The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2023. Next we review Azerbaijan, who have chosen TuralTuranX with “Tell Me More”.
Did we want to hear more? Read on to find out!
TuralTuranX – “Tell Me More” (Azerbaijan Eurovision 2023)
Review: TuralTuranX – “Tell Me More”
Kristín: I have to admit that I was not exactly bursting with excitement for Azerbaijan to drop their entry, for I thought that it would just be yet another soulless Swedish pop stew without any heart or feeling. But lo and behold. They went all Azeri this time (and should do more often), completely shook my world up and swept me right off my feet! The coolest and sweetest twin duo ever, Tural and Turan sang their way straight into my heart with this retro soft rock number and I am all here for it. I indeed am craving for them to tell me more. Bravo Azerbaijan. BRA-VO.
Score: 7.5
Samuel: Prior to writing this, I had to remind myself what Azerbaijan’s song sounded like, which gives you an idea of the impact it’s had on me since its release. On the one hand, there’s something very admirable about Azerbaijan’s shift to home grown and authentic. “Tell Me More” isn’t the worst song either. Part of me though, is saying “Give Me More”. Give me the internationally-infused super sleek Azerbaijan we know and love back. For that reason, it will be very interesting to see how TuralTuranX do this year and if this marks the start of a new era.
Score: 4.5
Dayana: This is such a soft and romantic song that could easily be a movie soundtrack. Takes me back to school times, dreaming about a sweetheart. What makes it even better is that the twins themselves wrote the lyrics – I am totally weak for sincere, emotional and yet mellow songs that you can relate to.
Score: 9
Pablo: What’s there to say about a song that makes you feel nothing at all? “Tell Me More” is the most uncompetitive song of the lot by a clear mile. Lyrically, there’s nothing innovative happening, and it isn’t interesting enough musically to breathe any new life into said stale lyrics. Even production wise it sounds several levels below other competitors or other Azeri proposals from before, which is not the point of the angle they attempted. If Azerbaijan truly wants to tap into its local potential, then it should strive for much more than this, which unfortunately stands as a hopeless proposal.
Score: 1
Ruxandra: This song is somehow a guilty pleasure for me, I find it very enjoyable. In many comments and reactions I’ve read that this song gives Beatles vibes… For me it doesn’t give Beatles vibes at all but it certainly takes me to that old-school type of love songs from late ’90s or early ’00s. You know, the kind of “cute (cheesy) love songs” with a rap part inserted. In terms of music and lyrics, it might not be something that was never heard before. The lyrics are a bit childish. I am a bit worried for the live performance as the general vibe of the song is a cute and cozy one, but I still think that the song needs some dynamics and energy.
Score: 5
Azerbaijan 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: 4 Cinan: 3.5 Deban: 5 Diego: 4.5 Forrest: 4 Jonathan: 5.5 Lucy: 7.5 Luis: 6 |
Oliver: 6.5 Renske: 5.5 Rick: 2 Ron: 2 Simon: 7 Tom: 7.5 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 1 and a high of 9.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 5.19/10
What do you think of Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2023 entry? Share your own score and review for TuralTuranX’s “Tell Me More” below!
I want to praise Azerbaijan for finally going domestically but the song is a bit too low-key to grab my interest immediately. It’s a decent effort though and probably a tribute to the Liverpool Britpop scene, which is a nice thing. I just wish the song had a bit more of an impact.
6/10 and 30th place in my ranking. It will probably stay in the semis but I want to see Azerbaijan sending similar songs in the future.
AZERBAIJAN – I am happy to see The Land of Fire sending something more chill and unpretentious. It has a sweet, nostalgic sound of the earlier Britpop bands, and the twins feel comfortable performing it. I can see myself drinking coffee or lying in bed while listening to this. The question is how competitive can it be? In such a hard semi, I’m afraid it would need a bigger oomph to leave a mark. The song has several different segments, and while I think that they are reasonably well-intertwined, they are all somewhat low-key. It’s a very pleasant and feel-good… Read more »
The prior approach to Eurovision for Azerbaijan had been to buy fabricated, Scandi-pop tracks and then, try to elevate them with the combination of local Azeri instrumental touches and local vocal talent. For a while, this was working, but, over time, the quality has diminished and, even though I liked last year’s entry, Azerbaijan haven’t felt like a potential Eurovision winner for a long time. There was no authenticity to what they were bringing. “Tell Me More” is the first step in what is, hopefully, a completely new way of going about Eurovision for the country. One thing you can… Read more »
^ On a side note, this is probably the one track of the year where I could easily see it dropping down 5-10 places in my ranking when my initial warmness towards the “idea” of it wears off and I’m left with just the song/performance.
This is one of those songs where I find myself looking when it’s going to end, and since it’s in Semifinal 1 there is no chance for it to qualify. Also after that scam last year, it will be a well deserved NQ.
I like the song, it’s different and like the kinda throwback style. Sadly It’s not going to qualify though
Giving a 1/10 to this song should be punished by the law. It’s a nice and light-hearted song. They will struggle to qualify because it’s not what people is used to listen, but it’s good to step out from ordinary and generic ballads and pretentious uptempo songs. Azerbaijan makes it into my top 10. 8. San Marino (7.25) 9. Azerbaijan (7) 10. Ireland (7) 11. Armenia (7) 13. Serbia (7) 14. Moldova (7) 15. Estonia (6.75) 17. Australia (6.75) 18. Cyprus (6.75) 19. France (6.75) 22. Malta (6.5) 23. Switzerland (6.5) 24. The Netherlands (6.5) 25. Italy (6.5) 27. Lithuania… Read more »
8. TuralTuranX – Tell me more (Azerbaijan) – 8/10 – reminiscent of the carefree summer months of the 90s, this has a sweet and welcoming vibe. There is strong guitar and drum work and the song at times delivers both thrust and sensitivity. It feels like a story, whisking me away on its floaty, almost whimsical, 3 minute journey.
It’s charming, it’s pleasant, sounds sincere, but for some reason this song simply can’t find a way to stay in my mind, which normally isn’t a good sign. Another factor that may make it struggle in a competitive environment is that the audience for it (and when I say audience, I’m saying people that would actually cast a vote for them) seems quite limited to people that really gravitates around brit-pop. As many others fans, I also hope a bad result doesn’t mean that Azerbaijan won’t give another chance to local songwriting talent. 5.75
A feel-good soft-rock tune from Azerbaijan? I’m pretty sure this is the first time they’ve put forth a song like this in the contest.
After 2 evaluations (with one more to go), this is one of my top 10. To qualify under the current guidelines is, at best, a mid-range long shot.
This song is my “guilty pleasure” of the year. My cousin and I sing along to it, and the rap is easy and relaxing.
I like any sort of rap where my attempts to emulate it are not a million miles away from the professional actually delivering it.
There is no way this is going to qualify, but it’s light catchy chorus is making this song my guilty pleasure of ESC 2023.
I’m actually somewhat surprised by people’s reactions to this song in the comments. I know many have been asking for a more authentic entry from Azerbaijan for quite some time (I personally liked some of their entries like 2015 and 2019) and when it was revealed that the song would be more homegrown than their recent efforts, I was expecting something with perhaps the Azeri language and traditional instrumentation. This song took me a bit by surprise, it has a 90s British garage sound to it and ofc elements of the Beatles which I think would’ve appealed to British voters… Read more »
That must be our first 1 of the season. A bit harsh.
Ouch!! 1 pt?! This is the lowest single point given this year, isn’t it?
I much prefer Azerbaijan sending songs like this than generic beige songs from a Scandinavian songwriting camp. Like Georgia 2016, I love the British-feel to it and is being overhated by fans.
I don’t hate the Azerbaijani song but that’s not the most fortunate comparison, Nika Kocharov and his Lolitaz are simply much better songwriters than Tural x Turan.
I just assumed they actually wrote their own song since they’re a band, but I guess that at least they made the inspired choice to collaborate with someone who knew what he was doing, unlike Tural x Turan. I knew about G:son tho, I don’t really care about him since I always preferred the original version anyway.
My ninth place. It starts off very promisingly, with a different, chill, comforting vibe. The rap is decent. But then it gets a bit too distorted. I could rather see this be sent by Georgia, it’s not in the usual Azerbaijani style, and I have to commend them for it.
I’d rather listen to TuranTuralX’s gentle pop rock song than Alexandra belting her notes obnoxiously at me. But maybe that’s just me.
This entry is quite mid-table for me. I appreciate a lot that Azerbaijan goes for a locally produced entry this year, but the entry in and of itself is rather unremarkable. It’s pleasant when it comes up, but forgotten immediately after it’s over. It’s especially in a tough spot as the twins will perform after Loreen. I’m afraid this will easily become Azerbaijan’s second NQ, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be too bothered either.
It’s a 6/10 for me. I don’t have much to say about this one, really.
It’s my number four. I wish where was more of the guitar and the “Tell Me More” refrain. No rap, no answering machine.
36th, just could not get into this song at all, I’ve tried and every time I just get bored. I’m a sucker for a slow song as well, but just not this sadly.
I might be a bit bold by saying this but this song reminds me of The Beatles and therefore I do not understand why it is so underrated.
My 6th place! This is my most listened to ESC23 song, it’s so cute and refreshing and makes my day whenever it comes on. I adore this entry with all my heart and it truly feels like a warm hug.
27) Azerbaijan – Well, they did it. Azerbaijan actually sent a charming entry! While I believe it will get lost in the semi-final, I do appreciate them sending this song. There’s a bunch of britpop elements in it which I enjoy, it’s something very familiar to me. Hopefully Azerbaijan will continue sending stuff like this in the future, but I do fear they’ll immediately revert to their usual schtick next year. 5/10
It’s the first time Azerbuyjan doesn’t send a plastic entry. Still, it will be unfair if they qualify from this hard semi .
This song is a bit all over the place, but for me it still falls on the cute side. The rap part is a little strange to my ears, but not to a point that it gets off-putting. The rest nods in a lot of directions, perhaps a little too many directions for only three minutes, but in its core it’s a simple acoustic singer-songwriter tune. I don’t seek it out, let alone listen to it on repeat, but it’s fine as long as it’s on. It has probably one of the steepest hills to climb in semi one, because… Read more »
I think your placing of the song is where I’ll probably end up placing it, but for now, the fact that I like the “idea” of what they’re doing so much more than some of the slightly cold or calculated, slick entries that don’t connect with me such as Czech Rep or Norway, but I imagine, over time, their quality will have them moving in opposite directions. As for the song, you kinda hinted at it, and I really wish it tried to do fewer different things. It does feel as if it just overreaches slightly in what it hopes… Read more »
Yes, this would have probably worked better if they narrowed their approach a little and polished the result accordingly a little more. I definitely also feel the roughness you are talking about in your comment.
very nice britpop inspired entry, also a huge plus for me no foreign composers are involved finally!!!!!!!!!!!
i deffo agree with @Ari Azerbaijan and Greece are doing much better than the likes of Cyprus, Switzerland this year, in terms of homegrown compositions rather than swedified plastic lifeless crap
doesn’t deserve to be a hopeless nq with all honesty, this entry is better than last years Nadir, although fade to black grew on me more post contest
my score for this, a decent 6.5 <3
Agree- not to mention those gorgeous outfits in the video!
This song is better than people think. It is really unfair to see such criticism to the entries written by the artists themselves. Just like in the case of Greece, these are young people who are trying to find their own style and place in the music industry and in order to achieve that they have put a strong effort in creating their own music. We should stress that a lot more than we do and not forget that the highest ranked / most successful entries are often written by someone else and not the artists we hold in such… Read more »
It doesn’t hurt anyone, but it’s nothing that blow people’s mind.
But comparing it to the past entries of Azerbaijan, there’s one thing I absolutely love about this entry: It is fully made by Azerbaijani, no foreign influence, something I’ve been waiting for years.
My concern is that if TuralTuranX won’t qualify, that Azerbaijan goes back to buy foreign songs with almost none Azerbaijani influence. And unfortunately, it’s rather likely that Azerbaijan will fail to qualify for the second time in their ESC history.
Harsh critics ..
17th place: AZERBAIJAN: A calming and pleasant tune with some good instrumental parts and a surprising genre-mix: It has parts that are reminiscent of the Beatles’ musical era and faster tempo more rap-like parts that are combined in a good way. Lyrically it’s no masterpiece, yet it didn’t need to be for what it wants to achieve. I also like the seemingly amateur approach to the production of the song as it adds the sincerity many other overproduced entries lack. It will struggle to qualify but if I had to choose between previous generic, ethno-pop Azeri entries and ‘Tell Me… Read more »
I definitely prefer this to the Efendi era of Azerbaijan entries but generally, I’m not somebody who really dislikes the Azeri back catalogue. They find most of their songs to be solid filler for the year.
Well, I think it’s totally unfair to appoint marks like 1/10 in a song some people created. Just remember that every creation deserves some respect. I think Wiwi jury has become really toxic in its marks. I don’t like many songs, Azerbaijan’s included, but one needs to be more respectful, even if it is an unprofessional panel of juries.
Sorry, but this us just a busker level of song and performance, not Eurovision … but I’ll give them a coin in that hat… 2-/10
This has grown to become my guilty pleasurw of the year and it is also my last qualifier of SF1, I’m not even fooling around. It is such a welcome change of pace inbetween the chaos of the first semi-finalist favorites, a fresh breath of ACTUAL Azerbaijani composition after so many years! A beautiful, serene (radio-friendly too), soft rock entry, occasionally shifting to pop, with a wonderful calmness flowing from the verses and a great message, with excellent chemistry between the twins onstage that takes you back to the classic Beatles’ era. The powerful bridge before the final, soft chorus… Read more »
“Tell Me More” is a much better song than I initially thought. It’s brisk, carefree and weightless, like a steaming cup of coffee illuminated by Sunday morning sunshine. As if suspended in the air, Turan and Tural sing with a great deal of unprecedented optimism that shines above the nervous anticipation of the lyrics. It’s kind of unusual to have a duo sing about their love for the same girl, which adds an unintended element of romantic rivalry, but TuralTuranx’s natural synergy never makes you question their agenda. “Tell Me More” in an unapologetic plunge into the eclectic, airheaded sound… Read more »
The minor hit song from that era that immediately springs to mind is “Crazy for This Girl” by Evan and Jaron. Weirdly, I didn’t like that song at all, but I think I’ve mellowed in two decades-plus.
“It’s brisk, carefree and weightless, like a steaming cup of coffee illuminated by Sunday morning sunshine.”
Exactly! I really enjoy this song. It’s unlikely to qualify but I’ve added it to one of my Spotify playlists because it makes me smile.
They explained it that it’s not just a love song, it’s a song of communication and empathy with one person struggling and the other encouraging them to talk about it.
If you remove the competitive element of Eurovision, there’s very little to say that’s wrong with this as an actual song. It could be in a film, it could be on the radio, it could be a TV theme.
I think whatever happens, Tural and Turan need to know that what they’ve done here, is write a good song.
Looks like Azerbaijan have been up to their old tricks with Dayana!
I’ll keep it simple. This song is just, a void. Nothing. Honestly plain awful and forgettable and it’s extremely boring in any way shape and form. 1/10. Worst entry from Azerbaijan ever.
I find this a completely adorable, sweet little tune charmingly devoid of any effort to look cool (you could spin that as no effort to be competitive, I guess). It’s constantly shifting, from an old-school soft rock chorus to Twenty One Pilots-like verses to finally settle down into a pure (if extremely tame) power pop song in the final minute. I file this one next to The Busker in “songs that I wouldn’t put up for any awards, but that I never skip.” 7/10
The darlings of ESC: Azerbaijan have gone in a different direction this year….brave move…interesting choice…kind of an indy pop feel for me…but a will it find itself in the final? Probably not…..not sure this risk will pay off unless there is a swell of public only votes the in semi final……I think this year will tell a lot of truth about Azerbaijan in ESC- is it the public or the jury that tend to favour them more? If they do not make it to the final..then that says a lot…….
I do and will always appreciate the turn to local songwriters but this just doesn’t work. It’s a total mess, for me nothing makes sense, it’s an amatuer job.
In my poor little mind, they decided to send this for people to hate on the whole local productio thing and switch back to import songs from sweden.
If Nadir got a 0 in the smeifinal, this deserves the same and way more..
Rating: 1/10 (35th)
The one positive thing about this song is that it is a nice change of pace from what Azerbaijan has sent in the past. But personally, it kinda sounds like a Two Door Cinema Club demo from years ago. The twins are nice people but the song itself is inoffensive and doesn’t really do much, nor can I imagine how it can be elevated at the Eurovision stage
I love this song, and Tural and Turan are a mood. I love how they finish each other sentences in interviews like a lot of twins do. All the best in Liverpool, lads!