The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2024. Next we review Spain, who have chosen Nebulossa with “ZORRA”.
Were we won over by the duo? Read on to find out!
Nebulossa – “ZORRA” (Spain Eurovision 2024)
Review: Nebulossa – “ZORRA”
William: “ZORRA” isn’t a song — it’s a statement. Nebulossa shout that we all have worth no matter our age — and they do so with panache and positivity. Maria’s vocals aren’t the best, but that’s part of the point: You have to slay on your own terms and do what makes you happy. And if that means including male dancers in high heels and assless chaps then so be it! This song touches the heart and deserves all the points it is sure to get.
Score: 8
Scarlett: I know “ZORRA” has a strong message, but the melody itself doesn’t live up to the strength of the lyrics. María is a fun performer that gets the audience chanting, but I worry that her vocals may not hold up in a live performance. The ’80s-style synths are fun. However, they feel overdone and threaten to swallow up the vocals.
Score: 4
Tom: Sexy, sultry and addictive. For me, “ZORRA” comes alive on stage and is catnip for Euro fans. This might be the song that the whole crowd will be singing the loudest to in the arena — Nebulossa will have them in the palm of their hands. As a whole, the song isn’t mind blowing and I am not convinced the juries will go crazy for it. But, I think that the naughty nature of the song will be enough to beat last year’s 17th place. The Eurovision 2024 mother has arrived.
Score: 7.5
Sebastian: What a journey I’ve gone through with this song. Completely dismissing it upon its release as a poor man’s Fangoria (a very popular band in Spain), I have completely come around to borderline obsession with it. What I truly underappreciated is the superb production that pervades the song — its instrumental is a beauty to listen to. Yes, Mery Bas’ vocals are weak. But given the song’s well-documented theme of owning your sluttiness, she sells it. “ZORRA” could go either way — completely bomb in the bottom five, or ride a wave into the top 10. The unpredictability is so alluring, and I can’t wait to witness the adventure it takes.
Score: 8
Spain Eurovision 2024 ranking
In the Eurovision 2024 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Antranig: 3 Cinan: 10 Deban: 8.5 Georgia: 7 Jonathan: 5 Lucy: 5.5 Pablo: 7.5 |
Ron: 6 Ruxandra: 10 Simon: 6.5 Suzanne: 7 Tomas: 10 Youyou: 7.5 |
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 3 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.20/10
What do you think of Spain’s Eurovision 2024 entry? Share your own score and review for Nebulossa’s “ZORRA” below!
Some fun related trivia (which we can add to):
The word “Zorro” in English is most commonly associated with the fictional character of Zorro that was created by American writer Johnston McCulley. So if someone were to say “Zorra” to me in English, I might think they were referring to a female vigilante wearing a mask. (Actually that’s a really good idea for a movie. Someone should make that.)
Alternatively, “Zora” is the name of the AI ship’s computer in “Star Trek: Discovery,” which is set in the far future. ?
Imagine if actual singing was a thing, no respect for wiwi judges, dreamland
I think the charm of this song will be completely missed on voters because they don’t understand the Spanish. A big part of the song is owning the word “zorra”, but no one outside Spain will get it. I personally only hear poor vocals and an average melody.
I think this is the first time they said “we’re just sending a song to have fun” and actually deliver on the fun. It’s just a bloody good time.
I love everything about this. The synthpop, throwback to the 80’s, the melody, a woman in her 50’s unapologetically saying she’s a zorra.
I am Spanish and I have gone from hating this song to just ignoring It. This one and the possibility that Switzerland wins the contest has made me loose all interest in Eurovision this year and I dont see myself watching the show on May. I think this year most songs belong to two categories: the Cha cha Cha wannabe or the Chanel Slomo routine wannabe. There is not a single song that feels interesting, Creative or original to me.
Bye!
I have read many comments about the Spanish singer’s weak vocals, so what did you think about Kaarija’s last year? Are vocal skills actually that important?
I don’t think so.
Anyway, I’ll vote for Spain.
I think Kaarija’s vocals were good for his song which was not very vocally demanding but the Spanish song IS also not very vocally demanding and she sings so so.
Yes vocals are very important, always.
Your show can do a lot, but lacking vocals in a standard popsong in a competition that’s partly a singing contest, it’s just niet.
Admittedly the contest is called Eurovision and not Euroaudio. Visually the performance is great, the singer has pizzazz and so do the 2 sexy male dancers. Yet the song is nothing special and the « singer » can’t sing. That last keynote of hers is atrociously off-tune. The juries will slaughter her important though the message of the song might be
FINALLY Spain got THEIR song to Eurovision! In 2022 it was «Ay mama» and then in 2023 it was «Nochentera», but both failed to win Benidorm. But finally they got the song that also becomes a national hit to Eurovision with «Zorra». It is kinda like a car crash live, just like the other 2 forementioned songs, but the song is just still soooo good!!!
I loved Ay Mama!!
Sorrry sorrw
You know, I’m Spanish and maybe I’m a bit biased, but I think “Zorra” has one of the most memorable hooks of the edition. It’s also very catchy and uplifting. The synth riff will hypnotized you and you will end up shouting “Zorra” before you finish the song for th first time, even though you don’t know what it means. We are all aware the vocals are the con in this entry but Eurovision has proven, for the worse or for the better that that doesn’t matter the most. I think they need to find a proper staging and clothing… Read more »
The woman can’t sing. It will do terribly low with the professional juries
This is how I know this is a good year for ESC songs: There are so many songs that are awesome to play when I interpret them on piano. Spain’s entry is a stand-out example of this. All of the riffs, the syncopations, the melodies, the harmonies…. they all happen very naturally over the keys. I just love playing this song. It reminds me of my early jamming days. 🙂 There is nothing really remarkable about the structure of this song or its chord sequences, so instead I’m going to swiftly move onto this song’s unique selling point (USP): its… Read more »
It is a “re-claiming” of the word. I’m sure Nebulossa totally agree that it should be unnecessary, but alas, it seems not. You can’t blame them for that!
If the song really succeeds in reclaiming a word in the Spanish language, then that’s an incredible achievement and should probably be rewarded with a lot of jury points. At the same time, it would also be a very sad moment for Spain’s society to effectively acknowledge how outdated their use of language is. (I warned in an earlier post that my opinions on Spain were spicy.)
Do you know the song “B i t c h” by Meredith Brooks? Would you feel similarly about that one?
I guess Madonna’s “Human Nature” would be on a similar theme. Probably many more recent examples too.
Ah yes, of course. That Meredith Brooks song got a lot of radio plays in the UK in the late 90s. Actually I didn’t know at the time that it was supposed to be sending a wider – I just thought Meredith was singing about her own life. Madonna’s “Human Nature” was from Bedtime Stories. I don’t remember much about the meaning of that one either, besides that it was Madonna being iconic as always. I suppose it is my failing that I rather missed the point of these songs. And, apparently from the comments here below, Nebulossa’s song resonates… Read more »
Outdated? You all are buying a translation of the song’s title which is not accurate. The title of the song translated into English is not “bitch” but s.l.#.t (btw in Spain we can write the title of the song everywhere but on this web I cannot, what outdated use of what you mean??)
Not “outdated” then, but perhaps “misappropriated”?
It wont re-claim sh*t. Zorra Will always be an insult and men Will use It in violent situations to women.
In a world where you might doubt if writing the Word ‘black’ when speaking of a person in case someone gets offended, are you telling me that sl#t is going to be the new empowerment Word?
Time will tell, either way. The use of language develops over time.
“How outdated their use of language is”. What? Since when “b*tch” in English means something different to what it means in Spanish? Sexism is real and kicking in all European countries, it is not a thing that only exists in Spain. Feminicides are higher in the UK, France, Italy or Germany than they are in Spain, for example. And no, the foreign-born population card does not stand, since a quick check on foreign-born people in all those countries shows very similar numbers.
The word “Zorro” in English is most commonly associated with the fictional character of Zorro that was created by American writer Johnston McCulley. So if someone was to say “Zorra” to me in English, I might think they were referring to a female vigilante wearing a mask.
Alternatively, “Zora” is the name of the AI ship’s computer in “Star Trek: Discovery,” which is set in the far future. 🙂
Whetever on Earth has that got to do with anything I said?
Indeed, it doesn’t. That’s why I re-posted it as a separate comment. (I make mistakes sometimes; it happens. Sorry about that.)
Thank you for addressing a serious topic, femicide. I don’t know if that is what the song is trying to address, though it’s poignant to consider it.
“Wagon” in Ireland is similar to Zorra, not just a motorised vehicle
A reclaiming of a word which real translation cannot be written in here. In a world where you cannot write simple words because someone might get offended, where on websites like this one you must use numbers in between letters so that some common words are accepted… But then re-claiming a word that IS an insult and usually used in violent situations IS so amazing. This IS hipocrisy
Of course older women should feel free and empowered. Unfortunately people can be cruel and shallow, and feel uncomfortable with an older woman expressing herself so sexually and with such freedom.
“Eaea” was ranked 4th last year (8.17) and finished 17th so you never know.
I did not expect such high score for Zorra. May this reception be the same in Malmö.
100/00
My mentality gives me like a madonna/Kylie vibe that I’m kinda hear for. I’ve only listened to it a couple times and feel I need to listen to it more. It’s gotta good vibe that I am starting to find palatable. A slow burner for my taste.
Score 5/10.
10/10
I really want this to win. So good.
this song is so so so soooo overrated
Dane! How very dare you!!
omg andrew do we disagree for once? 😮
Like every Spanish entry since they started doing Bebidorm Fest
Only in Spanish fandom, otherwise nobody is talking about this. To me, one of the candidates for the last place finish.
I can literally see this being last place too. I don’t understand the hype at all
Agree
Message might be good. But just a message doesn’t make for a good song. Apart from the lyrics and the melody there are also the vocals which I am sorry to say are nowhere to be seen ….oops sorry heard.
tbh when people vote, it’s not the message they look at first, so yes I agree
This song deserves a top 3! The production is well done! The message is powerfull and Mery is not a pretentious singer.
Who cares if the vocals are not perfect? The song, the singer and the dancers are fun and hopefully reach an audience beyond the LGBTQ+ community. GO Nebulossa!
Not sure if it’s reaching even half of the community. Personally, I don’t resonate with the song and I can’t see anything fun and original in the lyrics, the singer and the dancers. Some cliches. At least the track is listanable and doesn’t annoy me. Idc about the vocals too, but it has to have something more than mumbling.
Can’t say I fully agree with this one’s ranking. I won’t deny that this song has charm, and the message behind it has a good concept on paper, but I question whether the viewers who aren’t really part of the LGBTQ+ community will bond with it like a big part of the fandom has. I myself find this song pretty alright, though unremarkable throughout the most of its runtime. Whenever I seek out to listen to the 2024 songs, I barely ever take my time to pick Zorra specifically. It’s a 6.5/10 for me. It’s an alright song when it… Read more »
Its all about the dancers. She cant sing it.
This one is targeting a certain demographic and I guess it is doing that well.
Everything about this one is just meh. I tried hard, but couldn’t like it.
It’s a guilty pleasure for me but I do wish she would give it more oomph when singing live, but then it’s probably just her style. I do feel though it might get lost and end up in the bottom 5.
This song translates so PERFECTLY to the what many gay people experienced through their lives, when being called f**** and publicly shamed for who they are through obnoxious jokes, hand gestures, physical attacks, provocative actions etc……. It’s not a song about women who like sex. It’s about anyone who’s freedom is subjected so other people’s judgement.
Ahh. I genuinely did not realise that when I wrote my comment. Thank you.
Spain 4,5/12
Spain have done it again for me. Blanca was my favourite last year, and so gutted she didn’t get a good result. Nebulossa are my second favourite this year, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed this at least gets Top 12!!! 10/10 once more.
7.20 for this but Doomsday Blue got 5.97 and Ramonda got 6.57?
Because this is much better 😉
24th place – Spain This song is fun yet underwhelming for me. Her vocals are weak and there isn’t much of an impact on me personally when I listen to it. Visually it doesn’t do much either. I gotta say it sounds pleasant, like I can sit though the whole song, but it just also sounds a bit boring and repetitive. When I think of Spain, I think of more fun Spanish songs than one like that. I believe this will unfortunately finish in the bottom 10 places. I can’t see this getting much points to finish on the left… Read more »
No matter what we send we always finish in the bottom 10 places. So this year instead sending a “fun” song to entertain Camellia we prefer sending one with a strong meaning.
Oh look, someone got offended! You said it yourself, you always finish in the bottom 10. What does that say? You need to try harder lol. Instead of entertaining “me”, Spain should entertain the whole Europe and actually send something that will be liked from many. You’re such a troll, trying to hate on everyone who disagrees with you. Be mad as much as you want, there are much better songs than this one, no matter the meaning behind it. People who don’t speak Spanish and watch Eurovision for the first time during the final won’t even know what they… Read more »
I hope their live performance is gonna be as daring as it was on the national final.
What?!?! 7.20 for this? It is such a mediocre song
Weak vocals, tacky performance, boring song 1/10
It’s a nice song, but not strong enough to do well in a field of 26… my prediction, bottom five.
I like her personality more than the song. It’s quite catchy and all but it doesn’t make me wanna listen for three minutes. The music is more lackluster than sultry.
I like the lacklustre. “Sultry” implies some seduction effort, but that’s the opposite of how I see it. It’s more of a shrugging “take me or leave me, I don’t care” vibe she’s going for.
That makes sense. I don’t need necessarily need sultry, perhaps it was the wrong term. I also don’t see a seduction effort in this song but I don’t like the lackluster either. I guess the weak vocals and the music are just not doing it for me. The message is the only thing I’m behind here and it turns out that doesn’t matter much either when the rest is not on par. Usually it’s the message I’m missing. If we mix the lyrics of Zorra with the music of Teresa and Maria, that’s a song I’d like.
This is not going to do well.
I think we are all in agreement that the vocals are weak. The melody is light and there is no hook or phrase for a non Spanish audience to remember let alone chant.
The national final performance was cheaper than a karaoke bar in Fuengirola. Please spare us the cheeks in Malmo.
How can this possibly get 7.2 from the Wiwi jury?
“How can this possibly get 7.2 from the Wiwi jury?”
It’s the cheeks. Wiwibloggs is all about the cheeks! ?
what’s wrong with showing cheeks? they showed three pairs of cheeks in 2022 and nobody cared
Exactly my sentiments, they’ve scored this way too high and those male dancers are downright tacky. I can see this languishing on the right side of the score board.
Lower right hand side of the score board. It’s tacky as f.
11) Spain – Zorra! Zorra! Zorra! Back during Benidorm Fest, this song wasn’t even on my radar, but just watching the performance you could just tell this was going to win – everyone in the arena was singing along, and for me it was electric. Love the vibe and Maria’s voice works for this. It’s a song much like Finland last year, where I don’t mind the vocals being rough around the edges. Another great entry from Spain. Vamos! 8/10
I love it! She is a wonderful performer and the two dancers are GORGE. Their bum cheeks will be the highlight for me hahaha
Gonna get absolutely rinsed for this but the only thing i like about this song is the synths in the background. They are so exciting but are paired with such a dead melody. And the stage spectacle is nothing short of horrifying in my opinion. I appreciate the underlying message tho. 33rd place 3/10
Horrifying? How so? It’s sexy!
Booty hypnotic
7,20/10 for this? Can’t believe it.
This is the gay anthem 2024, love it.
Maybe for you. I’m the kind of gay who likes good music rather than a sterile, rainbow coloured “bop”.
Then what are you doing watching Eurovision? D:
Gold star!
I don’t like this song and find this judgment elevated
The power and underlying message of the lyrics count for a lot.
This is a major candidate for last place at Eurovision. It’s just not what people want to hear from Spain, and on top of that, the vocals and melody are extremely weak.
The vocals are perfect for the song as written. They serve it well, have attitude, and lack nothing that is required.
This is not Rise Like A Phoenix or 1944, we get exactly what we need.
Exactly, did anybody expect great vocals from Kaarija last year?
Yes. I thought the chorus was much too weak for a potential winner.
19TH PLACE: SPAIN: I started out disliking this song but gradually I found some charm in it. The 80s synth sound is something I usually enjoy and the song is all in all fun and uplifting, albeit nothing more than that. The staging at Benidorm was not good in my opinion though and for the contest I think they must try to emulate the music video more, so that it’s both more aesthetic and helps to convey the message of the song better to the audience.
We are pretty close, once again. I think that Spain will end-up somewhere between my 20th and 23rd place. It’s a fun, charming, personal song, yet not musically superb enough to go beyond that. And yes, the staging felt tacky. Perhaps that was the point, but I’m not sure.
If the two dancers were scantily clad women, would you deem it tacky?
I think that’s kinda the point, more so than just mere titillation . Equal treatment for all! What’s good for the goose is good for the gander etc.
🙂
For me also it felt tacky. And I would say the same if there were women in the men’s places.
Nevertheless, I also found it a bit irrelevant. As Dominic said the theme here is feminism and anti-ageism. None of that issues were raised here
*were raised in that staging I meant
Cougar pride. Women are not just mothers and housekeepers, they can also be unashamedly lustful.
I genuinely think that is at least PART of it.
I think it is about women being more than just mothers and housekeepers… no shame in displaying l u s t!
(First reply went into moderation for some reason)
Not the dancers. Semi-naked men are fine. 🙂 The sofa and other props that remind me of a parlour with cheap wine.
I see!
I suppose in a way it fits the theme, ordinary people can’t afford the Plaza or the Ritz for every hook up…
Is this score a joke? so many better songs that you destroyed and you put high scores just to please the Spanish fans, shame
If Wiwibloggs only wanted to please the Spanish fans, Megara wouldn’t be the last in the ranking right now.
SPAIN – For a third year in a row, Benidorm Fest has proven to be a strong selection. Each edition had several entries I personally fell in love with. This year, we had a surprising winner in Nebulossa and their 80s-inspired feminist anthem Zorra. Last year, they didn’t qualify from the UVpSM semis. This year, they are representing Spain. The song itself is a somewhat catchy synthpop that builds on verses with distinct pauses, and delivers a chorus that’s easy to sing along to. The main hook his the post-chorus which chants the taboo word that will make its debut… Read more »
Lol this is ridiculous!
It will not be the winning song but for me it will be the most iconic ESC2024. Spain I hope your victory comes soon after 55 years competing without winning.
1 (ONE) competitive entry in a decade (Chanel) isn’t enough. They need to try harder. It’s Spain, they could potentially be top 10 every year, they just refuse to accomodate the international public. They can be proud of their entries but they also can’t complain about abysmal results.
We all know that in ESC some countries are always systematically overrated, on the other hand there are countries systematically underrated as well. In my opinion, Spain, France and especially the Baltic republics among others are seen as the losing brothers before even knowing their songs.
Absolutely, Spain gets overlooked way too often. None of their entries deserved from 2015 onwards to score as poorly as they have (2017 excluded)
That’s my opinion too
Nobody dislikes Spain. It’s one of the most well-liked countries in the world. They’re just clueless and unwilling to accept that people want reggaeton, JLo and Ricky Martin bops from them and nothing else.
Because so many people is listening to Ricky Martin nowadays..
It’s still what people think of when “Spanish music” is mentioned. They could send the same song every year and go top 10 every year like Greece in the 2000s.
I am not an expert in music from Spain but I know something and if you think that it is because you have no idea about that. I think that reggaeton Ricky Martin and Jlo are not from Spain at all. That sounds as strange as saying that the US expects music from the Beatles or Kylie Minogue.
Saying in one sentence “nobody dislikes Spain” and implying that the Spanish music is reggaeton, JLo and Martin is… odd? None of those 3 things are Spanish.
You forget or ignore that Zorra is being already a hit in some parts of the world, so I don’t think you are right.