Eurovision 2018 - Semifinal 1: Results

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The hardest semifinal in years is over and now it's time for me to give my opinions about the finalists but as always I'd like to start the post giving a shout out to 2 of the acts that didnt qualify:

Belgium: SENNEK

Love this song and Sennek is so lovely but sadly I dont think this worked on stage.

Switzerland: ZIBBZ

These 2 worked so hard and it showed on stage cause they did such a great performance and they should be really proud of it. Would have loved to see them in the final but the most important thing in ESC is showing yourself to the audience doing what you love to do and what you do best, they did that and Im sure they gained a big number of new fans today.

THE FINALISTS

10. AUSTRIA: Cesár Sampson

I like this song but to me this wasnt a good performance (in a visual way), my fear of his lack of charisma was confirmed and even if his voice is out of this world, I think he looked lost on stage.

09. BULGARIA: Equinox

I wasnt a big fan of this song when it was released but it grew on me a lot, I still dislike the aura of desperation around it, like I dont feel anything with it and to me the performance needs more heart and honesty, they are great singers but there is like all this fake plastic around them and I just want them to get rid of all those rehearsed moves and just jump and show who they really are. (Zhana's reaction to their result was adorable and it showed me a side of her that I have seen a bit on interviews but never on stage so I hope they all let themselves free for the final performance)

08. FINLAND: Saara Aalto

This song is alright, there are too many things happening on stage but that's her style and let's be honest, it could have been worse. I would like her to have more fun on stage, I want too see that "living my dream" sparkle in her eyes!

07. ESTONIA: Elina Nechayeva

I think she did her best, but sadly the camera work didnt, her Eesti Laul performance was so much better.

06. CZECH REPUBLIC: Mikolas Josef

After following the rehearsals I was expecting this to be my fav from this semifinal but even if I liked it a lot, I didnt go crazy for it. There is something missing on it but I dont know what it is.

05. ALBANIA: Eugent Bushpepa

Eugent is one of the best singers of this year and Im so happy we will get to see him perform again on saturday! GO ALBANIA!

04. IRELAND: Ryan O'Shaughnessy

Wow, this just worked on stage so beautifully! One of the best performances of the night!

03. ISRAEL: Netta

I love this song and Netta is such a star! The performance is not a winning perfomance but it is fun and it looked like she was having a great time on stage! (I would take out the pyro from the 1st chorus)

02. LITHUANIA: Ieva Zasimauskaitė

This is such a pretty performance, it truly gets to your heart. Well done Ieva! GO LITHUANIA!

01. CYPRUS: Eleni Foureira

911? THERE IS A BIG FIRE ON THE ESC ARENA! Im so impressed by her stage presence, like damn! I wasnt expecting this to be a contender but guess what Europe?...IT IS! Eleni is a PERFORMER and the Eurovision stage was made for her to burn down! GO CYPRUS!

Photos: Andres Putting/EBU 

Sennek: "I make timeless but still modern music"

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

It's time to post a new interview and Im very happy about it cause this act is one of my top favorites of this year, so I hope you all like it as much as me. Here are Senneks answers:
Name: Sennek
Birthday: the 30th of April
Height: 1,72 meters
Favorite color: black ;)
Favorite food: Japanese ramen
Where are you right now? I’m at “Het depot”, a music center in the Belgian city of Leuven
3 things that make you happy: cats, cats and red wine ;)
What’s your strangest talent? I can shake my eyes
What are you really good at? Making excuses
What are you really bad at? Saying sorry (oops)
Childhood idol: Leonardo Dicaprio
Childhood memory: playing on the street
Celebrity crush: Leonardo Dicaprio
Tell me something no one knows about you: I have no secrets!
What would you do if you were invisible? Tickle people
Favorite movie: Titanic
Favorite TV series: Friends
What is your guilty pleasure? Watching Doctor Phill at 2 pm in my pajamas
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? Wiggle wiggle ;)
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Happy by Pharrell Williams
Can you teach me some interesting words in dutch? Goesting is a really cool Dutch word, but it’s hard to translate

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

Hey Sennek! Welcome to the Eurovision universe! How are you doing?
Good, thank you!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I would describe myself as a strong confident woman, with some drama and philosophical influences. I make timeless but still modern music.

Photo: Jean-pol Sedran

You were selected by VRT to represent Belgium in Lisbon. How did it all begin?
Well, they had been following me career for a while, apparently. I didn’t say yes to their proposal right away, because this is a big deal and I wanted to think it through. I’m very happy that I accepted and I hope to make Belgium proud.

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

“A matter of time” is the title of your song, and it’s written by you, Alex Callier and Maxime Tribeche. How was it to work with them?
It was the best experience of my live ever!

What’s the story behind the song?
A Matter Of Time is about being able to see beauty in things that are fleeting. The tension of watching something precious slip away and finding the beauty in that. There’s also a bit of a special anecdote; I was with Alex Callier in the studio and he had just made me some tea. But while he was getting it ready, the elegant glass teapot suddenly broke. The next day, we came up with the first words of the song: “Sometimes it feels like it’s meant to be broken”. That's why we also included the glass teapot in the video. I saw the beauty in this broken thing.

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

Describe the song with 4 words:
Drama, drama, tea pot, drama ;)

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
I can’t tell you yet! You’ll have to wait and see

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

Tell me about the official video of “A matter of time”:
The video was directed by Edouard Valette. I wanted to be closely involved in making of it, so I made a whole lot of moodboards. I want people to see my signature in it. Something understated, minimalist and emotional. I specifically asked the director to incorporate the glass teapot in the clip, since the whole story started on Alex’s kitchen counter. I didn't want a narrative clip, but one that’s based on an atmosphere. I wanted to take an artistic approach with a lot of photography and architecture.

What do you like about Eurovision?
It brings people together and celebrates music.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
So far it’s been the best experience of my life. True story!

Photo: VRT/Marie Wynants

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Live music: best thing in life
Nightmare: I like it, it’s a cheap horror movie ;)
Chicken sound: Easter eggs
Art: best thing in life after live music
Future: can’t wait
Dreams: a good sleep

What are your plans for 2018?
Working and making music

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
See you later, alligator!

Photo: Thomas Richard Mertens

Thanks to Sennek for the interview! I'll be cheering for her in May! Go Belgium!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sennekmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sennekmusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauragroes

Belgium 2018: Sennek

Time to listen to the Belgian entry for ESC 18, this is "A matter of time":

I really REALLY like the mood of this song, I dont know how it will do in May but this is such a good quality entry and Sennek is amazing! GO BELGIUM!