Eurovision 2021 — My rankings

I ranked the contestants in Eurovision 2021 based on the music videos and national final performances, before the semi-finals.

In the list below I have also included the semi-final the songs competed in (1️ or 2️) — with 🟩 for the countries that go straight through to the grand final (Big Five and the host Netherlands). I’ve also included whether the song got into the grand final (✅ or ❌).

The contest was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although the countries had already chosen their acts and songs. Twenty-six of the artists that would have competed in 2020 were invited back this year, albeit with new songs. These are marked with 🔁. The other 13 artists are marked with 🆕 because they were new artists with new songs, rather than re-invited artists with new songs.

There were two songs this year with the same name, “Amen”. Neither got into the final. Additionally, there was a song this year with the same name as a song from last year (“You”). It also didn’t get into the final.

1. 🔁2️✅ 🇮🇸 Iceland — Daði og Gagnamagnið — 10 Years
2. 🔁1️✅ 🇲🇹 Malta — Destiny — Je Me Casse
3. 🔁2️✅ 🇧🇬 Bulgaria — Victoria — Growing Up Is Getting Old
4. 🔁🟩✅ 🇳🇱 Netherlands — Jeangu Macrooy — Birth Of A New Age
5. 🆕2️✅ 🇫🇮 Finland — Blind Channel — Dark Side
6. 🆕1️✅ 🇸🇪 Sweden — Tusse — Voices
7. 🔁1️✅ 🇺🇦 Ukraine — Go_A — Shum
8. 🔁1️❌ 🇮🇪 Ireland — Lesley Roy — Maps
9. 🔁1️✅ 🇱🇹 Lithuania — The Roop — Discotheque
10. 🔁1️✅ 🇮🇱 Israel — Eden Alene — Set Me Free
11. 🆕1️✅ 🇷🇺 Russia — Manizha — Russian Woman
12. 🔁1️❌ 🇷🇴 Romania — Roxen — Amnesia
13. 🔁🟩✅ 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — James Newman — Embers
14. 🆕🟩✅ 🇩🇪 Germany — Jendrick — I Don’t Feel Hate
15. 🆕1️✅ 🇳🇴 Norway — Tix — Fallen Angel
16. 🔁2️❌ 🇦🇹 Austria — Vincent Bueno — Amen
17. 🔁2️✅ 🇸🇲 San Marino — Senhit ft. Flo Rida — Adrenalina
18. 🔁1️✅ 🇧🇪 Belgium — Hooverphonic — The Wrong Place
19. 🔁2️✅ 🇬🇷 Greece — Stefania — Last Dance
20. 🔁1️❌ 🇦🇺 Australia — Montaigne — Technicolour
21. 🆕1️❌ 🇭🇷 Croatia — Albina — Tick Tock
22. 🆕2️❌ 🇩🇰 Denmark — Fyr & Flamme — Øve os på hinanden
23. 🆕1️✅ 🇨🇾 Cyprus — Elena Tsagrinou — El Diablo
24. 🔁1️✅ 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan — Efendi — Mata Hari
25. 🔁2️✅ 🇨🇭 Switzerland — Gjon’s Tears — Tout l’Univers
26. 🔁🟩✅ 🇪🇸 Spain — Blas Cantó — Voy A Quedarme
27. 🆕🟩✅ 🇫🇷 France — Barbara Pravi — Voilà
28. 🆕🟩✅ 🇮🇹 Italy — Måneskin — Zitti E Buoni
29. 🔁2️❌ 🇨🇿 Czech Republic — Benny Cristo — omaga
30. 🆕2️✅ 🇦🇱 Albania — Anxhela Peristeri — Karma
31. 🆕2️✅ 🇵🇹 Portugal — The Black Mamba — Love Is On My Side
32. 🔁1️❌ 🇸🇮 Slovenia — Ana Soklič — Amen
33. 🆕1️❌ 🇲🇰 North Macedonia — Vasil — Here I Stand
34. 🔁2️❌ 🇱🇻 Latvia — Samanta Tīna — The Moon Is Rising
35. 🆕2️❌ 🇵🇱 Poland — Rafał — The Ride
36. 🔁2️✅ 🇲🇩 Moldova — Natalia Gordienko — Sugar
37. 🔁2️❌ 🇪🇪 Estonia — Uku Suviste — The Lucky One
38. 🔁2️✅ 🇷🇸 Serbia — Hurricane — Loco Loco
39. 🔁2️❌ 🇬🇪 Georgia — Tornike Kipiani — You

The actual winner was Italy, who were far from my favourite this year, but I appreciated Måneskin’s energy and brashness. As it happens, my favourite song last year was for Italy — Diodato’s “Fai Rumore”, a song that I think is very thoughtful. The title translates as “You Make Noise”, and Måneskin’s song-title means “Quiet and Good”, so they could be describing one another! Anyway, Italy didn’t get the chance to win with Diodato, but they won with Måneskin instead. Which I quietly think is bueno.