The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to review the acts competing in the grand final of France’s Destination Eurovision 2018. Next up is the Australian-French singer Malo’ and his song “Ciao”. Did it make us want to say goodbye? Read on to find out!
Malo’ – “Ciao”
“Ciao” reviews
Deban: If the producers place “Ciao” cleverly in the running order, this could really stand out. Malo’s voice has a beautiful texture and a jazzy feel to it. Real musicians would positively respond to this. However, there’s enough quality distraction in Destination Eurovision to sway one away from this gem.
Score: 7/10
Bernardo: I’m a huge fan of Coldplay. Having said that, it’s impossible for me not to like “Ciao”. Malo’s unique voice captivates you from the very first note — even if you don’t like it. The instrumental is nothing new, but Malo’s voice gives the track enough character and uniqueness. I’m fairly certain this track will kill it with the juries at Eurovision. I’m in love!
Score: 8/10
William: He’s not the next Coldplay — he’s the first Malo, conqueror of hearts and master of feels. Beautifully composed and utterly sincere, “Ciao” shows off Malo’s unusual vocals, which remind me of Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins. They’re delicate yet strong, off-kilter and yet somehow mainstream. Malo sings with his entire body and as he pulsates and thrusts, he emits energy that wraps around you like a warm and delicious blanket. A real standout worthy of your consideration. My only advice is to drop the use of three languages, which gets very confusing. I don’t know what he’s saying, but at one point he appears to be shouting “I’m horny”.
Score: 8.5/10
Jovana: This type of songs always gets a lot of points from juries for its artistic and emotional value. However, “Ciao” does not sit well with me. Probably because it reminds me too much of Passenger and Lukas Graham, who I am not a particular fan of. It does have its appeal, but its lack of originality fails to impress me.
Score: 6/10
Kristin: Malo has such a distinctive voice, which goes perfectly with the song. “Ciao” is a Coldplay-influenced tune, sprinkled with just a dash of Ed Sheeran. Maybe it’s not everybody’s cup of tea (the voice thing again) but it draws the listener in, and doesn’t let go until the very last note. Should Malo be given the chance to represent France in Lisbon, there is a possibility that he’ll pull a ByeAlex and just quietly sneak into top ten, without hassle. I’m head over heels in love with this song and Malo. I want to see great things for him in the future, Eurovision related or not.
Score: 9.5/10
Lukas: Malo’s voice is very specific and unique. I still don‘t know if I like it or not but the song is quite strong. What was really good is his stage presence and how he delivered the song. The staging was good and everything just worked together. Overall this is a strong entry but it isn’t my favourite.
Score: 7/10
In our Destination Eurovision Wiwi Jury, we have 15 jurors but only room for 6 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Antranig: 2/10
Bogdan: 10/10
Chris: 6.5/10
Jonathan: 7/10
Josh: 6/10
Luis: 7.5/10
Natalie: 6.5/10
Robyn: 7.5/10
Steinunn: 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 2 and a high of 10.
I was divisive for this song, but live Malo sells it best way with expressive perfomance. Rather unusual combination of vocals, laid-back force in the song and obviously, styling. Good contender.
That was a big surprise for me! I wasn’t impressed by the snippet, though I really like Malo’s voice.
I really enjoyed his live performance! Strong, passionate and beautiful. I can easily see it on a big stage. It’s unique. The only problem is I’m not sure how Europe will react to this song. I believe either you’ll love it or you’ll hate it.
Personally, I really like it.
7.5/10
I’d love to read Antranig’s full review. It’s the closest to my score – 0.
Maybe not the most original song and his voice is not for everyone, yet I admit having a soft spot for this one. Providing Malo improves his live performance.
william’s review oh mon dieu
The only song that can bring France into the Top 5! But unfortunately they won’t choose it
Starting up with being frank, this is my least favorite of the finalists.
Is it a bad song? No, not at all. It’s just not my cup of tea. The slow beat with the eclectic performing went from off-putting to interesting in my mind, but as much personality as he injects it… I can’t see myself rooting for it. France got so much going for them this time that this one would struggle in their current pool.
5/10
Hope he wins & goes to Lisbon.
My favorite song in France Destination <3
Totally deserved. The live performance is really overwhelming.
My score is 7.5/10
I like Malo as an artist, the song “Ciao” is a very good. Another strong contender for sure.
“He’s not the next Coldplay….He’s the first Malo” William….you slay! France has such a strong selection. This is one of the top four songs to win Saturday night!
I absolutely love this song. Malo has a weird voice, but I’m digging it. France should send him imo 9/10^^
Antranig is too low and Bogdan is too high… Thank god you eliminated their scores.
Annoying voice, weird song and it’s nothing like Coldplay. He is an amazing performer tho, so I’ll give him points for that.
4,5/10
Wow, that voice is probably the most annoying thing on earth. Two horny cats near my hotel room in Greece made nicer sounds. And the song is as unique as anything that happened between 1995-2003.
Am so sad that people seem to like this as I hate it. Usually I can say something good about a song but this is like musical waterboarding for me. Really hope that France do not pick it as there are many songs that I do like!
Along with Mercy, this is my favorite to win Destination Eurovision. It’s charming, dreamy and impactful. Malo is magnificent on stage and committed to his act. Three languages work surprisingly good together.
10/10 – could be an ESC winner for me!
On another planet. 10/10
OMG, our scores today are almost on the dot!!!
Ciao – 10/10
We Rule This World – 5/10
Funny Girl – 7.5/8 /10
If you give Tiziana from Malta a 5/10 score, this will really be a full deck for today! 🙂
Ciao is the most confusing song in Destination Eurovision for me. He has strange vocals which slightly irritates me over the time. and song has some strange qualities in itself . It is supposed to be emotional or sth like that but that bizzare explosion of Malo at stage in final part is a total let down for me . He has his own style , but this is not appropriate for large audiences. Overall however he is better than some of the singers and i can see him in midtables , unable to sneak into top 3.
Bonsoir Lisboa,
Ça me ferait Malo cul s’il se qualifiait, pas mal mais ça casse pas trois pattes à un canard. Je n’y crois pas trop. A mon avis, Lisandro Cuxi, Emmy Lyanna ou Madame Monsieur vont se qualifier. Que le meilleur gagne, bisous.
I didn’t like the snippet that much….but it’s definitely better live. Not got a sing-along quality and has weird on stage presence. A good effort nonetheless.
A 7/10.
I can see this winning the whole thing in Lisbon. But it’s already too obvious that France is not gonna choose it…
It’ll be real interesting if, in case that Malo get to represent France, he’ll manage to score well for his country.
For me, it is the third best option for France, after Mercy and Igit, but it would be a sure Top 10, and possibly top 5 in esc. It is a true gem and I would not be upset if it wins destination eurovision. Bien fait, monsieur.