Does Austria have a Eurovision two-peat in the works? Probably not.
If you're hosting Eurovision and you're not one of the Big Six Seven Who Even Knows Anymore Fine Australia Can Come Play Now Too Countries That Help Fund Eurovision, your entry that year has three goals:
- Isn't a carbon copy of the song that won the year before
- Proves to the rest of the competitors that you deserved the win the previous year
- Doesn't win again
It's pretty simple. How does Austria's entry, The Makemakes' "I Am Yours", stack up against these goals?
Well, I think this passes the test. While not "Rise Like A Phoenix", "I Am Yours" manages to be its own entry and to remind viewers that Austria nailed it last year, but this doesn't feel like the strongest entry in the field. There's a nice musicality to this entry, and it's nice to have at least one entry in the competition that's neither a slow ballad nor a terrifying 20s revival. I get shades of Coldplay's "The Scientist" in the melody line((which I wouldn't say is a bad thing, since that song was massive)), but there's a nice bluesiness to the lead singer's voice as well.
As far as performance goes, even if they're not going for the win, Austria needs to step it up. Just singing behind the piano is boring and not that great from a TV perspective (especially if we can see that someone else is playing the piano for you). Hopefully Austria tries to make things a little more dynamic - we know they can be a powerhouse if they try.