Armenia is giving us contrasts this year, which is always interesting.
Sevak Khanagyan looks like a nightclub bouncer for an establishment in the shadier parts of Yerevan, and to be honest we wouldn’t mind being hurled out by him after a couple of drinks too many. He is seriously dishy with dark eyes, a sexy beard, buffed torso and bulging… biceps! But beneath the tough exterior there’s a sensitive guy singing about loss and sorrow and how he wish the wind will blow him away from it all. By the looks of it he would need a hurricane to get moving.
We love the fact that Qami is being kept in Armenian. It’s a melodic language and it gives the artist the opportunity to channel all his energy into telling his story instead of worrying about broken English pronunciation. From what we can tell by the preview clips, Sevak Khanagyan does a splendid job selling the song and we think it will pay off and translate across language barriers. The song vaguely reminds us of Not Alone from a few years back. And although it lacks the punch that brought Armenia close to the podium, it definitely has a more likable performer, as Aram Mp3 had the charm of a carton of milk gone bad.
There’s more than enough substance here to keep us interested for three minutes, but with a great voice and a burning desire to deliver comes the risk of coming across as a bit too waily. Let’s hope Mr. Dishy will resist the temptation of going all overboard with vocal gymnastics and focus on keeping up with his workout routine at the gym instead. If so he’s all set to sail safely into the grand final, we reckon.
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