Power up the lights and grab your painkillers, y’all! Tonight at 21:00 CET seventeen acts will sing-to-the-death in semi final 2 of Eurovision 2015. (You can watch the show here). To help you through tonight’s show we’ve pulled together a country-by-country guide to all the action. Consider it our pre-recorded commentary. Each song has quotes from our Wiwi Jury reviews, as well as how each act fared in our fan poll. Who do you think will make it? let us know in the comments below.
EUROVISION 2015: SEMI FINAL 2 PREVIEW
Lithuania: Monika & Vaidas “This Time”
Memorable lyrics: “One kiss and you’ll see what you’ve missed”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “Well isn’t this delightful! Finally a duo that aren’t plotting each other’s funeral. Vaidas and Monika are wonderful, their chemistry is infectious and the vocals are spot-on. ‘This Time’ is three minutes of feel-good, heart-warming fun, something we’re running rather low on this year.” (Padraig)
Negative: “They’re feeling love, but I definitely am not. This feel-good number gets boring after 40 seconds, and the repetition of luh-uh-uhve becomes incredibly grating.” (William)
Fan poll ranking: 12 Wiwi Jury ranking: 7
Ireland: Molly Sterling “Playing with Numbers”
Memorable lyrics: “I made the mess in your vision and I see a debt to be paid”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “This is not a silly ballad — it’s a beautiful story about a girl coming to terms with her regrets. When her voice trembles, I feel her pain. Every time I hear this I create a video clip in my head and think about love. The lyrics are some of the best I’ve ever read.” (Marek)
Negative: “Molly Sterling has a gorgeous voice but ‘Playing With Numbers’ doesn’t match up. The song shone at Eurosong as a calling card to the winning Celtic ballads of the 90s but since then the gleam has gone.” (Angus)
Fan poll ranking: 1 Wiwi Jury ranking: 10
San Marino: Michele & Anita “Chain of Lights”
Memorable lyrics: “Build a chain of love for you, and a chain of love for me”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: ““Chain of Lights” starts out sounding quite dramatic and cool, with moody Michele and sweet Anita drawing the listener into their world of light.” (Robyn)
Negative: “Here they are, the youngest singers this year, with the most dated song. What a pity! San Marino showed such promise when they announced the fresh and adorable duo, but wow, what a missed opportunity!” (Bogdan)
Fan poll ranking: 17 Wiwi Jury ranking: 17
Montenegro: Knez “Adio”
Memorable lyrics: “Rosemary has blossomed, white lily has bent, everything smells like sorrow”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “Magical folklore driven by a spectacularly scenic music video, ‘Adio’ has a quality mark boldly stamped on it. Its prime Knez delivers a compelling performance.” (Deban)
Negative: “The instrumental opening is nice and peaceful, but then Knez enters and everything goes pear-shaped. Different parts of the song could make songs in their own right, but together it’s a big mess.” (William C)
Fan poll ranking: 15 Wiwi Jury ranking: 12
Malta: Amber “Warrior”
Memorable lyrics: “Break through the silence, the noise is louder than it’s ever been”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “Her voice, the darkness, the instruments, the shattered glass, the PASSION — it’s all here. The first version was good and a bit more pop, but after hearing the new version, I seriously don’t understand how people can prefer the original. Amber is truly a Warrior.” (Patrick)
Negative: “I may be in minority, but I did prefer the song before the revamp. The instrumental had a Hooverphonic feel to it, which is completely lost with the new version. The focus shifted from the singer’s voice and delivery to the many instruments that have been added, and the song now sounds inoffensive. Amber will thus get lost in the army of female ‘warriors’ that will populate this year’s contest. Instead of sounding more like a conqueror, she will be a foot soldier. Which is a pity, because I was so happy when she won the national selection!” (Bogdan)
Fan poll ranking: 5 Wiwi Jury ranking: 9
Norway: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett “A Monster Like Me”
Memorable lyrics: “Just wave and say goodbye and let you live, without a monster like me”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “The song is beautifully structured and the instrumental bridge before the final chorus is one of the highlights of the entire contest. The two have wonderful chemistry on stage…I can see Norway returning to the top once again.” (Chris)
Negative: “A song this dramatic needs to have very precise staging, and care needs to be taken not to lose focus during the instrumental section.” (Robyn)
Fan poll ranking: 7 Wiwi Jury ranking: 2
Portugal: Leonor Andrade “Há um mar que nos separa”
Memorable lyrics: “If it’s the sea that separates us, I will dry it with longing”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “I really like this year’s Portuguese entry, especially when you look back to what they have brought us since 2011. Leonor has a beautiful rough voice and she really knows how to use it.” (Mike)
Negative: “Come on, Portugal! 2015 is not the year to slack off! Leonor’s rocker dance moves need to go as it doesn’t suit the melody or the style of the song. Definitely the bottom of the scoreboard in the semi-final.” (Josh)
Fan poll ranking: 8 Wiwi Jury ranking: 15
Czech Republic: Marta & Vaclav “Hope Never Dies”
Memorable lyrics: “Wounded, lying, running out of life (out of life)”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “This song is perfection! “Hope Never Dies” is extremely emotional: You can feel the story without understanding the lyrics. It is dark and gloomy, so desperate at the beginning and then it transforms into this bright fire, a torch for the fight for a bright future.” (Mikhail)
Negative: “A dash of Nickelback, a sprinkle of Evanescence and a slice of Meat Loaf, et voila, you’ve got the horrible concoction which is “Hope Never Dies”. While it’s nice to see the Czechs back in the game, you gotta admit that this is going nowhere.” (Padraig)
Fan poll ranking: 14 Wiwi Jury ranking: 11
Israel: Nadav Guedj “Golden Boy”
Memorable lyrics: “And before I leave, let me show you Tel Aviv.”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “It’s a song in at least three parts — and I love all of them. It’s cheeky without being a joke, and, owing to clever production and changing instrumentation, the gag doesn’t get old. Ultimately this song is about freedom and the right to live and to love. J’adore!” (William)
Negative: “No, no, no. I really cannot stand this song – it’s like all the worst male songs from noughties Eurovision crushed into one. It’s a self-serving mess of genres and doesn’t succeed at any of them, with the chorus being the worst culprit.” (Chris)
Fan poll ranking: 9 Wiwi Jury ranking: 8
Latvia: Aminata “Love Injected”
Memorable lyrics: “Your love, revives my soul and I know you’ll choose it whole overall”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “Aminata knows who she is and she ain’t changing for nobody. Rather than forcing herself to fit with Eurovision, she’s pushing the contest forward with her distinct, other-worldy sound. “Love Injected” showcases power and restraint in equal measure, and Aminata is so avant-garde she makes Margaret Berger seem pedestrian. The chorus explodes like a nuclear bomb, and her Amazon-inspired dance moves could disarm the most aggressive tribesman. Take note, Europe. A star is born.” (William)
Negative: “It’s a horrible song. I don’t like her voice, and this song is going nowhere. She may be a nice person, but this competition is not about personalities. If I had a choice, she wouldn’t be in the grand final.” (Judit)
Fan poll ranking: 10 Wiwi Jury ranking: 6
Azerbaijan: Elnur Huseynov “Hour of the Wolf”
Memorable lyrics: “No I won’t sleep tonight, if tomorrow comes I’ll lose my mind”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “The search for love and fulfillment defines the human experience. It’s also what drives “Hour of the Wolf”. Over the course of three minutes Elnur uses his smokey vocals and rather impressive register to tell the story of his personal reckoning with loneliness and hurt. In the video, momentary glimpses of women from his past remind us that relationships may die, but their ghosts live on. Meditative and moving, grand yet intimate, this song is more poetry than pop: “I once met peace, he said that he, Soon would have the answers to this hurt, And my mind was made up, I would never give up.” Beware of wolves. If Elnur is any indicator, they’ll take a bite out of your heart.” (William)
Negative: “It lacks the punch of past Azeri entries and most closely resembles “Start a Fire” in its emphasis on steadily building to a climax. This doesn’t stand out from the crowd and Azerbaijan will have to fight hard to make it out of its semi-final again.” (Angus)
Fan poll ranking: 4 Wiwi Jury ranking: 3
Iceland: María Ólafs “Unbroken”
Memorable lyrics: “One step at a time, get out of the darkness and in to the light forever ”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “When Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ was first released, no one ever predicted that it would become such a global hit. “Unbroken” shares a lot of characteristics with the Disney song, and there’s every chance that it could become a phenomenon in its own right. Likeable, catchy, memorable – this has all the ingredients for a top ten finish, and deserves to give Iceland its best result since 2009.” (Padraig)
Negative: “I seriously don’t get the hype. ‘Unbroken’ sounds to me like a forgotten Taylor Swift filler from five years ago. Contrary to Taylor Swift, however, Maria lacks the vocals and the stage presence.” (Bogdan)
Fan poll ranking: 2 Wiwi Jury ranking: 5
Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw “Heroes”
Memorable lyrics: “We are the heroes of our time, but we’re dancing with the demons in our mind”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “He’s been attacked for being a runaway favourite with the bookies, accused of musical plagiarism and slammed for his screens but kept on walking. That makes Måns and “Heroes” all the more heroic in my eyes. Vocally superb, beyond catchy and a standout from the field, I sincerely hope this will be lucky number six for Sweden.” (Angus)
Negative: “Despite finding Måns exceptionally charismatic and an accomplished singer and performer, the song remains as banal and dated as I found it two months ago. I would be so disappointed if Sweden won because there are way more original and worthy songs in competition.” (Bogdan)
Fan poll ranking: 3 Wiwi Jury ranking: 1
Switzerland: Mélanie René “Time to Shine”
Memorable lyrics: “’No more putting me down, no more mucking around”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “Mélanie is a really engaging performer and delivers the ferocity that is necessary to go with the lyrics. She has bundles of personality and the revamp to the song has really helped push it that extra bit.” (Chris)
Negative: “Joan Franka reborn as a warrior princess, singing a re-vamped snoozefest! When the weaker entry clings to victory at the national selection, one must recalibrate by reevaluating with fresh ears. But no, I’m over it! You can polish this all you like. It still doesn’t shine.” (Deban)
Fan poll ranking: 11 Wiwi Jury ranking: 13
Cyprus: John Karayiannis “One Thing I Should Have Done”
Memorable lyrics: “I didn’t do everything for you, but I tried so hard and that’s the truth”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “I was initially rather dismissive of ‘One Thing I Should Have Done’. But give it a chance and you’ll discover some real depth. Because quite frankly, the song is heartbreaking!” (Padraig)
Negative: “There’s something to be said for starting out with a bang, and then there’s not really even trying at all. This is so dreadfully boring, it may put the entire sleeping pill industry out of business. There is absolutely no tempo change or variety. It’s just a boring guy who means well singing a painfully dull song.” (Francheska)
Fan poll ranking: 16 Wiwi Jury ranking: 16
Slovenia: Maraaya “Here For You”
Memorable lyrics: “When you’re down, down low, sinking in the undertow”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “The duo have branded themselves very well, but the glue holding the package together is their song. ‘Here For You’ is a breath of fresh air in this year’s competition, and Slovenia’s best ever effort. It’s fun, upbeat, and catchier than a cold.” (Sopon)
Negative: “Not to burst bubbles and bring everyone abruptly crashing down to Terra Firma, but this leaves me wanting to hit someone, not the dance floor. The vocal is nasal, the air violinist bizarre and the song a convoluted mess.” (Angus)
Fan poll ranking: 6 Wiwi Jury ranking: 4
Poland: Monika Kuszynska “In the Name of Love”
Memorable lyrics: “I wanna tell you it’s gonna be better, you’ve got a greatness within you”
What the Wiwi Jury said:
Positive: “I think her voice is amazing, that the video is beautiful, and that lyrics are just flawless. Our song is perfect, even if only a few people will see it. Monika is fighting for the win.” (Marek)
Negative: “I applaud her for choosing a song that speaks to her personal story — overcoming a tragic car accident — and for giving perseverance and hope a beat that many will sway to. That said, the song itself is somewhat dull and forgettable. Monika is my girl, but “In the Name of Love” is not.” (William)
Fan poll ranking: 13 Wiwi Jury ranking: 14
Slovenia!
8/10 And so sad about Malta 🙁
I’ll try to make a top of who I believe will qualify:
1)Sweden
2)Norway
3)Azerbaijan
4)Slovenia
5)Latvia
6)Montenegro
7)Malta
8)Czech Republic
9)Israel
10)Poland
That leaves Lithouania, Ireland, San Marino, Portugal, Iceland, Switzerland and Cyprus out.
Note that any of my top 13 can make the final! So I don’t mind if I’m 7/10
Final update
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Israel
4. Latvia
5. Azerbaijan
6. Switzerland
7. Czech Rep.
8. Lithuania
9. Slovenia
10. Iceland
11. Montenegro
12. Poland
13. Malta
14. Portgual
15. Cyprus
16. San Marino
17. Ireland
Sweden Norway and Azerbaijan are my favorites!
But my heart will go to the Azerbaijan for sure!
Vote Vote!
Current standings in Austrian livefeed with user feedback @derstandard
1. Latvia
2. Norway
3. Israel
4. Czech Republic
5. Sweden
6. Switzerland
The rest of the songs were disliked by huge numbers.
Update
1. Norway
2. Israel
3. Latvia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Czech Rep.
6. Lithuania
7. Iceland
8. Montenegro
9. Malta
10. Portgual
11. San Marino
12. Ireland
Two more performances and we will see the blowing mind show of the wolf! Vote for Azerbaijan!
After the first break….
1. Montenegro
2. Lithuania
3. Malta
4. San Marino
4. Ireland
After the first break….
1. Montenegro
2. Lithuania
3. Malta
3. San Marino
4. Ireland
I’m gonna see a few great songs crash out today but I pray that Ireland, Malta and Czech Republic squeeze through. Also, Maraaya’s air violinist is the best thing ever, tyvm!
Right now I’m just praying for Montenegro and Israel, because I know all of my other faves (Sweden, Slovenia, Latvia, Norway and Azerbaijan) will make it. The rest I could care less about, although I favour Lithuania and Malta.
Im voting for Ireland, I feel the song is just great and deserves a spot in the final. Not a winner but still deserving. I fear she may be forgotten going second :/
Well, it’s obvious that Sweden and Norway will pass to the final so I will vote to others, like Ireland and Switzerland, maybe they’ll need more my votes.
Iceland gonna sting so bad (as Eric would say) tonight. I don’t see it qualify.And Latvia?
Oh it’s my favorite.
I’ll say it again: my only wish for tonight is that the cheaters from Azerbaijan are sent back home. After years of bribing, cheating, manipulating jury votes, etc., it’s time that everybody realize what they truly are and boycott them. They will get enough votes with the ones they bought, don’t give them more than that! 😉
I feel so bad for the kids representing San Marino.. with a cool contemporary song they could have been top5.. now they will struggle not to come last.
this semifinal will be all about Måns Zelmerlöw…
I am in LOVE for Leonor’s beautiful voice…Vote for the portuguese entry
This music should be in the final
This will be really tough…I’m fan of Azerbaijan team for so long…I can see how no matter of banality of Sweden song they still in a lead…I’m sure that Elnur’s song will go to finals…cross fingers, vote
@Deea: You are a legend 🙂 Love your top 10. #Underdogs 🙂
Deutschland gibt 12 Kugeln in Aserbaidschan! Viel Glück Elnur!
No Deea, as far as I am concerned you were born on the same side of the planet as me. I don`t mind being in a minority but I too like the San Marinese song. Whether, as reviewers have said, the singers are up to it, is sadly another matter. What I find so interesting is that the same people who criticise it for being “old-fashioned” gush about Russia which I would suggest both in sound and presentation, hails from the same era and I don`t think her vocal abilities are as stunning as some suggest. It`s also interesting that… Read more »
Latvia WILL make the finals. Just you see.
Azerbaijan’s entry is my favorite this year. Vote for Elnur! Vote for his victory!
@ Fatima
I agree. And there is no vblog of Sami and Denise any more. There were only two clips at the beginning as I remember. But still Wiwibloggs is doing a good job in Vienna!
My prediction
1. Azerbaijan
2. Lithuania
3. Poland
4. Sweden
5. Latvia
6. Czech Republic
7. Slovenia
8. Norway
9. Iceland
10. Israel
sooo tired of “hey brother”.. oops, “heroes”.
anyway, the best is slovenia tonight! 🙂
My prediction: 1. Sweden 2. Norway 3. Azerbaijan 4. Latvia 5. Lithuania 6. Slovenia 7. Ireland 8. Cyprus 9. Israel 10. Montenegro 11. Czech Republic 12. Malta 13. Poland 14. Switzerland 15. Iceland 16. Portugal 17. San Marino I think Iceland will be a shock non qualifier, being lost in the bunch. I do think Czech Republic might just make it, but I don’t know who from the 10 will be out so Czech Republic takes it’s spot. Everyone except Portugal and San Marino can make it to the final, and I am really confident only with Sweden, Norway and… Read more »
After watching sets of rehearsal I have gone running to bet on Azerbaijan! WOW! great show and song!
I only know that Israel will not make it to the final because the song got no ‘class’. Seeing Nadav with his golden shoes proves they chose the self-worship attitude (which is a big turn off) instead of addressing the elephant in the room: Gay Tel Aviv and Nadav’s coming out of the closet. Because this is all so disingenuous and yet shamelessly loud with plenty of gay insinuations and suggestions, It will end out alienating voters who would rather identify themselves with the so-called underdogs of this semi, i.e Cyprus, Ireland, Poland etc.
My Predictions
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Iceland
4. Slovenia
5. Azerbaijan
6. Latvia
7. Switzerland
8. Lithuania
9. Malta ( This is a great song hope it gets through)
10.Ireland (Hopefully it could do really well its a good song)
Anybody agree..?
Tabi ki Elnur`u destekleyecegiz. Azerbaycan kardesimizdir.
Have wiwibloggs left Vienna ? You great coverage continues, but I’m missing clips of you reporting from the location.
Well, I feel like I was born on the wrong planet. Or maybe just the wrong era 🙂 My favs for second semifinal are:
Czech Republic
Norway
Switzerland
Azerbaijan
Montenegro
San Marino
Malta
Portugal
Cyprus
Ireland
I think it’s going going to be an evening of highs and lows… and many Eurofans in shock. I’m predicting nothing but I know who is winning…
ALL IRISH AND CZECH FANS-
You can count on my vote for your countries :):). From the UK :).
Please let Malta and Portugal qualify! Please please please, with a cherry on top!
My prediction
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Slovenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Iceland
6. Latvia
7. Lithuania
8. Israel
9. Poland
10. Czech Republic
———————–
11. Malta
12. Ireland
13. Switzerland
14. Montenegro
15. Cyprus
16. San Marino
17. Portugal
My prediction
1.Sweden
2.Azerbaijan
3.Norway
4.Slovenia
5.Cyprus
6.Malta
7.Latvia
8.Poland
9.Lithuania
10.Iceland
11.Israel
12.Montenegro
13.Czech Republic
14.Ireland
15.Switzerland
16.San Marino
17.Portugal
My TOP 10
1.Norway
2.Slovenia
3.Israel
4.Iceland
5.Sweden
6.Poland
7.Montenegro
8.Azerbaijan
9.Malta
10.Switzerland
Extremely tough semi final, far less predictable than the first, it could literally be anyone here, apart from probably Cyprus and San Marino. My predicted (and very hopeful) qualifiers are: (In no particular order) 1. Sweden 2. Norway 3. Iceland 4. Azerbaijan 5. Slovenia 6. Latvia 7. Poland 8. Czech Republic 9. Ireland (Please vote for Molly, she really deserves it!!!) 10. Either Malta, Israel or Montenegro (too hard to choose) Actually scared for Ireland, Our best song in years…I will be a little sad if she doesn’t make it, hope she gets the support she deserves. Not the winner,… Read more »
If Israelis really want to promote tourism that much, they should look at Montenegro. “Let me show you X” is not a good phrase, and (I’m not homophobic here) rainbow flags don’t help. The whole song is a mess. Sweden: No, no, certainly not. The verses are boring. The chorus is repetitive. The backdrop looks like CGP Grey and minutephysics and the likes. I don’t find any relevance between the verses and the chorus. San Marino: Boring. Nuff said. Latvia: Average, so won’t qualify in such a strong semi. Norway: The staging will probably ruin the song. I mean, such… Read more »
I believe Malta will qualify with ease. It has the U.K, Ireland <3, Azerbaijan, Italy, San Marino and the guest star of it all Australia a couple of points from other friendly nations such as Sweden, Norway and Cyprus and they've got qualification in the bag.
I want Montenegro to do well but I’m not sure if the public will respond much to it.
@ Chris
I’m curious, which ten countries would you qualify in this semi final? And do you think it will be a better show than the first semi final? Since you’ve had a chance to see the rehearsals more in depth.
Arent Monika and Vaidas so cute together? I really hope they do well.
Oh my, how could I forget Latvia, she is one of my favorites too. I think she do well though so I’m not too worried. Ugh, Eurovision needs to invite the U.S. one year because it bothers me that I’m following this contest so closely and have so many favorites but can’t actually vote, it’s frustrating.
Am I the only person who hears the “chain of farts” in San Marino’s entry? Oh goodness, I feel bad for them.
No reason they can’t do Steve. There are a lot of potential friendly nations for Ireland voting here – UK, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Malta, Switzerland, Latvia, Poland etc
To start with, this is a very strong semi. There is at least 11 songs that I want qualified from this semi.
But there are 4 that I definitely want at the top: Montenegro, Slovenia, Norway, Ireland. Especially Montenegro, the song is really good. Never mind the singer or the staging is my rule: after all, it’s a Song Contest, not a general talent show, not The Voice.
@ Charles
The Eurovision is not the Olympic Games and Wiwibloggs (and all other similar sites) are not BBC. It is just a fun, to relax and enjoy the community of the Eurovision’s fans. You take it too serious I think.
Ireland is amazing but really need the support and votes to make the final .
I think that some people are being way too critical of what I think is a really strong year at Eurovision. Nearly all of the songs are good and I could imagine them being popular here in the U.S., of course the contest is in Europe and Europeans sometimes have decidedly different tastes than Americans. The only songs I don’t like in this semi final are the ones entered by the Czech Republic and San Marino. Cyprus is too low key to make it to the final but it isn’t a bad song. This is going to be a good… Read more »