The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to review the qualifying songs from the heats of Lithuania’s Eurovizijos atranka. Next we’re looking at Kotryna Juodzeviciute with “Love Shadow”, Mia with “Sacrifice” and Valdas Lacko with “It’s So Unfair”. Do we have to tell you something? Read on to find out!
Kotryna Juodzeviciute – “Love Shadow”
“Love Shadow” reviews
Antranig: The verses of “Love Shadow” have a dark build-up and Kotryna’s vocals build the right mood. Unfortunately, the chorus is a bit boring and very repetitive. I think there is a lot of potential here — if they can revamp that chorus and capture the dark essence of the verses, this could be a very good song. In its current state, it’s just alright.
Score: 6.5/10
Robyn: “Love Shadow” is one of the more upbeat and modern songs in the contest this year and Kotryna delivers a sassy, energetic performance. The song lyrics though! She’s declaring that she is going to relentlessly stalk her uninterested ex. It’s creepy and unsettling, and not in a fun way.
Score: 4/10
Anthony: With an international lineup of songwriters by her side, Kotryna has an edgy, modern pop song and “Love Shadow” has some potential despite the questionable lyrics. Her live performance with the backing group oozed sassiness and might have won her the televoting heat, I’m still left waiting for that wow factor even when she goes full throttle on the high notes.
Score: 6/10
Renske: When I listen to Kotryna’s song, I feel I’m walking into a museum for modern art. It should be really good and nice, but it’s not entertaining at all. I really like the instrumentation at some parts, but I think it is just another Eurovision song trying to be a current radio hit than being an actual stage song.
Score: 6.5/10
Luis: Leaving the predator lyrics aside, Kotryna brings a very decent entry. She wants to be edgy and avant-garde. Well, she’s not still there, but she’s thinking out of the box, and that’s a good sign. “Love Shadow” has some cool beats and some nice rhythms. The chorus follows the pop-drop trend of 2016, but it doesn’t hurt. There’s potential here.
Score: 6/10
In the Lithuanian Wiwi Jury, we have 12 jurors but only room for 5 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Bernardo: 5.5/10
Dayana: 7/10
Deban: 3/10
Jordi: 6.5/10
Josh: 4.5/10
Patrick: 6/10
Sinan: 4/10
Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 3 and a high of 7.
WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.55/10
Mia – “Sacrifice”
“Sacrifice” reviews
Antranig: “Sacrifice” is an incredible song by Lithuanian standards. Mia is an outstanding performer and this was very well staged, channelling some Safura staircase realness. I have to agree with some of my colleagues and say that the song and artist aren’t a perfect match. However, I believe Mia has the talent and the drive to be able to sell “Sacrifice” the right way. Lithuania would do well with her.
Score: 9/10
Renske: She has a throne, but not a crown. Mia tries to stay classy, yet tries to discover the current pop and dance music. That combination has not worked this time. Nothing happens in “Sacrifice”, which sounds rather dated or cheap than as a winner. Such a good singer and performer as Mia deserves a better song so she can be crowned as the queen of Eurovizijos atranka.
Score: 6/10
Robyn: Mia is an extremely talented performer, but “Sacrifice” is mismatched for her talents. The song demands a slightly unhinged diva who can bring an edge to the performance. Mia, however, is too sweet, too polite to really sell it. I’d love to see her come back next year with a song that works with her strengths.
Score: 6/10
Anthony: Mia’s becoming the Lithuanian Saara Aalto, having finished second twice in the final. “Sacrifice” is Mia’s first competing entry and it feels like a B-side “Heart Shaped Hole”. Despite that, her international songwriting team of Michael James Down and Will Taylor have done a decent job at it. It’s still too early to tell whether Mia finally gets the golden ticket.
Score: 7.5/10
Luis: I’m torn over “Sacrifice”. Mia is a seasoned performance and her voice is on point. Her song is totally pleasant, but the whole act is a bit underwhelming. It promises a lot, and while it doesn’t fail to deliver completely, it’s as if Mia is playing it too safe. She is perfectly capable to add the vocal showdown this song needs, so I hope she progresses in the right direction in the next few weeks.
Score: 6.5/10
In the Lithuanian Wiwi Jury, we have 12 jurors but only room for 5 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Bernardo: 7/10
Dayana: 4.5/10
Deban: 5.5/10
Jordi: 6.5/10
Josh: 7.5/10
Patrick: 6/10
Sinan: 8/10
Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 4.5 and a high of 9.
WIWI JURY VERDICT: 6.65/10
Valdas Lacko – “It’s So Unfair”
“It’s So Unfair” reviews
Renske: This song belongs to Eurovision… Eurovision 2007. Aside from its datedness, it’s actually not such a bad song. It has some drama and there is a chorus. It’s easily accessible and it gets stuck in your head more than most of the other songs in the Lithuanian selection. If Valdas works on a better and more powerful performance, this has potential.
Score: 7/10
Luis: It’s so unfair is that this song has qualified — but unfair for Valdas, most of all. He has a fantastic deep voice, and he’s wasting it on this lame snoozefest. This song is not even worth of a high school amateur competition. I don’t think anybody has time for this in 2017.
Score: 1/10
Robyn: Valdas is never going to be hip. Attempts to make him cool just emphasise how uncool he his. I’d rather see him embrace that side of him and just be an unashamed granny pleaser. Forget the circa 2010 electro production of “It’s So Unfair”. Just strip it back to 1986 and embrace the cheese.
Score: 5/10
Antranig: “It’s So Unfair” that this got through instead of the likes of Monee and Rugile. Valdas is a good vocalist and a great performer but this song is the definition of mediocre. This song was made for a Wednesday night at a slightly upmarket bar, not the Eurovision stage. Valdas is capable of delivering much better.
Score: 3/10
Anthony: I was never a fan of last year’s entry “Stay Tonight”. Despite sounding a decade off, it’s an improvement and a small step foward for Valdas. I appreciate his sheer determination, but this cruise ship crooner personality still lingers in his stage presence. It’s like trying to impress everyone at a house party, only to end up getting lost among the crowd.
Score: 5/10
In the Lithuanian Wiwi Jury, we have 12 jurors but only room for 5 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Bernardo: 4/10
Dayana: 4/10
Deban: 2/10
Jordi: 2/10
Josh: 3/10
Patrick: 2.5/10
Sinan: 2.5/10
Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 7.
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“Love Shadow” is a nice song, nothing special. I have to admit, though, I was looking at the singer’s outfit all the time. So strange.
“Sacrifice” had a great staging reminding me also of Safura in 2010 as @Antranig pointed out. However the song is too safe. Not a fan.
“It’s So Unfair” is boring and from another decade obviously. I don’t like any song here.
is love shadow even remotely related to dj snake tbh
not my favorite in the selection but let’s be real it stands on its own
mia however…
Kotryna’s song is just another DJ Snake reject that had better stay in 2016. Mia’s song sounds like the typical Eurovision fan wank that will stay in the semi, but I love it. The performance makes it even better.