I didn't expect this edition to be this polarising among people, I personally feel an improvement from 2024. It will be very exciting cause we all know the songs in Benidorm change a lot with the live performances and we don't know the semi results!
Finally someone else who loves Bésame as much as I do 😍 I do still think Hartita de llorar is the one to beat, and I would love to see it represent Spain as well.
My tier list of Benidorm Fest 2025: A-tier: Hartita La Llorara: amazing voice and vibe and ig just hooks me every time. 9/10. Te Escribo En El Cielo: the vibe is great as is his voice but what makes it here is the lyrics. It has such a deep and beautiful message that really floors me. 9/10. B-tier: Besame: I like her vocal delivery and the song is well-produced but it doesn't have enough punch ultimately. 7/10. Me Gustas Tu: such a great 80s vibe with great production and a cute vibe. I like the vibe that it stays with though it lacks evolution. 7.5/10. La Casa: I love its salsa-y vibe and it is so well-arranged and I love her voice. It lacks a bit of variety though for me. 7.5/10. VIP: great production vibe and characteristics. Really not much to criticise here but I think it just doesn't have enough punch for what it is trying to do. 8/10. Mala Feminista: the vibe is really quaint and I love her vocal tone and the lyrics are very interesting and timely. 7/10. C-tier: Esa Diva: good chorus but the rest of the song doesn't grab me enough. 6/10. REINAS: just a generic 90s pastiche with lots of nostalgia but it doesn't fully work for me and is just a little boring. 5/10. Loca Xti: it feels pretty fun instrumentally and solid vocally but the chorus is a little annoying. 5/10. La Pena: interesting vocals and vibe but it really doesn't grab me and is probably the most forgettable song of the selection for that reason alone and yeah it is very autotuned. 5/10. Raggio De Sole: the intro is compelling but the electronic switch in the first chorus doesn't work for me though his voice is nice and the song is solid. It is forgettable as well. 5.5/10. Amor Burato: very forgettable but the song and his voice are both very pleasant. 5.5/10 No Lo Ves: like the last one very much and the melody is also quite pretty. 5.5/10. D-tier: I'm A Queen: the lyrics just give me the wrong vibe though I like her attitude and the song itself is fun. 4/10. Uh Nana: annoying hook but the beat itself is good as is her voice and the song itself is solid. 4/10. Overall this selection is pretty solid. Nothing too bad but nothing that great either. Not something you want for ESC but still fine. I think their best shot for a good result would be Harita La Llrora because it just hits you though it'll probably do around as well as Blanca Poloma as they are both similar.
Your Spanish pronunciation is on point, min kära! I enjoy this preselection, too. My favorite is La Casa, but I won't be upset with any of these songs winning. I'm glad you enjoyed Benidorm Fest!
Usually I like Benidorm Fest. There are many songs that I like or at least I enjoy to listen. Of course, I understand the lyrics since I speak portuguese and it helps a lot. My favourite is by far Hartita de llorar. I also am listening much to Mala Feminista.
Oh, damn--I'm surprised you liked "I'm a Queen", because I thought I was the only one. Honestly, I agree with nearly every one of your takes (I think only "La Pena" is where I disagree a bit, though I do understand your qualms, because all the autotuning does make me lose interest after a while). I'm probably not as much into "Besame" as you are, but you're absolutely right about the soundscape being insanely well-crafted. I think it's just her voice being sort of bland and I assume that she probably won't be a strong live singer. With that said, Benidorm is such a weird selection, because you can just assume that about 80% of performers can't sing their own songs live. Not sure why that is. It's probably better to not even think about what the live performance is going to be and just assess these entries as songs.
Hi Groot! I’m from Spain and i can say that the winner will be between Melody, LaChispa, J Kbello and Carla Frigo. Probably will be Melody because she is very well known here and she has a huge fan base and the favour of the locals… i’m not the biggest fan of her song but she's CRAZY GOOD performer (she said that the final version of the song will be a little different in benidorm) I'm team LaChispa and J Kbello! Let's see what happens in february. Nice video and greetings!
As a Spanish speaker (not from Spain, though), I must say I’m not *that* into this selection. I actually think Benidorm Fest has been in decline song wise, sadly. Right now, I’d say the one I enjoy the most is La Casa but this could definitely change in the near future.
The use of vocal processing is a trend in (mostly) Southern Europe and South America, and it's used as an artistic choice and not so much as a way of correcting the voice.
Yeah, that's very true! However, it's just a style that I'm not very fond of personally because I find it distracting. Of course it depends on the song as well, in some cases a fair amount of processing can really elevate something! But in other cases I'm not a fan. All about preference :)
@@groot1421 I know, I know, just pointing it out because lots of reviewers haven't been as good as constructive as you're and have fully dismissed the song because of the autotune when, in fact, it's just an artistic element she uses in all her songs. We just had autotuned songs place really well in Eurovision (see Zari or Doomsday Blue), people should be more open to autotune as long as the live holds up well.
@@Easthor I'm not sure if there's a song in the selection you're refering to in particular, but of course you're right! One of my big, big, personal favourites "Die Together" from Greece in 2022 was built up on almost excessive vocal processing use to support its verses and I loved the way that worked. If you can pull it off well, it's a wonderful addition to the song. However, it's always tricky to manage it perfectly and make it convincing, but I'm always happy to be floored by an entry! :)
There is a tipping point between creative and chaotic, and Carla Frigo is for me the wrong side of that line. (Maybe that's just a "Me issue😉) - However, I like those songs in the E tier.
I love your videos, and I can usually appreciate your point of view on the songs as a music producer, but I live in Spain and I just completely disagree with the vast majority of your takes here. First, and most egregiously, you kept saying throughout the video that Benidorm Fest is usually won by the song that is backed by the Spaniards, and that's just not true at all. Terra (the televote winner in the first Benidorm Fest edition in 2022) got 70% of the televotes, while the winner, SloMo, got only 3%. People only started supporting Chanel once it was clear that Spain could get a good result with her song (and there was some clear rigging in place, as she had connections with some jury members). Terra lost because the Benidorm Fest voting system is specifically designed to excessively favour the juries while tanking televote favourites. It just so happened that in the last 2 years, the juries and the voters generally agreed on a winner. This year the system is being changed to be a bit more fair, though still not completely it seems (we'll see though). As for the songs themselves, I think they were a big disappointment compared to the other years (especially 2022 and 2023), mainly because of the lack of variety. Most of them sound like generic nostalgia-bait cashgrabs (Sonia & Selena, Mawot and to an extent Melody) or things that you might hear on the Spanish radio (this is NOT a compliment). Now, since I live in Spain, it might just be the overexposure, but I despise most of the genres that are popular here, lots of the songs in those genres tend to sound the same. I feel like this is most exemplified in J Kbello's song VIP, the melodies sound like they're half done (like most of the songs in its genre) and barely even melodies at all, and it's filled with trashy vocal effects. It's also not very vocally impressive, which is a bummer because J Kbello is actually an AMAZING live singer and he's definitely going to sell the hell out of that song! As for your favourite, Bésame, I do appreciate its ambition by combining two genres in one, but when those genres are generic Spanish radio pop and generic “bachata”, I just struggle to call it creative. I don't think it's all that bad though, there are a couple of songs with lots of artistic value that I can appreciate, mainly La Casa and Hartita De Llorar, but they're just not in a style that appeals to me personally. My personal favourites are Lucas Bun's song, it is very touching and I can't wait to see what he's going to do for his live performance, as well as DeTeresa, which compositionally was a very pleasant surprise, and it's actually quite creative with the genres that it mixes together (however, I am worried that she might not be able to properly sing it live because of the excessive amount of autotune and vocal effects). Also, as a final note, Mala Feminista is one that I was musically very disappointed by, but its main drive are the lyrics, they're very good.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm sure you're right on that point. As I said in the video, I can only speak for the past two years as those are the only ones I've kept up with so please excuse that haha! I understand your disappointment. I wouldn't know considering I don't hear a lot of Spanish radio haha, but it's great to know that there are some songs from the selection you like! You've also made me excited to hear V.I.P. live now so that's great! Thanks for sharing all your thoughts!
@@lac_maj Fixed televote points are staying, I think, which is a bummer, but they removed that demoscopic garbage and the televote is now 50%. 25% of that televote will be the paid SMS votes and the other 25% will be the free app votes.
You say nostalgic, I say stuck in the 90s in a bad way. You say interesting, I say it's barely listenable. I don't know, I really don't see what you see with these songs, for me this is probably the weakest national final where we have all the songs out. Also surprised you didn't pick up on the similarities between U Na Na and Crazy in Love, and VIP and Tuta Gold. Or didn't wanna mention them, that's fine, for me it's just the first thing I think about when I hear these songs. I really don't wanna piss off the Spanish fans, but this selection isn't the greatest, and I'm doubting that this is all what Spain has to offer.
Maybe I'm biased towards 90s music haha! Uh Nana absolutely has a similarity to Crazy in Love in terms of its instrumentation during those horns sections but I don't think there's much similarity outside of that to be honest. I understand why someone would be disappointed in the selection, but I really found myself charmed with it! :)
I didn't expect this edition to be this polarising among people, I personally feel an improvement from 2024. It will be very exciting cause we all know the songs in Benidorm change a lot with the live performances and we don't know the semi results!
Mel Omana ❤❤❤❤.Thank you.
Finally someone else who loves Bésame as much as I do 😍
I do still think Hartita de llorar is the one to beat, and I would love to see it represent Spain as well.
I'm a Queen second same boat 👏👏👏👏 we love you CampyGroot and thought Bésame doesn't drive me crazy I must admit it's the one that sounds most current
CampyGroot? Is that good? I hope so!!!
@@groot1421 I'm all for the Camp believe me it's reaaaally good
My tier list of Benidorm Fest 2025:
A-tier:
Hartita La Llorara: amazing voice and vibe and ig just hooks me every time. 9/10.
Te Escribo En El Cielo: the vibe is great as is his voice but what makes it here is the lyrics. It has such a deep and beautiful message that really floors me. 9/10.
B-tier:
Besame: I like her vocal delivery and the song is well-produced but it doesn't have enough punch ultimately. 7/10.
Me Gustas Tu: such a great 80s vibe with great production and a cute vibe. I like the vibe that it stays with though it lacks evolution. 7.5/10.
La Casa: I love its salsa-y vibe and it is so well-arranged and I love her voice. It lacks a bit of variety though for me. 7.5/10.
VIP: great production vibe and characteristics. Really not much to criticise here but I think it just doesn't have enough punch for what it is trying to do. 8/10.
Mala Feminista: the vibe is really quaint and I love her vocal tone and the lyrics are very interesting and timely. 7/10.
C-tier:
Esa Diva: good chorus but the rest of the song doesn't grab me enough. 6/10.
REINAS: just a generic 90s pastiche with lots of nostalgia but it doesn't fully work for me and is just a little boring. 5/10.
Loca Xti: it feels pretty fun instrumentally and solid vocally but the chorus is a little annoying. 5/10.
La Pena: interesting vocals and vibe but it really doesn't grab me and is probably the most forgettable song of the selection for that reason alone and yeah it is very autotuned. 5/10.
Raggio De Sole: the intro is compelling but the electronic switch in the first chorus doesn't work for me though his voice is nice and the song is solid. It is forgettable as well. 5.5/10.
Amor Burato: very forgettable but the song and his voice are both very pleasant. 5.5/10
No Lo Ves: like the last one very much and the melody is also quite pretty. 5.5/10.
D-tier:
I'm A Queen: the lyrics just give me the wrong vibe though I like her attitude and the song itself is fun. 4/10.
Uh Nana: annoying hook but the beat itself is good as is her voice and the song itself is solid. 4/10.
Overall this selection is pretty solid. Nothing too bad but nothing that great either. Not something you want for ESC but still fine. I think their best shot for a good result would be Harita La Llrora because it just hits you though it'll probably do around as well as Blanca Poloma as they are both similar.
Besame is my winner too. Just fingers crossed she kills the live performance. Can’t wait to watch you reaction/ratings for the other nf’s ❤️🔥❤️🔥
Your Spanish pronunciation is on point, min kära! I enjoy this preselection, too. My favorite is La Casa, but I won't be upset with any of these songs winning. I'm glad you enjoyed Benidorm Fest!
Usually I like Benidorm Fest. There are many songs that I like or at least I enjoy to listen. Of course, I understand the lyrics since I speak portuguese and it helps a lot. My favourite is by far Hartita de llorar. I also am listening much to Mala Feminista.
Oh, damn--I'm surprised you liked "I'm a Queen", because I thought I was the only one. Honestly, I agree with nearly every one of your takes (I think only "La Pena" is where I disagree a bit, though I do understand your qualms, because all the autotuning does make me lose interest after a while). I'm probably not as much into "Besame" as you are, but you're absolutely right about the soundscape being insanely well-crafted. I think it's just her voice being sort of bland and I assume that she probably won't be a strong live singer.
With that said, Benidorm is such a weird selection, because you can just assume that about 80% of performers can't sing their own songs live. Not sure why that is. It's probably better to not even think about what the live performance is going to be and just assess these entries as songs.
Hi Groot! I’m from Spain and i can say that the winner will be between Melody, LaChispa, J Kbello and Carla Frigo. Probably will be Melody because she is very well known here and she has a huge fan base and the favour of the locals… i’m not the biggest fan of her song but she's CRAZY GOOD performer (she said that the final version of the song will be a little different in benidorm)
I'm team LaChispa and J Kbello! Let's see what happens in february. Nice video and greetings!
Muchas gracias!
As a Spanish speaker (not from Spain, though), I must say I’m not *that* into this selection. I actually think Benidorm Fest has been in decline song wise, sadly. Right now, I’d say the one I enjoy the most is La Casa but this could definitely change in the near future.
The use of vocal processing is a trend in (mostly) Southern Europe and South America, and it's used as an artistic choice and not so much as a way of correcting the voice.
Yeah, that's very true!
However, it's just a style that I'm not very fond of personally because I find it distracting. Of course it depends on the song as well, in some cases a fair amount of processing can really elevate something! But in other cases I'm not a fan.
All about preference :)
@@groot1421 I know, I know, just pointing it out because lots of reviewers haven't been as good as constructive as you're and have fully dismissed the song because of the autotune when, in fact, it's just an artistic element she uses in all her songs. We just had autotuned songs place really well in Eurovision (see Zari or Doomsday Blue), people should be more open to autotune as long as the live holds up well.
@@Easthor I'm not sure if there's a song in the selection you're refering to in particular, but of course you're right!
One of my big, big, personal favourites "Die Together" from Greece in 2022 was built up on almost excessive vocal processing use to support its verses and I loved the way that worked.
If you can pull it off well, it's a wonderful addition to the song. However, it's always tricky to manage it perfectly and make it convincing, but I'm always happy to be floored by an entry! :)
There is a tipping point between creative and chaotic, and Carla Frigo is for me the wrong side of that line. (Maybe that's just a "Me issue😉) - However, I like those songs in the E tier.
Benidorm is very underwhelming this year, but let's see what you think.
I love your videos, and I can usually appreciate your point of view on the songs as a music producer, but I live in Spain and I just completely disagree with the vast majority of your takes here.
First, and most egregiously, you kept saying throughout the video that Benidorm Fest is usually won by the song that is backed by the Spaniards, and that's just not true at all. Terra (the televote winner in the first Benidorm Fest edition in 2022) got 70% of the televotes, while the winner, SloMo, got only 3%. People only started supporting Chanel once it was clear that Spain could get a good result with her song (and there was some clear rigging in place, as she had connections with some jury members). Terra lost because the Benidorm Fest voting system is specifically designed to excessively favour the juries while tanking televote favourites. It just so happened that in the last 2 years, the juries and the voters generally agreed on a winner. This year the system is being changed to be a bit more fair, though still not completely it seems (we'll see though).
As for the songs themselves, I think they were a big disappointment compared to the other years (especially 2022 and 2023), mainly because of the lack of variety. Most of them sound like generic nostalgia-bait cashgrabs (Sonia & Selena, Mawot and to an extent Melody) or things that you might hear on the Spanish radio (this is NOT a compliment). Now, since I live in Spain, it might just be the overexposure, but I despise most of the genres that are popular here, lots of the songs in those genres tend to sound the same. I feel like this is most exemplified in J Kbello's song VIP, the melodies sound like they're half done (like most of the songs in its genre) and barely even melodies at all, and it's filled with trashy vocal effects. It's also not very vocally impressive, which is a bummer because J Kbello is actually an AMAZING live singer and he's definitely going to sell the hell out of that song! As for your favourite, Bésame, I do appreciate its ambition by combining two genres in one, but when those genres are generic Spanish radio pop and generic “bachata”, I just struggle to call it creative.
I don't think it's all that bad though, there are a couple of songs with lots of artistic value that I can appreciate, mainly La Casa and Hartita De Llorar, but they're just not in a style that appeals to me personally. My personal favourites are Lucas Bun's song, it is very touching and I can't wait to see what he's going to do for his live performance, as well as DeTeresa, which compositionally was a very pleasant surprise, and it's actually quite creative with the genres that it mixes together (however, I am worried that she might not be able to properly sing it live because of the excessive amount of autotune and vocal effects).
Also, as a final note, Mala Feminista is one that I was musically very disappointed by, but its main drive are the lyrics, they're very good.
Thank you for the kind words!
I'm sure you're right on that point. As I said in the video, I can only speak for the past two years as those are the only ones I've kept up with so please excuse that haha!
I understand your disappointment. I wouldn't know considering I don't hear a lot of Spanish radio haha, but it's great to know that there are some songs from the selection you like!
You've also made me excited to hear V.I.P. live now so that's great!
Thanks for sharing all your thoughts!
What did they change this year? System before was really unfair, televote being just 25% and even more unfair was fixed points for televote
@@lac_maj Fixed televote points are staying, I think, which is a bummer, but they removed that demoscopic garbage and the televote is now 50%. 25% of that televote will be the paid SMS votes and the other 25% will be the free app votes.
You say nostalgic, I say stuck in the 90s in a bad way. You say interesting, I say it's barely listenable. I don't know, I really don't see what you see with these songs, for me this is probably the weakest national final where we have all the songs out.
Also surprised you didn't pick up on the similarities between U Na Na and Crazy in Love, and VIP and Tuta Gold. Or didn't wanna mention them, that's fine, for me it's just the first thing I think about when I hear these songs.
I really don't wanna piss off the Spanish fans, but this selection isn't the greatest, and I'm doubting that this is all what Spain has to offer.
Maybe I'm biased towards 90s music haha!
Uh Nana absolutely has a similarity to Crazy in Love in terms of its instrumentation during those horns sections but I don't think there's much similarity outside of that to be honest.
I understand why someone would be disappointed in the selection, but I really found myself charmed with it! :)
Underwhelming selection