It wouldn't be the Eurovision Song Contest without an über Power Ballad. "Undo" by Sweden's Sanna Nielsen takes on the challenge, but is it a shoo-in for the final?
Country: Sweden
Song Title: "Undo"
Artist: Sanna Nielsen
Semi-Final: First, Position 4
Last year's entry: "You" - Robin Stjernberg (14th Place)
Hear me out: Sweden could be in a lot of trouble this year. Although the country is a Eurovision powerhouse, this year's entry "Undo" by Sanna Nielsen has several potential pitfalls. First, I would like go back to last year's Contest and the entries from Slovenia and Ireland. Slovenia finished in absolute last place with the dubstep-y anthem "Straight Into Love" by Hannah. It wasn't a great song, but I thought it deserved more points than it earned. The main problem with the track appearing in the first semi-final was that it shared individual elements from several other entries in the semi-final. Though "Straight Into Love" provided a synopsis of the semi-final, it did not excel as its own piece. Ireland experienced the same problem in the grand final: a hodgepodge of the 25 entries that preceded it in the running order, but nothing special enough to make the entry stand out. Ireland finished in 26th place, shocking many.
Let's take a listen to Sanna Nielsen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ-R7lq5XBM
Somber tinkling of the piano (Armenia) + interesting vocal tone (Albania) + a singer desperate to win((This is Sanna Nielsen's first Melodifestivalen win in seven attempts)) (San Marino) + overwrought lyrics (Belgium) + unearned keychange (Moldova) = Uh oh.
Where Sweden can stand out is in the stage performance, but I am not optimistic. What I would love to see is Sanna Nielsen on stage by herself with a spotlight for the first verse. When the beat comes in, a contemporary dance routine choreographed by Mandy Moore (So You Think You Can Dance) on the sidestage. The choreography can move to Sanna at the crescendo, but I think removing the focus from the singer would be an unexpected and bold choice. Instead, we will probably get a variation of what is in the video above. The screen graphics will be replaced with the inverted pyrotechnics Eurovision is so fond of. Sanna Nielsen will be in a lovely, yet unremarkable dress, beating her chest a la Celine Dion at the keychange.
Like I said with Montenegro's entry, safe may get you out of the semi-final, but it will not win Eurovision. In position 4, Sanna Nielsen will need to undo some of the traps she has set for herself if she wants to get to the Grand Final.