The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 40 competing songs in Eurovision 2022. Up first we review Romania, who have chosen wrs with “Llámame”.
Were we ready to hit speed dial? Read on to find out!
wrs – “Llámame” (Romania Eurovision 2022)
Review: wrs – “Llámame”
Sebastian: Call me? Not maybe, call me now! wrs is the perfect combination of dated sounds, kitch singer and solid dancing, which toes the line between cliched comic relief and actually a solid performance. wrs is full of commitment, and sells this package of hyper-Latino pop of the mid 2000s. Many would describe this as outdated. I describe this as nostalgic, committed and sexy. Hola mi bebebe – call me a devotee.
Score: 9
Luis: “Llámame” is a throwback to the 2000s and I’m unexpectedly all for it. While at some point it feels like the noughties are not yet too far away to be back on trend, this somehow works. It may be the kitsch of the Spanish stereotypical lyrics, the choreo or the clothing, or a combination of all of it, but you can’t get this performance out of your head. wrs has been getting better and better with each show, and by the time he hits the Turin stage, no one will have a doubt that Romania is one to watch this year.
Score: 7
Natalie: Didn’t we leave songs like this back in 2005? I was under the impression that Eurovision has become something a bit more interesting in the last 20 years. I’m all for thumping beats and ethnic vibes, but it gets really tiring to be forced through them all the time. If this is your vibe, I have massive respect for you, but this isn’t why I like the contest, and never will be.
Score: 3
Tom: There is nothing sophisticated about “Llámame”, nor is it different in any way. It’s a good old fashioned pop song that will live in your head. To be honest, the more I listen to it the more I enjoy it. Unfortunately, the majority of the Eurovision audience will only have one or two listens of the song before making their decisions and ultimately, that’s not enough for this tune. I can see people taking their tea breaks here before giving it a chance – especially as it is 11th in the running order. I really worry it might not make the final – I hope it does.
Score: 7
Pablo: This is dangerously catchy. wrs has effectively reworked “Llámame” into a Buddha Bar-esque thumping piece that would fit into nightclubs and lounges everywhere in Europe. The way it seamlessly progresses from the chorus into the instrumental break is cause for constant replay, and the instrumental displays flares from all around the world: Latino, Middle-eastern, European, it’s all on “Llámame”. It won’t be easy to properly perform this live, but Romania knows how to do this kind of music regularly. I’m hopeful we will see them in the final this time.
Score: 9
Romania Eurovision 2022 ranking
In the Eurovision 2022 Wiwi Jury, we have 18 jurors but only have room for five reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Angus: 5.5 Antranig: 5 Cinan: 8.5 Deban: 6.5 Jonathan: 6.5 Josh: 3.5 Lucy: 8 |
Oliver: 4 Renske: 7 Robyn: 7.5 Ron: 6.5 Suzanne: 3 William: 7.5 |
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 and a high of 9.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.38/10
What do you think of Romania’s Eurovision 2022 entry? Share your own score and review for wrs’s “Llámame” below!
This was my guilty pleasure in the beginning, but I have to confess it has dropped on my ranking a little bit. Still, 6/10 from me.
If this was coming from Sweden, the Wiwi Jury would have been: “10, by default”. It’s the same every year, we got used to it… Anyway, it’s a catchy dance song, latin music vibes, I can see this playing on clubs or on the beach this Summer all the way from Greece to Cyprus, Bulgaria, Malta, and of course, Spain. Good luck, Romania!
Thé high scores of some of the wiwiblogg jury are not only hilarious but also grossly exaggerated, especially for something like this!!!
A sure NQ. One of the worst songs this year. 3/10 It doesn’t deserve more and will stay in the SF
Such a dance song, LOVE IT! WRS has an amazing personality, and hopefully this qualifies!
I hope the performance tightens for Turin, because the song is pretty great, and wrs has a charisma that just shines through. It deserves to qualify.
I don’t know how to recognize a song being dated or current. As genre, I guess is like She got me – Luca Hanni, and that did well. Will see if the audience will want something light and unsophisticated. It’s an unusual year. Keep in mind that many viewers will say : Dohhh, of course Ukraine will win, let’s vote for something happy too.
Ridiculously terrible and terribly ridiculous.
The definition of cringe. WRS looks like a nice guy but, with this amount of Latin/Spanish stereotypes the act has and his overall stage presence and dancing, this can’t be taken more seriously than a guilty pleasure. It’s nearly touching the joke act line.
I have no doubt Romania will qualify, though, cause the song will outstand and it’s super catchy.
Romanis is in my 33rd position.
15. Armenia (7)
27. North Macedonia (6.25)
33. Romania (5)
This will save Romania from a 4-year elimination roll. I don’t like it though, the Llámame part is annoying and he is not that sexy like you all say.
4.0/10
It is a good song. The performance elevated it. A solid 7.5/10
I agree with William and Robyn it’s a 7.5 for me. Is it changing the music industry? No… but no one can deny the catchiness and sexiness the song brings. WRS expertly performs it too and it’s just great.
Its a great song, very catchy and the first ever Romanian Eurovision entry to feel like a proper Romanian pop song. Romania is famous for their Romanian pop sound internationally made famous through artists like Inna and Alexandra Stan. Noone else does this type of sound better than Romania and this is as close as they have ever been to it in Eurovision and I love it. I listen to 2 new playlists a week on spotify, and from them making up my own playlists – and those are New Music Friday Norway – AND New Music Friday Romania… Just… Read more »
I know there’s (still) an audience for that, but sadly it’s not what I want from Eurovision or my day to day music. Personally, I’m exhausted of the casual vaguely Latin dance songs with some gratuitous Spanish words thrown here and there. And I feel this one is not even one of those with more energy and character. The presence of “SloMo” in the same contest obviously doesn’t help its case either. That said, the chorus is undeniably catchy and the recording, even if it doesn’t sound much current, is quite decent. 4/10
I think you bring up a really interesting point. Even if this is the sort of music that a listener is interested in, is this even a good example of it?
That’s a problem I have with the “it’s a bop!” part of the fandom. Sometimes I feel they’re too attached to the idea of having multiple bangers competing to the point they get a little lenient about the level of these entries. As a result, we haven’t seen an evolution on the genre in Eurovision, while alternative entries and emotional ballads keep evolving.
It’s my ‘Say Na Na Na’ of 2022- that guilty pleasure that everyone needs somewhere amongst their choices each year.
I really enjoy this song and performance. I really hope it goes through to the final and I suspect it will. Televote should especially appreciate it and stands out amongst the other songs this year.
8/10 Llámame is just so fun and catchy, WRS has a great personality which can be seen in the NF performance! 🙂
It’s not for me. In the Romanian selection, it doesn’t sound as bad as it does when it’s put up against actual quality, contemporary entries from other countries. It’s very dated, both in terms of its production and its musical ideas. Through the live performances, we’re seeing that they’re not really putting too much into the vocal side of it and focusing more on the show elements. Even these I find quite underwhelming. Lyrically, the less said the better and it relies far too much on its musical hook that it drops into. Unfortunately, it goes to this well far… Read more »
Basically, all of this (see below). It’s either my 5th or 6th from the ending (depending on where I put a certain underwhelming Nordic entry), and I don’t see it getting higher than that. If I want a campy guilty pleasure song, I prefer Ireland by a lot.
I’ve got it in pretty much the same position in my ranking but ABOVE a certain underwhelming Nordic entry. Though, I don’t know if I should use the word underwhelming as it is a country that consistently fails to “whelm” me in any way at Eurovision.
Rating: 4.0/10.0
I like this more than I should
Help ! Me too….
Romania 6 out of 12, one of the better entries of this country.
Borderliner but I can see it as a qualifier very close at tenth position.
36.Romania – The ethnic riff is cool, really nostalgic, but this just falls a bit too flat. I don’t know, it feels dated too – like mid 00-s.
You should listen to the New Music Friday Romania playlist on Spotify and you would realise this is exactly what Romanian pop music sounds like even today. It is not dated – it is the sound of Romanian pop music of today.
All countries have their own style of pop music and it is just silly of others to claim that everything is dated, just because its not what we hear everyday on our own national radios and so on…
Hurrah, it’s begun! I don’t really have much of an opinion on this one – nothing really interests me enough, but it’s certainly better than some others this year. I’d say Romania’s a borderline qualifier for now.
(forgot my score – it’s probably a 5 at the moment)
when will the wiwi jury videos start?
I believe there aren’t going to be any videos done this year, only written reviews 🙂
where did they say that?
You’re correct
40/40
Do you mean 40th place or 40 out of 40 points, or a 4.0 score? (Maths, oh yeah.)
Romania: The song itself is nothing special. It’s quite dated and bland, but WRS sells it so well that I find it impossible to dislike. He is so charismatic and entertaining and the song is extremely catchy. 9/10.
This would definitely stand out in 2006.
The song is def not bad but also it’s far away from good and current music style. I’m not entirely convinced by his performing skills yet as his NF staging was more awkward than enjoyable in my eyes. Also, the spanish lyrics are..questionable. Pretty much like El Diablo of last year.
Many things have to change in order for me to like it. I don’t know how this can qualify but I’m for sure not eliminating its chances already.
Rating: 4/10 (32nd)
37th place: Romania: I don’t like this entry at all. It belongs to a genre of songs I never liked. Its chances in the contest are also debatable in my opinion. It has a very strong 2000s vibe and that kind of songs were never appealing to me. The Latin aspect seems a bit forced as well like in many songs of this genre.
I love this song SO MUCH, it just makes me happy. I don’t care about anything else.
What a dumb act. Especially the hand gesture at 1 minute 24 says it all.
Honestly Romania’s best entry since ‘Yodel it!’ This really grew on me the more o listened to it!
But dear Natalie, WHAT do you like about Eurovision if not for this certain style?! Where is your energy, your fun, your pizzaz? What even is Eurovision to you?!
I really needs this in the finals. This song is the perfect definition of “guilty pleasure” and these types of songs are also part of the life (and of the ESC).
I enjoy this a lot more than a lot of Eurovision fans it seems, I think it’s really catchy and the NF performance was fantastic. Yeah it’s kinda dated, but this is the music that Romania seems to do really well so hopefully it’ll finally bring them back to the finals.
8/10
Catchy song, I Love this. I can see Romania in final for sure.
Yaaass! I’ve been waiting impatiently for wiwi jury season! The countdown is on!
I kinda like this but at the same time I don’t care about this at all. It’s a fun song when it comes up and the ‘Hola mi bebébe’ is catchy, but somehow I still end up forgetting this exists. With how strong the 2nd semifinal is compared to the first, I’m unsure whether this will qualify.
It’s a 6/10 for me.
ROMANIA – In the long line-up of the Romanian national selection, this song wasn’t even in my top 20, but I get that it stood out among many other candidates due to having a more distinct clubby vibe. The performances were solid, and WRS is very likable on stage. There is something nice in the instrumental solos, and that part has an atmosphere of long summer nights. I find the rest of this club music, however, to be filled with quite basic beats and lyrics. While the usage of Spanish in this song is certainly not among the worst examples… Read more »
This is actually a relatively nice review to stick a 4/10 on the end of. Definitely electing to see the positives, Colin!
I mean, knowing your taste, this is pretty much lyrically everything you don’t want from your songs. And, if I were going to the club, there are definitely other entries this year that would be more likely to play at the venues I’d be visiting anyway. XD
Thanks. Yeah, apart from calling it basic and clunky, I guess I wasn’t too harsh. (I’m reserving that for a few other songs.) Overall, this is under average and lyrically poor. The few Spanish lyrics it has are very generic, but at least they are grammatically correct and could be applied to the context he sings about. (Oh, the little things one can appreciate when exposed to years of badly used Spanish. 😉 )
Yep, there are much better entries for clubs this year (Slo Mo, GTWAB, Ela Ela, Sekret, ect.)
And so it begins, the WIWI jury.
9. Romania – WRS – Llamame -8/10 – the summer hit of this year’s contest, this has an exceptionally enjoyable drop that it is impossible not to dance to. Pour me some tequila, splash on some expensive eau de toilette and escort me to the party at the beach. And WRS is such a likeable character, he carries the tone of this song perfectly.
I enjoyed the drop like the first time I heard it. Did you continue to enjoy it every time it came around or did you start to get a little tired of it?
natalie voiced my thoughts completely. this song wouldn’t have been out of place in 2005, but music tastes haved moved on and this represents everything that isn’t cool among today’s general public.
Interesting. Do musical tastes really move on though? In terms of the music market, yes. But Eurovision has always been different to the wider market. I think my tastes have widened over time, but I still love the music from certain eras.
I agree with your view on this. When I was younger, I used to rail against the generation that had gone before – ie, 10-20 years before – I think it is part of the youth wanting to mark themselves out as different to what has gone before. But when you get older, you sadly realize that everything has already been before, and will be in the future
So true!
I agree with both of you, Kosey and Purple Mask, when it comes to this matter. Good music doesn’t age, especially when one is attached to that style. For example, whenever there’s an orchestral power-ballad, people say it’s dated, and I simply don’t care if it’s a good one. The only time I spot something as dated is if I get an exhausting sense of ”deja vu” on something I was never that fond of. However, I understand what Polegend says in terms of general public voting – modern songs tend to get a better score on average, especially among… Read more »
but in this case, you listen to music from that time, not to current music that sounds like it’s from that time. one thing is being retro, another one is being dated.
So you’re saying we are to send something ‘cool’ and hip every time at Eurovision then do we?! Where’s the energy? Where’s the diversity of song?!
IT HAS OfFICIALLY STARTED! Welcome!
Romania is a real guilty pleasure for me. Actually, only the chorus. I don’t remember the rest of the song. I’ve listened to the song so many times and I am just waiting for the Hollllla me bebebeebebebe part to wiggle it out.
I would really love to see them in the finals. But I am not sure if juries will love this. Not sure about the public either. Worse songs have qualified to the finals. So, fingers crossed.
Welcome all to the 2022 Wiwi Jury season. 🙂 I actually like “Llamamé” musically. This song has a nice blend of melodies, triplet rhythms and chill-out harmonies without coming across as too whimsical. Of course, it’s an obvious callback (pun intended) to the 2000s, but I like how it is nicely chilled out for a dance track. This is running in the middle of the pack for me, so Wiwi Jury’s average score of 6.38 is actually probably about right. On the performance side, I love that the singer can also dance, and I think all will be well with… Read more »