After a 30 year absence, Luxembourg are back in the Eurovision Song Contest, not only that but they’re back with a National Final. 8 songs will compete for the chance to be the debut Luxembourgish representative for this century!
Tomas has listened to all 8 songs and provides his first impressions below!
Angy & Rafa Ela – Drop
Going in surprisingly strong with Angy & Rafa Ela. It starts off very smooth and calm but quickly builds into a strong chorus.
We have a good vocal and their voices blend very nicely.
I could see this at Melodifestivalen and I’m pretty sure it would be a direct qualifier.
I don’t know what I was expecting from Luxembourg exactly but this is definitely one I can picture on the Eurovision stage.
We’ll have to wait and see what kind of show Luxembourg is setting up for the final but I can feel epic staging looming!
Chalid – Hold On
Another ballad and I do hope this won’t be a theme for Luxembourg Song Contest. Unlike Angy & Rafa Ela’s entry, this one is just sort of there for me, floating in mid air.
It’s one of those typical pretty boy love songs so it all feels a bit 13 in a dozen. The chorus is a little underwhelming and the lyrics very cliché.
I’ll not go as far as to say that this is bad but it’s not great either. Sounds a bit like the debut song of talent show winner. Chalid has a nice voice but unfortunately neither that nor the beat added halfway through is enough te keep me interested.
Edsun – Finally Alive
Well at least we have something upbeat in the mix. I’m feeling all kinds of emotions here but the overwhelming one is definitely confusion.
The whole thing feels very eclectic and sort of all over the place. There’s a lot going on production wise which results in a constant change of pace. I like the outro of the song but it doesn’t need to be that long. That said though I must admit that once I started to get used to the insanity of it all it began to grow on me. So maybe… just maybe Edsun can convince on the 27th…
I feel like this one will come alive in a live setting. If they stage this right it could be a fun moment. Nevertheless I can’t help but feel like this is a song that Justin Timberlake rejected for being too dated.
Joel Marques Cunha – Believer
Not bad. Not bad at all actually. Again a very strong vocal. The moment the chorus drops and the backing vocals come in gives me chills.
Overall the song feels very radio friendly and something the juries could get behind. However, this will need a strong staging package to elevate it to where it needs to be, to a place the studio cut simply is not. Failure to do so will result in this being buried. Maybe not in Luxembourg Song Contest, but definitely in Malmö.
I’m seeing an intimate staging with lots of light play and fast camera angles. We do NOT need to see distant stage shots, and most importantly: we need live backing vocals ON stage! Make it happen Joel!
I like the vocal moment right before the last chorus, but I feel like the ending needs a little more. Perhaps something a revamp could fix?
Krick – Drowning In The Rain
This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. A song that screams winner.
This is dark, moody and it’s haunting. Krick has a stunning voice that goes right through you. Nothing about this entry feels forced or trying too much. It’s a perfect example of how simplicity can pay off.
At the risk of sounding like Salvador Sobral, you can have all the fireworks in the world, but if you sound like that, all you need is a piano and some strings.
It reminds me a little of Alika’s entry last year, except this one grabs me right away whereas “Bridges” needed some time to convince me and only clicked for me after seeing it live.
No wonder this one got a 5 star rating. Definitely the strongest entry so far. James Bond vibes… anyone?
Naomi Ayé – Paumée Sur Terre
I got very excited at the French language cause lord knows I’m a sucker for French. Unfortunately the song as a whole doesn’t quite grab me.
Naomi has a beautiful voice, but seeing as the other artists do too I’m afraid that won’t be enough to win the ticket to Malmö.
What this entry fails at doing is standing out. Either she should’ve kept it minimal, something Krick’s song does beautifully, or she should’ve gone all out.
For me the beat kicking in was unnecessary. It took me to a place where I was expecting a huge finish or at least a vocal moment, a key change… just something that would convince me to vote for this. Alas that didn’t happen. I’d be very surprised if this wins, but obviously we have no idea what Luxembourg will go for. If Naomi likes this, why not others? Who am I?
One Last Time – Devil In The Detail
I don’t know about this one. I can’t figure out whether I like it or not. A rock song with a drum and bass beat?
Let me start off by saying a rock entry was the last thing I had expected from Luxembourg but then again it’s been so long I don’t really know what I was expecting.
I sort of feel like it doesn’t quite reach the heights it needs to be at. Perhaps it was a bit too tame for me? I don’t often listen to rock songs since it’s not really my thing but if I do, I need more than this. The lyrics also feel a little off for me and I can’t really explain why. It all just feels a little too forced. Trying to be something it’s not. It might all make more sense with good staging but for now I’m not convinced.
Tali – Fighter
Christina is that you? No it most definitely is not! If you don’t get that reference you’re definitely too young.
Ooh look it’s French again. This one is so cute and fun and bubbly and I love every second of it. Was a little worried when it switched to English but thankfully it doesn’t ruin the song. I like the way the music sort of freezes for a second during the chorus, keeping me on my toes.
The ending of the song was very random but fun. This would definitely be going on my Spotify playlist if I had one.
Beating Krick, in what is overall quite a strong national final in my not so humble opinion, will be quite difficult but not impossible. If people want something fun, this is the one they’ll go for. I think with a strong staging package this could definitely secure Luxembourg a ticket to the final at Eurovision.
So that’s what Tomas thinks of the entries, how about you? What do you think? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments below and tune into the Luxembourg Song Contest on January 27th on RTL to watch history in the making.
Next week Niall will give his first impressions on the artists competing in Ireland’s Eurosong and of course we have Finland’s UMK songs which are currently being revealed daily and all the Vidbir songs from Ukraine, which we will also review.
