Semi 1 - the final five

Time now to reveal who else we think will be in those magic envelopes come Tuesday 10 May. Yesterday we predicted places in the final for Switzerland, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Serbia.

Our sixth spot goes to Poland, a country that until this year has failed to make much of an impression on us. So it's with delight that Poland is sending its best song since 1998! Magdalena Tul sings Jestem, and is first up. We think picking position one is quite a canny move. This is a good, modern entry, which promises to be well sung and well staged. Poland is back!

Next in our ten is Finland with Paradise Oskar and Da Da Dam. This looks set to be this year's Tom Dice. A simple, almost naive, song, simply presented, this looks to stand out. When we first heard it we thought it was perhaps more suited to the Junior Contest, but we really like the melody, and it has a very clear messsage. Probably not a winner overall, but a place in the final for sure.

Only three more songs to go, and, perhaps inevitably, Greece is our next choice. We are picking this more because Greece always seems to progress to the Final, rather than on the song, which, in our opinion, is not as strong as previous Greek entries. Loucas Yiorkas featuring Stereo Mike sing Watch My Dance, but it will be interesting to see if this is the year that Greece's good luck runs out and they don't make it to the Saturday night final.

Our penultimate choice is Iceland. We loved Yohanna and Erna in the Icelandic contest, but it was not to be. That said, Coming Home perforemd by Sjonni's Friends (left), is certainly a good song. It has a strong hook, and no one can fail to be moved by the story of the song's composer, Sigurjon ‘Sjonni’ Brink, who sadly passed away earlier this year. A genuinely touching entry that deserves a spot in the Final.

Ok, so who does our final place go to? Azerbaijan of course! Running Scared sung by Eldar and Nigar is a real contender for Eurovision victory. From the very first notes this song packs an emotional punch, and is without doubt the best ballad in the contest. We're really hoping the live version sounds as good as the recorded track. If it does, then Baku 2012 is most definitely on the cards. A club remix of the song can be heard below.



Join us tomorrow as we predict who will be the 10 qualifiers from Semi 2.