Previewing the Entrants of Eurovision 2019 – Part Fifteen: Georgia

Hello everyone and welcome to another post on The Blogging DJ. Here, I will be continuing to look in-depth at each of the forty-one entries competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Today, we are travelling to Tbilisi, to analyse the Georgian entry, Oto Nemsadze and his song “Keep on Going”.

Selection Process

Unlike last year, where their entry was internally selected by the broadcaster, the act for this years’s contest was chosen in the television show Georgian Idol. Oto Nemsadze topped the vote in the first two weeks, and after a run of second places in the subsequent weeks, received the most votes in the Grand Final, where his Eurovision entry was performed. It has also been announced that Georgia will perform in the second-half of semi-final one.

Music Video

The Blogging DJ’s Review

It is always a good addition to Eurovision when a country (most notably from Eastern Europe) chooses the contest to showcase traditional music, if for the variation in musical style rather than the end result. Georgia have gone down this route for the most part, though I do really wish that the EDM sounds were not included, for a more authentic feeling. The song itself has a lot of passion and attack but this does not equal a thrilling performance. Something is missing for it to convey these emotions because the three minutes feel like five, even with these good individual elements. I worry that this will follow last year’s result and get completely forgotten about, as all I can remember from this is a sense of anger and cultish chanting. It’s a shame; traditional music can be far more memorable than this. 5.5

Live Performance Video

Odds

According to Oddschecker, you can currently get odds from 100/1 to a whopping 350/1 on Georgia winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. This suggests that bookmakers and betters see this song as failing to qualify for the Grand Final, and potentially coming towards the bottom of the leaderboard in its semi-final.

Record at Eurovision

Georgia have entered the Eurovision Song Contest eleven times since making their debut in the 2007 edition, qualifying for the Grand Final on seven of those occasions. Their best finish came in 2010, when Sopho Nizharadze claimed a ninth place finish with “Shine”. Eldrine and “One More Day” equalled that result the following year. Last year, the broadcaster internally selected the Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao and their traditional sounding “For You”. Sadly it made no impression in their semi-final, coming home in last place with just twenty-four points.

So what do you make of the Georgian entry for Eurovision 2019? Will it Keep On Going to the Grand Final? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see all of you soon for more Eurovision preview posts in the coming weeks.