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 Kittens’ turn to reveal how she voted.
This is only my second year of voting in ESC250 but mostly because I am very forgetful and keep forgetting to vote. There’s been a few new entries from this year, and it will surprise nobody to know that most of these are at the higher BPM end of the spectrum!
1 point: “Because Of You” – Gustaph (Belgium, 2023)
A man and a hat and a queer anthem. “Because of You” took my heart when it came out, and I was so glad to hear a song inspired by my other passion (house music) on the Eurovision stage. The moment I heard this track I was absolutely in love with it, and the performance shows off his vocals and his personality so well.
2 points: “Be My Guest” – Gaitana (Ukraine, 2012)
This may have some of the worst staging I’ve ever seen (the fake dancers get me every time) but from the opening strings of this to the end it’s just a lot of fun. A masterclass in vocals and performance from Gaitana.
3 points: “Molitva” – Marija Šerifović (Serbia, 2007)
Yes it is shocking that I am so into a big, big ballad. But this is definitely a much more interesting ballad than most. “Molitva” feels so big, sweeping and iconic that it’s hard to ignore. I’d be really into the musical that this would be the iconic first half number for.
4 points: “Echo (You And I)” – Anggun (France, 2012)
I can’t really explain why this song has somehow become one of my favourites but it always stuck in my memory, and it wasn’t until I heard it a few years ago I even really processed it as a Eurovision song. But it slaps and is far too underrated for how good it is!
5 points: “Cha Cha Cha” – Käärijä (Finland, 2023)
It’s hard not to tell you just how obsessed I was with UMK this year. And when I heard “Cha Cha Cha”, I had to hope beyond hope it would make it through. The song was like an absolute steamroller, knocking down whatever got in its path. I was lucky enough to be in the arena for this (look out for a Finland scarf on the right hand side of the stage!) and the energy for this song was unlike any other. A memory for me that will be hard to forget.
6 points: “Trenulețul” – Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers (Moldova, 2022)
TRAIN DADS TRAIN DADS TRAIN DADS. I may not be able to spell it or say it properly but “Trenulețul” is an absolute joy from start to finish. Personally the pre-revamp version excelled, but regardless it’s still 3 minutes of fun that still has to be played (compulsory, don’t fight me) on any train journey. Hey ho, lets go, Moldova, don’t ever stop doing your thing.
7 points: “Popular” – Eric Saade (Sweden, 2011)
The real spark of my love for the contest as a whole again, “Popular” may have a cliché in spades, but it is what it is, a perfect piece of pop music performed with style. One of the few times I’ve truly enjoyed what Sweden send – and still an absolute banger to this day.
8 points: “Space Man” – Sam Ryder (United Kingdom, 2022)
It is no surprise to anyone that I am somewhat of a Sam Ryder fan now, but when I first heard the recording of this, I was absolutely ready for another middling year for the UK. Hearing it live and at close range at London Eurovision Party changed all that. The extraordinary live performance elevates this far beyond the recording, and the guitar solo now always gets me in the feels. A joy to watch over and over and over, and will forever be special to me.
10 points: “Shum” – Go_A (Ukraine, 2021)
I remember listening to this song for the first time and basically sitting there stunned and enraptured by the whole affair. Go_A have since become one of my favourite bands to see live (If you get the chance to go, don’t hesitate) and the staging, the outfits, the whole thing is just pure class.
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:
- “Fulenn” – Alvan & Ahez (France, 2022) – Still slightly salty about how much this was robbed in the final….don’t bring it up!
- “My Lucky Day” – DoReDos (Moldova, 2018) – The most camp performance known to mankind and ridiculously catchy
- “Je Ne Sais Quoi” – Hera Bjork (Iceland, 2010) – If you’re not picking up on a pattern here I don’t know what to tell you
And Kittens’ 12 points go to…. “Beauty Never Lies” – Bojana Stamenov (Serbia 2015)
This big ol’ banger is exactly what I want from a Eurovision song and performance. High camp, high drama, starts out anthemic and slow and bumps up the tempo, some amazing vocals that bring the house down, 10/10, no notes, delivers every time.
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Enjoy our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that Kittens has revealed their 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: EBU / Thomas Hanses
Euan T