After a two-year hiatus, Poland returns to the Eurovision Song Contest with the viral sensation "My Słowianie (Slavic Girls)" by Donatan and Cleo. Can this hip hop influenced dance track turn around Poland's luck?
Welcome back, Poland! Poland has not competed in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2011, when its entry "Jestem" finished last in the first semi-final.((Which was a bum deal—"Jestem" was a good song, but going first is the worst.)) To make a strong comeback, Poland is doing something I have been waiting for in my four years of covering the Contest: using the song from a viral video as the entry. In this case, Poland will be represented by the song "My Słowianie (Slavic Girls)" by Donatan & Cleo. Here's a live performance of the track:
This isn't the viral video (we'll write about that in a future post), but with 38 million views the song already has a built-in reputation. However, in the context of Eurovision, there is a lot working against this catchy track. Rap and rap-adjacent tracks are a tough sell, though this song does trend more toward Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" than Montenegro's "Igranka" from last year.
If the performance above is any indication of what we can expect in Copenhagen, the vocals are on point. Though the use of traditional costumes is usually a detractor for entries, this imagery ties in with the viral video. There is about 99% less cleavage than the video, which may cause some drop in support for those in the audience into that sort of thing. My concern is that the women in the traditional costumes aren't really doing anything, leading to a static stage presence.
"My Słowianie" has a lot of pieces to work with, and if Poland can properly leverage those elements they may break their losing streak at the Contest.