15 March 2014
Yes, she’s back, for a third time. Valentina Monetta is back to the Eurovision Song Contest for the third straight year. In 2012 she bombed as expected with the lightweight The Social Network Song. The childish song belied the age of a woman in her late 30s, and no amount of an ultra tight ponytail trying to smooth out the wrinkles on her face could fool anyone. Still, the song wasn’t ultra, ultra bad, and let down more by the silly presentation.
2013 should have seen redemption. Crisalide was a magnificent song, she sang it well and the presentation was good. Mr Eurovision is still shocked at the almost total rejection of Crisalide that it was by missing the final. Even though scoring 47 points meant it was on the precipice of qualifying, it should have romped in. I’d go as far as saying it was the greatest ESC injustice ever!
Would that be the last of Valentina, never to be heard again? According to eurovision.tv, Carlo Romeo, Director General of San Marino RTV, was so disappointed at the totally unexpected Semi-Final result that he asked Valentina Monetta right after the Malmö Contest, if she would perform and try it again for a third time in Denmark 2014. After a serious and long consideration, Valentina and her producer Ralph Siegel agreed to give their best, and take part one more time. They recorded an album together, which no doubt played a part in returning, as ESC songs must be “new”. It was really her only chance, both to capitalise on her name from 2013, and to use any of those album songs for 2014.
This year, “Maybe” Valentina’s fortunes will change. Her entry might have a tad more instant appeal than Crisalide (the only weakness of that song) to reach the final, and it’s certainly good enough to reach the final, which is only to finish top 10 out of sixteen songs. After the strong start the song sort of goes nowhere, and it’s not anywhere as good as Crisalide. Returning as a failed artist should help because, unlike returning as a successful artist, there’s no expectation on her to meet a standard. In fact, she may gain a sympathy vote from those that remember her. English will also help, conveying any emotion better.
The best advice for Valentina is to wipe all hopes of reaching the final, expect to finish last in the semi, then there’s no pressure, just go and perform the song. ESC is so crazy that anything can happen. It’s all down to the mood of the night, the overall presentation and how the song fits in context against others.
2014
2013
2012
More: http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=98253&_t=its_maybe_for_valentina_monetta
Mr Eurovision Australia 