We are getting close to Estonia’s national selection for Eurovision Eesti Laul 2016, which kicks off on February 13. In recent weeks the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has been listening to and reviewing all of the songs. Next up is Gertu Pabbo with her song “Miljon Korda”. She is giving us a beautiful and uplifting ballad. Did it touch our hearts? Read and find out!
GERTU PABBO — “MILJON KORDA”
“MILJON KORDA” REVIEWS
Mikhail: This song is really beautiful. It has very nice folk elements and melody hooks that can cheer you up. However, it does sound a little bit flat, because every time I keep thinking that there could be something else to it. Not salty enough, so to say.
Score: 6.5/10
Deban: A sophisticated entry with a varied orchestration. Greta’s voice is spellbinding, and carries this folklore magic to soaring heights. The upbeat tones add a pleasant surprise to a song that could have predictably been strictly ballad.
Score: 7.5/10
William: Estonian is mysterious and falls easy on the ears. The same holds for Gertu’s glorious voice — a study in texture and control. That said, I’m not sure what the chorus of the song is or how it goes. This modern de-construction of a folk ballad leaves me somewhat confused, but it’s still a pleasant listen.
Score: 7/10
Patrick: What a beauty of a girl and what a beauty of a voice! This is something different, special and remarkable. I love the Estonian language in this song especially because how she sings it makes it so magical. The sound is perfect and, God, I can see her in a stunning dress in Stockholm with an also stunning backdrop! I truly love it… my God!
Score: 9/10
Bogdan: Beautiful singer with a beautiful voice. Gertu Pabbo’s effort however is compromised by an over produced song, with unnecessary beats over a nice melodic line. This could have been a sweeping power ballad, but it sounds as if the songwriter was afraid the audience would fall asleep if they didn’t add some dance rhythms. The result is messy and I’m afraid this could hurt Gertu’s chances.
Score: 6/10
Kristin: I HATE when they turn a good ballad into dysfunctional soft pop dance fusion… just because. “Miljon Korda” could have been a touching ballad with Gertu’s voice shining like a diamond, but as a slow dance track, it leaves me uninspired and frankly a little bored. I’m sorry, but I’m just not feeling this.
Score: 5/10
Bernardo: First things first. Gertu Pabbo has a powerful voice and that’s the highlight of this entry. The song itself develops quite well. I found it quite different from the typical ESC entry, and that’s a good thing. It’s a fresh entry for Estonia, but I bet this is going to be lost among the other songs. Nevertheless, it has potetional.
Score: 6.5/10
Luis: Hmm. “Miljon Korda” is an interesting tune. It has a unique sound and I like that it doesn’t transform into a regular piano ballad, as it seems from the beginning. The transitions are well executed and it all forms a good package, but it never really explodes. But with all the different beats of the song, it ends up being a bit plain. That’s quite a shame, to be honest.
Score: 6.5/10
George: Three years ago, a girl from Estonia graced the stage in Malmö and sang “Et Uus Saaks Alguse”. She took my breath away. “Miljon Korda” gives me similar feelings, even if I have no idea what she’s singing about. It may not win, but it’s a really decent entry.
Score: 8/10
Cristian: Estonian language is so pleasant to listen even if I do not understand a single word. “Miljon Korda” is not a masterpiece but it has everything I need: a good progression, a nice voice able to convey emotions, rhythm and elegance. A well packed box with an appreciated gift inside.
Score: 8/10
“MILJON KORDA” SCORES
Robyn: 6.5/10
Josh: 7.5/10
Angus: 5/10
Antranig: 8/10
Anthony: 8/10
Sinan: 7/10
Renske: 7/10
Denise: 5/10
Zakaria: 7/10
Dayana: 8.5/10
The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 5 and a high of 9.
I agree with William: the not-chorus part does the job of a chorus and the chorus just tumbles down the stairs. they are competing with each other too much and perhaps the part that is chorus now should be very minimalistic …
All 20 songs are recorder for semi-finals.
You can see pictures here:
1st semi-final: http://eestilaul.postimees.ee/3572463/hiigelgalerii-eesti-laulu-poolfinalistide-1-salvestuspaev-naitas-et-latt-on-sel-aastal-ennenagematult-korgel
2nd semi-final: http://eestilaul.postimees.ee/3573873/galerii-kes-toi-lavale-armupilli-kes-eriefektid-ehk-eesti-laulu-teine-salvestuspaev-moodus-meeleolukalt
I love this song, it’s so calming and her voice is wonderful, a true showcase of how beautiful Estonian can sound.
I also love how it doesn’t become a conventional ballad, the driving beat in the chorus helps stop it from becoming too boring.
This was my favourite ballad for a while before I really felt the emotion in Strong. Still, it’s a really great entry and I hope it makes the final.
What a tonal clash! Here I go, hoping Estonia is too cool for Eurovision, but they sneak in a more conventional ballad after all. It’s actually not bad, let me get that straight. The scores make perfect sense, though, it’s a middle of the road song that no one can really hate (I don’t particularly like it but a 6 seems appropriate), and that’s why its overall score is so high even though I don’t think it pushes any boundaries or is an expertly constructed masterpiece or anything. It’s interesting, these scores – this is one of the songs I’d… Read more »
One of my faves <3