Earlier today, the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – gathered in Reykjavik to discuss the contestants participating in Söngvakeppnin 2016, Iceland’s national selection for Eurovision. Today we look at Karlotta with her song “Unstoppable”. Do we think Karlotta is unstoppable at Söngvakeppnin 2016, or are we going to hold up a big stop sign in front of her face? Read on to find out…
KARLOTTA – “UNSTOPPABLE”
“UNSTOPPABLE” REVIEWS
Antranig: There’s a lot to like about Karlotta and “Unstoppable”. I love the crescendo of the beat throughout the verses, culminating in a powerful chorus. The ooh-woah-oh-ohs are spectacular and it’s impossible to resist joining in. This entry would work incredibly well at Eurovision — the last note would earn extra points in drinking game circles. This girl is unstoppable!
Score: 10/10
Josh: I can see the appeal in “Unstoppable”, but it’s not really for me. Karlotta’s voice is far too dainty and soft to match the grunge and drama in the instrumental. It’s like asking Yohanna to sing Amandine Bourgeois. Some say opposites attract — but this combination just doesn’t work!
Score: 4/10
William: An Icelandic take on “Rolling in the Deep”, Karlotta serves up major soul with just the right amount of sass. In a rather dated field she stands out for proper production and for keeping me awake for the entire three minutes. I think the final minute of the song loses a bit of steam, but I suspect she’ll be able to revive it in a live performance. I have high hopes and have my fingers crossed she can deliver.
Score: 8/10
Robyn: I like “Unstoppable” but it’s not quite as engaging as it needs to be. The song feels like it needs to be bigger and punchier, and to give Karlotta’s vocals a bit more prominence above the strong music, though that song ending is killer. I’ll be really interested to see how this comes across live.
Score: 6.5/10
In the Icelandic jury we have seventeen jurors but only room for four reviews. The remaining thirteen scores are below!
Bernardo: 7/10
Cristian: 4/10
Dayana: 7/10
Denise: 8/10
Edd: 7/10
Gökhan: 5.5/10
Luis: 7/10
Maria: 4/10
Mario: 5/10
Max: 6/10
Mikhail: 8.5/10
Sinan: 9/10
Steinunn: 6/10
The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 4 and a high of 10.
Here’s the English Version.I think I prefer it in Icelandic but not too sure. It is a solid song in both languages and its probably the safest choice this year for Iceland.
https://youtu.be/_jdpnROt74Q
Iceland should consider foregoing their entry this year.
I usually prefer it when artists sing in their own language but I think this song would benefit from being in English. Still my favourite from Iceland but I wouldn’t mind if A ny went either.
While Kreisi has the advantage of being instantly memorable, if I’m going to be hearing a song a few dozen times before May I’d probably go with this. They’re the only two choices I’d make if I was Icelandic, although Greta Salome isn’t terrible either.