Eurovision Faves 2k18 🎀🎤🎆

Hello Internet,

Yes, it has been a while.

I never intended to take an extended break, but that is the way that life has worked out. I thought I was going to write some long, heartfelt, potentially inspiring thing about what the first half of this year has been like and consequently why my time, energy and focus has been elsewhere, away from this space.

But I haven't. And I won't.

Time away has reinforced to me that I don't have to write anything if I don't want. No-one is forcing me to post on here, I'm not sure anyone other than me actually cares. I do it because I want to, and it makes me happy.

So I haven't got a longwinded, personal and probably boring post for to signify my comeback. Instead I have Eurovision.

You're welcome 😏😍😀

Hi, I’m an Australian who absolutely loves Eurovision. My people and I are not weird, we just thoroughly enjoy this snazzy singing competition. It’s a good time 🎇.

For those of you who think I’m still kidding, Eurovision season is honestly one of my favourite times of the year. May just isn’t complete without these performers blowing up my TV and my Spotify 🎵.

When Eurovision was on in May, I was going through some very personal, emotional stuff. That meant I couldn’t really enjoy the competition on the level that I usually would.

In actuality, I’ve enjoyed Eurovision in the weeks after the competition! Listening to the songs over and over, and watching the performances back on YouTube has kept the party alive.

In terms of my favourites this year, it was very all over the shop. There are songs that I loved instantly, and there are others that took me a while to love. Out of the 43 entries, I’ve written about 13 of them in this post. That means 30 % of the 2018 participants gained ‘favourite’ status in my book.

So here is the list of my faves nobody asked for (in alphabetical order...):

Australia = ‘We Got Love’ by Jessica Mauboy

PLACED – 20^TH (FINAL)

Upbeat, fun, full of life and optimism; a classic Eurovision party song. ‘We Got Love’ never failed to make you dance, sing and just feel good! Mauboy soared vocally and the message was such a breath of fresh air. Although 20^th place was slightly unexpected, I still believe Jess did Australia proud. Definitely a bop!

Azerbaijan = ‘X My Heart’ by Aisel

PLACED – SEMI FINALIST

Historically Azerbaijan have placed well at Eurovision, so it was surprising to me when this one didn’t make the final. Regardless, Aisel’s exciting party jam has grown on me in recent weeks. It was a tad on the vanilla side, but it never failed to make me smile. Opting for an entertaining dance vibe, the pre-choruses were so strong and nailed that defiant energy.

Belarus = ‘Forever’ by Alekseev

PLACED – SEMI FINALIST

There’s a heavy mysterious vibe happening in this song that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s another one of those creepers that has stuck in my head over the last couple of weeks. Dream-like and fantastical, Alekseev had a really unique tone that worked with the unusual lyrical story and overall unique feeling of 2018's Belarusian entry.

Cyprus = ‘Fuego’ by Eleni Foureira

PLACED – 2^ND (FINAL)

Eurovision certainly knows how to party, and Cyprus came prepared to dominate. Wickedly catchy and full of fire, Foureira's banger narrowly missed out on taking top spot this year. I particularly loved the beat drop after the chorus and how seamlessly Eleni’s voice melded into the backing track. You can't help but DANCE!

Denmark = ‘Higher Ground’ by Rasmussen

PLACED – 9^TH (FINAL)

There’s something utterly majestic about this song's spirit. The Danes know how to make a statement, and nothing grabs your attention quite like a Viking. It was a striking performance on stage, and everything about it tells such a vivid story. I love that kind of historical throwback, and traditional heritage songs always get me super excited. Keep an ear out for the drums and sneaky key change.

Finland = ‘Monsters’ by Saara Aalto

PLACED – 25^TH (FINAL)

Saara’s song was such a bop, and I’m really surprised that it didn’t do better points wise. I love the message in the lyrics, and it has such a fun, catchy little dance riff. I’m also in love with her voice; it’s so rich and she totally sold ‘Monsters’ with a confidence that set her apart. Extra points for the fact that she sang upside down on a spinning wheel, that's so cool!

Germany = ‘You Let Me Walk Alone’ by Michael Schulte

PLACED – 4^TH (FINAL)

I’d heard about Michael before Eurovision, so I was super excited to see what type of song he would sing. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. There’s a beautiful soul to the lyrical story, and I love how it was paired with the simple piano accompaniment. It had a lovely spirit and I’m really happy that Europe was able to connect to it as well, because it certainly deserved Top 5.

Lithuania = ‘When We’re Old’ by Ieva Zasimauskaitė

PLACED – 12^TH (FINAL)

This was the first song I heard from this year’s entries, and it’s simply stunning. A lot of that came from Ieva’s beautiful and vulnerable voice. The exposed, dainty nature of the backing instrumental created a balanced song full of sincerity and warmth. A classic lyrical love story, and a sweet melody to match. I think it’s probably my #1 favourite from 2018.

Poland = ‘Light Me Up’ by Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer

PLACED – SEMI FINALIST

Dance songs were popular this year, and Poland served up one of the better ones. It was fun, upbeat, full of energy and great to have a dance to. There wasn’t a whole lot of lyrics, but the ones we got were optimistic; championing unity and harmony. It’s one of those songs that you’re not really sure about when you first hear it, but after multiple listens you are 100% hooked on that beat.

Russian Federation = ‘I Won’t Break’ by Julia Samoylova

PLACED – SEMI FINALIST

Politics aside (because that’s what Eurovision is all about y’all...), I was a huge fan of everything about Russia's song. I believe Julia has a beautiful voice, and the warrior message in the lyrics was super important as something to always remember. But I think the cleverest part was the super intriguing, mystical instrumentation. It had this cool vibe that complimented Julia’s special vocals.

Sweden = ‘Dance You Off’ by Benjamin Ingrosso

PLACED – 7^TH (FINAL)

This song never failed to make me smile. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but now it’s definitely one of my top 2018 entries. Sweden know how to groove, and Benjamin doesn’t let us down with this energetic bop. For a dance song, it's surprising to me that the lyrics are my favourite part. They’re so funky, but they also tell a bit of an unexpected story. Very clever.

Ukraine = ‘Under the Ladder’ by Mélovin

PLACED – 17^TH (FINAL)

Mélovin brought that haunting vampire aesthetic look onstage with a piano coffin and some crazy contacts. Channeling his inner Edward Cullen, the song was a proper jam. Look out for the clever change of tempo towards the end and an amazing little piano section, but overall it was such a fun song to rock out to. He gave his everything to this performance and made vampires cool once again.

United Kingdom = ‘Storm’ by SuRie

PLACED – 24^TH (FINAL)

It was simple, but it was also wholesome and had a great message. The chorus had a nice energy to it, and the upbeat lyrics always pump me up and make me feel like I can get through anything. SuRie’s voice was also really nice to listen to, and the melody highlighted the strongest parts of her range. Granted, there was nothing zany or crazy happening in ‘Storm’, but I like it so that's fine.

2018 was one of the strongest Eurovision competitions across both semi-finals in a really long time. I’m a huge fan of the diverse music range currently being produced from Eurovision participants.

I'm looking forward to seeing how much more awesome music we can get out of the competition next year in Israel 😆

★☆★☆★☆★

So there we go, I hope you enjoyed that journey with my Eurovision fangirl. It feels good to be back posting, but I'm not going to make any promises about consistency.

But if you're lovely and want to know when I post new content, follow me on @miss_memphis98 on Instagram and/or Twitter 💟

Thanks for reading,

Love and congrats to Netta for winning, Emily xx 🎸