We're now on to the Grand Final with my Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Special. Spain, unfortunately came last in the competition with just five points; poor Manel Navarro, he did not deserve so little points especially with this Spenish summer song "Do It For Your Lover"; however he did hit a bum note during his stage performance, but if you forget all about that he gave a brilliant performance. He scored zero points from the juries - a nul points - and the five points all came from the Portuguese televote. The song is very summery and very catchy, I also got the chance to interview him for CelebMix. Watch Manel Navarro take off to Tenerife, Canary Islands with some friends to go surfing and to check out the hot surfer girl in this summer induced music video for his Eurovision 2017 song "Do It For Your Lover".
Manel Navarro first came to my attention when I had a press release come through for his first single on Sony Music Spain, "Candle", which I wrote up for Outlet Magazine, and then followed through with writing about the music video for the song. Little did I know that a few months later he'd be a part of Spain's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, titled Objetivo Eurovisión. He has previously won other talent show Catalunya Teen Star second series. He may not have done well, or his best, on the night of Eurovision, but he made an impression on people and he promised that an album will be on it's way, in the interview I did with him for CelebMix. The song was written by Manel Navarro and Antonio "Rayito" Rayo.
Directed by Mauri D. Gallano, the video easily replicates the song bringing the summer sunshine to Eurovision 2017, even if it didn't exactly go to plan, especially in the voting part of the show.
It's a very upbeat song and Manel Navarro easily displays this in the visual. He's very relaxed throughout and the car scene is much more inclusive than the surfing scene. Although, it's great to see Manel Navarro showing us Tenerife and how enjoyable surfing can be; it's clear he really had a great time.
There are performance scenes throughout which has Manel Navarro's usually flare. It's summery, relaxed, and freeing. It's great to watch even though there is nothing special to make this video stand out. It's relatable to the song itself but not really to the lyrics. I cannot wait for this promised album.
This one was one of my early favourites in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. It's a shame it didn't make the Grand Final; although, with the amount of ballads that were in the competition this year, it wasn't really a surprise that some didn't quite make it. This one was very strong on the night, with Tamara Gachechiladze looking completely stunning in the first Semi-Final. However, representing Georgia, she only managed to get 99 points, placing her 11th - a whole 16 points away from 10th place Greece who was represented by Demy with "This Is Love"; Tamara Gachechiladze gained 37 points from the televote and 62 points from the jury. I love the message behind this song. Watch Tamara Gachechiladze perform her Eurovision 2017 song "Keep The Faith", whilst a diverse group of people sing along to the lyrics of the song in this incredibly powerful music video.
Tamara Gachechiladze, formerly known as Tako Gachechiladze, was originally a part of the quartet Stephane & 3G, who originally attempted to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 where they won the national final; however the song was flagged for political reasons and refusal to change the lyrics led to them withdrawing from the contest. In other years, Tamara Gachechiladze took part in Georgia's national selection shows for Eurovision 2008 (where she came tenth), and Eurovision 2009 (where she came fourth but also won as part of Stephane & 3G). Zip forward eight years, and she won Georgia's national show for Eurovision 2017. It's just such a shame she didn't go through to the Grand Final, but, much like the other acts who didn't make it, she's gained fans around the world who will support her, just like me. This song is strong and powerful, it hits my heart every time I hear it; it was written by Tamara Gachechiladze and Anri Jokhadze.
This music video is one of a few favourites of mine from the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. It's really simple and basic but has such an explosive and cultural impact. If anything, this has a lot of power, which is surprising from something so basic.
In the visual we watch Tamara Gachechiladze performing the song, in various stunning outfits, none quite as beautiful as her Semi-Final outfit - now that was beyond gorgeous. She gives it so much meaning in the video, she clearly loves this song and the message behind it, which she easily conveys.
Throughout the music video, we see other people singing along to the words of the song, they aren't performing it so it's okay that they're not giving it their all, but that's because who they are is what sends the message out to us. The song is about not letting people get you down, to not hide, to go out and become who you are meant to be. These people in the visual are certain stereotypes that may be verbally abused for their appearance and their choices, but you should never be someone that those mean people want you to be; be yourself.
The music video is completely powerful, the song has the perfect message and should definitely have made the final. I hope that Tamara Gachechiladze continues to "Keep The Faith" and releases more music and more stunning songs because I can't wait to hear what she releases next.
Another great song and artist that just missed out on the Grand Final; however, at least Tijana Bogićević is a part of my Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Special. I much prefer the music video over the staging production of this song during the second Semi-Final. "In Too Deep" is an amazing song that I could listen to again and again. She represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, she gained 98 points during the second Semi-Final coming 11th, just three points short from Denmark's Anja with "Where I Am"; she got 53 points from the jury vote and 45 points from the televote. Watch two dancers perform as if they're submerged in water, "In Too Deep" of one another's love in this music video of Serbia's Eurovision 2017 song by Tijana Bogićević,
Tijana Bogićević has been singing for many years. She first came to prominence when she released "Cudo". She has released many singles, her first being in 2009, and previously entered the Serbia national selection in 2009, titled Beovizija, but only made it to the semi-finals. She next went on stage of Eurovision 2011 as a backing singer for Nina. Now, through internal selection, she got the Eurovision 2017 spotlight on stage but missed out on making the Grand Final by three points. Regardless, she's gained more fans from around the world, and I'm totally interested in what she brings next. Her song and performance reminded me of Ira Losco's "Walk On Water". This song was written by Borislav Milanov, Joacim Persson, Johan Alkenas, and Lisa Desmond.
The music video is mainly a performance piece, that sees Tijana Bogićević on a metal hoop which is attached high above; almost like a swing. She looks serene and confident up there, high above.
The other side of this music video is a man and woman who are dancing to this song; interpreting it into this choreographed dance scene that has a lot of watery elements to it - just like the song.
It works well, but I feel there isn't a lot of substance to this music video. It's very basic, yet at the same time it's been edited well and filmed well. The water scene was a nice added surprise, and yet there isn't much going on in the water either.
Again, today saw lots of new music get released, but not many have music videos, so I struggled to find one that did. I stumbled across this one from Alan Walker, and he proves, yet again, how incredible his music is. The video matches this, giving us war images and shows that love truly can win out. The visual is pretty similar to his previous efforts, and the song follows the same sort of suit; regardless, this easily gets stuck in my head and I'm sure it'll get inside yours too. Watch this war explosion of a visual in this Alan Walker music video for "Tired" which features Gavin James.
Alan Walker is quickly becoming a DJ we all know and love. He hit it big in 2015 with "Faded" and ever since, he has released catchy singles one after another; although, they have not been raging chart successes, unlike his previous first hit. However, they've charted well in his home country of Norway, where he has topped the charts three times to date. He also became virally known when he collaborated with Sofia Carson on "Back To Beautiful", his remix of which was chosen as her official single release of the song. I truly believe he will continue on with his success, and I can't wait to see what the future brings for him. "Tired" is in collaboration with Gavin James, who is an Irish singer-songwriter; he had a global hit with "Nervous", and his debut album charted moderately well in certain countries. This song is expected to chart well, and Alan Walker has been teasing it a lot recently.
Directed by Alexander Halvorsen, the music video is a subtle narrative music video, which we have come to expect from Alan Walker.
There's not an awful lot going on in the visual, we see that war is going on and there's a group of people who need to connect something to the power supply.
We see that our two main characters are into one another as they keep looking and smiling across. It's quite powerful to know that even though they're hiding behind a hood and a cloth that is covering their mouths, you can tell by their eyes that they are smiling.
We see some sexual images of the two characters together. They are played by Sarah Gindel Jabang and Daniel Peralta. Eventually, they manage to connect to the network and we watch a timer count down the minutes until impact. When it reaches zero we see all the lights go out.
Overall, this music video isn't easy to understand and the reasons why is hidden behind the visuals; regardless, the video is interesting and engaging. It makes you want to know what's going on; that is definitely what makes this music video special. Yet, it's confusing and hard to understand, with many repetitive scenes.
Now, this was one of my favourites from this year's Eurovision Song Contest. This was totally one of my frontrunners to win the whole thing until I saw the rehearsals and their staging - that completely dropped any chance that they had; believe it or not, staging can change the whole outcome. Timebelle represented Switzerland with their song "Apollo" gaining 97 points, placing them 12th in the second semi-final; they got 49 points in televoting and 48 points in the jury vote. The music video is classy and shows the trio as a great professional group; on stage, it was a totally different story and just didn't connect well with both the viewers at home and the juries. Watch the trio Timebelle perform this song in a classy building, looking incredible as leaves cascade down them before they meet up with old people and get them to dance in the Eurovision 2017 "Apollo" music video.
Timebelle are a three-piece group consisting of Miruna Mănescu, Samuel Forster, and Emanuel Daniel Andriescu. They used to be a five-piece group and attempted to represent Switzerland at Eurovision previously in Die Entscheidungsshow in 2015, they placed second, just missing out. They returned as a three-piece, this year and won the contest. Unfortunately, they didn't make it through the second semi-final. The song was phenomenal, and is still one of my favourites; however, the staging totally ruined the whole thing and I am disappointed with Switzerland on the whole decision of the stage production. Regardless, I'll continue to support Timebelle, and I hope they continue making brilliant music. This song was written by Elias Näslin, Nicholas Günthardt, and Alessandra Günthardt.
The trio worked with Next Generation Media for this music video, which was filmed in Romania. It's set inside a very classy old building, and the trio looks completely classy and stunning throughout, especially Miruna Mănescu. I really wished they used this theme on the Eurovision stage, I'm sure that it would've given them the much-needed points to get through to the Grand Final.
There are a few scenes spotted throughout this music video, the main performance piece where the trio is seen dressed in black; then there's the scene with the old men and women, some of which are couples, clearly waiting for Timebelle to turn up and get the party started - which is exactly what they do towards the end of the music video; and, then, there's the falling leaves scene, which is just beautiful throughout.
If anything, this music video easily represents Timebelle in the most perfect way. I will forever keep on wishing they had brought this to the Eurovision stage, this is exactly what should've been shown. The song is about following your dreams, fighting for them, and getting them in the end because you never gave up. This is the sort of music we all need to encourage us to keep fighting, me more so than others because I've been very up and down lately.
Overall this music video is perfect in every way. It's relatable, it's different, it's stunning, and it's something I'm more than happy to watch again and again and again. Timebelle may not have made the Grand Final, they may not have won the competition, but they've definitely turned me into a fan, and I believe I'm not the only one. I can't wait to see what they release next.
