What began as a slow trickle is quickly becoming a steady flow. In the last week, the number of confirmed entries for Eurovision 2021 has almost doubled — jumping from three to five. Ukraine’s Go_A confirmed “SHUM” as their entry, while Lithuania reselected The Roop with “Discoteque”.
France’s Barbara Pravi took gold in our last survey, but can she hold on in a more crowded field? You decide!
You can listen to the two new entries below. Then vote in our poll. Choose wisely, you can only vote ONE time. Voting is open until Friday 12 February — the eve of the Dora 2021 final.
We will then relaunch the poll to include the victor in Croatia and any other songs which might drop between now and then.
Eurovision 2021 entries as of 7 February
New entries
Ukraine’s Go_A with “SHUM”
It debuted in late January, but it was only after a series of denials and an internal jury vote that “SHUM” was confirmed as Go_A’s song for 2021 on Thursday. After honouring melodramatic Carpathian folk tales with techno and EDM last year with “Solovey”, Go_A have opted for a somewhat darker style in “SHUM” (“ШУМ”). They describe its meaning as “to awaken and summon spring and hasten the awakening of all living things after winter”. The track needs a trim to comply with Eurovision’s three-minute rule, while questions remain regarding its folklore-indebted lyrics.
Lithuania’s The Roop with “Discoteque”
They were red-hot favourites heading into the final. And, sure enough, The Roop were runaway winners of Lithuania’s Pabandom iš Naujo! 2021. “Discoteque” smashed the national final’s televote record, which The Roop themselves set in 2020. It’s only one in a long list of records broken by the track. Lithuania now sits at the top of the bookmakers’ odds.
Other entries
- Albania: Anxhela Peristeri “Karma”
- France: Barbara Pravi “Voila”
- Israel: Eden Alene “Set Me Free”
Who is your favourite Eurovision 2021 act so far?
[crowdsignal poll=10738842]Which entry is your favourite? Can any of them win the contest in May? Let us know in the comments.
1 France
2 Israel
3Ukraine
4Albania
I’m one more year amazed how the fandom can hype or destroy entries. Now it’s time to hype that terrible repetitive imitation of ‘on fire, which I loved, just because its the roop. Ukraine on the top of the poll is simply ridiculous too. If you cannot be objective in terms of musical quality, better don’t give an opinion. Just said it.
Shum, and Barbara, but not really liking them. Let’s see what Spain and Norway deliver, the countries I am most excited about
Ukraine’s SHUM is nothing compared to last year’s Solovey. 2020 entry was in my top 5 but this year I can barely see them in the grand final.
Of these 5 songs the Roop will probably be top 10. Barbara’s position in the line-up on the night will determine her final result. The later she sings the more points she will gather. And the juries will be generous to her I think. I do not see Israel, Ukraine and Albania in the final, but then again: who can tell … to be fair, it’s way too early to speculate on this, considering the fact that we don’t know the other 36 yet. If Keiino wins in Norway they will do very, very well with Monument. The public will… Read more »
I like how this year is gearing up so far. Each song is interesting and I wouldn’t skip even the songs that are lower on my list.
France is still my favorite and I do love Albania’s song-feel bad that it seems to be getting not much attention. Lithuania and Ukraine, I like for how interesting and foreign they sound to my American ears. Israel…I gotta admit I liked Feker Libi better but I do like the instrumentation of Set me Free and I think she can elevate it live.
1) Ukraine (like Solovey was my winner of 2020, its my favorite too for this year). But the Big ukrainian diaspora from Italy, Russia, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Belarus, Lithuania, Ireland and Romania will support this. 2) Albania (I feel good vibes for this song when I remember the result of Cyprus 2018, even if I hate Eleni Foureira). But the albanian diaspora from Greece, France, Switzerland, Serbia and Austria will support this. 3) France (could be a disaster, when I remember the french’s staging of 2015 and 2018) 4) Israel (Rip “Ue La La” and “Feker Libi”, sadly). 5) Lithuania… Read more »
Eurovision 2021 is Lithuania’s to lose. The song is too good!
5. Albania
4. Ukraine
3. Israel
2. France
1. Lithuania
5. France
Sorry, I don’t need this bleak snoozefest amid the pandemic
4. Albania
Kinda weak entry this time around, a pity
3. Israel
When I listen to this I sing “Feker Libi” in my head
2. Ukraine
Very strong tune. The question is, how strong will it sound with its playtime cut down to 3 minutes?
1. Lithuania
The Roop are once again the main contender for the trophy
So you need only uptempo songs because of the pandemic, emotions are nothing because of the pandemic for sure, and eurovision have to be a contest of uptempos songs only because of the covid and to please to mr Teddie of course. Ok…..
I like Ukraine, I really do… But I don’t think it’s gonna be my favorite one.
Shum is literally a cover of a folk song. EBU, step in if you have ANY balls.
LOL did you even read the context? Its not exactly breaking any rules, plus its not even the eurovision version, thats coming in March 🙂
Ukraine & Lithuania, just NO! Nothing especially.
France’s entry is way above the rest! Voila!
Very strong contenders so far…
France 10/10
Lithuania 9/10
Ukraine 7/10
Albania 6/10
Israel 3/10
Oh Israel. With each new song selected, your choice looks worse and worse.
Technically, it’s not too late to change their song, right? 😉
I’m afraid Israel and Albania will struggle to qualify,sorry …
Ukraine and Lithuania certainly will be in GF and could be a contenders for top 5, though it depends on what we will get from others countries.
and France has a good chance to be in top 10 this year
Especially for the last one I hope so much.
Yeah, I actually agree with you. As much as I am trying restrain myself from making predictions when only five songs are out, I have a strong feeling Israel is in trouble this year. At best, Set Me Free is a borderline qualifier if Eden puts in a great performance and staging, but if stronger songs emerge later, it might be chopped. Which is a shame because I’d love to see Eden make the final, but not with a generic pop song. I can’t help making comparisons to Feker Libi because that song was so distinct and flavored and her… Read more »
Israel is by far the worst….
I actually prefer Albania before Israel…..
Ukraine Lithuania and France are tied at first right now for me
I don’t think my winner’s out yet though. I’m pretty neutral towards them so far for the most part.
Hmmm let’s see, i’m thinking i’m getting downvotes from
Honestly my ranking shouldn’t even be taken seriously since these are honestly all really close to each other for me. I don’t really have that strong of a preference over any of these
The entries are such distinct genres of music that I do find it awkward to rank some of them—I would say my top 3 are all fairly close in quality. My ranking for the moment would be: 1. France 2. Ukraine 3. Lithuania 4. Israel 5. Albania Norway will immediately go to the top for me if KEiiNO win MGP. France and Ukraine are probably safe locks for my Top 10 this year. They’re both fabulous in their own right. Barbara is fantastic, the vocal, the staging, the camerawork and her performance really make the most of what the song… Read more »
Kinda strange that Ukraine is so popular on this site. It’s “different” alright, but definitely a NQ. This is simply not a ESC song.
it’s ok if you don’t like Shum, but its definitely will qualify in May, noway that dancing crazy hit with ethnic vibes will stay in semi
It’s not about “my not liking” this song. It’s just that the average ESC voter does not appreciate this. It’s too different from the average ESC song. Remember Portugal 2019? Great song, good lyrics but too difficult for ESC. Ukraine will simply not score well with this.
Ukraine will have a lot of support from Eastern European countries, because Easter Europeans are more used to white voice singing and SHUM seems more likeable than Solovey – Solovey was more shouty and I think juries would have destroyed it, while SHUM vocals are more settle, but that is compensated by the music and it is mixed very well. Will see what the Eurovision version will sound like, but I think Ukraine has a fair chance of qualifying. Poland was very close to qualify in 2019, and that song was less exciting and, sorry, but the singers lacked personality… Read more »
What’s the connection between Go_a and Conan Osiris ? How would you compare bananas and potatoes ? How would you you compare Jazz and Kroncong ?
SF1 is going to be tough, but I think Ukraine will almost certainly get through to the GF—especially if Go_A match the style and ferocity of their stage performance for Solovey.
And what exactly is an ‘ESC song’ then?
They said the same thing about Calm After the Storm and Amar Pelos Dois, and look how those did.
Any song is an ESC song; times change and as Eurovision gets a broader base appeal, more genres will come in.
I’ve shown Shum to multiple English-speaking people who know nothing about Eurovision or non-USA music/culture, and they ALL agreed Shum was an amazing piece of music.
A good ESC song needs to be acceptable to a broad public, must stand out in a positive way, needs to be presented well, needs to touch your emotions in a certain way and the artist(s) need to evoke a certain good will factor with the public. Most viewers will feel Ukraine 2021 does not comply with these criteria. Its target group is too narrow for ESC.
Like Hard Rock Hallelujah, you mean?
Yes! Hardrock Hallelujah stood out in a positive way and was fun to look at. It made people smile and was melodious in its own way.
🙂
yes, agree. Mainstream music is evolving and more different sounds appear on the charts, so people are getting more used to distinct sounds and that can pay off in Eurovision as well.
Besides Calm After The Storm and Amar Pelos Dois, other good examples are Sebi and Hatrid Mun Sigra. It is a lot about how they stage the song tho, because all these 4 had memorable stagings, either it was a grand show or very simple but effective.
any song is an esc song the moment it is entered into esc, that’s it. there’s no prohibition on genre or style.
Of course, but that is not the point. The discussion is about whether a song can score well at ESC.
What’s a true ESC Song ? Which is the common point between the ESC’s winning songs of 1957, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2019 ?
As I said above, a good ESC song needs to be acceptable to a broad public, must stand out in a positive way, needs to be presented well, needs to touch your emotions in a certain way and the artist(s) need to evoke a certain good will factor with the public. These winners are/ do that.
I can partly agree with you, Piet — but I think I like the flaw in your logic is that a song is only “good” if it is “acceptable to a broad public”. Even if a song is only liked by a minority of people, it is still good for them. Likewise, just because a candidate receives the highest proportion of a public vote share doesn’t automatically mean that this voting constituency has good taste.
You are absolutely right in saying that quality does not necessarily lead to high scores at ESC. “Quality” is subjective. It’s a matter of personal taste. But taking part in ESC means artist want to win. And they can only do so by appealing to a large audience. So for a song to be successful at ESC it needs to live up to certain standards that can make it a winner. I think these standards boil down to the criteria I mentioned above. Take my previous example of Portugal 2019: great song, good quality, inventive, original, but the song was… Read more »
I have the impression that we’re no longer allowed to give our own thoughts about a song. You should try to say something badly about The Roop… It’s sad, truly sad…
1. Israel 7/10
2. France 7/10
3 . Lithuania 7/10
4. Albania 6/10
5. Ukraine 4/10
Given the fact, that my least fave of Israel’s selection is still my No1 overall, we need some uptempo-bangers (“Voila” delivers beautifully in the ballad category). Hoping for “El Diablo” <3
Pathetic people downvoting personal opinion.
I LOVE Ukraine this year! (Loved them last year too!) I love a good ethnic bop so this grabs my attention.
Currently my number 1.
1. Ukraine
2. Lithuania
—big gap—
3. Israel
— big gap—
4. France
5. Albania
Downvoted for giving my opinion
Sad times
Welcome to my world! I just gave you a thumbs up ?!
You guys in Europe and America are used to cancel other people with opinions you don’t like, especially political opinions that don’t adhere to the most extreme version of politically correctness.
So now eat what you’ve cooked. feel how it is to be demonized for thinking differently. you all deserve it. The PC monster you guys created and fed for years is getting out of control .
I have no clue what your on about Mahi.
I haven’t cooked and I’m not hungry so I’ll be eating nothing
Stay healthy babes x
My unpopular opinion:
1&1 Ukraine and France (100% epic hits and you can tell with your eyes shut what country is it)
3 Albania (underrated song among ESC fans)
4 Israel (the chorus is disappointment, last year’s was better, she’s very talented)
5 Lithuania (The Roop is not my thing at all)
I really think we need the rule to sing in native language. And i would reduce the weight of Jury vote to 30%.
My top: 1) France: breathlessly beautiful, yet so simplistic. The lyrics are amazing; the song’s become my favorite entry from France! my NF favorites: 1) Voilà, 2) Bah non, 3) Pourvu qu’on m’aime 2) Ukraine: haunting; I love the buildup from beginning to end. Interested to see how they will change it up though because of the ESC rules. my NF favorites: 1) Shum, 2) Tserkova, 3) Rano 3) Albania: it’s the lyrics for me, and she nailed it on stage. Thought there were better options, but the revamp will be my deciding factor. my NF favorites: 1) Jo, 2)… Read more »
My list so far:
for me:
Off topic arcade spends 3rd week on UK singles charts, and it gained more than 1 million streams today on Spotify, soon Columbia records will start promoting it in the US, congrats to him and the Eurovision comunnity this is a big deal!
Don’t get me wrong, I love the song and it’s got a special place in my heart for personal reasons, but it’s nowhere near the global 200 on Spotify. So I don’t think it’s possible that Arcade earned more than 1 million streams in a single day.
It is in the global 200 yesterday it was 153 so it is quite possible and his monthly listeners are also growing more then 6 million now it is still getting momentum
Ohh yeah you’re right it is 108th today ! To get downvoted for my comment though is unfair. Still Arcade’s daily streams were 871,529 so I don’t see how my: “I don’t think it’s possible Arcade earned more than 1 million streams in a single day” was in any way offensive for anyone or false information.
https://spotifycharts.com/regional/
It’s monday streams go down every monday on all platforms
Well, actually it is. 108 I read today.
I voted for France, but I don’t really think any of these songs will end up in my top5.
5 songs in and I already have 3 serious contenders to the top positions of my personal ranking. Plus, 2 others that are decent. I can’t complain about how the lineup is shaping up.
Great: 1) Lithuania, 2) France 3) Ukraine
(I love all of them for different reasons, for now the order could change just based on my mood, Ukraine having the disadvantage that we don’t know their staging plans or how the final verson will sound)
Decent: 4) Albania, 5) Israel
My taste:
1)Israel
2)Lithuania
3)France
4)Ukraine
5)Albania
My opinion:
1) Lithuania
2) France
3) Ukraine
4) Israel
5) Albania
I know that Lithuania’s The Roop has a huge following and realistically will crush this competition. However, my personal taste is somewhat different. My list: 1. France, 2. Ukraine, 3. Israel, 4. Lithuania (yes, really), 5. Albania (oh dear).
Lithuania and Ukraine are my favourites! Very excited for all the songs that are yet to come
These first five are very interesting and it’s promising to have such variety. Albania is certainly the most predictable one, but with another staging the song could be presented a bit better. Note how several are sung in their native language and a variety of genres. Different emotions. This variety times 5 and we have our songs. I know it’s a lot about audience presence and that large concert feeling. Eurovision has been carried by dedicated fans. In this years reduced concert we could certainly get some really good songs and it’s a music competition after all. So I’m exited… Read more »
Top10
France
Lithuania
Top15
Ukraine
NQ 🙁
Israel
Albania
I would switch France with Ukraine
I want Albania and Israel would qualify, but we will see…
What’s your problem? We have 5 songs until now it seems
Loooool the guy is disrespecful and contemptuous as hell and it’s me who gets the downvotes here, why not lol, so logical.
Wow i didnt expect Ukraine to be above both Lithuania and France. It’s really better than LIthuania ?
So… is “SHUM” done for? 🙁 Any news?
in one reply on Facebook today Kateryna said that they don’t have any issues with EBU about their song, so currently they working on new videoclip and shorter version of the song
1) Lithuania ROOOOP
2) France
3) Ukraine
4) Israel
5) Albania
Overall, a great start of the year.
Sincerely, the only one that i really enjoy is France
Totally agree!!!
1. Ukraine ( love it so much)
2. France
3. Lithuania
1.Lithuania ??(12/12)
2.France ??(12/12)
3.Ukraine ??(10/12)
4.Albania ??(5/12)
5.Israel ??(3/12)
France Lithuania Ukraine Israel Albania France, Lithuania and Ukraine are amazing, I’m just waiting for a proper MV and the revamp. But in a way all of them could end up top 10 in Rotterdam and I’d be fine with it. Israel is fine, not amazing, but I do think it will elevate live, they just need smart staging. Albania is the only entry I don’t like so far, mainly because it looks cheap, it sounds like a song from 2008 and is something Albania has sent at least 5 times. Anxhela is great on the other hand, but this… Read more »
Of these i think Israel will NOT make the final. The rest i think will qualify and France will have a nice place in the final. Lithuania will probably be better then 6th and break their record from 2006.
Lithuania, then Ukraine.
France and Ukraine is the Best!
I am waiting Poland ,Spain, Italia
1. Ukraine
2. France
These two are obviously the best so far!