Yesterday the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — travelled to Russia and stopped by the Kuznechny market in St Petersburg. Amid the hot sausage, we discussed Sergey Lazarev‘s song “You Are The Only One”. Did it make us feel loved and unique? Read on to find out!
Sergey Lazarev with “You Are The Only One”
“You Are The Only One” reviews
Mike: This song is so Eurovision you would never believe it is this year’s Russian entry. It feels like Sergey and his team have been preparing since 2008 to bring Eurovision back to mother Russia. The song, the camera angles and the video clip all come together as one and are just perfect. I have to admit — and I am sure I am not the only one — I wanna be that girl who gets saved from the lonely iceberg in the sea by Sergey Lazarev.
Score: 10/10
Angus: Russia put a lot of rubles into this and money talks. The video is expensive, and the song a master-class in cheesy winning Euro-schlager. “You Are The Only One” truly does become exciting as soon as Sergey starts chanting, “thunder and lightning”, and Sergey’s charm as a performer helps you look past the Sakis Rouvas feeling from the song. This is in the same contemporary schlager realm as Alcazar and that will be key to Russia landing the win this year.
Score: 9.5/10
William: Cheesy, dated and over-the-top — this is one of the standout tracks of 2016. It melds an old-school schlager sound with more contemporary production, creating a heady mix that is catchy and memorable. The pumping beat is the perfect platform for a thrusting Sergey, who will no doubt work his gym-honed body to great effect in Stockholm. He has great timing and knows when to push and massage our various buttons before exploding in a classic Eurovision bridge. It feels very early ’00s, but a bit of nostalgia never hurt anyone.
Score: 9/10
Robyn: I had very high expectations for this song, which weren’t quite met, but this is still one of the strongest songs of 2016 and will surely give Russia another top-five finish, at least. I love the 2000s schlager style, but that feature is also the song’s weakest point. Even if Russia delivers some mindblowing staging (which will happen), they’re still sending a dated sounding song that feels more like a Eurovision entry than a heartfelt pop moment.
Score: 8.5/10
Bernardo: Thunder and lightning, it’s getting exciting. Yes, it is! Cheesy Europop appealing to every corner of Europe? I’m down for it. Sergey is a brilliant performer and this a strong and competent entry. It’s going to come with a three minute BAM performance in Stockholm and everyone is going to be hooked to their screens, voting for Mr Lazarev. Well done.
Score: 9/10
Bogdan: Sergey is the polar opposite of Frans. The infectiously catchy entry — combined with what undoubtedly will be a dazzling and expensive show, just like the video — is a shiny display of smoke and mirrors aiming to disguise an otherwise formulaic song. I’m afraid that both the viewers and the juries will be blinded by the lights and by the sexy singer, and will forget more meaningful entries in favour of this perfect schlager. I’m glad, however, that Russia has scraped off its pacifist facade and has embraced its camp side! Slay queen, etc.
Score: 8.5/10
Deban: Sergey Lazarev unveils his latest club banger with a killer video featuring Miss Russia. “You’re The Only One” packs in high production values and reads “expensive”. It’s got enough pace to give me life on the dancefloor, and enough eye-candy to juice me up for the weeks ahead. Best of all, this Russian entry ditches the peace and love message, opting to satisfy its libido instead.
Score: 8/10
Padraig: Send a star to Eurovision and you get star quality in return. It’s really that simple. Sergey’s been banging out pop belters for years, and “You Are The Only One” is no exception. This is music at its manufactured finest and I’m completely on board. Slickly produced, the track works Sergey’s natural charm and charisma to full advantage. When he sings “thunder and lightning, it’s getting exciting”, the electricity is palpable. Also, major kudos to Sergey for sticking with what he does best. The pressure of representing Mother Russia hasn’t dulled his flamboyant styling in the slightest. Bravo!
Score: 9.5/10
Zakaria: “You Are The Only One” is the total opposite of what I usually listen to BUT this is Eurovision and this is exactly what I’m waiting to hear on a show of that scale. The song has a lot of early-mid ’00s elements in it, plenty of energy and cheesy lyrics. It can’t be more Eurovision . No doubt Sergey has the ability to nail it vocally and pull out a very elaborate and expensive stage presentation. All in all, it’s definitely not my personal favourite but I believe this is the strongest contender we have this year. Russia 2017? Yes, please!
Score: 9.5/10
Denise: Yes, yes, yes! I was more excited about the release of this song than about the Dutch song — shame on me — and Sergey didn’t disappoint at all. The video clip is amazing and this shows that they put a lot of effort in this entry and that the staging will blow us away. Sergey is a great entertainer who will make everyone vote for him. A second place last year? First place this year.
Score: 10/10
Mikhail: This song has everything in it. The energy is storming around it in a fury. It builds up really nicely and creates some superhero atmosphere. I can easily see that as a Superman theme, where Sergey breaks the ozone layer and accelerates into the space, where he battles the intergalactic invaders. The song captures your attention immediately with those mystical bells and after that it makes your head go round (in a good way). Also, I can finally say that it has something Russian in it and I love it.
Score: 10/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 40 jurors but only have room for 12 reviews. The remaining 28 scores are below.
Anthony: 9/10
Antranig: 7.5/10
Chris: 9/10
Cristian: 7/10
David: 9.5/10
Dayana: 9/10
Diego: 10/10
Edd: 7/10
Forrest: 9/10
George: 8/10
Gökhan: 10/10
Jason: 9/10
Josh: 9.5/10
Judit: 10/10
Kristin: 8/10
Liam: 8.5/10
Luis: 7/10
Marek: 9/10
Maria: 10/10
Mario: 9.5/10
Max: 7/10
Patrick: 3/10
Renske: 10/10
Rezo: 9/10
Sami: 10/10
Sinan: 6.5/10
Steinunn: 4.5/10
Tobias: 8.5/10
William C: 8/10
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 3 and a high of 10.
Wow! A quantum leap for Russia this year. No grannies to grab the sympathy vote. Very strong song handled in capable hands, relatable lyrics. Original visuals. The only thing that will stop this from succeeding is politics. 9.5/10
@Andrey (from Russia): Your statement is so silly. If Sergey’s song was plagiarism, then the EBU would had to disqualify it. So, you tell a lie. I’m not lying, and I don’t say that the SONG is plagiarism – I say that the “original VIDEO” of “Sergey Lazarev – You Are The Only One (Russia) 2016” actually is not original. At least, the creative idea of the Sergey’s official video is completely stolen from the beggining to the end – from the video that was pablished in 2014 – “Irma – Save Me [OFFICIAL] – Live video mapping & dance… Read more »
I understand some explained criticism, just as for any other song, because there’s no perfect song in this world. You’ll find weakspots for all of them.
But then I read so much “overrated” blah bleh… This is one of the big hot favorites and will be till the very last day. By then, anything can happen.
@from the Internet:
So, we can consider such a steal as a part of PLAGIARISM.
Your statement is so silly. If Sergey’s song was plagiarism, then the EBU would had to disqualify it. So, you tell a lie.
“Unforgettable so unbelievable”…the F is this ridiculous grandiloquence. :/
Artista pretencioso y prepotente fiel reflejo del pais que representa, flojo de voz, su exito se basa en su fisico y en una escondida y aparente homosexualidad de puertas cerradas y de armarios escondidos, aun asi nos lo tendremos que comer con patatas y obtendra y buen resultado al igual que el pesimo show que presento este antipatico pais en el 2012 sin merecerlo.Esto es la nueva era en ESC la de paises prepotentes que se votan entre ellos.chao pescao
This won’t qualify.
Okay, just kidding. 🙂
Score is way too high, but what’s more shocking is that you guys will give France a better score than this, getting quite close to Euphoria (9.25) when none of these two are by any means close to the best Eurovision song of the modern era.
Considering the rest of your scores, I’d give this one a 7.3
For France, an 8.2
so much hate, so little time
Agree with Rekt
Euphoria, Heroes and… in 2016 this. PUFFF. Is 2002 again?
If this wins we are turning back in time
The rest of the world will probably laugh at us as we don’t have a clue of where music is going
Russia should’ve won last year btw
@Templeton: I wouldn’t count on Lithuania that easily. The left Russia empty last year.
3-5th position because it has a lot of work behind…and because it’s Russia.
Belarus calling…douze points
Armenia calling…douze points
Lithuania calling…douze points
and so forth…
WIWI has for a long time shown the problems of a minority ESC fanbase being out of touch with the general voting public….(the hype on pre-release Malta being a case in point)…your jury discredits itself on this one…big time. I used to see WIWI as key and core ESC reading…….no longer. You haven’t got your finger on the pulse .
Let me see if I get this … Cheesy, dated and over-the-top? Agree … and yet it stands out?? Since when all these flaws and embarrassments are synonym of being GOOD? Since when? Oh right .. Eurovision … nothing needs to be good … just entertaining … like a parody or a mockery TV show or a circus. Lord .. Loreen please bring back MUSIC to this whole Mexican soap reality show debacle called “Russia in Eurovision 2016”.
@ CookyMonzta: That is fantastic (the Irma video):
https://youtu.be/oW5a-FnZfko
Many more need to know about Irma’s “Save Me”. Now that I know, I might have to dock Sergey a few tenths in my final review, especially if the members of his video production team were not on Irma’s team.
I don’t know, if they were or not, but the creative idea of the Sergey’s official video is completely stolen – from the beggining to the end. And this is the FACT. So, we can consider such a steal as a part of PLAGIARISM.
Overblown song. Where’s the midway point of this. Nowhere. It’s the same as a fireworks display, without fireworks.
Sergey seems to be a nice guy but…
http://webm.land/media/WfqC.webm
=
Too much drama for me.
Overrated as hell
@karminowe.usta
Everyone, who actually search for any of his live performances, understand that he’s a brilliant professional vocalist with a strong voice. Even those who don’t like the song. It’simply the solid fact))
This is an average pop song with a ridiculously catchy beat and lyrics fit for JESC. They bashed Serbia for being too dramatic but Russia is much worse, and Serbia actually has a good song. The only thing good about this is that it is a really good looking guy who can really sing. 7/10 at best.
@Dieter
APRIL 21, 2016 @ 9:25 AM
Sergiey – very bad vocal. I m sorry, it is true. Sergiey don t sing on live, his voice tragical.
In my opinion Sergey has a very good vocal and he can sing a capella:) You should watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjwcHdJcBQM
Sergey Lazarev is the best of Russian singers:)
Was really hoping this wouldn’t score so highly in the Wiwi jury. It seems strange that people enjoy this for its cheesiness, yet then give out about San Mario’s entry for the same reason. It’s a catchy enough song and Sergey performs well but the whole package is so cold and calculated. It’s not the worst song in ESC 2016 but would be a very undeserving winner.
My God!! How this piece of crap has scored 8.7?? I hope people in Europe doesn’t have the same typical eurofan taste. It’s enjoyable at first, but then is boring and pretentious, the dance moves are ridiculous! Also, the song is very dated and unoriginal. I really don’t know how you could give this that score, I’m very dissapointed. This overrated as hell everywhere. I know is Russia and for that reason it is in the top 10 year after year sending crappy songs, this year won’t be different…
Maybe Russian song isn`t modern but I really like this kind of music. This song is catchy and I really like simple chorus:) “Thunder and lightning it`s getting exciting”:)
@Strangehold You, sir, are way too flippant in talking about events on here that Im sure deeply affected a lof of people. I’m not one for “trigger warnings”, but you are about ten seconds, and Pollaski means ten seconds, from bringing a house down on your head. Let’s go through this line by line. ***You go too far back in time in some of your examples, even when Eurovision did not exist. :)*** The only examples I gave that were before Eurovision were the world wars. Everything else was during the Eurovision era. **About the bombings and assaults from 2001-2006,… Read more »
It’s obvious as hell that nobody wants another boring problematic ballad. People are just exhausted. They wanna have some fun for God’s sake! They want a bright celebration not a philosophy class. The situation is kinda sucks itself so everybody need a little moment for a joy and dance and not thinking too much. This is what’s news for not Eurovision. It’s a music show. The whole thing is about impression! Nothing more.
@Loo
“Btw, Björkman’s favorite is France he told in a interview.”
Where did you read this ?
You go too far back in time in some of your examples, even when Eurovision did not exist. 🙂
About the bombings and assaults from 2001-2006, you can’t compare them with the amount of people is getting killed nowadays. Those were the seeds of today’s problems.
We’re now in a global crisis situation. Things got serious and people is conscious about it.
@from the Internet: That is fantastic (the Irma video):
https://youtu.be/oW5a-FnZfko
Many more need to know about Irma’s “Save Me”. Now that I know, I might have to dock Sergey a few tenths in my final review, especially if the members of his video production team were not on Irma’s team. He was my #5 after my 2nd review.
@Stranglehold
Wait, seriously? All the earlier problems were irrelevant?
9/11, 7/7, the Spanish Train bombing, and Beslan were irrelevant?
The Yugoslav Wars, IRA, and PLO were irrelevant?
Communism and the Iron Curtain were irrelevant?
The first and second world wars were irrelevant?
If you honestly think that the world was hunky dory with trivial issues until just a couple years ago, and only NOW theres serious problems, you need to open a history book.
When we were living in a pre-financial crisis world, pre-mid west wars, pre-refugees diaspora, where our problems were irrelevant compared to this moment in time, maybe we could buy a song that talks about a love story in such a fantasious way. But in 2016? No way. No matter if he looks good or if he’s a great performer. We need another great anthem like these last winners, to show that we Europeans care about our future. Music is something more than listening to birdsongs. It’s a driving force to build a better future for our societies. We’ll choose the… Read more »
You just have to see how much he needs to move and make gimmicks because the song itself doesn’t move you inside, no one bit. Too much energy wasted for nothing.
Fantastic production, although the song is not very modern, sounds from 7-10 years ago. You can see a lot of hard work in this, but lacks the most difficult thing to achieve: the magic of a powerful meaning.
This review of a meaningless song and annoying music – just makes me feel untouched by all this reviews. This SONG is an outdated, boring to listen, and easy to be happily forgotten.
Emotionless, fake song.
I can recall 2-4 songs as good as this one (or better) that should give us shivers on stage.
And that’s what those last winners where all about. EMOTION.
Overrated as hell. But i have a feeling it will win….
Excellent soundtrack to (without a doubt) a spectacular act… More or less the same as what Iceland will do and Sweden did last year. In that sense, it’s a very modern entry. When you would just judge the song, it’s not a winner, but neither were Conchita or Mans. It’s the total package that counts and that will be impressive!
It’s a catchy song, I can’t deny that… but it’s just no fun to me, I think because it feels so cynical, joyless, coldly calculated and robotically manufactured and executed (disclaimer: I felt the same about Mans last year). Obviously it’s not the first time cynicism has carried the day at Eurovision but for once I’d love something that feels genuine to win. Unfortunately, factors like Bjoerkman’s recent comments seem to actively encourage this kind of cynical strategizing. Anyway, it feels inevitable that Sergey will do very, very well, but I think Russia is looking at another silver or bronze… Read more »
@Nicky91 🙂 Thanks @Eugene – ”Especially not after 2013”… I would actually say that the quality of ESC has been significantly BETTER after 2007/8, especially in 2012 and afterwards. I just watched the recording of 2006 and dreaded what I saw. Songs which are 33’rd or 32’nd this year on my list would be 9’th in 2006. Everything has improved, from lyrics to vocal abilities and stage production. Each year produces at least 10 to 15 songs I would call really good in any context. I am grateful on the increased quality. And this still IS the song contest. Of… Read more »
@Poppina
First of all, thank you very much and you are welcome! 🙂
Second, I would also love to see France or Spain win.
looking at the current ogae results I think Russia’s gonna win juries voting
Nicky91 you are like hitting here on every guy that has any interes. You should really try Romeo instead chatting with guys here and mostly spamming comment sections. After all, that what you do is okay for someone born in 2001, not in 1991. Sorry.
Mark my words, this song could destory Eurovision once for all times. Seriously, its CHEAP. As many people said, it has no any life outside of Eurovision and pop-trash parties. Worst thing is, yeah, I like it quite a lot. But, this should not win for sake of competition and its quality and respect.
Denise has said somthing creditable for the Sergey’s video, but actulaly the “original video” of “Sergey Lazarev – You Are The Only One (Russia) 2016” actually is not original. At least, the creative idea is totally stolen from the other video that was published in May 2014: just set into the YouTube search engine “Irma – Save Me [OFFICIAL] – Live video mapping & dance performance” and you’ll find the real original. 🙂
I bet they will top up France and Sweden to match the general odds ranking…Big question? : Are you judging the 43 songs by the EBC citeria or its just your personal views as potential televoters…Russian could never be a a top 5 ithe ESC are to be professional following the 4 points criteria….
All Jury Members will have an individual voting form for each act, which are judged based on the following criteria:
Originality
Instrumental talent
Vocal talent
Stage presence
OMG, so many comments about the review of the russian entry! I think that it is overrated, but I still love it! It may be cheesy and dated, but it’s also really catchy and I will have to admit that it is one of the very few guilty pleasures of the year for me! (Polina and Dina were much better, though. These were just masterpieces! The Tolmachievy Sisters were slightly better, as well.)
8/10
@Poppina
well i don’t care who wins, as long as my favourites end in the top 10, and at least qualify to the final 🙂
Generic dated mess ,hate it.
4/10
@Colin you’re my hero, I couldn’t have explained better! This song is ok, there’s nothing wrong, top 5-10 if you like (thinking of Tolmachevys sisters that ended up 7th with such a bad song)… but this gap of favoritism above the rest??? I just can’t understand it. is it because this is russia and russia always gets a lot of points? Is it because Sergey is hot (I find him cute at best)? I just don’t get it. Call it Hungary 2009 or Bulgaria 2010 and nobody will care about it. This advantage that Russia has every year above the… Read more »
@Loo
please relax and chill, last year was my first year and i recognize myself in you 🙂
GEF you are right 🙂 At the end of the day the jury members make their own choices.