nickthenoodle

Apparently the Netherlands have stated their chances of competing are 'small'. I'm hoping this is just a bluff as they're still in JESC and obviously it's huge in the Netherlands + there's like 8 EBU broadcasters that I'm sure would take it on. Still very concerning that the mishandling of this year's contest has managed to alienate even a country that stuck through it when NQing 8 times in a row. Concerned as well for San Marino (although they are always on the fence), Czechia, Australia. Feeling semi-optimistic for a Macedonia and Montenegro return however given how well Croatia did this year.

Love how interesting/varied your chart is - definitely some 'new' discoveries for me here :)!

Gutted it's not Zurich :( also getting very concerned about how many/few countries we might have!

Netherlands appear to have confirmed their selection for JESC so I doubt they'll withdraw from the main contest. I expect they'll be VERY determined for a good result tho. I'm nervous about Czechia, Australia and to a lesser extent Azerbaijan (they seem to have given up but it's small change to them so not sure they'll bother withdrawing) Cautiously optimistic for a Macedonia return and a Monaco one. Also feel there is potential for Montenegro and Bosnia but less confident. Romania I expect will take a couple more years.

It's so funny to see those 2 in the op match the 2 I would say are the 'best' of all time. An underrated one that I think deserves a mention is Georgia 2010!

I usually really enjoy AC as you've had some time with the songs and often really root for a couple of them but I don't think it's a major loss. Agree the finalist reprise performances need to come back though - the voting system the last two years has been pretty naff, would much rather see the winners again!

So pleased this has been renewed, the best show around by far at the moment (not in terms of quality but in terms of how much I think about it/talk about it)

Usually not the biggest Loreen stan but omg she's put crack in this one it's so good.

This is the last thing people need in a cost of living crisis

Hopefully whatever she sends is better than Statements (shouldn't be hard as that's in my top 5 worst melfest songs ever)

Twitter is far and away my favourite social media and it's a shame to see what's happening to it. The bright side is all the weird Crypto bro Elon Musk fans will now no longer be able to claim he's some kind of genius/mastermind/inventor. Supposedly he's an 'engineer' who didn't realise that a massive website and app needed engineers to run?! I do hope all the poor people caught up in this as employees find other work easily!

It's insanely impressive she's managing to build on Lover/Folklore in this climate - I really thought matching those numbers would be a huge success but she's blown it out the water!

I'm not sure I can deal with another Wiktoria heartbreak haha

Stunz 01 Ukraine - shadows of forgotten ancestors 02 Albania - sekret Major bop 03 Spain - slomo 04 Ireland - that’s rich 05 Moldova - trenuletul Good 06 Latvia - eat your salad 07 Italy - brividi 08 Estonia - hope 09 Czechia - where are you now Meh 10 Lithuania - sentimentai 11 Macedonia - circles Awful 12 Bulgaria - intention In contention for the worst ESC song I’ve ever heard an embarrassment to the contest and gays everywhere 13 Israel - IM

This is one of my least favourite Eurovision entries ever, I can't believe Israel are sending this?! It sounds like a RuPaul song and not even a good one, a Blame it on the Edit level one.

Looking forward to see what Emma Muscat brings, would be great to see Malta continue to put together a strong sequence of results after 2019 and 2021

So pleased to see Albania going for Sekret, Ronela really elevated the song live. Alban’s studio was also great but unfortunately the live was pretty poor and given Albania is known for strong vocalists, I feel they made the right choice by avoiding him.

Has to be Non mi avete fatto niente for me now that M*dness of L*ve has gone

My thoughts: Belgium: for me this is a huge improvement on last year but unfortunately I just find the main guy (Alex?) so unlikable it's hard for me to judge without prejudice. I do, however, think this could qualify with appropriately moody staging. Ukraine: personally, I loved Solovey and the original Shum but am finding the new Shum difficult to get used to. I do think Ukraine could be at risk of losing their qualifying streak this year. Netherlands: I personally prefer this year to last year, I think it's more instant and feel as if the lyrics are immediately more powerful. For me it's the perfect host entry because it showcases an underrated element of Dutch music. Whilst I do expect this to come bottom 3 in the final, I think it's by no means an entry the Dutch should be ashamed of. North Macedonia: You was probably in my bottom 2/3 last year, I thought it sounded really cheap and didn't showcase Vasil well at all. This year for me is an improvement but it's still pretty low for me as it seems Macedonia's 2019 success was more of a fluke than an indication of their direction of travel. Latvia: Still Breathing is probably the first female Eurovision bop I've ever disliked. I just found it too disjointed and the tone of Samanta's voice a little offputting. I do think Moon is Rising is a step up and more instant but multiple listens still aren't something I would recommend for this song. Lithuania: I could see this being a shock NQ, they've attempted to repeat last year's success in the same way Iceland has but it comes off sounding like a pretty pale imitation rather than an evolution or a strong song in its own right.

Wow she really did just hit copy + paste haha but I still love it.

This is EVERYTHING. Although sitting through that 2hr35 min song reveal was one of the most traumatic experiences of the pandemic

Wanted to vote for 14 songs - it's been a good year overall but nothing as standout as Bulletproof from last year for me

I wanted Still Young played at my wedding, funeral, birth of children, retirement party - A TIMELESS MASTERPIECE!

I hate Braids SO much, I know that different countries have different 'acceptable' standards but I really expect even if Belarus chose this the EBU would see sense and tell them to go back to the drawing board. Not the image the contest wants to be portraying at all.

There's less than a 0% chance the Roop aren't winning this selection (lol watch me be wrong), I think this is a good entry from them and will age less poorly than On Fire.