Semifinal2 - Armenia

I'll start with the positives. There will be many ballads in the semi-finals. The song and performance are energetic and that could help it stand out. However, at the same time, most ballads are of a very high level and will gather a lot of points from the jury. Bulgaria will probably not receive many points from the jury and will qualify for the final thanks to the televote. The performer also feels comfortable on stage, moves well, and sings live confidently.

I personally view the song in a negative light. To me, it's a bit of a chaotic mess. It seems like the tempo of the song changes every 20 seconds. The song itself may be listenable, but the chorus, where the word "bangaranga" is repeated, is just grating on the ears. Bulgaria qualifying for the final would not be a surprise, but in my opinion, the song's chances are not very good.

The Malta coefficient for qualification has recently dropped, so it's worth trying this coefficient. Some ballads might not make it to the final. According to the odds, Latvia has a good chance. I thought maybe Czech Republic might flop, but the artist has a strong vocal and performs well live, so the jury will probably appreciate it. I don't know about the Maltese song, it's average. Historically, people don't vote strongly for Malta. It's a jury song. It will definitely receive points from the jury, but the second semi-final is very strong. There are also many ballads in the second semi-final and most of them are strong. So if Malta doesn't get many televote points, the jury points might not be enough for qualification.

These are similar arguments as with Bulgaria, only this song has an even weaker potential for the televote. The second semi-final has many strong songs, strong ballads. The ballads will gather the jury's points. This is an energetic, fun performance, personally it doesn't really captivate me. I don't see the jury giving many points to this type of song. If it makes it to the final, it will only be thanks to the televote. But I believe there is no shortage of suitable songs in this genre, for example, Bulgaria, Norway, Cyprus, and all of those songs are better, more memorable.

After the commission returns, I believe the Czechs should be drawn much higher in this semifinal. They should also receive audience votes. The song is good, the performer sings beautifully, everything is on point. Difficult notes are hit. There is a poor quality live performance video, which should attract attention because I think the odds have been significantly raised, since there is only an official music video and if the live performance doesn't live up to expectations, it would be a shame.

The second semi-final is much stronger than the first, I don't see anything that could attract the audience in this performance in Cyprus, let alone the jury, unless the sound of a gypsy song could gather some votes from Romania and Bulgaria, as Greece will not have anyone voting for Cyprus. There are many stronger countries that deserve to advance. Unfortunately, Cyprus did not make it to the final.

Latvia sends a very sincere and beautifully presented ballad. The song is a matter of taste, but for ballad fans, it may be a better choice this year. The vocalist's voice is very good, and the jury should definitely not hesitate to give points. The audience will also find their place. The lack of neighboring countries is the main problem and probably the reason for such a coefficient. Among the top-rated favorites, I see more than one or two countries whose performers have very good vocals, so not just one country from there will attract the viewers, but they all will not. The performance number is convenient after the non-singing acts from Cyprus and Austria.

Norway. If someone likes the song, that's okay, but I don't understand it. The constant "ya ya ya" is starting to become annoying. The vocals are weak. I doubt the judges will choose this. There are no "neighbors" like Finland, Sweden, Estonia, or even Iceland or the Netherlands. Not even some Polish, Belgian or German contestants in this semi-final. Only Denmark and Latvia (if we can even consider them as "neighbors"). The last number may be a plus, but that's about it.
Otherwise, I'm looking for surprises, which I don't think will be lacking in this semi-final. There are question marks over Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Albania.

Completely cut Norway on the side during rehearsal. With such a performance, nothing good will be received from the committee. The audience may not even be able to pull out, since Ghana is a strong semi-finalist.

This is not a combined bet, Betsson gives such odds. Cyprus, Norway, and Switzerland were greatly disappointed during rehearsal and may not expect a lot of points from the commission. The main +/- here was whether they will qualify or not, I believe out of these three only one will make it, which automatically opens the door for these four countries to qualify.

Complete failure on the practice run. Everything looked completely different in the clip and in live performance. I believe I will get a 0 from the judges, but I don't think I can leave with a 0. I don't believe there is any chance, especially with strong competition like Ghana in the semifinals.