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 to Cyprus where Tamta has “Replay”. Did we have her on repeat? Read on to find out!

Tamta – “Replay”

“Replay” reviews

Angus: “Replay” hits you like a sledgehammer to the face first thing in the morning. The impact is immediate, intense and lasting. It was hard enough to think straight after the first listen and now five-hundred or so in it sends me wild every single time. Tamta has star power, stagecraft and presence. The song crackles with energy, purpose and promise. Cyprus used to be middle of the pack: now the she-wolf is firmly out of the closet. My mind is stuck on replay!

Score: 9.5/10

Robyn: It does feel disappointing that Cyprus has closely stuck with the formula that took them to a firey second place in Lisbon. There’s enough going on here that “Replay” doesn’t feel like a rehash. Tamta brings her own character to the performance and the song itself delivers some Major Lazer style with those bold horns. But it’s not quite a winner. The 2019 roster is full of many quality entries that will make competition for the top five very crowded indeed. “Replay” is fun but it doesn’t quite measure up.

Score: 7/10

Barnabas: I’ve got to admit something, folks. I am really tired of the same, overused cheap Latin beat in every second uptempo song this year, as if Fuego wasn’t enough for people starving for bops riding on the remains of the “Despacito” bandwagon. And Cyprus using the same recipe as last year doesn’t elevate the value of this package either. We’ve got another girl with a good sex appeal who’s given an uptempo dance banger penned by Alex P, and whose singing abilities will be a mystery until the first rehearsals. Of course, this is not a “Fuego” ripoff, but seriously, Cyprus could have done much better. Get back to me next year.

Score: 2/10

Deban: The digital horns in the final production of “Replay” cradle the drum machine whilst giving it added thrust. Tamta’s self-awareness which manifests itself in lyrics like “You’re stuck on me, darling/Like a love song on repeat” is infectious. At first glance, “Replay” doesn’t appear to have a clear message. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that it represents a self-assured woman that is fully aware of her potency. Whether you choose to intellectualise this entry or not, there is a strong appeal here: lyrically, musically, visually and sexually. Expect Cyprus to peak in the top five.

Score: 9.5/10

Lucy: I’m gonna be controversial: it’s not doing it for me at all. I don’t want to make that comparison, but it has too many elements from last year, and then with elements from Asanda’s “Legends” from You Decide last year… except both songs did it way better. I find this a bit underwhelming and uninteresting compared to other bangers we have this year. But without these bangers, there’d be less of a party, so I guess I can appreciate that at least.

Score: 3.5/10

Ron: Last year Cyprus brought us a real bop and this year we get a replay. I’m not sure which one is better, but who cares? Both songs are good and both have a great production and spectacular music videos. What I like the most in “Replay” is its fresh, rich and dynamic production which was done perfectly by big names such as Alex P, Viktor Svensson and Geraldo Sandell. This song is a banger and will make everyone dance in Tel Aviv. So yeah, it’s a bit similar to Eleni’s “Fuego”, but it’s still one the best songs in this year’s contest so well done Cyprus. I can’t wait to see how Sacha Jean-Baptiste will stage this one on stage.

Score: 8.5/10

In the Wiwi Jury we have 29  jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:

Anthony: 7/10

Antony: 8/10

Antranig: 10/10

Bernardo: 7/10

Calvin: 7.5/10

Chris: 8/10

Essi: 7/10

Florian: 8/10

Izhar: 9/10

Jack: 3/10

Jonathan: 8.5/10

Josh: 8/10

Julian: 8/10

Kristin: 6/10

Luis: 8.5/10

Lukas: 9.5/10

Mikhail: 7/10

Oliver: 10/10

Pablo: 8.5/10

Renske: 8/10

Sebastian: 9.5/10

Tobias: 6/10

William: 10/10

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 2 and a high of 10.

Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.78/10

What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!

See all our Eurovision 2019 reviews and rankings

65 Comments
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Charlie44
Charlie44
4 years ago

Sorry, too much fuego! 1/10

Colin
Colin
4 years ago

CYPRUS – This is a good party song with memorable beat and a strong hook! But the elephant in the room has to be addressed – This is very similar to a certain *other* song! They even named it Replay as a nod to self-awareness of that fact. I am conflicted in rating it, because I don’t like the fact that it’s so derivative, but at the same time, I think the song manages to do what it aims for – being catchy and entertaining. I really like the studio version, but for this to fully work, Tamta would need… Read more »

Jack
Jack
4 years ago

I just noticed how those who scored this with a 2 or a 3, gave Montenegro a 5 or a 6.

Lol..

Konstantina
Konstantina
4 years ago

Omg who’s that Barnabas

Dav
Dav
4 years ago
Reply to  Konstantina

He’s just right. Soooooo boooooring

ESC LOU
ESC LOU
4 years ago

Ok let’s all admit that this song is an absolute BANGER I don’t care what people compare it too if it is similar to Fuego then I don’t blame them for doing the same style, as Fuego did so well last year and tbh I prefer Replay this year anyway… Tamta is just great the staging will be amazing and who cares if it’s ‘unoriginal’ like um it’s still a really good song! especially for eurovision! 9/10

cheska
cheska
4 years ago

i’m sorry, giving this a 2, while giving montenegro a 5 seems a bit absurd. this might be quite similar to what eleni did last year, but u cant deny that this is a catchy, contemporary and /polished/ song.

i don’t understand the hate cyprus is getting for sending a dance track again. sweden has been doing it for years, so what’s the difference?

Jane Doe
Jane Doe
4 years ago
Reply to  cheska

People have different tastes. That being said, some people just have bad taste.

Héctor
Héctor
4 years ago

Lazy “Fuego 2.0”, more modern than “Fuego” but less original. It is just not the same formula, bul also the same song. Lazy producers. Generic and artificial. How can someone praise it? For sure Cyprus is qualifying because the song is enjoyable as “Fuego” was and Sacha is going to create a good show. I mean, “Replay” isn’t a bad song per se, but everything around it feels fake and made for Eurovision. This is not top 10 material, though I’m afraid everyone is going to eat it because Cyprus placed 2nd last year so this has to be good.… Read more »

Nicolas
Nicolas
4 years ago

The studio version is so autotuned that I’m pretty sure the live version will sound better to my ears. Tamta is an experienced singer.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago

I avoid comparing the current entry with previous efforts from that country, but Cyprus made it impossible, the game plan is exactly the same. They could had used a male vocalist or changed the structure of the song. But no, it’s a “Replay” of something that was already generic. The funny thing is that I like it more than I liked “Fuego” on the studio version. The production is tighter and the lyrics are more polished. Eleni got me with her live performance. Maybe Tamta can also do it. But it will be tough to make me forget I’m watching… Read more »

Chriss
Chriss
4 years ago

By the way it is funny that some complain about the quality of the song both last year and this year but then again when we send John Karayiannis or John Lllygreen nobody voted them!

Chriss
Chriss
4 years ago
Reply to  Chriss

Doesn’t matter if they made the final, they were both low in the scoreboard.

Colin
Colin
4 years ago

Energy and entertainment value: 8/10
Lyrics and meaning: 5/10
Originality: 2/10 at best
Possibility of having the sexiest performance this year: 8/10
Review incoming… still unsure…

Serafina
Serafina
4 years ago

The person who gave Chameleon a 2/10 attacked once again lol. Seriously though, that’s the kind of score you’d give to countries like Montenegro or Georgia. 2/10 are merely points for effort, and while I do understand you may not love this, what you can’t tell me is that it ain’t catchy or that you can’t find any redeeming qualities about it 😉
William must be stopped too though, this is not a 10/10

AArrr
AArrr
4 years ago

Barnabas no taste

Rimig
Rimig
4 years ago

As I already said in some post, I was quite shocked when Cyprus became the number 2 last year. Not that I didn’t enjoy “Fuego” but, as a song, I didn’t consider it to be of sufficient quality to reach such high position. Of course, Eleni looked stunning and slayed her dancing, but still… having songs like Bulgaria, Estonia, Austria (to name just a few) I could not believe that people considered that “Fuego” was the second best song that Europe could make. And I am having even stronger issues with “Replay”. I cannot even fully remember it; every time… Read more »

L’oiseau
L’oiseau
4 years ago

The comment made by Barnabas does resonate with me. We have too many fake/poor Latin sounding bangers this year riding the wave of last year’s Fuego. We are missing a few more Nettas (only Conan and Tulia are near her league imo) rather than more Elenies, as wonderful as she was, to push the edge of Eurovison. Having said that, and knowing that this is again a ready-made product (hence less interesting by definition) Cyprus has come with a product that has some street cred especially in the chorus where the music comes to life. The infectuous horns does the… Read more »

Helene
Helene
4 years ago
Reply to  L’oiseau

Already Fuego was second hand wannabe latino music. So what about this how can anyone give it 10?

L'oiseau
L'oiseau
4 years ago
Reply to  Helene

Helene, I totally agree with you and I said that in my review of Fuego last year, which was quite harsh actually. I love latin music, so my ears are quite sensitive to that stuff that comes out in the market and in the ESC. Of course, when Fuego came to life on stage, I saw the enchantment with Eleni… Replay, however, at least the studio cut, is much better than Fuego and less of poor latino pop. Swtizerland, Malta and Armenia made that honour this year, so far with good (but overrated) pay-offs for Switzerland

Carol
Carol
4 years ago

I 100% agree with Barnabas!Tamta may be talented,she is adorable in fact but the song is mediocre,nothing special,we have seen it many times before and this is not a winner material…Tamta does not look energetic at all and unfortunately Eleni Foureira’s shadow is still here and overshadows here….top 15 for me

Kiriakos
Kiriakos
4 years ago

A 2/10??! I get that the song might not be the cup of tea of some but you can’t deny is a catchy song. Let’s just be real!! It’s good when a song has haters just like netta last year ?

Baloonbleu
Baloonbleu
4 years ago

Can we respect music taste and opinions?
Replay isn’t in my top 15, but I don’t get mad if someone thinks it’s a 10/10 song

Wildcat612
Wildcat612
4 years ago

Barnabas: “We’ve got another girl with a good sex appeal who’s given an uptempo dance banger penned by Alex P, and ***whose singing abilities will be a mystery until the first rehearsals.”***

Well, she’s only been performing for the past 15 years… If her voice is a mystery to you, I suggest you do a quick search.

Andy
Andy
4 years ago
Reply to  Wildcat612

Agreed, also like last year with Eleni, people assumed that just cause she is very pretty probably she can’t sing. I don’t understand why these qualities need to be mutually exclusive.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  Andy

No , we assumed that because her previous live performances were not very good. But a lot of practice and backing vocalists can make a whole lot of difference.

Mad Professor
Mad Professor
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

People usually assume what suits them. Eleni is not the perfect vocalist but there were more live videos at that time where she appeared to sing perfectly fine but they were ignored in favor of other videos where she sang badly.
People wanted to assume she was a voiceless untalented bimbo that would crash and burn in the semifinals cause it suited it them that way.
The bookies went along with it cause this was the information they were receiving from “experts” in Greece.
A lot of people seem to confuse their predictions with wishful thinking.

Chriss
Chriss
4 years ago

I wonder if we didn’t send fuego last year what reaction this would get..

Colin
Colin
4 years ago
Reply to  Chriss

Probably mildly better, although possibly not with as big of a buzz around it. Upside is that Replay is a seriously energetic and catchy song. Downside is that it’s copying their song structure from Fuego and they know it. Same people wrote it and the title itself is a nod to their self-awareness of the fact.

David
David
4 years ago

This song in UK songwriting camp

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
4 years ago

It’s ok for me. I have it qualifying comfortably and it is in my top 26. Music like this is not particularly exciting or innovative for me but it is still decent. I would expect a top ten finish.

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

Much lower than I expected. It’s very enjoyable, a total party song, but yes…it’s predictable and generic.
6.0/10

Isabella
Isabella
4 years ago

I am going to say something that (I think) has not been said so far here: who did really bet for Fuego last year before rehearsals? Let’s be honest, it was a song most of us put at the middle of our favourist’s list… average position. Wiwi Jury placed it at 11th position, it was 20 something at the odds…. BUT Eleni came, Queen Foureira did possible what almost nobody believed: that song that had not caught much attention during previous weeks came top at odds and almost, almost won the ESC, coming very close to Toy, the winner we… Read more »

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  Isabella

I did , I had Fuego at my 5th place all along.
Israel 2nd , Germany 4th , Austria 6th , France 3rd ,
Finland 1st (Oops on that one )

Isabella
Isabella
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

You said it! 5th when after the rehearsals and more after the show most of the Eurofan community got crazy about it (me included) and put it in 1st/2nd place.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago

Concept: “We want a replay of last year, please.” And this is what happened. A clever idea – a song about the repetitiveness and addiction of music/sex. This is also a candidate for mis-heard lyric of the year, but I will let you guess what that might be. 😀 Tamta does very well bringing this to life, and the loud horn instrumentation will give the entry a boost, for sure. I’m not a huge fan of the song, but I’m sure the choreography will be great for it. P.S. A shame this wasn’t Croatia’s entry, as we could have saw… Read more »

Colin
Colin
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

“I’m sh*tting my body tonight” is all I hear. 😉 Maybe when you have lyrics like “them sheets need my body tonight” make sure you can pronounce them correctly. :-!

Roko with Replay! Interesting idea, for sure. 🙂 I actually think that Roko with Wake Up would be a good combo. Someone who can leave a powerful presence on stage with a song with actual well written lyrics.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Colin

@Colin: Yes, that is the misheard one. 🙂
I wasn’t thinking of Roko specifically, just of anyone in Croatia so that we could have the ENDI moment.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Thank you guys, now I can’t hear a different thing! It’s officially my new “I’m gonna get some hot tuna”. 😀

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Bad English grammar for a person claiming to be a Brit songwriter , David.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

@Kris: You know, I have been very tolerant with personal jibes on the site this year. However, enough now please. I use what grammar I want, and so do you. So stuff it.
(Besides, bad grammar is “art” in songwriting.)

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

@Kris: I apologise. I was a bit harsh there. 🙁

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Lol , that reply got posted under the wrong comment. But I did write the person’s username so you could have guessed it was meant for someone else.

See comment ‘ This UK songwriting camp song.’

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

@Kris: Oh yes! Pahaha! I am really having a stressful week. Sorry.

Andy
Andy
4 years ago

I agree with most of the comments here. In my opinion, Cyprus should have sent a male singer this year, exactly because Eleni’s impact is still quite strong. However, I also think a) many viewers on the night of the actual shows are not hardcore fans to actually remember songs from last year so that might help Tamta 2) I think Replay as a song is more polished than Fuego but when we compare the songs we naturally bring in our minds Eleni’s performance because it was so strong. However, last year before the rehearsals, same comments applied to Eleni… Read more »

Kris
Kris
4 years ago

What does Heart beats like an ?808? ?AOA mean?

Andy
Andy
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

I think 808 stands for an airplane engine or something like that.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

Thanks for explaining. For most people not born then it’s a relatively unknown entity still.

gin
gin
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

And don’t forget that most delegations send a short bio/intro to foreign commentators. What a great chance to let viewers know what an 808 is when introducing Tamta and let their hearts beat like “BOP BOP BOP BOP Replay replay replay. “ Catchy, artsy, lyrically visually sexually Appealing (thank you deban) Top 2 finisher

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago
Reply to  Kris

By the way, this is the only moment in the song I said to myself “OK, that was a clever one”.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago

The song is good . Seemingly it doesn’t sound as striking as last year’s Cypriot entry cause there are more full-on dance songs this year than were there last year and this looses it’s freshness and uniqueness. Irrespective , this is a really good song and Tamta is a good vocalist. She probably won’t be dancing as much as Eleni though. I do understand the comparisons with Fuego cause the song structure and progression is exactly the same. The graphics on the back of the leaked stage show though seemed super cartoon-like.(And not even immortality type good) probably change that.… Read more »

Safiya
Safiya
4 years ago

The problem with this entry is that people had very high expectations after Eleni’s success last year. The song does not sound like Fuego but it’s still the same formula, so people keep comparing the songs and that doesn’t not work in Replay’s favour. It turns out that people actually prefer to hear something new every year and sending similar entries is not a good choice. Replay is definitely an earworm but we also have other bops this year that seem more fresh. When I hear Replay I like it, it gets stuck in my head for some time, but… Read more »

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago

this is the female sexual liberation bop we’ve been asking for for years. the first real sex anthem since secret combination. let’s stop with the disrespect, fuego ripoff or not issa bop. the one thing i’d criticize is that she sings this song thru her nose, probably to imitate that rihanna style of singing, but her real singing voice is good.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago

Yeah, I noticed the nasal track on the recording as well, but I just thought that was down to studio compression. You think it was deliberately sung this way? Interesting.

Nna
Nna
4 years ago

The most overrated entry of the year, these high scores are mistery to me. I can’t see any appeal here- lyrically, musically, visually and sexually, as its stated in article subtitle! In the field of ”bops” I will definitely choose Malta, which is certainly more fresh, interesting and quality entry than this. Even in its semi 1, I wouldn’t be surprised if it would be borderline. Downvote me as much as you want, but even Belarus has better appeal than this entry- I think audience will prefer copy of young Britney than unsuccesfull copy of Eleni just a year after,… Read more »

MyEuroVision
MyEuroVision
4 years ago

I do quite like the song, but not that much as eurofans seem to like it. I just have the feeling this will be the fan favorite flop of the year. I expect this to get more like a Ivi Adamou result than a Eleni result.

Weißbrot
Weißbrot
4 years ago

I liked Fuego far better. And the reason why everybody keeps comparing Replay to Fuego is, that this is exactly what they wanted – Fuego 2.0… And I guess it works in a way, many people like this song. But Replay is precisely this… a downgraded version of Fuego, that lacks the fun and fire that last year’s entry had. I know it’s very likely, that zero passion went into this project. Cyprus is trying to replicate last year’s success, because it worked well. And I don’t blame them for playing it safe… But to be honest, this song kinda… Read more »

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
4 years ago

After the staging we saw from that leak I’m kinda worried for Cyprus, the staging looked bland with those standard black and white LED’s. The song is an absolute banger, and for me the only similarity to Fuego is that it has the same structure, the rest is different. I find myself gunning the drop quite often. I think this will finish around 7th place. 9,5/10

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
4 years ago

Barnabas’ explanation doesn’t justify the 2 he gave
Judging the song itself, it’s a great song, you just can’t give it a 2 unless you don’t like it but it doesn’t seem as he dislikes this song…

Escf
Escf
4 years ago
Reply to  Roy Moreno

I agree with him, song is boring and even annoying to me, offers nothing new.

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
4 years ago
Reply to  Escf

If you dislike the song, it’s ok
But if you give it a 2 just because it’s not something new, than it’s not justified…
We are judging songs, not how new they are

Slytherin's Horcrux
Slytherin's Horcrux
4 years ago

I 100% agree with Barnabas

Kosey
Kosey
4 years ago

I need this song on replay. An infectious, catchy dance tune that is going to have mass appeal.

Erasmus
Erasmus
4 years ago

Replay got a better score than Fuego! (I love both tho)

Sam
Sam
4 years ago

I actually like this song more than last year’s. Cyprus very likely won’t do as well as it did, but could easily be top 3 in its SF and top10 in the final.