Here are my final thoughts on the songs from the 1st semi-final and I have included whether I like the live on tape or the live performance better. The link below is a playlist of all the songs from the Semi-final 1. Send me a comment if you agree or disagree with my thoughts.
Eurovision Semi Final 1 Live Performances playlist
| Starting position | Country | My personal Thoughts | Live on tape or live on stage |
| 1st | Lithuania Artist: The Roop Song: Discoteque | The staging was kept the same which made it easy to copy the positions and camera shots and movement. The performance was elevated by the limited crowd on the sides of the stage. The song came 8th overall, which is a good placing for the country. It will interesting to see what song and style is chosen for 2022 and if it can live up to the hype of 2020 and 2021. | Live on stage |
| 2nd | Slovenia Artist: Ana Soklič Song: Amen | The song stayed in the semi-finals as the staging was empty, relying on the LCD screens to bring some interest to the performance. The choir part added as extra in the music video was edited to become the bridge of the song. This helps the song feel less boring. I feel that Slovenia needs to bring something more upbeat and in their native language, in order to reach the final. | Live on stage |
| 3rd | Russia Artist: Manizha Song: Russian Woman | The performance and the song were perfect as the audience really got into it. The traditional elements worked well with the modern ones, especially at the end with all the different type of Russian women represented on the screen. Manizha’s facial expressions at the start added interest along with the dress made from squares of fabric that had come from all parts of Russia. This was one of my favourites and still is today. | Live on stage |
| 4th | Sweden Artist: Tusse Song: Voices | The staging was a copy and paste from the national final, the only change was in his costume. It was tunic style top instead of the suit jacket with a very over the top bling arm accessory that wasn’t needed. My thoughts on the song itself haven’t changed from my 1st impression. I really want Sweden to take a risk and send something in their native language or try a different genre. | Live on stage |
| 5th | Australia Artist: Montaigne Song: Technicolour | We had a disadvantage the moment it was announced that the live on Tape would be used as our performance due to travel restrictions. The genre was one that divided people including Australians, it depended on the personal taste of each viewer as to if they would like the song. It was a risk with an unknown location factor that led to our 1st non qualification, but this will make the next person or act to go more motivated to have the perfect performance. The styling and light design suited the song, although I feel the Eurovision stage and the live audience could have elevated the performance. Montaigne did the best she could do with the resources given to her and the Australian delegation. | Live on Tape |
| 6th | North Macedonia Artist: Vasil Song: Here I Stand | This song stayed in the semi-finals as the staging with the golden lights and the disco ball shirt failed to get votes from the public. I hope North Macedonia learns from this failure and reads the Eurovision song landscape better for 2022. | Live on stage |
| 7th | Ireland Artist: Lesley Roy Song: Maps | Ireland decided to go the experimental route with the staging. This failed to get them out of the semi-final as it felt like they were trying to do too much on stage. It was designed to appeal to the audience at home rather than the in person audience. The concept worked until the end of the bridge when the camera zoomed out to show the whole stage, including the props. This made the stage look very messy and took the view out of the illusion the rest of the song had shown. Her vocals were a bit shaky as they sounded like she was actually running on stage. I would have loved to see what their live on tape looked like to compare her vocals and staging. The song by itself is good but the complicated staging messed up Ireland’s chances. | Live on stage |
| 8th | Cyprus Artist: Elena Tsagrinou Song: El Diablo | Cyprus made the most of the stage by using a mirror to double the amount of dancers, this paid off for them as they opened the grand final. Her vocals were good and the use of red for the dancers helped Elena stand out in silver. My fear of the theme pushing votes away from the entry, didn’t seem to come true. It will be interesting to see if Cyprus follows in this direction or goes in another one for 2022. | Live on stage |
| 9th | Norway Artist: Tix Song: Fallen Angel | Tix’s back story helped get Norway to the grand final as to hard core Eurovision fans were able to see the staging as cheesy. The layout on stage changed from 6 demons to 4 with Tix in the middle. All the costumes remained the same from the national final including the use of chains. I wish the stage had been lit up a bit more as it was hard to see the demons and Tix for most of the song, part of this was the over use of the smoke machine. Overall the message of the song got lost among the staging and costumes. | Live on Tape |
| 10th | Croatia Artist: Albina Song: Tick-Tock | The song just missed out on the grand final but Croatia should of taken Azerbaijan’s spot. There was energy in her performance and the costumes helped to make it stand out. The audience loved it, but I felt like there needed to be more Croatian included in the song. I hope to hear 2022’s entry in all Croatian or mostly Croatian. | Live on stage |
| 11th | Belgium Artist: Hooverphonic Song: The Wrong Place | The staging suited the song perfectly and allowed the camera to make all the movements so the vocals could be the focus for the band. They used the back screen to place emphasis on the lead singer’s eyes during the chorus. The all black styling suited the classy lounge vibe I got from the song. | Live on stage |
| 12th | Israel Artist: Eden Alene Song: Set Me Free | I love the way she used all parts of the stage including the b stage and the LED that came down next the b stage. Her vocals were very stable with all the moving around she did and she hit the whistle notes with ease. Those notes earned her the title of highest note on the history of Eurovision. The colour scheme of pink and purple worked well with the white and silver in her dancer’s costumes. I like the white and silver on her also but i wasn’t keen on her costume change into a black rope body suit. Almost 4 months since the grand final and I still love the song. | Live on stage |
| 13th | Romania Artist: Roxen Song: Amnesia | The performance was not the strongest in terms of vocals due to how much was required for the song and the amount of choreography needed to show the message of the song. Roxen did have more choreography in her early rehearsals but it got cut down to help stabilise her vocals. It wasn’t the best performance overall but it showed a vulnerability that helped to show the message of the song. | Live on stage |
| 14th | Azerbaijan Artist: Efendi Song: Mata Hari | The staging showed off the ethnic vibes so it stood out but I wonder if the all black costumes clashed with the vibrant colours. There are parts of the song like the chorus where I’m not sure if she is singing or letting the backing vocals do the work. This over shadowed my thoughts while watching the performance during the semi and grand final. It would of helped me to know if she was doing the chorus live to hear it in an online pre-party. Overall the performance had the right energy and imagery that suited the song. | Live on stage |
| 15th | Ukraine Artist: Go_A Song: SHUM | The staging for this song was perfect and the small audience went off as the tempo of the song started getting faster and faster. It would have been a rave if the whole venue was full, as seen a few weeks ago on a YouTube video of the song being preformed at a festival. The crowd went off there so it shows the potential the song had with a full audience. The styling for the group suited the song along with the visuals behind them on the screen. This song has been on my YouTube music playlist once a week since Eurovision and hasn’t lost any of it’s power. | Live on stage |
| 16th | Malta Artist: Destiny Song: Je Me Casse | The performance from Destiny is over flowing with confidence that can be seen in her body language. The knee length silver fringe dress with the boots allows her to stand out among her dancers. In my 1st thoughts I was put off by how loud and proud the song sounded, I can now say that the staging balances out the loudness of the the song. She has a bright future ahead with a voice like hers and maybe she will return to the Eurovision stage. | Live on stage |
the World Acording to Rose 