The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 40 competing songs in Eurovision 2022. Next we review Austria, who have chosen LUM!X feat. Pia Maria with “Halo”.
Are we singing heavenly praises about the song? Read on to find out!
LUM!X feat. Pia Maria – “Halo” (Austria Eurovision 2022)
Review: LUM!X feat. Pia Maria – “Halo”
Jonathan: I can see Austria’s “Halo” and it’s shining so bright! LUM!X and (the now confirmed actual person) Pia Maria deliver one of the catchiest songs of the year. The 80s/90s influences aren’t so overpowering that it ends up sounding dated; instead, they give the song a twist that helps it stand out from other generic dance tracks. With the song being so full on, Pia Maria will need the energy of the Duracell Bunny to keep going for the entire duration. But if she can give it 100%, then “Halo” is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Score: 9.5
Ron: This is such a cool and refreshing track that takes me quite some years back in time. The bite and the rhythm are so infectious that they really lift you up – it’s a pure BOP. Yet I have mixed feelings with this one. I’m not sure how much the lyrics make sense at times and it’s also a bit hard to hear them clearly in some parts. After watching this song live a few times, I was left a bit underwhelmed and took that into account as well, although I feel that I might have been too harsh and that my score should have been a bit higher. The song sounds very familiar, so there’s nothing really new here. It’s good but not amazing.
Score: 6.5
Luis: “Halo” is an old-school banger the size of the palace that appears in the music video. While it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it’s a very enjoyable rush and a wake up call in a year full of slow and moody entries. The main issue here is the vocal delivery: it is a quite complicated entry with long lyrics and little space between them. That’s a challenge for every singer, but if Pia Maria rises to the occasion, Austria should be rewarded with a place in the grand final.
Score: 8.5
Renske: “Halo”, from one side, is the Eurovision entry we had all been praying for during the 2010s. The DJ and female vocalist combination is a fresh choice from Austria, but yet, it seems a bit stuck in the past. Especially in a Eurovision 2022 season, in which an Armin van Buuren bid was reportedly rejected by the Netherlands. “Halo” might work as a throwback to the club anthems of 2016, but it feels a bit overdone to work at Eurovision.
Score: 5.5
Lucy: I have to admit, the first time I heard “Halo”, I firmly wasn’t a fan at all. However, it took less than fifteen minutes for me to be bopping along to it adamantly on a London Underground train. It’s so good, I didn’t even care if I looked stupid – it’s an indulgent delight of sheer pop. Yes, the lyrics are a smidge cheesy, but if we can’t enjoy classic Europop at Eurovision sometimes then what’s the point? There’s definitely better songs this year, but LUM!X and Pia Maria sell this really well – especially LUM!X, he is clearly loving every minute of this.
Score: 7
Austria 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:
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Angus: 6.5 Antranig: 9 Cinan: 7 Deban: 7 Josh: 7 Natalie: 5 Oliver: 5 |
Pablo: 8.5 Robyn: 7 Sebastian: 8 Suzanne: 6 Tom: 8 William: 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 5 and a high of 9.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.97/10
What do you think of Austria’s Eurovision 2022 entry? Share your own score and review for LUM!X and Pia Maria’s “Halo” below!
The studio version is a banger, I loved it from the first listen. The live version is the opposite, she makes me suffer and I don’t really know how can they fix it. However, I’m going to evaluate the song on its own and it’s in my top 5 this year. So get the 8,5/10 from me!
amazing bop, 10/10 for me
in the weaker semi 1, should easily standout between most ballads
Why is this higher in points than Sentimentai?
If by any chance it qualifies this will just demonstrate how toxic and falsify pre-recorded vocals are now doing to ESC
As if having back vocalists off stage is somehow better because they sing “live”
Yes, it is. Because they are at least not the lead singers singing over themselves.
Pia Maria seems like Lumix just picked a random women on the streets of Vienna and said “you’ll do”. She can’t sing. At all. It’s karaoke level. Not even 3 weeks with Georgina can save her.
I love the song. It’s my 9th place. But based on performance so far, it doesn’t deserve to qualify. But I’m not ruling it out.
So the thing is, this song is AMAZING in the studio version, but the pre-parties have not been good for them, especially with unfortunate vocal performances.
I prefer the studio version of Austria, but the live version of the Czech Republic is better. So between the two, unless there is a major improvement in vocals, Czech Republic is more likely to qualify.
This SCREAMS flopping big time. I believe it will be a Croatia 2016 incident. It’s a fan favourite, good song, but the live performance will destroy it. They will qualify 10th and be bottom 7 in the final.
Or maybe they won’t qualify at all.
I really liked Crotia’s 2016 performance, it wasn’t that bad…
every year we get a FFF – fan fave flop. This seems to be the one in 2022, but since it’s in semifinal 1, which is full of ballads, it might actually qualify just for being something different.
9/10 I love this song, it’s just a fun dance track and is super catchy! Of course we have to mention Pia’s vocals which i’m just going to pray are good on the nightS (because they ARE qualifying ?) and the staging, well they had a great idea for the MV so hopefully we’ll see another cool concept onstage in Turin!
In a field of too many mid-tempo and slow songs it’s good to have some uptempos like this one. I usually enjoy this music style though at times “Halo” turns out to have way too many bpm for me, like it sounds like it’s being played in fast forward. That makes it a little annoying tbh. Talking about its chances, I’d say the obvious: it depends on the staging and her live performance (which from what I’ve heard needs some work). As I said first, an uptempo song in a sea of slower songs make it more appealing but I’m… Read more »
I can totally see why many people rank Austria much higher than I do. For those who keep things simple and just pick songs they like to listen to, there’s a lot of appeal here: it’s a fun and effective track ready for a club or a gym playlist. But in the context of a contest (sic), I believe there are also a lot of fragilities, from the laughable lyrics to the fact we already listened to dozens of similar songs. In any case, what will seal its fate is how well Pia Maria can handle challenging vocals that won’t… Read more »
This is definitely a catchy track with a memorable aspect to it, which I enjoy very much. Unfortunately the vocals I’ve heard from Pia thus far have been very subpar, knocking the entry down quite severely to a point where I can no longer see it qualify. If she somehow does a lot better in Turin, I’d be all the happier for it, but I don’t expect it. For now it’s a 6/10 for me.
Not really my style of song, it’s kinda loud for me. BUT. I really like this one! It’s honestly the bop i prefer most in the season. I really hope Pia will be even more improved in Turin cuz she’s under a lot of pressure already from some fans. This is honestly a really hard song so ofc she needs some time to improve. I really hope it won’t be a shock NQ.
Rating: 9/10 (10th)
It’s a generic euro-dance track. Nothing else.
7/10 I still haven’t heard this live. The studio version is pretty decent, especially in a year with few up-tempo entries.
I saw her live, saying ouch was an understatement.? It is a catchy song. But I hope she has worked on those vocals. Both Austria and Czech republic have two great songs. If they both nailed the vocals they are sure qualifiers. From what i have seen and heard they will unfortunately not.
Given how horrible the live vocals are I think this will be a repeat of Dance Alone from 2017 (great studio version but horrible live performance).
Exactly my thoughts. Will likely follow a very similar trajectory, sadly
20.Austria – A nice club banger. I wonder if it’ll be good live. It’s not a given.
Bronze star.
After years of slow and jury-pandery songs, it’s nice for them to bring the fun.
In a sea of ballads the song stood out. The beat is great and the song is current. In a sea of great/decent vocals her vocals might also stand out. I’m not sure the televote is going to be huge for this one despite its immediate appeal. I’m as of now putting this as an unlikely qualifier.
7.5/10
This is good! It’s a classic banger- does it come up to the standard of the other banger from the Czech Republic- in my opinion- no- but I suspect the staging of this will make it perform better than We Are Domi.
Pssss….I like this one too, but she just can’t perform live those studio vocals…unfortunatelly.
Daft lyrics but musically I think it’s great. If the live vocal won’t improve it simply won’t advance.
I agree and it would be a shame but the live performances have been cringeworthy so far
Not my kind of music but I think it will probably do well…
I think, that I’m pretty accommodating of the EDM tracks that find their way to Eurovision. I was one of those people who loved all three of Darude’s submissions to the Finnish national final in 2019 so yeah, even though this is not an *ideal* entry, I’m excited about it. I also believe it to be a stronger entry than what the Czech Rep are bringing. This is not afraid to really bring the energy, whereas the Czechs have gone with something a bit more “lite” and subdued. Vocally, in the studio, this sounds amazing and obviously, it hasn’t quite… Read more »
Rating: 6.5/10.0
Poor song and nothing new to the world of music it’s dreadful
I struggle to believe that Ireland got a score 1.5 higher than Austria.
0.5 (:
Oh yeah my bad lol
Both with sad vocals to me.
Why isn’t Chris Halpin on the jury anymore?
He left Wiwibloggs after 2019.
Why?
I Love this Song 10/10 ???
Austria 3/12
Honestly, I love the studio version. However after watching the performances in Israel and Amsterdam I am terrified about this performance. An inexperienced performance like Pia Maria might crumble under the pressure which would be really sad.
I enjoy this so much. Halo would be a welcome contribution to the finals. All the best Austria!
35. Austria: Out of the two EDM propositions of this year (the other one being the Czech Republic) this one is certainly the weakest: it’s generic and I never liked it. Live vocals will also be a big problem and if we combine that with EDM’s bad track record at ESC, qualifying will be a challenge. I find this song uninteresting and Pia Maria’s voice is not to my liking. The music video is also aesthetically unappealing to me.
Agreed
I’m on the other side of the Austria-Czech Rep discussion this year so I don’t know if it’s “certainly” weaker. I also don’t know if it’s generic for Eurovision as, honestly, I can’t really think of anything too similar to it.
Both songs look like they’re in vocal trouble atm so that’s something for them to get better at before May comes around.
I am not a huge fan of either entry really but I prefer Czech Republic to Austria. I was never able to get into the Austrian song. Perhaps it can also be due to the fact that this genre is not among my favourite ones.
My 39/40
Well the studio version is one of the best this year. HOWEVER, on the night it comes down to live vocals and staging, which is something I worry these guys won’t be able to do. I’ve seen all the live performances of Halo so far and the one thing that’s lacking is Pia’s ability to sing. They’ve brought in a vocal coach, so that’s good but with VERY limited time, I have doubts as to whether or not they’ll even qualify.
Will there be Wiwi Jury videos this year?
William said no
Did he say why not?
This song is good. It’s full of youthful energy and it tries to be a bit clever many times over. Here’s what I noticed: The intro immediately establishes the repeated “Halo-oh” motif for the audience to sing back. After a firm Verse 1 about wanting to be philosophers rather than heroes (which is a nice call-back to some 80s/90s dance tracks), the Pre-Chorus launches with a quick-triplet rhythm to match the words “We could be CEOs.” This is also where some clapping is added to the backing track. With the Chorus, the full banger beat arrives, and it’s really nice… Read more »
Absolutely love it! It’s It’s catchy and stands easily! It’s lots of fun to listen to and I’m very excited to hear it being performed live! I’m not particularly worried about the live as it has been established that Pia had covid and I don’t see why someone would lie about having covid, so she will probably sound good on the night. 10/10. 4th/40
Austria – I love this song! I like the lyrics bar the “We can be CEOs” section that /kinda/ makes me cringe, and it’s a proper danceable tune. DJs doing Eurovision haven’t really worked out in the past, and Pia Maria seems to be pretty new to performing so I’m not 100% certain it’ll go well. I’d like to think they can break the chain of this, but I’m not completely sure of it. Still, the studio version is great! 7/10
AUSTRIA – This is a high-octane club banger, and I understand why it works well for so many people. For me, this is just too energetic at the same velocity throughout the three minutes. I wouldn’t mind it playing while I’m at a party, but it’s not a song I’d likely put on in other contexts. Its fast tempo could make it stand out in the second half of semi 1. If performed well, I can objectively see it being competitive, but so far, that remains under question. The message of the song feels self-empowering in a standard ESC way.… Read more »
The funny thing is that I disagree about it being at the same velocity for the full three minutes and I actually wish that it was! I do think there are times where it tries to variate for the sake of variation and loses a lot of the energy in the track. I think if it was fully-committed to, then it would be an even stronger entry. As I said in response to Kosey’s review, I have NO idea which way the jury voting will go in this one. I think even successful EDM-flavoured songs at ESC have been heavily… Read more »
If I’m being fair, there are some variations in the melody. It just feels overall hyper throughout from start to finish. It can get overwhelming. It’s not as exhausting as say, Netherlands 2018. As I am more of a “Grab the Moment” guy in this diad, I guess I lean towards EDM + sprinkles of other stuff with melodic shifts. But I think it’s up to taste. I think this is one of our largest discrepancies this year, even if I don’t dislike it, and I can see it growing on me more after a good live. I tend to… Read more »
Energy is a big component of the song and I can definitely understand how it could be a little much for some listeners, even those who like it, probably have to be in the right mood for it. Running order was always going to be important for this one and I think it did fairly well in that regard. Portugal, Croatia and Denmark all come before it (only Denmark really being of a similar-ish kind of energy) and then, Iceland afterwards. I don’t think Austria could’ve gotten much more of a favourable position. It is going lower in my ranking… Read more »
also @ renske – i don’t think this song sounds 2016’d at all. music production back then was completely different. this fits the current retro trends perfectly.
a much-needed high energy song. i hope their live performance in turin is good enough !
4. Austria – Lum!x – Halo – 9/10 – positive energy from the very first beat, this song is not here to mess around. There is so much thrust and the song is filled with catchy hooks throughout. When the beat of the chorus kicks in, it is impossible not to want to move. I am sucker for a track that transports me to the dance floor and this does so expertly. The lyrics are suitably uplifting to fit with the soaring beat. I expect it to be a strong crowd-pleaser in Turin and I think LUMIX and Pia Maria… Read more »
It’s a very lovely review, Kosey. As I previously mentioned at one occasion, I didn’t put it very high, but I totally understand your love for it. It does make you move (actually, I got in a surprisingly good mood listening to it today). I objectively think that it will likely qualify. And as you can see above, it’s not like I gave it a terrible rating. I am being carefully optimistic about the performance after Madrid. In any case, for me, there’s a rather big gap between my bottom 7 and everything else, and this is among everything else.
I thought your review was very fair Colin, you appreciated that it has an audience and that it is well made for that audience. You point out that it is a bit one-paced, which I can see as well, and if you’re not in the mood or particularly enjoy that pace, I can see why it wouldn’t connect in the same way it has done for me.
I’m probably a lot closer to being with you on this one than against. I really think it’s a strong EDM track and there’s definitely a home for it. Whether that’s the ESC stage remains to be seen. Juries could go hard in either direction for this one so I’m not really sure yet. I definitely think it’s an excellent addition and the crown in attendance are going to go crazy for it. I’d much rather have a lot more entries like this than whatever the likes of Romania or Israel are trying to be. If I’m going to party,… Read more »