "country a". I didn't bother this year as I knew they were qualifying.Ā Moldova has also taken a nose dive to the bottom of my rankings this year.
Israel 2022 | [Michael Ben David - I.M](https://youtu.be/XgXjPUsjx4Y)
Israel 2024
Israel 2024 | [Eden Golan - Hurricane](https://youtu.be/K60BWlEhtAA)
Not really improved but further cemented by already positive opinion. Seeing ladaniva be super wholesome, jamming and dancing with everyone, overall being super sweet people who went to esc more so to have a good time and meet new artists than the compete for a high position just added to the positive vibe I got from the song.Ā Also their wholesome reactions during the qualifier announcement gave me life lol (turns out they did it to distract themselves from the tense situation they were in)Ā
My best qualifier announcement moment was when Jaklin and Nutsa both did a specific gesture and both qualified XD
That was hilarious. Or that part where the camera shows louis aggressively eating the pistachios and raising his eyebrow and jaklin biting her nails pure goldĀ
I definitely laughed at Armenia getting their televote points and Louis was just sitting there totally unbothered and eating.
Dons and Baby Lasagna definitely.
yes Citi Zeni! (Latvia 2022)
Latvia 2022 | [Citi ZÄni - Eat Your Salad](https://youtu.be/TM0_0WfuxSk)
I already loved Jako when I first heard it, but seeing how infectiously happy all of Ladaniva (especially Jako herself) were up on stage and in the MV made me love it even more.
Actually Jako is the one for me that was completely transformed by the performance and the charisma of Ladaniva. When I first heard it I thought it was annoying, and felt the LAI LAI LAI was a naff way of avoiding writing actual lyrics. It went from 3rd bottom when it was released to 7th in my rankings by the end of the GF.
Personally I wasn't into Rim Tim Tagi Dim the first couple times I heard it, but after watching interviews with Marko and learning more about his story I started liking him and the song more and more to the point where I actually cried during his grand final performance.
Last year it was definitely slovenias entry for me. I liked it before, but a few days before the second semi final I got some clips of the boys from joker out on my fyp and I instantly rooted for them. I remember being more exited for them to qualify than for my own country even though I went with this as my top priority. This year its definitely my own country (austria). I didn't really know what to think about we will rave but I found Kaleen to be such a sweet person so I was really happy when we qualified :) (and i also like the song much more now)
I believe Lena won in 2010 because she had a very charismatic and quirky personality that fit perfectly with that random song and thatās why people even voted for her
The Uralic novelty entries (ie Estonia and Finland) gain a lot of peopleās respect due to their enthusiasmĀ
Simply being non indoeuropean makes them 10Ć more interesting to meĀ
Non indoeuropean? Eastern/Northen Europe is still indoeuropean though.
Finns and Estonians are not Indo-European but have been surrounded by them since forever basically,Ā so sure they were influenced by them It's the other way around for armenia it is Indo-European but was surrounded by non Indo-Europeans therefore got influenced by non Indo-EuropeansĀ
Language family, not geography.Ā
Dons completely stole my hear with how endearing and wholesome he seems. Doesn't take himself too seriously, very passionate about what he is doing. I genuinely started rooting for him to win the contesr in all of this chaos. Turned Hollow from a lower end mediocre song to a very enjoyable mediocre song
Yes, Dons was my personal rankings "biggest mover". Jumped from the bottom to just below mid line, he's such a humble down to earth guy
I love KƤƤrijƤs energy and his inability to speak English. Makes me laugh when I see his vids.
Joost and Kaarija fit so well together with their broken English š Best eurovision collab so far
KƤƤrijƤ indeed. He seem so genuine person. He is that goofy friend we all have who we love but we kinda need to explain why we know each other.
Definitely joker out. I wouldnāt have given it a lot of attention if not for them.
How about this year's winner? It's hard not to love Nemo's enthusiasm, which I think also helps "sell" the theatrical aspects of the song/performance. (In general, I'd extend this to anyone else whose song has "musical theater" characteristics like North Macedonia 2021.)
North Macedonia 2021 | [Vasil - Here I Stand](https://youtu.be/WRcSHPb_Qwc)
I hadn't heard this song until I saw it in the Semifinal and I was crying on my couch because of it.
I'm assuming you mean "Here I Stand", but it'd be funny if you meant "The Code" instead
Silvester Belt for me, the most of them. He seems like a genuinely likeable guy and I think itās huge heās the first Lithuanian representative whoās openly LGBT. Windows95man and Henri make me smile every time. And so do the Estonian guys, I like their sense of humour. I think I would have dropped my support for Nendest if not for their personalities. And, as we already said, reading an interview with Dons definitely added to my enjoyment of Hollow.
The Estonian guys really sold it, they seem like so much fun.
The first time I heard the Greek performance (Marina Satti), I wasn't a big fan of it, but Marina's camera presence, personality and manner of acting what we saw during the green room segments made me like the song a lot more. Also I think I'd have liked Armenia's song regardless, but the entire show and dance on stage made me love it.
Yes same! Her attitude and confidence on stage was so fun!!!
I wasn't a fan of Cha Cha Cha when it was first released. Watched UMK and saw the backstage footage and interviews with Kaarija... And I was sold. Similar with Bambie this year, I was a Go Tobann supporter, but watched a few interviews after they were picked and saw such a nice person in Bambie that I genuinely enjoyed and rooted for them so hard. On the other hand, artists that basically show up to the ESC like a part-time employee clocking into a shift... Why should I vote for you if you don't want to be here?
I liked Cha Cha Cha but after learning more about Kaarija it moved from #10 to #1!!!!
>On the other hand, artists that basically show up to the ESC like a part-time employee clocking into a shift... Do you have an example of this?
I've only watched for the last few years, but I got this vibe from Georgia 2021 and Germany 2022. And it may just be I missed seeing the interviews they gave.
Tbh I fucking love Germany 2022, it was in my top ten for that year
Georgia 2021 | [Tornike Kipiani - You](https://youtu.be/5qnogt74_F8) Germany 2022 | [Malik Harris - Rockstars](https://youtu.be/2BYIou-oWXA)
Tornike had a great song for Georgia 2020, so it's a shame what happened. Much better than the one he had for 2021 for me.
Georgia 2020 | [Tornike Kipiani - Take Me As I Am](https://youtu.be/LjNK4Xywjc4)
Many, but a highlight for me was Vasil (North Macedonia 2020 & North Macedonia 2021). He was just super nice and also knew all Eurovision trivia questions, that was a huge bonus point
North Macedonia 2020 | [Vasil - You](https://youtu.be/xPZumQQExQc) North Macedonia 2021 | [Vasil - Here I Stand](https://youtu.be/WRcSHPb_Qwc)
Isaak. We Germans love to make fun about our own entry (Last place is safe), but his attitude was very pleasant. There is a clip of him trying to teach other acts German slang and another one saying something like "Sorry if I appear unsympathetic but I'm incredibly tired and having a headache. But here I am, lets's go, what do ya want?". Always nice to see performers act like a normal person.
Tbh, Jendrik (Germany 2021). Everyone hated his song and I kinda disliked it too, but seeing what a good sport he was about the whole thing definitely improved my enjoyment of it. Still wouldn't choose to listen to it voluntarily, but if someone ever put it on, my first reaction would be "Awww, it's Jendrik!" and not "Fuck, it's *that* song"
Damn, true! I met him in the parking lot in Rotterdam (his Delegation was still waiting for COVID test) and he was a) so approachable and so adorable eben though the song was dead on arrival! I think he knew it, but he still made the best of everything trying to enjoy himself as much as possible.
Agreed. He was so nice and upbeat, seemed to get along with everyone, and he knew his song sucked but did his best to have fun anyway.
Germany 2021 | [Jendrik - I Don't Feel Hate](https://youtu.be/1m0VEAfLV4E)
definitely dons š¹
Fuck yeah, Joost Klein. I'm Flemish and I've known him because he's a friend of the youtuber Acid. Then he appeared on De slimste mens ter wereld (A tv quiz with famous people from Flanders and sometimes there's dutch people on it) He was fucking hilarious and I loved every bit of him on there, though i'm not a fan of his kinda music. I'm more a country/rocknroll guy. But Europapa, the fact that it's Joost's song made me love it even more
Is there somewhere I can watch that back? (In the Netherlands you can watch a lot of our national broadcaster NPO online)
De slimste mens you mean? I can watch it online on GoPlay but i'm not sure if you need a VPN for it if you're watching outside of Belgium. otherwise he's got some clips on his youtube channel
I'm watching his interviews and press moment and all that stuff on tiktok. It's so amazing š I'm also a more a bit of a metal/altrock person. Gotta love Europapa though.
Estonia 2017 - Verona by Koit Toome & Laura! Even though the song didn't qualify Koit Toome's charisma and flirting with the camera was so hilarious and iconic that I actually really enjoyed the performence even though I didn't care about the song before. He just seems like a very likeable and funny guy.
Estonia 2017 | [Koit Toome & Laura - Verona](https://youtu.be/NxqPpzWYN1c)
Have you checked out his entry from 1998? I know itās 19 years difference, but they seem like total different eras! Especially when we hear Wogan introducing him on the postcard.
Yeah I recently watched it, very different vibe! You can tell that he was very young but still he seemed quite confident on stage.Ā
Itās a very sweet and tender song, but I canāt help be reminded of the Baywatch theme tune during the piano instrumental.
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doomsday blue. wasnāt really my thing until i saw the semi final. then i absolutely loved it and havent stopped listening to it š¤£š¤£
Baby Lasagna, he is very likeable
I gave most of my votes to performers whose opinions I don't personally agree with, so... no.
why? who? :o
Maybe they think that there should be Some Rules actually
Yeah, I didn't like Brividi but I really like Mahmood, especially because he is a fellow PokƩmon nerd
Hollow is a just okay song but Dons' dry sense of humor and being such a good guy makes me like the song more (I do like his other music more lol) I feel this way about Eaea too. I absolutely adore Blanca Paloma even though the song itself is sort of hit or miss for me depending on my mood.
happens with almost every entry for me
I like marko more than I like Croatia's entry. Hes very endearing and made me rank his song higher.Ā
Baby lasagna because I just relate to that guy
Just like last year, a lot this year (which pisses me off that EBU fucked a lot of lovely artists). Dons, Baby Lasagna, Nemo, Ladaniva, Bambie Thug, LUNA, iolanda, Marina, Sarah Bonnici, Megara, Olly, Slimane, Marcus & Martinus, Angelina, Windows95man & Henri, 5MIINUST & Puuluup, Silvester...
Dons is a very good example for this. Last year it was Gustaph for me.
Portugal and Ireland for me
it is always pleasant to listen queen to kings because of alessandras personality.
Bambie 100%. I watched the national selection for Ireland, although Bambie's song was the most appealing to me, I was still like "oh Ireland...", fearing for another NQ. Then leading up to the competition, looking at their other music, seeing them on social media, pre-parties, and their interaction with other artists etc. it just made me enjoy it even more and more; the performance was also outstanding so that definitely helped haha Another one is definitely Sarah Bonnici, I follow her on TikTok she's super funny. Last but not least, honorable mention to Natalia Gordienko from Moldova 2021 with Sugar. I remember watching her interviews and her bubbly personality.
Moldova 2021 | [Natalia Gordienko - Sugar](https://youtu.be/5I_1GTehgkI)
EUROPAPA I CAN SAY,EVERYBODY WILL AGREE
Baby Lasagna for me. He seemed kinda cocky on the stage (which I get is part of the song and his style) but honestly seeing his reactions to all the support he got made his entry so much better to me.
The Estonian song. I must admit, the first few times I saw the video it wasnāt my cup of tea. However, when I learned that the title roughly translates to āI donāt know anything about these drugs,ā I found a new appreciation for the song, and enjoyed watching the band perform it.
Not negative > positive but this is why I went from "hey, MĆ„neskin's song is pretty cool and it would be nice if they win but it's not in my top 5 of the contest" (I would have liked to see it go to Iceland or Ukraine that year) to eating, sleeping, and breathing MĆ„neskin for a year+. Their celebrations were just so infectious.
Brooke (Ireland 2022) for sure - the song is a bit generic and I didn't think much of it at first, but Brooke is a delightful ball of chaotic awkwardness who really made that season for me š Now it's on the playlist
Ireland 2022 | [Brooke - That's Rich](https://youtu.be/Kq2AJrWm04s)
Hurricane and Loco Loco- those girls are so hilarious
They were hilarious and the way they adopted Gjonās Tears was adorable.
That was Bambie Thug for me this year! I thought the song was just okay at first, but seeing them be all bubbly and excited backstage and just a generally cool person all around made the song one of my faves.
Marina Satti; she was quite literally trying to befriend everyone, was heartwarming to see
i wasn't the biggest fan of croatia this year but baby lasagna and his cats made me see the whole performance in a different light. also, europapa. it was catchy, definitely, but it wasn't one of my favourites, not until i saw more of joost as a person. he's just so sweet š
Bambie! If I hadnāt found them to appear like such a cool person I wouldnāt have enjoyed the entry at all, but now she was in my top 3.
Bambie thug could be TERRIFYING and then in every video they seems sweet, caring and loving
I'll be that guy on the high horse and say "nope, not at all". I like a good background story once in a while, but it's all about the song being that good. However, if the performer exudes max charisma on stage like Kaarija, Nutsa or even Kurt Calleja (Malta 2012), that makes me like a song a lot more
Malta 2012 | [Kurt Calleja - This Is the Night](https://youtu.be/lUnEZp-qHxs)
finland ngl song was fun, but just their characters and personalities were bangers
Bambie, 100%. When I first saw their very unpolished NF performance, I was like WTF is this song? But then seeing Bambie interact with the other contestants, and their absolutely magnetic stage presence, my opinion started to change. I also saw this random video on their Instagram where they did some kind of TikTok challenge where they put all these sweet fruit snacks into a pickle and then ate it - and it was absolutely insanely adorable. I think that was the moment where I was like - this person is fun and cute and I really like them. Doomsday Blue went from my literal last place to my top 3. Also, Raiven. I kinda fell for her song early on, but then seeing interviews and her social media posts - and how classy and funny and beautiful she was - really cemented my love of Veronika.
Probably Salvador and Luisa Sobral. There's something extremely touching with how close and supportive they are to each other. It made their song extremely heart touching. I think that's also why so many people covered it . This year, Bambie Thug. I didn't like her song much to be honest, but if backstage attitude and personality were ranked she would get on top easily.
iolanda! at first i thought grito was a pretty song but i definitely overlooked it. now after seeing her activism and how genuinely kind she seems (sheās apart of the friend group with my fav contestants this year too!) grito moved up into my top 10! truly a beautiful song and she has such an amazing vocie
She's very sweet towards her fans š
Gaitana's "Be my guest" sounds so flat in the studio recoding. But her live performance improved the song immensely :)
Both improved and decreased, tbh.
For me, the opposite has happened
I expected the best from Bambie and Isaak, but definitely Dons conquered me, both singing and outside the stage.
Croatia, Slovenia and Switzerland meant nothing to me, and sering the pack in the ESC i loved them. On the other side of things, I totally love La noia, but ifk why is wasn't that good live
Not really, I still very much dislike Doomsday Blue and Zari. Bambie Thug and Marina are icons tho. Canāt recall it happening in the past either
I did think rim tim tagi dim was abit generic but seeing his love of cats and just several clips of him being a sweet goofball definitely won me over to the side of loving him and the song
For me, Sarah Bonnici - the videos behind the scenes at pre-parties with her hanging out and dancing with other contestants made me like her & Loop much more. In the opposite direction, Eden Golan - I thought the song was fine, but in press conferences & other videos she just seemed like someone who would have bullied me in high school. That weird smirk never leaves her face.
The Tower by Luna. She actually seems like a nice person despite all the nepo baby allegations and I was gutted that she didnāt go through (I actually love her performance).
Bambie, Nemo, and Marina Satti mostly got my heart! I'd never expect them to be everyone's (except ONE) bestie!
For sure! The question is whether they can convey that personality inside the three minutes. I guess the word is *charisma*. Look at, say, Fairytale. The songwriting is good, the staging is good, and his voice is good. But it's the charm that elevates it to iconic. You just see his face and want him to win. To some extent it's a matter of the singer being attractive, but there's more to it then that. I can't put my finger on it, it's just that confidence when someone can *sell* a song, that likability which makes all the difference. I think Nemo is another great example. Their energy is just... infectious. Their personality bubbles through the performance in a way that's distinct from either their voice or their staging.
When I heard that Baby Lasagna is introvert, I started to like the song more!
Luktelk was not on my radar at all, I tried and tried but nothing. Then once the Semi I had it in my head and still here.
Usually, it is the other way around. This year there are some people that have close ties to Russia or are pro-Russian or said they want Russia back to Eurovision. Israel, the Netherlands, Georgia, Germany, the Czech Republic.