ESC Covers start the Eurovision 2024 countdown from position 37 to the top place. We are using the review of Morten Thomassen from Norway. ESC Covers google translated it from Norwegian to English.

This is a blog entry and represents only writer Morten Thomassen’s own views.

The odds turn out to be pretty much right and our Azerbaijani friends from quite a distance away were predicted for a second-to-last place in their semi-final and so it was.

The fellows FAHREE and Ilkin got only 11 points and over half of those points came from Moldova, so the attempt to perform a song by domestic composers fell flat, which it did last year as well, so then one wonders whether this professional group has used up its loss quota and if not the Swedish bus will have to take a trip to this country next year.

The song they performed had clear links to local music, but they chose to have English lyrics and in that sense it should have opportunities to be liked by those who like this kind of music.

What I think gave them the biggest minus with those who watched and listened was that the whole show appeared to be very gloomy and sad, admittedly this was a melancholic song, but then there must be limits to how sad and downbeat it should be and what the world had the heavy hand on stage to do.

Throw in costumes in black and silver reflective fabric and the gloom was even more emphasized and one can almost wonder if they really wanted to be voted for.

Fahree appeared a bit unsteady vocally and struggled with some high notes, Ilkin who was supposed to represent the exotic Azerbaijani probably didn’t have a very good day vocally either, there was probably a bit of screaming and a bit of unbeautiful singing from that side I’m afraid.

All in all, this country, which only lost a place in the finals in its eleventh appearance, seems to have lost its form completely and one can only wonder what they want to come up with next year to regain a place in the finals.

Featured image – Corinne Cumming EBU