San Marino is one of the smallest, and one of the most unsuccessful nations at Eurovision. The nation has qualified to the Eurovision final only twice in 10 participations, but despite that, fans eagerly await their entries year after year. This year, Senhit is returning to the Eurovision stage with the song Adrenalina. Will it mark the nation’s third qualification?Â
Anita (Eurovision Union)Â
Song and VocalsÂ
What makes San Marino so charming for viewers is that their entries never really hit the mark. From the four participations of Valentina Monetta, to the meme that is Serhat. The nation loves to recycle previous participants, and this year is no exception. Senhit previously participated in 2011 with the song Stand By, which finished in 16th place in the semi-final. She was set to represent the nation again in 2020, however as we know the contest was cancelled. This year she is back with the song, Adrenalina.Â
Despite fans going crazy for Adrenalina, I still don’t believe this hits the mark. It definitely feels like a more serious attempt at Eurovision, but yet I can’t actually take this song seriously. The addition of Flo Rida just adds to that feeling, because it feels so incredibly out of place. The same issue I had with Poland and Azerbaijan I also have with San Marino, which is that this entry feels inauthentic. The song is fine, but it doesn’t suit Senhit and her vocal style. There is a clear attempt to be contemporary, but the vocals seem to cancel out that effect. I heard a snippet of the demo, and admittedly I enjoyed it more as there was more of the latinx flair that the song was created to have, but I don’t think Senhit suits that style.Â
As for live performance, we’ve seen Senhit perform this song live, and it was certainly passable, but not spectacular. If she adds dancing into the equation, it could have an impact on the vocals.Â
Performance and Act
The creative director for San Marino this year is Luca Tommassini, and if you have watched any of Senhit’s ‘Freaky Trip to Rotterdam’ or even just the music for Adrenalina, you will see that he has a very distinct style. The videos and performances are all VERY extra. There’s just so much thrown at these performances, from the costumes to the choreography, lighting, camera effects and the production effects. It’s consistently an assault to the senses, and you never really know where to look. I expect that this style of performance will also feature on the Rotterdam stage. If that’s the case, it’s truly going to be an explosive performance, and not necessarily in a good way.Â
Conclusions
There is definitely a chance for San Marino to qualify this year. Many fans are strongly behind this year’s entry, and it may have enough of the novelty appeal for a decent televote. I personally think there’s better choices for qualification, but I guess we will see how it turns out.Â
Rating
4/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
San Marino comes up with one of the better songs in their history in 2021. I don’t know if Senhit is the best type of singer for this type of song. ‘Adrenalina’ is a studio-produced pop-song without sparking any true emotions. But, if San Marino really manages to get Flo Rida on stage in Rotterdam, it will of course get a lot of attention and votes, I would say.
Performance and Act
Flo Rida might be the key to be successful this year. Just the fact that he is on stage, might be enough to make a memorable performance. If he is not there, it is a risky song with the potential to flop with bad staging. This lies in the fact that I don’t really visualise Senhit performing such a contemporary pop-song in a convincing manner yet.
Conclusions
San Marino is making a serious attempt to be successful at the Eurovision Song Contest this year, and for that I am grateful. No robots on stage like in 2018 or another weak Ralph Siegel song. It’s a contemporary fabricated pop-song with potentially a very big star on stage. I hope San Marino gets rewarded for this serious attempt.Â
Rating
7/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:Â
Steef:: 7/10
Joshua: 8/10
Selim: 6/10
Heath: 5/10
Kaitlin: 5.5/10
Average Score:Â 6.1/10
What do you think of Adrenalina? Follow our Eurovision 2021 reviews here.. You can support your favourite acts in our Eurovision 2021 poll, which you can find here.