Arguably, one of Moldova’s most memorable Eurovision moments (amongst some of the most outrageous) would have to be Epic Sax Guy, who first made his appearance on international television screens in 2010 as part of Sunstroke Project. This year, we are lucky enough to be graced with the presence of the meme-worthy Epic Sax Guy once again, as Sunstroke Project was voted back in by the Moldovan public to represent the nation with the upbeat, fun entry titled Hey Mamma.
In the context of the Moldovan national final this year, if this song didn’t win, there would be some serious qualification issues facing Moldova, but with this selection, I can just envisage Europe (and Australia) falling in love with this as much as I have. Regardless of whether you like the song or not, you have to admit that this is one of the most fun, if not the most fun song of the year, and unless you’re a huge party pooper, you’ll be singing along with all the ‘hey mamma’s.’
As much as I love this song, it does sometimes feel like a first draft of a song. I think the backing music could have been developed a bit more, or revamped after the national final. The lyrics are a bit nonsensical at times, but it’s easily forgivable considering how catchy the melody is. I really enjoy the second verse and how it sounds as it if goes against the beat, but it actually gives it some differentiation from the first verse. What is also great about this song is that it has space in the song to show of the epic sax, which is one of the calling cards of Moldova’s act this year.
For the staging, I can imagine something similar to the national final performance, simply because the guys have carried through that dance from national final to the pre-contest parties. It is quite a strange choreography, and even though I’m not 100% sure on it, it at least gives people something to remember the song by because it is so unique. Even if they do keep the dance, which seems to be likely, I hope they reconsider the bride backing singers, but time will tell how they choose to stage this!
Overall, I really enjoy this song. As a song itself, it isn’t perfect, but it’s just such a fun and feel good song that its shortcomings are almost irrelevant. I would be pretty surprised if this doesn’t make the final, and not only surprised but disappointed. It’s been a few years now since we’ve seen Moldova in the final, and I think that this is the song to bring them back. With all that said, I’m going to give this song an 8.5/10.
