DON'T COME EASY 

ISAIAH

SECHUK JURY

Rating

 216.5/320 (67.7%)

INTERNATIONAL JURY

AUSTRALIA

INT

JURY TOTAL

105.5

Amar

This is incredibly underwhelming. Isaiah is very well known and has some great songs, but this just gets lost in a mix of middle-of-the-road ballads. I assume the staging will help this out a bit, but regardless I think we're looking at Australia 's worst placement. 

5

Benedek

Another ballad with an X factor star. The 3rd attempt of this country is the weakest. The song is just very bland and heard it seen it before. I think that for the first time Australia will struggle to get into the final.

4

Christos

I am totally against the participation of Australia in the contest. I totally agree that the previous 2 years the Australian entries were very good but this year deserve to stay at the semi finals and to return as soon as possible back to Sidney. Please Europe keep your identity and protect the contest. Kazakhstan, Egypt, Lebanon and so many other countries are eligible to participate but not A WEALTHY country at the Pacific Ocean … It is insane… Australia go home and stay there please!

1

Daria

Nice ballad, but every time he sings “Don’t come easy” I want to continue “…to me”. In general the sound is more European than previous years, but it’s still good for radio.

7.5

Douwe

Australia does it well - their entry always has great, modern and radio friendly production and this year is no exception. 'Don't Come Easy', written by the same team behind 'Sound Of Silence' is a sophisticated and emotive ballad and showcases Isaiah's impressive vocal range. This is beautiful but it is in a semi-final crammed with ballads so the performance will need to be stand-out. It may not reach the dizzy heights of last year but this should see Australia safely into the final. Perhaps a result similar to 'If I Were Sorry' (Sweden 2016) ?

9

Elena

Australia's third once in a lifetime entry is very well produced. The song is very radio friendly, the lyrics are well written and stick easily on my brain, the singer has a very nice voice and this is over all a very good song.

9

Frederico

If this another country sent this song I doubt it would qualify for the final. Being Australia , it is likely to do quite well. It is very well produced but the song is such a bore.

3.5

José

I was expecting a more popular act representing Australia , from there, I started dissapointed. Then I compare Don't come easy with Sound of silence, of course Dami Im was way better. But honestly the song is not bad, its nice, it's just I was expecting the best from aussies.

7

Mark L

The amazing voice is let down by an ordinary song, but still have high hopes for this one. Top ten for sure

7.5

Melissa

Isaiah has a gorgeous soulful voice and this track is certainly one of the better ones in this year's contest. However I have a hard time believing he is going to be convincing when singing this on the Kiev stage considering he's only 17 and the lyrical content of this song. It's going to be a mission to improve upon last year's "Sound of Silence" but as an Aussie I'm super proud of him representing my country. A good effort.

8.5

Octavio

Respectable song. I really like it, it's modern and sounds strong. He's a good singer but I'm not sure him and the song are a good match. And he needs to work on his stage presence.

10

Paul C

A nice sweet ballad, Isaiah has a nice voice alright but I do not see this as a winner at all, it may qualify Australia for the final.

5.5

Pia

A really good singer (and good looking hihihii) But a little bit boring

7

Roberto

Nice ballad. I like its contemporary sounds, they make the song rather striking and quite compelling. Moderately passionate just to avoid some boring feelings, it might work.

7.5

Roy

I see the singer is winner of THE VOICE 2016, yes his voice is good but the song does not come easy to my ears after one listen.

5.5

Samantha

How is this guy only 17, with such a deep, developed, emotionally-connected voice? What a talent! Hope he's seasoned enough to be able to emote those lyrics, which seem beyond his years. All in all, though, a solid ballad.

8

UNITED KINGDOM JURY

AUSTRALIA

UK

JURY TOTAL

111.5

Andrew G

Good quality pop song, he has a good voice, this is a good song, this would do well in the charts not only ESC, this is definitely top 3 material

10

Danny

It was always going to be hard to top Dami Im and unfortunately Isaiah doesn't quite manage it. This is perfectly acceptable modern pop with a great production and I think will do well, but I don't think it has that magic that Sound of Silence did, but I would say another easy top 10 for Eurovision's newest nation.

6

David B

On initial hearing, I like it more than Dami's over-rated 2016 effort. It's a familiar sounding ballad with odd lyrics for a 17 year old to be singing. This is a long three minutes and many viewers might not last the course. An OK effort but it doesn't sound like a winner.

6.5

David E

This is dull.  Really dull.  Whilst Isiah has a fab name, a super voice and hair that many a boy would trade their skinny jeans for, his song is pants.  It’ll still do well, just because it’s Oz, but pas pour moi  

5.5

Dean

I liked this on first listen and I like it more and more each time I listen to it.  One of the best ballads in the contest, and a surefire qualifier. Definitely top 10, quite possibly top 5. Another great song from Australia .

8.5

Eddie

What an amazing voice for someone so young. The song is good and modern but lacks a punch. His vocals are superb but I expected more. Will qualify but not a winner for me. 

7

Edward

This is not my taste in music, but I give this serious credit.   It has an Adele quality, and I have no doubt that Isaiah will be able to knock it out of the stadium.  I appreciate the authenticity and originality of the track and the effort spent on it.

8

Gary

A shame that they announced a low-key song in what looked like a school hall and live too! That did not help first impressions. On further listening, the song has a nice flow, a nice structure and a professional feel. However, the artist is just 17 and I fear this may be a big ask for someone so young. He also has some big shoes to fill, given the impact of their first 2 attempts. My overall feeling is that this is ‘nice’, which is positive – but nice is not usually enough.

7

Joe  

Dull, repetitive and utterly bland. Are we sure this wasn't meant for Denmark ?

3

Kevin

It’s nice to hear a song that is not screaming for attention. The vocal is smooth and silky and ready for Eurovision, it’s hard to believe that Isaiah is only 17.  There is a real connection between singer and song.  I think we have a guaranteed entry for the final   

8

Lloyd

With his smooth silky voice with a unique tone that makes this a radio friendly song. Although I find the song repetitive and very much middle of the road and will be lost with the high number of ballads in the contest this year.

7

Mark M

Australia really do pull it out the bag when it comes to vocalists.  He's going to kill it in Kyiv.  Perhaps the weakest song of their three attempts to date but it's still by far one of the strongest entries in this year's contest so far.

9

Martin

Will Australia 's charmed Eurovision life until now be set to come off the rails with this pleasant but instantly forgettable ballad by Isaiah?  He has a great voice and it is a nice song as he is singing but I had no recollection of it a minute after this had finished.  This will be swallowed up by the pack...

6

Matt

Quite plodding and doesn't go anywhere really.  He has a good, strong voice that sounds like someone much older than he is.  I don't think a high placing will 'come easy'.

5

Nico

I'm guessing if you don't like Sam Smith, you won't like this. Personally, I think this is class. Watch and learn UK , quality singers with quality songs three years in a row.  Don't think it will quite scale the heights of the first two, and I pray he won't over sing it live, but this is another very worthy finalist.

8.5

Sally-Ann

This is the land of Oz's third year of participation, and it was always going to be hard to top their first two years' success.  Isaiah tries hard with his heavy, atmospheric ballad but, despite its compelling backing track, will struggle to reach similar heights on the scoreboard.

6