As it turns out, Georgia isn't the only country with a "Warrior" in the Eurovision Song Contest. Who wins the war?
Country: Georgia
Song Title: "Warrior"
Artist: Nina Sublatti
Semi-Final: First, Position 16
Last year's entry: "3 Minutes to Earth" - The Shin & Mariko (DNQ - 15th Place, SF2)
I can't believe it's taken me until April to realize that there are two separate Eurovision entries titled "Warrior" - Georgia and Malta. I can't say I'm entirely surprised((the only title I think I've seen more times in recent years is "Shine")) - the concept of a warrior is easy to convey in 3 minutes on a stage, so it's understandable why it may be a Eurovision mainstay. The problem with this is that with two entries with the same name, they're bound to be compared.
Before we get into that, let's talk about last year's contest for Georgia. The Shin and Mariko presented a lovely jazzy piece called "Three Minutes to Earth" that had no chance of winning Eurovision. It was kind of weird and seemed doomed from the start, and as I predicted, ended up at the very bottom of its semifinal with only 15 points to its name. 12 of those points came from its neighbor, Belarus. I think any song is going to be an improvement on that score - let's see if "Warrior" adds up:
Well, this is better that "3 Minutes to Earth" (although that's faint praise). There's definitely some power behind the song, although it's a bit basic. I also have trouble making out the words of the first verse, and this is the studio-refined version, not a live performance. I feel like I need some more info on Nina's performance skills before I can ultimately decide if this song has what it takes to make it to the finals, but I wouldn't be surprised if the right presentation in Vienna pushes it to the final stage.
Remember when I said we'd get to comparing both "Warrior"s? That time is now. Of the two, I find I prefer Malta's take - there's a little more actual dynamics to their song, where as this one is all-loud, all the time. Malta may not have the spaced-out huskies, but Georgia's song is a little one-note in comparison. On the plus side for it, it's closing out the first semifinal after some quieter songs from Romania and Albania - being fresh in the voter's mind with a dynamic presentation could assure this a spot in the finals.