I was late to the party. By the time Saara Aalto released her third Eurovision contender, the world had spoken, and ‘Monsters’ was their choice. All three songs came with a professional video. Money had been spent. Hearing them for the first time, I thought each one competent, though harbored a personal preference for ‘Domino’.
That said, I would argue that the 2018 Finnish Eurovision selection contained three polished, professional songs that wouldn’t sound out-of-place in the charts. There was zero filler.
I wondered to myself how upset the fanboys would be when they realised that studio perfection wouldn’t sound quite the same on stage. On the night of the UMK, I got my answer. They were very cross indeed.
It’s pure exaggeration to claim she ‘fucked it up’ and hilair to read that one very special person launched a petition aimed at YLE, but the truth is out there. The staging needs work.
‘Monsters’ isn’t a bad song. It has an obvious hook. I actually think Aalto is a good live performer – even if she tends towards outfits that look like a carpenter’s nail-bag.
If you look online for a ‘2018 recap’ video that offers 20 seconds of each song in alphabetical order, you’ll notice how ‘Monsters’ doesn’t leap out at you. If it gets a good spot in the running order, Saara will surely poke her head above the relegation zone.
She deserves to, because this song really is what the contest needs – something that would chart without Eurovision exposure.
I hope it does OK. More than that, I hope someone has a word about her frock.