Last night, a dozen more candidates broke out their best Eurovision Song Covers and fought it out in Barcelona for one of only five coveted spots in the Final of "Destino: Eurovision". Here's a quick recap!
Qualifying to the next round via the audience's vote:
Esmeralda Grao - This seasoned performer was actually a backup singer for Spain's 1998 entry, and has been working the local scene ever since. She took on Nina's "Nacida Para Amar", the 1989 Spanish entry that ended up in 6th place.
Melissa - Ok...so what we've got here is a Spanish singer who took on Vicky Leandros' "Apres Toi", a song performed in French by a Greek-born artist and won the 1972 contest for Luxembourg. Confused yet?
Sebas - This self-proclaimed Eurovision fanatic lived his dream by not only performing in an ESC Preselection, but making it through to the final by the will of the public vote. His Spanish-language interpretation of Marija Serifovic's winning Serbian ballad "Molitva" might not have been flawless, but knowing that a fellow Eurofan made his dream come true makes me feel a bit warm and fuzzy...
Making it through via the jury's vote:
Don Johnsons (yes, like the "Miami Vice" actor...) - Following the lead of "Da Igual" last week, this band took "Yo Soy Aquel", the 1966 Spanish entry by Rafael, and adapted it for a modern audience.
Mónica Guech - Mónica proved that one can sing Dima Bilan's 2008 winner "Believe" without having to resort to figure skaters or Stradivariuses!
Eliminated by the Jury: Alazán (who covered "Bandido", originally performed by members of their own family), Pau Quero (who might have become Spain's answer to Josh Dubovie with his cover of "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"), "Sometimes" (who did an acapella cover of Abba's legendary "Waterloo"), and Valeria Antonella (who came in from Mexico and covered "Save Your Kisses for Me").
Eliminated by the audience's vote (or lack thereof): Lorena Rosales's cover of "My Number One", Sergi Albert's version of "Hold Me Now", and Miami-based band "We"'s rendition of "Enseñame a Cantar".
Next week, we'll see all ten semifinalists duke it out for only three spots in the final, where we'll finally get to hear some of the possible songs that will represent Spain in Germany this year.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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Why was this one so much better than the first? When you see HomoGio to the Final, things cannot bode well. When you see pretty good ones eliminated this time around, and I guess even better ones pass, well, what changed?
ReplyDeleteMy mother loves Apres Toi, and it was nice to see Melissa perform it in her own classy way. Alazan recreated the Bandido performance in Zagreb almost exactly, with all the hand and arm motions! Yes, those arm motions made the Zagreb performance more memorable, but can't you perform it in your own way, instead of copying others?
Lorena's rendition of My Number One was definitely not bad, though I can tell you Elena would not have won in Kiev had she been wearing such a plain dress! She also appeared more self-aware than that Sebas guy. It is great that he is living his dream, so I hope for his own good that he does not go to Eurovision, so he does not get that shock one gets when one did not know what one signed up for.
That Spanish Josh Dubovie was actually quite cute! Valeria Antonella was really cute! And those dancers were the exact same ones as in all the performances, in the same attire! It was so funny seeing them do that Save Your Kisses For Me choreography in that attire!
Just revisited Elena Paparizou's winning performance.
ReplyDeleteThat really was a brilliant performance! Her dress was perfect; it worked wonderfully against her skin tone. I loved the choreography. The bouzouki strings pulled out of the man's chest were also awesome!
Also, after her resounding victory, she has evolved as an artist and matured even further. She always knows how to take the best steps forward and become better and better as time goes on. God, I love her so much.
How familiar are you with the Paparizou of these days? That was the first ever Eurovision victory you watched take place, wasn't it?