Eurovision 2010s: 06 & 05
06. Kate Miller-Heidke - “Zero gravity” Australia 2019
Hey you!
It’s me again, and I bring good tidings. After five years, Australia have finally blessed us with a fantastic entry. 🤗
This is actually an understatement though. While I had *some* positive expectations for everyone’s favourite spunky space princess, I absolutely did NOT expect Kate to be out-of-this-world brilliant. “Zero gravity” was a weird baroque blend of opera, punk and EDM. A Frankenstein’s monster sown together from genres that had no business interactng with one another, plus a weird momentum-slaying key change. It had a touching and personal anti-depression message, but was otherwise impossible to take seriously.
But then,
NOTHING HOLDING HER DOWN
NOTHING HOLDING HER DOWN
NOTHING HOLDING HER DOWN DOWN
NOTHING HOLDING HER DOOOOOOWN
Kate was bitten by the staging wonder microbe that normally only affects Moldova and it launched her deeply into All-Time Greatness. The key change is perhaps the biggest shock I ever had while watching live, even though I was fully aware of what was going to happen. I needed a BREAK to process all of this mindblowing awesomeness. (which I of course didn’t get because lmfao Hatari were on right after)
Sixth overall may be generous because as a whole since I’m not as fond of “Zero gravity” as a song, but I don’t think it should matter here. The whole of “Zero gravity” is so astronimically superior to the bare sum of its parts. Now that all the stardust has been settled, I think we can agree that Kate’s spectacular act stands out as one of the biggest glow ups of all time.
Australia have yet to find their footing in Eurovision, but the fact that they’re going for national finals for the next few years sprouts the seed of hope in my mind that they will continue dazzling us with good entries. I think they could win soon, and I wouldn’t be half sad if they did.
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05. Tinkara Kovač - “Round and round” Slovenia 2014
Tinkara in my top five? With a Hannah Mancini song? You don’t know you don’t know, is it love, is it hate?
Welcome the only blog on the planet that considers Tinkara Kovač a top five entrant of the 2010s. You may think I rank her this high *just because* I think she’s really, really, really underrated (which she is) but it’s so much more than that. She has shown me how to breathe, she has shown me how to LIIIIIIIVE
I’m gonna hold your heart and haaaaaaaaand
Yeah I’m gonna make you understaaaaaaaaand. You don’t know you dont but can you feel it inside? Not the roses, nor the pride but this feeling of utter satisfaction? "Round and round” is overwhelmingly wholesome. Everything in this little song just flows together in serendipity. “Is a moment just a circle, just a song you play on repeat?” is a perfect line for a song which operates like a loop, ending exactly how it started. It is that very circular rhythm that makes “Round and round” infinitely replayable for me. I’ve listened to it times beyond count, and finished it feeling completely satisfied afterwards EVERY time. Frankly, this is the best trait one can find in music. Quality and our perception if it may be different for each of us, but I don’t think anything speaks “quality” more than coming back for more of the same. Nothing.
Having said all of that, all of this would’ve been merely “very good” if it weren’t for musical virtuoso TINKARA KOVAC, heiress of the Ravenclaw Empire. Don’t tell me you don’t see it!!! Brandishing her magical flute our Slovene sorceress cast a spell of delightfulness over the entirity of Copenhagen
From the very beginning Tinkara grabs our attention, overeagerly promising us to share her profound wisdom on how we can change our lives by listening to her and well, she ain’t wrong, but lmfao bless <3 It isn’t exactly arrogance though. Tinkara is merely a band camp geek who is extremely passionate about her song, and she just geht looooooooooß. So uninhibited, so dorky, so incompetent, so Tinkara.
However, there is also a personal motive to ranking Tinkara in my top five and now, say, 25th. The early 2010s weren’t the greatest time for me. I had been suffering from depression and extreme self-loathing for several years until I finally got over my mental health issues the late spring of 2014. I am not saying that Tinkara cured my depression, but my own realizations that I have merit as a person happened around the same time I listened to “Round and round” on a daily basis, usually hours at a time. Um also, she was my fave and shock-qualified on my birthday.
To quote the actually great Slovene lyrics: When the sky won't cover our dreams / we'll find that out we are reborn / when the sky won't have any real ideas, / it's going to be our time again to shine / Everything will become how it’s supposed to be / let bygones be bygones. 🦋
Tinkara Kovač was my summer of 2014 and I’ve gorwn to associate her with the happiest moments in my life. The only reason why she isn’t #01 is because putting her first doesn’t feel like a satisfying end to my ranking, as she objectively offers the least of my top five. Still, I adore her very much and it is for underrated gems like such as her that I’ve taken up blogging.
SLAYvenia. SLOVEnia. This tiny country owns music. If it weren’t for the presence of a certain rapist they would’ve been my favourite nation of the decade, easily. I WANT them to get win Eurovision really badly, but lol let’s stay realistic and hope for a top 10 finish instead. Good luck, sweet angels.
TOP FOUR
