The ballads (duets)

Ah the Eurovision duet. A rare beast. It's hard not to be cheesy, but there have been some really good ones (2010's "Playing with Fire", 2008's "Day after Day") mixed in with the disasters (anyone remember Malta's "On Again...Off Again" in 2004?!).
The last duo to win were the Olsen Brothers from Denmark in 2000, and so with the recent trend of solo women winning, maybe it's time for a pair to win again?

Azerbaijan/Azərbaycan – "Running Scared" - Ell & Nikki

This duet is moving, catchy and one of the more (UK) chart worthy entries this year, which continues Azerbaijan’s impressive line-up of songs in their Eurovision infancy. The song is crying out for a wind machine based performance. If the chemistry between the two on stage holds up, this might place well, though prob lacks that something to actually win.

Slovakia/Slovensko - "I’m Still Alive" – TWiiNS

The video for this is bizarre, with clips of Slovakia’s football and ice hockey “victories”, footage of the revolution and then clips of people dispersed from their homes by the Danube flooding, topped off by the birth of a baby. Is this song making out to be an anthem for Slovakia? Or surviving against the odds? Would you believe that it's produced by the someone who lists Timbaland, Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake as their clientele? It’s just plain nuts, confirmed by lyrics such as “When your road’s not too wide, then trust the heart never lies”.