It’s almost the end of another year and as we see the last days of 2024 fade away, our thoughts will be turning to the preparations for the next Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland . While the contest this year in Malmö, Sweden was a good show overall, sadly it became overshadowed by other , somewhat controversial events which became the talking points . We at Eurovision Ireland, felt that we should pay tribute to the 2024 contest as we do with every contest at the end of the year, however we felt we wanted to focus on positives rather than the negative issues, so in our review, we have chosen to review our favourite songs of Eurovision 2024 .After all, it is about the music . Here’s what we think :

What is your favourite song of Eurovision 2024 and why? Did it get the result you thought it would ?

JAMES – “Deciding on your favourite entry from a particular year is always tough for me because I usually have so many songs I enjoy and 2024 is no exception! Ireland, Ukraine, Germany… I love them all for different reasons! As much as I’d love to rave about Ireland’s incredibly well deserved 6th place, I’m going to focus on two: Austria and Luxembourg. While I loved the studio cut of Kaleen’s We Will Rave, the performance in Malmö left a lot to be desired vocally. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great song to round off the final with, I just felt it lacked a bit of drive – it’s not often you’ll hear a Eurovision fan say that their song getting so few points from the televote was deserved but when that handful of points were awarded to Austria much to the audible shock of the audience, I can’t say I wasn’t surprised… Shame, but shows that studio cuts won’t help you on the biggest stage in Europe! Luxembourg’s return on the other hand was a real highlight for me. One might argue that Tali and Fighter’s midtable finish wasn’t exactly a return to glory but it achieved two great feats for the Grand Duchy: Firstly, it got them back to the Eurovision Song Contest and even out of a semi final – something our winner Switzerland often struggles with! Secondly, it proved the Luxembourgish broadcaster wrong. For decades they insisted that Luxembourg had no change of doing well at the contest because of bloc voting and the like – but on their first attempt, Luxembourg swept back into the final and promptly beat half of the countries taking part! I can’t wait to see what they’ll do going forward!”

Bogdan– “Initially, Slimane’s song from France wasn’t at the top of my list of favourites, but that all changed once I witnessed his stunning performance in Malmö. The raw power of his song, combined with Slimane’s incredible vocal prowess and deep, heartfelt emotion, truly captivated the audience. His ability to convey such intensity and passion left an indelible mark on everyone who watched. I was not at all surprised when he finished in the top 4—a well-deserved position for such an extraordinary artist. Slimane’s performance was a masterclass in how music can touch the soul and resonate on a profound level, making it clear why he earned a spot in our hearts, the fans.”

Sarah : “Like James, I actually have two favourites I want to mention. My first one is Saba , who sang “Sand ” for Denmark . After what was, in my view , an average Danish Melodi Grand Prix in 2024, I felt that Saba and Sand, were definitely the act that could get Denmark back to the Grand Final again this year, sadly Saba missed out , finishing in 12th place in Semi Final 2 and Denmark now haven’t qualified for the final since 2019 . I was somewhat surprised as from a staging point of view, Denmark didn’t actually do anything wrong . The only thing I can think is that it was a particularly strong year and in any other year, Saba may have qualified. I hope in 2025, DR , Denmark’s national broadcaster have thought “outside the box “, when selecting the songs that will compete for the ticket to Basel in Danish Melodi Grand Prix.”

“My other favourite was the act that won the whole contest, Nemo , for Switzerland , with “The Code”. I must admit , when I first saw the preview video of “The Code”, although the vocals were impressive with the many key changes , I didn’t actually think Switzerland would win the whole thing, although thought they would be in the Top 5 at least .However, that stage performance in Malmö really sold the song and although not perhaps as engaging with the audience as acts like Baby Lasagna from Croatia, Nemo did a sound job of telling their story through the staging and how they managed to balance on the spinning prop and sing as well is quite an achievement ! It was definitely going to be an act that was jury friendly, but as we saw with the public vote , it was 50:50 how the public would view it . As we saw with Loreen last year, had it not been for the large Jury vote in Switzerland’s favour, we may have seen a different winner!”

John-“My favourite song from the Malmö contest was Teresa & Maria by Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil. Ukraine never disappoint me at Eurovision, and they’re one of a small number that ‘get’ the contest. This year’s song was so so powerful on so many levels, from the vocals of Jerry and rapping of Alyona. I didn’t think they’d work well together, and I’m not normally a fan of rap. But they most certainly did. Coupled with the staging, which stopped me dead in my tracks – the backdrop of “shooting stars” (or were they?), and the very end shot showing Ukrainian women. The full package gelled so well it fully deserved the third place it received. Ukraine will have a hard act to follow in 2025, but knowing Ukraine, they’re likely to manage it.”

Richard-“My favourite entry from the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest has to be that from Ireland. Bambie Thug’s “Crown the Witch” has to be treated as iconic. They not only showed emotion and passion, but Bambie also brought drama to the stage in Malmø – not only through their vocals, but through their performance too. The staging focused on only a small section of the stage, which most other entries couldn’t achieve. The ring of candles that surrounded Bambie and their backing dancer allowed a focal point throughout for the viewer, as well as a unique stage set. Bambie throughly deserved their sixth place in Malmø and Ireland’s best placing since Jedward took to the stage in 2011, in Dusseldorf. This year’s Contest in Malmø had an amazing top ten, so a return to a sixth place was an amazing achievement for the Irish.”

What do you think? Do you agree with our favourites? What were your favourites and memories of Eurovision 2024 ?Let us know by dropping us a line in our comments box, or you can find us on our FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and BLUESKY feeds.

Author: Sarah Rudman

Source and Visual Sources : Eurovision Ireland, Wikipedia, You Tube