Fun fact: did you know that Montenegro has only qualified for the final twice since their debut in 2007? It’s a sorry record, and one that has, at times, seen them withdraw. This is their first foray back since 2019, and I fear it may be quite short-lived.
It’s a dramatic ballad, a warning of the destruction we’re doing to the planet, with a secondary reading of the pain and stagnation of grief, the video depicting figures in suspended animation, needing to be pulled back from the edge of destruction. There’s some lovely piano, and Vladana seems an accomplished performer. I could do with it being a bit cheerier, but it’s got class and quality.
But I can’t really remember it.
The juries, marking each song as they go, may reward the quality giving it due consideration, but who’s going to pick up the phone for it? Where’s any element calling you to action? Vladana may be making a vital plea for the survival of the planet but her timing’s terrible. We all know the existential threat; it’s been looming in the background for decades. Turning up now with the world more immediately devastated by pandemic disease and armed conflict on the Contest’s doorstep this isn’t delivering the brief moment of respite 200 million viewers will be seeking.
It’s a shame for Vladana and her message. Every artist deserves to have their day, and it’s not so much her song that’s making the mistake here, but rather its inability to read the room.
My marks: 3 points