ESC Etc.

Country: Sweden
Artist: Marcus & Martinus
Title: Unforgettable
Songwriter(s): Jimmy Joker, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Marcus Gunnarsen, Martinus Gunnarsen
Tempo:  117 BPM Mode: Minor  Key: C♯/D♭  Duration: 2:49

Country: Portugal
Artist: Iolanda
Title: Grito
Songwriter(s): Iolanda Costa, Luar
Tempo:  152 BPM Mode: Minor  Key: D♯/E♭  Duration: 2:57

And with that, we’re done! Our ESC National Final season has gone as fast as it came, and all we have left now is a handful of internally selected acts (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Israel) who will be revealing their songs in the coming days. I have discussed both these entries as part of their national final reviews, where they were both coincidentally ranked in third place for me, so while there were songs in both Sweden and Portugal I liked more and thought would be more competitive, I don’t really have a bone to pick with either selection here. So…because it’s me, let’s talk about these live performances!

To no one’s surprise, the staging concept for Unforgettable is its biggest asset – M&M are inside of a kind of futuristic club, with LED walls opening up as the track unfolds to invite additional dancers and facilitate choreo, a setup that effectively erases the actual, physical stage in favor of a more liminal space not unlike the one Benjamin Ingrosso created in 2018 for Dance You Off (even though that was a somewhat simpler, 2-dimensional side scroller). The light schemes and overall composition match the song’s darker mood effectively, and it all is obviously very impressive, but there is something to be said about the song feeling just a bit uneventful compared to everything that’s going on visually. Sweden always stages well – they’re not a ESC powerhouse for nothing – but they have historically had more luck with juries than televoters, and when televote did come through (Cornelia, Loreen) it was because staging was matched by an equally exceptional song. This act will definitely pop and stand out for what it is, but it is realistically much more in line with Sweden’s tradition of young male performers with slick pop songs. By contrast, Iolanda opted for a monochromatic, blindingly white staging concept that, as striking as it objectively is, doesn’t quite match the gritty, raw mood of Grito for me. The concept of having 5 masked dancers on stage representing “those who wanted to see me suffer” as Iolanda sings and emotes the track is effective, pulling off a couple of tableaux that punctuate the lyrics meaningfully, but from a holistic perspective, I was left wanting a bit more, and there is definitely more that can be done on stage at ESC especially in terms of lighting and LEDs to tell this story in a more impactful way that also exhausts the emotional resonance of the track, which I quite like.

Jury Potential: Both songs should bank on juries to score the largest chunk of their point total. Sweden generally excels here, and this could land Top 5. Portugal could also be rewarded for a powerful vocal and a solid, impactful composition. Portugal will need to qualify first, though.
Televote Potential: They do both need those jury points because here is where things might get complicated. The native language component does help Portugal to some extent, but this is a phenomenally strong year with a number of acts that just check more of those boxes.