I was trying to figure out what’s not sitting right with a couple of the acts this year — several of them, it genuinely seems like they are lightly singing over a pre-recorded backing track. Apparently that’s partially the case: This year, per Wikipedia, “in an effort to make the contest more flexible to change following the cancellation of the 2020 event and to facilitate modernisation, the organisers announced that recorded backing vocals will now be allowed on a trial basis and as an optional addition. Delegations are still free to provide live backing vocals if they prefer, and all lead vocals performing the melody of the song, including by the lead vocalist(s) and any supporting vocalists, must still be performed live.” Yeah, but presumably you can perform them live with the mics turned way down. That’s honestly how it came off — that, or as if there was a lot of reliance on backing tracks with choral vocals and stuff, and I think it doesn’t modernize anything in a productive way at all. It just sucks the charm out of it. In other words: Thanks, I hate it.
STILL. I am here. In this batch of losers, we have one of the bleakest performances I can remember, and a double dose of 80s-style pop. Get psyched. And, as a PSA, it’s airing on Peacock, and Peacock is free. (Some content might be behind a paywall but I don’t know if this one is, and it’s free to investigate that, at least. NOT AN AD. I just want you all to be happy.)
[Photos: Shutterstock]
