Yesterday the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — travelled to Armenia and visited the Matenadaran museuem in Yerevan. Amongst the ancient manuscripts we discussed the modern pop of Iveta Mukuchyan‘s song “LoveWave”. Did we catch her wave? Or was the surf flat? Read on to find out!
Iveta Mukuchyan – “LoveWave”
“LoveWave” reviews
Mario: Arguably the most original entry of Eurovision 2016! Iveta’s vocals and the explosion of drama in music video are captive, breathtaking and raw to perfection. It’s hella brave of ARMTV’s team to pick this one for Eurovision — and it undoubtedly pays off! If Iveta’s diction is on point on the night, “LoveWave” is definitely the dark horse to look for.
Score: 8/10
Deban: Iveta needs to edit the spoken word intro out of “LoveWave” during her live rendition, but retain all the suspense and drama of the music video. Much of the success of this will rely heavily on staging. “LoveWave” is essentially a mediocre pop number underscored with clever instrumentation and effective visuals. Iveta’s beauty queen looks could secure another ENTM award for Armenia, and help in taking this to the finals.
Score: 6/10
Angus: Iveta had me from the spoken-word intro. She’s positioning herself alongside the greats, Britney and Madonna, and she delivers. Armenia specialises in art-pop songs that dazzle and hit each year’s contest like a strike of lightning. “LoveWave” is a towering production, side-stepping the vocal letdown of “Not Alone” and the confusion of “Face the Shadow” for a truly powerhouse product. Juries will love this. Televoting success depends 100% on the staging and Armenia are pros at that.
Score: 8/10
Bogdan: Arguably the most original and daring song of this year’s contest, “LoveWave” will have to rely heavily on Iveta’s voice, stage presence, and innovative staging in order to steal the show. I for one love the edginess of the track and Iveta’s vocal gymnastics (although she needs to focus on enunciation too, because the lyrics are almost impossible to discern sometimes), as well as the ethnic elements. Certainly a top 10 contender.
Score: 8.5/10
Denise: My first reaction was “What the hell is this? It’s so weird!” It gave me the same feeling as Aram MP3 which I loved after a few listens. This one also grew on me and now I adore it. It’s special and Iveta has the perfect voice for the song. The ‘woohooo’ part gets stuck in your head and it won’t get out. Could this beat Russia if they have the perfect staging?
Score: 10/10
George: This song stands out because it’s quite different — and I really like it. Weird in a good way and really original. I like the fact that it’s featuring traditional Armenian instruments. The only problem with me is that, even if the song is almost three minutes long, it seems way shorter than that and the ending is a bit sharper than it should have been.
Score: 8/10
Judit: Iveta has a mystic voice and she has a song which perfectly fits it. Well, that doesn’t mean I love it. After I listened it I can totally forget and I simply can’t feel the LoveWave. She’ll probably be in the final, but I wouldn’t cry if she’s not.
Score: 6/10
Mike: The first time I listened to this song I really did not understand what was happening. Is she calling Adele? But the more I listen to it, I start loving it. It is hard to describe this song as either good or bad — it is special in a bad way or special in a good way and I choose for the latter one. Special in a good way is what brought Armenia and the Netherlands in 2014 close to winning and did the same for Belgium and Latvia last year. I cannot wait to see Iveta challenge her high vocal skills in Stockholm and blow us away with her LoveWave.
Score: 9/10
Mikhail: Many people were confused, when they heard the song for the first time, but for me 20 seconds were enough to understand that this is a masterpiece. This “LoveWave” knocked me down. The whisper at the beginning instantly makes you excited. Then the weird sound of a braking metro makes you really puzzled, because you start thinking about what is going to happen next. And this excitement reaches the euphoria after all. Especially, I really appreciate the native Armenian motives and instruments — they are the icing on the cake. Moreover, Iveta’s voice is very unique and absolutely incredible. It has that spice and edginess that makes you wanting more.
Score: 10/10
Padraig: “LoveWave” is an absolute mindfuck of a song. One moment it’s pulling me one way and then the next it drags me in a completely different direction. The song has so many twists and turns that it’s impossible to predict what comes next. This unpredictability is likely to be both the song’s greatest strength and its biggest weakness. At certain points I’ve goose bumps, but I’m taken on such an epic journey that by the time the ending comes it feels like an anti-climax. There’s a chance that the this unconventional trajectory may alienate viewers. As for me, I’m left thrilled and thirsty for more.
Score: 9/10
Robyn: “LoveWave” has such a great start, from “Hi, it’s me” to that great big sonic explosion. But everything after is a letdown. It turns into a generic R&B song, an excuse for Iveta to riff over the beats. Nothing happens, there’s no great hook or even a memorable chorus, and then suddenly the song has ended without any kind of payoff. It will no doubt be presented well, but it’ll take Armenia a lot of work to make “LoveWave” feel like a structured song and not a freeform improvisation.
Score: 6/10
William: This isn’t a LoveWave, it’s a LoveTsunami! Iveta works her smokey, powerhouse vocals to great effect, giving us a contemporary sound with flashes of rock goddess. The first 50 seconds are among the edgiest, most de-constructed 50 seconds we’ve heard at Eurovision. The intro ends with a supersonic swell that leads into Iveta dropping it raw and without reserve. She almost sounds like Michael Jackson and, at times, Tina Turner. The song has a strange, other-worldly quality. It’s so weird that it will either skyrocket to the top or crash trying. I appreciate the risk-taking and love the song.
Score: 8/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 40 jurors but only have room for 12 reviews. The remaining 28 scores are below.
Anthony: 5.5/10
Antranig: 10/10
Bernardo: 5/10
Chris: 9/10
Cristian: 8/10
David: 8/10
Dayana: 7.5/10
Diego: 8/10
Edd: 3.5/10
Forrest: 5.5/10
Gökhan: 4/10
Jason: 9/10
Josh: 7.5/10
Kristin: 7/10
Liam: 8.5/10
Luis: 9/10
Marek: 8.5/10
Maria: 8/10
Max: 6.5/10
Patrick: 7/10
Renske: 6.5/10
Rezo: 9/10
Sami: 3.5/10
Sinan: 7.5/10
Steinunn: 5.5/10
Tobias: 4/10
William C: 7.5/10
Zakaria: 5.5/10
The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 3.5 and a high of 10.
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Absolutely love this song! So original and sung beautifully! Armenia always seem to come up with great songs, this just has to be this years winner!
This is my favorite of 2016, and is the one to beat…she slays the live version, even though the acoustics are horrible. Can’t wait for the real live version..
This song will definitely sound great in the huge ESC arena in Stockholm. It’s modern, powerful, and singer sounds like Anastacia, in a good way. On the bad side, I had to look up the lyrics, because I had no idea what she’s singing. Top 5 is a possibility.
@Dan I have to correct your comment just a little bit .(I agree with your comment to be honest) Actually Aram mp3 had about 8 mln views before the contest. And Iveta has about 2.5 mln views now.
And question. Why does Edd (from wiwibloggs) criticzes every entry? Yeah I understand, it’s his own opinion, but is there a song that he really like? I’m just interested.))))????????????????????
Armenia had its ups and downs in Eurovision, so no one can ever tell what place they can get in the final. Jury was not favourable to them so it’s hard to say where they will end up. Televoters were kinda OK as the songs were really good. This is another proper song for a top 5 placing. I even think they will win as the other songs are not better at all. Also her live vocals, her beauty and the former participants’ platform will help to catch votes. And as you can remember no one from Armenia had so… Read more »
This might get at least 8,5
But ofc you are just eurovision fans,not experts
Last year Genealogy’s song got 7.19 from wiwi jury. I’m sorry but Iveta’s 7.29 is a joke. This song deserves an at least 8.0 -8.5. It is creative, new, fresh, and risky. It’s definitely one of the most creative entries we’ve seen in this competition and that deserves respect.
Armenia isn`t my favourite. I don`t like this kind of music that Iveta represents. It`s modern but in my opinion only first minute is interesting. The rest of song is boring:(
I still remember Sirusho, “Qele, Qele” is wonderful song;)
I think Armenia deserve the victory. She is very sexy, so stunning. Her voice is something special. The song is very good. A don`t know why, but when i listen her song, i`m crying. I really don`t know how to describe my feelings, but i can say that she is just bomb.
And i think that Armenia deserved the victory several times: When Sirusho was represent Armenia and Aram mp3. Now is thierd time that Armenia deserve to win. So i will vote for Iveta. Go, pretty girl,Go !!!!!!!!
Why her make up in the picture is like Rupaul’s Drag race?
the qualifiers will be from semi final 1:
1. Russia
2. Croatia
3. Armenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Czech Republic
6. Hungary
7. Finland
8. Netherlands ( of course this will lots of points by the juries)
9. Moldova
10. Cyprus
and Malta will become 11th yet again, due to lack of support, my vote will go to Malta but you’ve got the haters and trolls who’ll prevent more votes going to them
Why wiwibloggs’ jury overrates the bad songs from Hungary and Ukraine (honestly, I hate 1944 and don’t find anything magical and profesional in it) and underrates the good songs from Germany and Armenia
A pretty good song, but amid some very daring songs, I think this one might get lost in the mix. It is sitting 22nd in my first of 3 evaluations. But as Bojana from Serbia proved last year, a spectacular stage performance can bust through the bookies’ brick wall and earn a well-deserved outcome.
This is superb quality backed by an amazing artist. Armenia always sends modern stuff with a flawless production.
AramMP3 was my favorite two years ago. ;(
Iveta should be in the final and get a top place, if not winning. Greetings from Barcelona.
Awesome song! It lends itself to amazing staging at Stockholm.
Currently I rank “Lovewave” 14 of 43.
It may be original, but it doesn’t mean it’s good. I was really excited when I heard like the first 20-30 seconds, but then the chorus started and the whole song fell apart. I just don’t like it at all, it disappoints completely.
It starts very intriguing, but around 0:55 the hype falls flat. The last two minutes are really boring and anything else than original and far from melodic or pleasant.
Original doesnt always mean appealing.
@Skandar
Iveta performed in Moscow. Here is the live video, the last one.
Do you have any links about live performance of this song? I am very curious.
Annoying song. All you listen is “iii oouu uuuuuu” and some discernible words in english.
Next.
Michael Jackson is alive!
I really cannot listen to or watch this. Sorry Armenia.
Everyone THIS is the original entry of the year, not 1944. Everything about this song is contemporary, yet it includes some ethnic music which is typically Armenian. Iveta looks amazing and sounds amazing. I hope this qualifies over some of the other overrated entries in their semi (ahem Russia, Hungary, Bosnia & Herzegovina). Armenia just misses out on a place in my top 10, for now, but Im quite confident she will end up there in May. Well done Armenia 8/10 🙂
I think the song is very good and she is an excellent artist. 9.5/10
@WaWe
well Genealogy had more magic in the song, than this for my opinion
Iveta is such a pretty looking lady, damn what a stunning lady 🙂
and also for my opinion songs like Ira’s Walk On Water or Samra’s Miracle are more my taste of music, but maybe that’s just my opinion
and some respect for Genealogy, who performed really good, staging was perfect 🙂 🙂
8.5/10
This is unique and she is amazing live!
I thought the song has a similar vibe as Love Injected. Not only because it has love on its title plus the high notes and slow tempo, but also how it evokes a strong expression of love in a delicate poetry form.
Given how incredibly well she performed in Moscow, I wouldn’t be surprised if this went straight to top 3 or even took the trophy. The books have narrowed her odds. The judges are going to rank this to the same level they ranked Belgium and Latvia last year with the one exception being we don’t have as competitive entries this year as we did last year and given that Armenia usually does well with TV viewers, this could actually win people. My guess is: Juries: 1. Australia 2. Armenia 3. France 4. Russia 5. Ukraine TV viewers: 1. Russia 2.… Read more »
This song is incredibly overrated. The spoken word is random and seems slightly forced and the rest of the song is a very generic and basic pop song. To call it the most original song is ridiculous.
I HATED Lovewave at first. But it has really grown on me. IT’s risen quickly and I owuld put it in my top 15 now
This is Armenia’s best entry ever. Iveta’s voice is magical, the song is hypnotizing and she will slay the live. Yerevan 2017?
This song is overrated. It is very unstructured and the actual song only lasts for about a minute, the rest is a senseless mess. It’s also not a very stage suited song.
I would be so happy if Armenia wins in May. Greetings from Spain!
Amazing, powerful and evoking. It does however retain its personal emotive message and through Iveta’s perfect live vocals, she absolutely conveys the messages and power which a song like this needs. A song with so much power surely can have the staging which it deserves and with Armenia’s track record for staging, I cannot see this entry placing outside of the Top 10. I can also see it reaching the Top Five and will fully endorse its abilities to do so.
An entry worthy of a 10/10 score. 🙂
GO IVETA!!
When I first listened the song I also understand nothing. During second listening I realized that it’s a real masterpiece! It started growing in me. Actually I was confused about live performance untill I saw her live performance in Moscow! Guyz it’s a BOOM. It can’t find any other word to describe it. If she will perform like that in Stockholm juries will give higher points (all of us know that they always underrate Armenian entries). Televotes , in my view, will be OK as usual due to the diaspora. So, it will be in top 10 as almost all… Read more »
This is another poem style this time too much screaming oversinging plus rushing. …it kills ears….Armenia some of other Armenian poems did well in eurovision quele quele, you re nat alone, apricot stone. ..would this love wave enter top 10! !!oh it’s too painful together with Latvian song
Ah I forgot 1944: Also 8,5 / 10
Alter Ego / Play / Say Yay: 9,0
Love Wave: 8,5
Ghost / Pioneer / Slow Down: 8,0
Made of Stars / What’s the pressure?: 7,5
Sing it away / Goodbye: 7,0
Help to fly / Icebreaker: 6,5
Colour of your life: 6,0
Blue and red, Ljubav je: 5,0
Dona: 4,5
Falling Star: 4,0
Soldiers of Love: 3,0
A really cool song. I would give it 8,5/10.
There are parts that I like but there are far too many things going on in the song for me to follow it. It feels like it is trying to be too many things and the end result is a bit of a mess. Her vocal is certainly unique amongst the contestants this year and she is strongest when she is channelling her inner-Jacko.
This song definitely feels like a case of what could have been…..
5/10
Only 7.29 ? Seriously ? It deserves a 9.0, at least.
A masterpiece. 10/10
As for France, Admir admited his vocals in the end of the song were bad. And he also said that he’ll fix this after the London Party. He can’t do it before because he’s really busy.
8.5/10
5th/43
You know a song is good when you give it a good mark despite struggling to figure out anything she is saying. Modern, elastic, full of love, and sang by a fantastic singer.
Hated it at first listen, but it did grow on me. It is a very difficult song (similar to “Love Injected”, only even more) and I’m curious where this will end up in Stockholm, especially because people only hear it once (or twice).
By the way I think 7.29 is a good score for this. You can’t expect everybody to like this, gotta admit that. I’d give it a 7/10 personally.
@Harut
like i said Genealogy was truly magical last year
Iveta is terribly overrated, but she’ll qualify with enough televoting and jury voting points
Astonishing. 9/10
This will do very well.Im sure . It’ll be in Top 10.Great music,very beautiful women.And don’t forget that Armenia always making a good stage performances.
@Marc
Yeah, Gianluca was great too
I really like Romania, not only with music, but also football ( they had Gheorghe Hagi remember him), and my favourite tennis player is from that country, Simona Halep ( who is also a huge Voltaj fan, who sang De La Capat last year, also my favourite from last year)
well i also don’t understand why Moldova is underrated, i think it’s a good eurovision song 🙂
@Nicky91
I was afraid you might not like them haha. The common linnets is just perfection: brilliant melody, lyrics, performers and staging.
I don’t like Romania this year.. it’s like from a musical.. not my cup of tea.
I really liked Fireflight (in my top 10 that year.. I love Mumfors and Sons so..). I like Mary and she deserve her 3rd place and I like Chiara better in 2005 than in 1998. My favourite Maltese entry is Gianluca in 2013 (Love it so much, in my top 3, and much better than Denmark).
@Marc
i liked the common linnets, very nice country song and also nice lyrics in it 🙂
Anouk’s Birds was unique from a rock singer
well also this year i feel Romania is very underrated i just listened to it, it has some Meatloaf style of music, i like Romania each year they bring something different to eurovision, just like Malta they also bring something current, i loved Firelight with that song Coming Home, also a bit country 🙂
Mary Spiteri was also a good memorable entry for Malta, as well as Chiara 🙂
@Nicky91. So, in general all Netherlands support Douwe and like the song? (It’s one of the best this year and it’s different from the rest in a good way, so you can believe it hehe).
What was your opinion about Anouk or The common linnets? I’m curious hahah.