2017 Eurovision Review – Hungary

Hungary’s Eurovision national selection process always features some gems, and this year was no different. Going into the early stages of the national selection A Dal, I was fairly keen on Gigi Radics and her crazy good vocals, and I also really enjoyed Peet Project, but as the process continued through all the heats, then semi-finals, and then to the final, there was a clear winner for me, a song and artist combination that if they did indeed won A Dal, they would be instantly catapulted into my number one position. That winner for me was Joci Pápai, and so waking up that Sunday morning (the usual national final routine as an Australian too sleepy to wake up and watch at 5am) brought me so much joy to see that he had won with his song Origo.

I did keep that promise, and Origo still remains my number one song, tied with a few others (which you’ll find out as more reviews are posted!). This song essentially features every element of a song I can – in my eyes – call perfect. Let’s break this down:

• It has interesting melodies

• It is, as we can now recognise, one of the most unique 2017 entries

• It is in languages other than English

• It is modern, but references cultural elements through the song and its instrumentation

• Joci as a performer is humble and emotional, and that comes through within his vocals and his stage presence

And of course,

• There’s a lovely little rap break

In the context of a contest that is full of English songs which are for the most part quite culturally distant from the country sending them, I think this is a refreshing display of pride. What is even more incredible is that Joci composed and wrote this song himself. This is a display of his own heritage, and I think that is something super special.

In terms of the staging of the song, I think it could be improved from what was shown on the A Dal stage. I really hope they play a lot on the cultural elements of this song to really highlight how special it is. The dancer on stage at A Dal didn’t quite work for me, although this is not to say that a dancing element to the staging would be a negative addition. I’m excited to see how this will come across on the Eurovision stage, however regardless of the staging, Joci’s vocals are bound to shine through.

So, as I reach the conclusion of this review, you can probably guess that this song is bound to get a 10/10 from me. I can relatively safely say that this is my favourite Hungarian entry of all time, and it would take something pretty special in future years to top Origo. Although I cannot rave enough about this song, it’s no fairytale, as after his win in A Dal, I quickly realised that Hungary will be performing in the second semi-final. So, for the countries who are participating in semi-final two, you better send this to the final so I can have a go at voting for this song, one of my favourites of the 2017 contest. Hungary, go out and win this thing!

Click back to the review page to read more!