ESC Etc.

Country: Georgia
Artist: Nutsa Buzaladze
Title: Firefighter
Songwriter(s): Ada Skidka, Darko Dimitrov
Tempo: 115 BPM Mode: Minor Key: E Duration: 3:04

Starting in 2017, Georgia has been on the worst current NQ streak (tied with Latvia) at ESC. Some of it (2018/19/21) falls squarely on their shoulders and the weakness of their selections, but I genuinely liked their 2022 entry, and last year Iru had quite a number of vocal supporters, even though in the end she was undone by unfocused staging and them ChatGPT ass lyrics that…well, you can read for yourself. While I do like that I never know what I’m going to get from Georgia, there just is clearly an issue with their internal selection process that makes me wonder whether they’d be better served by a televised national final where they may gain some perspective re: what voters at home actually listen to and what foreign juries would welcome and reward at ESC.

This year’s entry tells us that, at the very least, Georgia isn’t willing to make the same mistake twice. We do have lyrical content, even if it’s a bit clunky in conjuring up the imagery behind the title (“You know that I’ll be there/I’m running through these ashes/like a firefighter”) which is also – if we’re being honest – just a bad, weird title, but the track is overall much more radio friendly than what we’ve gotten these past few years, the styling is very clearly going for a slay fashion diva moment, and this is something that would actually be in a much more comfortable spot to qualify…if it was still last year. 2024 is full of pop girlies (just look at the first half of semi #2) and unfortunately for Nutsa, they’re coming with some heavy artillery. Firefighter will make for a good stage show, but it never finds a real hook and the production is just a bit all over the place, introducing bits and layers that don’t quite resolve, and it ultimately all just lacks a bit of grit and thrust. Nutsa will have to do a lot of heavy lifting here, and we know the vocal is there. I’m just a bit concerned she can pull it off all by herself (although…Mimicat did just last year, so you never know).

Jury Potential: This is definitely more of a jury song, even if there is an ethnic vibe to the production, because the bones of this track are just radio friendly pop. There are no juries in the semis.
Televote Potential: Which is why this will really need to come alive on stage. The theme and vibe of the song do really lends themself to bold, spectacular staging. But does Georgia have the vision and the cash to make it happen?