The national final season is in full swing. Tonight, the Eurovisión Gala of Operación Triunfo is going to take place in Spain. We’ve taken a look at the entries and the procedure below, so here is the XTRA Preview & Review!
XTRA Preview: Operación Triunfo
If you’re up for a late night show, Spain is your best bet. Operación Triunfo is getting ready for their Eurovision Gala, which will take place at 22:30 CET tonight. The scheduled end time is 01:15… That’s right, we’re in for a late night!
Over the past weeks and months, contestants have spent their days in the Operación Triunfo house. They’re competing to win the show, but tonight, the final victory is not up for grabs. Tonight, it’s just the Eurovision ticket they can grab. Five (or… six?) contestants remain, all hoping to get the ticket to Lisbon.
Amaia, Aitana, Ana Guerra, Alfred and Miriam are the five contestants who have survived up until tonight. Agoney will return to perform a duet together with Miriam. Nine songs are in competition in total. The show will be aired on La Una tonight and, despite the time, we will be tweeting throughout the entire show!
XTRA Review: Operación Triunfo
Amaia, Aitana, Alfred, Miriam & Ana Guerra – “Camina”
Nathan: I can’t get my head around a five person dynamic on stage when each of the artists wants to be solo star. Destined to fail before it even begins? Probably.
Score: 4.5/10
Dimitris: This song is kinda catchy. I thought that this would sound more messed up with this many singers singing together, but it’s actually decent.
Score: 6/10
Matt: This is fun and uplifting. The harmonies really stand out. Something like this wouldn’t necessarily work at Eurovision, but it’s a solid song.
Score: 6/10
Rodrigo: I really like this song, but I like it for what it is. A fun effort by the contestants of a talent show to write a song together. For more than that it just sounds like a bunch of clichés put together for three minutes. So, yes to the song, but not for Eurovision.
Score: 6.5/10
Aitana – “Arde”
Nathan: Whilst Aitana has a controlled, powerful vocal, she is let down by a song which goes nowhere. A little bland.
Score: 5/10
Dimitris: I really like the song; I find it different from what Spain has sent recently and I think Aitana delivers it very well. I’m not sure how well it could actually do in the contest, though.
Score: 7/10
Matt: When Aitana sings, you really believe what she’s saying! Stripped back and haunting, this could work on stage at Eurovision.
Score: 7/10
Rodrigo: There is something dark and haunting about this one, but not sure necessarily credible. Aitana will have a hard time selling this. It also needs pitch perfect vocals and Aitana has been pretty irregular in her OT path.
Score: 7.5/10
Alfred – “Que Nos Sigan Las Luces”
Nathan: The louder you sing, the more noticeable it is when you are out of tune. Unfortunately, this is the fate that meets Alfred with this. The song itself is nicely arranged and the addition of the guitar live is a smart choice. He would need to bring his A-game in terms of vocals on the night though to do well with this.
Score: 6/10
Dimitris: This isn’t really my type of song and I don’t think it’s something I would listen to.
Score: 3/10
Matt: There is nothing here to hook the listener and, more importantly, the voter. Forgettable.
Score: 4/10
Rodrigo: I absolutely love this and how it suits Alfred’s voice. The lyrics are fantastic and a pretty true reflection of his personality – which he also took care of by rewriting part of it himself. The overall package works and I hope this does well.
Score: 8.5/10
Amaia – “Al Cantar”
Nathan: This is beautifully sung by the greatest singer in the show. Whilst the song itself is simple, the melody is somewhat enchanting and you finish feeling satisfied with the three minutes which passed.
Score: 6.5/10
Dimitris: Amaia is a good vocalist. However, I don’t think the song really shows off her abilities. It’s plain and not really memorable.
Score: 4/10
Matt: I like the waltzy flow to the song. Amaia is very sweet and this attribute lends itself to the song. Shades of Salvador Sobral too. It does meander towards the end which might affect its chances.
Score: 6/10
Rodrigo: The best thing about this song is Amaia’s sweet voice. Other than that, it’s forgettable and too light on the clichés. Not the strongest effort of this selection.
Score: 2/10
Ana Guerra – “El Remedio”
Nathan: Within thirty seconds I am screaming internally: please, make it stop. This is the kind of song I was looking for Spain to include in their selection, but not when sung like this.
Score: 4/10
Dimitris: The song is really catchy. However, her vocals do not seem to be her strongest ability, even if she seems to be able to deliver a decent staging.
Score: 6/10
Matt: I love the energy which does affect the vocals slightly. Ana is selling the song and we’re buying it, but ultimately there are better songs in the selection.
Score: 6/10
Rodrigo: Sold! Love everything about this. It’s instant, danceable, current. She has the perfect attitude to sing this. When listening to it I thought immediately, this would make a great Eurovision entry and one that would be easily identifiable with the country.
Score: 9/10
Miriam – “Lejos De Tu Piel”
Nathan: Very much in the vein of previous Spanish songstresses Pastora Soler and Ruth Lorenzo, but unfortunately not as good. The song is pleasant enough, but I wouldn’t pick up the phone to vote for it.
Score: 6/10
Dimitris: When the song kicked off it gave me “Dancing in the Rain” and “Quedate conmigo” vibes. I think I prefer the verses to the chorus but it’s a really good song overall!
Score: 8/10
Matt: This feels a bit more Eurovision-friendly. Miriam may struggle in the lower register and also jumping into falsetto, but she nails the emotion in the performance.
Score: 6/10
Rodrigo: Miriam is the best vocalist of the entire OT, and it’s not surprising that they gave her a song that can showcase her abilities very easily. The song itself is quite good although there is a lack of a je ne sais quoi. Perhaps a revamp could help this shine more.
Score: 7.5/10
Miriam & Agoney – “Magia”
Nathan: By far, the cheesiest song in the selection. It’s not awful but it just isn’t what I’m looking for from Spain. They tried this enough times to realise they don’t get it right.
Score: 4/10
Dimitris: The song is not great, but not bad either. There’s something that bothers me and maybe it’s the fact that their voices do not quite work together.
Score: 5.5/10
Matt: Another song that is a bit forgettable. It’s missing something despite being sung well enough.
Score: 5/10
Rodrigo: Rather predictable and, perhaps because of that, forgettable. I love how their voices work together but that’s really about it.
Score: 3/10
Aitana & Ana Guerra – “Lo Malo”
Nathan: I should like this. I don’t. This is the style of song I’ve been begging Spain to embrace for their Eurovision entries for the last few years. However, this is delivered poorly in comparison to the usual way that these songs are performed.
Score: 3/10
Dimitris: I like the appeal and the summer vibes of this song. Also, I think this is a duo that actually works out.
Score: 7/10
Matt: ‘Lo Malo’ still feels like a work in progress. I think it needs more elements brought in to make the song interesting. A simple dance track.
Score: 5/10
Rodrigo: Solid effort all round. I love the way their voices work together, the lyrics are phenomenal, the genre is current and shouts Spain. This has “hit” written all over it for me.
Score: 9.5/10
Amaia & Alfred – “Tu Canción”
Nathan: There’s something so wonderful about the way Amaia and Alfred’s voices mix together, they complement each other beautifully. This song is delicately sang from one to the other and vice versa. Probably the song, and the performance – the subtle touches between the two performers helps to sell the story – to beat.
Score: 7.5/10
Dimitris: Alfred and Amaia sound good together. The song, on the other hand, gets quite boring after a while, even if it’s not a bad song. It’s just forgettable.
Score: 4.5/10
Matt: This is beautiful. Alfred and Amaia bring us into their own world. The melody is hard to recall which is may affect the chances of ‘Tu Canción’. If the duo’s chemistry can translate on the bigger stage, this could do well.
Score: 8/10
Rodrigo: Sweet, understated, magical. We’ve seen these two with a song in this style during OT (when they sang City of Stars) and we know the atmosphere they can create together. The chemistry is there and this is definitely the one to beat.
Score: 9.5/10
Who do we want?
The XTRA Jury, this time consisting of Nathan, Dimtris, Matt and Rodrigo has spoken. Below you can see the average each song achieved. Their favourite for tomorrow’s show is Amaia and Alfred’s “Tu Canción”!
- Amaia & Alfred – Tu Canción: 7.3
- Miriam – Lejos De Tu Piel: 6.9
- Aitana – Arde: 6.6
- Ana Guerra – El Remedio: 6.3
- Aitana & Ana Guerra – Lo Malo: 6.1
- Amaia, Aitana, Alfred, Miriam & Ana Guerra – Camina: 5.8
- Alfred – Que Nos Sigan Las Luces: 5.4
- Amaia – Al Cantar: 4.6
- Miriam & Agoney – Magia: 4.4
Below, we’ve included a playlist for you. Which of these nine do you like best? Make sure to let us know who you like by commenting!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2lqePxneMQCOx16sMaLdFo?si=FuedV_C2RDKMB82BFLL1QQ
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