EMA 2017: Wiwi jury reviews KiNG FOO & Nika Zorjan

Živjo, Slovenija! The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — have booked our tickets and flown over to Ljubljana to review the eight finalists of Slovenia’s national selection process EMA 2017, which they’ll sing out on Friday night.

We begin our journey with the first two finalists from the first semi-final, KiNG FOO and Nika Zorjan. Make yourselves comfortable and strap yourselves in, read on to find out what we think!

KiNG FOO — “Wild Ride”

“Wild Ride” reviews

William: Her voice is deep, gutteral and stirring — she’s like Anastacia but fresher. Unfortunately the song inspires little emotion and, despite the catchy opening, ends up cheesy and forgettable. For a song promising a “Wild Ride” this feels rather safe and pedestrian.

Score: 5.5/10

Anthony: If Slovenia found their own Christina Aguilera through Maja Keuc (sorry!), then KiNG FOO have their own Anastacia with their lead singer Aleksandra Josic. And just like the American artist, they’ve unleashed those rock chick vibes. While the group delivered a solid performance, I’m not getting a thrill seeking wild ride from the song itself. This is more of a bumpy journey.

Score: 5.5/10

Natalie: This song is so wonderfully genuine. Aleksandra Josic definitely has a very raspy voice and I’m sure not everyone will like it, but for me it just adds to the rustic charm of the song. I don’t think the lyrics are any especial genius either, but they’re nice enough. Sure it lacks a bit of punch and feels amateurish, but it has true grit, emotion and honesty, and especially nowadays that should be applauded.

Score: 7.5/10

Antony: The lead singer of this band has a real gutsy voice that resonates well within this song. However, at times there are elements that sound like it is a tad outdated.

Score: 6/10

Deban: Aleksandra Josic’s voice is divisive. In “Wild Ride”, its fits the rock composition in parts, but it is also the problem, Her voice overpowers the song in many parts, and the refrain is mildly annoying. That said, if she could tone it down in some of the verses and slowly build to a climax, “Wild Ride” would gain a lot more passengers.

Score: 5.5/10

Kristin: Aleksandra’s voice irritates me a bit, but I am sort of okay with this. “Wild Ride” is a little rough around the edges, but the power is there. They really, really want to deliver, and they almost manage to do so. Almost, but not quite. Needs just a wee bit more “oomph!” and then we´re good to go.

Score: 6/10

Our Wiwi Jury for Slovenia’s EMA 2017 contains 14 jurors, but we only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are listed below.

Antranig: 6/10

Dayana: 4/10

Forrest: 6/10

Jordi: 6.5/10

Luis: 3/10

Patrick: 3/10

Robyn: 4/10

Zakaria: 7.5/10

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 3 and a high of 7.5.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.5/10

Nika Zorjan — “Fse”

“Fse” reviews

Deban: It can’t be denied – “Fse” is a great composition. However, Nika Zorjan’s performance could use more energy. I appreciate the local flavour, and I hope that this element won’t go through a language transition. Nika’s voice is perfect for the track, but she needs to work much harder on her stage delivery.

Score: 8/10

Robyn: This is my favourite of the four qualifiers from the first semi-final. It has a modern sound and Nika is doing a better job of rocking pink hair than Dinah Nah’s ill-fated pink wig. But yet “Fse” still isn’t captivating enough. It has a few hooks, but not enough to make it a stand-out performance, either at EMA or ESC.

Score: 6.5/10

Anthony: Take one of Slovenia’s Eurovision backing vocalist and combine with the talent from a Eurovision representative. Maraaya are the songwriting gift that keeps on giving, and they’ve done it again with Nika Zorjan with this well-produced pop song. “Fse” has the violin beats of “Here For You” and the fact it’s sung entirely in Slovenian is an added bonus.

Score: 7/10

Zakaria: From the very first note Nika Zorjan got me! The production is well executed and the violin adds a little ethno flavour. However, the highlight of this performance is Nika herself: her voice is sultry and powerful at the same time and her stage presence is undeniable. Easily the best song from this semi-final. Oh, and thank you for this wonderful song, Maraaya!

Score: 10/10

Antranig: Nika’s performance and stage presence is electric but “Fse” is lacking in substance throughout the majority. The big pop drop is very well done and current. I wish the rest of the song had the same sort of energy but I find myself waiting for the pop drop because the rest is lacklustre. This could be an absolute gem for Slovenia but it needs to be polished.

Score: 7/10

Luis: This is one of Slovenia’s finest entries. “Fse” sounds local, yet global, and Nika has potential to slay. She has a great stage presence, but the whole package lacks something. It’s as if she’s on the right track to create a killer performance, but she’s not there yet. And I emphasise the “yet”. Bring some dancers, throw a bit more of attitude, get some tighter camera angles and we’ll see you in Kyiv! (Well, we’ll probably see her in Kyiv even if she doesn’t do it, but you know)

Score: 7/10

Our Wiwi Jury for Slovenia’s EMA 2017 contains 14 jurors, but we only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are listed below.

Antony: 7/10

Dayana: 5.5/10

Forrest: 6.5/10

Jordi: 8/10

Kristin: 7/10

Natalie: 6.5/10

Patrick: 6/10

William: 7/10

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 5.5 and a high of 10.