Second semi-final prediction: Wiwi Jury picks its favourites

Over the past six weeks the Wiwi Jury—our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals—has been busy writing reviews and coming up with our preferred rankings. But now it’s time for us to predict who we think will qualify, rather than who we want to qualify. We polled our 19 jurors, who hail from the UK, US, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Finland, Austria, Australia and beyond. After hours of cat-fighting we can now present our predictions. The percentage represents the percentage of our jurors who think the act will qualify for the final. 0% means none of us think they’re going through…Please note that in instances where countries received the same percentages we have listed them in running order, not order of preference. You can see the percentages below along with a few of our collective thoughts. You can click on the song title to see read our entire review.

On Monday, we published our prediction for the first semifinal, where we correctly predicted 7 out of the 10 qualifiers. Let’s hope we do better this time…

Predicted to qualify…

1. Israel: Mei Finegold – Same Heart 100%

Mei has a strong voice and a really good song. We love female empowerment, and Mei is most definitely empowered. It’s not a ballad. And thank god: In 2014 we have way too many of them. Fresh, bilingual, unique.

2. Austria: Conchita Wurst – Rise Like A Phoenix 100%

Austria will definitely qualify. Conchita has a strong personality, a stunning voice, and an important message. The song is a masterpiece! She’s not just rising like a phoenix, she’s soaring like one too. YASSS!

3. Ireland: Can-linn feat. Kasey Smith – Heartbeat 100%

Can-linn feat. Kasey Smith have a stunning song built on Celtic tradition. There’s something unique yet universal about this sound. The Rivedance elements give this an organic feel, and Kasey is one hot mama. None of us doubt that this will qualify.

4. Greece: Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd – Rise Up 100%

This is a call to revolution told through the lens of creativity and youth. The song makes us jump. The song makes us want to “Rise Up”. The boys make us drool. This may win the public vote by a huge margin. Greece has done extremely well in past 10 years and we can’t see why this wouldn’t keep the party going. Opa!

5. Romania: Paula Seling & Ovi – Miracle 100%

This will make the final, not only because “Miracle” is a fabulous dance track, but also because of the love Europe has for Eurovision veterans Paula Seling & Ovi. Paula brings the Romanian diaspora. Ovi brings the Norwegian-Scandi vote. And the incredibly expensive hologram will bring in votes from everywher else. Qualificaiton is not a miracle. It’s expected.

6. Norway: Carl Espen – Silent Storm 80%

Carl might not be the best singer in the contest, but he will ride a wave of emotion into the final. He is a tattooed giant who shows vulnerability. Pass the tissues, please. The staging is absolutely stunning and fits the song perfectly. It might take a while for televoters to get into the song, but we are sure the jury will be climaxing by the second verse.

7. Finland: Softengine – Something Better 80%

It’s the only rock song in this semi-final and we’re sure there will be some rock music fans watching. The song is catchy and they look professional on the stage, even if the performance is a bit shouty and the staging nothing special.

8. Slovenia: Tinkara Kovac – Round and round 80%

Every year there’s a country that gets written off early, but somehow manages to defy the odds and qualify. We think Slovenia could be that country this year. Tinkara’s mystical staging and mysterious voice could leave viewers and jury members wanting to know more. For what it’s worth, she’s the most talented flutist on stage tonight.

9. Malta: Firelight – Coming Home 60%

Malta surprised everyone when it made the Top 10 last year. Unfortunately “Coming Home” lacks the charm of “Tomorrow”. However, it’s unique sound—coupled with lackluster competition—should see it through. Their voices are quite strong, and no one else is bringing a dulcimer to the ESC stage. It can count on jury support for its Mumford & Sons sound.

10. Poland: Donatan & Cleo – My Slowanie – We Are Slavic 60%

A modern song with traditonal sounds, and one that sends up stereotypes of Poles. The staging is hot—and we’re not just talking about all the cleavage on show. Love those traditional Polish patterns on the LED screens.

Expected to go home…

11. Lithuania: Vilija Mataciunaite – Attention 40%

If they had any chance of making the final, their ugly dresses robbed them of it. This is a total mess from head to toe. The song is shouty, Vilija comes off as an angry cow, and musically this is just…no. It’s an insult to Lithuanian culture.

12. Macedonia: Tijana – To The Sky 40%

It’s not a bad song but Macedonia has a really dated performance, and Tijana seems timid at times. Tijana is a superstar in the Balkans, but this year there are next to no Balkan countries competing. We love her as a woman and a singer, but the modern dancer in the white jumpsuit is a bit lame. It wreaks of Kati Wolf 2011. 

13. Switzerland: Sebalter – Hunter Of Stars 40%

Switzerland and Malta will fight of the same votes and we think that Malta will win them over. Sebalter is handsome, but the whistling gets old. That said, Switzerland performs later in the night so may have the edge. It’s a real toe-tapper. We’re just not sure if the toe-tapping will be as effective in the recap.

14. Belarus: Teo – Cheesecake 20%

It’s fun, but way too silly and cheesy to grab enough votes. Their performance is professional and relaxed, but quite boring. Apparently not much appens when you’re baking cheesecake. This will likely place last with the jury.

15. Georgia: Mariko & The Shin – Three Minutes To Earth 0%

There’s no question about this. It’s too weird and boring for this competition. We have no doubt about their talent but we would like to know what drugs they took while crafting this performance. The parachute is handy. Many audience members will want an escape….