Good morning and welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! Over the weekend we brought you all the updates of the first semi finalists rehearsing. It seems to have flown by, but we’re already over to the second semi final! Today we will have the first nine competing in semi final two

As always, you can check out our ongoing coverage through both our Live Rehearsal Blog and also rolling  daily updates on our Twitter Account.

If you are avoiding potential rehearsal spoilers then don’t read any further! Semi Final Two will take place at 21.00 CET on Thursday 20th May 2021 with sixteen countries competing for ten qualifying spots for the final.

Welcome back from the lunch break! First up this afternoon is… Austria!

First Rehearsal

There’s only so many ways you can stage a ballad, so actually Austria have done a pretty good job at decorating this one. It’s a dark stage throughout, however clever use of lighting manages to give both an intimate setting in the verses whilst also a making it a big stage worth performance for the climax. Vincent himself is alone on stage wearing a sparkly black jacket and black trousers. They’ve brought with them a long catwalk style podium which he makes his way down throughout the performance.

The lights beam on both sides in a straight line to give a pretty cool illuminating effect, however the performance itself is rather ballad by numbers. One notable part is how fragile he sounds in the verses, it really sounds like he is about to cry and that emotion is something that may well lend itself to secure a higher vote. I wouldn’t call it a safe qualifier but definitely has more of a chance of qualifying than fans give it credit for.

Before Eurovision

Vincent Bueno’s first Eurovision moment came all the way back in 2016, when he was part of the Austrian national final with “All We Need Is That Love”. He spent half the performance dancing on a hoverboard, which definitely takes skill! Whilst he did ultimately lose to Zoë, with the high level of choreography and the backflips he was doing it is clear that Vincent is a great performer! So when he was chosen last year, uptempo dance number “Alive” which had a Bruno Mars sound to it felt like a natural choice.

Sadly the contest was cancelled, however Austrian broadcaster ORF did announce that Vincent would be back in 2021 with a new song. This year, they have seemingly away from Vincent’s comfort zone, with him opting to sing a gospel-tinged ballad “Amen” instead. However, recent performances behind the piano show just what a vocal powerhouse Vincent is too! Check out the official video here: