Wiwi Jury: Estonia’s Anett Kulbin with “Strong”

Eesti Laul 2016, Estonia’s national selection for Eurovision, kicks off on February 13. In recent weeks the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has been listening to and reviewing all of the songs. Next up is Anett Kulbin with her ballad “Strong”. Did we feel her emotions? Or did we want her to go see a therapist and leave us alone? Read on to find out…

ANETT KULBIN — “STRONG”

“STRONG” REVIEWS

Robyn: Anett has a rich, delicate voice and she brings a lot of depth and emotion to “Strong”. But I’m worried that the song’s stripped back, vulnerable style would get lost in an arena full of partying Eurofans (see, for example, “One Thing I Should Have Done”). I’ll be interested to at least see how it comes across at Eesti Laul.

Score: 7.5/10

Josh: “Strong” has a powerful impact on me. Anett’s vocal is probably one of the best I’ve heard from anyone in a while. It’s velvety smooth and luscious and leaves me in the palm of her hands. I’m unsure how this song could fill an arena but it fills my soul with solidarity and peace.

Score: 8.5/10

Bernardo: My heart is destroyed. Annet conquered me at the first verse. Her voice is extraordinary and “Strong” is quite an emotionally-powerful ballad. As a fan of ballads, this perfectly fits my taste. I believe this is going to stand out in Eesti Laul, not only because of the engaging vocals, but also the incredibly crafted lyrics.

Score: 8.5/10

Bogdan: This type of entry is one of the reasons why I love Eurovision. How else would I have heard of Anett and her dreamy voice? Nevertheless, Anett has some tough competition this year and it will be difficult to stand out without a pitch-perfect performance. But if she does pull it off, Estonia should be proud to be represented by this artist.

Score: 9/10

Kristin: I think Anett might be on to something here. This powerful and emotional ballad is different and leaves you either empowered or sobbing into your pillow. Either way, it rattles your emotions. Anett and the song are completely capable of bringing it to the stage to share some realness without any gimmicky stage effects.

Score: 8.5/10

Antranig: Anett certainly delivers strong vocals but I can’t say the same about the song. At times it is compelling and at times it is exceptionally dull. I don’t think this should be a contender but I hope Anett comes back next year with an even better song.

Score: 5.5/10

Renske: Let’s face it. I think this song will just not stand as an act and will leave Anett in the semi-finals. It just doesn’t have the power for a proper Eurovision performance. Either way, it would be good as background music in a romantic comedy, which is not that bad.

Score: 6/10

Zakaria: All hail Anett and her bewitching voice! Her singing is so delicate and mesmerizing. I fell in love with the song from the very first note. The strength of “Strong” comes from its striking simplicity. If Anett can translate that onstage, she will earn some votes and maybe win the competition.

Score: 9.5/10

William: It’s jazzy and smooth and her voice absorbs emotion like a sponge takes water. But my god the song goes on a bit. It leaves me bored and just a bit empty.

Score: 5/10

George: I absolutely love this song! Her voice is really powerful and the melody is quite touching. The whole thing gives me Adele vibes, and as I love Adele I think I’m gonna love Anett too. When it comes to Eurovision, though, “Strong” doesn’t offer enough to stand out.

Score: 9/10

“STRONG” SCORES

Mikhail: 7/10

Deban: 4/10

Angus: 4/10

Cristian: 8/10

Luis: 9/10

Patrick: 5/10

Anthony: 6/10

Sinan: 5.5/10

Denise: 5/10

Dayana: 5.5/10

The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 4 and a high of 9.5.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 6.81/10

FOR OUR LIST OF EESTI LAUL 2016 RANKINGS, CLICK HERE

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