Critic Jonni: Svala

Paper - Svala |

How this didn't make the Grand Final, I do not know. Svala friken nailed this on the night, just like Måns Zelmerlöw said she would, it was a magical performance, but she didn't get through. Regardless, I now get to showcase it on my Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Special, so I'm glad I get to do that at least. For Iceland, Svala singing "Paper" gained 60 points overall; 29 from the juries and 31 from the televote. She deserved way more than that. The song is catchy, without a doubt, and her voice is powerful, for sure. Why did this not make it? Watch Svala perform this progressive song in this engaging performance-based music video for her Eurovision Song Contest 2017 song "Paper".

Svala, full name Svala Björgvinsdóttir, is already a pretty big name, having managed to chart on the US Billboard Chart with her song "The Real Me". She later released an album under the same name. She has been included in many projects, including three-piece electronic group Steed Lord who has had pretty big successes in the music industry. Later she formed a duo with her husband named Blissful, who's first single, "Elevate", has received lots of plays on Spotify as well as other streaming sites. She competed in Söngvakeppnin 2017, Iceland's national selection to Eurovision, and won with her song "Paper". It's such a shame she didn't make the Grand Final because she totally nailed it on the night. The song has charted at number one in Iceland. It was written by Svala Björgvinsdóttir, Einar Egilsson, Lester Mendez, and Lily Elise.

Directed by Einar Egils, the music video is another pure performance piece, which is what we usually expect from Eurovision music videos, although we all much prefer something different, since we are going to see them perform the song on the stage. Her semi-final performance can be found below.

This isn't as good as her stage performance, it's too laid-back for the song itself, never mind the whole production. She doesn't look like she's feeling the words or meaning any of them; however, that could all be down to the editing of the video.

Regardless, she looks stunning throughout, even in that wintry red puffed-up coat. She has style and totally rocks it. She looks quite sassy and confident in all the right ways, which is a great interpretation of the song since she's telling a guy how he makes her be. I also like the blue filtering which literally translates the lyrics onto the visual. Clever and cool, very cool; but, not engaging and not as good as Svala's performance on the night.