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 

Switzerland 2018: ZiBBZ

Here are the winners of the Swiss NF: ZiBBZ with their song "Stones"

Im happy with the results, Stones is a pretty nice song and I really like their cool vibe on stage, it wont set the scorebord on fire but I hope they can qualify to the final. Good luck guys!

Shout out to my other favorite:

Alejandro Reyes

ZiBBZ: "Living for music - with no plan B"

Photo: Kaelan Barowsky

New day, new interview! This time we are going to get to know more about one of the acts from the Swiss national selection. Here are ZiBBZ's answers :
Name: Coco & Stee Gfeller
Birthday: Coco -  6.6.1985 / Stee - 3.11.1987
Height:  Coco - 1,60m / Stee - 1,74m
Favorite color: Coco - Turquoise / Stee - Red
Favorite food: Coco - Ice cream / Stee - Swiss Food (Chäshörndli und G’Hackets)
What do you do in the band? Coco - Lead singer / Stee - Drummer/Producer
Where are you right now? Los Angeles
3 things that make you happy:  Music, Ice cream, penguins
What’s your strangest talent? Coco - The "laugh-whistle" / Stee - Double jointed
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Coco - My husband / Stee - Leggins
What are you really good at? Coco - Dreaming / Stee - Not listening
What are you really bad at? Coco - Patience / Stee - What?
Childhood idol: Coco - Tina Turner / Stee - Michael Angelo (hero turtles)
Childhood memory: Coco - Stee saying “Coco peed in my bed”, when it was clearly him! / Stee - First time on a Snowboard
Celebrity crush: Coco - Beyoncé / Stee - The little mermaid
Tell me something no one knows about you: We both had really bad eye sight! - like blind as a bat :)
What would you do if you were invisible? Coco - Go visit all countries in the world / Stee - Go to McDonalds and order all meals, watch the people stare at the magic trick!
Favorite movie: Coco - Avatar /Stee - Jungle book
Favorite TV series: Coco - Friends / Stee - LOST
If you were a girl/boy for a day, what would you do? Coco - Wish I was a girl / Stee - Hmm…gotta bunch of crazy ideas...
What is your guilty pleasure? Coco - Ice cream / Stee - Staying up working/creating
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Coco - Man in the mirror / Stee - Honky tonk woman
Can you teach me some interesting words in Swiss-German? Hoi du vertääseretä Sau-aff ! :)

Photo: Monica Guitti

Hello guys! Welcome to the Eurovision universe! How are you?
HEY! We are great! thank you!

How would you describe ZiBBZ?
We're a Swiss sibling duo - home in Los Angeles & Zurich. Living for music - with no plan B.

You are one of the participants of the Swiss National selection for ESC 2018. How did it all begin?
We used to watch ESC with our family when we were kids. We always had in mind to perform on ESC one day but never felt our kind of music/performance really had a chance until the more recent years where there are more diverse acts and songs accepted. Common Linnets were our favorite so far! 

“Stones” is the title of your song, and it’s written by you two and Laurell Barker. How was it to work with her?
Yes! She is an amazing, kind, fast thinking force of nature and we were so honored to write together!

Photo: AMANDA NIKOLIC

What’s the story behind the song?
The message is something which moves us all deeply and is sadly still a problem in today’s world. It’s about inclusion, equality, diversity and tolerance. It’s a call to stand up against bullying and hate. 

Photo: ALEX GOMEZ

Describe the song with 4 words:
Inviting, groovy, powerful, honest

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
We have designed an amazing little set up for the Swiss final show and we know we’re going to give 120% and enjoy every minute. that’s all we can do. The rest is up to the audience!

What do you like about Eurovision?
That it brings people of all races together.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
We used to feel like “organic” / indie artists didn't have a chance… but that has changed!

Photo: Monica Guitti

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Sleepwalking: Candle
Live music: Rock n Roll
Squirrels: Cute
Technology: iPhone
Nature: Mesmerizing
Dreams: LIFE

What are your plans for 2018?
To enjoy every minute of the ESC ride! And play as many shows as possible! Release new music videos, and keep creating!

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
THANK YOU!

Thanks to Coco and Stee for the interview! Very excited to see their performance in the NF!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZiBBZ/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zibbz_official

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zibbz_official