Last week the artists, song and details of the French 2021 national final, 'Eurovision France - c'est vous qui décidez!' were revealed.
The Aussievision team have been busy going through all 12 entries and we now have the complete rankings from the team.
The team's Top 5 songs in reverse order are:
5. Terrence James - ‘Je T'Emmènerai Danser’ (73 points)
Highs: 12 points from Dale, 8 points from Steve and Ally
Lows: 0 points from Guy, 1 point from Fleur
"I love the way he has paid homage to his Scottish roots while delivering modern pop from the nation where he was raised. I love how well put together this song is, not overly wordy French, with a great driving beat throughout that hook of a chorus. Normally when a chorus is that repetitive it puts me off but this is a real earworm, particularly when it's in a language other than English. I could not stop hearing it in my head afterwards and I just went back wanting more. Love it!" ~ Dale
"Firstly, his French - to my Francophone but non-native French ears - is AWESOME! It feels suitably modern, radio-friendly and slick. It builds nicely and - for someone who usually hates the instrument - I love what they’ve done with the bagpipes. The chorus is too repetitive though." ~ Steve
"Scottish bagpipes meet French pop? First time I listened to this I didn’t mind it, but compared to the other songs, it lacks a bit of flare for me, and I found the repetition of the title in the chorus a slight but whiny. This is pleasant listening, but no real impact for me. The French kicked up a fuss when they sent a western sounding song for 2020, and this falls into a similar category. It’s catchy and a good solid entry, but nothing more." ~ Hugo
"This was too repetitive for me. I found it difficult to get through the song because of it. Also, there were just other bangers that I preferred a lot more. I cannot see this receiving a lot of love from the juries either." ~ Fleur
"There are some good elements to this song, but that line being repeated eight times at the start of the chorus kills it for me." ~ Guy
4. Andriamad – ‘Alléluia’ (80 points)
Highs: 12 points from Guy and Kyriakos, 10 points from Ruby
Lows: 0 points from Mike, 1 point from Hugo
"My 12 points go to Andriamad’s ‘Alléluia’. It is going to be the dark horse of the national final, and it already is getting a big following amongst the Eurofans. I love the overall sound and the music which sounds so international yet with a French flavour. The addition of the English lyrics “We are the people of the world” throughout the French song really carries it through. I am so excited to see what this duo can do on stage, get ready to see them cause an upset!!" ~ Kyriakos
"First and foremost this is a great bop with its drums and eastern vibes. It’s a song about unity and reaching out to understand each other, so it has a nice message for the current times. There’s a real charm in their energy in the filmed performance, but I think it would need great staging if it was to go to Eurovision. I’m not sure it will get the votes, but I would love to see this win." ~ Guy
"I really enjoyed listening to this. I love the ethnic beats and the modern vibe of this song. Most importantly, it is very catchy. It has a nice message about inclusion and tolerance too. I could see this on the Eurovision stage." ~ Fleur
"This strikes me as one of those songs that was 'written for Eurovision' and generally that is a grave error. Its World Music vibe and cross cultural feel will appeal to some, but it comes across as some generic piece of music that lacks any real distinct identity. The 'we are people of the world' message is nauseatingly twee and I find th instrumentation lacks any distinguishable originality and any real impact during the 3 minutes. There is room for this to elevate with some captivating live vocals and a presentation that, somehow, could lift this out of the nebulous lump of nothingness that it currently is. How is this going to stand out in a competition of 40 other songs? Where's the je ne sais quoi here? It's a non from me. " ~Mike
"This has grown on me more after a few listens. The song works really well as a duo and I love the English interspersed throughout. It’s very contemporary and radio friendly but still maintains its ‘world music’ feel. The studio cut sounds great. The song lends itself to dance so there is a lot of potential to explore with staging on this one." ~ Emma
"Alleluia stands out in the jammed-packed French national selection. The catchy hook combined with the pounding afrobeat makes this an original entry that can do really well in Rotterdam. The fun, upbeat nature is something we all need and Andrimad duo's personalities shine throughout." ~ Cooper
3. LMK - 'Magique' (87 points)
Highs: 12 points from Ally, Laura and Cooper
Lows: 0 points from Miles, 1 point from Guy
"LMK is bringing a French banger! 'Magique' hooks you in right from the very start and keeps you entertained the full three minutes. This is exactly what France needs to really make an impact in Rotterdam. Its loud, impactful and catchy, and paired with good staging this could really do well." ~ Cooper
"This song is really catchy and it has been on high rotation in my Spotify playlists since it came out! I know that this song will cop some flak for being a copy of ‘Fuego’/‘Replay’/one of the other national final songs that sound like that, but I believe that it is more authentic than other songs of its ilk because it leans further into its reggae dancehall elements and even mixes them with harp! LMK was originally a harpist so it’s fantastic to see her playing to her strengths. Her audition performance was amazing too, I love the choreography and she has such strong stage presence!" ~ Laura
"I absolutely love this song, I was grooving along to it the whole way through and is exactly my kind of song. This is the kind of song that is going to get people up and dancing and has moments that are very catchy and that the French is simple enough that even people who don’t speak French can sing along to. The funny thing about this song is how different the styles involved in this song are. The song starts of slow, but then does a complete 180 which you just don’t expect." ~ Ally
"This song sounds so so familiar that it did put me off from giving it higher points.The song is a great dance track, but its a bit messy and I struggle to see how well it will do with live vocals." ~ Kyriakos
"This is extremely radio-friendly, so it might have mass appeal – but for me, that’s because it sounds the same as every generic dancepop song you might hear on the radio. This lacks personality, novelty, and distinctiveness, and as such was instantly forgettable. LMK will have to bring something compelling to the table in order to change my mind on this number, potentially in how they perform it live." ~ Miles
"If I heard this on its own, without the context of it competing in the National Final, I’d think it’s a good recent sounding pop song. For the contest though I don’t think it’s going to stand out. The most positive thing about it is her performance in the video clip, so hopefully she will put on a great live show to elevate it." ~ Guy
2. Pony X - 'Amour fou' (98 points)
Highs: 12 points from Mike, Emma and Liv
Lows: 0 points from Ally and Ruby, 2 points from Laura
"I loved this straight away...this song had me from the beginning and I would definitely add it to my playlist. The English in the chorus broadens its appeal and the pony head wearing DJ ensures the song has the novelty factor that we all love at Eurovision. I do get slight Moustache vibes and wonder if they could pull it off live the way they have in the studio version, but this a well produced dance track that should be popular with the fandom regardless of the result." ~ Emma
"Plug this directly into my veins! Even with it's nostalgic swinging 60s vibe, this is modern, catchy and has real impact. EDM can be a difficult genre to bring to Eurovision, as it often doesn't have a distinctive point of view to make it unique and memorable. 'Amour Fou' doesn't fall into this trap by bringing a flavour that is recognizable, yet still original and unmistakably French. Clarence is a natural performer and his energy and charisma should give this a real focal point for viewers to remember when it comes time to vote. (If somehow having a DJ with a horses head doesn't quite linger in the memory) This is an entry that has the hooks, the intrigue and a little dash of weirdness that could really stand out from the crowd. Something that France has struggled with in past years." ~ Mike
"I’m not quite sure why I’m not a fan of this, I just know I’m not a fan of this song and I got really bored while listening to the song. I think it might be for the same reason I didn’t like ‘Violent Thing’ from Germany this year – it’s just too much like all the songs you hear on the radio these days. I enjoy Eurovision because of the wide variety of music and the fact that you don’t hear songs that you normally hear on the radio (here in Australia at least). It is a hell of a catchy song and definitely memorable, so I’ll give them that." ~ Ally
"I think the ‘DJ-with-a-horse-head’ element of ‘Amour fou’ comes across as gimmicky rather than an integral part of the performance, and it can be quite distracting as a result. In my opinion, the gimmick is stronger than the song itself, and that’s a bit worrying. Usually this can work at Eurovision if the gimmick is deeply connected to the song, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. To me, 'Amour fou' sounds like a run-of-the-mill EDM song with a pony theme tacked on at the last second to add interest. I’m not buying it." ~ Laura
1.Barbara Pravi - 'Voila' (118 points)
Highs: 12 points from Hugo, Steve, Ruby and Miles
Lows: 0 points from Ally, 3 points from Laura
"There’s a few hallmarks I look for in a really solid Eurovision entry. Two of those are personality and storytelling ability, both of which 'Voilà' emphatically possesses. Pravi has a beautifully characterful voice which reminded me of probably the greatest French chanteuse of all time, Edith Piaf. The instrumentation is also really powerful – it almost seems to struggle to keep up with her building flurry of outward emotion. And as ever, simplicity can reign supreme at Eurovision – maybe it will do so at 'C’est vous qui décidez'. I hope it does." ~ Miles
"It’s Frencher than a baguette covered in fromage and oignons being carried by a beret-wearing, stripy-shirted Parisian man by the Seine on a bicycle. She’s saying “here I am, this is me, look at me, I love you, don’t go”, essentially. Lines include:
“I want to be loved because I don’t know how to love the shape of me” and “It’s not much, but everything I have I lay down”.
She’s putting herself on the line. I like it. It’s one of two options available to France for 2021: an authentically, classically French song in the story-telling “chanson” style, as opposed to something modern, quirky and less country-specific." ~ Steve
"Intense. Arresting. Haunting. Madness. That pretty much sums it up for me. Instantly gripping; I was looking at my phone when this song started and I immediately looked up, because of the voice and the power. Voila is paired back but high impact, it’s unmistakably French and it’s a return to the ‘chanson’ style. I love the slight madness at the end, very artistic. As a song, this is unbeatable, but my only question mark is staging, just because Barbara is the main event. Nevertheless, this is my winner for the French selection, and I would love to see this on the Eurovision stage." ~ Hugo
"Yawwwwn! Sorry, that’s a bit mean. Let me explain myself, I am not a fan of this song at all, it is just not my type of song. It didn’t quite put me to sleep, but on a different day, there’s a chance it could have…" ~ Ally
"I can definitely hear the Edith Piaf influences in ‘Voilà’. It takes great courage to write a song in the style of such a legend in French music, and I give Barbara credit for that. I think the song would have stood out a lot more if France had not sent very many entries like this to Eurovision throughout its history. Lyrically it is beautiful, but I'm scared that the meaning won't come across fully to a non-French-speaking audience. There's also a chance that the audience will write this off as "just another typical French song" if it does end up at Eurovision – the song will need to be staged in a way that makes it stand out if she wants to get a good result in the contest. Barbara performed the song very well in the auditions and I hope she can take it to the next level in the final!" ~ Laura
The rest of the rankings were:
6. Casanova – ‘Tutti’ (66 points)
7. Philippine – ‘Bah Non’ (64 points)
8. Ali – ‘Paris Me Dit’ (58 points)
9. Cephaz – ‘On A Mangé Le Soleil’ (53 points)
10. Amui – ‘Maeva’ (45 points)
11. Juliette Moraine – ‘Pourvu Qu'on M'Aime’ (41 points)
12. 21 Juin Le Duo – ‘Peux-Tu Me Dire?’ (24 points)