Wiwi Jury: Romania's Xandra with "Superhuman"

The time has come for the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — to pack their bags, take off to Romania, and listen to the 12 semi-finalists of Selectia Nationala 2016. Upon landing in Bucharest, they will meet Xandra, who will belt out the song “Superhuman”. Will she need superpowers to advance to the National Final on 6 March? Let’s see what they think!

Xandra – “Superhuman”

Xandra – “Superhuman” reviews

William: When this song starts I get moist — it’s got a really enticing intro and her vocals smoulder. But sadly they smoulder at the same temperature throughout and I just get a little bit bored. Surely someone superhuman would MIX IT UP or at least hire a producer who could. Great voice wasted on a slightly disappointing song.

Score: 6/10

Bogdan: When the song started, I thought that Aliona Moon re-submitted her 2013 song “O mie” for Romania this year. Unlike the Moldovan hit however, “Superhuman” takes a more formulaic course, complete with an uneventful chorus and unoriginal lyrics. The overproduced song is only enriched by Xandra’s amazing vocals which, if she is able to recreate live, may carry it to the national final.

Score: 6.5/10

Deban: This is a good effort, but could be so much better with sharper enunciation and a less predictable structure. If this advanced to the mother contest, it would qualify. However this could be another warrior showdown. Eesti Laul’s “Supersonic” is a much stronger effort, and takes on a more current wave. Comparisons aside, this is still a good song.

Score:6.5/10

Antranig: “Superhuman” is superb — the music in the background is a complete eargasm and Xandra’s vocals are spellbinding. They elevate this to another level. This is miles ahead of the rest of the competition in Romania and I hope to see Xandra bringing this to life on the Eurovision stage in May. She is superhuman!

Score: 10/10

Luis: Although “Superhuman” is pretty much enjoyable, it lacks any specially memorable moment, and I struggle to remember it after it finishes. Xandra’s vocals are rich and they really uplift an otherwise average song. The thing is that I doubt leaving everything to her vocal artistry is a good idea, especially in a contest full of impressive vocalists who also often have average songs.

Score: 6/10

Robyn: After David Guetta & Sia started the ball rolling with “Titanium” in 2011, the Eurovision thesaurus must be at risk of running out of synonyms for quite powerful. Last year we had two warriors, this national final season it’s victorious, pioneer, strong, supersonic, and now superhuman. So while musically this song is fine, lyrically it’s a tired formula that has long outstayed its welcome. At this stage, I’d be happy to see a little vulnerability, some weakness.

Score: 5/10

In the Romanian Wiwi Jury we have 12 Jurors, but only space for 6 reviews. The remaining scores are below:

Dayana: 6.5/10

Denise: 6/10

Edd: 6.5/10

Patrick: 7/10

Ramadan: 7/10

Sami: 6/10

The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 5 and a high of 10.

Wiwi Jury Score: 6.4/10

The semi-final of Selectia Nationala 2016 will take place on 4 March in Baia Mare. An expert jury will select four songs to advance to the national final, while televoters will save two more acts. The winner will be chosen by 100% televote on 6 March.

Do you agree or disagree our Wiwi Jury? What do you think about Xandra’s song? By the way, if you like it, don’t forget you can vote for it in our Romania 2016 poll!