Romania back in the game with yodel and rap fusion
Romania is one of those countries that always makes it to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. They can always count on some diaspora in the right places and enough friendly neighbours to make it to the saturday night, but 2010 was the last time they actually reached the top 10 with the third place for Ovi & Paula Seling’s ‘Playing With Fire’. Last year they had to skip the contest after they already selected a representative, but did not pay for their participation and were disqualified. This year they are back in the game and they mean business with the ear catching fusion of yodel and rap, ‘Yodel It!’, by Ilanca and Alex Florea.
‘Yodel It’ is definitely a hate it or love it affair. From the moment the duo won the national selection in their country, the track has received extreme reactions and is that not exactly what you want when participating in Eurovision? At least the viewers will feel something when watching the performance, instead of being or bored or indifferent. While some people describe the track as insanely catchy and hit worthy, others find it annoying and meaningless and while I get what both sides are saying, I think this has potential to do well at the Eurovision stage. To be honest, it comes nowhere near my top 10 of this year’s songs, but at least this stands out in the midst of all other countries and whether you like it or not, the ‘yodelei, yodeleio’ parts will still haunt your brain even after hearing 25 other songs. Yes, the raps are kind of cringey and the chorus gets tedious after a while, but it is very instant and upbeat upon first listen.
True, the English accents need some work but it is especially the performance, both vocally and visually, that the Romanian delegation needs to worry about. During the national final it looked messy and during the middle eight, both performers sounded way off key. If Ilinca and Alex can get it together on stage in Kiev, even some juries might fall for it and then top 10 on Saturday might be within reach.
UPDATE – Review on semi final performance:
Vocally it wasn’t perfect, especially the non-yodelling bits, but both Ilinca and Alex are charismatic performers who have great chemistry and look like they are having heaps of fun on stage. The qualification of Romania this year was a given and although I expect more points from the televoters than the juries in the final, top 10 seems within reach for this bubbly duo.
UPDATE – Review on final performance and result (7th):
Romania’s Ilinca and Alex Florea had easily one of the most catchy and happy tunes of the night and they once again performed it with a whole lot of charisma. This fun and upbeat yodel performance was always going to connect better with the televoters than the juries, but I actually expected them to hit top 5. Still a great result this duo can be more than proud of!
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