The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 competing entries of Eurovision 2019. Next we head over to France where Bilal Hassani has “Roi”. Was he our king? Read on to find out!
Bilal Hassani with “Roi”
“Roi” reviews
Lucy: Co-written by last year’s participants, Madame Monsieur, “Roi” is an uplifting and self-empowering anthem, which embraces Bilal’s individuality. This was a big no from me initially, but it’s really grown on me, and the sheer stage presence Bilal gives off really helps. It has the R&B edge that no other entry captures quite as well this year. I don’t think it will beat France’s result from last year being honest, but I think it’s a song they can be immensely proud of.
Score: 7/10
Anthony: An empowering pop ballad with a bilingual mix of French and English, “Roi” is a well-written attempt by Eurovision predecessors Madame Monsieur and perfectly reflects Bilal’s personality. But despite winning Destination Eurovision with over a third of the televote, Bilal only finished fifth with the international juries. So don’t be surprised if France struggle with the Eurovision juries as well.
Score: 7/10
Jack: The strong piano progression at the very beginning of “Roi” sets the song up really nicely. It then gradually sneaks an R&B beat into mix and things start to go south. Musically it’s a bit eclectic and lyrically it’s a bit generic. France’s biggest asset by far, however, is Bilal, who delivers the song with a bubbly charm and charisma that earned him over a third of the televoting points available in the French national final. I’m not yet convinced, however, that this will translate to an international audience, but with a supposed revamp in the works, anything could happen.
Score: 6.5/10
Barnabas: Bilal’s crown will not be removed, yet I don’t see the “Roi” singer sitting on the continent’s throne either. The song might be a well-written contemporary ballad with an important message of self-empowerment, yet Bilal’s disastrous national final vocal performance ruins the entire moment and it leaves me indifferent. Of course, there is a chance of improvement, but with the likelihood of juries pulling him down and the fact that his fanbase can’t vote for their own country, it’s very improbable that he could into the top ten.
Score: 4/10
Luis: Bilal is an extremely likeable character, so it’s a pity “Roi” is not as a strong enough entry. It’s got the lyrics, the attitude and Bilal can sing, but the song itself is a bit generic. Yes, it’s uplifting and yes, it’s empowering, but “Roi” doesn’t really linger. Moments after you’ve heard it you remember Bilal, but not what he was singing. Luckily for France, Bilal is so bubbly and spontaneous that Europe will undoubtedly remember his performance.
Score: 6.5/10
Sebastian: An incredibly talented, youthful and exuberant pop star that bends culture, sexuality and image, it’s a little unfortunate that Bilal Hassani has been paired with a track that isn’t more deep or revolutionary in sound or lyrics. While Bilal does provide the star power, “Roi” is not quite royalty status. But it sure is solid and respectable. Here’s hoping Bilal can provide the touch of class that “Roi” really needs on stage — and the revamp will amp this up to what it deserves to be.
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: 5.5/10
Antony: 7.5/10 Antranig: 9/10 Bernardo: 6/10 Calvin: 8/10 Chris: 7/10 Deban: 7/10 Essi: 6.5/10 Florian: 8/10 Izhar: 9/10 Jonathan: 6.5/10 Josh: 7/10 |
Julian: 6.5/10
Kristin: 6/10 Lukas: 8.5/10 Mikhail: 3.5/10 Oliver: 6/10 Pablo: 7/10 Renske: 7.5/10 Robyn: 6.5/10 Ron: 7.5/10 Tobias: 7/10 William: 6.5/10 |
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 3.5 and a high of 9.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.83/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
im here because of post eurovision depression and france was my favourite entry this year
some of the comments are heart breaking to read…some of you guys need to calm down
you’re entitled to an opinion but some of the things im reading are just cruel
if u don’t like him/his song then why are you here
rather than speading hate just…leave
bilal is really sucessful anyways and you will never remove his crown 🙂
Hatred in these comments is so frightening. It’s okay not to like the song, but repeating that Bilal is not an artist, that he’s not talented, weak and that a 12-year-old can write better songs is pure hatred. Seems that people harassing Bilal Hassani with death threats on social media found comrades here. Enjoy the contest and respect individuals.
I am seriously tired and of all this people saying its overrated. Because people and media see this entry as a potential winner ? Perhaps a little minority as every contestant this year but i didnt hear anything of that. Bilal has never been overrated since he won Destination Eurovision. He has been always between 12-20th place on the different polls/rankings and is even out of the Top 20 in some forum rankings. But people keep say its overrated. Eurovision medias or people in general in eurovision bubble speak a lot about Bilal because of him and his personality and… Read more »
I like it, but it’s quite bland imo. Jamais Sans Toi (JESC) was a million times better. 6,5/10
Voting Jury verdict: 0.01/10
I had a long day at work and I missed out this review. Sorry. There’s isn’t anything I can add to what has already been said though, so I’m off the hook.
For me, so many aspects of the French entry can be compared to the German one (that’s why they keep each other company in my ranking). The lyrics try to be profound and relevant but come across as heavy-handed and out-of-touch. Accompaniment-wise, the song is sparse and doesn’t switch it up enough. At some points, it’s just poorly-written with potential for a build giving way into something completely flat. The vocals are also an obvious weak point and said flatness in the songwriting might be an attempt to work around Bilal’s limitations. I guess one of the problems with picking… Read more »
Here we go, my country… well, i’m not the biggest fan of it, t9 begin with ^^ It doesn’t bother when it’s on, but it’s the kind of song that reminds that time limit is a good thing… because it’s slightly boring xD as a French, the lyrics are really not worth of an international singing competition, and i don’t even want to comment the english parts. The whole package feels bland, too linear, and even though there are some interesting melodies at time, the song doesn’t live up to what one could expect production-wise. Bilal has made huge voice… Read more »
He’s like french Slavko (Montenegro) imo :p Let’s hope for better staging tho
Listenable, enjoyable, catchy chorus… and forgotten.
Not a great song.
Generic commercial firework song IMHO.
The real quality of the song is far lower than the 3 last France entries
So I hope a final place > 15
(and to be honest, I prefer a bottom 3-5 in order to get justice for “Tous les deux”, beautiful song robbed by a childish fan army)
But since Bilal is a show freak, it could be very good at stage…
I predict it to do way better than what most of people say here. Bilal is a worker and I’m sure the final product will be surprising in good way 🙂
Whether you like him or hate him, you have to face the facts: Bilal creates the event. Just see the number of comments generated as soon as he is mentioned, even by people who say they don’t like him (so why are you here instead of the post about your favorite?). There are candidates everyone thinks are nice or great singers, but they don’t generate anything, crumbs of comment. Bilal, he’s a phenomenon. His greatest strength is that he is a huge worker. He has fully embarked on this challenge and he has worked everything: his voice, his music, his… Read more »
No.
Bilal is a phenomenon? In France, maybe. Elsewhere there is no buzz at all around him. He seems like a nice guy though, don’t get me wrong.
France: I actually love bilingual entries and this is not to defend Bilal, because I said the same about Amir and Alma. The melody is quite cool, the smooth piano connects vulnerability with strength. The song itself has something very elegant, glamourous, charismatic. Although the lyrics are no revolution, the whole package nails elegance and softness. Bilal’s dance performance has the attitude that I love! If Bilal can improve his voice (and he can, as pre-parties show), the show is on fire! My score: 9/10. My place: 5/41.
This is definitely not as Good as the French song was last year. My favorite in the French Selection was In the Shadow but that didn’t do to well. The lyrics are a bit funny in this. But overall I don’t find the song that bad. As a vocalist though , the song is probably not as suited to Bilal and neither does it bring out his performance skills. A 6/10
This would have stayed in the semi if this weren’t an automatic qualifier
Imagine Tous les deux in the current field of participants… it would have been right up there. Just like Wear Your Love for Germany and 2000 and Whatever for Australia.
Alas, we’ll have to do with these songs, and they will all end up somewhere around 20-25th.
Only Eurofans like Tous les deux, as they loved Requiem and Mercy. Those classy, emotional songs always get a disappointing result at ESC, far below Eurofan’s expectations.
Taking into account that I am scoring all the songs merely based on the official music videos, and not looking at live vocals (unless they are in the MV), pre-party acts, etc., I find “Roi” listenable, but not really more than that. I don’t love it, but don’t hate it either. It’s obvious that Bilal does not have great vocal skills and the song is not very impactful, so they will need a good staging to elevate this.
For now, I have France as my number 15, with a rather generous score of 6.5/10
Say what you want about Bilal.
This is my biggest disappointment of the year really. France had a winning formula with Amir, Alma and Madame Monseuir. It was only a matter of time before Paris was our host city…..then they go and select Bilal. The self-indulgent, walking cliche singing a song about himself and his “struggle” like I am supposed to care. Been there, seen it all before. He is basically standing on the stage shouting “look at me, look at how different I am, vote for me”. France is in for a rude awakening this year. That’s for sure. This song does nothing to me.… Read more »
i think you need to chill
Giving my review of the song like everyone else but cheers for the advice. You should write a book
Yeah, that famous winning formula with bad results for Alma and Madame Monsieur. Maybe Eurofans will understand one day that what they want from France fails every year.
I love Bilal he is so sweet and funny!… as for the song yes I love that it’s personal and has emotional but I kinda preferred almost every other song in France’s NF this year. It just doesn’t click with me but I can also see it doing well it’s a bit of a weird one idk I might start liking it more let’s just see! 3.5/10
I think this was my first dissapointment of the season. And I still don’t get what people see in it. Bilal is just a youtuber with a huge fan base in France, an already seen look and an exploited overcoming adversities message. Let’s not pretend it would have won without the wig and all the buzz surrounding the character. In all honesty, Bilal is not Conchita, she at least has a good song and a good voice. Vocal ability Bilal is lacking. I mean, you don’t need to have a perfect voice or perfect vocals, but don’t try to sing… Read more »
Tg
there are some points she has made
the constant switching between english n french is really off-putting. plus hadn’t it been an already famous youtuber it would’ve been axed in the destination eurovision semi finals.
France’s JESC entry of 2018 though did the same thing so well , Jamais San tois
it only did so in the chorus whereas roi does it for the ENTIRE thing but let’s take a moment to appreciate jamais sans toi
So there’s a strict one-minut limit after which the mix between English and French is annoying? LOL.
I think this will do better than many expect. Hate towards Bilal and Ester is completely unjustified me thinks.
It’s mostly ignorance. People seeing a wig and shouting “He’ll never be Conchita” even if he’s not even a drag queen. ?
Oh mon Dieu! Romania surpassed France!
It’s style over substance, but there’s substance. The arrangement is elegant in a understated way (very Madame Monsieur) and for a song that switches languages all the time, “Roi” manages to keep a flow. Bilal’s vocal skills are limited, but his tone is pleasing and there’s only one challenging long note. Then, there’s the style. Bilal may not shine bright to all tastes and the lyrics are very “me, me, me!”, which make it look like a vanity project. Though there’s a lot of grace on his presence. Let’s see if enough to make people embark on his journey. 6/10
OK, I’m gonna confess the impossible. I like “Roi” and I’m fine with it winning DE 2019. Bilal is a likable singer, whose voice’s getting better and better each time we see him. The song is also quite good – melodically satisfying, with nice, smooth build-up and pretty bridge. I don’t have any problem with lyrics either – yeah, their about self-empowerment, is that a bad message? Anyway, guy’s having time of his life and I’m just happy for him. Could France choose better? Duh, of course. But was it a bad pick? In my opinion no. So, 7/10 pour… Read more »
Now I’m not an upper outlier anymore. Thanks, Skiwalko! 🙂
good to know I am not the only one! I love ROI and actually its in my top 5..wouldnt mind see it winning
I agree 100%
Wow – I was expecting this to get a much higher score – maybe even win with the Wiwijury!
As you can see, the comments are tearing it apart. It will be lucky to get above 4/10 from the public aggregator. Meh, I don’t care that much for the song anyway. I think it’s rather well produced and Bilal seems to be enjoying it, but if it was for me, it would be booted from the finals to leave room for the eleventh qualifier from the strong semi final 1.
Oh, France, you could have had Seemone! 🙁
I like Roi, but tous les deux would have challenged for the win. Just like siren song.
“Tous les deux”, “Siren Song” and “2000 and Whatever” are the 3 big “ifs” of this season. If the field is already strong without them, imagine if they were in the picture.
Throw in “Dear Father” and “Wear your love” as well!
Light On and Madar, repulj for me!
I mentioned the 3 entries that I thought had more chance to fight on the top of the scoreboard, though I give you guys that the songs you mentioned could easily find a bigger fanbase than the one their countries have right now. The exception would probably be Norway (though they could just exchange televote support for jury praise), but Morland would be my choice too, Bean. He would be in my top 10.
To get the same result as previous classy, non-dancing ballads like Requiem and Mercy?
Agree 100%
Ok course I was waiting too for the most childish girl ever seen, elsa of course she is here cause she can’t help sharing her visceral hatred, yeah yeah go quickly there is an article about Bilal I m going to go and approve all the comments with hate, go go no time to waste it’s so fun it’s so clever I like that.
You can see the level of the people who hate Bilal….in fact it’s good for him cause he is loved only by the right persons. Definetely good for him.
I’m laughing a lot, I was waiting for this article to see all the negativity and hate here, classic, coming from people like Bean’s brain for example this pityful teenager and his dirty personality blinded by his stupidity and his fury against Bilal is an obsession in fact but anyway you cannot break Bilal down, you can always try but you would be tired largely before him, waste your time, I’m sad for you, the song JALOUX has been perfectly done for people like you. I will laugh again more when in few days Bilal will all shut them up.… Read more »
Eurovision is a SONG contest, NOT a personality contest. Period
It’s foolish to turn a blind eye to Bilal’s very limited talent just because he’s a member of the LGBT community. It’s like he’s trying to make up for his weak voice with that blond wig.
It should all depend on the quality of the song, not on who performs it. “ROI” is one of the weakest songs this year.
Nobody has talked of the LGBT community. Period.
It’s you and only you and your obsession with that revealed your real feeling about that, and it smells so bad. It’s a song contest yes and Bilal sing a beautiful song with a strong message for everybody, what is your problem with that?, instead of being disturb by Bilal, be disturbed by your insanitary behaviour.
You’re kinda delusional if you think Bilal is talented. He’s got really weak voice.
Face the facts, darling.
If talent was only correlated with powerful voice, then Slovenia this year, Seemone or even Salvador Sobral wouldn’t be talented. Talent comes with the ability to entertain and give emotion.
A performance is the sum of a song, a staging and an artist.
A pimpled frustrated teenager it’s confirmed….sad to see the human decay here…..
Oh he is vexed! The poor! If only he knew…….lol
This song is so overrated imo! The lyrics are cliché, “at the end of the day, you cannot judge me boo” like wtf?
France will probably (most-likely) return to the bottom 5 of the scoreboard again.
3/10
Agree, the lyrics look like they were written by a 12-year old. Plus he cannot sing. The perfect package for a disaster…
Overrated because it’s France, he’s lucky that he’s automatic qualifier.
It’s not bad, just totally lackluster and not really memorable. Staging could lift this up, but not enough to turn it into a banger.
5/10.
Mixing languages on the same verses, chorus is the most dumbest thing.
I like it 7/10
Frankly, I think he should work on his vocals, although he sounded OK in Madrid, I still think he should work well on his vocals and at those heights, that’s his biggest problem, I do not doubt the excellent stage performance, I’m so excited about the song, but I think it could go a little bad at the jury.
I will dare say that he runs a very dirty campaign and he thinks the whole world was poisoned against him. In the wrong way, he turns his attention on himself instead of dealing with some other things.
Agreed 100% with every single word of your post.
i disliked roi at first during their National final, i preferred other songs from Silván, Doutson, Seemone
but now i don’t mind it anymore, also good revamp
Well , were talking about France here.
Had they not sent him, the French people would have accused them of being Islamophobic!
In a sense, it is Eurovision, where politically correctness is more important than the music.
Yeah, but as far as I know Bilal isn’t even Muslim.
Overrated lol. This entry is all image, zero voice and mediocre song.
Winner winner chicken dinner!
French song is soooooo dull and uninspiring.
If you take away all the LGBT stuff from it, there’s nothing interesting in there.
Bilal is trying way too hard to stay relevant or get noticed (especially with that hideous wig).
NEXT
FRANCE – Remember the song ”Boom, Boom, I Am a Prince!” from the show Lazy Town? Now we have ”Boo, Boo, I am a King” version. But, unlike the former, this one isn’t to be taken with humor. I appreciate Bilal’s struggles and I respect his passion while singing it, but I just cannot escape the impression this is one big ego boost of a song. Even the video is a tribute to him being magnificent. Sure, I am glad this young man has found his identity, but I am not really fascinated by that enough to be interested. Musically,… Read more »
Nil points! In short – dreadful!