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. Consequently, we see Turkey in the 2005 Semi-Final.

 

 

There has been what I can't help thinking is a lot of unnecessary hype surrounding this entry - I don't think it's that good at all.  It's rather catchy, but I wouldn't say catchiness does a song many favours if it's not great.  I think that performed live, this song will come across much better, but I'm still finding it so hard to decide what I think of it.  It's a grower, but I can't figure if Sibel scrawks those high notes out or is still singing.  I think at parts it sounds a bit of a mess, but nonetheless it is a popular entry among fans, with more merit than other songs in the contest, so Turkey shouldn't fare too badly at all.  Sibel herself is a gorgeous girl, who can undoubtedly perform, so I'm sure she can pull it off with an impressive performance.

 

 

I can't help thinking all this hype is similar to Belarus' enrty last year, and this could just do another Agurbash (you'll know what I'm talking about if you follow Eurovision).  If this makes it through, which is certainly a strong possibility, I can't see it doing overly well in the Final, and will probably equal their result from last year.

 

 

I've had a big change of heart about this from I saw the performance in the Semi-Final.  I thought it was great - and even found myself voting for it!  The performance was slick, the vocal flawless and the key change worked a treat!  This has now become a real contender for victory - it's my predicted winner and certainly gets my vote!

 

 

The Turkish performance certainly was one which met the expectations of the fans.  Unfortunately when it came to the voting, it seemed that Turkey either 'hit or missed' in countries all across Europe - they received 12 points from countries as far away as the Netherlands, yet received nothing from countries closer to home.  In both contests, from the offset the Turkish entry looked professional.  Sibel's vocals were great - certainly much better than I expected and she dealt with the wonderful key change really well.  Performing live certainly gave the song the extra something it needed - it really lifted it from the bland CD verison that we were all so used to.  The dancers did a brilliant job as well, with professional and suitable choreography.  The best treat for me was the part Sibel performed in English in the Final - it was a nice touch for the fans of the British dancers - and certainly worked when it came to UK votes, where they gave Turkey nothing in the Semi, but 3 points in the Final.  Should she have listened to Sertab and sang the whole thing in English rather than listen to her Turkish management?  We'll never know, but Sertab is positive an English performance is what led her to victory in 2003.  Superstar certainly was one of my big favourites after having watched the performance in the Semi-Final, so I was disappointed to see it fare as it did in the Final - 11th place is certainly less than I think it deserved.  As for my prediction - turns out that if I had have stuck to what I initially thought before the Semi, I would have been spot on, so predicting this as my winner wasn't really the right way to go about it.  Oh well, at least I was half right!