The past Eurovision songs I have pitted against each other have felt like comparing apples to oranges. At least these songs are both on the fun side. We have the host country’s entry, “Birth of a New Age” by Jeangu Macrooy and the girl group from Serbia, Hurricane, with “Loco Loco.”
Can Jeangu Macrooy top last year?
Just like last year, Jeangu Macrooy’s soulful voice and powerful lyrics are the star of the song. There are a lot of memorable and chantable lyrics (my favourite being “your rhythm is rebellion”). However, there’s a part of the song I dislike: that fuzzy synth that plays during the verses. Unlike the rumbling synth from Benny Cristo’s entry, I find this sound distracting and it makes the song hard to listen to.
The switch to a more traditional instrumentation midway through “Birth of a New Age” really accentuates its message. I wonder if the transition could have been made more seamless, though. Perhaps the song should have had traditional instrumentation the entire way through so that we wouldn’t have that fuzzy synth in the background. Still, Jeangu Macrooy deserves to be proud of his entry.
Do Hurricane have what it takes to win?
“Loco Loco” uses that latin music rhythm (called a dembow rhythm), which I’ve become desensitized to after hearing so many kpop songs that use it. I’m sure Eurovision fans are reminded of a certain contestant from Cyprus whenever they hear this rhythm. But there’s this ostinato played by a crunchy synth that plays between sections and I kinda dig it. I think it adds more edge to the song.
My main problem with Hurricane’s entry from last year is that the background music was taking attention away from the girls. This time, Hurricane’s vocal power is accompanied by the music instead of competing with it. I hope they get far in the competition. On that note, I find it funny how many people in the comments say that Hurricane make the Serbian language sound cool. Honestly, that’s already more rewarding than winning the contest in my book.
Who has my vote (for now)?
I actually like Hurricane’s song more. I’m surprised to admit this because Jeangu Macrooy is literally the face featured on the home page of my blog. I really liked “Grow” from last year, but this year’s song just doesn’t top that one in my opinion. “Loco Loco” is a pretty solid song, but we’ll have to wait and see if it can win it all.