There are quite a few returning artists at this year’s Eurovision, but perhaps one of the more hotly anticipated is the Macedonian representative. Kaliopi represented the country in 2012 with Crno i Belo and not only got one of Macedonia’s best ever results, she was the only Macedonian participant to qualify for the final in the last eight contests!
Many fans believe that if anybody can return Macedonia to the Eurovision final, it’s Kaliopi and tonight she premiered her 2016 entry, Dona, but does it meet expectations? Our team have their say…
Katarina: When Kaliopi was announced as the Macedonian artist, I expected a completely different type of song, but I am not disappointed at all. Even though the beginning made me think it would be just a boring ballad, the chorus is extremely catchy and I have the ‘Dona’ bits stuck in my head. I really hope Kaliopi can bring Macedonia back into the final, and also – she gets bonus points for singing in Macedonian.
Dan: I like it. It had a lot to live up to but I think it’s a solid entry from Macedonia which shouldn’t have many problems qualifying. It has a lot more production value than ‘Crno i belo’ did and will probably come across a lot better live.
Peter: I was always much more of a fan of Kaliopi than I was of ‘Crno i Belo’ so my expectations for the song itself weren’t high but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t quite reach 5th gear the way it should, but a proper power ballad in this year’s line-up is most welcome, and I’m quite sure if it’s a little underwhelming now, that won’t be the case when Kaliopi gets her chops around it live on stage. I think Macedonia should get back into the final with this.
Liam: In a year full of modern uptempo pop songs, this slice of retro pop is quite welcome, and coming from timeless Queen Kaliopi you know it’s going to be delivered with class and grace. It doesn’t quite have the same wow moment as ‘Crno i Belo’ but it’s very nice and I hope it does well.
Nathan: I’m not a fan of this but I was also not a fan of ‘Crno i Belo’. I find it drags quite quickly and the chorus is overly repetitive for what it’s worth. Plus 10/10 for the worst usage of green screen I’ve ever seen attached to a song presentation.
Nick: It took me a while to find the right words for this. Crno I Belo is one of my all time favourites, so my expectations were sky high. Does it live up to that? No, it doesn’t. But Dona is one of my 2016 favourites. Kaliopi’s voice turns this retro (some might say dated) effort into something special. In the weak semi that is semi 2, this definitely has a chance of qualifying. The chorus is nicely repetitive, it sticks in your head, which is necessary with a song in Macedonian. I’m loving this already. Kaliopi delivered. I’m happy, it’s going right up there in my top three.
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