It’s not the Eurovision Song Contest without songs to party to! It’s quite the competitive genre, though. You’re bound to get compared to other party songs that are competing and even those from past years. Here are two entries that have some big shoes to fill. It’s “Adrenalina” by Senhit of San Marino and “El Diablo” by Elena Tsagrinou of Cyprus.
The freaky queen has returned… with Flo Rida?
Ah, the dembow rhythm. If you’re into latin music, you’re probably quite familiar with it. If you follow the Eurovision Song Contest, you attribute this rhythm to the 2018 entry from Cyprus, “Fuego” by Eleni Foureira. Since then, any entries using this rhythm get accused of trying to capitalize on the popularity of this song. But let’s not generalize an entire genre of music. Any artist, including Senhit, is free to put their own spin on the dembow rhythm and no one owns the genre.
It pains me to say this, but I didn’t find “Adrenalina” to be memorable. Her entry last year made more of an impression (instrumentation was pretty good, but the lyrics weren’t my cup of tea). The only part that stood out to me was Flo Rida’s contribution to the song. Not just because of his celebrity status, but also I liked his rap. In contrast, Senhit’s lines didn’t stand out at all. Neither did the melody nor the instrumentation. I really wanted to like this entry, but I just couldn’t remember it.
Is Elena Tsagrinou just another replay?
I remember the concerns raised by Eurovision fans when Elena Tsagrinou and the name of her entry was first announced. It looked like Cyprus was going for a third song in the latin music genre. However, upon listening to “El Diablo,” I hear no dembow rhythm and it appears to be only latin-inspired in terms of its lyrics. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song use the word “taco” in a non-comedic way until I heard this entry.
The song has its cool moments, like the shift into a major key during that softly-sung prechorus. But “El Diablo” has its weak points too. I found the childish chanting of “I love El Diablo” to be an odd addition to the song and made for a disappointing bridge. Also, and this is a bit nitpicky, but I wish that the song had more of a build up before having the a capella prechorus to make the contrast stronger. Overall, Elena Tsagrinou’s entry is pretty solid.
Who has my vote (for now)?
I think I have to give it to Cyprus this round. Although the song itself isn’t revolutionary, Elena Tsagrinou has a voice that grabs your attention and hopefully her live performance will be just as captivating. We all knew we could count on San Marino and Cyprus to keep the party going on the Eurovision stage.