Eduardo Alvarez Madrid

Madrid

Updated Tuesday, January 30, 2024-16:14

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How many of the 16 participants in the third edition of the

Benidorm Fest

really want to represent Spain in the

Eurovision Song Contest

next May 11? We can't see the raised hands from here. But at this time, about to start the semi-finals of the TVE program, and when we still know nothing, as is logical about the staging, this smells too much like there are plenty of applicants eager to become a

Vicco

and repeat the success of his

Nochentera

, but there are not so many eager to take up Blanca Paloma

's baton

.

They are determined on public television that the

Benidorm Fest

is much more than the platform to choose our Eurovision standard bearer. And ambition is not bad. But you may end up running the risk of artists joining the adventure with more hunger for self-promotion than a competitive spirit in the contest for the most demanding song on the globe. And, be careful, because if in the end Benidorm is neither similar to San Remo - which literally paralyzed Italy for an entire week - nor is it committed to songs with as much punch as those from the Swedish Melodifestivalen, the displeasure and the usual criticism will return in May about how we have to choose our candidacy.

For now, as far as listening is concerned -without visual addition-, this edition lacks hymns or bombshells such as

Ay Mama

, by

Rigoberta Bandini

;

Terra

, from

Tanxugueiras

; or

My Family

, by

Fusa Nocta

, although this was the best example that one thing is to sing in the recording studio and another to perform live on a spectacular stage where the poor thing had enough to avoid drowning in the attempt.

ALMÁCOR.

Platinum glitters

. Announced as one of the promises in our country of what is called urban music, this artist from Villena (Valencian Community) is one of the favorites.

His song, with a solid electronic base, is the typical track-breaker to make you jump at three in the morning

- or whatever time it is today, what a pity - in bars and clubs to the hilt. At this time, however, everything is just doubts about how it will be defended live without autotune. You better have learned your lesson from the aforementioned Fusa Nocta.

ANGY FERNÁNDEZ

.

I know who I am

. Better known for her career as an actress than for her musical adventure that she had so abandoned, although she rose to fame on

Factor X

, the Mallorcan has the skills to give a show and do well on stage.

The bad thing is that her song a priori is not competitive in Eurovision

and some of the pounding chords of the song even sound unpleasant and force you to lower the volume of the TV.

DELLACRUZ

.

Kiss in the morning

. Like Almácor, someone else like that dances. The canary wants his song to be the song of the summer and for it to play, and play, and play without stopping.

Fusion of urban pop with Latin and electronic rhythms that probably works better in nightclubs

than on the Eurovision stage. He will leave us all speechless in any case if he proves that he sings well without autotune. Right now, it's a mystery.

JORGE GONZALEZ

.

Hot

. Here we are before one of the candidates who really dream of Eurovision. The Madrid native, who has participated in countless television programs, has tried it up to three times.

The worst thing about his proposal, the song

. He condenses all the clichés and cliches that we have heard a thousand times from Ricky Martin or Chayanne, and at times he makes us laugh. The best thing, without a doubt he has prepared a scandalous staging to make a

big splash

.

LÉRICA

.

Astronaut

. The duo that includes a brother of

Abraham Mateo

presents a fun proposal, also very designed to make August this summer at patron saint festivities throughout Spain.

Dance composition, with electronic sounds and a fair dose of flamenco pop reminiscence

, with a vocalization that is quite unintelligible, intentional or not.

MANTRA

.

You're gonna see me

.

Carlos Marco

, former Auryn boy, has had a threesome. Don't be ill-considered. He has joined

Paula Pérez

- beautiful voice - and

Charly

and has formed a new group, and is trying again the Eurovision adventure that catapulted the boy band in its day by coming second in the TVE contest to elect a representative. It doesn't seem that this time any portion of Auryn is going to conquer the Festival of Festivals either because the song

- with astonishing initial inspiration in Vicco -

gives what it gives.

MARÍA PELÁE

.

Sender

. The only thing left to do is surrender to the talent of the woman from Malaga and be grateful that she has decided to participate in the

Benidorm Fest

. But, with the utmost respect,

we assume that she knows that we are very scalded

. Another upset like Blanca Paloma's for the second year in a row and there is not one Eurofan left alive in this bull's skin. A thousand applauses for Peláe, but let's stop being flamenco to captivate Europe.

MARLENA

.

Summer Love

.

Ana Legazpi and Carolina Moyano

are the first winners of

Benidorm Fest 2024

. His song is already sweeping and is the first hit of the edition to make its way onto the radio. Song of the summer it will undoubtedly be, in the wake of Nochentera. It's a shame that it is so noticeable that Eurovision is not the duo's goal.

MISS CAFFEINE.

Bla bla bla

. The participation of a cult indie band like this gives cachet to Benidorm and is a pleasure for the fans. Without wanting to compare pears with apples a la Ana Botella, they give the same high as when

La Casa Azul

tried to go to

Eurovision

with their

Sexual Revolution

. But, of course, between this pop whiplash and

Blah, blah, blah

, there is no color.

That makes the difference between going to the Festival all out or staying at half throttle

. We will never recover from the fact that Guille Milkiway stayed at her house because of Chikilicuatre.

NEBULOSSA

.

Bitch

. Here is the edition's most blatant example of how much Vicco's overwhelming triumph has weighed on the artists who have decided to participate this year in the renovated

Benidorm

.

María Bas and Mark Dasousa

, married couple and artistic couple, are having a great time and can already boast that their hit song reminiscent of Camela is the most viral song of the moment and

they are not going to have a day off as soon as the festivals begin. Pride throughout Spain

. It's another thing for someone to really see Eurovision possibilities in their catchy praise of female empowerment and blah, blah, blah. Although to know.

NOAN

.

I miss you

. The young man born in Zarautz presents himself with a classic pop rock composition that he defends well in the recording studio, we will see live, but that contributes little, and that is the shame.

In the song, listened to so many times a million times, all of his influences are very present

, from Green Day to Canto del Loco or Pereza, and at times it sounds a lot like Morat. Either he gets oil from the Benidorm stage or there is nowhere to scrape from.

QUIQUE NICE

.

Prisoner

. Actor and singer, the Madrid native is the youngest of the edition.

We'll see if it shows on the tables

. As far as listeners are concerned, his song, despite the chorus with a certain brio, goes soooo unnoticed.

ROGER PADRÓS

.

The Temps

. The one proposed by the Barcelonan is a delicious song, performed in Catalan - how lazy it is that some continue like they did in '68 with Serrat and believe that you only have to go to

Eurovision

in Spanish, anyway.

His is the most classic ballad of the edition

. In San Remo he could even aspire to a victory. And any Italian singer with a song like that on the Malmö stage does not drop from third place in May. But... we are Spain.

SOFIA COLL

.

Here To Stay

. The one from Barcelona is also considered one of the favorites according to the Eurofan polls that have been spread out there. Although everything goes by neighborhood, of course.

As soon as its theme was known, there was debate about whether it was up to par or if it left a certain decaffeinated taste,

having among its authors none other than the Canut brothers.

Sofía Coll

wants to launch an electronic pop hit in Europe with phrases in three languages ​​- Spanish, English and Catalan - so that later we don't hide behind the fact that beyond the Pyrenees they don't understand us. And in this case it is really difficult to bet anything until you see it directly.

ST. PEDRO

. Two Strangers (string quartet). The man from Tenerife doesn't even know who

Vicco

is or what he does to him. And what do we say about this? That

she is a musical gem of extraordinary quality

, that he sings with a sensitivity that marvels and pinches the soul, that his bolero without artifice is pure magic... We say all that. And also that St. Peter is going to make us debate between our heads and our hearts. Yes, Salvador Sobral won Eurovision, okay. But one swallow does not make a summer (the canary will forgive us for resorting to such a hackneyed poetic saying).

YOLY SAA

.

I don't forget

. Beautiful ballad with folk touches that the Galician woman sings, with a bright tone of voice. In recent interviews Yoly Saa has stressed that

Benidorm Fest

is a unique platform to present yourself to the world, and it is. Another thing is that, as happens with so many of her opponents, damn how hard it is to imagine her with a song like that at

Eurovision

. Anything that the staging makes us change the chip. Hopefully.