A Little Bit Of History...
Turkey really are proof that persistance pays off at Eurovision, when their victory came in 2003 after 30 years of many,
many dismal results. Since their victory in 2003, 2004 saw them finish 4th and then they managed an unfortunate 13th
place with an enthusiastic entry and performance in 2005. Sibel Tuzun gave a wonderful performance in 2006 and qualified to
the Final where she just missed out on direct qualification by one placing. So Turkey take part in this year's Semi.
Singer & Song
Kenan Dogulu Shake It Up Sekerim
‘Shake It Up Shekerim’ is
the Turkish entry this year and will be performed by Kenan Dogulu. It’s
a catchy, modern sounding song – something you’d expect Justin Timberlake to do well with – and has proved
a hit in the fan polls. There’s not a lot to say about this, other than that it is a very strong one, and should do
well, provided there’s a strong performance and well choreographed routine.
Prediction
Semi-Final: Possible Qualifier 10th-12th
Grand Final: Not Strong Enough 15th-16th
Turkey stand a reasonable chance of making the Final - but not a strong one. Despite having a good draw, and a
sound song, there's no sparkle or warmth in this one which I think could hold it back. I don't know how well this will
appeal in the Balkans and it's difficult to say whether or not Wester Europe will like it or find it too American despite
the definitive Turkish twist.
Prediction after Semi-Final
Bottom Half/Middle: 14th - 16th
I didn't like it and I'm not convinced that that many people around Europe actually do. Diaspora votes should help
this along cuz I really don't think there's much to like. I'd say Turkey will get lost amidst the competition at the
end and end up in the bottom half.
Review of Eurovision Performance
Turkey will probably be the trickiest
review for me this year, mainly because while I think the song may have deserved to do well, I really have had little love
for it. The performance was nearly everything it should have been, slick, lively
and catchy, with Kenan both looking and singing generally well. The song was
contemporary – one of the more contemporary entries of the whole evening, while still remaining determinedly Turkish. Despite all this, there was just something that didn’t work about this for me
– maybe it was too contemporary and I didn’t appreciate the evident American twist alongside the Turkish flavour,
or maybe it was Kenan’s unpolished vocal which I felt possibly wasn’t as up to scratch as others, making this
less deserving. Nonetheless, they managed to pull up in 4th and surprisingly
got 12 points from my own country (which was somewhat totally beyond me!) As
for predictions… wrong again… oh well!
