North Macedonia announced their entrant early for the 2020 season, but was one of the last nations to reveal their song. With the cancellation of the contest coming not long after, representative Vasil has been flying under the radar with his song, You. Would North Macedonia have matched their 2019 results had the contest gone ahead?
Anita (Eurovision Union)
Song and Vocals
What I expected: When Vasil was selected, I listened briefly to some of his previous singles, and as a result I expected an ethnic ballad. He could have easily excelled in national language but like many other nations, English was the chosen language. Instead of an ethnic ballad, we got You. This song is definitely unique in the field, and although the songwriters talked about different ethnic elements through the song, I don’t necessarily hear those throughout the song as they are sometimes overshadowed by the general beat.
The song begins with a lot of mystery, and has promise, but by the chorus, it falls a bit flat. I find the chorus to be a bit repetitive and plain. The final chorus does stand out however, with the backing vocals and Vasil’s extra flair. I would have liked more of that throughout the song, with then a bigger finish.
Overall, Vasil has a nice voice and the song can also be put in the ‘nice’ category, but would it have stood out? I am not sure.
Performance and Act
I enjoyed the music video for this song, perhaps more than the song itself, and I suspect they would have done something along those lines for Eurovision. It could have been challenging to not only dance a routine such as that on the Eurovision stage, but also to sing the song. Not to say it can’t be done – we’re looking at you Tanja.
Next Up: 2021
Vasil was internally selected to represent North Macedonia, which makes it feel more likely that we will be seeing him again in 2021. What I’d love to see from Vasil is a more ethnic heavy song, and I’d go as far to say that I would like it in national language. I would also say that I’d like to see a ballad from Vasil.
Conclusions
With this going under the radar since its release, I would say that it could have remained under the radar at the contest, and subsequently missed the final. The first semi-final was certainly strong, and even with a strong visual performance, I don’t know if the song itself would have been strong enough to score one of the 10 qualifying places.
Rating
6/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
The chosen song ‘You’ starts mysterious and shows potential in the first minute. Vasil builds it up to something epic, but the chorus does not fully fulfill that promise to me. The last minute of the song is a repetition of what we heard before. In studio, the vocal qualities of the former backing singer seem to be fine.
Performance and Act
I imagine that Macedonia would have had a female dancer on stage with Vasil, and they actually do what he is singing about. Maybe they would have had some kind of ballroom dance routine? Such an act could have lifted up the song in the ranking at Eurovision 2020.
Next up: 2021
Since Vasil was chosen internally by the Macedonian broadcaster, I expect they will stick with their choice. The doubts about this backing singer being the main artist will also stick with me in 2021. But maybe another set of songwriters would be a better match for him.
Conclusions
I don’t know if North Macedonia would have qualified for the final of Eurovision 2020 with the song ‘You’. The song doesn’t stand out for me on itself and needed a hook or visual presentation to deliver in the rehearsals. Songwise, a better composition could offer a good chance to improve for the Balkan nation in 2021.
Rating
5/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:Â
Brandon: 8/10
Steef:: 4/10
Joshua: 7/10
Selim: 6/10
Heath: 5.5/10
Kaitlin: 3.5/10
Average Score:Â 5.6/10
What do you think of You? Follow our Eurovision 2020 reviews here.