Eesti Laul: Wiwi Jury reviews Liis Lemsalu with “Keep Running”

Edgy, original, avant-garde — Estonians have a reputation for beating to their own drum. So the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — happily continue reviewing the songs competing in Eesti Laul 2017. Next up is Liis Lemsalu with her song “Keep Running”. Did we want to join her for a jog? Read on to find out!

Liis Lemsalu – “Keep Running”

“Keep Running” reviews

Jason: “Keep Running” was the last song I listened to from this year’s batch of Eesti Laul entries, and I was feeling major burnout at this stage. Thankfully Liis is like a breath of fresh air and her entry is current without being derivative. This has potential to be a major stand out if it makes it to Kyiv, and I must admit, I’m kind of rooting for her.

Score: 9/10

Steinunn: “Keep Running” is a great pop song — too bad that I’m just not that keen on this type of pop. It’s a bit too sugary and too “girl group discovered on Youtube” cute for my taste. But even though the song is sweeter than I would normally like, it has that je ne sais quoi I just can’t put my finger on. I do know that I really like the tribal-esque backing vocals that appear in the last 30 seconds of the song.

Score: 7/10

Matt: I’ve always loved a bit of Liis Lemsalu and she hasn’t disappointed with “Keep Running”. This deliciously upbeat track has me pressing repeat. It has a strong chance and will run to the final. If she gets it right live, who knows what could happen?

Score: 9/10

William: Liis oozes optimism and her production is on point with swells at just the right moments. The flashes of tropical house make me tap my feet and I just want to give her a high-five and shout “Emmelie de Forest Rainmaker Realness!” Even so, the song is somehow forgettable and gets monotonous halfway through.

Score: 6/10

Chris: Liis is back just by herself (thankfully) and she’s bringing a Carly Rae Jepsen-esque banger, too, which is even better. “Keep Running” is, realistically, her best Eesti Laul entry ever. Yet it still doesn’t quite feel like she’s really reaching her potential with it. The “keep running for days” refrain really works, but would a key change have really gone amiss here?

Score: 7/10

Robyn: This is the best pure pop entry in Eesti Laul 2017. It sounds like the sort of thing Taylor Swift was doing a couple of years ago — adorable pop mixed with uplifting instrumentation with tropical traces. While it does have its chilled out moments, there’s enough drama and variety to make it work as a Eurovision entry.

Score: 8.5/10

Luis: “Keep Running” is a decent attempt from Liis. It’s catchy, fresh and kinda sugary, just like a perfect pop song should be. It needs some more power, and not only coming from her. She’s a great performer and she can lift this song perfectly on stage, but the base needs to be enhanced. As it stands, “Keep Running” comes across as a bit demure. Still, Liis is one of the strongest contenders this year, and could definitely be Estonia’s entry for Kyiv.

Score: 7/10

Anthony: An Eesti Laul veteran on her fourth attempt this year, Liis brings her strongest entry to date. Her sweet, sultry vocals continue to give me an instant sugar rush. After two unsuccessful attempts in the semi-finals, I’m hoping it’s third time lucky for Liis to reach the final. I’ll be happy to see her in Kyiv if she wins the whole thing.

Score: 8.5/10

In our Eesti Laul Wiwi Jury, we have 20 jurors but only room for 8 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

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 6 and a high of 9.

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 7.81/10

See our list of Eesti Laul rankings here

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