Hungary: First six qualifiers A Dal

Hungary kicked off their A Dal competition Saturday night with the first quarter final. Ten artists competed for six spots in the next round, among whom there is Bogi, who reached the final four in last year’s competition. 

ESC Daily was at the MTVA studios in Budapest to give you live coverage of the Hungarian preselection for Vienna.

The lineup (qualifiers in bold):

  1. Bori Magyar – Lead me to heaven
  2. Balázs Farkas-Jenser – Liar
  3. Gabi Szucs – Úgysem felejtesz el (4th)
  4. Passed – Mesmerize (1st)
  5. Bogi – World of violence (3rd)
  6. Karmapolis – The time is now (4th)
  7. Gergö Szakács – Osz utca
  8. Timi Antal – Woke up this way (Televote)
  9.  Vera Tóth – Gyémánt (2nd)
  10. MDC – Maniac

Read our live commentary below! The newest update appeared on top.

***

22:30 – Show is over!

The show is over, the qualifiers are mentioned in bold above. Please join us again next week for the second quarter final!

***

22:25 – Timi Antal qualifies

A surprise at the end of the night: Timi Antal wins the televote and qualifies for the semi-final. Boyband MDC goes home. Hungarians once again choose for alternative.

***

22:20 – Time for results

The televoting ended. In a few seconds we will finally find out the last qualifier. Meanwhile, one more recap before we go!

***

22:14 – Interval Act

Zoohacker, who also revamped ByeAlex’ song in 2013, is involved in this interval act. Audience still has some time left to vote.

***

22:10 – My money is on MDC

Five songs fight for the televoting ticket. My personal vote would be for Gergö or Balász, but I think boyband MDC will win the last spot in the end.

***

22:07 – Jury sends Karmapolis and Gabi Szucs through

After a long deliberation over the three tied songs, the jury decides to send Karmapolis and Gabi Szucs to the semi finals. The five songs that did not qualify, will now fight for one last ticket through televoting.

***

22:00 – SONG 10 – MDC – Maniac

A boyband with a fitting boyband song, to close down this evening. Think back to A1 in the Norwegian preselection some years go. Electric guitars on the stage try to give this song an alternative look, but the truth is different – this song might as well have been sung by Westlife. After a shaky start, the vocalist seems to have things under control at the end. Therefore, this might still qualify for the semies through televoting.

Points: 31.

Eight points from the App Vote, indicating that this song could well be the televoting choice in the end. The big question now is: who will qualify directly through the jury tie vote?

***

21:54 – SONG 9 – Vera Toth – Gyémánt

A traditional ballad for this singer who gained popularity through the talent show Megasztar. Dried ice on stage, a blue feeling in the picture and considering the composition (and the looks of the singer), Chiara comes to mind. Vocals are flawless. Vera did not want to speak to me before the show – rumour has it that she does not want to do any interviews in English at all. Good luck with that in Vienna…

Points: 39.

Philip says that Eurovision is about a song, not about a voice. Vera has the voice, but not the song… He gives 9 points nevertheless, and Vera Toth qualifies for the semifinals directly.

***

21:50 – Jury decides on ties

With two songs to go, it is almost certain that the decisive rankings will end up in a tie. In that case, the jury will have the final say – without the App Vote, this time.

***

21:47 – SONG 8 – Timi Antal – Woke up this way

True Hungarian band music now, with Timi Antal and an upbeat punk song. The composition rattles every now and then, but the theme of the song is fitting the music style: I don’t care what people think, this is how I look and deal with it. Timi has red painted hair and an eccentric style which fit the complete picture of the performance. But vocally, this is not the best performance of the day (not the worst either, though).

Points: 33.

Ruzsa Magdi makes a fitting comparison to Kelly Clarkson, and admits that Timi might have sung better if she had not been sick today. The audience seems to like this and gives 8 points through the App vote, but still Timi is low on the rankings.

***

21:42 – Bogi & Passed qualify

With three performances to go, two songs have already booked their spot in the semifinals. Passed and Bogi are currently leading the board, and since the top 5 will qualify, they can no longer fall out. After them, a group of songs is still tied for the third place.

***

21:37 SONG 7 – Gergö Szakács – Osz utca

While many songs tonight still sound like a demo version, this song is definitely ready for the radio. ‘Osz utca’ slightly resembles ‘Running’ from last year, in the sense that it has a slow dramatic verse with semi-upbeat choruses to follow. Gergö is not yet convincing in his vocal performance, but he knows to find the camera, and the backing vocals help him out a bit. String quartet on the background, and stars falling down in the backdrop.

Points: 33.

A record low of 4 (!) points from Pierrot, but 7 from the App and 9 from Philip. Still, Gergö will most likely need the televote to qualify for the semies.

***

21:31 – Good showmaking by MTVA

The way in which MTVA plays with tune-making on the background, is really a nice addition to the show. We are hearing excerpts from current and previous songs when jury members are talking.

A point of criticism though, is the way the songs are staged so far. No new Kallay-Saunders in the race so far.

***

21:27 – SONG 6: Karmapolis – The time is now

This electronic song could have been a nice upbeat band entry, but is held back a lot by the quality of the lead vocalist. The vocal quality is shaky, but the main give away is his bad English, that gives the performance an amateuristic tint. In its current form, Karmapolis could be heading for elimination – but we know Hungarians like their alternative music.

Points: 37.

This puts three songs on a tie so far – could turn out to be interesting at the end, when it comes to qualification for the semies. Bogi managed only just to stay away from these tied entries.

***

21:20 – SONG 5: Bogi – World of Violence

“I am going to do something different this year,” Bogi told me before the show. She looks more quiet and balanced on stage, in a long dress and with an orchestra on the background (more than 6 people). ‘World of Violence’ has the same hippie message as ‘We all’ had, but musically it is indeed very different. A grown-up ballad, with string influences and solid backing vocals. Her last years’ performance got her a Fonogram Award – what will this year lead to?

– The presenter of the show notices that although the song and dress has changed, Bogi is still barefoot on stage. The crowd laughs –

Points: 38.

‘Only’ a second place so far for the favorite of tonight’s show, who received some criticism from jury members both on the build-up and the performance of her song. Work to do for Bogi, if 38 points will turn out to be enough to qualify.

***

21:10 – SONG 4: Passed – Mesmerize

The alternative band Passed suffered from a lot of misfortune this week. The leadsinger fell and broke her teeth (can you still see it?), and today the drummer woke up with 39.5 degrees of fever. Their song does justice to the title: a mesmerizing, almost meditational song with intriguing rhythms and an original use of the harp. The vocals display some signs of nerves, but musically this is definitely one of the more interesting entries so far.

Points: 43.

Maximum points from Ruzsa Magdi who loved the long instrumental breaks in the song, but a dissapointing 6 from the App Vote! Still, Passed takes the lead so far.

***

20:57 – SONG 3: Gabi Szucs – Úgysem felejtesz el

The first Hungarian song of the night. Gabi Szucs was the leadsinger of a band for a long time, but started a solo career recently and uses this opportunity to promote her second solo-album. The song has some jazzy influences, and is in rhythm a bit flat. The act with the backing vocals is simple, but sufficient for a smaller stage. Vocals sufficient.

Points: 37.

With a 9 points from Jenö, who said that although this is not the song for Vienna, everyone in Hungary will sing along with it.

***

20:48 – SONG 2: Balázs Farkas-Jenser – Liar

The second song is a bit of a relief in the vocal sense. Balázs is the lead singer of a band that resembles the sound of Maroon 5; upbeat pop with a strong bass rhythm in the background. Well-sung, and definitely decent material for a semifinal, even though the phrase “She’s calling me liar” is repeated quite frequently.

Points: 37.

Only 5 from the new jury member Pierrot, but high scores from the other members. 9 points from Ruzsa Magdi, who claimed to be happy to see a fellow Vojvodinan on the stage (the drummer).

***

20:42 – SONG 1: Bori Magyar – Lead me to heaven

Bori Magyar has experience in festival performances in traditional Balkan bands. Tonight she is doing something completely different with the popsong ‘Lead me to heaven’. The arrangement is sort of interesting, with a thick beat and dance influences. But the performances looks and sounds a little shaky and insecure. In the first refrain, the vocals go from shaky to simply out of tune.

Points: 29.

Ruzsa Magdi gave Bori only 5 points, which is lower than any song received in last year’s competition. Was the jury encouraged to be more strict this year? The newly introduced App Vote for internet voters, also gave 5 points only.

***

20:38 – There appear to be some problems with the international livestream, but do not worry – we will keep you up-to-date with all the action from here! Time for song 1!

***

20:33 – Bogi spoke to ESC Daily before the show!

DSCN2894

Last year, she reached the final four in the Hungarian preselection with her song ‘We All’. Tonight, she is one of the hot favorites to qualify for the semifinals.

***

20:28 – The show begins! A short recap of the previous winners, followed by the happy creed that Andras Kallay-Saunders last year managed to get the best result of them all. Who will represent Hungary this year?

***