Eurovision 2024 Previews Part 8: Denmark, Armenia & Latvia

After seven parts slash twenty-one entries, the majority of this year’s field only got two stars or less in this preview portion of the season. Will part eight make any difference or only add to the mediocrity of the 2024 edition?

7. Denmark – Saba – Sand

The Song: Even though this is a departure from their usual radio friendly guitar pop, it still sounds quintessential Danish in all its middle-of-the-roadness. It’s decent enough, this shot at creating an intriguing pulsating pop banger. But it all feels a bit half arsed. The beat in the chorus is lackluster, the build-up is rather paint by numbers and so are the lyrics. I mean…sand? SAAAAND? Super exciting, so mega wow. Even when Saba is singing it, you can almost hear her think ‘why the fuck am I screaming about sand of all things’?

Standout line: “I can feel it slipping through my hand” The poetry is truly off the charts.

The Voice: Saba mostly held her own in the NF. Mostly. Can’t help but feel for her, knowing she’ll be screaming about sand for the rest of her career. However long or short lived it may be.

The Style: Sometimes less is more and maybe it’s okay to just stand when you’re singing about sand. The light effects from the NF were quite effective, I’d rather have something straight to the point than something convoluted or expected. Now watch them drag Kseniya Simonova into it to prove my point.

In one line: Like sand through the hour glass…so are the days of our lives.
PERSONAL TOTAL:
Why it will qualify: Sand gets everywhere.
Why it won’t qualify: This might end up being quicksand.
Qualifier? In any other semi this might sneak through, but I can’t see it happening here.
Winner? It can consider itself lucky if it’s there on Saturday, but that’s where the fun ends.

8. Armenia – Ladaniva – Jako

The Song: If there ever were such a thing as an audio version of Shutterstock, this would pop up with the prompts Armenia & folk. It sounds like something they’d wanna showcase as an interval act if/when they’d eventually get to organize the Contest. As an actual entry it’s super confusing. I wanna like it because it reflects its home country in a very distinguishable fashion. And I do appreciate a song that goes slightly against the grain in terms of structure. But what’s a girl to do when there’s hardly any structure and all you’re left with is a chaotic bunch of folk sounds and a truckload of ‘lai lai lai’? It gets really tiresome really fast and I don’t find a single reason to even want to listen to it when it pops up on Spotify. Maybe it needs a bonfire to really spark it up.

Standout line: “Yes aghjik yem azat / But I am a free girl” Me too, darling, me too.

The Voice: It doesn’t feel like it needs super impressive vocals to make it pop. But I am curious to hear this live anyway.

The Style: Good luck, and do folk it up. I wonder if they’ll bring an actual Lada Niva on stage. Maybe that can be the start of the bonfire?

In one line: Fyra Bygg Och En Lada Niva.
PERSONAL TOTAL:
Why it will qualify: It’s rather simple and may be effective.
Why it won’t qualify: It’s too simple and on the nose.
Qualifier?Never underestimate the power of Armenia, but I have a hard time seeing this one pull through. But it just as easily might be the one I’m totally mistaken about.
Winner? I don’t see that happening.

9. Latvia – Dons – Hollow

The Song: I know these aren’t happy times and the world is going to smithereens and we can’t all pretend it’s sunshine, daisies and unicorns. And we need some self-reflection (from time to time) to keep things in check. But. The desperation here is so tangible it’s a real challenge to take it all in. Maybe sponsored by my own mental health crisis which I’ve just recovered from (or at least riding its tail end), but a little less conversation and a little more distraction would be welcome. I can hear it’s of a certain quality, I just don’t need this in my life right now.

Standout line: “I’m drifting in and out of who I am”  Sounds vaguely familiar.

The Voice: Certainly not hollow or shallow, Dons really manages to hold his own in this rather challenging entry. It’s a make or break kinda setting, and he doesn’t break. The way he projects only adds to the harshness of it all though, which is simultaneously exactly what’s required and possibly too much to handle.

The Style: I’m quite relieved to see there are no convoluted ideas here, but a simple and effective staging that really emphasizes the hollowness we’re supposed to be feeling during the performance. iIsee no reason to think they’ll change much in Malmö.

In one line: Killing me slowly with his song, killing me slowly.
PERSONAL TOTAL:
Why it will qualify: It resonates.
Why it won’t qualify: It’s too real.
Qualifier? I don’t quite feel it, but I’m not counting this out at all.
Winner? If it makes the final, this could end being a jury darling and faring way better than we all think. But winning? Nah.

CURRENT DIMIVISION STANDINGS

LITHUANIA – AUSTRALIA

AZERBAIJAN – LUXEMBOURG – SWITZERLAND

  POLAND – MOLDOVA – GREECE

  CYPRUS – SERBIA – CROATIA – SLOVENIA – FINLAND – PORTUGAL – ALBANIA – CZECHIA – AUSTRIA – DENMARK – LATVIA

IRELAND – UKRAINE – ICELAND – MALTA – ARMENIA

Tomorrow: San Marino, Georgia & Belgium