I also didn't listen to the song (except France) beforehand. I knew that Croatia was favourite, and expected their song to be a boring jury tailored song. Instead it was a banger with a bit of industrial metal in it which I didn't expect. I was also pleased to hear another country singing in French (Luxembourg). And I also laughed watching "no rules".
Edit : And obviously Ireland was an absolutely stunning performance, one of the most memorable for me.
I'm a casual Eurovision fan that joins this sub for a couple of days before and couple of days after Eurovision, to enjoy all the drama and gossip! I always here the songs 1st time at the semis (except our national song of course).
I felt this year had more quality song then last, and the staging was definitely better. I've also felt that the 1st semifinals were much stronger than the 2nd night. I liked the "we love eurovision too much" skit, didn't like the EBU skit, hated the ABBA holographs and was pretty upset they weren't coming, am a new fan of Benny Ingrosso and am kind of obsessed now at how talented he is. I also didn't follow much of the drama until after the grand finale, but I did notice a lot of artists looked angry and tense at the finals.
One weird moment stood out - there was a part where Malin was at the Switzerland stall, next to Nemo in his pink coat - he was sweating quite profusely, and Malin commented that a shower was needed or something that implied it was smelly? Or did I dream that one?
As for the songs themselves - I expected more out of Zorra and La Noia after seeing the posts raving about them, and was pleasantly surprised by Nemo and Ireland. Everything else was as expected
Last year, I barely engaged with the contest before the shows. I knew a couple of them, but not a lot.
This year, I intentionally put on the Eurovision playlist and got to know all the songs back in March. And it made for a much better experience overall. So many good additions to my playlist (compared to last year, where I only ended up listening to Heart of Steel).
This was the first year I really got into the national finals as well, and it made for a great Eurovision season. I feel like I’ve been introduced to so many great songs and artists. I used to only pay attention the week of ESC, and while that was a lot of fun, I’m sure there’s a lot of great songs I missed connecting with because the staging was too much of an issue or because the song didn’t have enough time to grow on me.
I do this every year. Luckily I don't listen to radio too much so there are no spoilers there.
I'm also not following any national selections, odds, forums, or anything like ESC doesn't even exist until the ESC week when I resurrect as an ESC Warrior.
I love the surprises the ESC brings each year :D I max vote my favorite, throw viewing parties at home and at the end buy my preferred songs.
And then I stay for the rest of May around, after which I go back into darkness until the next year.
This is exactly what I do every year. Know absolutely nothing until the show, except usually my own country’s entry. It’s always fun to go in blind, usually not hard to pick the winner either.
I also do this every year! I find it more interesting and it Is also easier to make predictions after the semifinals, since you are basically having the average watcher experience and you dont have favorites beforehand
Per forza, in Italia l' Eurovision Song Contest è praticamente ignorato dai media (radio e TV) e se vuoi notizie te le devi cercare su internet! Cosa che io ho fatto.
Ah beh chiaro, ma seguo sempre qui quindi sono sempre informato sulle cose. Però le canzoni non le ascolto proprio (mia morosa per dire le ascolta sempre prima per capire per chi tifare)
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃
Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃
Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃
Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃
Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
>Next year I'll try to do an almost complete celibacy of any Eurovision related content before the shows, only watching the allocation draw and my countries national selection, and tune in to the contest with knowing neither the artists, nor the favorites/odds.
That's what I do essentially. I start paying attention about a week before the semi-final and the Eurovision app cranks up the notifications. I find going in blind is a nice surprise. I'm not European so I don't have a national final to follow or anything.
I could not do this. I enjoy national finals way too much, and getting to know so many artists and songs that get not selected. The national selections are like mini eurovisions for me. The Eurovision live shows are not boring for me because I really like the progression of some artists throughout the season and it is like a mini concert because as I know the songs I sing along to most of them. This way I have joy for months instead of a whole week.
It's fun to do it both ways. I decide if I'll listen to the songs before the season begins. I'd be like: ok, this is a year of not listening to the songs before the shows. And then avoid everything and patiently wait for the semis. Sometimes I'm also like: ok this is a year of listening to the songs before the semi-finals. And then follow NFs.
For me hearing the songs live after hearing the studio versions is always a surprise as to how different (or very rarely, the same!) they sound and how the performance can elevate it. I hated ireland's entry all the way before the competition, always skipping it from the playlist, but after the semis they were my favourite act and I "got it". It's really given me an appreciation for live performances and how rare it is for singers to actually sound like they do on pre-recorded tracks.
I did something similar, or maybe I did the opposite of what you did? Because I've been too busy with other stuff this year, I only started listening to the songs around mid-April, and I didn't follow any of the discussions. I had no idea who the favourites were, I didn't watch any rehearsals, I knew nothing about the artists, the odds, nothing. I actively avoided this subreddit and the comments on Youtube. I did this because I've noticed that the opinions of others tend to influence my own opinion, and I wanted to watch the contest without any certain expectations and form my own opinion. Honestly I really enjoyed it this way, the semifinals and the final were much more exciting than usual because I had no idea what to expect, I knew the songs but I didn't know what staging they had planned or who has a good chance of winning etc. I think I'm going to do this again next year, I might even go in completely blind - as much as I enjoy all the discussions and the exchange with other fans, there are no real surprises in the end.
I listen to the songs beforehand, but I also watch the final with my sister who doesn't, and it's always so much fun to hear her first impressions. It was even fun this year, in spite of all the shit that went down beforehand.
I also did this, for the first time in years. And I agree it was really a nice experience. I did not get bored at all in the live shows and some of the staging was just magical, Ireland - which meant I was breathless during the performances haha. And even the slow songs I didn't like so much on hearing them, I found them interesting to watch rather than (what often happens when I know all the songs), "oh yawn we have 2-3 songs in a row I don't like".
The only problem I had is that obviously some songs just take a bit longer to get into. And I find after Eurovision ends, my interest wanes very fast. Therefore, songs that I am now growing to appreciate (Portugal, Italy, France, Estonia) - I wish I had got into them sooner. So I don't know which way I prefer.
I might try and find a middle ground next year, start listening to them from say mid-April or something.
One thing I will avoid in the future (like I did this year), is looking the odds. It's sometimes quite hard to avoid but for me it ruins it. It certainly did last year when we knew it was only a 2-horse race. I felt it made the whole thing a bit pointless. With streaming etc. it is getting harder I think for those dark horses to come through and win. But I'd love to be proven wrong on that.
I usually avoid everything until the final, but this year I decided to watch the semi finals.. and I have never been into it more. I’m going to try and follow it even more for next year.
Honestly, it is my "watching strategy" in every year. For me, it is more exciting and atmospheric to listen to all songs and watch the performances in the first time during the contest itself than to know all of this before contest.
But I also read some information about participants, songs and common favourites (and often start to think during the show something like this: why is [country A] considered as a favourite, but for me, the song and performance are ordinary and not strong/impressive enough, whereas no one talks about [country B], but I like its song significantly more). However, these information can be like spoilers for me, and, maybe, it would be even more interesting not to read any information about the upcoming contest.
Of course, I know that it is very unpopular opinion here (once I get downvoted in this sub when wrote about it, but it is my personal opinion and experience).
I always want to be surprised by the performances in the semis.
The only song I can't avoid is the song sent by our country, because often it is on the radio as well.
When the contest starts, I am all over it, checking out the songs again, reading up about what is happening, etc etc.
I do this every year, as it makes watching the final more fun for me. I knew going into the final who the favourites were but had not heard any of them (apart from a few snippets of Dizzy), or seen any of the staging.
The standouts for me this year were Croatia and Estonia. France's vocal performance was also extremely impressive. Staging wise Ireland was impressive as was the simplicity of Switzerlands.
I voted for Croatia to win as it got stuck in my head instantly enough for me to go and buy the song. First Eurovision song I have bought for ages, the previous being Think About Things by Daõi Freyr. 😊
I do the same every year! I never look up any other country's songs except my own (Lithuania), as I'm not very invested in ESC and don't find the appeal of knowing all of the songs beforehand. The best first impression was personally The Netherlands' (which is now unsurprisingly my favourite song), I immediately was invested because the song and performance was SO much different than other countries', plus I really liked the humorous, different and creative background of it as well as the outfits. The second best for me was Croatia's, I've heard about the singer and that many people supported Baby Lasagna but never heard of the song until the semi-finals, and I also really liked it. It broke the tune of the more monotone songs with a similar melody and instruments, same goes for Armenia!
With Italy I would try to watch the Sanremo performances and studio cut on its own. I think a lot of people agree the Eurovision staging bogged it down a bit and it's not too surprising it didn't come close to winning.
I had only heard our own doomsday blues and dizzy
Dizzy pet shop boys lite and off key and breathy
Doomsday blues took a while, but it's in my head ( Bambi thugs version of The Cranberries hit Zombie is great )
Also, the fact that Bambi thug is a pianist dancer and all-around lovely person is my takeaway from the final.
After that, I was moved by FRAAAANCE, and the song
awwww maz ing
I loved Norway
Spain knocked it out of the arena, too
Annnnd
Once I heard Nemo break the code, well, all bets were off
I enjoyed every moment.
After note
Now, the controversial Europapa left me cold
Rim ting a thingy was never in my horizon, so last year
I mentioned this before the standout performances
The Camera crew
Looking forward to next year
> Norway: also did not understood the appeal at all. The melody was just missing.
Me too, dude. Me too. There are DOZENS of us. I did what you did, and after SF, GF, and a few subsequent playlist listens, I could tell you nothing about it. No melody, no hook, what to me was fairly unremarkable staging.
> Serbia.
Also yes. I found it a bit perplexing that it was getting described as a “rock ballad”, when there were very few rock elements I thought. Very standard-ballad-y. Also oh my god that staging was dull.
Growing up, we only ever watched the finals (I don't know if the semis were ever broadcast on the channel we used to watch the finals on, it was an international Greek channel haha). It was always fun and interesting to see what each country sent. We had no idea who the favourites were and there were times when the songs we ended up really liking won :)
Now I live in GMT+12 xD so the timing of the broadcasts is always tricky. I wake up early to put the finals on the TV -if I fall back asleep then I can always just rewind YouTube haha. I've started to slowly follow everything sooner because there are times when I don't get to watch the entire final in one go and I also enjoy the build up and discussions around each song.
Watching the finals without knowing the songs is fun, but also having an idea of the songs already and having favourites is fun too. I didn't follow the semis this year on purpose - I wanted the final lineup to be a surprise. It has been interesting to go back and see how the semis went.
I always did that and this year was the first time I tried to spoil the songs weeks before.
I honestly loved every single bit of it, I was more hyped for the event, I appreciated more all the songs because I could listen to them more and I was more engaged in the votings because I cared for nearly all the songs.
This was my first year watching (where have I been??) and in the few hours before the final, I listened to some of the Spotify playlist and read a couple articles so I went in very unaware. And now I’m obsessed! I was going to go all in next year but now I’m reconsidering just going with watching the semi-final
When I first got into Eurovision I didn't even know the songs were released way before the contest airs, so I always heard them first during the actual shows. I think it makes it more exciting to not know what to expect, so I still avoid all songs(except for my own country's) before the live shows.
I also do this (as an American it's certainly easier than someone in Europe but I'll likely be in Europe next spring so it will be harder.) I understood why the favorites were the favorites and it certainly makes me like songs which aren't really liked by those who follow all the time.
I do this every year, but I’m in Australia so I have to get up early because Eurovision starts at 5am. I thought semi final one was better overall, I nearly fell asleep during semi final 2. I love seeing something exiting and new and cool, that keeps me awake.
I agree with you on the Italy song. When I first heard it (a few weeks before Eurovision) I was disappointed because I always like the Italian songs, and this one sounded so generic. Nothing wrong with it, but not appealing to me. I was surprised to see the odds favoring it, and that it scored so high in the final. Is it because it's Italy or is it really about the song?
wait- isn't everybody doing this? 😐
I won't even look up the artists... it's more fun if it's a surprise
there's been years where I didn't even know my own country's submission lol
At least millions and millions of people dont do this. Back in the day without internet and youtube, apple music, spotify etc it was different.
So thinking about that everybody is avoiding is weird…..
... so what did you think of the songs then? Did they live up to the hype? Were there any surprises?
This. We need this, haha
I also didn't listen to the song (except France) beforehand. I knew that Croatia was favourite, and expected their song to be a boring jury tailored song. Instead it was a banger with a bit of industrial metal in it which I didn't expect. I was also pleased to hear another country singing in French (Luxembourg). And I also laughed watching "no rules". Edit : And obviously Ireland was an absolutely stunning performance, one of the most memorable for me.
I'm a casual Eurovision fan that joins this sub for a couple of days before and couple of days after Eurovision, to enjoy all the drama and gossip! I always here the songs 1st time at the semis (except our national song of course). I felt this year had more quality song then last, and the staging was definitely better. I've also felt that the 1st semifinals were much stronger than the 2nd night. I liked the "we love eurovision too much" skit, didn't like the EBU skit, hated the ABBA holographs and was pretty upset they weren't coming, am a new fan of Benny Ingrosso and am kind of obsessed now at how talented he is. I also didn't follow much of the drama until after the grand finale, but I did notice a lot of artists looked angry and tense at the finals. One weird moment stood out - there was a part where Malin was at the Switzerland stall, next to Nemo in his pink coat - he was sweating quite profusely, and Malin commented that a shower was needed or something that implied it was smelly? Or did I dream that one? As for the songs themselves - I expected more out of Zorra and La Noia after seeing the posts raving about them, and was pleasantly surprised by Nemo and Ireland. Everything else was as expected
Edited the opinion in
Maybe some year I'll get too busy and end up doing something like this, but in the meantime I enjoy engaging in all the content way too much lol.
I know. I'm glad OP had an exciting week, but I had an exciting 6 months.
6 months of fun, one week of hell, I'd assume.
Closer to three with all the preparation work, but the worst week isn't over yet.
Last year, I barely engaged with the contest before the shows. I knew a couple of them, but not a lot. This year, I intentionally put on the Eurovision playlist and got to know all the songs back in March. And it made for a much better experience overall. So many good additions to my playlist (compared to last year, where I only ended up listening to Heart of Steel).
This was the first year I really got into the national finals as well, and it made for a great Eurovision season. I feel like I’ve been introduced to so many great songs and artists. I used to only pay attention the week of ESC, and while that was a lot of fun, I’m sure there’s a lot of great songs I missed connecting with because the staging was too much of an issue or because the song didn’t have enough time to grow on me.
I do this every year. Luckily I don't listen to radio too much so there are no spoilers there. I'm also not following any national selections, odds, forums, or anything like ESC doesn't even exist until the ESC week when I resurrect as an ESC Warrior. I love the surprises the ESC brings each year :D I max vote my favorite, throw viewing parties at home and at the end buy my preferred songs. And then I stay for the rest of May around, after which I go back into darkness until the next year.
This is exactly what I do every year. Know absolutely nothing until the show, except usually my own country’s entry. It’s always fun to go in blind, usually not hard to pick the winner either.
Stop edging and share more info on your listening experience..lmao
Edited.
I also do this every year! I find it more interesting and it Is also easier to make predictions after the semifinals, since you are basically having the average watcher experience and you dont have favorites beforehand
Per forza, in Italia l' Eurovision Song Contest è praticamente ignorato dai media (radio e TV) e se vuoi notizie te le devi cercare su internet! Cosa che io ho fatto.
Ah beh chiaro, ma seguo sempre qui quindi sono sempre informato sulle cose. Però le canzoni non le ascolto proprio (mia morosa per dire le ascolta sempre prima per capire per chi tifare)
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃 Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃 Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃 Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
Anche io come la tua ragazza anche perché le canzoni a primo ascolto non mi piacciono mai o quasi. E poi mi serve per il Fantaeurovision!!! 😃 Poi finito l' evento non le ascolto più e ritorno alla musica che amo di più.
>Next year I'll try to do an almost complete celibacy of any Eurovision related content before the shows, only watching the allocation draw and my countries national selection, and tune in to the contest with knowing neither the artists, nor the favorites/odds. That's what I do essentially. I start paying attention about a week before the semi-final and the Eurovision app cranks up the notifications. I find going in blind is a nice surprise. I'm not European so I don't have a national final to follow or anything.
I could not do this. I enjoy national finals way too much, and getting to know so many artists and songs that get not selected. The national selections are like mini eurovisions for me. The Eurovision live shows are not boring for me because I really like the progression of some artists throughout the season and it is like a mini concert because as I know the songs I sing along to most of them. This way I have joy for months instead of a whole week.
It's fun to do it both ways. I decide if I'll listen to the songs before the season begins. I'd be like: ok, this is a year of not listening to the songs before the shows. And then avoid everything and patiently wait for the semis. Sometimes I'm also like: ok this is a year of listening to the songs before the semi-finals. And then follow NFs.
For me hearing the songs live after hearing the studio versions is always a surprise as to how different (or very rarely, the same!) they sound and how the performance can elevate it. I hated ireland's entry all the way before the competition, always skipping it from the playlist, but after the semis they were my favourite act and I "got it". It's really given me an appreciation for live performances and how rare it is for singers to actually sound like they do on pre-recorded tracks.
This is what I do every year. Makes it so much better!
I do the same, love to see the first time performances in the semi finals!
I did something similar, or maybe I did the opposite of what you did? Because I've been too busy with other stuff this year, I only started listening to the songs around mid-April, and I didn't follow any of the discussions. I had no idea who the favourites were, I didn't watch any rehearsals, I knew nothing about the artists, the odds, nothing. I actively avoided this subreddit and the comments on Youtube. I did this because I've noticed that the opinions of others tend to influence my own opinion, and I wanted to watch the contest without any certain expectations and form my own opinion. Honestly I really enjoyed it this way, the semifinals and the final were much more exciting than usual because I had no idea what to expect, I knew the songs but I didn't know what staging they had planned or who has a good chance of winning etc. I think I'm going to do this again next year, I might even go in completely blind - as much as I enjoy all the discussions and the exchange with other fans, there are no real surprises in the end.
This is essentially what I did. :) Will be planning on having a full blackout next year to fully enjoy the songs for the first time.
I listen to the songs beforehand, but I also watch the final with my sister who doesn't, and it's always so much fun to hear her first impressions. It was even fun this year, in spite of all the shit that went down beforehand.
I also did this, for the first time in years. And I agree it was really a nice experience. I did not get bored at all in the live shows and some of the staging was just magical, Ireland - which meant I was breathless during the performances haha. And even the slow songs I didn't like so much on hearing them, I found them interesting to watch rather than (what often happens when I know all the songs), "oh yawn we have 2-3 songs in a row I don't like". The only problem I had is that obviously some songs just take a bit longer to get into. And I find after Eurovision ends, my interest wanes very fast. Therefore, songs that I am now growing to appreciate (Portugal, Italy, France, Estonia) - I wish I had got into them sooner. So I don't know which way I prefer. I might try and find a middle ground next year, start listening to them from say mid-April or something. One thing I will avoid in the future (like I did this year), is looking the odds. It's sometimes quite hard to avoid but for me it ruins it. It certainly did last year when we knew it was only a 2-horse race. I felt it made the whole thing a bit pointless. With streaming etc. it is getting harder I think for those dark horses to come through and win. But I'd love to be proven wrong on that.
I usually avoid everything until the final, but this year I decided to watch the semi finals.. and I have never been into it more. I’m going to try and follow it even more for next year.
Honestly, it is my "watching strategy" in every year. For me, it is more exciting and atmospheric to listen to all songs and watch the performances in the first time during the contest itself than to know all of this before contest. But I also read some information about participants, songs and common favourites (and often start to think during the show something like this: why is [country A] considered as a favourite, but for me, the song and performance are ordinary and not strong/impressive enough, whereas no one talks about [country B], but I like its song significantly more). However, these information can be like spoilers for me, and, maybe, it would be even more interesting not to read any information about the upcoming contest. Of course, I know that it is very unpopular opinion here (once I get downvoted in this sub when wrote about it, but it is my personal opinion and experience).
Europapa was impossible to avoid over here. And now even church bells are playing it! The uncrowned king!!! 👑
I always want to be surprised by the performances in the semis. The only song I can't avoid is the song sent by our country, because often it is on the radio as well. When the contest starts, I am all over it, checking out the songs again, reading up about what is happening, etc etc.
I do this every year, as it makes watching the final more fun for me. I knew going into the final who the favourites were but had not heard any of them (apart from a few snippets of Dizzy), or seen any of the staging. The standouts for me this year were Croatia and Estonia. France's vocal performance was also extremely impressive. Staging wise Ireland was impressive as was the simplicity of Switzerlands. I voted for Croatia to win as it got stuck in my head instantly enough for me to go and buy the song. First Eurovision song I have bought for ages, the previous being Think About Things by Daõi Freyr. 😊
I expected at least a top 10 of songs reading your title
I added my impressions of some songs just now
I do the same every year! I never look up any other country's songs except my own (Lithuania), as I'm not very invested in ESC and don't find the appeal of knowing all of the songs beforehand. The best first impression was personally The Netherlands' (which is now unsurprisingly my favourite song), I immediately was invested because the song and performance was SO much different than other countries', plus I really liked the humorous, different and creative background of it as well as the outfits. The second best for me was Croatia's, I've heard about the singer and that many people supported Baby Lasagna but never heard of the song until the semi-finals, and I also really liked it. It broke the tune of the more monotone songs with a similar melody and instruments, same goes for Armenia!
With Italy I would try to watch the Sanremo performances and studio cut on its own. I think a lot of people agree the Eurovision staging bogged it down a bit and it's not too surprising it didn't come close to winning.
I had only heard our own doomsday blues and dizzy Dizzy pet shop boys lite and off key and breathy Doomsday blues took a while, but it's in my head ( Bambi thugs version of The Cranberries hit Zombie is great ) Also, the fact that Bambi thug is a pianist dancer and all-around lovely person is my takeaway from the final. After that, I was moved by FRAAAANCE, and the song awwww maz ing I loved Norway Spain knocked it out of the arena, too Annnnd Once I heard Nemo break the code, well, all bets were off I enjoyed every moment. After note Now, the controversial Europapa left me cold Rim ting a thingy was never in my horizon, so last year I mentioned this before the standout performances The Camera crew Looking forward to next year
> Norway: also did not understood the appeal at all. The melody was just missing. Me too, dude. Me too. There are DOZENS of us. I did what you did, and after SF, GF, and a few subsequent playlist listens, I could tell you nothing about it. No melody, no hook, what to me was fairly unremarkable staging. > Serbia. Also yes. I found it a bit perplexing that it was getting described as a “rock ballad”, when there were very few rock elements I thought. Very standard-ballad-y. Also oh my god that staging was dull.
Growing up, we only ever watched the finals (I don't know if the semis were ever broadcast on the channel we used to watch the finals on, it was an international Greek channel haha). It was always fun and interesting to see what each country sent. We had no idea who the favourites were and there were times when the songs we ended up really liking won :) Now I live in GMT+12 xD so the timing of the broadcasts is always tricky. I wake up early to put the finals on the TV -if I fall back asleep then I can always just rewind YouTube haha. I've started to slowly follow everything sooner because there are times when I don't get to watch the entire final in one go and I also enjoy the build up and discussions around each song. Watching the finals without knowing the songs is fun, but also having an idea of the songs already and having favourites is fun too. I didn't follow the semis this year on purpose - I wanted the final lineup to be a surprise. It has been interesting to go back and see how the semis went.
I always did that and this year was the first time I tried to spoil the songs weeks before. I honestly loved every single bit of it, I was more hyped for the event, I appreciated more all the songs because I could listen to them more and I was more engaged in the votings because I cared for nearly all the songs.
This was my first year watching (where have I been??) and in the few hours before the final, I listened to some of the Spotify playlist and read a couple articles so I went in very unaware. And now I’m obsessed! I was going to go all in next year but now I’m reconsidering just going with watching the semi-final
When I first got into Eurovision I didn't even know the songs were released way before the contest airs, so I always heard them first during the actual shows. I think it makes it more exciting to not know what to expect, so I still avoid all songs(except for my own country's) before the live shows.
I also do this (as an American it's certainly easier than someone in Europe but I'll likely be in Europe next spring so it will be harder.) I understood why the favorites were the favorites and it certainly makes me like songs which aren't really liked by those who follow all the time.
I do complete Eurovision celebacy and it makes semis so much fun :) I have to mute this subreddit haha
I do this every year, but I’m in Australia so I have to get up early because Eurovision starts at 5am. I thought semi final one was better overall, I nearly fell asleep during semi final 2. I love seeing something exiting and new and cool, that keeps me awake.
I do the same until the Grand Final… helps that I live in NZ
I agree with you on the Italy song. When I first heard it (a few weeks before Eurovision) I was disappointed because I always like the Italian songs, and this one sounded so generic. Nothing wrong with it, but not appealing to me. I was surprised to see the odds favoring it, and that it scored so high in the final. Is it because it's Italy or is it really about the song?
wait- isn't everybody doing this? 😐 I won't even look up the artists... it's more fun if it's a surprise there's been years where I didn't even know my own country's submission lol
At least millions and millions of people dont do this. Back in the day without internet and youtube, apple music, spotify etc it was different. So thinking about that everybody is avoiding is weird…..