Welcome back to this year’s previews! Let’s continue with the final three on offer in semi 1, and try to predict which ten will qualify for the final!
13. Czechia – Vesna – My Sister’s Crown
The Song: A couple of entries over the past decade have tried to do the same as this one but none of them were so bloody effective. The rap and singing parts blend so well and so do the multiple languages, while that chorus is catchy as Covid. On top of that they deliver a message so powerful in such a seemingly light hearted way. This is super clever without coming across as wannabe clever. Color me impressed.
Standout line: “She is her own queen and she will prove it” Yasssssss!
The Voice: Haven’t heard them live as of yet, here’s hoping their vocals will blend as smoothly as everything else in this entry.
The Style: The video promises more excellent blending of traditional elements and modern influences so I’m guessing the stage performance will follow suit. Loving the freaky make-up, would be great to see that recreated as well. I might recreate some on my TikTok & Instagram (@flamingaferrari if you’re interested #shamelessplugging).
In one line: What’s Czech for ‘yasssss queens’?
PERSONAL TOTAL: 
Why it will qualify: Girl Power never dies.
Why it won’t qualify: The word corona brings back undigested memories.
Qualifier? YASSSSSS
14. Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper – Burning Daylight
The Song: Another year, another easy listening song from NL and while it may not be the most exciting one in this year’s line-up, it’s got a couple of sneaky little hooks that manage to draw you in. The existential crisis is tangible in the lyrics and I love how the structure of the song captures the shedding of the old skin to welcome the future. The gospely end is perhaps a bit too much of a juxtaposition, or maybe I just don’t like gospel all that much, and I would have opted for a different title. But this somehow gets underneath my skin. Is that because of my own little trip down the rabbit hole which I’m now crawling out of, I wonder?
Standout line: “I don’t believe in God anymore” Amen!
The Voice: It’s a bit of a shame that there isn’t more of a duet in this duet. It doesn’t feel like a unit, more like two people in therapy singing about their similar journeys. Maybe I’m overanalyzing though. *Valentina Monetta voice* Maybe.
The Style: This is just an impression but it feels like they think they’re way more alternative than their song makes them out to be. Here’s hoping they go for something understated that makes the feeling of the song shine through.
In one line: The sun will come out, tomorrow!
PERSONAL TOTAL:
Why it will qualify: Simple yet effective.
Why it won’t qualify: It’s smashed between two big hitters.
Qualifier? YES
15. Finland – Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
The Song: Color me conflicted. Looking at the rather brilliant lyrics it makes complete and utter sense that we get a totally different song about halfway in. Free your mind and the rest will follow, something along those lines. It’s just too bad that after a wonderfully dark electronic vibe we end up with something that sounds like a Swedish schlager that’s been thrown into a cocktail blender. It’s undoubtedly the part that’ll scoop up the inevitable truckload of points, but it takes it too much into après-ski territory for me.
Standout line: “A couple piña coladas I have devoured” And now you’re caught in the rain?
The Voice: No complaints here, the confidence is clearly there.
The Style: Much like the song, I love a couple things here and I hate a few others equally. In terms of fashion/looks everything from the neck down is genius and I would love to have that jacket in six other colors. Hate his choice of hair, but that’s only because I looked like Will from Stranger Things when I was young and I simply don’t get the resurgence. Don’t really get the NF setting with the pallets and the Sertab pieces of fabric either, it clashes so much with his personal styling. And when it comes to the choreography I appreciate a couple elements, especially the Maruv centipede, while I absolutely hate the Kipling monkey moves towards the end – it makes it even more après-ski and I’m shivering just thinking about it.
In one line: Well, at least it’s not the cha-cha-slide.
PERSONAL TOTAL:
Why it will qualify: It’s got everything a vote magnet needs.
Why it won’t qualify: The hair, probably.
Qualifier? Definitely, and a televote magnet in the final.
Who will qualify from semi 1?
So, who looks like the will make the final at this point in time? Here are my ten:
Sweden – Finland – Switzerland – Czechia – Azerbaijan – Norway – Netherlands – Moldova – Croatia – Serbia
If I had to take one out it would be Croatia, which I would switch with *throws dart at board* Malta.
CURRENT DIMIVISION STANDINGS
CZECHIA
SERBIA – SWEDEN
NORWAY – AZERBAIJAN – NETHERLANDS – FINLAND
MALTA – LATVIA – PORTUGAL – CROATIA – SWITZERLAND – ISRAEL – MOLDOVA
IRELAND
Tomorrow: Denmark, Armenia & Romania
Dimivision 
Interesting you’re not as fond of SF1 as most people; they think it’s the SF of death!
That said, yay to My Sister’s Crown being so high! It’s my personal favorite so far.
It feels like the semi of death because it’s hard to predict who will be the final ten. Many seem to think that equals a high quality semi, which I think is an odd piece of logic. Or wishful thinking, something the ESC fan community is particularly good at. Happy we agree on Czechia, I totally adore it and can’t to see it performed live.