Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Second Semi-Final

Host country: United Kingdom (BBC)
Venue: Liverpool Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Hosts: Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham
Date: Thursday 11 May 2023

N.B. Any use of “tonight” or “this evening” throughout this post means Thursday 11 May 2023. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening

After the usual Eurovision ident, accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude, the show began with clips from Tuesday evening’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 First Semi-Final. At 20:02 the hosts Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham appeared on stage to give their opening speeches.

The Songs

Six minutes after the start of the show (20:06 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: Denmark - Reiley “Breaking My Heart”

I watched Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023 Final live, online from the UK, on 11 February 2023. Interestingly “Breaking My Heart” was the last song to be performed in the main part of DMGP 2023 Final that evening, and it’s opening tonight’s Eurovision Song Contest Second Semi-Final. This is quite a lively, catchy song, but I don't like the way they've got the stop-start effect in the chorus e.g. "If we could go back to the start". Presumably this was created using a Vocoder or some control on the sound mixing desk. Some may see it as being clever with sound technology, but I think it spoils those parts of the song. A notable stage feature of the Eurovision performance was the partition with open door arches; one side of this appeared lilac in colour at the start. Part way through the song, Reiley walked through to the other side. The background colour of the partition, plus the stage floor, was pink, with cloud patterns. Near the end, the partition, main background screen and stage floor changed to green with hearts. Presumably the colour and pattern changing was to recreate the background colour / pattern changing featured in the official preview video. Altogether, a good song to open tonight’s show, and Reiley sang well tonight.bbI wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.

Song 2: Armenia - Brunette “Future Lover”

Now for a totally different style of song. Looking at the lyrics, “Future Lover” is clearly a love song. Just like in the preview video, Brunette sang the opening verse and the pre-chorus in quite a bouncy manner. The piano sound was noticeable during the first verse and the pre-chorus, just like in the preview video. She performed lying down during the opening verse, but sat up for the pre-chorus. The chorus is “I decide to be good, do good, look good,” four times over. Up until this point, there were amazing flowing patterns on the stage floor; these were pink during the opening verse and pre-chorus, and white during the chorus. The long section from “It's like a daydream, but I got some other, better plans” to “My pain, my panic attacks, oh.” appears to be a bridge, but due to the sudden change of singing style, it’s almost another song within the song. Just like the preview video, Brunette sang the lines in this section very rapidly, and in a powerful manner, almost angrily at times. Brunette stood up for this section, and the stage floor frequently changed between black and white. This section was followed by an instrumental section, including a powerful beat. During this instrumental section, Brunette danced on stage, and this part of the song was enhanced by strobe lighting and smoke effects. The rest of the song was a second instance of the chorus, followed by the outro, accompanied by white and pink flowing patterns on the stage floor. Light beams also appeared during the outro. Altogether, this is a song of two halves; almost two songs in one. It’s a ballad up to the end of the first chorus, and it’s a very powerful song during the long “bridge” section. Altogether an excellent performance; Brunette sang very well, and the staging was appropriate for the two totally different parts of the song. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and it’s highly likely this will be there. See you Saturday, Brunette.

Song 3: Romania - Theodor Andrei “D.G.T. (Off and On)”

Well for starters, it seems like the version Theodor performed tonight was considerably different to the official preview video (which itself seemed to be the performance from the Selecția Națională 2023 Final). Tonight’s live performance began with blue circles on background screen, and the stage floor red with images of figures lying down. During the early part of the song, Theodor played a guitar whilst seated. Part way through, he stood up and walked around the stage whilst holding the microphone and singing; at the moment he stood up the background image changed to a river of flowing lava, with images of himself either side. A beat could be heard from here onwards. Near the end orange diagonal lines appeared on the background screen. Altogether, a lively song, but not my taste in music at all, and I’m mystified as to why there were three totally different imagery styles in the performance. I hope this stays out of Saturday evening’s Grand Final.

Song 4: Estonia - Alika “Bridges”

A power ballad, starting with a piano introduction. The most notable feature, during the Eurovision performance, was the self-playing grand piano. Alika sang the first verse quite softly, with the grand piano behind her. Just like the preview video, she sang each instance of the chorus in quite a bouncy manner, and I particularly like the way she sang “bridges” when it appeared. During the first instance of the chorus, Alika sat at the piano, appearing to be playing it. She stood up for the rest of the song. During the second verse, the notable sequence of piano notes could be heard after each line. The second instance of the chorus is longer than the previous one. Alika sang this instance of the chorus in a more powerful manner, effectively as build-up to the most powerful part of the song, that being the bridge. A blue marble effect appeared on background during the bridge. The song drew to a close with another instance of the extended length, 12-line chorus. Gold streaks appeared on the background and stage floor near the end. Altogether, an excellent song from Estonia, I’d say this would be good as the opening song for a James Bond film, due to its structure, including the characteristic finish. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, but I think this will be a borderline qualifier.

Song 5: Belgium - Gustaph “Because Of You”

This began with a shortened form of the chorus, which provided the ideal lead-in to the first verse. Gustaph performed these lines of the first verse in a powerful and bouncy manner. This was followed by the first full-length chorus, the second verse and another instance of the chorus. After that, there is the section starting “I’ll carry on”; effectively that serves as a bridge: Just like the preview video, Gustaph seemed to vary the speed at which he sang the lines in this section. During the Eurovision performance, the background screen and stage floor were white much of the time. Black images and some of the lyrics appeared in capital letters on the background screen, just like in the preview video. Altogether, a lively, catchy disco / party song. Drum beats and cymbal sounds feature heavily in this song, and there is good use of the saxophone at certain points in this song. Furthermore, Gustaph has a good voice, and sang in a powerful manner at Eurovision. I’d like to see this in the Grand Final, and it’s highly likely this will be there. See you Saturday, Gustaph.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 6: Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou “Break A Broken Heart”

A power ballad. The introduction is quite an unusual style, which is difficult to describe. The early part of the opening verse has no beat, but there is a noticeable beat during the last three lines of the first verse, and during the pre-chorus. The chorus is sung in quite a powerful manner; I particularly like the way Andrew sings the line “You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart”, followed by “No-o-o”, the latter of which provides a vital hook for the song. The second verse has a powerful beat from the outset. After the second instance of the pre-chorus, there is the second instance of the chorus. After the bridge, there is one final instance of the chorus. At Eurovision, this performance began with blue light beams and smoke effects during first verse. A significant feature was the waterfall effect, which was continuous during first two instances of of the chorus, and intermittent during the second verse; however this must have been simulated on the background screen. During the bridge, this was replaced with flames and sparks on the background screen for the rest of the song. Real flames also appeared around the stage edge towards the end of the performance. Altogether a powerful song, Andrew has a good voice and sang well tonight. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final.

Song 7: Iceland - Diljá “Power”

I watched Söngvakeppnin 2023 Final live, online from the UK, on 25 February 2023. I’m mystified as to what musical genre this is. Is this a power ballad, or some other style of song? At Eurovision, Diljá began the performance sitting on the stage, with her legs bent, but stood up in time for the first instance of the chorus, and moved about the stage most of the time thereafter. Staging during the Eurovision performance included branches of a tree on the stage floor and background screen early on, and palm leaves and lilies on the background screen later. Altogether, a lively and catchy song, with a powerful and memorable chorus, but there is one moment where it gets a bit too screechy for my liking. Furthermore, Diljá has a beautiful voice, and just like at Söngvakeppnin, she demonstrated her talent to pitch high tonight. Based on tonight’s live performance, I wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.

Song 8: Greece - Victor Vernicos “What They Say”

According to Wiwibloggs, the lyrics are inspired from basically the first overwhelming experience of anxiety Victor had in his life. That’s worth bearing in mind, because when I first heard the preview version of this song, before reading that statement, the first verse and pre-chorus sounded somewhat depressing. During the Contest, Victor began by sitting / lying on the stage floor. Musically, the song got going in the chorus, and Victor sang this in a powerful manner. The second verse sounded musically livelier than the first verse. Staging included Greek letters on the stage floor and background screen, and images of Victor and geometric patterns on the background screen, plus smoke effects. Some of the lyrics also appeared on the background screen, however despite being English lyrics, some letters were replaced with Greek letters. Summing up, Victor has a good voice, and sang quite powerfully at times within this song, but I think you need to read the background information to understand what this song is about.

Song 9: Poland - Blanka “Solo”

According to Wiwibloggs, “Solo” is a sensual summertime anthem about knowing your self-worth and finding power in independence. The song begins with an introduction, consisting of electronic music with a beat. This leads into the first verse, which has a regular beat. There’s a change in the beat during the pre-chorus, including a rapid beat on its last line. The chorus is bouncy, very catchy, and enhanced by a beat. After the second verse, the second instance of the pre-chorus and the second instance of the chorus, the Eurovision performance featured an instrumental break, with a powerful beat; I don’t recall this instrumental in the preview video. During the bridge, there is a notable change in the tune compared to other parts of the song. There is a softer beat here, but various sounds can be heard in this part of the song. Finally, the song draws to a close, with one more instance of the chorus. The Eurovision performance of “Solo” began with a video tape effect, complete with noise bars, during the introduction. Background images thereafter included a hand pattern, on a starry background, during the first instance of the chorus, palm trees, with the background changing colour, during the second verse, a beach scene, with palm trees either side, during the second instance of the chorus, the sun during the instrumental break and palm trees during the final instance of the chorus. Fireworks around the stage edge enhanced the song during the second and final instances of the chorus. Altogether, an upbeat disco song, with a bouncy, catchy chorus. It’s got the typical pop song structure: verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, and you can clearly spot those parts just by listening to the song. This sounds very Spanish style to me. Unsurprisingly for a song of this tule, this featured a well-choreographed dance routine during the instrumental break, and plenty more dancing in other parts of the song. Unfortunately I’m disappointed with the quality of the singing tonight, compared to the preview video, but I do like the screen images and dancing very much. Tonight’s performance to be valued more for the screen images and the dancing than for the quality of the singing. I wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.

Song 10: Slovenia - Joker Out “Carpe Diem”

Slovenia has gone for a rock song this year and the whole thing is sung in Slovenian. It’s great to hear a song in a country’s native language. This song has a very good beat, and guitar sounds can be heard at certain points the song The first three lines are sung softly, but the band sings the next sections, leading up to the chorus, more powerfully. The chorus is very catchy. After the instrumental break, and a few lines which effectively form a bridge, there is a second instance of the chorus. A few more lines, at a slower pace, form an outro, and the perfect way to unwind at the end of a lively, up-tempo song. During the early part of tonight’s performance, the title “Carpe Diem” appeared, as capital letters, made up of flashing red lights, on the background screen. Red and white light beams appeared during the instances of the chorus. Near the end, the band name, “Joker Out” appeared, as capital letters, made up of red lights, on the background screen. Altogether a very lively, catchy song. Now I’m not normally keen on rock, but I actually enjoyed tonight’s performance. I hope to see this in the Grand Final, and this is highly likely to be there. See you Saturday, Joker Out.

Song 11: Georgia - Iru “Echo”

The song begins with the opening instance of the chorus, which is sung in a powerful manner; drum beats can be heard and what sounds like a clash of cymbals can be heard at the end of the chorus. After two short sections, which are sung softly, there is a double instance of the chorus. The next section consists of “Going through the life together”, twice over, followed by a series of sounds. After that, there is another double instance of the chorus. The section starting “My soul’s like a fortress” must be the bridge; it sounds very eastern style. The song draws to a close with a single instance of the chorus. The Eurovision performance had two tall LED panels, set on angles; these were used to display rising smoke, and various other images. All in all, a powerful song, which I think would make a good James Bond film opening song, but will some consider there to be too much repetition of the chorus? Anyway, Iru has a beautiful voice, and sang well tonight. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 12: San Marino - Piqued Jacks “Like An Animal”

San Marino has gone for a rock song this year. Unsurprisingly, this makes good use of drum beats and guitar sounds. Being as the title is “Like An Animal”, it’s hardly surprising that snake eyes and butterflies are mentioned in the lyrics, and at one point in the Eurovision performance, the title appeared on the background screen with a leopard skin pattern. The whole song is powerful, but the chorus is very powerful and catchy. During the Eurovision performance, a giant pair of lips appeared on the background screen at the start. This was followed by a rising circle. Later red columns appeared on the background screen. Towards the end of the song, lines of white light formed parabolas, and coloured powder was simulated on the background screen. Altogether a lively song from the smallest country taking part this year, but if the betting odds are anything to go by, this is unlikely to qualify.

Song 13: Austria - Teya & Salena “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”

Just like the preview video, the song began with three lines, which sound spoken rather than sung: During this section, the beat began. The first verse proper has a reference to Edgar Allan Poe. According to Wikipedia, he was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. I’m mystified as to why Teya & Salena would want to sing a song about him, or which refers to him, at Eurovision. There is a notable change for the pre-chorus; I’d say this part sounds echoey. The chorus is very repetitive, due to the large number of instances of “Poe”. After another verse, the second instance of the chorus has a beat throughout. The Eurovision performance began with an image Edgar badged typewriter, with a page appearing, on the background screen at the start. Later images included red topped dancers on the background screen, and they became numerous during instances of the chorus. At the end, the large number of images of red topped dancers were zoomed out to cleverly form an image of Edgar’s face. Altogether a lively, catchy song, but the chorus is far too repetitive for my liking. Furthermore, Teya & Salena sang well tonight. I’d rather this doesn’t qualify, but this is strongly tipped to qualify, and I’ll be shocked if this isn’t there. See you Saturday, Teya & Salena

Song 14: Albania - Albina & Familja Kelmendi “Duje”

According to the song’s background information on the official Eurovision website, Duje is about the role of love in the family, and overcoming every challenge that life brings. According to Wikipedia, the title "Duje" translates as “Love it”. It’s an Albanian song in which I particularly like the introduction, chorus and instrumentals elsewhere, but I’m less keen on the opening verse and pre-chorus. It’s understandable that the opening verse and pre-chorus are sung in the manner they are, because from what I can gather, from an English translation of the lyrics, they are about a rather sad subject. To fully appreciate this song, I think you need to preview it multiple times, both watching the official video and then just listening whilst following the lyrics, and read the song’s background information. Casual viewers who are watching tonight’s show, having not previewed any of the songs, let alone read any background information about the songs, are unlikely to appreciate this. Various unusual images, which are difficult to describe, appeared on the background screen during the performance. Towards the end, the performance was enhanced by flame effects. Altogether, a good Balkan style ballad, Albina has a beautiful voice, and sang well tonight. I wouldn’t mind this in the final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.

Song 15: Lithuania - Monika Linkytė “Stay”

I watched Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 Final live, online from the UK, on 18 February 2023. This was the final song out of ten finalist songs that evening, and at the time I thought it was one of the better ballads that evening. Now it’s the penultimate song in tonight’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Second Semi-Final. After a slow start, the song builds up during the pre-chorus. The most notable feature of this song is the line “Čiūto tūto” three times over, followed by “Finally my heart is beating”; this collection of four lines provides the perfect hook for this song. Effectively this group of lines forms the chorus. I’m mystified as to the significance of the circular patterned images, and the unusual figures, which appeared on the background screen, but they certainly looked effective. Towards the end Monika and her backing group stood in a half circle to sing an instance of the chorus. On the whole, a beautiful ballad with a catchy chorus. Monika has a beautiful voice, and sang well in in tonight’s semi-final. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final.

Song 16: Australia - Voyager “Promise”

The last song in tonight’s line-up already; it’s amazing how time flies! Australia has gone for a rock song this year. It’s got a good beat throughout, and guitar sounds can be heard at times. By far the most memorable line is “Promise me it’s gonna be alright.”; that provides the hook for this song. I’m mystified as to why the lead singer performed the early part of the song seated in a car, but he left the car and performed directly on the stage after the first instance of the chorus. During one instance of the chorus, the illusion of driving at high speed was created with a moving road on the background screen behind the car. City scenes also featured in the background screen images. Altogether a very lively, catchy, rock song to close tonight’s show; it was very well performed, and very well staged. I’m not normally keen on rock, but unusually for me, I really liked this, and I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final.

Televoting and Recap

After the songs finished, the hosts reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:23 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: Armenia, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Slovenia, Georgia, Lithuania, Australia.
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Denmark, Iceland, Poland, Albania.
Prefer not to qualify: Greece, San Marino, Austria.
Definitely don't want to qualify: Romania.

So these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Armenia, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Slovenia, Georgia, Lithuania, Australia, plus two (and no more) of Denmark, Iceland, Poland, Albania.

The UK voted this evening; I voted for: Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Australia, Belgium.

My Qualification Predictions

Here are my predictions of which countries will and won’t qualify, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Almost certain qualifiers: Armenia, Georgia, Austria, Australia.
Likely qualifiers: Belgium, Cyprus, Slovenia, Lithuania.
May qualify: Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Albania.
Highly unlikely to qualify: Romania, San Marino.

Voting closed at 21:39 BST.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Second Semi-Final Results

Here are the results, which were announced in a random order before 22:00 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Thursday 11 May 2023.

My desired qualifiers: Armenia, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Slovenia, Georgia, Lithuania, Australia, plus two (and no more) of Denmark, Iceland, Poland, Albania.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Poland, Australia, Armenia, Slovenia.

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: Denmark, Romania, Iceland, Greece, Georgia, San Marino.

I’m glad Armenia, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Slovenia, Lithuania and Australia all made it to the final this year. All of them were very good entries, all deserving of being in the final. Although the entries from Slovenia and Australia are rock songs, and I’m not normally keen on rock, I even liked their songs, and wanted them in the final.

I’m disappointed that Georgia didn’t qualify, I thought their entry was a good song, and equally deserving of being in the final. Presumably some thought it had too many repetitions of the chorus, and/or it was too similar in style to Estonia’s entry.

The only song on my “Prefer not to qualify” list that qualified is Austria’s “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”. I don’t like that song much; for starters its chorus is way too repetitive for my liking. Still it was obvious that was going to qualify, and I’d have been shocked if it hadn’t qualified. It’s been the favourite not just to qualify, but also to win tonight’s Second Semi-Final, for quite some time now. I bet it won tonight’s semi-final, but we’ll have to wait until after Saturday evening’s Grand Final is over to find out.

So that means 7 out of my 8 “Definitely want to qualify” countries went qualified for the Grand Final, which if you think about it, is excellent. Another 2 of my 4 “Wouldn't mind qualifying” countries made qualified for the final as “top up countries” to the ones I most wanted. Really, I’ve done well in this semi-final. 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.

Anyway, 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 six which failed to reach the final. So that means all 26 finalists are now confirmed and 11 countries have been eliminated (but will still vote in the final). Roll on the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final at 20:00 BST Saturday evening.

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