It may be "Time" for Belarus to make a move in the Eurovision Song Contest, as the track by Uzari and Maimuna may be the country's strongest entry ever.
Country: Belarus
Song Title: "Time"
Artist: Uzari and Maimuna
Semi-Final: First, Position 11
Last year's entry: "Cheesecake" - Teo (16th Place)
I do not believe in the concept of guilty pleasures. If something gives you joy, you should be allowed to embrace it. Any shame attached to it comes from other people who, for whatever reason, do not share your joy. That is fine, though making their preferences a way of evaluating your pleasures is not healthy or anyone else's concern. Not everything is for everybody.
That being said, Belarus is totally my guilty pleasure of the Eurovision Song Contest. Every year they manage to submit entries that at first come across as completely generic, but end up becoming joyful earworms. I loved "I Love Belarus" (2011), I think "We are the Heroes" (2012) is an underrated entry, and even last year's twerpy hamster date is still on my main Eurovision playlist. Does this year's entry, "Time" by Uzari & Maimuna, maintain that tradition?
Maybe it's because I am missing Ukraine's presence in this year's Contest, but this entry is doing everything it can to fill that void. The evolution of this song has been fantastic, with improved instrumentation and some much-needed revisions to the lyrics. The metaphor "time is like thunder" still isn't explained, but much like "Tick Tock" from last's year's Contest, that doesn't need to be explained if the performance is hott.((That's right: "hott" with two t's.)) The video above suggests we may be treated to a fantastic stage performance, which should help with the voting.
Also helping with the voting: semi-final positioning. Five other former SSRs are in the first semi-final, including Russia, Moldova, and Georgia, which are Belarus' biggest supporters in the Contest. Belarus will serve as the bridge between Hungary and Russia in the running order, which is fantastic placement from a playlist point of view: providing transition while highlighting the strengths of "Time."
There isn't a doubt in my mind that "Time" will advance to the Eurovision final. If the stage performance does try to go toe-to-toe with what Ukraine and Azerbaijan have offered in the last few years, we could see Belarus jockeying to meet its best finish ever--2007's 6th place. Though it may fall short of that goal, it may be "Time" for another Top 10 placement.