Photo: EscXtra
Poli Genova is the Eurovision Song Contest’s very own ‘Comeback Kid’. The Bulgarian singer did not reach the final when she participated in 2011 for her home country Bulgaria, but got a second chance this year. She came back swinging with the amazing contemporary pop tune ‘If Love Was A Crime’ and an energetic performance. Bulgaria reached the final easily and even made it to the 4th place, their best result ever! The same goes for Lithuania’s Donny Montell who topped his 14th position in the final of 2012, by reaching number 9 this year with his pop banger ‘I’ve Been Waiting For This Night’. This should inspire other artists to come back to Europe’s biggest music event. These are the Eurovision artists we would love to give a second chance to top their previous (not so successful) attempt!
Feminnem (Croatia, 2010)
It will not be easy to get girl band Feminnem back on the Eurovision stage as they are not performing together anymore, but Eurovision is the perfect place for a reunion right? It still baffles me they did not reach the final with the beautiful ballad ‘Lako Je Sve’ back in 2010. They sounded great, looked stunning and danced with their hair. What is not to like? We haven’t heard many balkan ballads in the past few years at Eurovision, so we need Feminnem back! Just don’t do the ABBA rip off thing from 2005 again, thanks!
Hind (The Netherlands, 2008)
Hind represented The Netherlands in a period her country and Eurovision did not match. Eight years in a row they didn’t reach the final and her ‘Your Heart Belongs To Me’ came closest with a 13th place. The song deserved to reach the final, but we know Hind can do way better than that. She has a brilliant voice and enough stage presence to pull of a great performance and if she works with the right people, she can come up with a more suitable song. She is currently working on new music in the States so who knows what she will come back with. A dramatic ballad or a light dance tune with some influences from her Moroccan background would fit her vocals perfectly.
Amaury Vassili (France, 2011)
Amaury Vassili was one of the biggest favourites in the contest of 2011, but his performance was considered to be disappointing and he only finished in 15th position. Such a shame, as ‘Sognu’ still is a gorgeous song. He performed the song live in a lower key, which did not quite make it better, but he is a great singer, so he can definitely do a lot better. Il Volo proved in 2015 that the classical vocals mixed with pop can work for Eurovision when they finished third with a first place in televoting, so when Amaury gets it right next time, which we are sure he will, France is going to slay.
Mei Finegold (Israel, 2014)
Poor Mei Finegold. How did she not make it in 2014? Her ‘Same Heart’ was by far one of the best songs of the year and her performance was flawless. From the dance moves, to the staging, to the deep vocals, everything was on point. Maybe her sassy attitude was too much for Europe? Anyway, Israel is doing better again in Eurovision by reaching the final in the past two years, so next year could be a good moment for Mei to come back swinging with another great tune and show Europe that she still deserves that spot in the top 10. Her vocals are strong enough to handle a lot of genres so we have faith she will find the right song.
Anna Bergendahl (Sweden, 2010)
Anna Bergendahl has to live with the fact that she is the only Swedish Eurovision candidate who didn’t make it to the final since the semi finals were introduced in 2004. Now we do’t want anyone to live with that burden, so we should give her another chance. Anna is such a talented singer with a charming persona on stage! Her ‘This Is My Life’ absolutely deserved way more than just an 11th place in the semi. Singer-songwriters are still very much in fashion so Anna should come back and show us all that she can actually make Sweden proud once again.
Rebeka Dremelj (Slovenia, 2008)
Oh Rebeka, we would love to see you back in Eurovision, because you have got a great voice and exactly the right attitude to sell a song on the big stage, but please for the love of God, let another team do your staging this time. No SM business anymore, no dancers pretending to be your dogs, ok? A slightly more contemporary track wouldn’t hurt either. Come on, we know you have the vocals and stage presence!
Evridiki (Cyprus, 2007)
It has been a while since we heard any new music from Evridiki, but Eurovision is always a good reason to make a comeback. She participated three times in the contest for Cyprus (finishing 11th in her first two attempts), but it is the last one I want to talk about. In 2007 she performed ‘Comme Ci, Comme Ca’, an awesome upbeat mix between pop/rock and dance. She gave a stunning performance, but only made it to the 15th position in the final. Shame! We need more experienced divas like her on stage so Evridiki, please try one more time. Her style does not sound out of place in 2016 (or 2017 for that matter) so why not?
Elnur Huseynov (Azerbaijan, 2015)
Elnur Huseynov actually didn’t do all that bad in his first solo attempt (he performed in 2008 as well as part of a duo) as he reached the final and finished in 12th position. Taking into account the fact that he was one of the favourites however, made it somewhat disappointing. He is an amazing vocalist, but this did not always show with the song ‘Hour of the Wolf’. I believe he can do a lot better with a song that suits him better, maybe in his own language as well. Come on Azerbaijan, we want to see more of Elnur!
Soluna Samay (Denmark, 2012)
If you ask me, Soluna Samay deserved the second spot behind the almighty Loreen in Eurovision 2012. What did she get in the end? Place 23! Oh Europe… at least she actually made it to the final. ‘Should’ve Known Better’ is a perfect, melodic piece of guitar pop that sticks in your mind easily and Soluna showed with her follow up singles that this is her brand. This is not so much a case of giving Soluna a second chance, but giving Europe a second chance to admit she is awesome and deserves a spot in top 10, at least!
Olivia Lewis (Malta, 2007)
Oh Olivia. The woman tried 10 times to win the Maltese national final, finished in second place three times in a row, won the next year but only received 18 points in the semi final of Eurovision and did not qualify. Her song ‘Vertigo’ did deserve it though. Deliciously dramatic and campy. If she manages to upgrade her staging next time and tries to sound a little less nervous, she is more than welcome to win the Maltese preselection at a 12th participation.
Molly Sterling (Ireland, 2015)
Maybe Molly Sterling’s participation in Eurovision came a little too early in her career. She is still very young and has talent in bucket loads. She co-wrote the wonderful and definitely final worthy ‘Playing With Numbers’ herself and I am sure that she will write even more impressive tunes in a few years from now. Ask her again then and she will bring back the Eurovision success to Ireland.
Magdalena Tul (Poland, 2011)
This might be the most undeserving last place in Eurovision ever. Admitted, the staging was a bit of a mess, but both the song ‘Jestem’ and her vocals deserved way more. Ok, Magdalena take notes. Next time we want less of the pointlessly walking around, better camera work and most of all you singing the whole song and not just parts. If you can make that happen with another swinging pop anthem, we are on board!