5. Israel
Dami's Verdict:
"This one's just like a classic ballad. I like a ballad for Eurovision - you've gotta have at least one good one!"
Things to note about the artist:
Israeli artist Hovi Star already has a significant profile in his home country of Israel, but the openly gay star says he recently suffered a homophobic incident at Moscow airport, where his passport was allegedly ripped up by immigration officers as he headed to Russia as part of a promotional tour for Eurovision.
4. Ireland – ‘Sunlight’ – Nicky Byrne
Dami's Verdict:
"He's a really great singer - he just seems really comfortable in his own skin."
Things to note about the artist:
Dami: "Oh wow, no wonder - he'll be one to watch on stage then! It's just a really sweet song though - kind of folksy, I guess?"
3. Russia – ‘You Are the Only One’ – Sergey Lazarev
Dami's Verdict:
"This video has EVERYTHING! Thunder, lightning, fire... you really can't beat a bit of spectacle for Eurovision. Can't wait to see what he does on stage."
Things to note about the artist:
The Russian hottie Sergey is already a huge pop icon in his home country but recently raised alarm that he might be overdoing things when he collapsed on stage while performing on tour.
2. Sweden - ‘If I Were Sorry’ – Frans
Dami's Verdict:
"It's a really nice song - but actually I just really like him! He's young, fresh, hot - it's nice to see fresh new talent."
Things to note about the artist:
17-year-old Frans has already won the hearts of Sweden, dominating the country's super competitive national selection competition Melodifestivalen to go on to represent this Scandinavian nation at Eurovision.
1. Spain – ‘Say Yay’ - Barei
Dami's Verdict:
"My absolute favourite out of the competition is 'Say Yay' by Spain's Barei. It's just a great happy, party anthem song with a really cool video".
Things to note about the artist:
Barei's 'Say Yay' is already big hit in Europe and has topped the Spanish charts and is clearly fondly liked by fans downunder too as the official Aussie fan club, ESCFAN voted the tune as their second favourite out of the competition. Click here to see how all the other countries stacked up in their fan poll.
