IVAN looks to return Belarus to the ESC Grand Final with his song, "Help You Fly."
As the first former Soviet republic to make its Eurovision 2016 pick, Belarus has decided to send IVAN with "Help You Fly" to the contest in Stockholm. How'd they do? Take a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYJV1I7Y49k
We're only three songs into the ESC 2016 selection process and we already have our first hot mess! Ignoring all of the visual elements for a moment, the most memorable parts of this performance are the pitchiness of the lead singer, and the backing singers that sound unsure if they came in at the right time. It's not a terrible song, really, just a mediocre one with a mediocre performance.((Although I might call those high notes in the last third terrible.)) Considering the existing visuals, there is a lot here that has worked for others in the past -- the CGI reminiscent of Sweden in 2015, the wings that call back to Austria 2014 -- but in this case there's no talented and charismatic singer to tie it all together.
In short, Belarus has a lot of work ahead with this entry if they want a return trip to the Finals.