For the first time since its inception, the Eurovision Song Contest will not be held this year. Originally scheduled for May in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, the show was unfortunately canceled in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. With all of that said, Kori and Seher still wanted to get at least a little judging in, deciding to share their top five songs of the year. If you’re interested in listening to all 41 songs, you can visit our dedicated thread over on the community page.
Seher
I’ll be honest, to make it to my top five, it just needs to not be a ballad. I’m not that picky! So here are my top five ESC songs for this year.
Malta
A bop!!! All of “My Love” takes a minute to build up, but once it does, Destiny’s voice is so strong! I would have loved to see this on stage.
Czech Republic
Benny Cristo’s “Kemama” is a ton of fun and a song I could see myself listening to multiple times. No idea how it would have translated on stage, but it’s upbeat and that’s what we need right now!
Azerbaijan
Cleopatra was the unexpected choice for me this year. This is another one where I’m not sure how it would have looked on stage, but the video is a ton of fun and I love the entire song. In fact, at first, I wasn’t even sure that I liked it but after a third listen, I was hooked.
Sweden
Do I really have to say anything about The Mamas? It’s great to see multiple Black artists this year and I hope they’ll get to perform next year.
Ukraine
Go_A’s traditional folklore singing is so beautiful and was simple but effective in its staging and even though I don’t understand the language, I found myself trying to sing along!
Kori
Well, I’m gutted at the cancellation, even if I do understand why it had to happen. Hopefully, the countries can figure out a fair way for the artists wanting to still compete to return for next year. This will be harder for countries that didn’t select internally like Sweden, where Melodifestivalen, the weeks-long national final selection is honestly bigger than Eurovision itself and a major part of the Swedish entertainment year. Also, two of my entries coincided with Seher’s picks, so I’ll only put my reasoning for choosing them and won’t be posting the videos again.
Serbia
This Balkan turbofolk bop won the national final and was the first real shot of energy we had in a year that seems top-heavy on ballad songs. Singing about leaving men behind who aren’t worth your time, Hurricane also features two Eurovision alumni! Ksenija Knežević previously sang backing vocals for her father when he represented Montenegro at ESC 2015. Sanja Vučić returns for her second time representing Serbia after previously competing at ESC 2016 where she placed 18th overall with her song “Goodbye (Shelter)”… which was a ballad.
Malta
Yup, I’m also high on the Maltese number. Speaker of ESC returns, while this would’ve Destiny Chukunyere’s first time competing on the adult’s stage, it isn’t her first Eurovision rodeo. She actually won representing Malta at the 2015 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. She’s only 17, making her one of the youngest would be contestants this year.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria has had mixed results at ESC, having struggled to even reach the grand finals for years, they finally hit on a winning formula in 2016 with the returning Poli Genova’s “If Love Was a Crime” from there they consistently performed well, even placing second overall in 2017. However, after placing 14th in 2018 with an overloaded song by the sextet Equinox, Bulgaria had taken a year off to retool. This year they sent in Victoria with one of the most tender, poignant, and bittersweet ballads I’ve ever heard.
Sweden
One of my biggest Eurovision regrets will be ESC 2020 not happened and my not being able to see the big performance from the Mamas. They would’ve been returning as the main act with “Move” after singing backup for John Lundvik’s song “Too Late For Love” last year. Tragedy.
Norway
I don’t even like ballads but the entire construction of this song from its pacing with the ebbs and climactic flows, the stellar string arrangements, and Ulrikke Brandstorp’s heart-wrenching vocals won me over, and hard.
Honorable Mentions
These two songs just missed out on our top fives!
Israel
Ireland
That’s it for us! Be sure to check the link at the beginning of the article catch all the entries. Let us know your top five, whether you agreed with us or not! And a giant congratulations to all the artists this year, whether they get to perform or not.