Good afternoon, and welcome to another post looking at the acts competing in Tel-Aviv at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Today we are off to Yerevan, to look in detail at the Armenian representative, Srbuk, and her song “Walking Out”.
Selection Process
This year, as has usually been in the case in Armenia, the broadcaster AMPTV internally selected their entrant, who was announced as Srbuk in November 2018. At the same time, they opened up the song submission period until January 2019. The country was one of the last to reveal their entry for Eurovision 2019, doing so on the 10th March.
Music Video
My Review of the Song
After a disastrous result last year, Armenia have returned to what has given them success recently; a strong female soloist performing a ethno-pop entry, with an experimental side. Srbuk is fighting against all of the male voices making her feel like she is not good enough – very topical – and I believe every word she is singing. There is a moment, twenty seconds before the end, where the song explodes and feels like a winning moment, if done right live. However, this comes after two minutes which, whilst decent, doesn’t take me there. You get one chance to catch the eyes of the voters and juries and there will need to be some imaginative staging to keep attention until the brilliant climax. 8
Live Performance Video
There is no live performance of the song as of yet.
Odds
At the current moment, according to Oddschecker, you can get odds of up to 50/1 for Armenia to win Eurovision 2019. This means there is a consensus that they will at least reach the Grand Final, especially considering they are in the slightly weaker second semi-final, but it is unlikely that they will challenge for the win. But we have yet to see the song performed live, so these odds may change then.
Record at Eurovision
Armenia have entered the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times since their debut in 2006, qualifying for the Grand Final an extremely impressive ten times. Their best finish in the contest is fourth place, reached by Sirusho in 2008 and Aram MP3 in 2014. Last year, Sevak Khanagyan missed out on the Grand Final, coming a disappointing fifteenth in the semi-final.
So what are your thoughts on the Armenian entry? Does it make you want to dance or walk out of the club? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more Eurovision 2019 previews in the coming weeks!
The Blogging DJ 
I agree, it may be too slow a starter to win people over. I like it but am ambivalent and change my ratings frequently from Top Ten to Top Twenty.
Interesting to hear you call the second semi final weaker, word on the internet fan forums has it the other way round. Most of my favourites are in the second.
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