Around the start of WorldVision 49, RTI began to prep for the possibility of a special commemorative event that would take place during the golden edition, more specifically the possibility of a golden 'best of' contest similar to the one that ran alongside WorldVision 40. While most in the channel suspected that such an event may not occur, planning among a certain few of RTI's WorldVision team continued regardless. The top 3 that the channel wanted to represent the country again, in the contest, namely the famed Izmeduan trio of the WorldVision 42 to 44 entrants (Terezija Novak, Poslie Postojanje, and NemaMinorca & Konstanca Vrebac) all luckily announced their willingness to participate, much to the channel's grateful relief. As Kalina Ercegovic rehearsed in Prescott, the channel requested that all 3 artists 're-submit' their song as well as potential/foreseen performance changes that could arise.
Throughout the process, many eagle-eyed fans thought the selection would be easily handed to Poslie Postojanje and their song, “Reckoning,” with its critical acclaim even greater than Izmedu's lone victory with “Illusion.” However, as RTI pored through and discussed with the three artists closely as to who would be sent to a special event, there was one song whose changes were dramatically altered from the original performance as a whole, creating a line to 'improve' and surpass it from its original form. Under the unanimous blessings of the Izmeduan WorldVision team as well from the WV entrants present, RTI elected to choose NemaMinorca & Konstanca Vrebac's “Hearts of Iron” as the eventual WorldVision: Your Favorites entry.
Since “Hearts of Iron” secured 2nd place in WorldVision 44, the song began to develop into a phenomena that was unique for an Izmeduan WorldVision entry. It is less remembered for being a successful Izmeduan entry and instead has grown into an anthem of persistence, survival, and strength. The song had become especially popular among those who were going through mental health struggles as well as people who had suffered from physical disabilities. The song's renewed and long-standing popularity owed to its more unique perspective on overcoming hardship. It acknowledged the pain of suffering and its inescapable nature, while also providing one line of hope at the end. Not the joyous sense of hope, but the determination to survive despite the odds. It is these themes that allowed the song to to flourish beyond the WorldVision stage back in Phoda.
It has been six editions since NemaMinorca & Konstanca have touched an international stage. For Miran and TI Blazevic of the synthpop duo, they have since released 2 successful albums that launched them towards mainstream Izmeduan success. The WorldVision buoy had allowed NemaMinorca to gather an increased audience as they became known for creating dramatic electronic tracks for movies, trailers, etc. Despite the new sonical typecasting, NemaMinorca became far more experimental in their music as the 2020s wore on. Konstanca Vrebac, in contrast, has stepped out of the limelight since appearing WorldVision 44. Due to the entry's legacy as well as being its lead vocal, she inadvertently became the face of “Hearts of Iron,” and in a sense, the entry had become 'hers' and hers alone. As a result, she became an advocate for mental health and the receiver of many stories from fans. They were stories of the song being a source of solace, inspiration, motivation, comfort, and as well as catharsis.
These stories, these moments of confessions from her fans, and the song's budding legacy... This is what NemaMinorca & Konstanca brought to Scorlio, Polkopia in light of the revelations of the WorldVision: Your Favorites edition. Despite the one-point loss haunting some hardcore Izmeduan fans, there was no lingering hard feelings for the country that they lost to as the trio explored the sights of Scorlio. Konstanca herself was awed by the Polkopian architectures of the castles and fortresses that dot right outside the city, and made a point to visit and keep memories while on break from extensive rehearsals of the entry.
There was a lot riding on NemaMinorca & Konstanca as they waved the flag for their country once again. In a twist of fate, some astute fans have noted the irony of the trio competing alongside the entry they replaced in WorldVision 44 (which is now the primary Izmeduan entry in WorldVision 50). During domestic promo, there was no hard clear feelings between Konstanca and Marija as both hugged each other after a large RTI press conference detailing the larger plans for WorldVision 50. Now, as the moment of fate approached, Konstanca took one last look at the NemaMinorca... With a tight hug between all three, Konstanca was notified of her cue...
She walked out onto that stage, taking a deep breath...
Stage lights billowed down to the center as Konstanca was situated at the dead center of the Icicle Hall's stage. The cheer from the Izmeduan contingent was considerably loud, seeing as the runners-up of WorldVision 44 were about to perform again. With the stage in absolute darkness, white background lights began to illuminate the stage as a 'whirring' can be heard for audience members that can hear through the remnants of cheers. Shortly after, there was a series of drum beats that coincided with a flashing of stronger white lights, all of which shone down on Konstanca.
After those beats, the electronic instrumentation proper started as the screen began to display a stream of blue shooting stars on all 3 screens that all conglomerated into a center that was approximately near Konstanca's position. The sight looked like particle streams that trained on the singer, as the camera alternated from a slowly panning stage-wige view that edged left to a closer view of Konstanca imposed on the screen that was timed to song's drum beats. During this, Konstanca had her arms held out, as if welcoming the streams into her as she seemed to stand defiantly against the effects on the screen, looking almost like a statue that withstood the test of time. As the song's instrumental intro began to close, the drum beats paced faster to the point where it began to convulse the screens into chaos, before dissolving into a purple mist on the screens that caused the Icicle Hall's interior to be imbued in a similar color palette of purple light.
A dying world, eclipsed in darkness
Fading souls, broken minds
That remain unyielding
The camera faded to a closer view of Konstanca as the electronic production calmed down, a white spotlight shining on her against the haunting purple lights that were being shone around the Icicle Hall that revealed her to be wearing
this dress. Similar to her original performance in Yaru-Bzheriut, Konstanca pronounced each syllable carefully, deliberately being slow as she held one arm out to the camera. Behind her, the purple smoke pulsed to the underlying beats of the production, as each contracting it as each beat added a sort of development to the floor screen, a 'root' of purple that slowly developed into smoke. As the first verse progressed, the camera began to distance itself away from Konstanca as red lights began to flash in the Icicle Hall at the verse's end, Konstanca's vocals becoming more forceful.
The path of grief is an endless road
Until our last breath
Transcend the pain
There is no mercy, no joy
The purple mist dissolved in a shockwave with a flick of Konstanca's hand at the start of the chorus, being replaced by an orange red version of the introductory presentation of shooting stars rushing towards the center of the three-tiered LED screens. In contrast to the original performance in WorldVision 44, Konstanca was far more active in her movements, kneeling down and pushing onwards as appropriate as she belted out the chorus with her resonant voice echoing throughout the icicle hall. The red streaks of light also responded to her choice arm movements, with some seeping down on the floor and surrounding her in a whirlpool like fashion. Through this, the camera switched to various sweeping views of the stage, with choice close ups when Konstanca's vocals were most resonant and powerful.
At the end of the chorus' first half, a red shockwave pierced the three-tiered screens, changing the directions of the streaks of orange-red light to go towards the floor and towards Konstanca herself. During that, the lights flashed an even brighter red throughout the Icicle Hall as the camera caught this view stage-wide. She ended that chorus with her face down, hand fisted as if about to command the lights away.
Pride, is our fall
Persistence is true power
Strengthen your spirit, our end draws nigh
Outlast torment and agony
With a free arm across her neck, the orange-red streaks of light and the red hue of the Icicle Hall on the screens disappeared and was replaced by gray smoke on the three-tiered screens. The camera initially closed up on her face as she walked forward away from the center of the stage towards the audience, with her singing the second verse as deliberately and slowly as the first. At the end of the second line, the camera switched out to a stage-wide view to of pictures of various of people appearing one by one on the three-tiered screen, timed to the orchestral flourish after 'persistence is true power.' Similar to WorldVision 44's effects, but the people there weren't wartorn. They were the survivors of mental health issues, depression, hopelessness... Their weary faces dotted the screen, gradually filling out the three-rowed screens.
The camera returned to a close up of Konstanca as she finished off the rest of the verse, the floor screen beneath her turning into a mound of ash and dust that swirled around her. The white lights that took over for this verse began to flash a grim red as drum beats began to appear. Returning back to the center at the end of the verse, she began to raise an arm upwards, in tribute to the people behind her. With the dramatic last line of the verse, coincided with the flashing of lights to the powerful drum beats, she seemed to 'command' the lights to move towards the audience's direction, the red lights being forcefully thrown to the audience as they faded to the instrumental calm.
At the song's moment of gentleness, the pictures on the screen began to gradually fade one by one, as Konstanca vocalized a falsetto with the background singers. This was seen through a wider view of the stage from the camera fading to that particular angle, with each dissolving image being transformed into a wisp of white, ghost-like particles that floated down towards the bottom, filling the floor screens ever-so-slowly and beginning to float around Konstanca.
We must remain extant
In suffering we must endure, we fight on
The camera faded to a rotating close up of Konstanca's face during this two-line bridge, her vocals, nearly fragile and wavering, grew more resonant as she sang the brief bridge. The mold of ash that was on the screens was now replaced with the ghost-like material beginning to consolidate into a fog. Red lights began to flash around the Icicle Hall arena once more, drum beats beginning to dominate the proceedings as the song built up to its final two refrains of the chorus.
The path of grief is an endless road
Until our last breath
Transcend the pain
There is no mercy, no love
Konstanca nearly convulsed forward as she launched herself towards the song's climactic moment, her vocals being at its most resonant as she belted out the chorus once more. Her free hand fisted as she stood defiant against the chaos of the stage effects around her. On the screens, streaks of blood red 'shooting stars' began to move about wantonly throughout the three tiers, in contrast to the organized way of movement from the earlier refrains of the chorus. In a way, these streaks reflected the lyrics, they created a 'path' on the floor screens as some moved downwards, dissolving the white fog in their wake and creating a whirlpool of shooting stars around Konstanca. A stronger shockwave of red light then reverberated through the screens midway through the chorus, causing every light in the Icicle Arena to flash a blood red as the streaks of neverending light began to go towards the audience, despite them not being able to pierce the screens themselves.
The path of grief is an endless road
Until our last breath
Transcend the pain
There is no mercy, no hope
The final refrain of the chorus brought Konstanca's vocal abilities to their limits as she vocalized and pushed her belts even further than before, with the background vocalists performing impassioned vocalized cries that complemented the stronger power of this particular refrain. The instrumentation itself now had more of an orchestral flair as horns sounds were audible, reverberating through the Icicle Hall. The effects on the screens continued on endlessly, with the floor becoming engulfed in a mass of red that mimicked the original whirlpool effects from Yaru-Bzheriut, only stopping at the center to surround Konstanca. At every drum beat of this chorus, the lights kept flashing in various shades of red and white, alternating between each color as the camera moved from close-up shots of Konstanca making movements with her body and arms, to brief views of the effects on stage through a slow pan.
At the end of the chorus, she didn't relent, unleashing one powerful belt and ensuing vocal line that caused her to take a step back and hold one arm up, fisting it, as the camera circled around her. With a brief close up after that, she vocalized that same belt once more, crouching down due to its raw power and the camera catching her impassioned and pained vocal expression. Through this, the music also reached its peak, the horns interspersed with the electronic production climaxing into a high note. In response to the vocals, the shooting stars on the screens began to collide with each other, creating a mass and series of brief explosions on the screen that caused the reality within that screen to almost 'tear' apart. After that vocalization, Konstanca only crouched down further, her dress billowing in response.
Never falter to weariness
The camera, switching to a stage-wide view relatively close to Konstanca, began to slowly zoom out as she sang that line, remaining crouched down from earlier as the stage effects devolved further into chaos with bot hands on the microphone. The lights remained a grim red as red tears were visible from the colliding of red streaks, with the ground screen now truly transformed into the whirlpools from WorldVision 44. For one second, it looked as if Konstanca could've truly been swalloed whole by that screen effect. However, through a final shockwave effect, all images on the screen dissolved from a flash of white after a series of drum beats, the song softening to its conclusion as Konstanca had only one line left...
Never falter to hopelessness
The camera made one final close-up on Konstanca, with her on her knees, for this one line as all that was left was a spotlight on Konstanca. She sang this one line with as much gusto as she could, her voice resonant despite her body nearly trembling from the exhaustion of singing the song. During this final line, Konstanca reached out one fragile arm towards the camera, her face almost to the brink of emotional collapse, pleading the viewer with her parting lyrics. That arm was visibly trembling, and fell as soon as the line ended, the spotlight on her fading as only a shadowed outline of her face remained visible. The song parted with a last few strains of orchestra, a haunting, almost sinister final notes that resonated throughout the Icicle Hall. After that final note, the spotlight on Konstanca fully faded...
As a loud cheer commenced, the regular lights in the Icicle Hall turned back on, revealing Konstanca to be quite moved from the response as well as slightly shaking from the performance.
“Thank you Scorilio... Thank you so much.” Konstanca breathed, then promptly returned backstage.