He won the hearts of Eurofans three years ago in Stockholm.
And at San Marino’s First Rehearsal for Eurovision 2019 Serhat reminded us all why.
The performance starts out with his backing dancers lit from above in pink.
Thereafter the stage explodes in light, revealing Serhat in a white suit and dancing atop a raised diamond.
There were problems with in-ears during the first run through, but the package tightened up with each successive run.
Serhat’s female backing singers after the opening assume their position behind three microphone stands, while the male backing dancers focus on the dancing.
It took time for the dancers to hit their marks, but by the third run through they had put it together. The screens are heavily focused on the song’s lyrics, including a part where Serhat is surrounded by letters.
Overall this is infectious and fun. Qualification remains up in the air because this is San Marino. However, Serhat is doing everything he can to get this gig across the line. And you have to salute that.
Serhat — “Say Na Na Na”: Reviews and Reactions
San Marino: First rehearsal at Eurovision 2019
San Marino: First press conference 2019
Read all of our Eurovision rehearsal reviews
Photo Credit: EBU
I’m not very fond of the first rehearsal images, but the key for this entry is to be entertaining, not to look good. It was a smart choice to end the show with something light and bubbly. I would say its qualification chances lie a lot on how much the previous entries will be able to find an audience. If they fail, San Marino is there waving with a friendly nanana.
My hopes are still up. Never say never. I think the second rehearsal will be a big determining factor since we haven’t seen what it’ll look like on camera yet, but the people there seem pretty positive about it.
Joke entry of the year. He cannot sing AT ALL, the staging is very tacky and he moves like a woman… Last place in the semifinal…
what does ‘he moves like a woman’ even mean…
Nice staging very good closing number. This is a guilty pleasure that everyone will talk about and vote.
A bit ridiculous outfits for the male dancers and I hope he wouldn’t use the Turkish words for diaspora, so desperate.
But all in all, this is a very good effort that stands out.
San Marino will qualify but I wish they had addded something Italian in the song.
????? He’s literally Turkish….he can use as much of his mother tongue as he wants!
I LOOOVE THIS 10/10
It feels like very San Marino staging…
I think it’d be better with a bit more colour!
Here’s my Top 17 First Rehearsals for Semi Final One: Saturday was weak, some of the rehearsals were just terrible like Montenegro, Finland, Poland just to name a few. However Serbia, Slovenia, Czech Republic Hungary, Cyprus snatched my wig and stole yesterday’s show. Today on the other hand, was STRONG, Greece, Australia and Iceland and others were giving everything people wanted, with Avant- garde stagings, even the ones that were forgotten and dismissed like Estonia were brilliant. I can predict that most of the qualifiers will come from the second half of the semi final. It was just AMAZING. So… Read more »
My Top 8 of Today’s Rehearsals
1. Greece
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Belgium
5. Portugal
6. Georgia
7. San Marino
8. Estonia
Just to add Today’s Rehearsals have been a thing out of heaven, even Estonia was brilliant IMO it was just that the other rehearsals were strong.
What are those backing vocalists doing? Just as Gabanni’s in 2017, awfullly off-tune. I don’t like the staging. I have changed my opinion, it might not qualify.
Press Poll
77 Australia
55 Greece
55 Iceland
38 San Marino
30 Georgia
24 Belgium
20 Portugal
16 Estonia
australia will be lucky to get 77 points from the televote…..
And we hope it’ll be more than that.
They will get more than that, Eurovision audience loves that kind of tacky, tasteless cr*p. The juries will destroy it, I just hope that they destroy hard enough for it not to qualify.
Dream on Bella, juries will love that. Australia is going smart this year, both with juries and televote.
Rigged. San Marino over Georgia wtf. And God knows what’s going on this song with Russia. I’m even more honest than the press.
Much smaller differences than in first part of the evening. I still think we can confidently say Iceland, Australia and Greece will probably make it. 🙂
I’d really like if Portugal and Estonia make it too, but something tells me at least one among them will probably be left out. 🙁
So, after first rehearsals, I’d say that Greece, Cyprus, Iceland, Australia, Czechia and Serbia are probably good to go.
Montenegro is out. We have 10 countries fighting for remaining four spots. Gonna be thrilling!
Portugal will flop badly
Good luck San Marino I hope you qualify for the final.
I wish I could hear Serhat’s voice louder. Not bad but still a borderline qualifier for me.
Serhat has an nteresting voice and it’s a pity he so far didn’t show more ambition in terms of song choice.
As is, I cannot help but think of San Marino as the official ESC troll platform.
well the choreography is totally stupid but he has many chances to qualify
On a side note, thank you for your good work wiwiblogs, and please stay safe. A lot of things are happening in Gaza and in Israel. Hope nothing will affect the contest
I always liked light and unpretentious entries, but man, those nonexisting vocals are killing this. Staging didn’t impress me too with those hypnotic letters, they should have transfered party feeling from the video..
Im a fan of the song and Sherhat but this looks very mediocre to me!! Hope its better seeing the whole picture??
With this staging I don’t really see San Marino qualifiying. I wouldn’t say it is bad, but it looks very cheap and simple. The dancers and backvocalists need to make their moves feel more organic and natural. It looks like they haven’t rehearsed at all.
It would probably look good on camera angles. I also like how unpretentious this is.
looks good. I think they have a shot, but it’s not a given.
I “say yey yey yey” to “say na na na”. 🙂
I hope Barei fans can forgive me.
Hope he doesn’t qualify, we have much better song than this..
I’m not sure about that one. I’d call it a borderline qualifier for the moment, I guess it all depends on what the energy in the arena on the night will be like. Still, fingers crossed for Serhat.
Fun fact: There’s 156 “na” in “Say Na Na Na”
Not so fun fact: there are far too many “na’s” in this song.
Please my tiny cutie San Marino, be in the final. I believe in you
Hatari also loves SM!
(Sorry, just had to do the joke!) 🙂
I love SM too! (Both) lol
Please downvote this comment!!!
There was nothing wrong about your first comment, why did you change it?
Not everybody’s gonna like your opinion, don’t let the downvotes get under your skin. 🙂
Well no matter what you post here you get downvoted. So I decided to invite them to downvote by myself.
Upvoted! Na Na Na .
pretty much reproducing the music video, and that’s fine. those are the vibes this song has anyway. hope he pulls thru