Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Second Semi-Final

Host country: Netherlands (AVROTROS, NOS, NPO)
Venue: Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Hosts: Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit, Nikkie de Jager
Green Room:
Date: Thursday 20 May 2021

N.B. Any use of "tonight" or "this evening" throughout this post means Thursday 20 May 2021. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening

After the initial opening sequence, the Second Semi-Final began with "Forward Unlimited" performed by Redo and Eefje de Visser. Their routine featured an on-stage dance routine. Fireworks added to the atmosphere.

The Songs

Five minutes after the start of the show (20:05 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: San Marino - Senhit “Adrenalina”

#SMR It’s always difficult being first to perform, but the producers have certainly picked a lively song to start the evening. In many ways the San Marinese entry is very much a Greek sounding song, the introduction, the tune and style of singing in the verses and choruses, and instrumental break between the first chorus and second verse are all somewhat Greek sounding; I think this ought to have been Greece’s entry. It’s a catchy, memorable song from start to finish, with a good beat throughout. My only dislike is the rap section; I think that spoils it. Just like the preview video, there was a spinning diamond on stage near the start. Patterns and words appeared on the background screens, including the title “Adrenalina”. Towards the end, falling and rising fireworks added to the atmosphere. I definitely want this in the Grand Final.

Song 2: Estonia - Uku Suviste “The Lucky One”

#EST I watched Eesti Laul 2021 Final on demand online from the UK, one day late. Uku Suviste, who was due to represent Estonia last year, won with the song "The Lucky One". I wasn’t all that keen on his entry then, and I’m still not. To me, some parts sound fairly similar to the chorus and bridge of his entry last year "What Love Is", whereas other parts are totally different. All in all, "The Lucky One" seems a bit of a mess to me really. That said, the sections starting “I don't need a crystal ball to show me” didn’t sound as harsh tonight as in the Eesti Laul 2021 Final. Just like the Eesti Laul 2021 Final performance, the background screens featured clouds and lightning. Even the swimming pool effect can be recreated in Rotterdam is another matter. I’d rather this stays out of the final.

Song 3: Czech Republic - Benny Cristo “omaga”

#CZE A memorable, upbeat song, with a really powerful beat in the verses. I’m not convinced the rap style singing is necessary in the first verse though. I thought Benny’s voice ought to have been stronger in the verses, but thankfully it was plenty strong enough during the choruses. I must admit, the first few times I watched the official video without looking at the lyrics I misheard the title “omaga” as “oh my God”; I bet some casual viewers who watched tonight’s semi-final having not previewed any of the songs beforehand misheard “omaga” in that manner. The background screens displayed blue and white lines early on, and kaleidoscopic patterns later, all of which enhanced the song.

Song 4: Greece - Stefania “Last Dance”

#GRE "Last Dance" is a well-structured song. I like the way the ends of each pair of lines in the verses rhyme. The pre-chorus provides a good build up to the chorus, which starts “Let's dancе”. The really catchy, has a memorable beat, and heavily themed around dancing. The graphically simulated purple clouds, and the towers, enhanced this song. However, there was no flying horse on the background screen, unlike the preview video. Altogether a lively, memorable song, and Stefania sang well tonight. This should go through, even though Cyprus cannot vote tonight.

Song 5: Austria - Vincent Bueno “Amen”

#AUT After four lively songs, this ballad provides a bit of a break. This is a rather sad song, because Vincent is singing about the end of a relationship that he didn’t want to end, and comparing it to death and a funeral. The slow first verse provides a sombre opening to this song. Unsurprisingly the lighting was very subtle at this stage. The choruses (except the penultimate one) and second verse feature a good beat, and accordingly static light beams were used during these parts of the song. On the whole, Vincent has an excellent voice; it’s amazing how differently he sings in the applicable parts of the song. He gave an impressive performance tonight, but I think one really needs to read the background information about this song to fully understand it. This could do well in the jury vote, but struggle to get points from the public.

Song 6: Poland - RAFAŁ “The Ride”

#POL Back to the lively stuff. "The Ride" is a lively, catchy, memorable disco song, with a good beat from start to finish. The beat in the chorus is noticeably different to the verses, in fact there is variation in the pitch of the beat within the chorus – the highest notes are during the fifth line. It’s good that there is this variation in the beat between the different parts of the song, otherwise the whole thing would be monotonous. Neon signs were simulated on the background screens, which was hardly surprising as the preview video featured neon signs. This was enhanced by stage level clouds during the verses, and fireworks during the choruses and bridge.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 7: Moldova - Natalia Gordienko “SUGAR”

To me, "Sugar" sounds like a country and western song. Unfortunately, I thought Natalia’s voice during the first verse was a bit flat during the verses, especially the first few lines of them. Thankfully she sang better during the choruses, which accompanied by their powerful beat, were the best part of the song. Geometric patterns on the background screens and stage floor gave the song a much-needed lift. I’d rather this stays out of the Grand Final.

Song 8: Iceland - Daði og Gagnamagnið “10 Years”

#ISL Firstly, it’s a pity Daði og Gagnamagnið had to resort to using their rehearsal performance, but at least that’s better than having to withdraw. Undeniably "10 Years" is not as instantly memorable as "Think About Things" was last year, but it’s still quite lively and catchy, with a good beat. To me this sounds like another UK pop song from the late 1970s to mid-1980s. The two verses and two choruses are a similar style to "Think About Things" last year. The instrumental break includes drums and cymbals, followed by the unusual electronic keyboards, all of which featured in "Think About Things". The group wore their green sweatshirts with the pixelated faces; presumably that’s a way of creating a 1980s look (the kind of graphics 1980s computers were capable of producing). Further 1980s style computer graphics on the background screens included game characters among the starry simulation, and a sea of faces. All in all, a lively catchy song, and well staged; I hope this goes to the Grand Final.

Song 9: Serbia - Hurricane “Loco Loco”

#SRB Hurricane’s entry is mostly in Serbian, with just a few words in English. That in itself makes it sound more it’s from Serbia; it’s good to see a country singing mostly in its native language. "Hasta la vista" is a lively, catchy, disco song, with a good beat. However, it’s quite repetitive, especially within each chorus (“sam, sam, sam”, “znam, znam, znam”, “lom, lom, lom”). Thankfully those sets of monosyllabic words fit the rhythm perfectly. I question the need to have the pause, followed by the spoken line “One, two, girls, come on!” about two thirds of the way through. This was enhanced by background screen images, including “Hurricane” at the start, “Baby” later and various coloured patterns. Another lively song, I wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but won’t miss it if it’s not there.

Song 10: Georgia - Tornike Kipiani “You”

#GEO After a few lively songs, it was time for a ballad., "You" is a gentle, pleasant ballad to relax to; it’s what some would class as easy listening. A ballad like this called for subtle lighting, and unsurprisingly this had blue lighting. Tornike has a good voice, and he sang well tonight. The song became more powerful towards the end, and blue clouds on the background screens enhanced this part of the song. I wouldn’t mind seeing this on Saturday.

Song 11: Albania - Anxhela Peristeri “Karma”

#ALB Just like the preview video, this ballad was sung in Albanian. This featured amazing simulated cloud / smoke effects in red, and sometimes green, on the background screens; I also liked the red “smoke circle” Anxhela created early on. However, I don’t think the brief moments of strobe lighting about two thirds of the way through, and at the end were necessary for this kind of song. Altogether, an excellent ballad from Albania, and the instrumentation throughout the song adds to its Balkan style. Furthermore, Anxhela sang well tonight. I’d like this in the Grand Final. What more could one ask for from Albania? I’d like to see this on Saturday.

Song 12: Portugal - The Black Mamba “Love Is On My Side”

#POR I watched Festival da Canção 2021 Final online, on demand from the UK two days after it took place. "Love Is on My Side" is a slow and gentle song. To me, it sounds like something from several decades ago, 1940s or 1950s. Some may therefore see this as dated and behind the times, however I think it should be seen as timeless. Interestingly the whole song is in English, which is unusual for Portugal. Just like in the Festival da Canção 2021 Final performance, the first verse and first chorus were shown in monochrome 4:3 aspect ratio, to simulate pictures of yesteryear. The lead singer sang well tonight, I’d like to see this in the Grand Final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 13: Bulgaria - VICTORIA “Growing Up Is Getting Old”

#BUL Bulgaria has gone for a ballad this year. Although the structure seems unusual, with no obvious chorus, it builds up to quite a powerful section near the end, before easing off for its closing section. Victoria performed this sitting on what resembled an artificial island, lit by golden orange lighting. I liked the rippling water effect around the island. About two thirds of the way through she stood up for the more powerful parts. Altogether another timeless song. Based on her entries last year and this year, Victoria has a beautiful voice, and she sang very well tonight. I definitely want this in the final.

Song 14: Finland - Blind Channel “Dark Side”

#FIN I watched the Finnish national final, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, live online from the UK. The winner was Blind Channel - "Dark Side". It’s a hard rock / heavy metal song. Just like the UMK performance, this featured flame effects, light beams and some use of strobe lighting. I don’t like hard rock / heavy metal generally, but there are plenty of people who enjoy this genre. Finland has had both success and failure with this style of song; Lordi won the ESC 2006 with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", but PKN finished last in the ESC 2015 First Semi-Final with "Aina mun pitää". Although this is not my taste in music, this will be in the Grand Final, without a shadow of a doubt. See you Saturday Blind Channel.

Song 15: Latvia - Samanta Tīna “The Moon Is Rising”

This was one of my least liked songs among the preview videos. I didn’t think Samanta’s voice was as powerful tonight as in the preview video. The good thing I can say about this performance is Samanta had an impressive green outfit., and the graphic patterns on the background screen and stage were amazing. I’d rather not see this on Saturday.

Song 16: Switzerland - Gjon's Tears “Tout l'Univers”

#SUI “Tout l'Univers” is a ballad with gentle verses, and a comparatively powerful chorus. Furthermore, Gjon has a beautiful voice, and he sang well tonight. I think staging could have been better than the structure he stood on, and I think the strobe lighting during the choruses was totally uncalled for. This ballad needed subtle lighting throughout. I’m surprised there were no star constellations / galaxies on the background screens; considering what the title means. Nonetheless, I’d like to see this in the Grand Final on Saturday.

Song 17: Denmark - Fyr Og Flamme “Øve Os På Hinanden”

#DEN The final song already; it’s amazing how time flies! I watched Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021, live online from the UK, and I thought "Øve os på hinanden" was the liveliest of the eight finalists. It’s a disco style pop song, with a good beat. Just like the DMGP Final performance, the staging was good, including the triangular patterns on the background screens, the light beams and the fireworks at the very end. Altogether a lively, catchy song to round off the evening. I’d like to see this in the Grand Final, but this looks set to be a borderline qualifier.

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Televoting and Recap

After the songs finished, the hosts reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:21 BST. A recap of the songs followed. The UK voted in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw the voting numbers at the bottom of the screen during the recap.

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My Preferences

Here are my preferences based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: San Marino, Greece, Austria, Iceland, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Denmark.
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Poland, Serbia, Georgia.
Prefer not to qualify: Estonia, Czech Republic, Finland.
Definitely don't want to qualify: Moldova. Latvia.

So these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: San Marino, Greece, Austria, Iceland, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Denmark.

The UK voted this evening. Unfortunately, I had problems voting from my mobile and my calls were cancelled, but anyway I wanted to vote for > San Marino, Greece, Austria, Iceland, Albania and Denmark.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Second Semi-Final Results

Here are the results, which were announced in a random order at 21:57 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Thursday 20 May 2021.

My desired qualifiers: San Marino, Greece, Austria, Iceland, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Denmark, plus one of Poland, Serbia, Georgia.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Portugal, Iceland, San Marino, Switzerland, Greece, Finland.

Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my "Definitely want to qualify" preferences, and italic entries represent the ones that match my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" preferences.

OUT: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Poland.

I’m glad San Marino, Greece, Iceland, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria and Switzerland all qualified. San Marino, Greece and Iceland all had lively, catchy songs, enhanced by amazing staging, whereas Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria and Switzerland all had excellent ballads. In the case of Portugal and Bulgaria, their ballads are timeless and were well sung tonight.

The one qualifier I’m most annoyed about is Moldova. To be honest, I thought Natalia’s voice was a bit flat on the verses. Although she sang the choruses better, and the staging was impressive, I didn’t think the entry was good enough for the Grand Final. I’d much rather Denmark, who gave a much better performance, accompanied impressive staging, had qualified in place of Denmark, I’m now disappointed that Denmark didn’t qualify.

Finland was the last country to be called out. Admittedly I don’t like hard rock / heavy metal songs generally, but I appreciate there are plenty of rock / metal who would enjoy “Dark Side”. I guessed it would qualify, and would have been shocked if it hadn’t qualified.

So, seven of my nine “Definitely want to qualify” songs went through, and one of my three “Wouldn't mind qualifying”. Quite good, I suppose. At the end of the day, I cannot expect to have all the songs I personally want in the final, and all the songs I personally don’t like eliminated.

No matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Congratulations to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the seven which failed to reach the final. So that means all 26 finalists are now confirmed and 13 countries have been eliminated (but will still vote in the final). Roll on the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Grand Final at 20:00 BST Saturday evening.

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