Just over halfway semi 2 and I’m starting to feel it – still no 5 star/heart entry on the scoreboard and we might have to wait another day cause our trio today would only be plausible in another universe entirely. Bare with, bare with!!
GEORGIA 
PERFORMERS: Iriao
SONG: For You
The Song: Bless Georgia for their weird yet wonderful entries. They bring some much needed diversity to the Eurovision table and didn’t fail to deliver in 2018. This hymn is almost a religious piece of music. Or could feature on the soundtrack of an ethnic Disney movie – but let’s face it: Disney is kind of a religion nowadays. It’s a tad bewildering but manages to end up being rather mesmerizing. And even though I still don’t know whether I actively like it, it still manages to convince me to keep listening until the end every time I hear it.
Standout lyrics: “Dgeo gadiddi tovli gaadne – Day, be longer and melt the snow” – So eager to know the end to Game of Thrones? I know the feeling.
The Voice: I suppose and sincerely hope these guys know what they’re doing, cause their vocal harmonies are a cornerstone to this entry.
The Performance: Curious to see how they’ll sell this. Something understated that underlines the song’s flowy structure would be nice.
In one line: Hallelujah la’olam.
Why it will qualify: It’s unique and manages to bewitch the audience.
Why it won’t: It falls flat on stage.
Biggest competition in this semi: Probably Serbia.
Pre-Contest status: This could land anywhere, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and label this a qualifier.
PERSONAL TOTAL: 
POLAND 
PERFORMERS: Gromee ft. Lukas Meijer
SONG: Light Me Up
The Song: This poppy slash EDM ditty is quite schizophrenic and both sides don’t really get on well with each other, even if they’re both kinda catchy. HATE the EDM part myself, as it’s rather empty and a bit useless. It all reminds me a bit of Rise Up (Greece 2014) which was fun enough even if a bit pointless.
Standout lyrics: “A part of me is feeling weak” – Could’ve fooled me…
The Voice: Lukas Meijer not only physically reminds me of Jared Letho, he also reminds me of the reason why I never went to see Jared’s band 30 Seconds To Mars live: I’m afraid he’ll sound exactly like Lukas does in the live version of this song, thus erasing any kind of movie magic hanging around him.
The Performance: “The violin, the drums and the kvinnaböske might make it all feel a little bit old fashioned, but this can easily be fixed by adding a DJ who pretends to scratch. In real life of course, this is thirty years old but in Eurovision, it will give your number a contemporary feel.” Better yet: add some leather jackets, some hats and a lost guitar and really confuse the audience.
In one line: Light Me Up is also the title of the debut studio album by American rock band The Pretty Reckless, which received commercial success with the singles “Make Me Wanna Die”, “Miss Nothing”, and “Just Tonight” – those titles seemed too ironic not to be used in this post.
Why it will qualify: Europe’s in a dancing mood.
Why it won’t: Europe doesn’t have cheese in its ears.
Biggest competition in this semi: Erm…Moldova?
Pre-Contest status: It’s catchy enough to uphold Poland’s excellent qualification record, but I wouldn’t be shocked it if they missed the boat for once. Though they are very lucky to have a spot right between Georgia and Malta.
PERSONAL TOTAL: 
MALTA 
PERFORMER: Christabelle Borg
SONG: Taboo
The Song: Ow Malta, you never cease to amaze me in how you manage to produce and pick the biggest schmaltz. The song itself could be considered OK, despite being quite generic, but those lyrics make me really grind my teeth. The chorus makes absolutely no sense, and on top there’s that insipid nonsensical rhyming of animals and criminals. Messing about like that is (somewhat) funny when you’re Azerbaijan, it’s kinda tragic for a country with English as an official language.
Standout lyrics: “In the silence, you’ll find gold” – Nuff said.
The Voice: Christabelle manages to stay vocally upright in the verses and only slips up twice in the chorus in the NF-video, so it’s quite okay on a vocal level. Not really a fan of the occasional growl she throws in there, but to each his own I guess.
The Performance: Even if the lyrics make my skin itch, the performance really brings to life the feeling of teenage angst quite well. Especially loving the way they play with the lighting and keep Christabelle in the dark for a part of the song, it contributes nicely to the dark vibe. And it’s a heck of a lot better than focusing on chesticles #stilltraumatizedbyClaudia.
In one line: Shut the fuck up, Brenda.
Why it will qualify: Echoes in our heads they all think that Taboo might sound like something quite radical.
Why it won’t: Echoes in our heads they all think that Taboo might sound like something quite laughable.
Biggest competition in this semi: San Marino.
Pre-Contest status: I’d brand it a non-qualifier in a heartbeat, but my mum immediately loved it and sometimes she’s actually right about these cliché things sneaking through. So I’m gonna be a good boy and listen to my mommy. For now.
PERSONAL TOTAL: 
CURRENT RESULTS
Nobody (yet)
Croatia, Armenia, Greece, Belgium, Estonia
Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Norway, Czechia, Lithuania, Russia, Netherlands, Israel, Georgia
FYROM, Albania, Moldova, Poland, Finland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Austria, Malta, Australia, Serbia, Ireland
San Marino, Denmark, Belarus, Iceland
Dimivision 