The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 competing entries of Eurovision 2019. Next we check out Armenia‘s singer Srbuk with her song “Walking Out”. Did the song make us want to stay? Read on to find out!
Srbuk – “Walking Out”
“Walking Out” reviews
Jack: Srbuk managed to surpass my expectations with a track that delivers everything I could’ve hoped for from Armenia. “Walking Out” is a fusion of emotional lyrics, experimental beats, and a classic pop structure, but it’s Srbuk’s raw delivery of the song — which transitions effortlessly from harsh verses to a delicate pre-chorus and bridge — that makes this song special. The eastern instrumentation and blaring horns that perfectly complement Srbuk’s genuine emotional anger and jaw-dropping vocal ability are what give “Walking Out” power and personality. This is a new direction for Armenia and I wouldn’t rule out a top five placing for them.
Score: 9/10
Anthony: They say the early bird catches the worm, but that might not be the case for Armenia since Srbuk’s announcement. While she is serving attitude in the music video, if feels like a spark is missing to push Armenia into title contention. At least the key change adds some oomph going into the final third of the song. The staging and live performance could well make or break their Eurovision hopes.
Score: 6.5/10
Luis: There are not many choruses out there as strong as that of “Walking Out”. Srbuk belts out a cry of independence and empowerment in that part of the song, but the verses blur the strength of the message. The last minute of the Armenian entry is stellar, and while “Walking Out” has other segments and ideas to be praised, the whole song is not as hot as it should be, judging from the attitude, the vocals and the visuals. This should be screaming “Winner!”, but it only says “Well, I’m fine with a top-ten finish”.
Score: 8/10
Chris: “Walking Out” suffers from the same problem of Armenian Eurovision songs past. Iveta, Artsvik, Aram MP3 and now Srbuk: each has an incredible, Eurovision-winning section of their song. But that’s never delivered throughout their entire song. “Walking Out” at least builds to a dramatic, killer conclusion — which could spare some blushes in Tel Aviv. But it’s looking very much like another case of “what could have been” for Armenia.
Score: 6.5/10
Julian: To be honest, I had very high expectations of Armenia. Not only because Armenia usually send really good acts but also because Srbuk as an artist was very promising – and so is her recent single “Half a Goddess”. Sadly her song for Eurovision is not that experimental. But after listening more, the song climbed up my top list. If she can deliver live, this one could easily reach the top ten in the grand final. Good job as always, Armenia!
Score: 7.5/10
Sebastian: If Srbuk has one thing going for her, it’s her absolute killer vocals. And therein lies the strength of the Armenian entry – the song itself isn’t particularly memorable (bar mentioning its title), leaving Srbuk to do all the heavy lifting in this track. If she can match the vocal range delivered in the recorded track, she’ll be walking out of the semis straight into the grand final. Here’s hoping her diction is perfect and ready to pounce on the Eurovision stage.
Score: 6.5/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 29 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:
| Angus: 6.5/10
Antony: 5.5/10 Antranig: 9/10 Barnabas: 9.5/10 Bernardo: 7/10 Calvin: 6/10 Deban: 6/10 Essi: 8/10 Florian: 8/10 Izhar: 7.5/10 Jonathan: 8/10 Josh: 7.5/10 |
Kristin: 6.5/10
Lucy: 7/10 Lukas: 8/10 Mikhail: 9.5/10 Oliver: 10/10 Pablo: 7/10 Renske: 7/10 Robyn: 6/10 Ron: 7/10 Tobias: 3/10 William: 5.5/10 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 3 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.26/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
Strong semi with many good song. Because they have open semi, they have chance to stay in semi to finish like Serbia 2017,Azerbaijan 2018 (both open semi and finished on 11 place). Song dont have vibe for huge suport like their entry from 2016,2017.
The song is very nice and well-produced. Srbuk has a great voice. The best part of it is definitely the chorus, very memorable and it stays in your head for a long time. I’m a bit more concerned about the verses : while full of attitude, they lack a real melody, so it looks like they’ve just been put here without much consideration. The same goes for the lyrics : in the chorus they are very memorable and clever, but in the verses they seem quite clunky sometimes (the official lyrics are “than prepare to slowly get…” instead of “then”).… Read more »
#ARM Decent effort from Armenia, honestly. “Walking Out” has great production and visuals (the video), besides the lyrics. Srbuk is a talented and very original artist for what we’ve seen so far since she was announced as the first representative this year. Having said that, there are few reasons why the song isn’t that high in muy rankings. Sadly, the song lacks that “something” (as many people already said) that would have make it as memorable as “Half A Goddess”; and the overall strength of the entry is somewhat debatable and this shows in issues like pronunciation or the sound.… Read more »
The chorus is banging, but the verses aren’t very strong, it takes too long to get me hooked.
6.0/10
Good lyrics and really good vocals but as some point out, I can’t remember nothing about this song. That could be a problem in May. The screaming really makes an impact, but that’s all the viewers are going to remember. Don’t get me wrong, I like the song and I think it will qualify, but I’m not sure about the chances Armenia has of placing in the Top 10.
Armenia has a very respectable 13th place in my top.
13. ARMENIA (7)
32. Poland (5.75)
This is not an Wnglis language competition, it’s about music btw Eleni wasn’t enough good for her pronunciation. Anyway haters gonna hate
This is a killer song
*english
I agree with Anthony’s review. The song overall is good , in my top 15, however the pronunciation isn’t the best and the whole song lacks a spark and isn’t the most unique i’d give Walking out a 7/10
I think Jack’s review perfectly sums up my opinion on Walking Out. It’s a solid entry with a “Fighter” like attitude. Lyrically, this is the best Armenian offering and as a whole, their best effort since 2016. But, I do share the opinion that “Half a Goddess” was a better Eurovision option than Walking Out simply because it’s more memorable, creative and has a higher mainstream potential than Walking Out. In this case, the “what could have been” for me is …what could have been if Armenia sent Half a Goddess?
Walking Out 8/10
Half a Goddess 9/10
This song suits my ESC 2019 position perfectly, regarding the sponsor. 😉
I’m finding it hard to walk out though.
On the review: The music here is better than the performance, so far. Without enunciation issues, this would easily be top 10, IMO.
… Anyways, aside from the main talk: I was amazed by Armenian stagings on 2016 and 2017, but soon I learned that both stagings were directed by…
Sacha Jean-Baptiste.
No wonder.
Actually Sacha Jean-Baptiste only worked on stage direction for Iveta. Everything else was done by AMPTV. In 2017, the lighting and the background graphics and costumes were done by Armenians while the staging direction and choreography was done by Sacha.
Yeah, she directed those. The visuals by the Armenian team are also amazing and adds up to the whole atmosphere.
6.5/10
The problem is I can’t remeber any hook after listening to this song for 5 times.
I think you need to make a tab under ‘Reviews’ for Eurovision 2019?
This song is in my top 10, I just hope that she hits that high note, but she all of the other parts she sings perfectly. Really like the music video and I belive staging will be great as always with Armenia. I don’t know why some people see this as a borderline qualifier, Armenia has a big diaspora in both Eastern European and Western European countries and juries will respect this as well. I can actually see this in top 15 in the final
My score is: 9/10
It has personality, but it’s also calculated. I love the contrast between the pace of the verses and the soft moments in the pre-chorus and the bridge. Lyrically, the bridge is even more interesting, because it shows a rare moment of vulnerability before Srbuk gets back to her fierce mode. The only thing I don’t like is when she starts screaming and the backing vocals carry the torch. Knowing that Armenia has been so good with staging and Srbuk is a solid singer, I’m expecting another presentation that looks like a live filmed music video. 7.5/10
I really want this to come off as well live as it does on the recording. This is a barn-burner of a track, an awesome comeback for Armenia after slipping over the last two years (in terms of results, at least – I liked Fly with Me). It’s a great way to open the second semi. Srbuk just needs to nail that live vocal (which ain’t easy but I bet she can do it) and their spot in the final is safe once again.
8/10
ARMENIA – It’s a sleek pop number with ethnic instrumental. As always, Armenia puts an effort to make it look and sound polished. The song is very ambitious as it has a lot of different notes to hit. Whether for it’s fast pacing, Srbuk’s accent or both, lyrics seem mumbled and more numerous than the fast music would allow. It creates an impression it’s messier than it actually is. The strong woman moving on is a common theme these days, but this song does it well. The chorus is very memorable, but it’s the pre-chorus and the bridge I like… Read more »
I like the song, but the problem is that it is kinda forced and overloaded. Another problem is that Srbuk’s vocals aren’t the strongest ones. She has time to practice for sure, but the song doesn’t come across as in the studio version.
And tbh, I expected Srbuk to send a song like Half A Goddess. I feel like they miss a big chance.
Another underrated pearl. I hope it does better than everyone expects! 9/10
This is a decent song. The chorus is powerful , she got some enunciation issues. Not a fan of the first minute. A 6/10 for me. Bad running order leads to one point deduction , the diaspora support adds 1 point leading to a 60% qualification chance In my book.
At first listen, I didn’t liked it too much, but after a few more tries the chorus got stuck in my head and the song has been growing on me thereafter. It’s just that that final click is not fully there yet. I do like her vocals and, with the right staging, this will probably qualify. For now, Armenia is my number 17.
16. Ireland (6.5/10)
17. Armenia (6.5/10)
31. Serbia (4.5/10)
40. Poland (2.5/10)
Strong entry but it sometimes comes across as too pretentious.
Favorable by me.
Armenia will qualify to the final most likely.
My grade : 7,5/10
if song was in armenian, i would also give it a 7.5
we all know srbuk is capable of bops in own language, and her english is crap so why go for english
Rude to say her english is crap considering she started to learn it a month ago, go find proper criticism
If it’s true she started learning English a month ago, then good for her, but maybe she singing an English-language song isn’t the right choice for her.
She was starting to learn it fully a month ago, but she obviously isn’t perfect with English, so people seriously need to give her a break and let her talk in a language she feels comfortable in
nice song but i feel like this type of production would’ve worked five years ago. i expected sumthin completely different from srbuk, ironically her promo single half a goddess is 100x better ! also i hate it when they force artists who don’t speak a word of english like srbuk to sing in english, does she even know what she’s singin bout ? juss give her an armenian bop n move on.
Like “Yete karogh es”? Such a bop
Am I the only one who loves that key change?
lifeless trash, and she is just talking
2.5/10
Armenia… hmm, first of all it wasn’t a song that’s stuck in my head after the first listen. It was nice and smooth, but when it was over, I didn’t have the need to listen to it again. I guess the thing I was missing were the emotions. Don’t get me wrong, the song is trying to convey many feelings, but I just don’t believe in them. Srbuk is singing like if she was just told to sing it that way, not like she means the words she’s singing. That fact + repetitive and unexciting music and mediocre lyrics makes… Read more »
Srbuk is fine, but Iveta Mukuchyan would nail those high notes. Anyhoo, Armenia brings quality as they do every year. 8.5/10
Actually…actually haha, I think Iveta has a better control over her voice, but Srbuk has a much much wider range. No offense to any of the previous Armenian artists (some of whom are amazing vocalists like the Sisters, Aram, Iveta, Artsvik and Sevak), but none can hit those high notes. At 24 years old, Srbuk is easily the best vocalist Armenia has sent to Eurovision.
For me, this packs a punch, it’s serious, it’s vocally beautiful and raw. It has dynamism, it has a really nice flow to it, and while it isn’t my favorite, I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. 10/10
It’s kind of a song that could have been amazing. I like ‘Walking Out’, but seems Srbuk is not the perfect singer for it. I mean, I’ve said it a few times before, the vibe, energy, and quality content is all there, but she’s not good at pronouncing the words (can be a problem with the fast pace too) and, to add, she seems fastly tired performing the song. Seriously, I’m even more worried if she got exhausted during the rehearsals and Euroweek and repeat the vocal bloops we can see in the EiC concert. Wish her the best of… Read more »
This is absolutely a killer entry. Srbuk really serves great vocals and the song is amazing as well. The ‘wait for it’ part is reeeeaaaally good and I already see killer choreo for this. A very deserved 9/10 from me, which could evolve to a 10/10 with the right staging and if Srbuk serves the same vocals live (which I know she can) this will easily finish top 10.
last years Qami, was among my faves cuz that has bags of emotion, soul, feeling
everything what ”walking out” lacks
Typical Armenian Eurovision entry.
“All Fur Coat and No Knickers”. Looks slick and staging will be unreal, but the actual song is not much.
Studio version is not that great, song is hard to understand however, Armenia will bring amazing staging, we know this. It will be their staging that qualifies them.
I think this approach of “dull song covered up by amazing staging” may be starting to wear thin. Armenia need to start coming up with something else….like maybe a good song? After all it is a song contest. 5/10
Can’t understand a word she is singing.
Yeah, I love this! One of my favourites this year. Biggest problem I think will be the live vocals.
Again, though….a 3/10 from one of the jurors…you should be saving those for some of the songs that deserve it.
this song is so forced, fans may love it but I’m sure it’s going to be another loser like Artsvik, this is not song for viewers at home