Here are my predictions for each semi-final's qualifiers...and non qualifiers. In order of how I think they'll place, to make it extra difficult for me. Also, this is my objective prediction, not my top, not my opinion. Keep that in mind.
Semi-Final One
1. Belgium - Blanche's song is easily-digestible indie pop for the non-indie. Europe just wants to hear a fun, cool song, so the fact that it's a plagiarism will most likely be disregarded by the public, while juries will commend the song's radio-friendliness. Currently, this song is second to Italy in betting odds, and it makes sense. I think it'll fit snugly in the first place.
2. Sweden - It's Sweden. No matter how terrible the song is (and in this case, it's terrible), Sweden will finish at the top.
3. Portugal - One of the biggest dark horses this year, and also the most polarizable entry of them all, Portugal will find comfort in around third place. It will touch the heart of many, but will anger pop music fans. Juries will eat it up like dessert.
4. Azerbaijan - It's cool, modern, and a sure qualifier. It will finish around the middle in the semi-final, and get a good place in the final.
5. Greece - No matter how much I would love for this song to not qualify, the Greek diaspora will vote for it, just as pop music fans who like a pretty face and a good beat will. The juries might punish it a bit, although it will certainly get 12 points from Cyprus's jury.
6. Armenia - We don't know the song yet, but it's a safe qualifier.
7. Australia - Televote will "meh" on it, and juries will rank it highly.
8. Poland - It's a perfect blend between experimental and safe, so quite a few crowds will be able to get behind it. Also, Kasia's vocals are great, so juries will award points for that.
9. Finland - Juries will award it more than televotes. The majority of the televotes that it does get will be from the older and more mature audiences, not young people who are watching.
10. Latvia - It will get flooded by televotes, but the jury will hate it. I predict so many televotes that it will qualify despite objection from the jury.
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11. Iceland
12. Cyprus
12. Cyprus
13. Albania
14. Moldova
15. Montenegro
16. Georgia
17. Czech Republic
18. Slovenia
Semi-Final Two
1. Romania - No matter how annoying I find this song to be, it's a televote magnet. Juries will award Ilinca's vocals, and it will soar straight to the final, not breaking Romania's 100% qualification record just yet.
2. Hungary - It will have a similar effect as Jamala's "1944" from last year, which wound up winning the competition. It will move people, and with that, it will be awarded plenty of points. Another dark horse.
3. Israel - It's a fun dance song that Europe wants to hear. It'll do really well, I think, and will finish near the top of its semi-final, like "Golden Boy" from 2015.
4. FYR Macedonia - It will bring Macedonia their best result to date. Modern song, that's fun but can also be taken seriously. Jana will do a good job live.
5. Bulgaria - BNT seem to have a lot of faith in Kristian, so he will most likely deliver. The song will please both juries and televoterrs, because it's classy while remaining youthful.
6. Estonia - Koit and Laura are ESC veterans, which will give them a one-up. The song is modern and nostalgic at the same time, and the pair have some chemistry live.
7. The Netherlands - Same as Australia, televoters will "meh" on it and juries will eat it up, because of the girls' vocals.
8. Serbia - It's Serbia, so it will qualify. It's a safe choice.
9. Belarus - It will add a lot of fun atmosphere to the room.. Televoters will favor it more than juries, but the juries won't absolutely hate it.
10. San Marino - It will barely qualify, but it will qualify nonetheless. Valentina Fever has returned. People will vote for her so she can get a nice result for San Marino, and for nostalgia purposes. Juries won't award it much.
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11. Switzerland
12. Denmark
13. Russia
14. Ireland
15. Norway
16. Malta
17. Austria
18. Croatia
19. Lithuania
What about you? What are your predictions for the qualifiers of ESC 2017? Let me know!
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