Slovenia made their Eurovision debut back in 1993, however are yet to win the contest. Their best result thus far is 7th place, but hoping to improve on those results is this year’s returning representative, Ana Soklič who will be singing the song, Amen. Will we see Slovenia reach new heights this year?
Anita (Eurovision Union)
Song and Vocals
As a returning participant, we had an idea of what to expect for Slovenia this year. With last year’s entry in mind, I didn’t have the highest hopes for her new entry, and unfortunately Slovenia isn’t really ticking the boxes for me once again. In comparison, I marginally enjoy Amen more than Voda, but overall I don’t think it will charm the viewers.
In a similar fashion to last year, I find the song to be quite bland, despite a few big moments. The first verse of Amen takes up almost the entire first minute of the song, and by that point I’ve lost interest. I would say that the first and third (and final) minute of the song are the most important. A song needs to be able to grab someone’s attention in that first minute, and the final minute needs to feature a memorable finish. Perhaps the only part of the song I enjoy is that final minute, where the choir really kicks in and we get to hear more impactful vocals. The instrumentation in that final minute instantly creates more interest in the song, but I feel that by that point, it may be too late.
Vocally, Ana has a strong voice, but it’s a tone of voice that may not appeal to everyone. She can certainly hit the big notes, which she also proved in her national final performance last year, however I personally don’t enjoy her vocal style.
Act and Performance
It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if this entry is staged in a similar fashion to the official music video. I suspect they will continue with a lot of the same elements. I found the performance to be quite static, but that can easily be overcome with different backing images or diverse camera work. With the final minute of the song being the most impactful, they would benefit from really building the tension visually throughout the 3 minutes, through lighting and camera work so that when we reach that peak, we have the visuals to match.
Conclusions
Slovenia is serving up to be what I would consider a niche entry. There will be an audience that appreciates this song, and there are aspects I certainly like, however overall find it to be lacking. If they can improve on the staging to create more of an atmosphere, perhaps this will gain some public support, but at this stage cannot see Slovenia qualifying to the final.
Rating
4/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
Let’s start of positive: What I really like compared to last year is that Ana came up with a song that seems to have more meaning to herself personally. At the Shine a Light-show, she already included her faith and personal story in her message. It’s also the message we hear in this song ‘Amen’ and it makes it a more sincere entry in my opinion. Ana also sings the song well, but her unique voice will always remain something that not everyone will enjoy. I don’t mind it at all, because this is a sincere song.
Performance and Act
Slovenia already thought their act through for their song presentation, and it would make sense to come up with a similar performance in May. Start and end in close-up with Ana Soklič, grabbing her emotion. Fire for the big chorus, it’s all very natural how this song will be staged. It has the potential to stand out as a ballad if the production team places it in between some more upbeat entries.
Conclusions
Last year Slovenia was on the bottom of the list of many, including the bookmakers. In 2021, their odds have not improved much but I see more chances for a surprise qualification. That being said, it would still be a surprise, but at this stage I am definitely not ruling it out yet.
Rating
7/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:
Steef:: 7.5/10
Joshua: 5/10
Selim: 5/10
Heath: 5/10
Kaitlin: 6.5/10
Average Score: 5.7/10
What do you think of Amen? Follow our Eurovision 2021 reviews here.. You can support your favourite acts in our Eurovision 2021 poll, which you can find here.