The national final season for Eurovision 2021 has come to an end. Each country across Europe has now selected their entry for this year’s contest, and that means we have to say goodbye to all the songs that didn’t quite manage to win over the public. But before we do so, it’s time to celebrate them one last time with our annual countdown of Team Wiwi’s top national final songs.

As usual, the team from wiwibloggs have voted for their favourite songs that competed in the national finals for Eurovision 2021. Note these are our favourite songs, not songs we think should have gone to Eurovision.

After reviewing the well over 100 songs that were entered into this year’s national finals, we finally settled on our top 50. And now we’re ready to share it with y’all. We’ll publish ten songs each day over the coming week.

Which song will enter our Hall of Fame?

Let the countdown continue!

Team Wiwi’s top national final songs of Eurovision 2021: 20 to 11

20. Charlotte Perrelli – “Still Young” (Melodifestivalen)

Eurovision 1999 winner Charlotte Perrelli returned to Melodifestivalen for the fifth time in 2021. Having failed to qualify from the semi-finals in her previous two attempts, the Swedish singer made sure to come back with a bang this time around. And she did, qualifying direkt till final from semi-final three. Charlotte proved that she’s still got it 20 years after winning Eurovision and she is very much “Still Young”.

19. Aksel – “Hurt” (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu)

What the Wiwi Jury said: Aksel stands out again because of his amazing ability to connect words to emotions and spark a reaction in the heart of his listeners. I hear a song that has many emotional nuances, which could potentially speak to a diverse cross-section of viewers. Themes of healing from a broken relationship or fighting to have victory over a serious emotional or physical struggle echo, and I instantly take every word in from beginning to end. (Josh)

18. Eric Saade – “Every Minute” (Melodifestivalen)

Eric Saade promised Christer Björkman that he would return to Melodifestivalen before the longstanding director of the contest moved on from his post. Making good of his word, Saade appeared at the contest for the fourth time, after previously winning and going to Eurovision in 2011. The Swedish star brought the song “Every Minute”, and viewers certainly did enjoy all three minutes of this slick and professional performance. Qualifying directly to the final, Eric ultimately finished as the runner-up and maintained his string of strong results at Melfest.

Previous top national final songs: “Sting” (#1 in 2015)

17. Willie Peyote – “Mai Dire Mai (La Locura)” (Sanremo)

Willie Peyote kept his performances at Sanremo 2021 relatively simple and let the music and lyrics of his entry “Mai Dire Mai (La Locura)” do the talking. This paid off and fans fell in love with the rap song that presents a satire of Italian music. After the final night of the contest, Peyote finished in a strong sixth place and also earned the Mia Martini Critics’ Award.

16. Francesca Michielin & Fedez – “Chiamami Per Nome” (Sanremo)

Before the competing songs of Festival di Sanremo 2021 were heard for the first time, Francesca Michielin and Fedez were the early favourites. The Italian duo managed to live up to the pre-contest hype and eventually finished in second place. Their performances balanced the differing energies between the pair, with Francesca visibly involved with the song while Fedez delivered a softer approach; but they were still connected with one another.

15. Mirud – “Nëse Vdes” (Festivali i Këngës)

What the Wiwi Jury said: It is Mirud who wants to revolutionize the contest with a song that shows us his personal style and essence. A mixture of folk with modern rhythms that makes us mentally travel to those small Albanian and Kosovar towns. We know Mirud for his impeccable vocal technique and this year he returns more confident and mature, with a personal and very dramatic message like the one that many of us must face at some point in our lives. An epic and mysterious introduction that ends in a marvellous rhythmic explosion. (Diego)

14. Kadiatou – “One Touch” (Melodifestivalen)

Kadiatou had the honour of opening the entirety of Melodifestivalen 2021, performing first in the first semi-final. Sadly, she failed to advance any further in the contest. But while the live performance might have been a bit shaky, the studio recording lives on and is still getting listeners pumped and in the mood to dance.

13. Teflon Brothers & Pandora – “I Love You” (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu)

What the Wiwi Jury said: It’ll probably get written off as a joke, but “I Love You” has character, charm and originality. It’ll be heaps of fun on stage in both Finland and the Netherlands. It’ll probably die in the semi-final (most likely thanks to the juries) but at least there’ll be one country to make us smile and dance this year. We deserve it! (Natalie)

12. Inis Nezeri – “Pendesë” (Festivali i Këngës)

What the Wiwi Jury said: Inis Neziri’s power ballad shifts between low and high registers, whilst creating a beautiful cinematic atmosphere. When “Pendesë” doesn’t tug on your heart, it makes you stop and listen to your heartbeat. Ballads arriving at Eurovision often create a genre congestion — repetitive, predictable and often languid. Although Inis commits to this genre without any musical surprises, her voice is undeniably magical, the song’s theme of regret is stirring and her stage presence is captivating. (Deban)

11. IMERIKA – “I Can’t Escape” (Melodi Grand Prix)

IMERIKA had to wait until the fifth and final semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2021 to showcase her entry “I Can’t Escape”. But it was definitely worth the wait. With relatively simple staging, IMERIKA delivered a raw and emotional performance that let her vocals be the main focus as the song slowly built up to a powerful climax. The entry quickly connected with the audience at home and viewers naturally sent her through to the grand final.

Our top national final songs of Eurovision 2021 ranking is determined by independent votes from a panel of wiwibloggers. They are Oliver R, Tom, Oliver A, Antony, Natalie, Pablo, Cinan, Diego, Deban, Jordi, Antranig, Luis, Padraig, Josh, Sebastian, Robyn, Mario, Renske, William, Ron, Lauren and Jonathan.

Which songs do you think should feature on the list? Are you surprised by our choices so far? Let us know in the comments.

Review our top 50 countdown so far here

Follow our top national final songs 2021 playlist on Spotify

32 Comments
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Viktorijs
Viktorijs
3 years ago

I think that the North Macedonian song is pretty good, should be taken into consideration.

Guust
Guust
3 years ago

I hadn’t heard of Mirud yet, since I usually skip the Albanian preselections. He proved me wrong! What an interesting artist and a good song.

Héctor
Héctor
3 years ago

I don’t get why Mirud is so high but this year I feel the top is completely messed up and very biased towards an specific kind of taste. My top 20-11: 20. Ermal Meta – Un milione di cose da dirti (6.75) 19. The Mamas – “In the Middle” (7) – Melodisfestivalen 18. VICTORIA – dive into unknown (7) 17. VICTORIA – Ugly cry (7) 16. VICTORIA – Phantom Pain (7) 15. VICTORIA – The Funeral Song (7) 14. Dotter – “Little Tot (7) – Melodisfestivalen 13. Pedro Gonçalves – Não vou ficar (7) – Festival da Cançao 12. Mustasch… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Héctor
Sean
Sean
3 years ago

Vashezo is my favourite of the season, SO underrated! Thanks for giving it the love it deserves!

lasse braun
lasse braun
3 years ago

no klara – no clara – no dotter (i mean all three) in the top 10 and this list is worthless. 😀
have taken a deeper look into old lists – MARUV not no.1! – no lilly among the clouds,no vilna (keiino in good) and of course no romanian teenager.
completly nonsens!
better wiwibloggs go in 2022 to top 100 format. 😀

Grft
Grft
3 years ago

Not you putting Charlotte Perrelli above Madame’s Voce….. what a disgrace

Neil
Neil
3 years ago

I lost hope for Kelle ma Soitan….

Kosey
Kosey
3 years ago

11. Madame – Voce – a swirling, mesmerizing ride through the incessant questioning of the soul. 12. Dotter – Little Tot – stylish, dark, anthemic, with prescience. 13. Marianne Pentha and Mikkel Gaup – Pages – mysterious and ethereal. The joik adds to the sense that we are never free of our past, and nor should we be – it is an important part of who we are and we should be proud to take it forward with us. 14. Cosmic Twins – Silver Bullet – almost trancy, my hands are drawn to build castles in the sky. 15. Beta… Read more »

Emily
Emily
3 years ago

Glad to see Willie Peyote so high on the list – I still think he was my favourite throughout Sanremo (or very close to).

I guess I never quite understood why Mirud’s song was so popular… I mean, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Me Tana last year, but saying that his song was in the same vein as that one… really? I don’t get it.

Stian F
Stian F
3 years ago

So top 10 is Keiino, Raylee, Dotter, The Mamas, Irama, Ermal, Bernarda, Pony X, Neev and probably Nina then. Maybe Cosmic Twins instead one of the mentioned or if one of the mentioned alreasy has been.

Zisk
Zisk
3 years ago
Reply to  Stian F

Pony X was in the 29-20 section.

Sam
Sam
3 years ago
Reply to  Zisk

Maybe Céphaz from France thought he put on a great show and hasn’t been mentioned

Alo
Alo
3 years ago

Imerika was great! She could have been a perfect entry.
Mirud, kaidatou and Charlotte in my opinion should have been much lower in the top 50. All I’m thinking is how Madame is not above them haha.

raspadinha
raspadinha
3 years ago
Reply to  Alo

Totally agree. XD

Grft
Grft
3 years ago
Reply to  Alo

Exactly my thoughts

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago

Mirud was awful though.. the song is fine, but the performance was hard to watch.

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

in what world is it better than Francesca, Aksel and Eric.

Europotato
Europotato
3 years ago

Irama, la repressentante di lista, Madame, jorn.

Cacao
Cacao
3 years ago

The Teflon Brothers and Pandora ? Come on ! It was just horrible on stage. Everyone in this comment section could have sung like Pandora.

notyourtoy
notyourtoy
3 years ago
Reply to  Cacao

Well, they judge the song overall. If the live performance would be fine it would totally be in the top 10

Lucianna
Lucianna
3 years ago

Loved Mai Dire Mai from Willie! My personal winner in Sanremo this year

Fionn
Fionn
3 years ago

so many good acts on this list – Imerika, Teflon bros, Kadiatou, francesca michielin, mirud- but I hate seeing them on the same list as Charlotte parelli and Willie peyote….theyre different levels!

nycforever
nycforever
3 years ago

I would just put almost all Sanremo songs on positions 1-26.

Alo
Alo
3 years ago
Reply to  nycforever

Lol so true

Colin
Colin
3 years ago

My top 20-11 (songs I absolutely love): 20. Irama: La genesi del tuo colore (Italy) – Modern, interesting and dynamic song. Usually, I am not that into excessive autotune, but I don’t even mind it here. It even adds a layer. 19.    Dotter: Little Tot (Sweden) – For the second time, I was a supporter of Dotterdam, but the faiths had different intentions. I love how she adds more layers to the meaning of her songs while remaining ”Swedish enough” in production and staging. 18.    Koit Toome: We Could Have Been Beautiful (Estonia) – It’s a stunning ballad. If Koit emoted a bit better,… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Colin
Briekimchi
Briekimchi
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Haha. You already know that five of these made my top 25….some of which even higher than you have them listed here.
Really strong ten from you here overall.

Kosey
Kosey
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Great to see Koit make your list Colin! You will have to wait until tomorrow to see where it ends up on my list!!

raw
raw
3 years ago

If Teflon Brothers and Eric Saade had been chosen for Eurovision, I would have had my favorite songs this year. There is currently no definite favorite.

Fionn
Fionn
3 years ago
Reply to  raw

neither of them would change that

Robert
Robert
3 years ago

Every Minute is in my personal top 3.. With Monument and Magus Melanhoolia and Good Life and Lie and Tears Run Dry and Reci Mi and Dandi Dansa and I Can’t Escape and Little Tot and Hurt and so on and so on….. 😉

Last edited 3 years ago by Robert
kir
kir
3 years ago

I find Imerika even better option for Norway this years than Keiino. Such an outstanding piece.

Ivar
Ivar
3 years ago
Reply to  kir

I agree 100% Imerika’s song will stay on my playlist for a long time