Where the lights gaze and dance through the stage, where heartbeats follow the rhythm of the music, where people and countries unite, where fame and glory look right into your eyes! This is the Eurovision Song Contest; many wait for that night every year.
Before I get to this year’s contest, let me enlighten you with some Eurovision history.
Originally inspired by the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy, the Eurovision Song Contest is a renowned music competition with a mission to foster unity among European nations since 1950s. Swiss author and director of the European Broadcasting Union, Marcel Bezençon, is the creator of the contest. Eurovision was first televised on 24th May 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland. Since then, many splendid contests are being held every year.
Eurovision 2023 was hosted by the United Kingdom in May, although the previous competition’s winner was Ukraine. As a rule, the winner is supposed to host the following year’s organization. However, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, it was relocated to Liverpool, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of the competition. In addition, Australia joined this year’s competition.
This year was as competitive as always and many singers and groups took stage with their awesome songs and dances. In this essay I will write about the songs which took my attention the most in ESC 2023.
Sweden
Loreen – Tattoo
(Winner)
This year’s winner was Loreen from Sweden. She is the second singer in history to win the Eurovision twice after Johnny Logan. When we come to her performance, the meaning of the
lyrics and the choreography were good. In my point of view, even though her voice was pretty, the lyrics were so hard to understand while she was singing. The choreography was not so moving or dazzling, but it was telling a story and I liked that part of it. In the voting procedure, nearly every country’s jury gave 12 points to Loreen which created a huge gap with her competitors.
Here is the link of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBNfNJZ660o
Finland
Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
(Second)
This song was clearly the audience’s favourite. At first, I couldn’t get used to this song and disliked it, but after listening to it a few more times it became my favourite too. Since the lyrics were in Finnish, I couldn’t understand them, but the rhythm and the beat were awesome, and the choreography was cool, too. The thing I most liked about this song was that it wasn’t monotonous, it was harmonious, though, since it was changing from time to time.
You must see it! Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rS8Dv5g-8
Israel
Noa Kirel – Unicorn
(Third)
Somebody call the firefighters because this woman is on fire! She was the BEST dancer in the contest. Even though I didn’t give so much attention to the lyrics and some visuals looked like shampoo advertisements, still, the choreography made this song one of my favourites in this contest, and that is the power of a unicorn.
Here is the link of the song, I recommend you to watch it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3mIcCllJXY
Norway
Alessandra Mele – Queen of Kings
(Fifth)
The lyrics and the music are mind blowing. However, interestingly this song came very familiar to my ears. I guess I’ll never know where I made that connection. Nevertheless, it’s a great song and you must read the lyrics sometime, it’s catchy and motivating.
Here is the link:
In conclusion, this year’s competition was incredible, and I hope Eurovision continues to unite every country in these wonderful organizations. Because it’s not just about the songs, it’s about culture, people and unity in a “Eurovision” soul.
P.S. If you are interested in or already a fan of Eurovision, I recommend you to watch the movie “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.