Vienna 2015: Semifinal Two Live-Blog

Renee Pozzi (Australia)

Welcome to ESCDaily.com’s live coverage of Semifinal Two – the second of three televised shows of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. A total of 17 songs will battle it out tonight at the Wiener Stadthalle, for one of remaining ten qualifying positions in the Eurovision final!

Besides the participating countries of semifinal two, finalists Australia, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom will be also able to vote in this semi final. The broadcast will once again be lead by hosts Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler and Arabella Kiesbauer, together with last year’s winner Conchita Wurst, who has a role hosting the Green Room.

Here is the lineup for the Second Semifinal!

01. Lithuania: Monika Linkytė & Vaidas Baumila – This Time
A very charming and fun performance from Lithuania to begin semifinal one. The song isn’t very powerful, but makes up for that with a very charismatic and ‘cute’ performance… sealed with a kiss (or three!).

02. Ireland: Molly Sterling – Playing With Numbers
17 year old Molly is on stage with her band, performing her quite elegant and simplistic ballad. I’m not a big fan of this song, and I’m not sure it will qualify… Perhaps the “Boggie” effect will come into the equation?…

03. San Marino: Anita Simoncini & Michele Perniola – Chain Of Lights
A great effort from two young performers, and the backing vocalists do hold up the song. I don’t see this qualifying, but the experience will be great for Anita and Michele.

04. Montenegro: Knez – Adio
Beauty, elegant, classy, is what comes to mind with this year’s Montenegrin song. Yes, it kind of feels like Zeljko’s written the same song 5 times, but he never disappointed with his compositions. Knez sings well and the stage presentation is emotional, with a stunning backdrop of mountains.

Now, now, play nice Chris 😉

05. Malta: Amber – Warrior
Amber belts out Warrior, with plenty of fire and pyrotechnics. A good vocal from Amber, and she’s certainly has stage presence to match… And Malta will certainly be proud of that performance.

Aww… Can’t we have two Warrior’s in the finale?

06. Norway: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett A Monster Like Me
A fan favourite, a betting favourite, and a very popular song in this semifinal. I’ve been a fan since hearing it when the Norwegian MGP songs were released. A simple but effective performance on stage. The duo receive a warm response from the crowd throughout the performance.

07. Portugal: Leonor Andrade – Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa
Leonor looks gorgeous on stage, as she performs her rock/pop ballad ‘Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa’. It’s not a favourite to qualify, but she definitely deserves some points for singing in Portuguese and giving a strong vocal!

08. Czech Republic: Marta Jandová and Václav Noid Bárta – Hope Never Dies
Another duo in the contest… but this time, two rock singers from the Czech Republic sing the ballad “Hope Never Dies”. They are two great vocalists who pull off an impressive performance. The song isn’t a favourite to qualify… but could they break the Czech Republic’s duck in Eurovision?

He is quite cute isn’t he? 😉

09. Israel: Nadav Guedj Golden Boy
Nadav is only…. 16… yes… 16 years old! What a voice! He has style and is a great mover on stage with his three backing dancers. A solid performance and is definitely a contender for the final. Will Israel finally get back to the final? I’d say so.

10. Latvia: Aminata – Love Injected
This year Latvia has a very different and unique song, which is quite calm and subdued in the verses, which then picks up with several very powerful choruses. A great stage show with an easy on the eye backdrop. Great vocal, and could sail into the final.

I’ll pay that – very Florence of the Machine-ish!

11. Azerbaijan: Elnur Huseynov – Hour Of The Wolf
Elnur, minus his wings, is back for Azerbaijan with the ballad “Hour Of The Wolf”. After winning the Voice of Turkey, Azerbaijan internally selected Elnur to return to the contest, and he certainly doesn’t disappointed. A great vocal, a gorgeous backdrop and stunning choreography.

12. Iceland: Maria Olafs – Unbroken
A very shaky vocal from Maria tonight, could be nerves, or just difficulty with her lower register. Unbroken is a easy-listening tune, but really needs a strong vocal delivery to do the song justice. I had this down as a qualifier, but I’m not so sure anymore…

Ouch…

13. Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
Time for the favourite… Mans’ performance of ‘Heroes’ isn’t too different from the staging that won Melodifestivalen, just with a few changes to the figurines that appear in the animation. A strong vocal from Mans … I expect this to win or go close to winning… Especially after the success of the Ukraine and Mika Newton’s ‘Angels’ which had an impressive stage show back in 2011.

Looks like Sweden still has a strong impact on viewers on the first listen and viewing.

14. Switzerland: Mélanie René – Time To Shine
A tough spot following Sweden, but Melanie delivers a powerful and impressive vocal. Lots of drums, for a very unique and different song. Not a favourite to qualify, but in Eurovision, anything can happen!

Thanks, cannot unhear that now 🙁

15. Cyprus: John Karayiannis – One Thing I Should Have Done
A great vocal from John, for a very simple and emotional ballad. A little boring for my liking, but certainly has charm and a message that many people can connect to. The betting does have it within the “top 10”, but I’m not convinced just yet…

16. Slovenia: Maraaya – Here For You
Mic… check? Piano… check? Headphones… Check! Time for Slovenia, and we see a similar performance to the one that won EMA. A gorgeous vocal from Marjetka, which is captivating in it’s uniqueness. A qualifier for me!

17. Poland: Monika Kuszyńska – In The Name Of Love
A much more subdued entry from Poland’s entry last year, with Monika singing a quite elegant ballad which I do have a soft spot for. A beautiful message, a nice vocal, this could be a dark horse to qualify.

After the conclusion of the songs, stay tuned on ESCDaily.com for the results and the lucky ten qualifiers!