- rhythm of nature - uliana: i have a soft spot for white voice technique singing and folk elements. the repetition of a central refrain is very much reminiscent of the simplicity of folk songs, dynamic instrumental modernises it. heavenly and almost primeval aspect from harmonies (4-4.25/5)
- if this operates similarly to ukr2026 where nature as a folk symbol is used, is 4.25
- slave - ollie: purely as a song, this is firmly structured but not outstanding - tropes are played to his advantage because this contest lacks rock. but is an exceptional performance, with the versatility and emotion of a concert over the strictly choreographed stage (3.75-4/5)
- it’s more the difference between a strong rock performance as a listener and rock as a novelty + i think he deserves a win eventually
- wounds (don’t wanna fall) - ant & minimal wind: duet with a lot of heart, perhaps this is my own observation but the harmonies seem to gradually become more aligned over the song (3.5/5)
- taevas jäi üles - grete paia: reminds me of denmark 2025 in the sense that by the song itself being an established trope, the focus is shifted to her vocals, including a very intentional whistle note. this approach to a vocal-centric performance works by virtue of contrasts between a dynamic edm instrumental and her ethereal voice (3.25-3.5/5) - honestly it’s still generic
- the game - getter jaani: catchy pop song, energy felt unsustained at parts - final chorus should have been more spectacular and crowd engagement claps in the bridge did not build up to anything, overall i’m not a fan of instrumentals being the hook (3.25/5)
- jolly roger - clicherik & mäx: the performance itself is oddly stagnant or incomplete, but i can’t think of ways i would improve upon it. this just might not be a genre i enjoy as much, thus it feels unfair to judge its execution (3.25/5)
- days like this - noëp: d&b and orchestral blend give it a distinct sound, though i do feel a dissonance or a battle for dominance between the simple and upbeat chorus melody and the more gritty instrumental (3.25/5)
- really do wonder if this is by design? or i’m missing something
- last man standing - stockholm cowboys: i may not be especially fond of the song, but i appreciate storytelling through staging (3.25/5)
- kell kuus - marta pikani: not a big fan of the hook, i think it’s serviceable but generic (3-3.25/5)
- warrior - laura prits: i appreciate female-led rock - it almost exploits being in the under-utilised rock genre to hide its structural faults. at this stage i cannot reward an empowerment song that falls into vapid cliches, and many evident vocal issues that she attempts to lean into growls and screams to hide. but i guess it’s still rock (3-3.25/5)
- metsik roos - robert linna: something is missing, but again i’m struggling to assess its flaw. love the backing vocals and instrumentation, right now it seems like a dominant sense of emptiness or the vocalist himself is forgettable (2.75-3/5)
- agree with the emptiness, it is thus what makes me drawn to the background -> unfocused
- too epic to be true - vanilla ninja: while upbeat, i struggle to see how this won outside of name recognition. the spoken word portion and kiss cam entirely disrupts flow and actively cheapens the performance. assessing the song by itself, it could have been a mere product of its time that i’m not the target audience for with a distinct nostalgic charm, but as a performance it’s poorly crafted and undeserving of the televote support it received (2.5/5)
mar 2 2026 ∞
mar 2 2026 +