Voting for the annual ESC 250 celebration closed on the 10th of December 2023, and now we have a nervous wait to find out the results! The event is hosted by songfestival.be, with the results revealed on the 31st December 2023 on EFR12 Radio to close out the year. Find out more about it here!
While we wait to find out the official results, members of the TES team will be sharing their votes for this year and explaining the reason for their picks. This time it’s Jazzi’s turn to reveal how she voted.
My votes are either songs from this year I really appreciated and want to see Hugh up in the 250, songs I find super underrated both in the fandom and in the contest. My other inspiration for my votes is just a bit of nostalgia really.
1 point: “Llubav Je” – Dalal & Deen ft Ana Rucner and Jala ( Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦, 2016)
This is one of my favourite ever non qualifiers, and really doesn’t deserve to be their worst result. I find the elements of traditional Balkan sounds, and the hip-hop rap elements work really well for me. I miss Bosnia and Herzegovina in this contest and really hope that they can find a way back soon.
2 points: “Queen Of Kings” – Alessandra ( Norway 🇳🇴 , 2023)
I just find this song so much fun. It has been my second most listened to song in 2023, maybe my most if you combine the English and Italian versions of this song. I find the energy during the performance incredible and when I listen to this I feel empowered. Alessandra gave an amazing performance in Liverpool and I was so glad this did as well as it did during the contest.
3 points: “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” – France Gall ( Luxembourg 🇱🇺 , 1965)
There is no other word to describe this, than a complete classic. This is one of the songs that at the time changed the face of Eurovision. I also feel I had to include this in the face of Luxembourg’s return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024, which I am so excited for. France’s vocal in this song is so distinct and unique – which adds to just how special this song is. This will always go down as one of the best winners ever for me.
4 points: “Sì” – Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy 🇮🇹, 1974)
This is a song a find really pretty. It’s a song I discovered through listening to the radio a lot more through lockdown. This song is moving, yet vocally really powerful as well. This is just Italy at its best in Eurovision.
5 points: “Ne partez pas sans moi ” – Céline Dion (Switzerland 🇨🇭, 1988)
This is just such a fun winner. I feel a lot of joy when I listen to this song. This is a winner that really grew on me during lockdown and Eurovision-Again. If I am also being honest for me, this is actually my favourite Celine song. You can hear her strong vocals in this, but she also shows what an amazing performer she is. Not only is this powerful but it also has an element of fun injected into it as well. I like a song that can do both.
6 points: “Molitva” – Marija Šerifovic (Serbia 🇷🇸, 2007)
This is without a doubt my favourite ever Eurovision winner. There is something so magical and powerful about this. I can feel Marija’s emotion while she performs this song. Vocally I also feel this might be one of the best ever Eurovision performances. I enjoy a lot of Eurovision winners, as you can probably tell from this ranking, but this one stand out among the rest for me.
7 points: “Under The Ladder” – Mélovin (Ukraine 🇺🇦, 2018)
I have came to realise this is definitely my winner in 2018. I have seen him live a couple of times this year and he is an incredible live performer. I am so excited for his return to Vidbir and his potential return to Eurovision itself.
8 points: “Hatrið mun sigra ” – Hatari (Iceland 🇮🇸, 2019)
This is a song that has aged better and better for me since 2019. I absolutely love and adore it. I love the contrast in vocals. I love the instrumental. I love how intriguing and eye catching Hatari are as live performers. I am very glad that in recent years we got to witness something SO different in Eurovision.
10 points: “Cha Cha Cha” – Käärijä (Finland 🇫🇮, 2023)
This is without a doubt my favourite song of 2023. This just is so intriguing and fun. Käärijä is also such a charismatic live performer, the studio version is brilliant, however I feel it’s live where this really shines. I am extremely happy that this did as well in the televote as it did and that Europe just “got it”.
Special mentions
Before I reveal my 12 points, I would like to give a special shout-out to a few entries that came so close to making my top ten. They are:
- “It’s My Life” – Euroband ( Iceland 🇮🇸 , 2008) – This is just a fun Eurodance song, that I enjoy whenever it comes on.
- “La Venda” – Miki Nunez ( Spain, 2019) – A song I have always loved since it was released, it always gives me good vibes on nights out when people do conga lines to this song.
- “Sekret” – Ronela Hajati( Albania 🇦🇱 , 2022) – My winner from 2022, a song I still listen to frequently and will always believe deserved better at Eurovision 2022.
And Jazzi’s 12 points go to…. “Something Better” – Softengine (Finland 🇫🇮, 2014)
This will always be my 12 points. It may not be the best song in Eurovision. However it’s the song that got me into the contest, it’s the song that’s the reason I’ve made so many friendships and good memories over the years. This song has also opened my eyes to a wide variety of music. Without this song I wouldn’t be the fan of this contest I am today. I also think this is one of the most striking, instant impact performances I’ve ever seen in the contest. Vocally this is also really strong, there so many elements to this vocally that makes this a hard song to sing, and that is pulled off amazingly in this performance.
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Enjoy our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that Jazzi has revealed her votes for ESC 250 this year, what do you think of their picks? Who received your 12 points this year? As always, please let us know what you think by commenting below. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all of the latest Eurovision news.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
Euan T