Of all the returnees to Eurovision in 2019 it was probably the return of Sergey Lazarev for Russia that grabbed the most attention, but the it was the return of Serhat for San Marino that was greeted with the most affection. He became an unlikely hero in 2016 mumbling his way through a zhoosed up late-swapped disco version of his initial ballad. Of course, he didn’t qualify, but he scored a consolation prize in getting to record a version of the track with Marsha Walsh, one half of the iconic Weather Girls.
After the fiasco of last year’s Sammarinese selection process, Serhat is welcome relief. I baulked at the song when I first heard it. It’s the naffest piece of disco pop you’re going to hear this year (or possibly any year) and – oh my! – THAT chorus. It’s the kind of song I initially leapt to reject as setting the Contest back years. And yet… there’s also something quite charming about it.
The producers have given him a friendly spot in the running order, closing the first semi-final after the excesses of Iceland and Portugal. Last slot is a double-edged sword; fail to grab the viewer and they’re already switched off, totting up their own scorecard, but catch them off guard and you have their full attention to the end.
I have fancy Serhat’s going to come as light relief after a diverse and bumpy ride, and whilst every fibre in my body is urging me to scoff at the ridiculous of it all, I just can’t. I’m Team #SerhatForSaturday Come on – #JoinMe
Monty’s score: 6 points