The 41 songs for Eurovision 2020 may now have been selected, but there’s still time for the artists to polish up their entries in hopes of improving their chances of success in Rotterdam. Here are some of the most notable revamps to be revealed in the past few days…
Albania
Arilena Ara won Festivali i Këngës 58 back in December with the Albanian language ballad ‘Shaj‘. However, the song was originally composed in English, and this is the language she will perform in for the Contest. ‘Fall From The Sky‘ is a dynamic and vocally challenging ballad in the classic Albanian mould.
Armenia
Athena Manoukian’s ‘Chains on You‘ is one of the more distinctive entries selected this year, but in its original form it felt hampered by low-budget production choices. Now that a trip to Rotterdam is (theoretically) assured, the song has been given a subtle overhaul to create a cleaner, crisper sound. A dance break before the final chorus also adds some much-needed dynamic. This is now sounding like a strong contender in a largely mid-tempo second Semi Final.
Czech Republic
One of the more divisive revamps of the season, Benny Cristo travelled to Kenya to give his breezy RnB track ‘Kemama‘ an extensive makeover, featuring much more prominent guitar on the instrumental. However, the new version has received negative feedback online, and Cristo has announced that he is considering reverting back to the original. Stay tuned…
Romania
Roxen’s moody ballad ‘Alcohol You’ was the clear favourite at Romania’s one-artist national selection last month, but after two consecutive non-qualifiers, they’re not taking any chances. The official revamp adds dynamic to the song with some crowd-pleasing glory notes to give the ending a real punch. But can she out-Eilish Bulgaria?
Ukraine
Ukraine’s folky entry from Go_A has received a subtle re-recording to make the flutes more prominent in the mix, adding an extra hook to a pleasingly distinctive entry without compromising the authentic feel of the original.
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