Eurovision 2015 Semifinal 2 (Preview, updated with results)

Semi-Final 2 (Thursday 21th May)

Monika Linkyte & Vaidas Baumila - This Time (Lithuania)

A bright, breezy, colourful, folksy, upbeat song that kicks off its chorus in fine style then meanders somewhat, but I find its charm irresistible.

Memorable bit: "I'm feeling love"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Molly Sterling - Playing with Numbers (Ireland)

A bit of a dreary piano ballad from a teenage girl with a massively mature voice. It's not unpleasant but not likely to make a memorable impact.

Memorable bit: "Give a little love"

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? No

Result? Out

 

Michele Perniola & Anita Simoncini - Chain of Light (San Marino)

This male/female teenage duet slowly builds orchestrally with some electronic beats before settling into a pure Eurovision cheese-fest complete with imagery of holding candles and quite poorly pronounced English, most comically when they try to go a bit street with spoken bits towards in the end.

Memorable bit: "If we all light a candle"

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? No

Result? Out

 

Knez - Adio (Montenegro)

One of those Balkan ballads that we in the west only hear at Eurovision, it has a strange rhythm and eastern instrumentation that builds and builds to a climax with crashing drums.

Memorable bit: Erm... The purple mountains?

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Amber - Warrior (Malta)

The second female "Warrior" of the competiton comes in the far less badass form of a young girl with a big voice. It may be a better song than Georgia's entry (See semifinal 1), but won't make anything close in terms of impact.

Memorable bit: "Break through the silence"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? No

Result? Out

 

Mørland & Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me (Norway)

And now for something completely different, with a very sombre, macabre duet ballad about a man's "terrible" confession. A big fan favourite.

Memorable bit: "I'd better let you go, to find the prince you thought you found in me"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Leonor Andrade - Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa (Portugal)

A pretty forgettable but far from bad mid-tempo pop/rock track sung by a female brunette. In Portuguese. That's about it.

Memorable bit: None of it. The background "woah woahs" maybe?

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? No

Result? Out

 

Marta Jandova & Vaclav Noid Barta - Hope Never Dies (Czech Republic)

A massively likeable couple with loads of charisma and great voices have been lumped with this dreary ballad duet that does no favours for anyone. A real shame.

Memorable bit: "There is no light to pray for"

Should qualify? No (I actually changed my opinion on this after their flawless performance and would have liked to have seen them through)

Will qualify? No

Result? Out.

 

Nadav Gedj - Golden Boy (Israel)

Beginning as an almost chanted ballad, it soon kicks into an RnB gear before finding its banghra-esque groove with its catchy, Eastern-influenced chorus. And it had the most adorable ending.

Memorable bit: "I'm your golden boy, come here to enjoy"

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Aminata - Love Injected (Latvia)

A very strange one, this. Very sparse electronic beats and high, thin vocals soon transform into a belting chorus and back again, climaxing in a memorable chant of "oh-oh"s

Memorable bit: "Your love revives my soul"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

Elnur Huseynov - Hour of the Wolf (Azerbaijan)

A gorgeous ballad sung by a man with a phenomenal voice. Unfortunately he is flanked by two contemporary dancers who are more distracting than enhancing. (One of whom is Got to Dance UK winner Lucas McFarlane.)

Memorable bit: "No, I won't sleep tonight"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

María Ólafsdóttir - Unbroken (Iceland)

Catchy as hell, this upbeat pop song is basically the same 10 seconds repeated for three minutes, but in this case that isn't a bad thing.

Memorable bit: "One step at a time"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Out. Maria's nerves got the best of her, the vocals were terrible.

 

Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes (Sweden)

This year's big favourite is an up-tempo pop/dance song with a bit of a country vibe that will be most memorable for its interactive staging, involving a cartoon stick man and a hunky singer in an incredibly flattering jumper.

Memorable bit: "We are the heroes of our time"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Melanie Rene - Time to Shine (Switzerland)

One of my favourite ballads this year, it begins with a rather ominous tone before shifting into its much more upbeat chorus.

Memorable bit: "I'm living my dreams"

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? No

Result? Out

 

Giannis Karagiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done (Cyprus)

An acoustic ballad sung by a man who looks like he's wearing those comedy glasses with a fake nose. It's actually quite touching but unremarkable.

Memorable bit: "I should have done everything for you".

Should qualify? No

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Maraaya - Here For You (Slovenia)

A big fan favourite, this one's let down a little by its staging as a catchy, up-tempo modern pop song is sung by a static woman in a wedding dress wearing massive headphones.

Memorable bit: "When you're down, down low..."

Should qualify? Yes

Will qualify? Yes

Result? Through

 

Monika Kuszyńska - In The Name Of Love (Poland)

Consider you heartstrings pulled as we see real-life footage of a younger Monika strutting her stuff as she sings from her wheelchair. It's a bit of a nothing song, but the staging and sentiment are beautiful.

Memorable bit: "Beyond the fear"

Should qualify? Yes (I would have swapped this for Czech Republic after the performances, her vocals weren't great)

Will qualify? No

Result? Through

Not bad on the predictions for this one! Only underestimated Poland by overestimating  Iceland. One of the strongest songs was blown by a bad performance.