Eurovision 2018 Preselection Blog Week 1

Out of the light, like a star, like a hero, this blog will survive! It's that time of year again for Eurovision on-season, and can you believe that song was 10 years ago? I still don't regret putting it in 1st.

Now that last year's results have sunk in, it was still a fine winner that will become a classic. All of Portugal and the rest of the world wants to be there in person for Portugal to finally host if the ticket sales are any indication. Honestly the song I have listened to the most since last May is “My Friend,” so abandon all expectation of my taste.

As with the last few years, until all the Eurovision entries have been selected I will highlight one song from each selection that missed out, and sometimes might be better than the actual entry. In the interest of time I will mostly highlight finals, and only semifinals and heats when I feel like it, like Melodifestivalen because I am biased.

As always, Albania had their song selected before Christmas. Many fans preferred the power ballad “Pjedestal” which is one of the stronger songs among the selection, but on it's own it's lacking the memorability that would be needed to differentiate it from any other big-voiced ballad. My favorite song from the selection was “Tjetër Jetë” by Grupi Na & Festina Mejzini. It had a powerful soft-rock chorus, more powerful than the actual winner, a total earworm. I try to go about my business but at all hours ringing in my head is “NJË TJETËR JEEEEEEEEETË!”

In this dry part of the season (in more ways than one), there is always one constant: endless heats and semifinals in Lithuania. Evaldas Vaikasas had a nice ballad in “Blind” that should have gone through to the semifinal, but more so for his amazing outfit.  Meda Meškauskaitė's “Blood Roses” was hypnotizing and should have gone through as well, but maybe it needed different staging (more roses and more blood, less of that dancer). She and this song are too good to not pass through this early in the Lithuanian heats. I encourage you to check out her YouTube channel too.