The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2023. Next we review Poland, who have chosen Blanka with “Solo”.
Were we riding solo in our opinions of the song? Read on to find out!
Blanka – “Solo” (Poland Eurovision 2023)
Review: Blanka – “Solo”
Ruxandra: The song itself is not bad, even if it’s a bit generic. I prefer songs that are deeper in terms of lyrics, but I usually enjoy most of these radio songs with a message of confidence. The problem is that the performance is not convincing me at all. Improvements could be made with the vocals, but also I think this is the kind of song that should be performed with an attitude, and I don’t feel it. This one should be a confidence booster, but each performance I’ve seen says nothing to me. And it’s not because of the reactions after their national final because this problem was present even before. I am sure that some improvements could be made.
Score: 4
Tom: Now, I may have overscored my beloved Polska a tad here. But I think it would be very easy for me to destroy Blanka because I was so disappointed that Jann didn’t qualify. However, objectively speaking, “Solo” is a fun, easy to listen to, pop song. I will say I enjoy the studio version more than live – Blanka really needs to clean her vocals up. If she works on the voice and reduces some of the dancing to help with her breathing (because I can see her struggling) then she may even qualify. Poland is in the so called ‘weaker’ semi, so it could sneak in to the final. Just keep it simple Blanka!
Score: 7
Dayana: Solo is my guilty pleasure this season. A perfect summer song, which honestly reminds me of too many pop tracks, but hey – can one have too many happy and carefree tracks on the summer playlist? It’s cute, catchy and slightly amateurish – which actually gives the entry its own charm. I really liked the staging in the Polish national final and hopefully they’ll keep it in the same style!
Score: 5.5
Oliver: Blanka delivers a respectable summertime hit with “Solo”, deserving of moderate chart success. But at Eurovision, this performance commits a cardinal sin. It’s forgettable. Cookie-cutter choreography and uninspired melodies leave the song feeling stale. To have any kind of impression on the viewers at home, this needs a huge pump of adrenaline. Stick a thumping beat behind it and up the tempo a notch and Poland could turn this otherwise unremarkable sound into a fun Euroclub classic, but success in Liverpool looks unlikely.
Score: 2
Samuel: From the moment she was selected, Blanka has faced the worst onslaught of any artist this year, and it has been completely unjustified. “Solo” is an undeniably catchy song, and Blanka has consistently improved her performance. There’s nothing special about “Solo”, but Blanka is deserving of moderate success and a lot more kindness.
Score: 6.5
Poland Eurovision 2023 ranking
In the Eurovision 2023 Wiwi Jury, we have 20 jurors but only have room for five reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Antranig: 7.5 Cinan: 7 Deban: 3.5 Diego: 5 Forrest: 3.5 Jonathan: 4.5 Kristín: 5.5 Lucy: 2.5 |
Luis: 5 Pablo: 4.5 Renske: 6.5 Rick: 6.5 Ron: 3 Simon: 3.5 William: 3 |
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 7.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 4.81/10
What do you think of Poland’s Eurovision 2023 entry? Share your own score and review for Blanka’s “Solo” below!
Blanka will go to the final! Remember mu words! Judges don’t vote in semis and many people actually like the song. They can vote for many reasons, for fun, because it’s a non-comolicated, catchy tune, because it’s Pretty popular across Europe. For many ppl it’s a guilty pleasure, they might not admit publicly they like it, but they can vote for it. It’s one of the most catchy songs of this Year’s edition. NOW: How it success in the Grand Final is another Story. I am sure Poland will be last in judges voting as they place Poland last even… Read more »
Samuel’s rating is really biased. I don’t know what is so hard to understand about the situation. I mean, ESC has even issued a statement they’re officially investigating what happened and why Jann wasn’t chosen despite getting most votes. We can’t speak factual information anymore?
This song broke me. I can’t do song reviews any more. (Tumbleweed). Just kidding. This song has a standard structure and is largely based on a sequence of five chords. You’ll probably get a prize from a breakfast TV show if you can guess what the five chords are. The soft off-beat rhythm is there throughout, and it’s few steps away from reggaeton. All of the catchiness is in the melody, which changes up for each part of the song. Plus there’s a bit of cheeky sex appeal and glamour. And… that’s all. Thank you for reading. 🙂 Okay, fine,… Read more »
My worst nightmare is this will actually go through based on the song´s knowledge before the competition… I don´t know whether it´s the same where you guys are from but here in Czech rep they´ve been playing it nonstop on the radio, at the mall, on Czech MTV-like station… It´s everywhere… :///
I am sorry Poland but after Ochmanøs entry, we expected something even better. I am sorry, not for me; the song, the style, the attitude, the concept.
Let’s just collectively forget about the disaster that was the polish nf cause we’ve suffered too much already :/
The nf aside, Solo is a very meh song, but i think this is gonna sneak through to the final. But there has been quite a lot of hate directed towards Blanka, when it’s the broadcaster that we should question, not Blanka.
I’m not that mad tho, cause solo has so much meme potential ha ha ha :))
Disappointed that nobody mentions that she’s openly homophobic, I think this should be taken into account when judging the entry
no, we judge only the songs though
rich people are really such easy targets to criticize, last year Malta’s Emma Muscat was hated, now Blanka
But Emma was not homophobic…
correct, Emma was more hated for being rich, and because she had the courage to bring a self-love anthem which came across to the majority of fandom as cliché
i myself am never forgiving the fandom for that, Emma deserved more love, but anyway she wished this years maltese entrants The Busker very best of luck on her social media
i cannot know this for sure but i reckon Marco Mengoni is her fave this year, how huge of a fan she is of italian music (Brividi was her #1 last year)
Unfortunately I´m not very surprised to read this…
Terrible girl und song !
She liked homophobic comments on her instagram.
Is there a link to this? Some people throw words like this around a lot these days.
Her instagram. They posted the links and screenshots on reddit around the time when the Polish national final took place.
a lot of nastiness yes, like i said above, pretty easy to pick on rich girls
like some fake news like her family owning a brothel, which isn’t true, her dad is owner of a casino in szczecin, her mom works for TVP and has worked as a model on many high profile catwalk events
she seems nice in interviews is that faked, i don’t know
Well, they never reported Käärijä’s support for a political party which is extremely homophobic, and even supports Russia. Not a peep from international media, even tho it was a huge deal in Finland. As a Finn I’d be ashamed if we won. It’s like a huge middle finger to the LGBTQ community at ESC.
Which party was/is that? That sounds interesting :O
POLAND – NF controversy aside, this is a catchy summer bop with a memorable hook. It’s something I can imagine hearing it at the beach or in a local restaurant. Simple, yet effective. What makes it stand out, for better or for worse, is Blanka’s vocal performance: flat and off-key throughout. I can just imagine what lies ahead with the addition of a dance break, as she already struggled with the simple choreography she had. But what could have been its downfall became its advantage, and kudos to Blanka for embracing the memes. If there’s a performance ideal for an… Read more »
You are way too kind with 5.5/10 , Colin))
Oh, way too kind indeed! The song is around a 5/10, the performance around a 2/10, but the entertainment value is around a 9/10. It’s a guilty pleausre to watch ”bejba” many times. I’ll see how long that lasts.
What’s funny is that without the live performance, Blanka could easily pass as a pop star without an exceptional level of talent, but certainly passable.
It makes me wonder why the management team around her thought that putting her up on an unforgiving stage with very little help was the right way to go. Oh well, if Elettra Lamborghini managed to go onto musical success after Sanremo, why not Blanka?
I can certainly sense a ”slay queen, give us nothing” energy of a ”trust-fund heir” or ”an instragramer who wants to be a pop singer” (as Sabrina pointed out). What I have to give her is the good PR *after* she started touring. She embraced the memes, and feels very happy when interviewed during the shows. So, she’s doing something right. Then again, after a disaster that came after the Polish jury controversy, that’s the only prudent way to go.
NO. Next.
Must not talk about the national final. Must not talk about the national final. Must not….hell, let’s talk about that national final. I actually didn’t think the the studio cut of “Solo” was that far behind the better entries in the national final beforehand, but, once everything had been performed live, clearly, it should not have won. Those jury results were ridiculous. If you were tasked with rewarding the best entry for Eurovision, you had “Gladiator”. If you were there to reward the best vocal performance, you had “New Home”. There was no criteria I could see in place that… Read more »
The song is ok, the rest of the package though….
If she could sing, this would be a qualifier. It’s a very radio friendly & catchy song that would be a hit for any female artist. However with the controversy around her and her weak vocals, this isn’t qualifying
I mean yeah. If she was better vocally and chosen without preselections, noone would conplain
I dont think the controversy surrounding her will have any major impact on whether or not she qualifies. Most Eurovision viewers tune in on the night and don’t follow the news throughout the selection year, so most people wont even be aware of it.
Putting aside her controversial win, I don’t really feel strongly one way or the other about it. If she qualifies, I’ll be happy for her fans. If she doesn’t, it’s not a dealbreaker.
I don’t like it. End of, bay-bah!
Not the best song, but this votes have not beeb honest at all. Ridiculous and unprofessional.
You are right, they are too high …
It’s not even a bad song. But everything around it has definetly been… consequential.
But well, everyone has grown to enjoy “Bejba”
Lowkey, Blanka/Poland have been one of the most interesting narratives from this Esc season. They whole hate and meme things, have been actually helping Blanka in the mid/long run I feel. More talk usually helps and for whatever reason is getting views and the song has been growing on the charts and Spotify not just in Poland, but also in Lithuania or Ukraine (SF2 voting countries) Having said that, I’m very intrigued how this will go and work at Esc. I have no clue at this point. There’s nothing similar in the SF and if somehow the performance is improved,… Read more »
She should just lean into meme part of the song imo
Ochman following Rafal was a huge step forward for Poland. But just one year later, TVP opted for the lazy route again. While “The Ride” screamed “celebrity going through midlife crisis”, “Solo” exhales a “Instagram influencer decided she wants to be a singer now” vibe. The song itself is a serviceable summery bop with an ultra sticky chorus (even if I don’t like it, I catch myself humming it on a weekly basis). The big problem is that you need confidence, attitude and charisma to sell it. Sadly Blanka hasn’t showed any of it so far. 3
The Ride was a masterpiece compare to «Solo»…
No it was not. “the Ride” is close to being the worst Eurovision song contest entry ever with no appeal whatsoever. At least “solo” is catchy and doing well on some fan polls and on streaming services.
Everything written here is correct. Not a false word!
A random question: Has Poland received 0 pts in ESC history? :/
Nope, at least not yet. The fewest we’ve got was 10 points in 2015. We wouldn’t have received a solo point in 2008, had it not been for United Kingdom and Ireland (who I guess just happened to like the Polish song very much).
Point-wise, at any of the standalone stages, yes. The worst result was still Jestem from 2011, last in the semi. I still find the 2008 result a travesty, as the song is my 5th, and juries needed to save it from elimination altogether. I have 2015 also placed a few spots higher, but as it was a very good year, and it did qualify (unlike never forgotten gems from Czechia and Ireland), I’m personally not equally upset. Another very underrated one was in 1995. No zeroes for Poland so far, but IMHO, 2007 was begging for one. Just my opinion,… Read more »
Poland 1995 is one of the greatest songs that will ever be entered into the contest, it only placed poorly because it was way out of the conservative voters’ comfort zone.
There’s a lot of Poles in both the UK and Ireland
Well 6m spotify speaks for itself. Bring it on queen Blanka!
I think this song will qualify despite the hate leveled at the performer. Bright pop will stand out on the night to first time viewers on SF2 night
Even if she can’t sing at all? I mean there have been a lot of good songs in the past that didn’t make it because of terrible performance. So I would be outraged to see this insipid song go through to the final when we know Blanka’s more than limited vocal abilities.
Poland will add backing vocals and she will make the final. I don’t see this not qualifying, a certain contender to qualify.
My favorite. My 14th place. I would give it 7/10 based on the audio
(I know how bad her vocal is so don’t reply me with “but but did you heard her live” please)
For me it’s not that bad, i kinda enjoy it.
Come on, less than 5? I think this song is not that bad. It is an enjoyable summer song, maybe not great, but not bad either. I would say 6.5.
Compared with the scores other entries have received, 4.8 from wiwijury I believe has already been a (more than) fair score.
This song sounds like a joke. I don’t know how this could win but it’s no wonder why there are rigging claims around it. The studio version might be enjoyable for some but the live performance is so cringy and underwhelming that I doubt a profesional jury could crown it. I’m afraid the gays looking for an uptempo bop and a diva too root for and the Polish diaspora will make this qualify. Hope it is not enough but both groups have a lot of power. Poland falls into my bottom 5: 10. Ireland (7) 11. Armenia (7) 14. Moldova… Read more »
It definitely sounds like a joke. Everybody knows that going solo won’t do anything, getting it on with a different person is the way.
I can assure you us gays are not looking at this for an uptempo bop and diva. We have ears so recognize this is a disaster. Why do you think we wanted Jann? Much more attractive and SIGNIFICANTLY better song
The song is not that bad. Listening to the live performance is painful.to most ears. That’s the disadvantage for Poland this year.
Catchy radio friendly pop song. My third place in the national selection behind Natasza and Dudek. Definitely a much better proposition than that overrated UK entry(I have no idea how Mae is ranked in the top 10 of the bookies while Blanka is at the bottom). Anyway, if Blanka works on her vocals which already sound better at the pre-parties and refines her chorography, I can see us realistically finishing somewhere between 13th and 14th. The best case scenario is obviously a place between 11th and 12th in the final, which should be possible, especially in such a weak year… Read more »
This is so bad it’s funny. Kinda the North Macedonia 2000 way, whoever still remembers 100% Te Ljubam by XXL. I cannot rank this above 36th in my ranking, as Croatia’s the only entry this year that I loathe, but this… yeah… I think no one will deny that this is another terrible Polish entry. We’ve seen them send something great with River last year… what made TVP wanna opt for an entry that’s even worse than The Ride? I’m sorry, but given how lifeless and basic this entry is, I’m giving this a 1/10. One point for the effort… Read more »
Lol Vivian. You do not miss any chance to make nasty comments about Croatia. Can not wait to see you comments when Croatia gets more points than Poland (any many other countries for that matter)
Wiwibloggs only loves sweede rest of country’s go hell
Agree. Same was with Chanel last year. Where is she now? Everyone forgot bout her existance
What’s poin William silly Jury vote hate most country’s
33rd place: POLAND: What can I say (apart from beijba 🙂 )? This is perhaps the most unimaginative and million-times-heard-before summer-y, bland pop song. I never was a fan of such songs, as they personally can’t even make me feel good or dance. I always found them formulaic and generic. The live performance is also needing improvement as of now so as to translate the song well on stage. Not much more to say here. Might be enjoyable but nothing more.
Not me accidentally reading it as Blandka.
I have listened to this song twice, once with a slight frown when it came out – or was announced as one of the contestants in the Polish NF – and once with raised eyebrows when Blanka actually performed it live and to my utter amazement managed to win. I’m happy for everyone who is able to hear this as a breezy summer tune, but I am not one of these people.
Am I wrong in guessing that this is your last place?
It is. And by quite a margin.
WHY WOULD YOU GIVE THIS A 7.5??
What’s to like about this? The lyrics? The vocals? The instrumental? The personality of her? The dancing?
This is Israel 2000(?) level. So bad that it’s actually funny to look at. Makes me laugh at how bad everything is, so it’s not my last!
Rating: 1/10 (35th)
I usually compare it with Piero Esteriore (Switzerland 2004. zero points)
based on looks she is more an 11!
and her vocals aren’t that bad though, in the acoustic version they seemed okay
That acoustic version was so tuned up to sound good.
1/10. Last place. This review is already too long.
It’s not that bad, but people are to mean.
I think the song IS not bad. She sings It horrendously though but the song itself is enjoyable.
I agree, it could be this year’s Snap. If we consider only the studio version.
Eurovision fandome is toxic as hell! Its the epitomy of bullying when there is something they dont like or agree with!!! It is sad. There are too many Eurovision acts who regret their participation and looks back at the time in horror. Eurovision fans should take a lesson in “if you dont have anything nice to say, then dont say anything at all” and rather focus on the things they really enjoy instead of focusing on the stuff they dont like! That said, Blankas song is not that bad. It is a guilty pleasure type of catchy summer tune. I… Read more »
Some folks just can’t do things without resorting to insults/name-calling. It’s awful, but in this day and age it’s just happening everywhere. 🙁
You are right Stian but I’ve learned just not to go to comments as often. People love to be negative. Perhaps the rehearsal lockout will be a good thing, because there will less to criticise.
That score is way too high, should be in the 3s. There is nothing remarkable about this song and even with a good vocal it would still be a generic, soulless song.
The song itself is not so bad, fingers crossed that Blanka’s voice in the NF was a result of nerves and that a good team can help and support her to perform better in ESC. Yes, the voting in the NF was dodgy but we don’t know if Blanka was involved, so give her a break, please. Some of us have experienced alot of hate in our lives, why do the same people contribute to spreading hate themselves?
4.81…is generous!!
The only things I have to say about this entry this year are:
1. It got a rating in my top.
2. It’s placed lower than San Marino.
I’m sorry beijba. My #37, with a 0.5/10 rating.
After having one of the best vocals last year, sending this to Eurovision seems like a bad joke Poland plays on us.
The fact that this is being reworked … and given the amazing depth of the entrants in the national selection…. something went wrong here….. very wrong….. enough said.
Because its undergoing a revamp? Plenty of National Final songs, even in competitive selections have undergone revamps both this year and in past years. That is not really at all indicative of anything I wouldn’t think.
This getting higher score than Armenia is a crime….
I’m assuming you mean individual scores because its currently the lowest scoring song in the wiwi jury ranking so far (I believe).
Yes, I mean two people gave Brunette a 2 and give more to Blanka. I now tastes are different but c’mon.
Yeah thats….. not a great look.
Do not sending Jann it was a very big mistake of polish brocaster, because it could be the revolution for conservative Poland in Eurovision and Gladiator was potential top-3 by televote. And even bigger mistake was sending Blanka. Solo is the most generic song this year with artist who can’t sing live and has a very poor stage charisma. People should be in Eurovision because they are talented but not because they just rich. I will miss Jann very much and I think that Blanka don’t deserve to qualify with this performance.
Blanka ain’t from a richer family than Switzerland’s Remo though, and at least she brings a harmless feel good summer bop, while him bringing quite an anti-war cliché cringeworthy mess, safe to say that Remo as child of billionaires never has to worry about becoming a soldier, soldier
Remo is from a rich family? Who are they? :OOOO
Whoa, I didn’t know that…
yes, a family worth 1.8 billion
he comes across quite likeable in interviews i agree, he has a good voice, but i kinda just wish he had something different than a anti-war song, something stronger too maybe, he has a powerful vocal, very solid vocal range too, but it isn’t eurovision voice contest unfortunately for him, we judge the songs
Thanks, I didn’t know that :O
Yeah, Remo seems quite likeable, not like “ur typical spoiled rich guy” and that’s okay, he can sing well (no wonders he won The Voice Switzerland, even if one could say his family might’ve “helped” him win…well at least he deserved to win bases on his talent and interpretation skills alone xDDDD), it’s just that he deserved a song that’d be a little better than Watergun…
You think Gladiator is potential top 3 televote with his vocal? Lmao his live vocal isn’t that good, he and blanka both sound terrible anyway.
Jann can sing, just not the Gladiator-like stuff…if it was more like his song One missed call meets Switzerland 2020/2021 this would’ve been good, he’d show off his vocal abilities while not having to worry that much about choreography xD
How do you score a good hatewatch? A perfect villain? I’ve probably watched the first 30 seconds of Blanka’s NF performance 100 times and watched it to completion 5 times (as a connoisseur, the second “beybah” is my favorite, wobblier vocally and accompanied by an awkward arm raise). Had it disappeared after the NF, I’m sure I would be thinking about it not at all. But here it is, generically conceived and vapidly performed. 1.5/10
I haven’t read the comments yet on this one but I can only imagine what they will be. I completely understand and sympathize with Polish fans who very much harbour feelings of resentment towards their broadcaster and performer because of the selection because ultimately it was incredibly unfair and there are numerous pieces of evidence to suggest that it wasn’t a level playing field for contestants.I am also nearly more disappointed in the EBU for not investigatingand more importantly publishing the reuslts of their investigation to ensure that something like this will not be tolerated in the future and to… Read more »
I agree.I still think it can be nice to give two ratings based on what your impression of the song is perhaps even before the national selection because all we had to go off of was the studio cut and then compare it to the live version. But yes, I agree that if you can’t sing a song like this, it begs the question how it ended up in the national final to begin with (although we could probably take a decent guess as to how that happened) and the credibility of the broadcaster to allow something like this to… Read more »
Yeah for sure, even though I heard rumours about Alicija falling out with the broadcaster because they refused to let her partake in the 2021 edition, I thought she would be an obivious candidate for jurors to award the most point to. Dominik was also a contestant which I could see jurors having respect for but yeah, Blanka winning the jury, ooof.
Jann would have definitely been a significantly better option for Poland As with this song, there is a chance that they will not even qualify for the final, but maybe there is also the point. Maybe Poland does not want to host Eurovision as with Jann they would have placed dangerously high. Regardless, removing all the backstory to this entry, it is still a boring pop song. If one is to compare pop songs, the UK has sent . Had the singer had any talent, this entry may have been better. As it stands now, she is trying to hard… Read more »
I hope Blanka will slay. This song is a banger and you guys get over it. Toxic fandom all the way.
But, it’s all televote. The song is a banger and despite the obvious shortcomings of the singer, she could pull off an adequate vocal given the weeks of practice available. Add some engaging staging and this can pull off a qualification. There are a number of songs that are just a questionable staging decision from NQ. That being said, Poland isn’t well noted for excellence in staging.
Jann good, Blanka very bad. Can I have my upvotes now? Thanks. Taking into account the live version too, Poland 2023 is a simple 0.5 out of 5.
Reddit and this site are the most toxic places.. so much hate.
I was just messing around a bit with the Jann fans, I’ve never been a huge fan of Gladiator either, it was the only slightly interesting entry out of a really weak selection but that’s about it for me.
If “Unicorn” makes people feel good about themselves and who they are then that’s already great! Maybe for one person a song sounds bad but for another person a song can change a life. I know that “Unicorn” is a difficult song to digest because it is not structured like a normal song, it is a risk, we will see if the risk will pay off.
BTW, I feel bad for the Polish seeing as 2 out of their 3 last entries are by Rafal and Blanka, but then I remember how they completely ignored Karolina Lizer in their NF last year and maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad after all…