The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 40 competing songs in Eurovision 2022. Next we review the Czech Republic, who have chosen We Are Domi with “Lights Off”.
Were we turning the music off as well as the lights? Read on to find out!
We Are Domi – “Lights Off” (Czech Republic Eurovision 2022)
Review: We Are Domi – “Lights Off”
Jonathan: A dark, mysterious opening. The introduction of an electropop beat. A climatic high note that leads into a danceable post-chorus instrumental. Then repeat. “Lights Off” has ebb and flow throughout its three minutes that gives listeners many chances to leap on board and join the ride, whilst also keeping you hooked once you’re on the journey (and ready for round two immediately afterwards). It’s a fresh take on electropop for Eurovision and one that deserves to get the Czech Republic back to the grand final. And as someone who hails from Leeds, United Kingdom, We Are Domi get a bonus 11th point for having formed whilst at university there.
Score: 10
Sebastian: Where are they now? Right at the top of my Spotify playlist. “Lights Off” is a fantastically produced electropop song that sounds right off the international charts. Kudos to We Are Domi for this heavy bass, yet easily accessible track. Live performances still need some work to be perfect, and we are yet to see a performance that matches the energy of the recorded track. But practice will make perfect, and no doubt the Eurovision voting app will be on when the “Lights Off”.
Score: 8
Antranig: If I had to choose one word to sum up my thoughts on this song, that word would be “indifference”. There’s nothing wrong with this entry but there’s not a whole lot to write home about either. Everything about “Lights Off” is simply average. Having said that, there’s just enough here to scrape by. That, coupled with a favourable running order draw for the Czech Republic, should help its cause. However, it needs a great performance or it’ll get lost in the mire.
Score: 4
Pablo: “Lights Off” is just a joy to listen to and replay over and over. The instrumental delivers all an electronic track should: ethereal verses to pull you in, a foot-thumping chorus, and a fantastic payoff on the extremely danceable breakdown. Appealing to the masses without sounding by the numbers or over-processed, it’s one of the sleekest packages the Czech Republic has sent to the contest, and I believe it’s poised to bring them to the final once again.
Score: 9
Tom: Being completely honest, We Are Domi’s dance-pop banger “Lights Off” isn’t going to trouble the upper end of the scoreboard. I believe there needs to be more build in each verse and chorus – they all sound the same. Yes, it is still a great verse and chorus and brilliant to have a bop to, but I just feel after the first minute I have heard the entire song. It doesn’t give me anything else to chew on. I don’t want to sound overly negative about “Light’s Off” as I enjoy it overall and the group are terrific performers live. I just hope they surprise me and pull something out of their sleeves on stage in Turin.
Score: 7
Czech Republic 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: 7 Cinan: 8.5 Deban: 7 Josh: 8 Lucy: 6.5 Luis: 9 Natalie: 9 |
Oliver: 7 Renske: 7 Robyn: 7 Ron: 7 Suzanne: 4.5 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 4 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.28/10
What do you think of the Czech Republic’s Eurovision 2022 entry? Share your own score and review for We Are Domi’s “Lights Off” below!
The only bad thing I can think of is Domi’s vocals at live parties, but they are improving.
Wow another silly inflated score
22.Czech Republic – A really nice EDM bop, yet it is still the safe choice. Unfortunately, this isn’t Jezinky. It can still definitely be solid.
The lyrics are lame af… but the background music is nice.. I think it will be a shocking NQ
No shocking NQ, only for fans? If it’s bad in live, just expected NQ.
Man, Eurovision 2022 is a really strong year. The Wiwi Jury has given 9 countries a score of 7/10.
With Czechia specifically, it’s great how their Eurovision entries have been diverse in terms of music style throughout the years. EDM is often underrated in Eurovision and I see Czechia getting their first win this year. Prague 2023, anyone?
This is my only 10 this year. I love this song and I enjoy it more now than when I first heard it. The whole song is just my kind of music, and I think the fact its closing SF2 shows how much the producers of the show back this production. 10/10 for me & good luck in Turin 2022.
7.5/10 My only negative criticism about this song is that I find the instrumental a little generic, but despite that this song is pretty cool- I love her voice on the studio and the title ‘Lights Off’ allows for there to maybe be a nice moment on stage where the lights are turned off!?
I think this will do poorly with the public, will be saved by the juries…
It’s a fun song , the beat is infectious , her vocal tone in the Studio and Czech final are great , not so much in the live. If she does a good live , I can see it do a top 10 even , but if she doesn’t it might not even qualify out of the semi. As of right now , I predict it to be borderline but qualifying. The staging and live vocals will make or break this .
Love the where are you now followed by the music.
8.5/10
Okey, while it wasn’t my favourite in Czechia’s NF, it’s a song that I enjoy a lot. In fact, it was my 5th because the NF was insanely good. I would have been fine six out of the seven songs. This song is current, easy to listen and uplifting. The instrumental chorus is very catchy and overall I think it’s an entry the average audience can root for. Problem? Her vocals haven’t been on point in any live performance she’s made so it may be a flop with the juries as Latvia’s Triana Park. For now, the Czech Republic enters… Read more »
It’s not gonna qualify, mark my words.
at least wait for the rehearsals and live shows. Smh, like y’all said this about portugal last year and yet they got left hand side of the leaderboard in the final. sad
poor vocals ruin a song for me. the vocalist can’t perform high belts properly and you can do that in the studio version. it’s a good EDM track that flows well but please fix the vocals
This entry would be in my Top3 if it remained the way it started. A nice, dark mid-tempo song. Instead, there is this kinda basic beat drop which doesn’t elevate the song even more. Still, a great EDM song and it will be a great closer.
Rating: 8.5/10 (13th)
This song is sailing round my peripheral qualification detection senses. I really love the final video for this song: Full marks for that. However, some EDM-type songs haven’t always done well in recent years – I’m thinking of Poland 2018 and Finland 2019 here.
And part of the competition is Austria’s “Halo,” which has more energy. I wish Domi the very best though, and I hope they do qualify because it’s a good track.
Oh God. I completely forgot about Poland 2018, I’m sure there’s a reason for that.
There is. The only memorable aspect is the dolphin hand. 😉
That’s probably my most listened song this year and the most likely one to hit the replay button, so thanks Czechia for giving us this great track to start with. I agree with most people below that staging will be crucial. Dominika has a great and very unique voice but this is a particularly difficult song to sing live, so not all her performances have been flawless so far. I expect she will deliver come May and she has that stage charisma to appeal in both juries and televoters. I’m really hoping for the best for this one 🙂
This is such a jury bait
Czechia has been proven to be a juries’ pet in general.
I Swear Antranig hates every good entry. The UK is phenomenal this year and stands a good chance at winning, with a top 10 finish certain. This song is one of the best this year. Maybe he just doesnt like good music
This is a difficult one for me because I really enjoy this song and listen to it a lot. However, just because I like it and vibe with it doesn’t mean that I think it is going to make it. I actually think that Czech Republic is going to struggle to make it, but most fans are in denial because they helped to choose the song. They feel some ownership of the song and as such, are unwilling to face the harsh reality that Domi can’t sing very well, live. Nevertheless, I will give credit where credit is due and… Read more »
You summed up my thoughts on this song. While I like the studio version and vibe with it, she’s struggled with that long sustained note she sings a couple of times. And being last in the semifinal just makes me think that this is going to be scored just like Latvia and Triana Park dead last. I hope it makes the grande final but I fear for it.
This is what the kids call a “vibe.” I quite dig it and I can imagine it being a real party in Turin. 9.5/10.
yes cause dated edm music out 2016 is party nowadays
Also, I’m wondering if this’ll complete a pattern for the Czechs:
2018: televote loved it, jury didn’t
2019: jury loved it, televote didn’t
2021: nobody liked it
2022: everyone likes it?
Czech Republic – Initially I really liked this song and I still somewhat think that they can do well, but as the rest of the entries came in I just completely forgot about this one. Nothing’s really that wrong about it but I feel it really needs a captivating staging to have some impact on getting votes. 7/10
This song is the most replayable song of the year I can’t get it out of my head 10/10
Though there’s nothing particularly original about this entry, it’s impressive how well the track flows. Its structure is super neat and every change of pace comes exactly when they should. Plus it sits right between mainstream, indie pop and EDM, which makes it accessible for everybody. The lyrics are casual and relatable, saving room for one of my favorite lines of 2022: “You’re sailing around in my peripheral”. So, what’s the issue here? When the studio version is so effective, an iffy live performance may ruin everything. 7.25/10
2 out of 2 today, Sabrina. 🙂 I am interested on whether we agree on the third one.
Also, while your ratings aren’t nearly as high as mine, I am happy that you still like Estonia, and are appreciative of what Norway is going for. I am wondering how you’ll rate the remaining two of my winners.
Well, we stopped in 2 for 2, but it wasn’t our fault. 😀 I’m glad the comments section gave Slovenia the love WiwiJury brutally denied. Like I told you before, I don’t think the Norwegian entry is bad at all. Though I honestly can’t get what you and so many others feel about it. And I must say first time viewers won’t get tired of it like it happened with me. I’m surprised both them and Estonia got 10s from you, but I was glad to see Stefan getting this kind of love, because I think he went out of… Read more »
Is “peripheral” correct, or should it be “periphery”? Someone who knows, please tell me.
John Lundvik’s “I would lit your world with just one spark” still keeps me awake at night. Yes, this is my fault, there is something wrong with me.
I’m with Aria in this one, I think they mean “peripheral vision”. And I really love how they phrased it. Because at the same time it means her lover is surrounding her thoughs constantly, but also that it’s more like a blur, like when we though we’ve seen someone familiar on the street. This is very clever stuff. Could even be a (translated) line in “Sentimentai”, since Monika’s song is also about being haunted from someone from the past.
I’m surprised you dislike this song that much, because in my mind it was just like Estonia, one of those most people enjoy. I think the rest of the lyrics are pretty much direct to the point. But what I like about them is that they come up with things we wouldn’t normally hear in mainstream songs. The whole changing furniture and bed sheets, for example. In mainstream songs, normally we get clichés. Here I sense some personality. It’s almost like if the main character is writing a long rant to a former love that she never actually send them.
The best Czech entry ever! I am happy that the Czech delegation began to take ESC seriously again! ‘We are Domi’s’ electropop piece is my second place, overall (behind Portugal)! Loves from Prague! 🙂
Lights Off really growed on me.
It is now on my 8th Place (before it was 21th)
9/10
This is true dark horse of this year. Nobody talks about it but everyone at least like it. That’s top 10 song imo. Simply because I expect them to get, 1-2 points at least, everywhere
I’ll agree with a 7.28 when she can hit any of the big notes live. Until then it’s a nice studio cut and that’s it.
Wasn’t first viral video a live performance?
It’s had some autotune work.
Not sure why this is not getting more publicity and love. It’s closest rival in this genre is Austria and this is so much better , mainly because live, this has a musical depth to it. I would really like to see this entry surprise us all with a Top Ten placing.
In my top 5. Absolutely love this. This was also my biggest grower and went from my 20th to my 5th. This just is my type of music and the revamp actually helped it a lot. The instrumental and bass is some of the best this year, i just find the entire package entertaining. I’m just hoping that the live performance will live up to the studio cut. I think it will qualify but i predict it will finish around 20th
Even in the Czech national selection, I found this to be a half-hearted effort of some quality that I wouldn’t mind them picking if they couldn’t decide on something better. Honestly, after all this time has passed, after some poor live vocal performances, a revamp and a try-hard music video, I haven’t really moved on much from my overall impression of the song. It just feels like a 9th-12th place semi final entry that could get through to fill out the grand final or just miss out. Personally, I prefer these kind of songs to be a bit bigger and… Read more »
Rating: 5.0/10.0
CZECH REPUBLIC – This mid-tempo EDM club song has already proven its appeal to different people by winning a very competitive NF. It feels familiar, but in a reassuring way. The drop in the chorus might feel mild to those looking for a true banger, but it will probably feel elegant and measured to other demographics. While it’s playing it a bit safe, this song has a lot to offer. Aside from having a cool beat, it’s a well produced track, and the lyrics have a meaning behind them. They can be seen as someone being lonely, missing their loved… Read more »
This does sound like EDM for people who don’t like EDM to be fair and honestly, a lot of the time, that sort of genre toe-dipping makes for a successful Eurovision result. The production is definitely professional and visually, the song does have the sort of mood that you can do some staging with. I think the guy playing the guitar with a bow is something that they might want to keep. If I was a competent delegation, I would feel quite confident about getting this song through to the grand final, because of a lot of the reasons you… Read more »
Great review Colin, we agree on this song! I have one interesting remark though. “Lights Off” won its NF mostly due to the international vote. The Czech vote ranked them in a very mediocre spot (4th if I remember correctly?). The international vote was of course based almost completely on votes from fans while many Czechs that are not in the fandom may have been part of the local voting. This makes me wonder whether this song belongs to the category of songs that are appreciated by the fandom way more than by the general public. Because if that’s the… Read more »
under normal circumstances this would be bbc radio 2 fodder music. enjoyable song that leaves little impact. in this year’s context, though, it’s some much-needed energy and i appreciate it.
A score close to mine, my 27th place with a 7/10 rating. Energetic and upbeat EDM music, lovely visuals and choice of lighting so far in the pre-parties by the group, the pre-chorus part is my most favorite. But I still cannot say that thia is a guilty pleasure for me, at least it’s a likeable entry. I would still be fine with the song qualifying but the live performance must be pitch-perfect in order to do so and, so far, many high notes seem difficult to reach… If I were to compare this entry to Austria, I would still… Read more »
great EDM song, summer hit of 2022 confirmed
easy to dance to
Dominika is also such a sweet, likeable girl, where her father was the Dominator at ice hockey, let’s hope she can dominate at the eurovision stage
10.0
Yet again a song I place in my personal list “not my cup of tea”. I do think this will qualify, but I have no idea what it will do in the final….
19. Czechia – Domi – Lights Off – 7/10 – a straight up, well-produced dance-pop song. This had the potential to turn into something altogether more dark and edgy but they went for a safer final production which is understandable and is still something to be proud of. Some real-life lyrics in the verse make this more relatable than most songs in the contest. This is a competent effort from Czechia that is easy listening and comfortable to dance to.
Same spot, same rating. This is one of our closest reviews, Kosey. 🙂
I do find the song to be a bit of a compromise and there are little hints of what it could’ve been with a little more bravery and conviction.
I think the professional approach to the song makes this an easy one for juries to get behind and I fully expect that it is competent enough to accumulate a number of jury points, possibly enough to qualify.
It’s not great live, unfortunately
i expected this to be high, nonetheless i don’t think this will translate well on stage…
This one’s in my top 5. Not really because the song is creative or anything, it’s because it’s dominated my Spotify ever since it won the Czech selection. If this isn’t my most listened song at the end of the year in my Spotify Wrapped I’ll be very confused. This song has everything one could demand from a pop song. It’s danceable, catchy, the vocals are endearing (even if not always well-performed live but she’s improved recently!) and if they translate this the right way to Turin, this could certainly rival Mikolas as a potential new record result for the… Read more »
Only 10 remain. Who do you think will win the wiwijury?
I would predict Sweden or Italy to win the Wiwi jury. The Netherlands is also a possible winner. Spain too, although I personally wouldn’t want that to happen.
Watch the Wiwis voting for Spain with an 8.00> average score because of a shaking bottom and not because of the song, lmao.
Hope that doesn’t happen. This type of songs never appealed to me. And Spain’s song is by objective criteria far from being the most qualitative song of the year.
this. the wiwi vote isn’t too different from other fan votes in the end, they’re part of the fandom after all.
It’s interesting how there are always songs heavily overrated by the fandom before the show compared to the actual results in May. This can perhaps show that some specific kinds of songs that systematically appeal to the fans, don’t ultimately appeal to the general public watching ESC. Of course it can also happen by luck. But many times one can determine which song can become a “surprise non-qualifier fan favourite”.
There are some genres that always do *really well* among hardcore ESC fans, while their impact on the general audiences is determined case-by-case. I mean, it’s obvious that ballads need to be *special* and have *a moment* do well in any kind of aggregator ESC-fanbase ranking, while bops, especially ethno-bops paired with sexy dancing, get general approval in almost all cases. Of course, some ethno-bops are truly deserving, but I feel like that’s a genre that performs well with most Eurofans no matter the execution. It’s either ”slay, Queen – winner”, or alternatively ”a guilty pleasure” and still in top… Read more »
For me, there’s 6 good ratings left (including 2 of 10s), 1 middle range one, 2 bad ones, and 1 I’m still not completely set on. It’s a secret which one is that. 🙂
As for the Wiwi score, I predict:
Sweden – cca. 8.45
Italy – cca. 8.25
Spain – cca. 8.00
Netherlands – cca. 8.00
Poland – cca. 7.90
Greece – cca 7.80
Albania – cca. 7.65
Finland – cca. 7.40
Malta – cca. 6.25
Bulgaria – cca. 3.80
Ah Bulgaria. My rating on that song will be much more lenient than most other people I think. It’s not that I’ll praise the song, but I also won’t rank it as extremely low as everyone else most probably will. It will be fun. Is the entry you’re not yet set on the same entry that I will be ranking last this year? 🙂
Might be. It is, alongside Australia, an entry I feel differently about each time I hear it. Sometimes I think it’s good, sometimes I don’t. As I already feel like the 7.5 I gave to Australia was a bit too good (even if I do find it solid in most aspects), I might go the other way for the other one. Still, I do find it devoid of pretentiousness, which works in its favor. Don’t expect 10s or 1s from me when it comes to our show opener. 🙂
Yes Australia is a song I also can’t decide if I like it or not. And I really went from ranking it low to putting it in the top 10 before it settled in a more balanced position. The other song we are talking about is just completely outside of the genres of songs I like. A bit like Cyprus for me unfortunately.
It’s good, I like it and definitely a dance bop, but it’s just missing some kind of ooomph that could elevate Czech Republic even higher up the scoreboard. Of course, staging could be really good but from song alone I’m predicting a mid-table finish. Could place anywhere from 15-25. But open to it finishing higher if staging and vocals are on point. It could be a shock NQ too though. It’s the kind of song that could place anywhere depending on the overall mood of the public voting. Can we all give credit to Czech Republic for putting effort into… Read more »
20. Czech Republic: A well-made, danceable and uplifting EDM track: albeit a perhaps generic one. I certainly prefer this from Austria’s entry and I think that the dark aesthetic of their live on tape performance worked perfectly. A problem, apart from the fact that this song is perhaps a little too mainstream to stand out a lot, is Dominika’s vocals. Even if they were pitch perfect in the NF, in the pre-parties and the rest of their performances she seems to struggle. Of course she has time to improve though. But if she doesn’t, the fact that this genre has… Read more »
Dominika has stunning vocals though
I actually think genre-wise, this is quite safe, especially when it comes to jury-voting. Songs that have EDM flavour but are a bit more scaled-back and more focused on the electronic side, rather than the dance side tend to do well. It’s more when these tracks are a bit harder on the dance side that they really struggle for votes.
I’d be more concerned for the type of song that Austria is than Czech Rep. But then again, if the vocals are what they have been so far, either one is completely in danger regardless.
I am actually concerned about the televoting as well as far as this entry is concerned. The televoting tends to behave a bit weird towards such entries: they either rank them really good or really bad. Of course in the times they are ranked badly, bad vocals or staging also play a part. But yeah such entries although safe from a musical standpoint always seem extremely borderline to me as far as the qualification chances are concerned.
I think there is a televote concern for sure. Norway 2017 did really well with the jury votes but badly with the televote yet Latvia 2016 did a bit better with the televoting than the jury voting. I know such results are dependent on what other songs are competing alongside but still, I think it shows that there are points there for a song like the Czech Rep has, IF they get the presentation right.
Yes these are two very good examples. I don’t know we will ultimately see. Many factors play a part. As of now I have in my predictions that both Austria and the Czech Republic will NQ. But a lot can change.