Let me start by saying a muchas gracias to Spanish TV for reviving the Benidorm festival and bringing a heck of a lot of new energy to their Eurovision selection process. It was one of the best national finals this year, and if it’s a taste of things to come then Y Viva España and take me to the Costa Blanca next January. ¡Vamos!
Spain has had some rum luck at Eurovision. Entries which should have finished much higher up the table have floundered, although there has been some notable self-scuppering by eschewing potential winner La Revolucion Sexual and stacking the jury in favour of Manel Navarro. See, that’ll learn you. Might 2022 finally be their year?
When this Fuego-like was chosen I worried it might get lost in a sea of Fuego-likes, but it’s turned out to be pretty much the only one in its genre. Like Fuego, SloMo benefits from the Foureira effect: the ability of the artist to elevate a song way beyond the impact of its studio version through performing the arse off it. And there’s plenty of arse being served here. If “bootyhypnotic” doesn’t make the word of the year lists come December, then frankly there’s nada justicia en el mundo.
The video, to the studio version, doesn’t do Chanel justicia either, but she’s knocked it out of the park on every live rendition I’ve seen so there’s no reason to think they’ll change this on the night. Here there’s a marginally distracting part where she’s plodging through some water with soggy hems, seemingly having flooded her basement, but it’s in the full unedited routine where she truly wows as you see her turn it in time and time again.
Might we dare to dream of a Eurovision in Madrid…?
My marks: DOUZE POINTS!