Eurovision 2010 Update: Will The Competition Become A Battle Between Two Teen Pop Queens

Will Eurovision 2010 be a battle between two teen pop queens: Germany’s Lena Meyer-Landrut and Azerbaijan’s Safura Alizade.

When London-based betting agency Boylesports released the first set of betting odds in late March, Safura, the 17-year old winner of Azerbaijani Idol, was the odds-on favorite at 7:2. Germany was listed fourth highest at 14:1. In subsequent weeks, however, Lena has narrowed that gap significantly and the two now stand in a virtual deadlock atop the table.

Voters will have to decide whether they prefer Lena’s quirkiness or Safura’s theatrics. On stage, Lena comes off as likable, if a bit kooky. She can’t dance, but doesn’t seem to care, and her natural awkwardness transforms into something endearing. You get the sense she wants to be a singer, not a pop star. As in her preview video, she’ll likely appear on stage in Oslo alone, sparing us the bare-chested backup dancers and trapeze swings Eurovision fans have grown accustomed to.

Safura, on the other hand, desperately wants to position herself as mainstream. In her song Drip Drop she tells the story of a woman done wrong by her philandering other half — a tired theme taken straight from R&B. Azerbaijan has hired JaQuel Knight, Beyonce’s choreographer and the man behind the Single Ladies video, to craft Safura’s stage performance. It promises to be sleek and over-the-top, but that could drain it of soul and sincerity.

Other factors work in Lena’s favor, too. Germany, Britain, France and Spain make up the Big Four group of nations that bypass the semi-finals and automatically receive places in the final. That special status stems from their significant financial contributions to Eurovision. Because Lena debuts her song in the final, Satellite will sound fresh and novel. Lastly, Lena’s appeal cuts across generations. She’s young and edgy but keeps her cleavage to herself. Elderly voters in the Bulgarian countryside and housewives in Macedonia will respond more favorably to that than Safura’s high-octane sexuality.

What Europe’s youngins will prefer remains a mystery.

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