In recent years, we have had one new tradition to look forward to every April. The first ever winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, Lys Assia, now annually publishes her top 20 favourite songs of each contest via her official Facebook page. Once again, Lys has treated us to her opinions ahead of this year’s 2017 contest in Kyiv.
“They celebrate diversity with their unique genres, lyrics and compositions”
Before we take a look at the top 20 in full, Lys had the following to say about this year’s contest:
“This year, the contest is very open. Fans will have some exciting times coming in May. I wish all participating countries the best of luck. But for now, I already want to congratulate Mr. Francesco Gabbani with his entry for Italy. The Italian language is such a beautiful one. It reminds me of the time I performed the ever green ‘Giorgio’ at the Contest of 1958. I ended up in 2nd place. Portugal (Salvador Sobral), Belgium (Blanche), Austria (Nathan Trent) and United Kingdom (Lucie Jones) made a strong song choice too. They celebrate diversity with their unique genres, lyrics and compositions. See you in Kiev, where I hope to see all 43 countries perform on stage.”
The complete Lys Assia Top 20
| Rank | Country | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇮🇹 Italy | Francesco Gabbani – Occidentali’s Karma |
| 2 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | Salvador Sobral – Amar Pelos Dois |
| 3 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | Blanche – City Lights |
| 4 | 🇦🇹 Austria | Nathan Trent – Running On Air |
| 5 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Lucie Jones – Never Give Up On You |
| 6 | 🇸🇲 San Marino | Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson – Spirit Of The Night |
| 7 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Timebelle – Apollo |
| 8 | 🇫🇷 France | Alma – Requiem |
| 9 | 🇦🇺 Australia | Isaiah – Don’t Come Easy |
| 10 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | Anja – Where I Am |
| 11 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | Artsvik – Fly With Me |
| 12 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Martina Bárta – My Turn |
| 13 | 🇲🇰 F.Y.R. Macedonia | Jana Burčeska – Dance Alone |
| 14 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | Jacques Houdek – My Friend |
| 15 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | Joci Pápai – Origo |
| 16 | 🇳🇱 The Netherlands | OG3NE – Lights And Shadows |
| 17 | 🇲🇹 Malta | Claudia Faniello – Breathlessly |
| 18 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | Kristian Kostov – Beautiful Mess |
| 19 | 🇷🇺 Russia | Julia Samoylova – Flame Is Burning |
| 20 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | Brendan Murray – Dying To Try |
Further support for San Marino and Switzerland
A few weeks ago, we wrote about how Lys was supporting this year’s Sammarinese entry by Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson. She has stayed true to her word with Spirit Of The Night firmly inside the top 10. In addition, she previously congratulated Timebelle on winning the honour to represent her home country. Lys is indeed a big fan of Apollo, also sitting pretty inside the top 10. Nevertheless, Lys ultimately agreed with many fans that Italy was her favourite heading into the contest next month.
Do you agree with Lys’ top 20 of 2017? What changes would you have made? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and via our social media pages @escXtra!
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