The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 competing entries of Eurovision 2019. Next we turn to Georgia, where Georgian Idol winner Oto Nemsadze has “Keep on Going”. Did we heed his message? Read on to find out!
Oto Nemsadze – “Keep on Going”
“Keep on Going” reviews
Chris: Clearly, there is a lot of passion behind “Keep on Going” — but, based on his national final performance, Oto perhaps feels the passion too much. Too often this looks and sounds like a man angrily shouting at a football match, rather than a polished Eurovision act. There’s positives in the composition, but this will need to be much tighter and likely will rely on other songs underperforming to get far.
Score: 4/10
Florian: Georgia gives us another ballad that touches upon everything you’d expect to see in a Eurovision ballad. Unlike previous Georgian entries, I am struggling to find a way to connect with the song. Maybe it just needs to translate better on stage. But as of now, I fear this could get lost in the masses of songs in Tel Aviv.
Score: 2/10
Renske: In many parts of Eastern Europe, artists have used — and are still using — rock to express their feelings towards cultural and political changes. “Sul tsin iare” is a song that will only be understood by Georgians, but will leave the rest of Europe cold. It doesn’t matter though. This adds to a list of “1944”, “Razom nas bahato” and “Face the Shadow”, which all showed musical expression about local pain.
Score: 5.5/10
Julian: Sorry Georgia – “Keep On Going” will go the same path as Iriao last year had to go. I don’t mean that in a nasty way! I respect the cultural aspect in the song. It just does not let me feel anything while hearing it. It annoys me after a minute. Oto can sing very well though, so maybe he will change my opinion about his song, but for now this one has to join the end of the queue to qualify.
Score: 1.5/10
Lukas: It seems that Georgia doesn’t want to do that well at Eurovision once again because second year in the row their song is very different from the rest — in a bad way. Oto is a great singer and gives a great performance but sadly this song just goes nowhere. Rock songs aren’t my cup of tea to begin with, but this song doesn’t make me change my mind at all. There is just way too much noise in one song and I still can’t find the chorus of it.
Score: 3/10
Oliver: There are aspects of this which definitely deserve some praise. Rock is a genre rather seldom heard at Eurovision, much less is the Georgian language. That being said, this entry lost me in so many other departments. It felt clunky, abrasive and loud to the point where it was really too much for one song. While there were mountains and valleys in terms of musical progression, the transitions between verse and chorus felt a bit messy thus making it a rather difficult song to remember and follow.
Score: 2/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 29 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:
| Angus: 3/10
Anthony: 4/10 Antony: 2/10 Antranig: 5/10 Barnabas: 5.5/10 Bernardo: 3.5/10 Calvin: 2/10 Deban: 4/10 Essi: 3.5/10 Izhar: 4/10 Jack: 9.5/10 Jonathan: 7/10 |
Josh: 6/10
Kristin: 5/10 Lucy: 1/10 Luis: 5/10 Mikhail: 1.5/10 Pablo: 6/10 Robyn: 4/10 Ron: 5.5/10 Sebastian: 3/10 Tobias: 2/10 William: 2/10 |
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 1 and a high of 9.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 3.76/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
I dont get this low scores. How can Replay that is similar to Fuego get so high? and this so low. No i dont agree
I don’t love the song, but I sure respect it. It doesn’t deserve such low scores… :/ You should leave 1 and 2 for sloppy badly produced songs and to singers who can’t sing and deliver, which is not the case.
I feel like this is the by far most underrated song. You might have to read about Georgias current situation/history, so maybe you’ll understand it. It’s a 9/10 from me.
Sad to see your mindless scores. This song is fantastic, Oto sings it with so much emotion. It’s in my top 10 of the year. It sort of remind me of Jamala’s 1944 but with an even darker touch enhanced by the raspy male voice. I don’t understand why so many ESC fans dislike it. It tells a story, unlike so many of the heard-before pop songs that you Wiwi people seem to love.
No song in esc deserves scores of 1,2 or 3. These scores are just disrespectful. If in any following year you were to ask for an interview opportunity and I were from the Georgian delegation, I would know where to send you. My score is a 6,5 based on the conviction and deliverance of the performer.
I don’t mind this song! I think it’s really good that Georgia has shown something different in 2018 and 19! However I know almost everyone disagrees with me and it won’t do well… I don’t mind 5.5/10
I don’t mind it either because of his voice and I feel that this entry is the only one close to the national substance of its country. Georgians are strong and proud people. Also quite isolated within their region and from the rest of Europe. Language, religion. I am an universalist, not a nationalist but still, I can appreciate the meaning of the lyrics. I think I will give it a 9/10.
I don’t like it, but I respect it and wish him well!
OMG! This is totally underrated. I know our ears are not used to this type of music and lyrics, so we usually tend to hate songs that aren’t pleasant at first listen. I read a review comparing this to Iriao; this isn’t like Iriao last year. Iriao and Oto only have in common the language. “Keep on Going” is more similar to “Qami”. I would define this song as a patriotic epic dark ballad. I’m sure Oto’s deep powerful vocals will fill the stage of Tel Aviv. I find the part in the song when Oto and his backvocalist interact… Read more »
Some people deserves cheap basic songs like She Got Me.
This is so good and authentic.
By reading the lyrics, I feel it’s a song to cheer up wounded people in a (literal or metaphorical?) battle front. The incentive is not to take up arms, but to sing to the sound of a chonguri (a traditional local musical instrument). So, it’s about resistence. But its aggressiveness can be tricky for a distant foreigner when it’s not clear against who or what they’re resisting. Are you pushing me off or asking me in? I like how the songs progresses and its heavy background. Oto’s raspy voice and raw emotions give it lots of character. 5.25/10
While this is different , it’s not really pleasing to my ears. Like I heard someone say , the flavor is too local and it won’t resonate with Europe. Maybe it’s a good song in Georgia and for those who are a fan of what sounds to me like screaming. A 3/10. The running order is ok . It will stand out after Belgium probably overshadowed by Australia . Half a point reduced. The lack of public support reduces 2 points. A 1% chance to go through , essentially this is Last year’s Iceland . I dont see this going… Read more »
I said this in another Oto posting the other day…..it feels like a Georgian Gregorian Chant and I am totally buying it. He delivers his song with as much expression as Albania this year. It makes me wonder why ESC fans don’t like both of these songs instead of just liking Albania. I hope they both get out of their SF’s to the GF.
I’ll do the critique first, and the praise at the end. This song would seem to be one big contradiction. It is a “peace, peace” song that sounds like a call to arms. It is a very hopeful and optimistic song that is stuck in the dreary key of death – B minor. (Three minutes of rock in B minor makes me want to rock out to JS Bach’s B minor mass!) Now the good stuff: It’s rock, which I love. The lead vocal is stand-out. The small choir is legendary. And I too can’t stand barbed wire fences. It… Read more »
We agree on this one. Georgia deserves more appreciation this year. I also find the part in the video when they take down the wired fence pretty emotional. Hope they can create something similar through the staging.
I understand why this song is like it is – all elements I don’t like can be explained by the lyrics, which function more like a battle cry, calling out fellow Georgians to don’t give up and “keep on going” – that’s where shouting, almost non-existent melody and creepy backing singers come from. Moreover, Oto is a great performer (like there’s a reason why he won Idol two times) and you can clearly see that he feels what he’s singing, but without context it just won’t be understood by neither viewers nor radio-friendly-songs-loving juries and, as a result, left over… Read more »
3.5/10, I like his voice but the whole thing is a mess.
2. GRE (9.0)
3. ICE (9.0)
5. AZE (9.0)
8. RUS (7.5)
9. NMC (7.5)
10. EST (7.0)
11. HUN (7.0)
12. ROM (7.0)
15. FRA (6.5)
16. IRE (6.5)
17. ARM (6.5)
18. ALB (6.0)
20. AUT (6.0)
21. DEN (5.5)
22. NOR (5.5)
23. SLO (5.5)
26. ESP (5.0)
27. FIN (5.0)
29. BLR (5.0)
31. SER (4.5)
32. GEO (4.5)
33. CRO (4.0)
34. ISR (4.0)
35. GER (3.5)
36. MOL (3.5)
37. LIT (3.5)
38. MNE (3.0)
39. LAT (2.5)
40. POL (2.5)
41. POR (2.0)
Portugal in Last!? For me is the unique masterpiece of this edition…9,5 to telemóveis, 8 to Oto Nemsadze
Well, it is perfectly OK to disagree on music taste. I am happy that there are people enjoying Portugal’s entry. I simply don’t
I respect your opinion!
Georgia completes my bottom 10, but for me it is definitely the best among the worst. It sounds like a song that could be used in a Game of Thrones-like serie just before an epic battle, showing both side armies, and I kind of like that raw build up.
It is for sure not a contender for qualifying, but I do believe that there are worse songs this year. For me, Georgia has reached spot number 32, with a score of 4.5/10.
Exactly like in my list, Rimig! Georgia is my 32nd (although with 5/10 score) and the ”best” in my bottom 10. I don’t mind the song, but there are so many better ones. Yeah, I guess we’re done with bottom 10 for me…
In general, you have been around a 5-10% more generous with your scores than me. Looks like I’m a bit stingy 🙂
I was a little more generous than you guys with my grade, but the song landed in a lower position (it’s my 33th). By reading the comments here, I see that most people can’t connect with it. The song has some qualities, Oto has a lot of them, but I guess you need to be a Georgian (or at least very familiar with their current political situation) to get what it is about. Coming in a time where nationalism is mistaken as patriotism doesn’t help either.
Sure some people absolutely love it or absolutely hate it, but it seems that most of us more or less agree on this one. As you said, the song is not completely devoid of qualities, but it’s just hard to connect with.
What I noticed is that it contains an idiom in Abkhaz. Love to see new languages in ESC.
Does it deserve the last place this year ? Absolutely not.
Montenegro could take the last place.
I’ve got at least 2 who could end up finishing lower than Oto. I thought Iriao brought a song last year that was quality material and certainly worthy of the final.
One of the few constants this year: Georgia deserves better than it’s going to get. Case in point: Whilst I will always be a fan of cheese, like heck did this derserve to be below Montenegro.
This has been easily in my Top15 – I love the rawness, the tone, pretty much everything works in a way I’m surprised more people aren’t getting.
painful to listen to. and no, roaring like a lion in heat isn’t “good vocals”. by far the worst of the year so i can see where the wiwi jury is coming from
neither’s gonna survive the eurovision jungle anyway so
Wow, Montenegro beat this…
Montenegro is fastfood, and Oto is pure heart and soul, you can feel his passion and emotion through the entire song
such a shame not many more people feel the same i do with this
GEORGIA – What to think of this? It’s a patriotic song about abolishing barbed wires and it’s so authentically Georgian. Still, I’m confused on what sentiment does it try to establish – pride, anger, joy, sadness? All of the above? Songs which mix moods are very difficult to do (Italy last year is a good example of how to do it right) and this one has to have multiple hearings and analyses to figure it out. The composition is unusual and unpredictable, but in a way it feels a bit choppy. I like that it feels like a dark spell,… Read more »
wiwi juries very harsh on Oto and his song, it is very passionate, emotional, powerful
one of the songs which grew on me the most recently, same with Austria limits
It’s actually a nice, little composition. The instruments are good and damn, Oto can sing. His voice sounds a lot like Garou’s (the Destination Eurovision host). The Idol performance was so poorly done that I think a lot of people slept on this. I would not mind it qualifying.
The only thing I like about this song is his voice. He has one of the strongest voices this year.
I appreciate the message as well, but I just can’t like the song.
I miss entries like Warrior and Keep the Faith from Georgia. Hopefully, they’ll come back as strong as they are at Junior Eurovision.
You are being way too harsh on Oto(great voice!). There are much worse songs in the contest this year. And at least this one has character and authenticity.
I just want the Georgia back that rarely missed the final: the pre- 2016 Georgia. This is not terrible but very uninteresting, the only things I like are his voice and his passion. Hopefully next year Georgia. 4/10
It’s a good song, but it isn’t exactly “competitive.” There is definitely drama and the potential to have a really stirring moment on stage, but it would need *extremely* good staging to pull that off while not coming across as scary or aggressive. It’s not a totally hopeless entry, but aside from the chanting “vaarada varada” it just isn’t memorable. I can’t say I’m confident Georgia will nail the staging for it either, so non-qualification sadly seems inevitable.
Different doesn’t mean that is automatically good. I liked Georgia last year, but this year not- I can’t stand his agressive growling, my last place.
My 41st place second year in a row. Am I the only one who wishes Georgia was good at adult eurovision as much as they’re comp beasts at the junior eurovision?
Definitely not! Georgia is my favorite country in the JESC. Absolutely loved their entries in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2008…they have sent good songs to the adult contest in the past as well, but not very often.
rude, there are way worse songs in this years contest than Georgia by far
like your presence
You are SO right. That Idol performance was, well, let’s say, different. I immediately wrote the song off. But when it came on Spotify a couple of days ago, I found it much better thant I remembered it.
It’s still a long long long shot to make it to Saturday night. But if they do anything better staging wise, it won’t be as horrible as most of us are thinking now.
And yeah, get rid of those flags.