There is France and We

You can always count on France in giving us something interesting and different in Eurovision. Usually they don’t give a hoot about what the rest of Europe will think, an attitude we find very French and very refreshing. Sometimes they hit and sometimes they miss. This year they present us with Anggun, an internationally renown star with a successful career and her poppy, upbeat and modern dance track “Echo (You and I)”. What’s not to like? This is definitely a bulls-eye in our book.

It’s not the easiest tune to wrap your head around. The intro serves as a red herring on what to expect later on, there’s an intriguing whistling theme reoccurring in the background and the song constantly twists and turns. It’s the antithesis of the Swedish schlager formula, and we’re so grateful that there’s still some talented, creative people around who master the art of crafting an up-tempo Eurovision song without using the same worn-out mold as everybody else is using.

Anggun’s personality and self-confidence adds further flavor to this delicious mix. She’s the icing on the already tempting cake. With her being an experienced artist and all we have no doubts she can carry a tune live and master the format of the humongous stage in the Crystal Hall along with the thought of having 120 million people watching. Judging by the promo video we get the feeling that Anggun is a lady who likes to rule and we hope she’ll take charge and rock the casbah. Besides, we wouldn’t mind her bringing along some of the yummy goods she’s manufacturing while she’s not busy running for the Eurovision throne.

And hurrah with bells on for bringing the French language back into Eurovision. There should seriously be a rule against having a contest without it, like we had last year. We would not mind one bit if this ended up on the top of the scoreboard in the wee hours of a late Saturday night in Baku. Not that we think that would actually happen. But Fance has once again proved that they are alive and kicking in this competition.