With the live shows for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest starting tomorrow, we thought we’d have a little go at trying to make our own jury scores for this year’s contest.
Rules
The 37 countries competing this year have been randomly sorted into seven segments. Each segment will be voted on by 5 jurors. They have assessed based on six categories: Melodic Impact, Artist Presence, Individuality, Attention Drawing, Vocal Fit, and Lyrical Impact. Exact specifications of these criteria can be found below. Our five jurors have given a score of 1 to 5 on each of the six topics, allowing each juror to give a maximum of 30 points to each song. In total there are up to 150 points available to each song. Once every song and score has been presented a full breakdown with a ranking of all 37 of this year’s entries.
Additionally, all of our jurors were asked to give one positive, and one negative comment about each song in a constructive manner.
These are our personal opinions based on the criteria outlined. This is in no way attempt to accurately predict what will be the outcome of next week’s shows and should not be taken as such.
Countries And Jurors For Part Six
The six countries that make up the sixth segment being voted on are: Estonia, Denmark, Cyprus, San Marino, Finland, Switzerland.
The jurors voting in this segment are: Rory, Janek, Ben, Angus as well as our guest juror Dale from Aussievision.
Voting Criteria
Criteria 1: Melodic Impact
How lasting is the beat of the track. The more the beat stays, the higher the ranking.
Criteria 2: Artist’s Presence
If a national final is used, how their presence on stage affected the performance. If an internal selection was used, and no pre-party of other live footage is available then their presence is assessed based on their history.
Criteria 3: Individuality
How different is the song compared to the rest of the acts participating this year.
Criteria 4: Attention Drawing
How drawn in are you by the song. Are you waiting for it to finish, or completely engrossed.
Criteria 5: Vocal Fit
Assessing the vocal fit of the artist to the song rather than judging their technical ability in full. ie. X singer may have a wider range to Y singer, though singer Y may utilise the range better in their song and therefore should be ranked higher than X.
Criteria 6: Lyrical Impact
How lasting are the lyrics to you. Has listening to it left you singing the song.
The Results
Estonia
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 15.5 |
| Artist’s Presence | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 17.5 |
| Individuality | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 | 15.5 |
| Attention Drawing | 3 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 17 |
| Vocal Fit | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| Lyrical Impact | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
Positives
Angus: Alika is a great fit for this ballad, her vocals during the chorus are particularly impactful
Janek: Her voice is the out standing factor of the whole song.
Ben: Her vocals are great and I love how the song builds.
Rory: Alika’s vocal delivery is out of this world, with the strength being shown in its full glory at the end of the song. If you don’t think that vocal capability is impressive, I don’t know what to say to you.
Dale: Alika brings one of the biggest vocal performances to Eurovision this year, she was outstanding in her national final and this could definitely garner some jury attention.
Negatives
Angus: While the broadness of the lyrics makes this song accessible, the lack of specificity also leads to the song not carrying as much meaning as it could have
Janek: It’s a ballad that could easily be forgotten by the viewers
Ben: It doesn’t stand out massively from the other ballads, and I forget about it sometimes.
Rory: This song relies heavily on intimate staging to make the message stand out and, with the stage in Liverpool a lot larger than in Eesti Laul, “Bridges” risks being swallowed up by the stage it’s being sung on.
Dale; Even though it is one of the only ballads, it’s not anything new here and I’m not sure how audiences are going to respond to it. They might like her but the song may pass them by.
Denmark
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 16.5 |
| Artist’s Presence | 3 | 4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 15.5 |
| Individuality | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Attention Drawing | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 | 13.5 |
| Vocal Fit | 2 | 2 | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 11.5 |
| Lyrical Impact | 1 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 13 |
Positives
Angus: That chorus can really stick with the listener and the vocal melody in general is great to hum along to
Janek: Very solid radio friendly song
Ben: The song is sweet and inoffensive.
Rory: Reiley’s persona is quite likeable and his look really feeds into this. He can use this to his advantage to win people of all ages.
Dale: This feels like a fun, fresh and modern pop song that Eurovision needs and it really lends itself to potentially great staging.
Negatives
Angus: One would be forgiven for confusing this song with a number of popular songs from the last couple of years
Janek: His vocals are not the greatest live
Ben: The song is very inoffensive.
Rory: The song is incredibly manufactured and purposefully designed to have a viral quality. This will come across to a wider audience and alienate it from organic growth a la “SNAP”, leaving people thinking it’s a “tryhard”.
Dale: I’m not sure Reiley is experienced enough to get the most out of the song and to give it the impact it needs to stand out at Eurovision.
Cyprus
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 1 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 14 |
| Artist’s Presence | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| Individuality | 2 | 4.5 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 15 |
| Attention Drawing | 2 | 4.5 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 15 |
| Vocal Fit | 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 18.5 |
| Lyrical Impact | 2 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14.5 |
Positives
Angus: It’s a very solid production, and the verses in particular stand out to me as musically strong
Janek: My favourite part is the pre chorus part. It stands out a lot In the song.
Ben: The beat is nice and the song has a nice build.
Rory: Andrew’s vocal capability really shines in this song, showing the vocal range he possesses, making it a great listen with some headphones!
Dale: Andrew looks and sounds like a pop star and he has a great chance to do himself on a big stage like Eurovision with this well produced pop ballad.
Negatives
Angus: While many people will appreciate this track, there is nothing about this song that makes it particular Lambrou-y or denoting it as a Cypriot entry
Janek: It could feel too basic for some people
Ben: It is almost to inoffensive that it can easily get lost.
Rory: The genericness of the song and overused lyrical narrative could make it feel quite forgettable when pit amongst the other songs in its respective semi-final.
Dale: This relies heavily on some tricky vocal falsetto gymnastics which leaves little room for error, in addition the song has a great overall impression but might be “really liked” than loved.
San Marino
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 | 15.5 |
| Artist’s Presence | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 16.5 |
| Individuality | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 13 |
| Attention Drawing | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Vocal Fit | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 17.5 |
| Lyrical Impact | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 9 |
Positives
Angus It is a new type of rock as far as Eurovision is considered, and the band has strong stage presence
Janek: The main vocalist has an amazing voice
Ben; I love the emotion and effort the artists put into it.
Rory: The imagery of the lyrics is incredibly unique and, when coupled with lead singer Andrea’s vocals, really immerses you in the performance. Their energy really comes across and makes you see how much they love the experience!
Dale: The band can perform this well and the lead singer has a good vocal and good presence on stage
Negatives
Angus: The lyrics are memorable, but perhaps not in the way they were intended to be, as some listeners might be put off by some lines
Janek: The lyrics are not really good
Ben: I can respect the song, but I cant find myself getting into it.
Rory: Whilst rock is definitely the “in” genre this year, this song doesn’t lean in hard enough into the genre, leaving us with a pop-rock effort that might not know if it’s coming or going. It straddles the line but falls into neither.
Dale: The song just isn’t strong enough at Eurovision and the line “Smell you like an animal” is only beaten by Switzerland for cringey lyrics.
Finland
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
| Artist’s Presence | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 |
| Individuality | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 22 |
| Attention Drawing | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 22.5 |
| Vocal Fit | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| Lyrical Impact | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 20 |
Positives
Angus: Both the song and Käärijä’s performance will stick with viewers for a long time
Janek: Insane stage presence from him.
Ben: Its so unique, it’s crazy, it’s party.
Rory; Overall, it’s a really fun entry that you can just sit back and relax. But if you want to dig in deeper, you can find hidden narratives that tackle alcoholism, masculinity and lots more. It’s a song with layers that invites you to think and dance – not many songs can do that!
Dale: This has the “wildcard” element that many Eurovision winners bring. Käärijä has charisma in spades as the Cha Cha Cha chorus is so damn catchy that both the Eurofan in the arena and the casual viewers at home will be screaming it out by the end of the song.
Negatives
Angus: While it makes sense for a song that takes on party and drinking culture to be a party song, the song is not quite as interesting musically
Janek: The song could feel messy for some.
Ben; Those who don’t care for rock may not care for the first 2/3 of this entry
Rory: The genre of the song and the aggressive techno/drum ‘n’ bass elements of the song are very much in your face and those not acquainted with that style will immediately be turned off.
Dale; It can feel like an assault on the senses on first listen and could put many off, this has big question marks on how juries will treat it and I still have questions on the distraction of those dancers.
Switzerland
| Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Totals | |
| Melodic Impact | 2 | 2 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 12.5 |
| Artist’s Presence | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| Individuality | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Attention Drawing | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Vocal Fit | 3 | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 20.5 |
| Lyrical Impact | 1 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Positives
Angus: Remo Forrer is a strong singer and uses his voice to its full effect on this track
Janek: His voice is the stand out.
Ben: I always love a fellow deep voice. His vocals are so amazing.
Rory: Remo’s vocal range suits this song down to the ground and he sells the song in a way that not many could. I’m really excited to see how the vocals will sound in a live capacity to fill the big arena.
Dale: This is a really nice piece of music and it seems like Remo can perform it really well.
Negatives
Angus: Melodically this song could fit into the end credits of a mid-budget film so well that it starts losing its memorability
Janek: „Watergun” feels very uninspiring and doesn’t stand out from the Rest.
Ben: The lyrics can err a bit empty coming from Switzerland
Rory: A lot of people both in and outside the fandom have pointed out the anti-war message from a historically neutral country. This means that many people listening to the song for the first time might see the song as a ‘koombaya’ ploy on Switzerland’s part, which would hurt its chances of performing well.
Dale: The lyrics are entirely inappropriate. To be singing about war and body bags in the current climate when you are the most neutral country in existence is the epitome of not reading the room, metaphor or not.
What do you think of our scores? Are there any countries you’d score differently? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we cover the rehearsals of Eurovision 2023!
Information Source: That Eurovision Site
