They’re the friendly duo from Belarus known for their happy-clappy vibe and infectious energy. And Naviband brought all those qualities to their first rehearsal on Wednesday, performing atop a white hydroplane with massive fans.

Aiming for something pure and pristine, the duo wore white outfits that fit with their positive spirit. (Ksenia described herself as Snow White and her singing partner Artem as Snow Guy). They sing and play aboard their boat, which has a sense of motion owing to the quickly changing blue backdrop that sees monuments and architectural flourishes speed past. It’s hard to pin those figures down to any particular culture, given their universal quality. But what’s important is that it feels like the pair are flying past on Aladdin’s carpet. Artem was particularly loose on the boat, moving about and at times extending his arms like he was Leonardo Dicapprio in Titanic.

As ever the pair ooze chemistry and were vocally sound. Admittedly this did feel somehow static in the press room, but we haven’t seen the final camera cuts. With a few crops and changes of pace, producers can do much to juice this up.

Naviband — “Historyja majho zyccia (Story of My Life)”: Reviews and Reactions

Belarus: First rehearsal at Eurovision 2017

Belarus: First press conference 2017

Read all of our Eurovision rehearsal reviews

Read all of our Belarus Eurovision news here

Photo: Eurovision.tv (EBU)

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Mikey
Mikey
6 years ago

I love love love this song! It’s so positive and happy and makes me smile.

I was hoping for a similar live performance, but I was surprised by this.

I hope it works for them and they qualify into finals, but I am a little bit scared that they will not.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
6 years ago

Perfect example of a song I really don’t like getting their staging right (Hello Ivan!). I can see this qualifying now. It really makes me think that Belarus could have done something special with Nikita Hodas though.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

I love the song, and the backdrop as well. Not what I expected, but it works. Also, it’s very high energy and you can tell they totally feel it – it’s a song he wrote and composed, in the end.

peter hardy
peter hardy
6 years ago

the sort of eastern block crap you see when u go on holidays to greece.

Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

I was expecting a more naturist theme… this is ok, but they should use less blue and more brown, green and red.

Gippa
Gippa
6 years ago
Reply to  Héctor

Yeah, for me too. In my opinion the joy of the song is a bit lost with these cold colors. Or at least that was I would prefer. I still like them a lot though. 🙂

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  Héctor

Green is cursed af at Eurovision, good for them they rebuked it.

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

Happy, cheerful people, full of energy, positivity and optimism! That was NAVIBAND from Belarus!

I really enjoyed them! I liked the background, the colours and they were both beautiful!

Hsinaps
Hsinaps
6 years ago

I love this song, but this staging… I don’t think this is the right choice for a border-qualifier according to the bookies

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

At first I was surprised because I was expecting a more “earthy” colour scheme, but on second thought, this looks amazing. The naval theme goes very well with the song, it’s charming, it’s dynamic, it’s great!

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

If Belarus doesn’t qualify HEADS WILL ROLL!!!
I like it very much, they are adorable. The press conference was joyful.

I have to say…this semi-final is boring as hell. Very few acts (including Belarus) save it. I think I can easily predict 8/10 qualifiers, differently from what I thought it would be.

Erasmus
Erasmus
6 years ago

Why so many entries have staging like they are in JESC(Belarus(not a lot), Austria, Romania, Ireland, Switzerland…) and if they are not JESC like they have faces on LEDs (Israel, F.Y.R Macedonia, Malta, Australia) I loved the songs this year, but overall stagings dissapointed me a lot…

Joe
Joe
6 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

I totally agree.

Arc
Arc
6 years ago

The staging is really cold for a song as warm and happy as this. I also find the contrast with their music video somewhat bizarre. The video was all earthy and natural and now the staging is mainly a cityscape that’s bordering on clinical. Otherwise it’s still great and should still definitely qualify.

Ay Jo
Ay Jo
6 years ago

Oh wow, a very beautiful and warm performance.

Americanvision
Americanvision
6 years ago

ridiculous

Americanvision
Americanvision
6 years ago
Reply to  Americanvision

Hey, imposter! Stop copying me!

The real Americanvision thinks it’s the best of the day… maybe the best of the semi so far.