FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Ivana and Magdalena are delivering their entry in a respectable way. The song is nothing special but the two girls are confident enough to support what they have. This is the problem with this entry: it lacks magic (in senior Eurovision we would call it lack of star quality). There is nothing to remember after their performance, there is nothing special in their performance and what we see is just two school girls having fun on stage. Once again the stage presentation from FYR Macedonia is nothing wow! simple dance act which delivers no message. Think about it: The Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, they all have something to show and something to tell to the audience. The vocals (surprisingly) are not bad. The two girls did hard work and we have to applaud them for that. But isn’t it obvious this song will not score high? Not because they are bad but because there is a problem with the song. Before you shout out about this review, remember that it was oikotimes cheering up for FYR Macedonia in JESC 2007 when we considered them a favourite to win (not to mention our glorious review for the senior entry of their in senior Eurovision 2014).
ITALY
Finally what we needed: The Scarpari sisters changed their outfits. They are now wearing red dresses with short black boots. The graphics present mostly the song title “Viva”. I need to see the camera work and see how this could do something in he final but surely there is also something missing to make it a winning song. Though the vocal performance of the Scarpari sisters is amazing. The two Italian girls must be proud and once again I have to admit that the Italian language remains for me the most beautiful language in the world especially for singing. This entry has the same problem with the previous song: it’s not memorable, still the girls confident and professional, do whatever they can to deliver the song and support their act.
IRELAND
A bot in the sea, smoking props and Aimee performs on a prop. First I have to admit that Aimee gives a stunning operatic performance. This song is definitely bidding to win on Saturday. Second I have to admit that the sentiment of the song reminds me the 1996 Irish entry which is definitely a positive thing for this entry. My only worry from this entry which is delivered in the most excellent way is that Aimee looks very cold with no specific facial expressions. My other worry is that an operatic song might not have a winning chance as last year, Federica, which was an excellent and stunning operatic performer didn’t manage to win. I am sure though Ireland will rock this year even with this ballad / operatic song. I think Ireland makes a great debut this year in JESC. Well done!
