Estonia's Tanja will sing "Amazing" at the Eurovision Song Contest. Is this track too similar to 2012 winner "Euphoria" or could this entry be a surprise on the scoreboard?
Country: Estonia
Song Title: "Amazing"
Artist: Tanja
Semi-Final: First, Position 3
Last year's entry: "Et uus saaks alguse" ("So There Could Be a New Beginning") - Birgit (20th Place)
Estonia is taking a risk sending the pop-dance track "Amazing" by Tanja to the Eurovision Song Contest. There is nothing controversial about the song in and of itself, but it shares quite a few characteristics with "Euphoria," Sweden's entry that won the 2012 Contest. Take a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG5by63x_MA
Let me be clear: I am not accusing Tanja of plagiarism. Had Cascada performed this for Germany in last year's Contest, they may have fared better than 21st place with the derivative "Glorious." Yet Estonia may still struggle for points for being too similar to "Euphoria." Even the choreography seems to share steps without being an outright copy.
Despite this struggle, I think Estonia stands a chance of advancing. The track is one of the only upbeat tracks in the first half of the semi-final, which should help Tanja stand out. In terms of style, the only other entries that come close to matching the rhythm and tone are Ukraine and Portugal. Of the three, I think "Amazing" is the superior track, both lyrically and in execution. The song will stand out in the running order as well, sandwiched between Latvia folk entry and Sweden power ballad.
In his initial post about the track, Ben was not a fan of Tanja's vocals. Her performance at Estonia's national final was not spectacular, most likely because of the choreography/singing combination. Presumably Tanja has been working on that since her selection. I think if she can deliver a solid vocal and incorporate some choreography that removes some "Euphoria" elements, Estonia could creep up the scoreboard in Copenhagen.