Tonight, we have seen the first televised heat of the national final season for 2012. Only two of the seven artists who have performed in this show will go to the 2012 Swiss Eurovision national final and the lucky ones are Sinplus and Chiara Dubey.
Swiss-Italian broadcaster RSI’s show started at 21:00 CET live from Serocca d’Agno and it was hosted by Fabrizio Casati and Clarissa Tami. Seven artists had been chosen to perform at this regional final, five of them by an expert jury and the other two through the Internet voting, and they were singing their potential entries for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.
The songs:
Song Number 1 – Vittoria Hyde – It’s Your Love: After she had been disqualified last year due to a violation of the rules of the competition, she is back for the second year in a row. This song is a splendid mix of retro-soul rhythms with mellow pop sounds steeped in pain, longing and unrequited love that sounds really good with her smoke-tinged vocals. She was alone on stage wearing a red skirt, a black shirt with gold embroidery and a red tie.
Song Number 2 – Gianluca Solci – Giro Intorno: It is jazz but at the same time this is such an enjoyable, catchy and foot-tapping song sung in Italian language. The mix of genre in here is like a very well-crafted menu. This is an easy listen and exciting as well. He was dressed in casual clothes with blue jeans and a striped grey shirt and he had two backing singers.
Song Number 3 – Rossella – Here I Am: The song sounds very powerful and energetic. Her heartfelt voice heated the emotions and it was one of the most thrilling performances of the night. She was wearing a simple black dress and she had two female backing singers.
Song Number 4 – Laetitia – The Big Picture: A very melodic song with a catchy chorus and a great beat. Her voice sounds so pure and every word is so strong and so serious. She was alone on stage wearing a black skirt and a grey shirt.
Song Number 5 – Sinplus – Unbreakable: A pounding beat set the stage for the song and, when the chorus kicks in, the song’s title is the main hook. It has a killer beat, catchy melody and an inescapable electro gimmick that opens the song. The chorus is sticky like glue and you can’t do nothing but jump up and dance in rhythm all day long. Their vocals shine and reach high notes. They were dressed in black with elegant suits and one of them was also wearing a white shirt with the logo of the band. All the audience were clapping during the performance.
Song Number 6 – Chiara Dubey – Anima Nuov: This one is a sensual, soulful and beautifully sung acoustic ballad that highlights the ethereal qualities of her distinctive voice. The guitar melody goes on all through the song, and it sounds nearly atmospheric. The shy Chiara was wearing black trousers and a grey shirt.
Song Number 7 – Scilla – Masquerade: She participated in the Swiss final in 2010 with the song, "Barbie Doll". This vivacious track is a hybrid of various genres and it is a sure-fire hit, since it makes you want to move those dancing feet. The beat is not overdone or forced, with an effervescent pop and hip-hop sound that harmoniously joins together to create a great tune. Her voice is not very strong but it seems quite versatile and she was a convincing dancer during her performance. Like most of her opponents, she was also dressed in black.
The show:
The set was like a night club with people drinking and dancing while they were listening to the songs. The stage was always lit in blue with different shades for each of the songs. In between songs, some guests visited the bar like Ivan Cattaneo, Mauro Rossi or Barbara Berta (1997 Swiss representative). While the audience was voting all the artists performed their own version of the 1958 Italian Eurovision Song Contest entry Nel blu dipinto di blu.
The results:
The choice of the two winners was exclusively through the televoting and all the Swiss viewers were able to vote for their favourite from the beginning of the show.
Sinplus and Chiara Dubey were the favourites for the audience and they will go to the 2012 Swiss Eurovision national final scheduled for the 10th of December in Kreuzlingen.
