Where does Natalia Barbu’s song fit in my rankings this year? Right In The Middle!
Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Now that I’ve gotten that joke out of the way, I can actually admit that Natalia Barbu’s song is more in the lower third of my rankings. And that’s not because there’s anything wrong with it! It’s fine! It just does not appeal to my own personal taste.
Returning contestant (Moldova 2007) Barbu has brought a song which was written with her children in mind. And aside from the intrusive percussion clacking effect, it sounds like a lullaby that a mother would sing to her children. Think of how great it would be to grow up and be able to look back at footage of an old Eurovision, seeing your mother performing on a stage for millions with the song she used to perform for you, just to try to get you to go to sleep at night. It’s a really heartwarming story, right?
Look, if a woman is a mom, motherhood is just one part of her identity, and I can understand Natalia Barbu wanting to maintain and carve out a space that’s hers outside of that role. Women are complex creatures and shouldn’t be reduced to the roles they play in the lives of others! But at the same time, I want her to GET HER BAG, and if that means exploiting the fact that she wrote this song for her kids, do it, Natalia! Use it! It’s not a secret! So ride that fact to the bank like Tamara Todevska singing Proud!
If Moldova were leaning into this angle, they would be pulling away in the odds. Instead, it almost seems like it’s an afterthought, with Barbu’s staging concept focusing instead on the Barbubots, all performing synchronized movements. While it looks impressive, it actually detracts from the song. The first time I watched it, I spent more of my time trying to figure out who was actually singing than paying any attention to the actual song.
In fact, all I could think of was a time when a similar staging concept was executed much better – the 2023 performance of Juste Kraujelyte’s Need More Fun in Lithuania’s National Final. Here, Juste uses the backup dancers to create tension and add excitement to her performance, rather than simple set dressing.
Was that digression just an excuse to get you all to watch Need More Fun? Maybe! But it’s telling that a song that didn’t win its National Final a year ago is sticking with me more than a song competing in this year’s Eurovision. Again, In The Middle is fine! It’s performed competently! I will sing along when Natalia plays it in the arena! But to write such a loving tribute to one’s kids, and then not make that the centrepiece of the whole performance? I just don’t get it.
dudepoints.fun 