The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 40 competing songs in Eurovision 2022. Next we review Azerbaijan, who have chosen Nadir Rustamli with “Fade To Black”.
Did we find the colour in the song? Read on to find out!
Nadir Rustamli – “Fade To Black” (Azerbaijan Eurovision 2022)
Review: Nadir Rustamli – “Fade To Black”
Tom: There is lots to like about “Fade To Black” but I will start with the negative. It’s not a sound we haven’t heard before – it does feel a tad dated. I think we would have been talking about “Fade To Black” having a chance at winning the contest ten years ago. But that is also a positive of course – it’s a strong song. Nadir has got a fantastic voice, a lovely hook in the chorus, and I think with the right staging this could really pop on stage. It should qualify but he really has to sing his chops off if he wants the left-hand side of the scoreboard. I suspect he will be getting the majority of his votes from the juries.
Score: 7
Lucy: After such a high-energy outing in 2021, Azerbaijan have dialled it way back with “Fade To Black”. Nadir suits the song in the sense that his falsetto moments do give it decent value; however, this just really isn’t my cup of tea. I find the song somewhat dull, and I don’t get the connection between artist and song at all. It just feels like a song that’s been provided and sung. I do hope to be proved wrong in Turin but I’m not holding my breath.
Score: 2.5
Deban: “Fade To Black” is a well thought-out entry that attempts to uncover deep emotions. As a studio cut, the elements are there. Great voice, good arrangement and interesting production. The imagery captured in the music video drives its narrative of isolation and unsettled scores. But what needs to happen next is a live performance that connects the singer with his listeners. Although Nadir Rustamli’s vocals are unquestionably first class, singing is much more than just a good vocal delivery. He needs to emote too.
Score: 5.5
Pablo: There’s very little amount of meat in this song. “Fade To Black” has quite possibly one of the most barebones structures of all songs this year, completely going through one ear and out the other without leaving any memory. While there are clear choruses and verses, in its entirety it feels muddled together and there just isn’t enough to elevate it beyond other male ballads. Overall, it’s a step back from the fun and/or polished but engaging packages Azerbaijan have previously sent, and there’s a big risk of it becoming their second non-qualification.
Score: 3.5
Josh: Azerbaijan’s most successful entries in their Eurovision history either reflected their culture, or made you feel a strong sense of emotion. Unfortunately, “Fade To Black” doesn’t give me anything to connect to either way. Everything about the song feels too calculated — from the dramatic, slow opening, to the insertion of “traditional” instrumentation (for too short a time to make real impact), to the final chorus speeding up to the finish. It feels like they are literally “checking boxes” rather than making something competitive. Though I can give points for Nadir’s effort, the end result is just as he sings — I’m numb.
Score: 4
Azerbaijan 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 Antranig: 4.5 Cinan: 6.5 Jonathan: 5.5 Luis: 6 Natalie: 4 Oliver: 2 |
Renske: 5 Robyn: 4 Ron: 7 Sebastian: 3 Suzanne: 4 William: 6 |
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 7.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 4.75/10
What do you think of Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2022 entry? Share your own score and review for Nadir Rustamli’s “Fade To Black” below!
I think this song suffers from spain/uk 2021’s problem. It’s fine. its a well made song but it isn’t saying or doing anything new or special, and something this milquetoast just sinks to the bottom among people swinging for the fences both formally and emotionally.
Oh dear. I looks like I’m going to put forward an unpopular opinion but this is actually one of my favourite songs of the year. It just does so many things I like and I find it extremely well-constructed. Everything is anchored by Nadir’s amazing voice. It’s low, it’s got gravel, it’s got grit. It can also get up to the higher register but doesn’t overdo this in the song, so that when he does, it has maximum impact. Instruments are added at all the right places. First verse is just pianos, establishing the mood, we then get some adding… Read more »
Rating: 8.5/10.0
Honestly this song isn’t deserving such low points. I am disappointed.
“I don’t get the connection between artist and song at all. It just feels like a song that’s been provided and sung.” Lucy, meet Azerbaijan.
It’s a wannabe song, and unfortunately it doesn’t go anywhere. I can’t even understand him when he sings. Possibly NQ. 4/10 from me.
Can Azerbaijan and Malta ever be authentic for once?
Either send something that is reflective of the country or something that is authentic to the artist. A combination of both would be great too.
For example, “Die Together” doesn’t sound like an authentic Greek song, but at least the song reflects the artist’s musical artistry, which still makes the song genuine and believable.
I still struggle to understand what he is singing, and the pronunciation makes this very dull; the singing style is very forced and flat.
Out of 300 entries submitted to Azerbaijan each year there’s never a song that would reflect the country and it’s own music scene – this being once again from another country, Sweden.
I don’t understand the hate behind this song. It takes a while to build hold up but when you finally get to the good part, it hots you like a truck with one of the highest notes this year. Nadir has proven he can sing live which many artists simply cannot and this will benefit him greatly. Fans are wrong to think he doesn’t stand a chance at qualifying.
His voice make this over-dramatic song a little more digestible but it seems to last for more than 3 minutes. I think they were trying too hard when composing the song. Also, did they really need to wait to be the last to release this? Azerbaijan, just like Montenegro, is bringing nothing new or interesting, not even something that could move the viewers/listeners. This is the typical scenario where they try so bad to be minimalistic, go acoustic and appeal the emotions that end up being too artificial to really succeed in it. “Fade To Black” is a little bit… Read more »
Damn… Wiwi jury is tough this year ._.
I can’t think of any Azeri entries that gave me a feeling of connection to their culture.
If anything, only their debut entry was the only one imo
One of my fave songs this year, his performance was pretty good in Madrid!
I suppose I could see it in something like Dear Evan Hansen, but it doesn’t really remind of any musicals I love. At least not 20th century ones, which of course are the best.
23.Azerbaijan – A decent number. The bridge goes really high, I’m curious if it will sound good on stage.
In a different year, I could see “Fade to Black” getting a little more attention from the fandom and a slightly better position in my personal ranking. After all, it’s a well performed ballad in that traditional overdramatic Eurovision fashion. The thing is 2022’s lineup is filled with entries full of personality and a bunch of strong ballads. In comparison, this one feels empty, cold and calculated. Juries may still give it a push, but Azerbaijan will need to rely on staging to compensate the fact that this song is quite forgettable. 5.5/10
This is so cruel, ? mean ?t doesnt deserves under 5 or 6; there are much more worse songs than this
Correct me if I’m wrong but this might be the lowest scoring song so far with the wiwi jury? Yikes…
Yes, I think this is the first song to score below five points. I know this isn’t a very popular song in this wiwi sphere here, but I think that’s too harsh. A 5 or 6 out of ten is more accurate to me.
Yea, I agree. This is definitely not the worst song they have reviewed so far. It’s a middle of the road entry but definitely better than half of the submissions this year.
This might be azerbaijans most bland effort to date.
I thought 2014 was.
I thought 2011 was.
Wow, the wiwi community really doesn’t like this song huh? It’s not the best song of the year I agree, but I don’t think it’s the worst based on that score. It’s more of a 5.5 to 6 rating for me. It does feel disappointing that Azerbaijan just seems to be following the trend instead of striking out its own unique vision. I do think it feels like an arcade knock off, but at the same time, aren’t we being little too harsh on it? It’s nowhere near my top 10 or even top 20, but I wouldn’t put it… Read more »
Off topic: Rehearsal schedule is out!
Where is the rehearsal schedule posted?
The Score is a little bit too low in my opinion.
I would give it an 6/10
Wiwi, Eurovision 1988 winner Céline Dion needs an article. A movie all about her life, called “Aline”, has already been released. They had to change the name for legal reasons, but people, look at the trailer on YouTube. It needs to be seen. Valérie Lemercier won Best Actress at the Césars in February. As if that wasn’t enough, Céline herself has announced that she is making her own movie. This will come out in 2023.
This has nothing to do with Azerbaijan reviews, I know, sorry.
Wow, that’s amazing!
Although Nadir has a good voice. This is one of the few songs of the 40, next to that of Bulgaria which dont stick in my head even after a few listenings. if I think of Ireland in this ESC season ( and i enjoy it much better this year after 2 lackluster years on the ESC front, tho we have a terrible war to face now on our doorsteps), I see and feel Broke, Im not a fan of the song. But its in my mind. Same as for Spain, Norway, Moldova etc. owe Cyprus is also non excistent… Read more »
Without Russia or Belarus in the context, Azerbaijan could be sunk
24. Nadir Rustamli – Fade to Black – 6.5/10 – there are some nice quiet-and-loud moments in this song. Nadir brings an emotive performance that pushes it slightly beyond the average as it edges towards the classic melodramatic Eurovision territory that I enjoy. I don’t find there to be anything particularly ground-breaking nor memorable in it but it is a decent 3 minute listening experience and I can imagine it slotting into the Eurovision experience quite nicely.
This is a fair review, Kosey. There are things of quality in this that should prevent it from being somebody’s last place or anything like that, particularly when there are genuinely bad songs in the selection.
I think juries will find it a bit more pleasing than televoters.
If Dami Im listens to this monstrosity, she will get offended. Don’t let this qualify, it’s the least uninspired Eurovision entry in YEARS.
I’m looking at you juries.
Ouch. I knew that going into this review, there were going to be serious criticisms for this song but I didn’t expect the score to be this low. As for the song, to put it mildly, it is so professionally created and performed that it is actually terrible. It’s strange that they seem to have access to all the components that they would need to create a winning song at their disposal and somehow they focused solely on producing the perfect song and then having it sung with the most perfect vocals possible then having a perfectly professional music video… Read more »
Typical Eurovision male flavorless ballad, and this is a particularly bad one. This is background music and should NQ, however he’s in the easier semi so I guess this still has a small chance to qualify? But this is bottom 5 in the final, even if it does.
Im still waiting for azerbaijan and greece along with some other countries to start using their own song writers and stop buying songs from sweden with no identity
Im also waiting for them to start singing in their own language
Greece,actually uses its own songs since forever.Just because,there are entries co-written by foreigners doesn’t affect that.:)
Greece write their own songs. Amanda literally wrote her entry this year… I agree about Azerbuyjan.
To be fair, in 2018 (which is only four years ago) Greece’s entry consisted of only Greek songwriters, was performed in 100 % Greek and it was actually ERT’s goal that year to have a song sounding as Greek as possible. But Europe didn’t want it (though I think Oniro mou would have qualified with a better performance)
It’s only an issue of a visually bland staging in an extra competitive semi-final, probably still the strongest one to date. I think that Onirou mou is still one of the most referenced ”robbed NQs” ever (along with semi-final 1 colleagues A Matter of Time and Stones).
Well put Aria. Well put. Jeremie Makiese, as suggested, would have made it qualify.
“Day after day” made in Azerbaijan, and i believe some others also)
I love this song, my favourite ballad this year… there is something so raw and epic about it that gives me shivers. I think he is a very capable singer and well, it should do better than expected, hopefully!
I still would like to know why the duduk is there. This song does not come from Azerbaijan.
BRO. this is literally tied with greece for my winner this year. I can’t get enough of the climax vocal ending. underrated 🙁
I have it ranked pretty closely to Greece as well.
this is a pointless entry. they got a singer whose style is rock, gave him a badly-written ballad from sweden, and told him to sing it. i think azerbaijan uses the eurovision as a way to promote itself to the world as a modern, rich country, and that’s why they insist on sending foreign-made songs with no identity or correlation to their country… but i hope this fails to qualify (i think it will – australia has a similar but stronger entry) as a wake up call for them to change their formula. this is my last place in my… Read more »
They already failed to qualify with Aisel in 2018 who had an extremely generic song written by a Swede so clearly Azerbaijan haven’t learned their lesson.
And that was the first time AZE didn’t qualify. Aisel had to sing first in the first semi, and RUS (who also didn’t qualify) wasn’t in that semi. She was 11th in that heat, missing the cut by 14 points.
If 2018 wasn’t their wake up call, nothing will be.
For Azerbaijan Eurovision is a political platform. ITV is a government mouthpiece and they receive generous government funding to promote their country through Eurovision. So you are 100% on point!
come on surely its not THAT bad
I can understand that many people find this generic and/or heard of it before but to award this entry the LOWEST score so far out of 10-15 entries is an absolute shame to say the least.
I wasn’t expecting that either. It seems that it doesn’t appeal to anyone within the wiwi jury… For me it is totally meh and forgettable and I had it as a NQ since day 1, so I can understand it…
If I were to tag this entry with one word, it’d definitely be ‘safe’. This entry just doesn’t do it right for me. It feels hindered by the fact it’s in English, these lyrics being very… empty. The song itself is alright, but doesn’t have a factor for me that makes me attached to this. I do think Nadir has a strong voice, but with bad lyrics and a forgettable song, good vocals are an afterthought that don’t really seem to matter anymore. It’s a 5/10 for me.
He has a great voice, but that’s it. This songs whole gimmick is that he has a good voice. The lyrics are questionable and the song is unoriginal and unremarkable. I like his voice, but the song needs at least some substance to it. 27th/40. 6.5/10
Another thing is that it clearly isn’t genuine unlike Sweden or Australia.
AZERBAIJAN – As it often is, Azerbaijan is very professional, and this feels like a finished and slick product. I am sure that Nadir will deliver a fantastic performance, and that the staging will feel grand. The drama of this song builds nicely, and we have some neat ethnic instrumentals in between the piano notes. Still, I feel a certain disconnect when it comes to my personal response. Perhaps it’s because I feel like the emotional turmoil he sings about is more acted out than lived-through. I don’t get the goosebumps from it, but perhaps I will be able to… Read more »
You didn’t write anything unfair about this one, Colin. However, I think you already know that I like Fade To Black a lot. I think more than any other song this year, I *feel* the drama in it, musically-speaking. Like, it’s genuinely there, obvious, and you can reach out and touch it. I think the main difference between this and the likes of Poland or Australia, is just how deep and rich the instrumental hits. It’s not just the vocalist being asked to convey the feeling, he actually gets considerable backup. Is it missing something to make it a Eurovision… Read more »
Thanks for going back and reading my review. This is, I believe, the biggest difference is spots we have on our lists – so far! Instrumentally speaking, I’d put both Azerbaijan and Poland in a category above Australia (Even if the chorus of River heavily depends on Krystian hitting every note – which he unmistakingly does every time – the instrumental in the transitions is simply stunning! And even the instrumental in the chorus feels very raw and good to me.) Now, I digress for being a Poland stan, sorry. 🙂 But sure, Azerbaijan feels even more polished in parts.… Read more »
31. Azerbaijan: This might be the most generic and thousand-times-heard-before ballad of the year. The melody is nice but feels generic and the entire song doesn’t seem honest, authentic and original: it feels like a manufactured product. On top of that the lyrics have some serious problems at some parts. Azerbaijan may possibly face a non-qualification this year.
It might be the most generic ballad of the year, but there is another song which is the queen of the podium when counting all genres. It makes Azerbaijan feel like Portugal in comparison. I am looking forward to discussing it when the time comes. We are pretty similar here, Thanos. I was slightly more generous (I have no idea would it be your equivalent of a 6, but it’s my 29th, so really close).
Yes I think I would also have given it a 6. Because even if it’s soulless and generic it continues being a good composition. I usually find it difficult to give fair scores out of ten for songs and that’s why I only give my ranking in my personal top alongside my review. I may also give my scores about all songs when I publish my full top 40 at the end of the Wiwi jury. Ah now I am curious which song you are referring to as the most generic of the year 🙂 . From what you said… Read more »
I am looking forward to read more of your reviews. You are right about that song – I wouldn’t consider it a ballad, and it hasn’t been reviewed yet. It’s a mid-tempo pop song whose lyrics and composition both feel extremely derivative. It is what it is, and what it is feels without an ounce of creativity in my personal opinion. Even if, admittedly, it has a fantastic vocalist. 😉
I am starting to understand what song you are talking about and if I’m correct, I completely agree with you! I have that particular song at my 36th place in my top 40 and let’s say that I hope the juries at ESC don’t benefit it as much as one can expect (because I believe the televoting will not be friendly against it 🙂 )
We’ll definitely agree there, as it’s my 37th. Feels like a missed opportunity.
I mean, missed opportunity for the artist who has released much better songs before, including the one previously meant to compete.
And yes, I also hope that the juries won’t overhype it for vocals and stage charisma alone. There are much better songs in that semi.
Will your review of this song make someone cry?
Hopefully not, as my intention isn’t to hurt anyone’s personal feelings. However, yeah, if someone has it in their top 15, they would disagree a lot. So, IDK… I’ll try to put it respectfully, but as 3 of my bottom 4 are yet to come, there’s still spice in me to be unleashed. 😉
I was actually speaking in code to check it was the entry I was thinking about, but since you haven’t got it, maybe it isn’t!
3 from my bottom 5 to go yet, but besides them I believe all the rest will get at least a 6. Some rave reviews yet to come too, of course.
Similar situation with me. Actually 7 of my bottom 10 are already done, but 3 that remain are my 37th, 38th, and 40th. Everything else is over a 6, including 11 entries over an 8 (with Serbia, Portugal, Lithuania, and France being the only such recipients thus far), and 4 entries that I gave a 10 to. So, a lot of great reviews ahead as well.
As for this song, to speak in code, it’s my masterplan to take a stand to say how generic it is. 😉
My 38th and 40th are yet to come: and both of these placements might be a bit unpopular. But they will remain a secret ( 🙂 ) for now. On the other hand though, none of my top 4 has been reviewed yet. I think I have mentioned in some posts my personal winner and it’s a pretty common choice actually. But I do have one or two more unpopular opinion on the way.
And yes I have also spoken in code somewhere inside this comment
Uuuu… if this song is what I think it is, a lot people will be annoyed. Personally, it’s not low on my list, but it’s not in my top 15 either, so bring it on. 😉
Let’s say that some people will never forget my review. My secret review. Ok you understood what I am talking about I’ll stop now xD. I am ready for the downvotes when the time comes but I will try to phrase the review in the least controversial way possible. I am glad that we agree about most of the songs though! I rarely see a song where our reviews are polar opposites. The same with Sabrina as well.
As for the crying fellow, my review might come as a surprise. 🙂
You always adopt a ballad I can’t care about, don’t you? 😀
Oh, the masterplan thing is my 2nd to last. And I agree it a wasted opportunity, because the performer is actually great.
Is it strange that I have this song ranked really highly yet don’t disagree with a lot of what you have written in your (fairly negative) review?
It does feel manufactured and the lyrics are a bit meh. Yet, I just find everything is so-well manufactured, that I really don’t mind.
I guess most people here summed up what I think about this entry. Nadir has a beautiful voice, but I definitely can’t connect with the song at all (just like Australia or Switzerland, in my case). Wish him the best of luck in the contest though!
Ouch
A proper snoozefest. Nadir just doesn’t feel the song no matter how much he tries. It’s more like a vocal show off but he’s not in The Voice anymore! Bad luck for Azerbaijan as they now have to compete with the great vocals of Australia and Poland in the same semi, with a far weaker song.. Honestly, the fact that pretty much everyone thinks it can qualify annoys me.
Rating: 2/10 (36th)
shortage of sim cards incoming
6.5/10 Imo this is the most unmemorable song of 2022, there are some parts that I like but then they kind of go nowhere until the end? I am looking forward to seeing Nadir’s performance in Turin though as I think he will have one of the best vocals of the year!
Problem here is – the vocal gymnastics pale into comparison against Poland this year. The start of the song shows plenty of promise but then it just flattens out. It’s not a bad song- just very ‘vanilla’.
Yeah. I feel sorry for Nadir. I remember being at a festival and performing two slots before a young guy who was, to put it mildly, in a different league to me musically. I just wanted to hand him the trophy at the rehearsal and go home early. (I didn’t though.) It’s always a difficult situation, so I hope Nadir can focus on his own performance, enjoy the experience and connect with some new fans.
A very underrated entry. It’s not that bad – it’s just that people sleep on it and often rank it in the bottom of their top 40 this year. Borderline qualifier.
Azerbaijan – The only thing I’ve scribbled down in my notes is “great voice, tedious song”, which pretty much sums it up well. It’s pretty emotionless and there’s not much of a climax. Heck, I forget Azerbaijan were even here this year! Forgettable at best. 3.5/10
LOL. Speaking as an expressive singer myself, it’s true that we tend to over-sing our vowel sounds for dramatic effect. I get so used to it that I forget that others can find it unlistenable.
The team is right to score it so low, no emotions, no melody, another bought song from Scandinavian teams. Nadir does not show any emotions and it does not deserve to qualify.
ONLY 4.75 :O The only song from those reviewed until now to be lower than 5. Unbelievable!
it’s what it deserves.
It’s about right. It’s some of other songs that were overrated, like Denmark for example
Song is quite bland and seems disconnected from the singer.
I can understand why it ended up with this score