First of all, i have to like Bridges. It’s the one Eurovision song this year in which I make an appearance.
Look, I’m right there!
ENHANCE
ENHANCE
Yup. That’s me in the sequins and face mask live tweeting during the performance. In fact, I bet I was busy writing a caption for this picture:
And it was good! The performance was really good1 It wasn’t what I wanted to win on the night, but it’s not a bad song. I mean, the lyrics are kind of a bunch of metaphors strung together, but it’s delivered with conviction. Alika has a wonderful powerhouse of a voice, and, unlike some other songs this year, the piano riff in Bridges is an actual catchy hook, rather than a distracting earworm.
Look, woman-led ballads are few and far between this year. We’ve got Estonia and Lithuania*, and out of the two, I think Alika sells hers so much better. She emotes. There’s hand choreography, there’s bent-over angst, there’s floaty sleeves that add to the atmosphere. I don’t know exactly why there are things that she thinks I should know about lies and truths and bridges, but I don’t particularly care. The witchy vibe is what matters.
Estonia’s not going to win. That’s fine. But Alika is determined to make you FEEL something during her time on stage. She’s going to pull an emotion out of you. She’s visibly working to earn your tears. And I can’t help but admire someone who is so very hardworking and talented on stage.
*Spain’s slow but more of a national art form than a ballad; Armenia has ballad parts but is very much not a ballad.
dudepoints.fun 