Eurovision Throwback: Pastora Soler – Quédate Conmigo

Looking back at Spain’s recent Eurovision history, it’s clear that the nation has struggled to make an impact. While some songs may have been underrated at the contest, others were certainly deserving of their fate. Pastora Soler is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Spain’s recent history at Eurovision, reaching 10^th place in the final.

While the 10^th place result was matched by Ruth Lorenzo in 2014, Pastora Soler still remains as one of my personal highlights for Spain at the contest. It had been a number of years since Spain sent a ballad to Eurovision, however it was clear that their attempts with pop music were failing to make a splash. Pastora Soler entered Eurovision with a ballad at the perfect time, and beyond that, the quality of the song far exceeded previous Spanish entries – and dare I say, exceeds the quality of the songs that were to follow.

Quédate Conmigo, I believe, is one of the strongest ballads we have seen in the modern-day contest. This song ticks every box, from authenticity to power and memorability. A good ballad has the ability to grow over the three minutes, and Quédate Conmigo does this so well. The instrumentals grow throughout the song, and by the final minute, we reach the powerful peak. That final minute still gives me chills, even after all these years.

Vocally, Pastora delivers this song flawlessly. The vocals during the verses are powerful, but reserved as she prepares for the choruses and that final minute. This performance was also such a good demonstration of the use of backing singers. The backing singers only enter during that final part of the song, and it really provides such a good foundation for Pastora to sing against. The backing singers give the support, without overshadowing the massive notes that Pastora belts out with ease.

Spain ended up finishing within the top 5 in the jury vote, which of course was well deserved, however still lacked in the televote. Vocally, this was spectacular, however Pastora didn’t engage enough with the cameras to really make that connection with viewers. At times, it’s almost like you could see her focus solely on delivering the notes, however a closer interaction with the camera, especially in the second half of the song could have helped to build that connection.

Overall, I think 10^th place was criminally low considering the quality of this song and the live performance. Even after almost a decade, this song still stands as one of the best Spanish entries from the modern-day contest, so let’s hope Spain can capture the special qualities of Quédate Conmigo for their future entries. It’s a 10/10 for me.