As contenders for this year's Eurovision Song Contest are whittled down at the semi-final stage, Irish News music reviewer David Roy gives his verdict on a few of the favourites hoping to be crowned winner in Saturday's grand final
Sweden: Loreen - Tattoo
FORMER Eurovision champ Loreen is back with quite a different 'vibe' from her 2012 contest-winning entry Euphoria, shifting gears from banging dance pop to slinky heartbreak bop to become one of the favourites to win this year's competition.
While there's no doubt Tattoo has now changed the way we'll be pronouncing the word 'tattoo' for the foreseeable future, the song lacks the instant uplifting appeal of Euphoria.
Although heavily backed to make it past the semi-final stage, I wouldn't bet the mortgage on Loreen joining the two-time winners' club.
Finland: Kaarija - Cha Cha Cha
THE Finnish entry for 2023 is a genre-blurring good time, so it's not hard to see why singer/rapper Kaarija has been another favourite to win this year's competition.
However, the fact that instantly-catchy industrial/dance/K-pop/video game soundtrack hybrid Cha Cha Cha is not sung in English – a cardinal sin for those courting Eurovision success – would tend to suggest it can be ruled out as the ultimate victor.
Then again, there's no denying the tune's massive cross-over appeal, nor the fact that you'll be humming it for weeks regardless of whether or not it wins.
France: La Zarra - Énvidement
ANOTHER of this year's favourites not sung in English, La Zarra's slinky tune has already secured its place in the final.
Equipped with bags of Gallic pop charm, Énvidement is another floor-filling entry built on a solid foundation of retro disco funk which makes a fine showcase for the French singer's powerful set of pipes.
Ukraine: Tvorchi - Heart Of Steel
THIS one's a bit of a grower, a spooky sounding bi-lingual rap/synthpop affair which doesn't really hit its stride for over a minute, but duo Tvorchi do a nice job of enticing listeners to 'lean in' with a tune that's night and day different from last year's winning rap-folk entry, Stefania by Kalush Orchestra.
The Ukranian entry's central message of defiance and endurance in the face of adversity is a pop staple that hits even harder given the context of the ongoing Russian aggression currently tearing the country apart.
Could they make history and join the elite club of back-to-back Eurovision winners with the first consecutive victories since Ireland's still unbeaten treble in 1992, 1993 and 1994? Don't bet against it.
Spain: Blanca Paloma - EAEA
A MOODY, hugely atmospheric ballad, the vocals-dominated EAEA by Blanca Paloma blends Spanish and Middle-Eastern sounds with minimalist electronic embellishments to memorable effect.
It doesn't sound like a Eurovision winner to me, but kudos to Spain for trying something different that stands apart from the herd and largely eschews pop altogether.
United Kingdom: Mae Muller - I Wrote a Song
THIS year's UK entry dispenses with the earnest stadium balladry of 2022's second place finisher Sam Ryder in favour of sassy revenge-pop from the be-clawed Mae Muller, who is apparently not a woman you want to mess around with.
Regardless of whether it makes the cut with the Eurovision audience, I Wrote a Song smells like a future UK Top 10 hit to me, and certainly puts Mae Muller back on the map in terms of being 'one to watch' two years on from her Top 40 debut with Better Days, a collab with Neiked and Polo G.
Ireland: Wild Youth - We Are One
WHILE Ireland might still hold the record for most wins ever, we're now a long way from Ireland's Eurovision heyday. In the 1990s, we racked up an impressive four wins, including the aforementioned and unprecedented treble – but have failed to progress even past the semi-final stage in recent years.
This rather generic pop/rock anthem (complete with U2-alike guitar action) from Wild Youth was never likely to bring the contest back to us for the first time in over 25 years, but it's not too bad, really, and that perhaps represents progress.
:: Watch the first Eurovision semi-final tonight at 8pm on BBC One and RTÉ One
