A few weeks ago France 2 revealed the 18 acts set to compete in the second edition of Destination Eurovision. And now — in a musical eruption coloured red, white et bleu — short snippets for each entry have been released. We are here for it.
Sticking with the same procedure as last year, France’s national broadcaster has decided to present short snippets of the competing artists’ tracks in the lead up to the competition. Last year, acts were not allowed to release full versions of their tracks prior to Destination Eurovision itself.
However, this year the organisers are allowing for full renditions to be published online. Given that not every performer has taken up this opportunity yet, we’ll be taking a look at solely at the snippets to make sure everyone gets equal representation. For now anyway. Our curiosity may get the better of us later.
Destination Eurovision 2019: Format
This year, Destination Eurovision goes live for all three shows, not just the final. All three shows – the two semi-finals and the grand final – will have a 50/50 split of public and jury voting, as in Eurovision itself.
Unlike in last year’s show, the three-person panel will only voice their opinions on the acts, and not actually cast a vote. Instead, a 20-person international jury will be responsible for that half of the vote.
Which of the 18 snippets is your favourite?
What do you think of the snippets released? Are you excited to see what the second season will bring us? Be sure to cast a vote in our poll and leave a comment down below! You can vote for as many songs as you’d like, but you can only vote one time. Be sure to hit the box next to each act you want to support before pressing submit.
[polldaddy poll=10196574]
I liked Roi by Bilal Hassani and Tous Les Deux by Seemone.
My favourite is the divas but I predic that either bilal hassani or florina will win it.
Why does nobody like ma petite famille, it’s addicting.
As expected from France, none of the songs smell like fodder. My attention have been given mostly to In the Shadow and Passio, so have my votes.
Another great selection by France!
Most of the songs are really interesting and there’s diversity. We can listen from ballads, pop songs, hip hop/rnb, traditional… Everything is here! I’m eager to see them live!
“Ce qui me blesse” reminds me of “Ailleurs” last year.
I really like “Tous les deux”. It’s classy and french but not outdated.
“Passio” is so interesting.
“On cherche encore” is sassy and “J’ai pa le temps” reminds me of BQL from Slovenia.
My favourites right now are “Tous les deux” and “In the shadow”.
It will be hell on Earth if all the good songs were all put in one semifinal
My favorite of Destination Eurovision this year is Le Brasier, I also like Ce Qui Me Blesse, Lá-Haut, On Cherche Encore, and J’ai Pas Le Temps.
I would probably go for Florina or Gabriella but no real stand out amongst all these songs. Most are OK a few are good but nothing amazing. I think it will come down to who gives the best performance on night
I’m quite liking Ugo’s song. It sounds very different than your typical pop or ballad song in the contest. It sort of gives me a Shawn Mendes vibe but is very much it’s own thing.
i’m portuguese and for me i think the best’s entry’s this year are noemi(Ma petite famille) and Naestro)la brasier
On first listen Gabriella – “On Cherche Encore (Never Get Enough)” sounds most memorable and fresh.
France ?? is my own country. Chimène Badi and Emmanuel Moire are very famous but their songs are too week to compete in Tel Aviv. If I had to chose one of the 18 (but I don’t like all the songs … Sorry !), I would chose Gabriella with Never get enough because of the punchy chorus
Passio is the only really interesting thing in a sea of generic and inoffensive pop, in a much mediocre selection than last year.
The best selection so far. Many radio-friendly songs, all well produced, a lot of diversity. However I think there’s a lot of “June The Girl cases” here with disappointing live performances. Anyway, we’ll see, and let’s hope that France will finally figure out the staging this year!
To those who say that this year is weak : do you seriously think that Enea’s “I’ll be there”, Pheno Men’s “Jamais sans toi” and Jane Constance’s “Un jour j’ai rêvé” are stronger than any of this year’s songs ?
Even June the girl’s “Same”, who was a fan favorite last year, isn’t stronger than “In the Shadow” or “On cherche encore”…
I would say that this year’s selection is more homogeneous and more pop.
Don’t forget Masoe, that falsetto-filled song was just strange (imo).
Trouble with some of last year’s songs is that many had amazing studio versions but they just didn’t translate well live (whether it was due to the singer or just the nature of the song). June the Girl, Nassi, and Louka in particular had objectively modern sounding songs that just weren’t that great live.
This year’s batch defs has some great songs but it remains to be seen how they sound live. Granted many seem to have pretty amazing voices regardless so I am hopeful.
This is difficult for me. I’m a longtime fan of Emmanuel Moire, but… I have voted for Bilal Hassani. It is a very strong selection though; France can’t really go wrong here.
Does anyone know when France 2 are scheduling the live shows? What dates?
It’ll likely be on january 12, 19, 26, according to some statements.
Shame, Emmanuel best male singer (plus god looking) in contest have boring ballad song.
Just heard the full version of Emmanuel Moire’s song (and the first time I discovered his sound), and I think it’s a very strong entry. May not sound as edgy and “young” as some of the entries but I think this one can cross generations.
Our songs are less good, it’s a fact. I’m interested to see on live Seemone, Battista and Tracy de Sà. This poll is so accurate, Bilal Hassani will probably win DE (Youtuber with a very high fan base + juries for Northern Europe will give him points). It’ s sad since the lyrics are so cliché and for a song that was composed and co-written with Madame Monsieur is mega disappointment. Most of these songs screams we were made for Eurovision, it reflects not our diversity in the music industry. That life like we said ^-^. We can’t have 3… Read more »
Quite good selection and much variety among the acts. Can t say who is going to win.
Big fanship and good promotion wil be helpful for each of the contestant.
Personally I would prefer “LÀ-HAUT”.
I don’t want to sound disrespectful but this time France let me down so bad. In the end most of the songs seemed almost the same…even the refrains were at best a couple of generic verses on repeat. Sorry but this year France is two notches beneath Requiem or Merci.
In the past few years France did a good job cause the winning songs were good and didn’t sound Eurovision-crafted. This bunch instead seems created with the same formula.
“Roi” has a catchy chorus peppered with some truly horrible lyrics. “You cannot change me boo”? Ick. The whole act seems a little try-hard.
It sounds like Wiwibloggs readers do not “entendent la voix d’Aretha.” Why not? It’s so fun!
But my favorite is definitely “Por Aqui.” I need to hear William and Deban say “Whiskey cocktails, RUM RUM RUM HUNTYYYYYY.” If you’re going to go for bad lyrics, make them purposefully ridiculous. Tracy de Sa has done that and I am HERE FOR IT.
Generaly strong selection, the one problem could be that many songs aren’t memorable enough. I hope that France picks the right one…
I just noticed that Battista’s entry is in Corsican. Am i late?
So many generic pop songs this year. In the shadow sounds like Sound of Silence 2.0 to me but with different arrangement. Roi is nothing special apart from the singer’s style.
wow, my taste seems to clash with the poll…. i loved on cherche encore, oulalala, por aqui, madame la paix, j’ai pas le temps, comme une grande, passio, and tous les deux? bilal and floriana have songs that would be the best in selectia nationala but are uncomfortably basic for a country that sent literal masterpiece mercy last year
These are good batches of songs, but they’re not that memorable as the former season’s. Two of the favorites are obvious jury baits, but I’m not sure if televoters would remember them well, especially with Srbuk and Tamta around. I’m putting my hopes on Seemone, Batista or Aysat, their snippets were promising. Noémie’s was also good to be listened to.
Por Aqui. I like me some banger. I like those horns. I can even imagine a remix with Willy William. And I remember some of you bashing me last year for liking Fuego. Just sayng…
Top 5 favourites so far based only on the studio versions: 5. Florina – In the Shadow (a generally good pop songs I could imagine doing well on the radio) 4. Gabriella – On cherche encore (gives me some slight Ace Wilder vibes) 3. Tracy de Sa – Por Aqui (catchy! Could easily dance to it at a party) 2. Mazy – Oulala (I can’t explain it, I just really dig the lyrics, the sound of the song and the refrain!) 1. Battista Acquaviva – Passio (Beautiful and very unique! I would personally send this song to ESC) Tbh I… Read more »
I don’t think it’s a weak selection, but the expectations were high and maybe that’s why so many are disappointed. Most songs are enjoyable and I believe some will grow after being revisited a few times. Though I can’t find something I instantly love like “Mercy” or “Ciao”. Those who stand out to me are Battista’s (because it’s anthemnic) and Seemone’s (because it’s intimate). I was loving Florina’s song, then the generic chorus ruined it for me. Bilal’s song has something interesting: it goes from French to English and back without sounding like a different song.
I agree, everybody screams here about low level or two generic, I found the selection with many différents style represented and for me, more eurovision compatible song compared to last year … also, i am sorry but I found on other national selections too much generic pop dance song with none originalit from Easter country and generic Spanish summer song from Spain. I assume perception about French songs come from last year momentum on destination Eurovision 2018 and high expectations for 2019 edition …
MY TOP 5 from Peru:
1. “Comme une grande” – Aysat
2. “Là-Haut” – Chimène Badi
3. “Por Aqui” – Tracy De Sá
4. “Ma Petite Famille” – Noémie
5. “La Promesse” – Emmanuel Moire
Special mentions to Gabriella, Ugo and Battista. And maybe Bilal. Can’t get the hype about Florina, honestly.
The selection seems above average to my opinión, not that weak as some people claim. Maybe we think that way because how amazing was DE last year. Still can’t find something to the level of “Mercy” or even “Jamais Sans Toi”.
But, anyway, that’s my opinion.
Battista Acquaviva’s holy hymn is way underrated in here.
Roi is not only a bad song, the French pronunciation is so lazy it sounds as if someone who isn’t from France is singing in the language – if that is the case, even worse.
Their only option is In The Shadow which will need a revamp to make the ending more powerful.
Europe will not like Roi due to just how anti climatic it is and the androgyny of the singer,
But Conchita was very androgenous and won. We also had Slavko.
Conchita won under the climate of the left idealogy dominating Europe. It’s completely different now.
It’s so funny that people disliked my post for stating facts. The political environment is completely different now and it’s a fact.
I agree that Roi is nothing special, and I personally can’t see it doing super well at eurovision.
That said (as a native french speaker from canada) I don’t really hear anything wrong with his french, but of course my own accent isnt one found in France. I also don’t see androgyny being an issue for Eurovision but that’s just my opinion.
For some reason french people are going crazy over Florina…. Do they really think that sounds like a winning song? Weak selection but there are better options imo. There is absolutely nothing interesting about that generic song, it would get lost in the final and im certain it would place even worse than mercy.
Instantly fell in love with “tous les deux”
Not a good batch this year… Roi is some kind of generic song that the juries would like it. In the shadow is great but depends on the live to see flop or not. Le brasier and comme un grande seems a bit promising.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZPJUTiMLis
OMG, so many guilty pleasures (which everyone probably likes)
1. Chimène Badi – Urban and well worked and sung
2. Seemone – Could really stand out and show that music is something beyond the fireworks
3. PhillipElise – VIVE LE FRANCE
4. Emmanuel Moire – Lovely message
For me they have better song last year, anf France with this songs dont have chance for win.
MyTOP 5
1.Bilal Hassani (Madame Monsieur are one of authors, and song for me is so much better than their song Mercy from last year)
2.Gabriella
3.Ugo
4.Chimene Badi
5.Battista Aquaviva
If France decide to have modern song in Eurovision they will sent Bilal, if want tradional romantic shansone they will Ugo, and if they want to sent art they will sent Battista
Bilal will give France their worst result between 2016 – 2018
I think similar result with Bilal like with Alma (for me she was underrated , especially in juries points) and Madame Monsieur (for me in total points overrated ,thanks to juries points) 12 or 13 place in final if France send Bilal, 10 to 12 place with televote, with juries from 17 to 21 place, in total points another left side for Frane
I just think a Florina will give them an Amir 2.0 result, it’s english and French and sounds VERY French. There no one else. Roi… I can see televise being too split to deliver a solid finish overall…
For me there’s no clear stand out, level Is pretty low than last year. Let’s see…
In The Shadow is so generic. And it seems two different songs and they doesn’t match well.
Juries might vote for it because it’s pop generic but I don’t see viewers feeling anything interesting with that song.
Not a fan of Roi either.
France is going for the ESC fan vote and thats a mistake imo. Edordo Grassi did much better these past 3 years
Bilal is slaying! No Conchita-wannabe ofc, he is original and we need this message so hard in a world full of hate <3
It’s camp trash, we don’t want nor claim it
I hate Courtney’s song but at least her song won’t put me into sleep like Bilal.
The first song revealed in Twitter was “Ce qui me blesse” by Ugo and I instantly love it, so I thought France was going to have a great NF. I was wrong, almos all the songs were a let down. It’s still better in general than Spain though. For me, there are two stand outs: “Ce qui me blesse” by Ugo and “Tous les deux” by Seemone. There are also two or three good songs like “Por aquí”, “In the shadow” or “Oulala”. “Roi” is also good, but Bilal seems a Conchita wannabe. So, my top 5: 1. Ugo –… Read more »
Why is no one talking about Seemome – “Tous Les Deux”, so deep, interesting and just pulls you in. “In The Shadow” is more generic to me.
Yes. Exactly my thoughts.
Ugo is my fav so far,btw he looks like Melovin twin lol
Good luck France:))
Bilal already my favorite!
France are going to go for Bilal, I’m sure of it. With his overcliché song
For all of you dislikers who can’t respect the thoughts of over people. He’s the singer getting the most attention from the French. I wouldn’t choose him as a winner, but with the spotlight he has, it looks likely.
I guess I’ll get more dislikes for this comment…
Totally agree, most singers had 200 to 1,000 likes on their Twitter snippet and he had 10,000…
Bilal is also a Youtuber that’s why he has so many likes…
For me, there is one clear stand out : Tout led deux, it is a masterpiece. But Bilal will probably win.
Là haut – Chimène Badi is my favourite, I guess.
In the Shadow is so bland, I don’t why it is winning this poll. Also, the chorus of Passio…I think I’ve heard that before lol
Anyways, the selection is ok: it isn’t bad, but not outstanding either. Something like this year’s Eesti Laul. I didn’t find anything that sounds like an ESC Top 10 song.
Ranking of 2018 selections so far:
1. Albania
2. Estonia
3. France
4. Hungary
5. Spain
6. Latvia
Agree with you completely. In the shadow is just another pop song that sounds like something I’ve heard a million times before. For me, Albania and Hungary have the best selections, with Spain and Latvia as the weakest!
Honestly, Albania is SLAYING their FiK this year.
If I wanted a “bland” pop-song from France, I’d rather choose Gabriella than Florina, honestly.
Battista, by far.
My favourite is still Ugo to be honest… There are quite many songs I like, but none I’d vote for. I have very mixed feelings about Passio: The song is super interesting and different, which I LOVE. Very good song. But Battista totally let’s the song down, her singing is a bit off-putting. But most importantly: She sounds weak. Just my opinion, maybe the life performance will elevate this.
Still with Ugo myself!
Wow, there are some really good songs. Florida is my favourite till now, however I’m almost sure that they will choose Bilal.