Every year at the Eurovision Song Contest there is a lead up to the Contest that is wrought and filled with angst. At Eurovision 2022 there were some songs that could have been on the stage but they were left in the national selections. Here we are highlighting those entries that could have been on the Eurovision 2022 stage.
Czech Republic
We Are Domi was selected to represent the Czech Republic on the Eurovision stage in Turin, Italy. Their track “Lights Off” is well-produced and modern, but in the national selection the jury runner-up was Elis Mraz. A hip hop meets Latino pop meets rock song with a dash of ska doesn’t even begin to set up what “Imma Be,” is. The entry no doubt would have stood out on the Eurovision 2022 stage.
But that’s not all. The Czech Republic’s national final had a ton of interesting entries in the mix and the clear favorite in the Eurovision bubble was the ethereal electronic entry from Jezinky called Giudi. Grimes meets FKA Twigs, Jezinky’s entry would have stood on a plane unto itself at Eurovision serving a striking visual and daring sonic composition.
Albania
Ronela Hajati’s “Sekret” is the ethnic bop so many have been wanting Albania to take a chance on, but another favorite from the national selection was Alban Ramosaj’s “Theje” the ethnic power-ballad featuring Gjergj Leka is exactly the kind of entry folks love to see on the Eurovision stage. Alban’s fandom definitely thought he was likely to win, but he finished in 2nd position. Ronela will be a moment on the stage but it would have been interesting to see what could have been with “Theje”.
Spain
Spain came back in a big way on the national selection scene with an extremely competitive national selection, Benidorm Fest, stacked with quality entries but the fan and local favorites were clear. Benidom Fest should definitely be here to stay with the quality they served up. Chanel is definitely going to do some damage on the Eurovision stage with “SloMo” but let’s take a look at the entries that could have been.
Winning the televote was Tanxugueiras with the ethnic experience “Terra”. This would have no doubt stood out on the Eurovision stage and was the “risk” many Spanish Eurovision fans were hoping the delegation would bring to Italy.
After toping the charts, many in Spain thought Rigoberta Bandini’s “Ay mamá” was a sho-in to win the contest. This ode to feminism and breasts (particularly breast feeding) this would have surely been a statement on the Eurovision stage earning a ton of press attention.
Latvia
“Eat Your Salad” from Citi Zēni is already trending on TikTok, but could you imagine if former Eurovision participant Aminata Savadogo returned to the Eurovision stage? Aminata has been working behind the scenes in Latvia writing songs since she burst on the the 2015 Eurovision stage, and the fandom has been waiting for her return for the spotlight. Her song, “I’m Letting You Go” won’t be on the stage in Turin but it could have really made a mark.
Ukraine
Alina Pash was the winner of Vidbir. According to the Eurovision official site, “Alina Pash is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter and actress, whose music combines elements of R&B and hip-hop, intertwining them with facets of traditional Carpathian sounds.” Due to some unfortunate circumstances the runner-up in the contest Kalush Orchestra, will be representing Ukraine in Turin performing their song “Stefania”.
Croatia
Mia Dimšić blew through her competition with 257 total points at Dora, but her second place competitor put up a good fight with a Eurovision ready studio track and staging package. Marko Bošnjak’s “Moli za nas” was a modern elctro-pop song in Croatian. Reminiscent of Bulgaria’s 2017 Eurovision Song Contest entry from Kristian Kostov, Marko’s entry would has sailed to the 2022 Eurovision Grand Final.
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