Finland: Wiwi Jury reviews Sandhja with “Sing It Away”

Ahead of the third and final heat of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2016, Finland’s Eurovision 2016 selection, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — listened to and reviewed all six of the competing songs. The final UMK 2016 act to face our jury is Sandhja with “Sing It Away”. Did we want to sing her away after this? Read on to find out…

Sandhja – “Sing It Away”

“Sing It Away” reviews:

William: Talk about a tease. The first 30-seconds set up a modern and potentially amazing EDM track. Then she goes all disco, a genre well past its prime and one I cannot access on any level. The horns in the chorus are irritating and the hook isn’t one I’m keen to hang on to. Fine production but you really can’t polish a turd.

Score: 2/10

Edd: Oh dear. This really isn’t my genre. Her vocals are solid, as is the production — but I just can’t stand disco music. I think it would make an excellent drum & bass song, but as it is, it doesn’t make me smile, it doesn’t make me teary and it does not make me want to dance. It just makes me want to throw up trumpets.

Score: 1.5/10

Sam: It starts out boring, but modern enough. But as soon as that chorus hits, WHAM! I’m teleported back forty years. It’s a mishmash of confusion, from the disco vibe to the half-naked hip hop outfits to the horses to the little girl writing. I can’t decipher any of this.

Score: 4/10

Luis: This is not bad at all. Sandhja is a nice performer, and her song is cool too, but I need something more to complete the package. Maybe it’s a good stage presentation, maybe it’s a bit more of energy — I can’t tell you, but it needs something and she needs it by Saturday night.

Score: 6.5/10

Robyn: Finland is bringing the disco this year. I’m going to ignore all the edgy visuals in the music video (wild stallions? really?). A song this big and fun needs to stop trying to be hip and just embrace the dance floor. Sandhja seems like a really compelling performer who ought to be able to put on a great show.

Score: 7/10

Kristin: I feel like I’ve been out of this world positive when reviewing UMK this year, but it’s such a strong pre-selection! Sandhja brings this disco infused club hit all the way home — and does a great job. “Sing It Away” might sound a little pretentious at first, but that feeling washes away as soon as the first chorus kicks in. I can’t wait to see the staging, because this song offers some unforgettable gimmicks for the live show.

Score: 8/10

Antranig: The first verse builds impeccably and I’m anticipating an explosive chorus. However, the chorus we get is far from what I was hoping for. This reminds me of Denmark’s Sophia Nohr — sinfully sexy verses that lead to bubbly choruses that feel completely out of place. This song needs to decide what it’s trying to be because it does not match.

Score: 6/10

Max: “Sing It Away” feels like it has been concocted for a pre-teen Disney Channel movie, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a catchy, summery song that revels in its unabashed wholesomeness. The chorus is clunky and lets the rest of the song down to a certain extent, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like a nostalgic disco diva when I’m listening to it. There are definitely better songs in this semi, but I’m going to enjoy a carefree three minutes when Sandjha performs.

Score: 6.5/10

In the Finnish Wiwi Jury we have 16 jurors but only have room for 8 reviews. The remaining eight scores are below!

Maria: 5/10

Josh: 6/10

Ramadan: 6/10

Denise: 7/10

Bernardo: 6.5/10

Dayana: 4.5/10

Cristian: 8/10

Mario: 6.5/10

The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1.5 and a high of 8.

WIWI JURY SCORE: 5.82/10

FOR OUR LIST OF FINLAND 2016 RANKINGS, CLICK HERE

FOR MORE FINLAND EUROVISION NEWS, CLICK HERE

Photo: YLE