Geia sas! Last night, the Wiwi Jury touched down in Nicosia to catch some rays and up our vitamin D intake! We sunbathed from dusk till dawn, and once we’d topped up our tans, we turned our attention to Cyprus’s Eurovision 2017 act Hovig and his song “Gravity”. Did we la la love or ha ha hate it? Read on to find out! 

Hovig – “Gravity”

About Hovig

Hovig Demirjian, 28, is a Cypriot singer of Armenian heritage. In 2009 he participated in the Greek/Cypriot version of the X Factor and ended up placing seventh. Hovig entered the Greek national final for Eurovision twice before — in 2010 when he placed third with “Goodbye”, and in 2015 when he placed fourth with “Stone in a River”. Hovig was internally selected by CyBC. His song “Gravity” was written by the Swedish maestro Thomas G:son. At Eurovision 2017 he hopes to make us move. “I will be dancing in Kyiv, which doesn’t come easy for me,” he told us in Amsterdam at Eurovision in Concert. “It’s the first time I’ve been to dancing class — I am working really hard and it’s coming out quite well. But thank God for good choreographers!”

“Gravity” Reviews

Robyn: Thomas G:son is a talented songwriter, but there’s evidently a limit to how much magic he can conjure up in one year. “Gravity” is ok and Hovig is a good performer, but the end result is just a bit boring. Having said that, I do still like it as a song and the boredom could easily be relieved via dynamic staging. Let’s see.

Score: 6.5/10

William: The dark and mysterious opening includes deep electro beats and syncopated clapping, both of which set the tone for this contemporary and intriguing track. The Swedish production is sleek and polished, and Hovig’s voice suits dark pop rather well. But ultimately this feels rather clinical and flat. Rather than connecting a series of emotions this feels like one long chant. Still, a respectable entry.

Score: 5/10

Deban: Drawing inspiration from Rag’n’Bone Man “Human”, Hovig’s “Gravity” is uncomfortably familiar, but not as good as the former. Although the production is sleek, this “Gravity” ends up being too safe. Repeat spins only highlight how vapid Cyprus 2017 is. Unlike other entries that brew over time, this track loses its sparkle almost immediately.

Score: 4/10

Chris: “Human” does nothing for me; “Gravity” does. It’s a real step change for Hovig from 2015, but the music video at least seems to show it’s working for him. Well structured and the chorus is a particular highlight. It won’t be a song for the Eurovision record books, but “Gravity” is another solid entry from Cyprus.

Score: 7/10

Angus: “Gravity” is like a slice of moussaka. Delicious at first, but if you have the whole thing it’s too heavy and leaves you feeling bloated. The first minute is dark and intense, but squanders all of that promise in what follows because it just repeats. Even the middle eight, normally a guaranteed offer of something different in a Eurovision song, flatlines. Cyprus will need superlative staging to put this through to the grand final.

Score: 4/10

Forrest: When listening to “Gravity”, the phrase that continuously springs to mind is “good enough”. The instrumentation is contemporary, but has a rather generic sound. The lyrics are inconsequential and cliché ridden, but the hook is catchy enough to make the song memorable. The problem here is that “Gravity” had three minutes to do something, anything, but squandered the opportunity. The song doesn’t do anything wrong but, in equal measure, it fails to take a chance or develop any further than “good enough”.

Score: 5/10

Jovana: The very first second this song started, I thought, “I’m only human after all”. “Gravity” is a decent, radio-friendly contemporary pop song and a certain qualifier, but it lacks originality – especially now that Rag’n’Bone’s “Human” is such a big hit.

Score: 7/10

Luis: Hovig’s song is actually like gravity: most of the time you don’t remember it’s there. It’s not a bad song by any means, and Hovig is a likeable performer, but apart from the Rag’n’Bone Man resemblance, little remains after you stop listening. I quite like it while it’s on, despite the fact that it’s a bit flat and linear. Maybe my attention is on the video, which is fantastic, so if they manage to translate it into the stage, we’ll see Cyprus in the final for the third year in a row.

Score: 6/10

In the Wiwi Jury we have 38 jurors but only have room for 8 reviews. The remaining 30 scores are below:

Anastas: 7.5/10

Andy: 6.5/10

Anthony: 7/10

Antony: 6/10

Antranig: 9.5/10

Bernardo: 5.5/10

Bogdan: 5.5/10

Dayana: 8/10

Edd: 2.5/10

Erdi: 6.5/10

George: 7.5/10

Jacob: 9/10

Jason: 6.5/10

Jordi: 7/10

Josh: 7/10

Kristin: 7/10

Marek: 8.5/10

Matt: 6.5/10

Mikhail: 6.5/10

Natalie: 3.5/10

Padraig: 6.5/10

Patrick: 8/10

Renske: 6/10

Rezo: 5/10

Sami: 10/10

Sinan: 7.5/10

Stanislav: 8.5/10

Steinunn: 7/10

Tobias: 5/10

Zakaria: 5/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 2.5 and a high of 10.

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.5/10

What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!

See our current Eurovision 2017 reviews and rankings

41 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Zebb
Zebb
6 years ago

The issue here is the same as with Svala’s track – culmination goes nowhere or rather to start, burying slowly evoking impressions. It made me 2 listens to understand that I’m cold to this song. However, he’s good singer and will be supported by armenians, which will help him to qualify.

Mario C
Mario C
6 years ago

Would a massive achievement for Cyprus to qualify three years in a row but I think they are borderline this year!
Mario’s Eurovision 2017
https://eurovision2017blog.wordpress.com/

Please read my blog ????

James
James
6 years ago

The song builds some momentum as it goes on as if it is leading me into a big and exciting finish but once it reaches its climax in the last 30 or so seconds, it suddenly goes back to where it started, making me feel let down.

cheesecake
cheesecake
6 years ago

Decent entry, but a little too “boring” and generic. I’d give it a 6 or 6.5, not sure.
Will struggle to qualify.

Lucy
Lucy
6 years ago

Love you Hovig. 9.5/10

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Wow, thank you Robyn! I’m a fan of yours too, and of Wiwibloggs as a whole. 🙂

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

5/10
I don’t know if this will work on the stage.

Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

‘Gravity’ is a bit generic, I was expecting something more from Cyprus. The song itself isn’t bad and Hovig is a good singer, but I prefer last year’s act. The positive part is that, like Lithuania last year, this song could be uplifted by a nice staging and live performance.

I predict Cyprus to be somewhere between 8th-12th in its Semi.

Cyprus is currently my 19th. 6.5/10

Lukewarm
Lukewarm
6 years ago

Slick beats albeit unoriginal. The comparison to Rag’n’Bone Man will definitely hurt Hovig, and it will be completely justified too. “Human” is a masterpiece while “Gravity” is just another pop song to forget about. Still by Eurovision standards it is a song good enough to qualify. 02 NOR | 04 UK | 11 SRB | 12 SWE | 14 DEN | 16 POL 18 LAT | *19 CYP* | 20 ICE | 23 GRE | 24 CZE | 26 NLD 27 BLR | 33 MNE | 34 ISR | 36 GER | 37 MLT | 38 ESP 42 SVN |… Read more »

Leo M
Leo M
6 years ago

There are alot of strong strongs in semi final 1 but I do think this has a good chance of qualifying. It is a good catchy pop song but it is cheesy and dated, but it will need great staging to help them stand out and reach the final.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

Let’s put it like this – Semi 1 is the harder one because of the great concentration of diaspora-voting qualifiers. Semi 2 is harder because there seam to be somewhat more good songs sent by less sucessful countries.

Brett Young
Brett Young
6 years ago

It sounds like Rag n Bone Man yes so its a contemporary piece (there’s a few ballads this year): it has been written by Thomas G:son, who has history in this Contest. It is between Czech Republic (not the greatest entry) and Armenia (reasonable entry) there is the danger it will be lost if Armenia is memorable. The first semi is the hardest to gauge, there are one or two that will not qualify in this semi that would if they were in the second semi final.

escAU
escAU
6 years ago

antranig gave it a 9.5 wonder why -_-

Eve
Eve
6 years ago

Some reviews are really harsh, this is quite a solid entry, decent song, with the right staging it can be very good. Can’t help the feeling that this song could be amazing in rock arrangement! This is 8/10 for me.
Off topic, that guy has such beautiful eyes, very interesting look in his eyes, somehow happy and sad at the same time, aww <3

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

Wow! Usually Cyprus is not a country you award so high in total (6.5?!) It’s definetely a step forward! It’s a contemporary song, I can easily listen to this on the radio! I can’t be as objective as I want to, because Greece and Cyprus are like one! But I like the song! It has grown on me! It’s not a masterpiece, but better than a couple of songs they have sent over the years! To be honest, I’m not sure if it qualifies, Cyprus usually struggles. And the first semi is a bloodbath. However, I believe in a great… Read more »

Education Sentimentale
Education Sentimentale
6 years ago

@ Digital Style
Yes, “easy-on-the-ears” was the term I was searching for. It actually describes the whole song very well.

Education Sentimentale
Education Sentimentale
6 years ago

The “Inspiration” from Rag‘n’Bone Man obviously went to far. But after watching the live performance I don’t find it as terrible as I had expected. Still not great, but there’s nothing that goes on my nerves: voice & performance are o.k., the singer is likable, the lyrics flow nicely with the music and aren’t completely cringeworthy. I can watch/listen to the whole song without getting annoyed.
I’d like to see it in the final but don’t care beyond that. (5.5/10)

Digital Style
Digital Style
6 years ago

I feel like people are really harsh on this song. Granted it’s a little cheesy and uninspiring, but it’s still an overall good song with a nice, soulful chorus with a garage beat. Hovig has a really modern and easy-on-the-ears voice. I don’t see it doing very well realistically, but it wouldn’t bother me if it did.

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

We’re falling in……we’re falling out but we Gravity Gravity eh!!
I can’t live without I can’t live without your looooove
Oops, the wrong Gravity song of this year…..but undoubtedly the better one

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

@Robyn
I also like reading @Purple’s reviews. Although I don’t understand the musical aspect of it. I just do the Robyn and Ted thing from HIMYM whenever @Purple writes MAJOR. 😛

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Kris

Thank you Kris. I’m majorly greatful. 😀

Kris
Kris
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

MAJOR Lee grateful. *salute*

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

Luis has me SCREAMING. This is the most impersonal song of the year, and I disagree with Jovana: it isn’t a sure qualifier at all, because everyone will forget about it (or only remember his faces which are the kii). It’ll snatch 24 points from Armenia and 20-22 from Greece, though.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
6 years ago

Cyprus continue to produce disappointing results from a decent amount of effort and expense. The production is there. The singer and song are not.

Paul D.
Paul D.
6 years ago

Can’t say it’s a bad song but ehhh. Hovig performs it well live though, might have a shot of qualification

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

Personal rating: Hm, I don’t really know what to do with this. It’s catchy, but that’s pretty much it. In the second half the song gets so repetitive (both the music and the lyrics) that it’s actually quite annoying. 4.5/10 Prediction: Cyprus is the hardest country to predict, imo. They surprisingly did either not make it to the final despite being favourites or fell short of expectations in the final on various occasions (1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013), but they also often exceeded expectations by either qualifying or making an impression in the final (1997, 2004, 2010, 2015). Armenia… Read more »

Erasmus
Erasmus
6 years ago

It’s an okay song I love that beat, but I don’t know it’s kind of not my style of music… I think it will qualify in the second semi, but it is my 8th to 12th in that semi. Yeah I’m giving it a 5,5-kind of mid table for me.

Alex
Alex
6 years ago

A 9 in my book. Everything is good and as it should be. The song doesn’t try to do too much, it’s well-written, the vocalist is great, and the production is solid. Yes, the song resembles a famous Rag n’ Bone tune. A similar phenomenon of sounding like a famous song was true for Sanna Nielsen’s “Undo” and The Common Linnets’ “Calm After the Storm,” but it didn’t really matter, eh?

azaad
azaad
6 years ago

OGAE Croatia have voted, alongside OGAE Switzerland, who did so a few days ago. It got lost in the Russia fiasco.

(#Come Ci Comme Ca)
(#Come Ci Comme Ca)
6 years ago

Cyprus’ song is just mediocre.. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t like it either.. The video clip is cool though, well made.. Hovig’s 2015 NF song “Stone In The River” was a much better song by the way.. It’s from my least liked songs actually.. ~ ~ My Grade: 5/10 – My Rank: 38th/42 **** My Scoreboard **** ~ {8,5}: Israel (5th) ~ {8,0}: Latvia (7th) ~ {7,5}: Poland (8th) – Denmark (9th) ~ {7,5}: UK (10th) – Sweden (11th) ~ {7,5}: Iceland (12th) ~ {7,0}: Malta (13th) – Slovenia (14th) ~ {6,5}: Netherland (21st) ~ {6,0}: Montenegro(23rd) –… Read more »

olvresc
olvresc
6 years ago

Meh.

Pablo
Pablo
6 years ago

I like Gravity, but the same with Norway, the nagging feeling it won’t do much better that it is worth is on my mind, especially in Semi 1. We all knew what happened to the only other song G:Son had 100% control in (Norway 2007) The Human likeliness has dwindled to me, since the electronic vibe sets it apart well of this song and the overall tone is much different. The song does get somewhat repetitive and I am not sure Hovig’s voice fits entirely with it, but I do enjoy it for the 3 minutes and it’s a great… Read more »

Hada
Hada
6 years ago

“Hovig’s song is actually like gravity: most of the time you don’t remember it’s there”

Damn son! You sure you didn’t write that review of Le Cinq, Luis? 😉

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
6 years ago

Cyprus’ return in 2015 wasn’t the worst song in the competition, because they had the luck Finland was there, In any other year, well yeah. 2016 was great, but for me not enough for the final (especially with THOSE vocals) but this is a GIGANTIC step forward, I love this. This is in my top 5 for SF1, and would definitly be on the left hand-side of the scoreboard for me. I love the sounds, videoclip, his voice, the chorus, the verses and the bridge. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO mysterious YET catchy. I pray that the will use elements of the… Read more »

(J)ESC Fanatic
(J)ESC Fanatic
6 years ago

It’s not bad, just a little boring. I feel like it needs more ingredients because I lose interest in it fast. It may have a shot at qualifying because the chorus is catchy and gets stuck in your head though.

6/10

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

This song is grounded in B-flat minor, and doesn’t really go anywhere beyond that. The melody uses a blues-type refrain in the style of rag’n’bone man, only it’s not as effective as it should be. The video borrows Montenegro’s dancer from 2016 dressed all-in-black, and has lots of shots of Hovig seemingly defying gravity when actually all that is happening is that the camera is being tilted. Unfortunately this entry comes across as cheap and uninspired to me. Perhaps its saving grace is that Hovig himself has a really great voice and live presence – he may be able to… Read more »

dls
dls
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Purple mask are you from Greece?

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  dls

No. I’m in the UK now. I was in Canada before that. 🙂

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

It’s very catchy, very radio-friendly and very well made. It’s also one of the few entries of this year that feels quite tailored for Eurovision. There is definitely something missing to make this leave a big stamp on the show. For a song as catchy as this one not to be among the most memorable ones might be an issue. I do like it, but there are currently a lot of songs I like more. 9 – UK, POL, BLR, NOR 8 – MAL, LAT 7 – DEN, NET, ICE, SWE 6 – GRE, CYP, CZE, SLO 5 – ISR,… Read more »

Steve
Steve
6 years ago

It’s a very radio-friendly song. It’s possibly the only good song after Italy, France and Estonia. I’m sure it will survive after the event. However, I can’t understand why people stress the lack of originality. The so-called original songs disappear from the playlist right away after the contest. I liked Iveta from Armenia a lot, but never listened to her song again except for once or twice just because of her sexy staging. We need radio-friendly songs. And please encourage other contestants to pick this type of songs, not the ones which will vanish immediately after Eurovision.

esc2017
esc2017
6 years ago

This is not good. 6.5 is too high!
Flat,bland.This will not go through the final