As an independent nation, Serbia has had a fairly short history at Eurovision, but yet they have managed some great results. If not in the Top 10, they were not far off, however in recent years, have found themselves towards the bottom of the results table in the final. This year, hoping to dance their way into the Top 10 was Hurricane with the song Hasta La Vista.
Anita (Eurovision Union)
Song and Vocals
Shortly after the announcement of the acts for the Serbian national final, the hype train was going wild for the girl group Hurricane, which features former representative Sanja Vučić. Of course, I had to see that the hype was about, and I listened to their most popular track, Favorito. Ok, Serbia, well played, but it all comes down to their Eurovision entry, not previous singles.
Hasta La Vista unfortunately doesn’t live up to Favorito, but is still a strong choice from Serbia. What is great about this entry is that it’s energetic from start to finish. The choruses are super catchy, and although I don’t understand the lyrics, I get a real girl power vibe off this song. It’s a strong song in the studio version, but in terms of the live performance, I think it left a lot to be desired. Hasta La Vista is such a fast song that I can easily see why their vocals are patchy at times. Combine this with intense choreography and it really took a toll on the live performance. I’m all for a fierce performance, but not at the expense of the vocals.
Performance and Act
I think Serbia was right in choosing Hurricane, as they have a lot of Eurovision potential. This song, as we saw in the national final, has a lot of potential for good choreography. I think if they had worked on something slicker for Eurovision while also working on their vocals while doing that choreography, it would have created a bigger impact at Eurovision. Mix this with a better light show, and an improved visual show on the backing screens, I think it would have looked very impressive for both audiences at home and in the arena. It was good, but with fine tuning and improvement on the live vocals, it would have been a spectacle.
Next Up: 2021
There’s no confirmation that Hurricane will return in 2021, whether that’s internally selected or through a national final again, but I think they should return. In terms of their song, I’d like to see something more like Favorito that includes more of the ethnic sound, and is slower in tempo to really let their voices shine. Choreography is a strength of Hurricane, but they can still achieve their signature girl group style with a slower paced song.
Conclusions
This was a fierce entry from Serbia, and although it wasn’t my favourite from the 2020 line-up, it was one of the highlights for me. I think the group has big Eurovision potential, and had they improved on vocals and staging for Eurovision, qualification seemed possible if not likely. Would it have been Top 10? I would confidently rule it out, placing it around the 15-20 region.
Rating
7/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
The instrumentation of this song is so strong to me. I remember saying, after the first time I heard ‘Hasta la vista’, “I really like the instrumental parts”. Later on I started to wonder, is that a compliment or an insult? Because the vocal delivery isn’t great (it isn’t bad either) and in combination with all the dancing, this is a problem. But on the other hand, the bombastic orchestration sure makes an impact. Overall the Serbian song was on the right side of the medal for me.
Performance and Act
The girls move and perform in a convincing manner. It all matches the vibe and tone of the song and the total package for me is working out. I have to say I expect and take into account that Serbia usually gets their staging right and they would have improved and fine tuned it even more in Rotterdam. Combined with the previous experience at Eurovision from one of the ladies, I think Serbia would have had another spot in the final in their pocket.
Next up: 2021
Will the group Hurricane go to Eurovision after all? Their song is not that unique, so it would surely be possible to reproduce something similar for them in 2021? They had to win a national preselection to go to Rotterdam, so it remains to be seen if RTS is willing to drop their plans for next year. It is a country that has had some internal selections in the past before, and they don’t hang to Beovizija in the same way as, for instance, Sweden is hooked to Melodifestivalen. If I would have to place my money now, I would put it on Hurricane returning in 2021 for Serbia.
Conclusions
Serbia has selected a professional group for Eurovision with the three girls of Hurricane. Their song would probably have fared well in the contest. Meaning I predicted a pretty safe final ticket for them. I don’t think it was top-10 material, or the live performance would have been stunning and lifting it to a higher level. Serbia knows how to do that, so it was possible perhaps. Overall, I hope Serbia keeps this group, they keep the strengths and work on the weaknesses in 2021.
Rating
7.5/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:
Brandon: 6.5/10
Steef:: 6.5/10
Joshua: 5/10
Selim: 5/10
Heath: 3/10
Kaitlin: 3/10
Average Score: 5.4/10
What do you think of Hasta La Vista? Follow our Eurovision 2020 reviews here.