Amnesia by Roxen
Maybe it’s all the alcohol she was drinking before getting on the blower last year, but Roxen has a memory blank this time round. Despite using her year off to pop out anther smash hit and team up with Alexander Bareback, she’s also forgotten to take some time out for herself. The omission has found its way into her music in this song of remembering the value of self-worth and not burying our feelings in silence. It’s a musical pep talk reminding us to indulge in some self-love and enjoy nourishing our souls.
The video depicts her metaphorically battling the inner voice that seeks to swallow us, portraying this visually with her surrounded by a suffocating array of dancers. Whilst still drawing on the theme of mental health it is a more optimistic outlook than Alcohol You, and the song feels both more mature and engaging. At least whilst it does while it’s playing.
‘Amnesia’ is a brave choice for a song title, inviting a reviewer to shoehorn in lame jokes about not being able to remember the tune. See also: ‘Don’t Play That Song Again’. But I really am struggling to recall it. It’s one of the few this year not to have lodged itself in my brain. I don’t dislike it when I hear it; in fact I’m pleased to hear the development in Roxen, and I think she has much potential as an artist. She has a tough road to qualification: I can see 15 of the 16 first semi-finalists with the potential to get through, but she’s in my group of 9 to 10 maybes, rather than the smaller group I think are safe.
My marks: 6 points
Will it qualify? Maybe