On Saturday, the 26th of February 2022, Australia will select an artist and a song for Eurovision 2022. It will the 7th participation of the country (if we ignore Eurovision 2020 that was cancelled).
This time, 11 artists will compete in the selection.
In this post, I will give my review of the songs:
#1. Andrew Lambrou – Electrify
It’s an electro dance club song.
The song starts with an instrumental part that is composed of wind instruments, electric keyboards and electronic beat. Andrew uses some vibrato singing and vocal improvisations in the introduction. The first verse is based on the same melody, just a little bit calmer. The cyclic electro beat volume decreases as the singer gives more place to its voice. In the first verse, he sings in a mid-low and warm voice. The chorus is more rhythmic, there’s a use of digital production over the backing vocals, while the singer reached high notes. The chorus is characterized by long high notes as well.
Out of the blue, the second verse is performed in Spanish. It is a little bit faster. There’s are some percussion elements and backing vocals in the background. The pre-chorus is a mixture of English and Spanish. Before the chorus, we have a powerful instrumental that is composed of string instruments. The song ends with another chorus.
The song is catchy, but at the same time I find it a little bit repetitive. The style reminded me a little bit the song that Cyprus intended for Eurovision 2020. I think that the choice to sing in Spanish makes so sense, Actually, it feels forced.
As for EDM genre in general, I’m little bit worried by the live performance.
#2. Charley – I Suck At Being Lonely
It’s a personal ballad.
The melody of the first verse is based on a non-continuous slow piano playing.
She has a calming and soft voice. The chorus is slightly faster and relies on cello and violin playing. The second verse starts very exposure, but at it progresses, more elements are added to the production. The pre-chorus again this time more heavily on the string elements. After the second chorus, there is an orchestra section accompanied by backing vocals and Charley’s singing. It is powerful and conniving. The peak arrives when a long note is merged into outcry. The song ends with a soft and fragile singing of the chorus. In this point, her voice pushed the limit in a good way.
The song is emotional, I think it is structured as needed. I love the orchestra part.
#3.G-Nat!on – Bite Me
It’s a pop-R&B song with electronic production.
The song starts with a bell ring and a low beat. One of the band members starts singing alone, while the other members supply secondary voices. The pre-chorus includes singing of the band members together, with R&B-rap-singing of one of the girls. The chorus begins with a loud electro beat that’s composed of different sources. Meanwhile, the girls are singing harmonies.
Thereafter, we get a fast rap-R&B singing part with a lot of sassiness and attitude.
The beat from the first chorus arrives again and it stands out.
The electronic beat becomes stronger and stronger as the song progresses. The song ends with the chorus.
There are a lot of advantages this entry suggests professional performers, catchy beat, and stable production. I thought they will bring up a powerful pop-soul song, but the electric motives definitely makes is over my expectations. By the way, I can see some similarities with the electronic beat from the Latvian song for Eurovision 2020 – Samanta Tina – “Still breathing“.
#4.Erica Padilla – To The Bottom
It’s a power pop soul ballad.
The first verse melody is based on keyboards playing. Erica has a warm and stable voice. We can hear some backing vocals as well. The pre-chorus and the chorus are more energetic. The second verse is a direct continuation of the chorus. The rate of the second verse is faster. She sings the second pre-chorus and the chorus powerfully. She uses some manners, but somehow it fits to the general vibe of the song. The bridge based on a simple piano playing, in this part she uses a low and deep voice, with no production at all. As we getting closer to the chorus, she uses a higher tone of voice until a long high note arrives. The last part of the song is the chorus where she is accompanied by female backing vocalists.
It can be a wonderful radio-friendly song. I like the vocals here, but I’m not sure the song in unique enough in order to stand out.
#5.Isaiah Firebrace ft. Evie Irie – When I’m With You
The song begins with guitar playing. Evie is the first to sing with a young and high voice. In the second part of the first verse, she sings much faster, almost talking. The chorus is short and more rhythmic with the guitar playing as the main element. There’s a beat that is included in this part. We can hear Isaiah as a secondary voice. The same beat continue to the next verse which is performed by Isaiah. He sings in a low voice with some “swag”. In this part, the song has a different flow which feels a little bit cooler. Evie joins again in the pre-chorus.
The bridge is tender, Evie opens it with powerful voice. This part is characterized by longer notes. Thereafter, the song disconnects from the beat. They sing powerfully – each time someone else leads the singing.
I must say the song isn’t memorable enough. I’ve tried to find something that will define it in a special way, and wasn’t able to do so. I guess something in the production should have been braver. This song just plays it too safe.
#6.Jaguar Jonze – Little Fires
It’s an indie-rock ballad.
The song starts with a gentle electric guitar stringing alongside Jaguar’s gentle voice.
She sings the first verse effortlessly with a mid-low voice. In the pre-chorus, the sound of the melody is more dominant, but it still doesn’t overcome Jaguar‘s voice. The pre-chorus builds up nicely and it feels like someone guide us through a path of emotions that we have to step in. The chorus starts with a higher tone of voice. The guitar playing is more powerful, but her interpolation is still soft and sophisticated at the same time.
The second verse starts with a deeper guitar sound alongside a unique sampling of guitar and piano playing. The pre-chorus is build of the same shape. The beat wraps the melody. The chorus is energetic and the guitar playing is powerful (even more than before). After the second chorus, we can hear her singing alongside pre-recorded backing vocals that are performed by her.
The song ends with a soft singing of the last line of the chorus.
This is one of the unique songs in the line-up. It has its own stamp, with talented Jaguar behind it. When you play the song for the first time, you can’t tell it will develop into the rock genre. The contrast between the softness and toughness makes even more attractive. In addition, Jaguar takes us into an unforgettable journey. I can see a huge staging potential already from the video clip.
#7.Jude York – I Won’t Need to Dream
It’s a classic ballad.
The song starts with piano playing. When Jude opens the singing part, we can notice how sensitive he is as an artist. His voice is soft and high.
His singing is characterized by vibrato and a lot air. He keeps holding long notes, with a perfect harmony between the singing and melody. The first verse has uniform structure. The second verse has a special sound that comes from the production arrives. This is the first time when the song gets a more modern aspect. The chorus opens with an impressive high long note alongside the lead singing. In this part, the song sounds a little bit more like a hymn, and he uses a mid-high voice with some improvisations. The piano playing creates a dreamy atmosphere. The bridge is somehow the main part of the song and probably the most impactful one as well.
The song ends with the same part as in the introduction.
The unusual structure of the song makes it to sounds a little bit more like a lullaby.
This song is all about making old classical music accessible. The production has modern elements. Therefore, the whole package is so special.
#8.Paulini – We Are One
It’s a power-pop ballad with some gospel elements.
The song begins with an instrumental part composed of string elements and keyboards playing. Thereafter, we get a dance beat that sounds like it was taken from the pop ballads from the 1990s.
Her voice is warm and string, while the dance beat leads the melody. The pre-chorus is faster, and the string elements sound plays an important role. The chorus starts with a gospel choir singing, while Paulini repeats the same phrase. The second verse includes the same beat. Thereafter, we get the same chorus as before, with the “upgrade” of drumbeat as well. The vocals are strong. The bridge is based on piano playing. She sings it emotionally. Thereafter, a faster drumbeat leads the melody. Paulini uses her strong voice to impress the listener.
The singer has excellent vocal abilities, but the song sounds dated to me. The lyrics are cliche, and there are no surprises in any of the parts of the song.
#9.Seann Miley Moore – My Body
It’s a mid-tempo pop song that discusses body pride and self-acceptance.
The song starts with the piano playing.
Seann opens the singing part with his warm voice and a lot of trilling.
The rate is slow, and the focus is on his voice. In the pre-chorus, he even uses a semi-operatic voice. In this part, we can hear keyboards and violin playing. The chorus has an optimistic vibe, even though it is imaginary in the same way. The chorus includes electronic production, alongside backing vocals. The second verse is a little bit more rhythmic. A drumbeat leads the melody this time. The singer sings this time with longer notes. In general, this part is more energetic. The bridge barely includes lyrics besides the phrase “I feel like” and some vocal decorations. The song ends with a simple and emotional singing, that is disconnected from the central production.
The message of the song is positive and important. However, for me, the song lacks sharpness. Musically, it just doesn’t convince me.
#10.Sheldon Riley – Not the Same
It’s an inner personal ballad that speaks about self-acceptance.
The song starts with a piano playing. Sheldon sings professionally. The starting of each line is performed in a slightly higher tone than the ending. The first chorus is very short with 2 lines only. In this part, the outcries and at the same time expresses his frustration of being different. In this short chorus, we also get a hint at his powerful voice and its depth, as he reveals some raspy color of it.
The second verse includes the percussion beat and orchestra dimension that’s created due to the string instruments. This time the chorus is 2 times longer, and it is more challenging to perform vocals wisely. The tension is built by a massive violation playing. The bridge continues the same line, with even more dramatic and intensive. The bridge ends with a long instrumental part that’s composed of violin playing. Thereafter, the song becomes more personal and intimate, as Sheldon sticks to the soft side of his voice. The song ends again with raspy voice singing.
It’s a high-quality ballad, starting from the message, through the melody, and ending with the complex production. However, I think that want makes it stand out is actually Sheldon‘s voice.
#11.Voyager – Dreamer
It’s a rock song with synth-pop elements.
The song starts with a keytar (keyboard guitar) playing that is later on joined by drums and guitar playing. The lead singer opens the song with his distinctive voice. The first lines are performed with some breakpoints in between. The emphasis in the first verse is more on the instrumental part of the song. The chorus is performed in a high and soft voice, or even in a kind of falsetto. The chorus is based on drums, bass, and guitar playing. The synth sounds return to the second verse which is 2 times shorter than the first one. The chorus this time is even stronger and paints the song in the color of the rock genre. Thereafter, we get an instrumental part that’s composed of bass, electric guitar, and drums playing. The bridge begins more calmly, but little by little it grows to the product we’ve got before, with all the mentioned elements. Towards the end of the song, the singing part has also a rock flavor and we can hear one of the band members supporting with backing vocals.
It can be a brave choice for Australia. However, I feel like the band didn’t pay enough attention to the whole package. Where the melody is sharp, something is missing in the lyrics and the singing parts.
This song may stand out, due to its uniqueness in this line-up.
My Personal Ranking
- Jaguar Jonze – Little Fires
- G-Nat!on – Bite Me
- Sheldon Riley – Not the Same
- Charley – I Suck At Being Lonely
- Jude York – I Won’t Need to Dream
- Erica Padilla – From The Bottom
- Voyager – Dreamer
- Andrew Lambrou – Electrify
- Seann Miley Moore – My Body
- Paulini – We Are One
- Isaiah Firebrace ft. Evie Irie – When I’m With You
Prediction
I can mention several potential winners here:
- Sheldon
- Voyager
- G-Nat!on
Australia will participate in the First half of semi-final 2 of Eurovision 2022 which be held on the 12th of May 2022.
If the country qualifies, Australia will perform in the grand final on the 14th of May 2022
If in case they will qualify, they will perform again on the show’s grand final on May 14, 2022.
Read all about Eurovision 2022 on our homepage
