So many good songs thrown by the wayside. But thankfully the best song of the year won the contest.
Sweden : Roger Pontare - Himmel och hav
Loreen - Statements
Robin was the right choice in the final, but there were 2 I loved more than that didn't make it to the final.
Finland : Emma - Circle Of Light
Poor live performance, but the song was fantastic and would for sure done better than Blackbird (although BB was robbed of a place in the final).
Greece : When The Morning Comes Around
None of the 3 options were good, but this was one that had some depth.
Slovenia : Raiven - Zazarim
Some decent options for Slovenia. This was the opposite to what they sent. A missed opportunity.
Malta : Janice Mangion - Kewkba
The biggest robbery of NF season. Malta obviously didn't want that top 10 position. Proof that they need to add international juries if they want to return to the country they once were at Eurovision.
Hungary : Gabi Toth - Hosszu Idok
Hard to argue about who they chose, but this was my personal favourite. Such a powerful song.
Denmark : Rikke Skytte - Color My World
Sada Vidoo - Northern Lights
Denmark made a shocking (and a year late) decision to send Anja, with songs from Rikke and Sada offering better options. I slightly prefer Rikke.
Norway : Elin And The Woods - First Step In Faith
What Norway sent is totally against my tastes, but they did a good job with it. But Elin was incredible and would likely have been in my top 5 for the year had it made it to Eurovision.
Switzerland : Nadya - Fire In The Sky
A big mistake sending Timebelle, which they paid for in NQ. Nadya was a terrific vocalist with a song that had feeling and power. Big mistake by the Swiss.
Lithuania : Greta Zazza - Like I Love You
Nothing fantastic to select from, but there were several better options than Fusedmarc ffs.
Estonia : Antsud - Vihm
Elina Born - In Or Out
Ariadne - Feel Me Now
Estonia had a great selection, and I believe they actually picked the best song, but there were several that also deserved a shot at victory (NOT Kerli). Outside of Verona, my favourite was probably Vihm.
Italy : Elodie - Tutta Colpa Mia
Sergio Sylvestre - Con Te
Fiorella Mannoia - Che Sia Benedetta
In terms of song quality, Sanremo blew everything else away. And in the end, it seems they didn't make the right choice with Gabbani. Hopefully next year they do a more "Italian" song and get back to competing for victory. My personal favourite was Elodie, who I think would have got top 5 at the contest.
Spain : Leklein - Ouch!
Brequette - No Enemy
Nieves Hidalgo - Esclava
I think Spain were right to send Manel instead of Mirela. At least until his performance in the final. But the web selection had all the best songs. My prefer would have been Esclava if they touched the production levels up. But Brequette had the most complete song.
Germany : Levina - Wildfire
Levina is a terrific singer and has great stage prescence. She was the right choice to go to ESC. The voters let her down by sending the wrong song. Wildfire is brilliant. Possible top 10 for Germany.
United Kingdom : Olivia Garcia - Freedom Hearts
A no-brainer here. This was the best SONG of the selection, and her vocals were actually good. She had stage prescence as well. Considering now how much effort the UK delegation put into the staging, imagine how amazing Freedom Hearts would have been on stage in Kyiv. A missed chance at top 5.