1. Hungary (AWS - Viszlát Nyár)
A surprise number 1 this year perhaps. It has been since 2006 since I last had a song in a foreign language in my top 3, but I guess for this song you don't need to understand the lyrics to appreciate it. I have been told that the title means "goodbye summer" and that this "summer" refers to the father of the singer who passed away. The lyrics are about how you should take care of and spend time with your loved ones, before it's too late. I bet you wouldn't have expected such nice lyrics from a metal-song, right? But as said, this song is not so much about the lyrics, it's mostly about the music. And I loved this song already since the moment I heard the awesome intro. Enjoy it, if you can enjoy this kind of music. :P
2. Belarus (Alekseev - Forever)
The national final from Belarus was the worst of all national finals. There was only one song that could win it: Forever, by the Ukrainian singer Alekseev. His live performance is "not that great" usually, but the video clip of his song is awesome. The song is a perfect combination of an Eastern European pop song from the 1990s and a modern day pop song, sung in English with a very distinct accent. This song has something special and therefore it is in second place.
3. Denmark (Rasmussen - Higher Ground)
Denmark is in my top 5 pretty much every year. After a one year break, they are back in 2018. Rasmussen is a true Scandinavian viking with a powerful voice. I hope that at Eurovision the song will be performed with a true viking ship on the background, that could give the whole performance something extra and would guarantee Rasmussen a place in the final.
4. Latvia (Laura Rizzotto - Funny Girl)
Laura Rizzotto doesn't have a truly Latvian name. She was born in Rio de Janeiro and has roots in both Brazil and Latvia. She lived in the USA for a while as well, so this funny girl has a truly international background. I can't describe what I like about the song so much, it's just a quality song from a good singer. She has to perform in the strong semi-final 2 though, so I will have to wish her good luck to qualify for the final.
5. Italy (Ermal Meta e Fabrizio Moro - Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente)
For the second year in a row Italy reaches my top 5 with a song in Italian. And this year's entry couldn't be more different than the one from last year. While last year we had the "catchy" singer with a dancing monkey on the background, this year's entry is a serious song about terrorism. The title litterally means "you did nothing to me", which implies that people in the west will continue to live the way they want, despite the "inutile guerre" (useless wars) that are currently being fought. A song with a message. If the song were in English, it would have a big chance to win, but now I think it will just reach top 10 and not more.
My favorites to win the contest
Realistically speaking, none of the songs in my top 5 have a chance to win the contest. The top favorite among bookmakers is Israel: a very creative singer called Netta. She has awesome live performances without a music tape on the background, but her Eurovision song was very disappointing to me. It is creative from her to imitate a chicken on stage, but somehow I don't believe that this song will win. Just like Norwegian Alexander Rybak: he won the contest 9 years ago, made many excellent songs in the years after that, but returns to Eurovision with an average song. For sure he will get many votes from his fans, but the song is just not good enough to win. The Estonian opera singer is also standing out, so she could win it (even though I strongly dislike the song). Czech Republic may be a dangerous outsider, with an excellent modern pop song by Mikolas Josef, who already has the attitude of an international superstar. Or maybe the Netherlands has a chance, with Waylon's good country-rock song. Or perhaps it will be the Swedish Ingrosso who takes victory with his modern pop-song. There are any candidates for the win this year in my opinion. Let's see who gets it in the end!
