As we head towards the final of Vidbir 2017 — Ukraine’s national selection for Eurovision — the Wiwi Jury, our in-house panel of music unprofessionals, is busy reviewing the songs still in the race. From love to disgust to joy, we’re riding a wave of emotions as we go through the list. Next up is Rozhden with “Saturn”. Was it out of this world? Read on to find out…

Rozhden – “Saturn”

“Saturn” reviews:

Kristin: Once upon a time, back in 2001, Piasek represented Poland with his fun-filled “Too Long” — a very misunderstood entry. “Saturn” and Rozhden is like a clone of that in every way. From the beat to Rozhden’s moves, it’s all very Piasek 2.0. Is that bad, you ask? Not really. “Saturn” is fun. It’s carefree and sunny. It’s perfect for dancing and enjoying. I find it impossible to dislike this because I loved “Too Long” far too much. Dance, Rozhden! Dance like it’s 2001!

Score: 7.5/10

Robyn: This is like watching a random episode of The X Factor, where a contestant delivers a funky but dull version of a pop song from the ’90s. And he ends up in the bottom two, with the judges telling him that he needs to up his game if he wants to survive another week. But over in Ukraine, the expert panel gave this top points. Go figure.

Score: 4/10

Mikhail: Those electronic sounds put me off from the first second. Although the arrangement improves as the song progresses, the vocals do not. I’m definitely not in love with the voice or the delivery. It’s a bit shaky and I just can’t get into the vibe. It’s supposed to be infectious, but I am sitting here with a blank face.

Score: 4/10

Luis: Situation: I was reviewing this on a Friday night at home, and this really made me want to call some friends and go for a couple of beers. I didn’t in the end, but well, “Saturn” put me in a very good mood. Rozhden is a more than decent performer and his song is catchy and fun. It doesn’t go much further than that unfortunately. The song is a bit dated, and a bit generic as well. It’s not going to get to Kyiv (in May), so it’ll be a refreshing moment in Vidbir’s final between all the ballads.

Score: 6/10

William: “Somewhere beyond the moon there’s a table set for two” — and I pity the couple that has to sit there if this is playing. “Saturn” isn’t offensive — indeed, there’s very sweet intent here. But I find the horns irritating and the melody annoying. This isn’t bad. We just don’t have chemistry.

Score: 4.5/10

Zakaria: You can tell Rozhden is having fun up there and you can’t blame him. “Saturn” has an engaging melody. When you hear it, you just can’t sit still. However, Rohzden’s enunciation kind of ruins the song and the rap section kills the mood. While it’s refreshing, this should stay in the national final as it doesn’t make a lasting impact.

Score: 7/10

 

Stanislav: I had never heard about Rozdhen before the national selection and I don’t know whether I will listen to him again. “Saturn” is very catchy and memorable, and Rozdhen’s light show was beautiful. But something is lacking. Jamala suggested that he needs to take the example of Belgium’s performance from Eurovision 2016. I don’t really agree.

Score: 7/10

Chris:  The stage is nice. Now that the compliment is out of the way: seriously: what? It took me far too long to realise this song was actually in English. I listened with and without headphones and it just sounds like drunk slurring. With a better performer — one who could enunciate, for a start — this might be more appealing. It sounds modern enough for a throwback, but in this state, it’s wasted.

Score: 4/10

In our Ukraine Wiwi Jury, we have 15 jurors but only room for eight reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

Antranig: 2/10

Dayana: 7.5/10

Erdi: 7.5/10

Forrest: 4/10

Jason: 2.5/10

Jordi: 7.5/10

Josh: 4/10

Natalie: 5.5/10

 

 

 

 

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 2 and a high of 7.5.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.36/10

SEE OUR LIST OF UKRAINE 2017 RANKINGS HERE

READ MORE UKRAINE EUROVISION NEWS HERE

3 Comments
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Alex M
Alex M
7 years ago

The whole semifinal 2 was weak, just like the first one. He would not get “top jury votes” in the final.
The red coat will get top votes. Though I find that shouts far more irritating.

Daniel_2017
Daniel_2017
7 years ago

I’m still in denial over the fact that this song got top marks from the jury and qualified for the NF, while Kuznetsov was marked down by the same jury and was sent home… WTF?!

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
7 years ago

This song is so irritating. It sounds like something they would sing at a bad musical. Did it really get top jury votes?!