Estonia is in it to win it with Elina Nechayeva’s pop opera
Remember when Estonia was surprisingly kicked out during the second semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest last year? Koit Toome and Laura performed ‘Verona’, a fan favourite in the lead up to the contest, which made number 6 in their semi with the televoters, but was finished off by the juries who placed it in 17th position out of 18. Well, Estonia isn’t having any of that this year. They are in it to win it! From the moment Elina Nechayeva performed her song ‘La Forza’ in the semi final of Eesti Laul, their national final, she was the favourite to win and even lifted Estonia to the top 3 of the betting odds of Eurovision 2018. Now that she actually won, Estonia is in second place of likelihood to win the whole thing according to bookmakers. Is this pop opera crossover actually going to go all the way in Lisbon in May?
Potentially yes! Elina Nechayeva performs a smart combination of proper opera vocals and a pop song construction. The build up is suspenseful and the chorus has a strong enough melody to support all the vocal power layed down by Elina. We have seen more opera inspired entries in Eurovision and they are often border on kitsch, but not this time. Nechayeva’s song and performance are classy and stylish. She looks absolutely stunning and the act with the projections on the dress, although not new, is very well executed and all she needs to support her voice and song. The camera angles and shots are inventive and add to the mystery of the song. This is one of the first performances I have seen that is completely ready for the big stage. Estonia might be in with an actual chance to win it. The opera style of ‘La Forza’ will stand out and Elina’s vocal performance is out of this world. Although opera is not for everyone, this song has enough mainstream appeal to convince the masses. I am just going to say it; Estonia deserves top 5 and I would not mind if we will travel to Tallinn in 2019.
Review of Semi Final Performance:
Estonia brings an opera and pop cross over to the Eurovision stage and Elina Nechayeva brought the house down. Her vocals are incredible and I do not know how she keeps looking so gorgeous hitting all those high notes. Some ladies just got it all! ‘La Forza’ is a powerful composition which smartly mixes pop elements with her classical vocal style. The staging with the projection dress has been done before, but not as good as Elina and her team did. The visuals move along with her movements and the progression of the song and it is gorgeous to watch. Tallinn 2019 is still very much a possibility if you ask me!
Review of Final Performance:
The gorgeous Elina Nechayeva gave another faultless performance of her opera and pop hybrid ‘La Forza’. She hits every single note like it is no effort for her at all. The stage show with the projection dress works really well to emphasize the climaxes in the music, while the camera work underlines this perfectly. Personally I hoped this stunning performance would have been enough for top 5, but both juries and televoters appreciated her enough to give her the 8th spot overall. Estonia should be proud of their new Eurovision queen!
Read our other Eurovision 2018 reviews: ALBANIA – ARMENIA – AUSTRALIA –AUSTRIA – AZERBAIJAN – BELARUS –BELGIUM – BULGARIA – CROATIA – CYPRUS –CZECH REPUBLIC – DENMARK – FINLAND – FRANCE – FYR MACEDONIA – GEORGIA – GERMANY – GREECE – HUNGARY – ICELAND –IRELAND – ISRAEL –ITALY – LATVIA – LITHUANIA –MALTA – MOLDOVA – MONTENEGRO – THE NETHERLANDS – NORWAY – POLAND – PORTUGAL – ROMANIA – RUSSIA – SAN MARINO – SERBIA – SLOVENIA – SPAIN – SWEDEN – SWITZERLAND – UKRAINE – UNITED KINGDOM