Spain SPAIN 2023 - Blanca Paloma - Eaea

[ESC United Mod Team]

 

[ESC_Peggy]

Traccion is a fascinating entry it reminds me of all those times I played Dance Dance Revolution on my Dance Mat as a kid.

 

[Realest]

I prefer the Rockgroup the most.

 

[Ali_]

Listened to all entries on Spotify and didn't like any of them enough to add them to a playlist. I feel like a few were trying to be experimental and mix up sounds to be unique but ended up sounding similar to each other - can't remember which ones specifically, just something I noticed listening through them one after another. Maybe I'll connect to some of them more live.

 

[janderklander]

I find so difficult to just sit and listen to a bunch of songs from any given country just to see if i like them. Apart from with Eurovisión do people usually sit to listen to a bunch of random songs on YouTube, Spotify or whatever to see if they like them?? I am not criticizing or toxifying anything I am just curious.

 

[Ausesken]

 

[Gwendal]

So, I'm joining the crew and listened to the Benidorm entries.

1. First, the overall quality is nearly as good as last year! The four additional songs compared to 2022 are probably useless (I hear a lot of fillers here) but the diversity is incredible... and Spain has SEVERAL good options to make a good result at Liverpool (with no immediate so-called winner vibes). Not all countries can say the same!
2. Second, I'm torn for my winner. I've got four tracks ahead of the others, but for very different reasons:

• Alice Wonder
• Blanca Paloma
• Megara
• Rakky Ripper

But for ESC, I'd probably hesitate between Alice Wonder and Megara, as the two other entries could have been, at the same time, more coherent... and more "in your face" (yep, even Traccion).

A LGBT song might be a good option if Spain wants to avoid another bottom five, Agoney being slightly better than e'Femme and Sharonne. But my first four options sound definitely better in my opinion.
Only three songs annoy me, Alfred Garcia is not one of these - but is not far.

Anyway, good job España !

 

[Mainshow]

I find so difficult to just sit and listen to a bunch of songs from any given country just to see if i like them. Apart from with Eurovisión do people usually sit to listen to a bunch of random songs on YouTube, Spotify or whatever to see if they like them?? I am not criticizing or toxifying anything I am just curious.

millions of listeners do so.. I mean.. that´s why "New Music Friday" Playlists got so many listeners.

 

[janderklander]

millions of listeners do so.. I mean.. that´s why "New Music Friday" Playlists got so many listeners

 

[ayzelto]

Well, now I can say I have listened to the songs a several times (not all of them) and this is what I think, based on what can do well and what not (according to Spanish taste):

- The first group is Fusa Nocta, Agoney and Aritz Aren. The first two are the only ones who have reached the tendencies in Spain and I’m not surprised. I actually think these two will do very well in the televote in Benidorm Fest (the first one for being very accessible for the Spanish taste, and the second for being very representative among eurofans). Then we have Aritz: a song that I am sure will be elevated by his dancing skills and the show behind. I am sure he can surprise us as Chanel did last year.

- Then we have Blanca Paloma and Alice Wonder. I think these two will impress the juries more than the general public. Blanca Paloma’s song can be a little be weird for the viewers, while Alice Wonder can become a love-hate entry (I am not sure how appealing will this be for the Spanish public, though). Remember last year Blanca wasn’t capable of getting higher than 5th despite having a wonderful song with her. I am not sure her faith will be very different, but we will see.

- The third group is for the rock band (Megara) and the girl band (E’femme). They both released very competitive songs in my opinion, but Spain is not a country of rock (it used to be), and it’s definitely not a country of girl bands. As I said, both entries are solid but I am afraid not for the Spanish public.

- The fourth mention goes to Sharonne and Jose Otero. The first will stand out for her charisma, while the second will do so for his voice. However, in my opinion these will end up being borderline qualifiers.

- In the last group I don’t expect great predictions. I am sure Siderland, Meler, Vicco, Rakky Ripper, Twin Melody, and Karmento won’t make it. Alfred, Sofia Martin and Famous will probably not either, but it will all depend on the live performances and the jury vote indeed.

My personal ranking would be slightly different:

Excellent / Very good:

1. Fusa Nocta 10/10
2. Aritz Aren 9/10
3. Alice Wonder 9/10
4. Megara 8/10

Good songs:

5. Vicco 7/10
6. E’femme 7/10
7. Siderland 7/10

Ok / borderline songs:

8. Agoney 6/10
9. Sofia Martin 6/10
10. Jose Otero 5,5/10
11. Blanca Paloma 5/10
12. Sharonne 5/10
13. Alfred Garcia 5/10
14. Rakky Ripper 5/10

Bad / Terrible:

15. Famous 4/10
16. Karmento 4/10
17. Meler 3/10
18. Twin Melody 2/10

 

[BorisBubbles]

Got around to have a listen. Not as quirky as the previous Benifest, but still a good showing. The bar has been set for the other selections ( :glares at Belgium: ) to strive for. The scores are conservative because I like to believe in growth margins :-)

"please insert coin and select game mode \\DenzBrEk//" is the new :: orchestral thunderstorm:: ~*De RaveN*~ of the season and I'm here for it.

And now for a ranking with a #1 that should surprise absolutely nobody.

MEGARA - "Arcadia" (lol this will be SUCH a disaster live and I froth it )
Famous - "La Lola" (If "Brutalero" were an actual song, this is roughly what it would sound like lol )
Karmento - "Quiero y duelo"
Fusa Nocta - "Mi familia"
Agoney - "Quiero arder" (This lands somewhere in the middle on the scale between Isaac Sene and Michaël Ben David, but i'm sure the Spanish know how to gay properly.)
E'Femme - "Uff!"
Vicco - "Nochentera"
Sharonne - "Aire"
Sofia Martín - "Tuki"
Siderland - "Que esclati tot"
Twin Melody - "Sayonara"
Blanca Paloma - "Eaea" (lol this one is objectively just a bunch of random noises though. That said, bunch of random noises )
Rakky Ripper - "Tracción" (I get why many Are Okay On This Rakky Road, but this features some Believe levels of autotune interference and girl, you are no Cher.)
José Otero - "Inviernos en Marte"
Meler - "No nos moverán"
Alice Wonder - "Yo quisiera"
Aritz Arén - "Flamenco" (normally i'd already be spraying the fukboi repellent everywhere but this song is so pathetically lame i'm almost ready to embrace it ironically) ( 'almost ' though because I've decided to embrace self-love and dignity today)
Alfred García - "Yo quisiera"


NF playlist counter: Arcadia, Tokimeki, M Els, possibly both Chérine songs (Whenever they're released???).

 

[MAD20]

Hmm I'm quite suprised of the mixed reactions I've been reading over here. From my personal point of view, this BF is at the same level as last year or even better... I really can not decide who my winner would be, it will much depend on the live performances.

Anyway, my frontrunners would be Megara, Alice Wonder, Blanca Paloma and Fusa Nocta. I'm not much into flamenco music but the two last ones have blended really well this kind of music with a very modern touch (a current trend in Spain after Rosalía's huge success). Perhaps if Fusa Nocta delivers live she'll eventually become my fave.

And setting Eurovision aside, there are entries like Karmento, Siderland and Famous that I'll add to my playlist cause they are really good but not for the contest.

If we choose wisely, I can see another top 10 for us

 

[Ausesken]

After several listenings:

Vicco - Nochentera: I think people are sleeping on this one. I have this on replay. It's catchy, danceable, it brings a lot of good vibes, I love the key change at the end... I love it. I've read many comments like "I love this, but it's not for Eurovision". Why not, excuse me? What's a 'Eurovision' song? I like this, therefore I'd like to send this
Fusa Nocta - Mi familia: we all wanted Rosalía in Eurovision, but we knew Rosalía wouldn't do it, so here we have a chance to send Rosalía 2.0 (I say this as a compliment, not as something bad). The song impressed me since the 1st listening, with a good staging it can be even more impressive, and this slaps 'SPAIN' in your face Perhaps it's not as appealing to the European audience, but I definitely would like to see something like this representing Spain in Eurovision, yes. It depends a lot on the live performance though. Bad vocals would definitely ruin it for me.
Megara - Arcadia: nice rock song. It's nothing outstanding in this genre, but rock is such an underestimated genre in the Spanish national selections that it would be great to give it a chance.

José Otero - Invierno en Marte
Aritz Aren - Flamenco
Sofía Martín - Tuki
Alfred Garcia - Desde que tú estás
Siderland - Que esclati tot
Alice Wonder - Yo quisiera
Karmento - Quiero y duelo

 

[Lighthouse]

E'FEMME – UFF!
José Otero – Inviernos en Marte
Siderland – Que Esclati Tot
Megara – Arcadia
Agoney – Quiero Arder
Twin Melody – Sayonara
Aritz – Flamenco
Famous Oberogo – La Lola
Rakky Ripper – TRACCIÓN
Fusa Nocta – Mi Familia

Overall, I'm shocked at how much I love this NF. It's better than Benidorm 2022, in my opinion. Lots of these songs need good staging to reach their full potential, hence why I can't wait for the semifinals. Glad Chanel lit up a fire under their ass.

Spain is coming for top 15 easily.

 

[kamc]

Please Spain, pick Fusa Nocta. It feels like it would be such a wildcard entry and something very fresh for Spain.

 

[PollyWantsACracker]

I don't like any of Benidorm's entries this year.

Last year I liked Rayden and I still listen him even now, also I've gotten to know Tanxugueiras and I liked their music, despite being against the idea that they represent ESP at the ESC. Because I assumed they wouldn't work well with televote nor juries, and France 2022 proved me right.

However, this year I dislike every entry and I have zero motivation to search up for any of the competing artist online.

To me most of these entries sound like something prepared for Latin American market, or an outdated Latin American disco / trap production.

Some even sound as if they are competing for World Cup anthem.

As if none of these songs was actually "thinking big" for world market or European audience at least.

In that context only Arcadia and Paloma's Eaea stand out from many other similar entries. However, Paloma's song lacks emotion and flow while Arcadia, oh well, can be interesting on stage, but I've heard that already. And I heard it better, better composed and mixed, with more sense to it, with more class to it.

So I'll skip this year's Benidorm.

I just hope, whatever Spaniards pick, that you'll come up with good staging as staging can help a lot because most of these songs can be transferred to stage with grandeur and in that sense you might even do well in Liverpool.

 

[LivingOrganism]

I wrote a few days ago, that Arcadia is my favorite, but OMG this one grew on me sooo much. It's extremely memorable and has great potential, they just have to pull off the staging, but if they keep the vibe suggested by the poster, this might just be my winner in Benidorm. To be fair, I would be really disappointed, if Spain chooses anything other than this or Arcadia.

I know that Mi Familia is also among fan favorites this year, but no matter how many times I listen to it, I just can't see anything good about it, so if Mi Familia wins, I will be extremely disappointed.

However, let's not forget, that Slo Mo was nowhere near a fan favorite at this stage last year, so I'm really excited to see how everyone performs live in a bit more than a month.

 

[Ajeje Brazorf]

I'm a little disappointed with the selection, tbh... Nothing has blown me away or even come close to blew me away. A lot of latino/american sound which doesn't go anywhere, some badly made hyperpop, a cringy ballad (Porquè, Alfred?), a pair of World Cup anthems and that's it: there you have your 2023 Benidorm... Such a letdown after a great 2022 National Final. The only one I'm curious about is Megara's song, so I guess that is my pick but not because I find it that much impressive, just because it is different from the rest and if performed well I can see this going somewhere. The rest is really meh, imo...

 

[ESC_FAN]

In case some of you are interested in interesting facts

 

[jatojo]

Nochentera I fell in love with it almost too fast!

 

[jatojo]

After several listenings:

Vicco - Nochentera: I think people are sleeping on this one. I have this on replay. It's catchy, danceable, it brings a lot of good vibes, I love the key change at the end... I love it. I've read many comments like "I love this, but it's not for Eurovision". Why not, excuse me? What's a 'Eurovision' song? I like this, therefore I'd like to send this

I would love this to win.