Song Contest: Austria in the final for the first time since 2018

What had already become apparent in advance became clear in the evening. The second semi-final couldn’t quite keep up with the spectacle of the first show on Tuesday. Numerous singers delivered decent performances, but in the end remained too confused and not recognizable enough. Denmark, Romania, Iceland, Greece, San Marino and Georgia are eliminated.

In addition to Austria, Australia, Belgium, Slovenia, Poland, Albania, Armenia, Lithuania, Estonia and Cyprus also made it into the final. Only the audience voting was decisive, the national juries are not allowed to vote in the semi-finals this year and will only have their say on Saturday.

Cheers in the hall too

In the betting shops, Austria was virtually qualified, how many points they received, but will only be made public on Saturday after the final. Vocally confident and with a lot of swing in the stage show held in white, red and black, the two performed their song “Who the Hell Is Edgar?”. The enthusiasm in the hall was clearly noticeable with the Austrian contribution. In the final, too, Teya & Salena can be trusted to do anything: they are always in the top ten in various rankings and with the bookmakers, and the trend is rising after the show.

As was drawn after the show, the two will compete in the first half of the final. The exact starting order is determined according to dramaturgical aspects. “We are overwhelmed,” said Teya in a first reaction. “It was a great show, it was so much fun.”

Australian rockers and Slovenian indie band

In the finale, the two again meet the Australian band Voyager, who place themselves musically and visually in the 80s, when their style of music was still called hard rock. The audience obviously liked the catchy song, they weren’t put off by the heavier metal elements and they didn’t like the fact that in 2023 freedom is symbolized by a car on stage.

There will also be a reunion on Saturday with the Slovenian indie band Joker Out and their song “Carpe Diem”. It reminds me of The Killers, but the Slovenians performed quite energetically and charmingly.

Armenia and Albania in the final

Among the solo artists, the brunette from Armenia was the most noticeable. With a crooked record as the only stage design element, their song “Future Lover” began slowly and ballad-like, but then gained momentum in the second part. She also made it to the final. Albania was able to use its unique selling point: singer Albina was the only one who brought Balkan pop to the stage – and her parents and three siblings. You can all come back on Saturday.

Separation processed differently

Cyprus sent Australian Andrew Lambrou, who sang his breakup ballad ‘Break a Broken Heart’ fervently and quite believably, while cascades of tears were shed in the background. He can compete again on Saturday.

Blanka from Poland, who wanted to score with Latino and Caribbean vibes this year, presented herself “solo”, but still in a good mood. The singer, who comes more from the model and influencer field, was able to convince the audience so far that she is also represented in the final – even if her appearance after allegations of bullying in Poland caused quite a stir.

Baltic women and Boy George lookalikes continue

As a small surprise, both Baltic countries also made it into the final: Alika from Estonia scored with her piano ballad “Bridges”, Monika Linkyte from Lithuania, surrounded by a four-piece background choir, tried to stay in the competition with the song title “Stay” even with the lyrics correct – and was successful.

The Belgian singer and Boy George doppelganger Gustaph stood out especially fashionably – with a hat and a kind of pink baggy pants. With house and gospel elements, “Because Of You” was one of the few feel-good numbers that created a good mood in the Liverpool hall. He was also to be the only one who got lucky in pink pants.

Cute alone is not enough

Reiley from Denmark, who wandered through his dollhouse scenery with childlike charm and pink suits, was already considered a shaky candidate in advance. The 25-year-old from the Faroe Islands was only able to master the vocal challenges of his quite interesting number “Breaking My Heart” to a limited extent and therefore did not make it into the final.

Theodor Andrei from Romania may have to start his journey home a bit undervalued. His “DGT (Off and On)” was no worse than other songs either. He seemed – also in pink – quite alone on the stage. Only at the end did a dancer pick him up.

Too fidgety, too bumpy, too otherworldly

Victor Vernicos from Greece had no chance of reaching the final. The gaps between fidgety demeanor, nervously chirping music and ballad-like singing with little recognition value were simply too big. Dija’s performance from Iceland also seemed bumpy: she tried to prove the power of her song “Power” with acrobatic dance moves, but they tended to seem out of place.

The Italian band Piqued Jacks also clearly failed. Who competed for San Marino. The rock song “Like An Animal”, which is not particularly original on all levels, could have been endured for two and a half minutes, towards the end singer Andrea Lazzeretti started a multiple and long drawn-out “Way”, which probably drove away the last potential fans.

Are clichés obsolete?

Actually, one would have expected the Georgian Iru to be in the finale: Vocally quite convincing, she tried the balancing act between dramatic ballad and contemporary electronics with “Echo”. With a flowing robe, blowing hair and a lot of glitter on her face, she could have overdone it with song contest clichés – maybe a new era has actually dawned.