Swiss-German broadcaster SRF has now closed its online submission period, with around 175 songs submitted. We’ve listened to them all and have selected some of the best from Switzerland‘s class of 2016.
Starting Monday 2 November, the public will be able to vote for their favourites. Combined with a 50% jury vote, the top 10 songs will progress to the Expert Check phase. They’ll join six songs internally chosen by French-Swiss broadcaster RTS and three songs from Italian-Swiss broadcaster RSI. Then from the Expert Check stage, six performers will advance to the grand final on 13 February.
But before all that happens, y’all have the time to familiarise yourself with some of the best songs. It’s important to remember that these songs should all be treated as demos. Switzerland has never been shy about rerecording, rewriting or remixing songs between the national final and the ESC final.
“Attitude” – Barbara Berta
Barbara Berta originally represented Switzerland in 1997 with the Italian song “Dentro di me”. 18 years later she’s back singing en français with elegant silver fox style and and the equally stylish “Attitude” (and you know how much wiwibloggs loves attitude). Babs only placed 22nd in the ’90s, but if Switzerland selects “Attitude”, it could be the start of a killer comeback.
“Have a Little Faith In Me” – Evelyn Zangger
Swiss recording artist Evelyn made it to the national semi-final in 2010, but missed out. This time she’s back with “Have a Little Faith In Me”. It has a huge chorus and is the kind of song that could easily let Switzerland slide into the grand final.
“Sunshine” – Germein Sisters feat. Alphorn-Trio Fröschental
These Australian sisters have gone to the effort of incorporating some Swiss culture into their song, getting an alphorn trio involved. The song is a cute, sunny pop song, full of optimism. Can they bring some sunshine to the Swiss Alps?
https://youtu.be/VAx4L0UExjM
“Boom Boom” – Gisel de Marco
Gisel was one of the final 12 contestants on the 2013 series of The Voice of Switzerland. She’s moved away from the big diva ballads of The Voice to the feel-good dance pop of “Boom Boom”. The track has a very Scandinavian sound, but it seems like Gisel has the necessary sass to give the song the energy it needs.
“No Boundaries” – Patric Scott feat. Abdullah Alhussainy
Patric Scott was Sebatler’s backing vocalist in Copenhagen, but this time he’s getting serious. “No Boundaries” alludes to the European refugee crisis – but obviously doesn’t mention it directly in order to comply with EBU rules. Patric is joined by the Egyptian singer Abdullah Alhussainy who joins in with some Arabic vocals. It’s a super catchy song, and the message is ultimately one of hope and togetherness, and that’s a good thing.
“My heart is still winning” – Ramona Nerra
“My heart is still winning” was written by the Romanian songwrite Al Mike, who also co-write “Singing About Love” by Timebelle, aka the song that should have won the national final last year. Romanian singer Ramona Nerra – who was a contestant on The Voice of Germany in 2011 – also co-wrote the song, and delivers a great vocal performance. It might not be the most Swiss team, but a song this good should at least get a shot at the Expert Check round.
“The Last of Our Kind” – Rykka
Swiss-Canadian singer Rykka delivers the big song “The Last of Our Kind”. It sounds like the sort of track that would be the theme for film like The Hunger Games – an epic anthem.
“Feel So Fine” – Sara McLoud
Sara brings some R&B vocal sass to a folk-pop song. If her music video is anything to go by, she’ll put a lot of energy into to her performance.
“Feel the love” – Stanley Miller
Stanley Miller is an American singer based in Spain, and he’s teamed up with some Spanish songwriters for this big modern pop song. As always, it’ll be interesting to see if the Swiss are interested in having a song by a foreign team represent them, but it’s definitely worth a shot.
https://youtu.be/ZwLHaJ02Ze0
“Half a Smile” – Vincent Gross
Vincent is adorable, and if his video is anything to go by, the girls in his town agree! “Half a Smile” is a sweet love song, with a contemporary folk-pop sound.
https://youtu.be/OYJCysmgU6I
Is this the best Switzerland has to offer? Have we missed any? Who will you be voting for? Share your thoughts below.
Ramona Nerra My heart is still winning… super geil.
Amazing talent, best wishes for all entries.
i think it is very difficult to estimate which voice would have the best presence in reality on stage – quite a lot of the songs make to me the impression of rather ‘artificial’ and overengineered. from this point of view i would vote for maria-christina – her appearance and the song seem to me to be the most original and authentic.
Here is our Contribution to the ESC:
Daddy’s Sugar Girl
Thank’s to all for the Votes:)
“Boom Boom” reminds me of “Je t’adore” in a way.
Elias Bertini – Elephant
how come you’ve missed “HEARTLESS DANCER” by ANNE MARIE SUNSHINE?
I personally find it very catchy.
http://esc.srf.ch/en-ch/anne-marie-sunshine-0
@mawnck: Methinks you’ve never heard Basshunter, no? If “Boom Boom” reminds too many people of “Boten Anna”/”Now You’re Gone”, it won’t make that first cut. >:-P
“… “Boom Boom” … ain’t no “Heroes”, or anything halfway close to it.”
Of course not, and it would need at least two hamster wheels and three trapezes to have an outside shot at the final. But IMHO it would still do better than “Still Care”, all other things being equal.
although I’m calling Dimmi Se C’e as the dark horse from the silent Italophone minority in Switzerland that’s going to slip into the final quietly, as it’s one of the few songs to get over 50,000 views on YouTube already without spam campaigns on ESC sites (looking at you, Lewis Sheridan) and sounds radio-friendly enough to appeal to a lot of people
kill me if they select the australians
I’m actually so tired of cutesy swiss entries like Sebalter/Takasa/Rossinelli actually please no
just no
all of my other favorites are in italian and the italian-language songs tanked last year in this selection so there’s not much hope for them (Dimmi Se c’e, Per Sempre, Peccato, some forgettable but pretty others)
I guess unlike last year my favorites won’t be winning every selection (for the record, I remember I called Malta, Germany, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Serbia, Norway, and Denmark correctly)
I’ve heard quite a few songs that are similar to “Boom Boom” in the past, and quite frankly, it ain’t no “Heroes”, or anything halfway close to it. If it qualifies, it’ll be lucky to make the Grand Final, let alone finish in the top 20.
I must say, Rykka’s song is quite good, and so is Patric Scott’s “No Boundaries”. It’ll be interesting to see what they put on the stage at Die Entscheidungsshow, if they make the cut.
“As for revamping songs before submission, didn’t Mariya Yaremchuk and Sandra Bjurman literally rewrite much of “Tick-Tock” after the national contest and before ESC 2014?” Definitely an exception. The thing about that is, that’s Ukraine. Ukraine is GREAT at polishing their turds. They’ve done it repeatedly. Switzerland … isn’t. Besides, even in its embarrassing original form, Tick Tock still wasn’t what “Still Care” is: boring. “Still Care” is not eligible to be rescued by a trampy costume and a human hamster wheel. Now that I think about it, though, there’s a Ukraine entry that does resemble “Still Care” in a… Read more »
My bad. Sometimes I type too fast for my own good. That last sentence should read, “quite a considerable Swiss fan-base”.
@Robyn: Neither were Estonians Lenna Kuurmaa and her rock band Vanilla Ninja. Internal selection, though it may have been; but they threw Swiss priority out the window because VN had quire a considerable Swiss fan-base.
@Robyn: With regard to the last paragraph of your next-to-last post, bringing in an orchestra is exactly what Malta did with Amber’s song. Whatever they did was not going to be a match for the thunder that Nina brought with her in that battle of “Warrior” women.
@mawnck: Actually, it was jr esc nl who brought the Common Linnets into this conversation, and Robyn followed up on it 2 posts later. I simply applied my opinion as to why the Common Linnets beat the bookies’ expectations to score big. I brought the odds into the conversation to show that the prevailing opinion of that song (before the contest) was pretty much middle-of-the-road. The Wiwi jury here, thought even less highly of it; 30th out of 37. I don’t think the Electro Velvet argument applies here. For one, Crispi’s song is far more subdued than that failed throwback… Read more »
“you have to realize that these are all amateur songwriters that are probably going to revamp their songs a thousand times before may” Nonsense. The time to perfect your song is BEFORE you submit it. These are the entries. You pick the best one NOW, not the one you think might be OK later. Besides, we’re trying to pick a winner here, not a “Time to Shine”. I listened to “Still Care” one more time, just in case. Nope. It’s still a potty break song. 5% of the audience will absolutely adore it. So, 12th in the semifinal. BTW, I… Read more »
@Robyn you have to realize that these are all amateur songwriters that are probably going to revamp their songs a thousand times before may
Time to Shine at this point last year was a garbled mess that didn’t really climax either
and then it won the selection (and tanked in the ESC, but won nevertheless)
I will say that Rykka is perfect for the ESC now that I’ve listened to it
Other than that my preferences are limited
Maria Christina wouldn’t be a nightmare
I like Ramona Nerra’s song, it has potential to do well and uplift, reminds me of a positive Katy Perry song, but with better voice haha
the rest are OK
Still Care is ok but it will be boring for a TV show like Eurovision, it lacks the strong voice of someone like Aminata to dominate the arena and capture viewers
OMG I love “HEARTLESS DANCER” by ANNE MARIE SUNSHINE http://esc.srf.ch/en-ch/anne-marie-sunshine-0
Oh my god Still Care is a masterpiece thank you for whoever wrote that earlier
Also have a guilty pleasure for Per Sempre, but nobody seems to like that so
@CookyMonzta You’re really determined to drag “Calm After the Storm” into this. A song that has nothing in common with “Still Care” other than they’re both three-minute songs. The oddsmakers certainly haven’t weighed in on “Still Care” yet, so that has nothing to do with anything. And …
“The song’s so-called dreariness, if anything, I believe will help it stand out above the rest.”
Ah … the Electro Velvet argument again. Have we learned nothing?
EUROVISION since 2000: 2000 24 195/288 2001 23 198/276 2002 24 176/288 2003 26 167/312 2004 36 280/432 2005 39 230/468 2006 38 292/456 2007 42 268/504 2008 43 272/516 2009 42 387/504 2010 39 246/468 2011 43 221/516 2012 42 372/504 2013 39 281/468 2014 37 290/444 2015 40 365/480 and now time for example of ESC in future: 2016 45 ???/588 Points for starting position + 30 x televoting + 8 x televoting (15 losers from semi final :2) + 6 x jury (north west, north center, north east, south east, south center, south west) 1. 60 +… Read more »
EUROVISION since 2000:
2000 24 195/288
2001 23 198/276
2002 24 176/288
2003 26 167/312
2004 36 280/432
2005 39 230/468
2006 38 292/456
2007 42 268/504
2008 43 272/516
2009 42 387/504
2010 39 246/468
2011 43 221/516
2012 42 372/504
2013 39 281/468
2014 37 290/444
2015 40 365/480
The number of total points must be similar, but the rest can be changed.
Generally, there are two possible solutions:
1) increasing the number of jurors from 5 to 10. Then points from every idiot will be less harmful.
2) revolution
First you have to decide what you have to leave. The number of points in the final must be optimal, that the record (387 points) was not too easy or not too difficult to beat. Points must be more fairly distributed.
You have to try to separate the issue of performances and voting.
I changed my mind. The whole ESC must be changed. I think that the return to the only one semi-final will be good option. Semi-finals generally are more boring and worse organized than final. One good semi-final will be sufficient. Countries that do not qualify to final should not be entitled to vote in final. At least it must be limited.
I like this song http://esc.srf.ch/de/rise
@Eugene: I concur.
@mawnck: “Calm After The Storm” wasn’t a “wow” song in the eyes and ears of the oddsmakers. On the Monday before the contest, bookies ranked them 18th, and were picked to finish 8th in their semi. They were not enthusastic about the song at all. What earned the Dutch big points in the contest was the stage setup: A dark arena, and Ilse and Waylon face-to-face, singing to one another. That’s how you sell an otherwise not-so-noteworthy song, and get 200 points more than the bookies expected you to get… …That is also how less becomes more. The success or… Read more »
Rykka
“Calm After the Storm” most certainly WAS a “wow” song. More to the point, it was a “wow” song to a very wide cross-section of the voting audience, and had a presentation considerably more innovative than a couple doing a rehash of Hungary 2014’s dance routine. Plus, “Calm After the Storm” had a great memorable chorus, which the Crispi song totally lacks. It’s just a slow, dreary song. There are no high points in it, or low ones either. No real movement at all. It just plods along for three minutes and then quits. It’s not “Calm After the Storm”… Read more »
165 songs were submitted, not 175.
@mawnck: Common Linnets didn’t have that “wow” factor, either, and they ended up 2nd. I’d put good horse money on the Swiss team to overcome that lack of a so-called “wow” factor if Crispi and Thessa qualify for Stockholm.
I really like the song of Omar Naber
For example, the jury is very unreliable. Their assessments are often very bad, strange and inaccurate. I think that their influence must be reduced. Eurovision needs more fair results. For example, EBU can increase the number of jurors from 5 to 10. Then their result will be more worthy for 50% of whole result.
In the ESC there is no obvious and certain plan. You just have to best develop every aspect. Whole entry must be good framed and accurate. But it also may fail, because it is largely a lottery. There’s always something may fail.
mawnck, have you forgotten the common linnets already?
Crispi won’t fly at Eurovision, guys. Not enough “wow” factor. Songs that win Eurovision are always show stoppers. That’s a show pauser. Just try to imagine it in the 2nd semifinal of 2015, competing against “Heroes”, “Love Injected”, and “Golden Boy”. It would have been almost as forgotten as “Time to Shine” was. As for the dance routine, it’s pretty mundane nowadays. You KNOW there will be 15 other songs with exactly the same kind of thing. It’s a better song than “Time to Shine”, and if Thessa Van Der Mark (and her backing singers, since all those overdubs are… Read more »
I LOVE Ylva and Linda and Ramona Nerra and I also like:
Sarah Tyler – It’s Your Time
VERAH – Wishing Well
Andrea Moore – Someday
BTW, if you listen to Boom Boom and Wishing Well closely, what former Eurovision song and national selection song do they remind you of?
I really hope Sarah sends her song to the UK selection as it would be a GREAT entry for the UK.
The result is not as bad as I expected, but the good songs will just fall through with the juries again… or at last in the final because Switzerland (I’m Swiss myself) has absolutely no taste or idea whatsoever concerning music/Eurovision…
“Still Care” by Crispi feat. Thessa is phenomenal – I’ll vote for it, hoping for a miracle.
@Robyn: It remains to be seen who was the choreographer for Crispi’s video, and where he or she came from. It’ll be interesting to see Thessa on stage for this performance (because I have not seen her before)…
…Or am I mistaken, and Thessa IS the dancer sitting on the couch at the start? If that is the case, that could be a situation.
@Robyn: The dance routine for Elnur’s song didn’t exactly fit in with the song as well as the routine for Crispi’s song does; and I suspect the routine for “Hour Of The Wolf” was something they came up with on shorter notice, before ESC 2015. On audio alone, the music for Crispi’s tune stands out above the rest.
Velvet should represent them. She has many hits like: Mi Amore, Fix Me and Chemistry.
“HEARTLESS DANCER” by Anne Marie Sunshine!
In my opinion, Ylva & Linda have the best song on the swiss online platform and really deserve to win the whole swiss pre selection, because for me the song “Closer To My Heart” is VERY CATCHY. All the other songs haven’t any memorability!
song BOOM BOOM
is written and produced by Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson (Sweden) and Juan Jose Santana Rodriguez (Spain). They written also Wolves of the Sea (Latvia 2008)