World Hit Festival 57 | Amiens, N&P | IC Thread

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:26 pm

In recent times, 21 year-old Sandy had become a mega star in the music community, and was a household name even in countries that were not her native Ertzei Kishim. Despite a disappointing ninth place finish in WorldVision, her chart success was astronomical, and she had, in a short time, cemented herself as one of Kishrael's preeminent music talents. Sandy Santini is the stage name of Arab-Circassian-Jewish singer Sandi Shouman. In some ways she is a pure representative of the flavour of Ertzei Kishim, her father, an Arab-Circassian and her mother a Jew, she grew up in Rakaphy in one of the most central, cosmopolitan neighbourhoods in the city. Her initial rise to fame came as part of the left-wing revolutionary spirit felt, as young people sought to change the right-wing government which was increasingly viewed as anti-Arab, and out-of-touch with the needs of a modern and diverse population. After her first chart success with "Hashmal!", Sandy went back to the drawing board - but this time producers were coming to her, and not the other way around (as she was famously known to have actually paid for her own beat for her first entry into Kdam). After a few edition hiatus. creating her own opportunities, she decided to make a grand return to Kdam for the 88th edition of the contest, however this time she was not to win. She did however, finish 2nd in the televote, beating out the eventual winner Tanya Benisti by a considerable margin, and falling behind only Yair Dayan, an equally famous Kishraeli pop fixture. It was however Sandy who would top the charts.

The song was originally written as a joke with her Scotatrovan friend Mariana Rubio, where they would simply to try and make a rap out of the word "pussy", but they eventually realised that they could create something decent with it. After a remix with Rena Whorak was also released following Kdam, to much commercial success in Ertzei Kishim, HARESHET offered Sandy the opportunity to sing at the World Hit Festival. In doing so, HARESHET knew exactly what they were doing. Sandy was considered by many in HARESHET to be "too famous" for World Hit Festival, in that her own platform as a now established artist superceded what the contest itself could give her, however HARESHET enjoyed rocking the boat a little. The tone of the World Hit Festival was generally more serious than that of WorldVision, with many countries sending ballads, or pop-ballads, often in their native language. It was a contest that took itself very seriously, something that Sandy did not.

Describing her entry and why she agreed to go to Amiens, Sandy explained: "Well, the song may seem like a joke one at first, it is funny to be talking about pussy especially with the connotations involved with that, but I wanted to give it a greater meaning than what on the surface may seem a little superficial and stupid. I want this to be a feminist anthem, wrapped in a cute package. I think it is clear what my intention is from one look at the lyrics - our fight isn't over! And... well in terms of going to Amiens... it's not like it was on my travel list hahaha! I think I just like the idea of competing, for me it's not about the platform of World Hit Festival, but rather the fact that all these countries come together and compete, I think it's so exciting. It's also a completely different vibe to the WorldVision Song Contest, it's much more chilled and relaxed, it suits me".

The stage begins dark, with a single pink light shining from the back of the stage. The pink light illuminated a large structure in the centre of the stage, standing about 2.5 metres tall at its peak. It has two spires on each side, and a curved back. As the first notes of the song began to ring out, the sides of the stage began to shoot with pink towards the cameras and the audience. From above, the structure was revealed as pink lights from above shined on it. Sandy was sat slouched on a pink and purple throne. It's height came from the 4 steps or so leading up the seat, and its huge curved back, as well as the spires. Sandy began singing, her microphone attached to her head rather than in her hand. She wore a nonchalant kind of attitude as she began singing, looking at her nails, and particularly avoiding eye contact with the audience and the cameras. She was wearing a pink lolita-inspired maid outfit, a pink hairband with cat ears on, and had whiskers drawn on her face.

Pussy crisp, pussy pringle
Pussy lonely, pussy single
Pussy crazy, pussy bizarre
Damn, pussy play guitar!

At this point Sandy shoots up, sitting straight on the throne and putting her hands on the side. Her face is turned directly to the camera, staring into it with exaggeratedly wide eyes. The throne is so big that it almost comically swallows her up. The camera shows a frontal view of her sitting on the throne, slowly zooming in so that on the last line of the verse the camera has zoomed directly into her lipstick. You can see that in pink has been written "Meow" on her lips, amidst the red lipstick, but only faintly.

Pussy won the vote, pussy know the fight ain’t over
Pussy discriminated, pussy given the cold shoulder
Pussy literate, pussy read a lot of books
Pussy knows her value ain’t based on just her looks

The song slows slightly, and Sandy stands up. She begins to move down the stairs, exaggerating every step with her arms and face. It is almost as if she is parodying people who attempt to be sexy with the poses she is pulling. On the second from last step, she does a 360 spin, wiping her forearm across her forehead and pretending to faint, lowering herself slowly onto the step, then onto her knees, and then onto her stomach. She crawls on her hands and knees off the steps and towards the front of the stage.

Like the waves go back and forth to the shore
Pussy gives you rhythm, pussy keeps giving more
Pussy in the club and she’s feeling free
So why can’t this pussy, achieve her liberty

On her hands and knees she begins to the sing the chorus, moving her head one side for one line, and then to the other side for the next line. As the song gets faster at the line beginning "Can't you hear pussy trying to take a breath", she jumps to her feet, and poses with a wide gate, facing away from the audience, but turning her head round so that they can see her face. She then moves her body in time to the beat while singing until the end line and the start of the next verse.

Get with it and read this pussy’s lips
Meow meow meow meow meow meow
Let me say it again if you’re not sure
Meow meow meow meow meow meow
Can’t you hear pussy trying to take a breath, this pussy trying to express herself
Pussy getting hungry for her freedom, this story’s already getting old

The camera focuses some more on Sandy's face, as she cheekily flirts with the camera. She begins making funny hand gestures with each part of the verse that she describes. When pussy is 'hungry' she holds her stomach, when 'thirsty' she sticks her tongue out almost imitating panting. As she describes pussy as 'perky' she grabs both of her breasts and mimes a shocked face to the camera. At the final part of the verse, which mentions the bourgeois, she lifts her hands up over her head in an 'X' shape - a popular symbol of the Kishraeli leftist parties.

So she’s telling me that pussy hungry, pussy thirsty
Pussy ready, pussy prepared, and pussy perky
Pussy sharpened, pussy primed, pussy wearing her scratching claws
Damn this pussy taking down the petit bourgeois

Marching to the left hand side of the stage, the camera follows her before panning up and into the distance, gradually spinning around to the dancing audience. When the camera reappears, two muscular male dancers dressed in maids outfits appeared either side of Sandy on the left side of the stage. All three of them begin to perform a synchronised dance which involves going into a duck squat and swinging their arms.

Pussy won the vote, pussy know the fight ain’t over
Pussy discriminated, pussy given the cold shoulder
Pussy literate, pussy read a lot of books
Pussy knows her value ain’t based on just her looks

The song begins to slow down again... Thank goodness! Sandy's tongue was dry as hell. Taking the small break to stick her tongue back in her mouth, she then released it again. The two men hoisted her onto their backs and spun her around as Sandy succeeded in maintaining a nonchalant look while being thrown about. They drop her lower and spin her around so that she is upside down - Sandy catching herself on the floor with her wrists. At the final line of the section she then shakes her booty while they held her ankles.

Like the waves go back and forth to the shore
Pussy gives you rhythm, pussy keeps giving more
Pussy in the club and she’s feeling free
So why can’t this pussy, achieve her liberty

For the chorus the dancers begin performing around her, spinning around her if you will. They rush and drop to their knees, doing flairs on their hands next to Sandy as she sings the chorus. The overall look was somewhat chaotic, compounded by the pink pulsing lights through the stage, but that of course was intended to serve as a complement to the equally chaotic song as an offering in of itself. The final line almost sees Sandy throwing a tantrum of how the story is getting old, stomping her foot and spinning around.

Get with it and read this pussy’s lips
Meow meow meow meow meow meow
Let me say it again if you’re not sure
Meow meow meow meow meow meow
Can’t you hear pussy trying to take a breath, this pussy trying to express herself
Pussy getting hungry for her freedom, this story’s already getting too old

The final verse begins, and because the song once again slows, so does the vibe on the stage. The catboy dancers run behind the throne so as to be out of view. A single spotlight shines on Sandy from above, almost like an audition at a stage show. Sandy looks into the distance while singing as the camera spins around her for the duration of the verse, except the final one. At the final part of the verse, where she sings about pussy power the camera then takes a frontal view of Sandy, before zooming out quickly while strobe lights flurried at speed while doing so.

I was born this way and that’s how I’ll always be
The essence of pussy, is living within me
Fists up to the sky, no longer will we hide
This pussy power is burning up inside!

While these strobe lights were occuring on the stage, the two catboys had succeeded in ripping Sandy's dress off her body, creating a seamless transition into her final outfit, which was a pink glittery leotard printed with the words "PUSSY" over the chest. For the final part of the song she marches to one side of the stage, and then to another. The final line sees Sandy, somewhat bizarrely, then dropping to her knees on the stage, winking, and making a paw gesture with her hand.

Can’t you hear pussy trying to take a breath, this pussy trying to express herself
Pussy getting hungry for her freedom, this story’s already getting too old
Can’t you hear pussy trying to take a breath, this pussy trying to express herself
Pussy getting hungry for her freedom, this story’s already getting too old
Meow meow meow meow :3

With the end of the performance, a small shoot of sparks fires out the stage as the audience cheered. Given that many of the audience were from Normandy and Picardy itself, many of them were slightly unsure of the performance on account of their 'unique' music taste (although some of them were more than happy to cheer along; a sign, perhaps?) but the small Achaean and Kishraeli contingents in particular more than made up for the bemusement of the natives. Sandy jumps up "Thank you, merci Normandy!" before jogging off the stage. The cameras caught a small glimpse of the back of her leotard which said "EAT THE RICH", causing something of a surge in memes on the internet.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:27 pm

[DESCRIPTION - All the previous Normand winners before Annabelle and Frederic who are still alive perform two classic Normand tunes: "Maman me dit.." (Mother Told Me...) and "Vraiment Un Normand" (Truly A Normand), both major classics and the latter especially probably the most well known song across the two Republics, almost an un-official anthem]

[DISCUSSION]

[MOVE ONTO NEXT ACT]

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:28 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:43 pm

Pavlos Konstantinopoulos (left) and Daoud Bakr

Behind the Scenes
Faraby's debut at the 56th World Hit Festival had sufficiently impressed Prince Samir for him to give the green light for the country's continued participation in the event, this time with a greater amount of funds. The country did not place very highly on the final rankings, but what mattered to the Prince was that the multiverse had received a credible - nay, impressive - introduction to Farabian culture and music. Iskender Salih's performance would serve as the foundation for future Farabian appearances on the event, just as the country's WorldVision debut with Zehra Kaya at the helm would inspire the next Farabian representatives on the WorldVision stage. The stage was set for the Faraby Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) to achieve even greater results at both events.

Per the agreement concluded in the meeting between the Prince, Grand Vizier Sania Russo, FBC Director-General Sabiha Vali, and Iskender Salih before WorldVision 88, Kara Abbas would continue on as Head of Delegation to the WHF as well as become Head of Delegation to WorldVision. The additional workload was a cause of concern for Abbas, but she did not have to worry for too long. In an attempt to repair the economy and further integrate itself into the wider world, Faraby had signed a Compact of Free Association with the Islamic Empire of Adab. Under this agreement, Faraby would become part of the realm of Adab as an associated state. Adab would provide defense and economic aid to the island country and allow it substantial autonomy in conducting its domestic and foreign affairs, in return for the recognition of the Emperor of Adab as liege and overlord of the Prince of Faraby. Adab had participated in WorldVision and the World Hit Festival in the past, but withdrew from both events nearly two decades ago during a recession which led to sweeping budget cuts which greatly affected the Adab Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). With the recession now in the rear-view mirror, Adab was now plotting its return to those events. But quite a lot had changed since they last participated, and the ABC was cautious. Adab and Faraby's music did not differ that much in general, and the ABC would closely follow Faraby's WHF entry to see if they themselves could survive in the current musical landscape.

Abbas, along with Vali, took advantage of this new association between Faraby and Adab to establish relations with the ABC and ask them for inputs and suggestions as Faraby prepared its second WHF entry. The ABC replied enthusiastically, and over the next few months the FBC and the ABC would remain in close contact with each other. It was the ABC which suggested, as Abbas would later recount, "some sort of catchy pop or funk song" for Faraby's WHF entry, an idea which happened to fall just in line with Vali's desire for a catchy, radio-friendly song that could stand a chance of gaining more points. As for the Prince and Grand Vizier, they were not very much involved in the whole process, trusting Abbas, Vali, and the FBC to deliver an entry worthy of the multiverse's adulation and points.

Enter the duo of Pavlos Konstantinopoulos and Daoud Bakr, both 23. They first met at the University of Faraby, where they were both majoring in accounting, and quickly became friends as well as musical collaborators. They shared a love, inherited from their parents, of old funk, pop, and R&B records from the 1950s to the 1990s, and the influence of those records was abundant in their songs. Their debut album, Funk Down on Prince's Street, benefited from word-of-mouth marketing and radio airplay by a few influential friends (one of them, Ahmad Rami, was a young, up-and-coming disc jockey with a large following across the island). The album peaked at number three on the Farabian albums chart, catching the attention of the FBC. Both Vali and Abbas recognized Pavlos and Daoud as "the real deal", the fresh faces of a new generation of Farabian music. Their music was brave, brash, upbeat, and energetic. In short, they were prime WHF material.

Abbas called them to offer them Faraby's spot on the WHF. "We were stunned, to put it lightly," Daoud remembered. "I remember turning to Pavlos and we were both like, 'Dang, I guess we've really made it.' We must've been speechless and kept her on the line for a long time because she had to ask us again like a few times if we're gonna do it. And we just kinda nodded to each other and Pavlos told her, 'Yes, Ms. Abbas, yes, we'll do it.' And I remember thinking to myself, 'Dang, it's on, man.' We're really going to the World Hit Festival."

From college radio to the Zénith d'Amiens, it had certainly been an amazing journey, and a meteoric rise, for Pavlos Konstantinopoulos and Daoud Bakr. Two university students who had bonded over their love of music were now about to step onto the stage of the multiverse, with the weight of an entire island on their backs. But if they felt it was a burden, that feeling was assuaged by the constant support of their countrymen, who had streamed their songs and bought their albums, cheered as they stepped into the plane bound for Amiens, and were now sitting in front of their phones, laptops, and TV screens, waiting for the young stars to emerge onto the stage. As usual, Kara Abbas was in the audience as head of Faraby's WHF delegation, leading the Farabians in the audience in waving the national flag, giving Pavlos and Daoud a taste of that homegrown support.

Pavlos and Daoud made their way to the stage when it was still dark and the LED screens were still empty; if it weren't for the sound of their footsteps being picked up by the politely quiet crowd, their presence might not have been known. The eagle-eyed in the crowd could see a hint of their shadows moving around, their shoes sounding an orderly beat. The Farabian audience members were about to start making noises when Abbas signaled for them to stay quiet.

It was Daoud who had the first word. Mic in his hand, he brought it close to his mouth, making sure that he was heard by the entire crowd:

Daoud:
Yeah, we're on now!

And that was the signal. A series of drum beats came through the sound system as the LED screens and strips and the lighting rigs burst into life in one dazzling flash. The lights were a pattern of red, green, and gold, shining but not so bright so as to overwhelm the LED. Like a blind man now able to see, the audience was suddenly treated to the sight of Pavlos and Daoud standing at the center of the stage, right on the stage's LED strip. Pavlos was wearing a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans, with no adornments whatsoever. Daoud was wearing a collared shirt, with a patter of brown and dark yellow squares, and brown trousers as well as a black cap. Audience members could be forgiven for mistaking them for young fathers on their way to the supermarket.

The screens and strips gave a broad view of outer space, the stars appearing as bright dots of light against the dark, empty backdrop of the universe, as if being seen through a telescope. They were scattered across the screens and down the center of the stage through Pavlos and Daoud's feet. They were standing among - nay, above - the stars, mic in their hands. Pavlos greeted the crowd with "Bonsoir Amiens!" as Daoud offered a wide grin.

Daoud:
Ooh-oh-oh-oh-yea-ahh
1, 2, 3, go!

Daoud glanced over his shoulder to Pavlos, who stepped ever-so-slightly forward, as the lights along the stage danced around and over them. The view on the LED screens and strips didn't stay still, instead beginning to move forward, increasing its speed somewhat, marching past countless stars and other space phenomena such as comets and galaxies, giving the audience the impression that they were watching through the camera of a space probe coasting across the universe. Pavlos began singing, moving a few steps to the left and to the right, leaving the strip and returning to it, leaning his body forward towards the audience when he stood still, as Daoud stood behind him, swaying his hips somewhat.

Pavlos:
The spark in your eyes
Lighting up the entire planet
Well you know for sure you light up my world
And I can't get enough of you

Oh, if you don't mind
Lemme say, honey, you're one of a kind
When I first saw you
I know I got to have you
Make you mine, make you my entire world

As Pavlos returned to the LED strip at the center again, Daoud strode forward and darted past him, before backtracking and putting one arm around his partner's shoulders, the other hand still holding on to the mic. Pavlos lowered his own mic, laughing as Daoud grabbed his shoulder. Daoud himself leaned forward, his eyes squarely on the audience, catching the sight of the Farabian flags being waved at an increasing speed, still wearing that grin which became wider as he sang his part.

Daoud:
Let me be your man, honey
I'd give you everything
Even sing you a lullaby
Or a tune that swings
I'd even give you a diamond ring

Approximately halfway through his part, Daoud released his hold on Pavlos. They smiled and laughed at each other, then together began walking down the central LED strip to the edge of the stage. As Daoud reached the end of his part, they found themselves standing near the edge. Pavlos turned about ninety degrees to face Daoud, who turned at Pavlos and crouched a bit as Pavlos remained standing, though slightly bowed, the two men now facing each other. The lights blinked rapidly all along the stage, moving frantically over and around the men as the song reached its chorus. The two men's voices were joined together, melting into the chorus. Two voices emerged together and turned into one, echoing across the venue.

Pavlos and Daoud:
You're the star of my dreams
The star of my life
You're everything I want and even much more
And I'm just a man, falling so hard in love with you
You're my greatest star
You're my greatest star

Pavlos:
You're my

Pavlos and Daoud:
You're my only star

The LED screens at the back zoomed in at two stars, located side by side. Gradually the stars and the celestial background faded away, morphing into two pictures, the dividing line located right in the middle of the screens in the background. The LED strips to the audience's left shifted to show boxes of one of the pictures, while the strips to the audience's right changed to display squares featuring the other picture. The strip running down the stage turned into a striking pandemonium of colors, lines of bright brown and white and spots of white and yellow against a background of faded red and dark blue.

Pavlos:
Oh, when I saw you
Walking down the hallway on that day
With that dash of style that's so you
Oh please be my girl someday

The pictures gradually became clearer, until it was apparent that each picture displayed a woman's face. On the background LED screens, a name and brief description (under fifteen words) appeared in clear white letters under each woman's face; they were Pavlos' and Daoud's girlfriends, respectively. Pavlos and Daoud momentarily turned their backs on the audience to see the pictures. As the audience realized who they were seeing, a round of applause rang across the venue, accompanied by cheers, the loudest coming from the Farabians. Pavlos and Daoud once again turned to the audience and began walking backwards to the center of the stage, occasionally facing each other and the pictures along the way.

Daoud:
Imma love you now, love you forever
Be your first and last, be your only one
Like a knight though I have no armor at all
I would still be always by your side

As the song raced towards its second chorus, Pavlos and Daoud once again found themselves in the middle of the stage. The lights were now moving rather more slowly, and a golden spotlight was firmly upon them. Behind them the LED screens changed to show a montage of pictures of Pavlos and Daoud together with their respective girlfriends. The LED strips along the stage continued displaying the previous pictures of their girlfriends alone.

Daoud:
Let me be your man, honey
I'd give you everything
Even sing you a lullaby
Or a tune that swings
I'd even give you a diamond ring

As the song finally reached the second chorus, the pyrotechnics came into action. At the first beat of the chorus, thin jets of fire shot up to the sky besides the stage, their color a bright, brilliant red, reaching just over halfway between the floor and the ceiling. There was a sizable gap between each jet of fire to ensure that they did not completely obstruct the audience's view of the stage. The lights began moving at a faster pace again, crisscrossing even as the golden spotlight remained on Pavlos and Daoud.

Pavlos and Daoud:
You're the star of my dreams
The star of my life
The main character, the leading lady
And I'd be the extra, as long as you top the billing

You're my number one
My imagination
The focus of my mind
The heroine of my dreams
And I'm just a nobody, falling for such a perfect girl
You're my greatest star
You're my greatest star
You're my only star

"Ladies and gentlemen, Daoud Bakr!" Pavlos exclaimed as he took a step back and away from the spotlight, allowing Daoud to have all the attention centered on him. Daoud smiled and nodded at his partner, and then began making his way around the perimeter of the stage in a relaxed stroll, taking in the full extent of the audience, as he launched into a rap verse. Meanwhile, Pavlos stood his ground near the center of the stage, lowering his mic to his waist, watching his partner in admiration.

Daoud:
Honey you're hot and honey you're cool
I didn't think perfection was real until I met you
A star on the red carpet and a star in my eyes
I'd give you my home, my heart, and my love
You know what, even Venus got nothing on you
You can come to my house whenever you want to
Use the sofa, watch the TV, even play with my dog
But if you're tired I can just make you a cup of coffee

With his rap verse coming to an end, Daoud turned and rushed back to the center of the stage, where Pavlos was still standing. As they launched into the final chorus, they were greeted by a second round of pyrotechnics, although this time the fire was more orange-yellow than red. The Farabians in the audience kept on waving their flags, and Pavlos took the time to give them a shout out. "Thank you guys!" he shouted, pointing at the direction of the flags as Daoud settled next to him. His next words were directed to the audience as a whole. "They are our people, the Farabian people. The best in the multiverse. We wouldn't be here if not for them!"

Pavlos and Daoud:
You're the star of my dreams
The star of my life
The main character, the leading lady
And I'd be the extra, as long as you top the billing
You're my number one
My imagination
The focus of my mind
The heroine of my dreams
And I'm just a nobody, falling for such a perfect girl
You're my greatest star

The song was now drawing to a close, and for one last time Pavlos and Daoud advanced together, side by side, to the end of the stage to be closer to the audience. The montage of pictures featuring them and their respective girlfriends had just finished, and the LED screens in the background now showed a single picture of all four of them, dressed casually and posing in a goofy manner. The LED strips beside the stage now displayed copies of the same picture in several boxes spread across the strips. A short text on the lower side of the picture on the background screens clarified that it was taken in one of Faraby City's recording studios just a few weeks ago.

Daoud:
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah

Pavlos:
You're my greatest star, yeah, yeah (Daoud: Ooh-oh yeah, oh yeah)
You're my greatest star

Daoud:
Ohhhhhhh ooh yeah

The pyrotechnics died down as the beat gradually slowed down and then came to a stop. The LED strips running beside and down the stage faded to black, although the large screens in the background remained on, displaying the final picture of Pavlos, Daoud, and their girlfriends all together. The lights were turned off, and with them went the golden spotlight. Pavlos and Daoud stood quietly for a minute, arms around each other's shoulders, taking in the crowd's applause. "Thank you, thank you very much," Pavlos said, struggling to hold back tears. "You know, we're just two guys, Pavlos Konstantinopoulos and Daoud Bakr, who want to make some good music, and now we're on this stage. I hope you enjoyed the performance, and, well, have a good night. Thank you." The two then made their way out of the stage as the applause continued.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:48 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:54 pm

Night Rather Than Day members (from left to right): Palmira Posa, Ester Palander, Mika Jameson

Formed on January 29, 2021 by the Flavezztowlander independent record label Sprint Records, the all-female vocal trio Night Rather Than Day consists of Palmira Posa, Ester Palander, and Mika Jameson. The song that they chose to perform in Amiens during the internal selection process for the Flavezztowlander WHF57 entry at Flavezztowland City's Broadcasting Sphere (the headquarters of FTV, the official broadcaster of WHF for Rhim Flavezztowland ever since the nation made its WHF debut in WHF55), "Lovely" is a song with at least one verse that compares the loveliness of the lover that it's about to a garden with green grass and various flowers.

Upon the Flavezztowlander WHF57 postcard's end, one could see theatrical fog lying slightly above the stage, the lighting rigs being dimmed, and the LED screens being blank; the members of Night Rather Than Day were standing in a straight horizontal line. Ester was wearing a red camisole and a viridian floral skirt, Palmira was wearing a cowboy hat and a pink cotton robe, and Mika was wearing a black-and-red dress and some opaque magenta leggings; also, all three of them were wearing white sneakers.

Baby, look at my garden
Full of green grass and flowers
Red roses, tulips, daisies
Lotuses and daffodils
Strawberry flowers are blooming from the plants that I grew the weekend before
When the summer comes, they'll turn into beautiful strawberries for us to use, boy

The lighting rigs were then brightened to a bright green color, and the camera then rapidly zoomed onto the faces of Ester and Palmira as the former sang.

Just like my garden, you're so beautiful

Your eyes tell me of lotuses and dahlias, baby
And like two flyin' birds, we're both together in this love
Your red lips tell me of red rose petals
I'm into guys that're of your lovely type, baby
'Cause from start to end, they're truthful

The camera's focus then changed to the trio as a whole, and the LED screens started showing images of flowers blooming as Ester sang.

Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your words speak to me, sweetie
I'll never know if I'll ever meet another lovely guy who's like you
Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your heart's so pure and true
I hope I'm not dreamin'
'Cause I just want this love to last forever

The LED screens then went blank again, and the lighting rigs started changing colors every 2 seconds. Upon when one could hear the sound of glass in the instrumental, pyrotechnics were blown up, the theatrical fog was completely cleared, and the camera swiftly zoomed onto the face of Mika as she started singing her rap.

Just like bread and Marmite, we're a real perfect match
We're like birds of a feather, you're a real catch
I used to be like real lonely
Now you're my only
I don't want this love to end 'cause I've had good times with 'cha
I know that you're so handsome and you're super lovely
But don't 'cha abandon me like that old boyfriend of me
So promise me that you'll always stay with me, baby
If you ain't knowin' this, boy, I'll elaborate, maybe

The camera then refocused onto all three members and the lighting rigs were then dimmed.

Just like my garden, you're so beautiful
Your eyes tell me of lotuses and dahlias, baby
And like two flyin' birds, we're both together in this love
Your red lips tell me of red rose petals
I'm into guys that're of your lovely type, baby
'Cause from start to end, they're truthful

The lighting rigs then lit up to a bright green color again as the three began singing the chorus for the second time.

Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your words speak to me, sweetie
I'll never know if I'll ever meet another lovely guy who's like you
Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your heart's so pure and true
I hope I'm not dreamin'
'Cause I just want this love to last forever

The stage then went completely dark (with the LED screens going blank again and the lighting rigs being dimmed once more) - noticing this, the cameramen rapidly zoomed the camera out to show the entire stage as the bridge was sung.

Maybe I wouldn't last one more day without you, baby
'Cause you're the only one who matches me perfectly
(Your love's so true)
I hope this love's really eternal
Don't you leave me for somebody else
Baby, there's the secret garden I made for you and I, oh-oh...

After the bridge was sung, the LED screens went back to showing images of flowers blooming, the lighting rigs were brightened once more, and the camera's focus swiftly changed to the three's faces; each time Mika sang her "Oh..." lines, she was singing loudly at a high pitch of C6.

(Oh...)
Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your words speak to me, sweetie
I'll never know if I'll ever meet another lovely guy who's like you
(Oh...)
Baby, you're so lovely, lovely, lovely
Your heart's so pure and true
I hope I'm not dreamin'
'Cause I just want this love to last forever

The camera then swiftly zoomed onto Mika's face as she was speak-singing the last three lines of the song.

Baby, come to my own secret garden
Made for no one
But just you and me

Once the song ended, the applauding of the audience at the Zenith could be heard - Mika then yelled, "Thank you, Amiens!" from her mic as the applause went on. The stage then went dark as all three of the Night Rather Than Day members walked off of it just before the postcard of the nation next in line to perform their entry would begin...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:55 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:02 pm

The decision for Polkopia to return to the World Hit Festival was not done overnight. High costs of participation mixed with low domestic interest in the competition due to subpar results meant that several of those in the Polkopian National Broadcaster felt as if though it was not in Polkopia's best interest to participate at this time. Previously, the contest had only been broadcasted on PNB2, PNB's second network, where programs that don't have the same budget, interest, or a combination of the two are featured. After the conclusion of 56th World Hit Festival, the time had come for nations to declare their interest in participating. Though viewing figures for WHF56 were higher than previous contest, the number was nowhere nearly high enough in order to justify the PNB signing up, however a proposal brought by Vadim Dostovskiy, head of the Polkopian delegation, raised some eyebrows. He stated that he would like to test the waters of WHF one more time and wanted to allocate enough funding in order to bring the program to PNB instead of PNB2. Due the pandemic, PNB had to cut several of its programs, as reality television was not viable to film during these times, and has since struggled to fill the gaps with viable shows. Furthermore, the Polkopian government provided substantial payments to publicly-funded services on multiple occasions throughout the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to the funding they had already received from the government. It didn't seem like an overstep to use some of these extra funds to gauge what would be popular on Polkopian television once the nation could fully reopen, so including WHF on the main channel was step one in this project. Should it prove popular with the Polkopian audience, it is expected that Polkopia's main channel would resume regular participation after several years of sporadic and infrequent appearances.

The decision on whether or not Polkopia would participate had been made, but what was to be done about selecting the nation's entry? Historically, the runner-up for the Landa vy Polkopiya would normally be given the option to represent their nation at the World Hit Festival, however the introduction to the "Best-Of" special edition made artists more inclined to save their song for that contest rather than risk World Hit Festival, so this method would no longer be viable. The idea of holding another, smaller National Final had crossed the minds of the PNB's administration, but that was quickly shut down, as it would be far too much time, effort, and money on an experimental project. That left no other choice but to hand-select an artist who they believed could do the nation justice at the contest. The answer lied in MAKSIM, a lesser-known Polkopian artist who had seldom expressed interest in writing a song for the Landa vy Polkopiya, as the larger entry fee and time commitment meant that it wasn't worth risking all of that to go up against fan-favorites with a larger fanbase and production team. MAKSIM enjoyed his small team and what they contribute to Polkopia's music scene. In an interview with the PNB, MAKSIM believed that the pop industry is snuffing out some of the up-and-coming artists and that World Hit Festival makes some of these smaller artists known, not only on a domestic scale, but also on an international level, and could pave their pathway to musical success. That was MAKSIM's hope, anyway, but he also didn't want to earn all of this fame and fortune if it meant that he would have to abandon his musical team, and was very adamant that all of them be granted entry into Normandy and Picardy. The PNB agreed, despite early hesitations regarding COVID precautions, and weeks later, Vo Vesmire was written, produced, and released by MAKSIM and his team, and they were all set for the contest.

By the time MAKSIM took the stage, the props from the previous performance had already all been removed in order to expedite the process in which the staging for the Polkopian performance could be prepared. Overall, it wasn't to be anything spectacular or expensive, partly because MAKSIM didn't care for all the glitz and glamour that came with an over-the-top performance, yet he still wanted the staging to encompass the song, as the entirety of the song was in Polkopian and the majority of the audience wouldn't understand the lyrical content of the song. The song's title was "Vo Vesmire" which translates into English as "In The Universe" so naturally, MAKSIM and his team opted for a more galactic design. Upon looking at the stage, MAKSIM and his technical producer, Yulia Gregirovna, agreed that this would work in their favor, should they commence with the space theme they already had in mind. The last thing they wanted was for MAKSIM to get lost on-stage while trying to deliver his performance, and the smaller area of the stage would allow for the staging concept they had in mind, whilst keeping MAKSIM present on-stage in the eyes of the viewers. The stage was set and MASKSIM was ready to perform. The stage was nearly all black, save for the LED floor and background, which were dotted with starts, mimicking a midnight sky. The lights along the outer edges of the stage were also illuminated so they they too looked as if they were stars. MAKSIM himself wore black pants, black shoes, and a black v-neck shirt. Over the shirt, he wore a thick white suit jacket with a golden trim. His pants, although black, shimmered as the light caught them, meaning that one could see that they were coated with some sort of glitter on the outer side of the fabric. Besides his clothing, he wore a golden stud pierced through one of his ears, and had a sort of thin golden vein design sewed into the middle of his brow, extending through the length of his brow, nearly reaching his hairline. Everybody but him exited the stage as the performance was set to begin and soon, the instrumentation began to play, signaling MAKSIM's time to begin singing. As he started the song, he held the microphone up to his mouth, but looked down, staring at his free hand, which he held close to his abdomen. After he sang the first line, he brought his free hand down and sang directly into the camera.

Nekovo ne ža ponyat
Laibov bud' mati.
Kudga prešla v žizne,
Ne mogu dikhat'.

Each time MAKSIM sang, "smotri", the camera zoomed in for a moment and he continued making intense eye-contact with the camera. Meanwhile, the LED stars seemed to glimmer and shine brighter than they had done before and once in a while, one could see a stars shooting across the dark background of the screen. As he dang this part, MAKSIM proceeded to walk forward slowly, and every time he did, some of the nearby stars on the LED panel on the floor would move to create a footprint silhouette in the spot that he once stood. After MAKSIM sang the last part, he let his hand holding the microphone slowly drop and he looked down. As this happened, the camera transitioned by fading into black.

Smotri, smotri moikh glazakh, čito vidiš?
Čumi meni i rešti,
Tol'ko možeš reštit.

As the chorus sounded, the lights brightened and immediately illuminated the stage. The LED changed from a black, starry, midnight sky to a galactic pattern , which rotated in-place as the song continued on. The lights that illuminated the stage were colored various shades of gold, blue, red, and purple, and moved about the stage rapidly, covering the entire stage in these bright hues. As soon as the chorus started, MAKSIM jumped forward and pointed toward the camera, smirking as he did so, before moving around the main LED platform on the stage floor casually, hardly ever losing eye-contact with the camera lens. Only a few times, MAKSIM would extend his arm toward the ceiling and look toward that same direction, would he ever lost eye-contact with the camera, but this moment only lasted as he sang one of the lines in the chorus. As he moved, he did so in a very chill demeanor, not wanting anything to seem forced or unnatural. As a result of this mindset, he hardly practiced his stage movements during the rehearsals and instead focused on the stage design and his vocal performance. He wanted his stage presence to seem as authentic as possible, and it was certainly being delivered tonight.

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov
Yes'li yest' nekovo ostat' naš.
Biy naš mati ves

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov.
No na danniyom momente
Čekan v tišeniye.

Once the first chorus ended, the lights dimmed to their original state, though the galaxy animation was still playing on the background LED screen. The camera was situated at the back of the stage and filmed MAKSIM from this view so that the audience was in the camera shot. The lights around the arena had completely dimmed though, so the only thing from the audience that was visible were members' flashlights, phones, and other objects that light up in the dark. As MAKSIM sang this next verse, the camera moved around him and he maintained eye-contact with the lens, just as he had done throughout the entire performance up to this point.

Višu tebi s nim.
On vsyo, čito meni ne.
Eto bol' laibova
No ne vinovayo.

The camera stopped moving around MAKSIM once the cameraman was situated at the front of the stage, signaling a transition here, where the cameraman holding the camera ran off the stage in time for a frontal view of the stage to come into play here. MAKSIM was the focus here, of course, but fog began to creep onto the stage and lasers began to project lights all over MAKSIM during this part. These lights that were projected onto MAKSIM resembled stars in the night sky, similar as to how the background had been earlier. More and more began to cover MAKSIM's body until he was hardly seen under the lights. Once the third line in the pre-chorus was over, the lights all faded into a light red and began to vibrate.

Každiy den' milliyoni dumei, v golove.
Ves yel'sa, tiy seyčas.
Tol'ko možeš reštit.

MAKSIM leapt forward so that the lasers were no longer trained on him and he resumed the earlier casual movements of walking around the stage. For the most part, the camera shot him from the front, or from a lower perspective, just off the stage perimeter. Either way, members of the audience who have booked their tickets to watch the show from around the edge of the stage were into view, several of them moving their hands side to side, others reaching their hands out toward MAKSIM on stage. Sometimes, MAKSIM would reciprocate and reach out toward them as well, smiling as he did so, before moving around toward the other side of the stage. He appreciated the warm reception that the fans in the arena gave him and although he wanted to show them appreciation, his primary objective was to focus on his performance and make sure he was delivering everything as well as he could. By the time the last line in the chorus was sung, he was situated in the very middle of the stage. As he sung it, he extended his arm out to his side and looked up, squeezing his eyes shut as he held the note. The background galaxy pattern, meanwhile, balled up and exploded during this time, sending stars flying all around the LED screens as the instrumental played after the chorus.

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov
Yes'li yest' nekovo ostat' naš.
Biy naš mati ves

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov.
No na danniyom momente
Čekan v tišeniye.

Ohh...
Yeah...

The lights dimmed and glitter began to rain from the sky, colored in the same hue as the stars had been on the LED screen so that they resembled the same stars that had been shooting across the screens moments earlier. The stars that had been flying across the screen now seemed to pause in place, only moving in the same direction as they had been ever so slowly, giving the illusion that time was standing still, save for MAKSIM, who was signing the breakdown of the song here. He was on one knee, looking up toward the ceiling, almost pleading, as the camera circled around him. Glitter fell on and around him, coating the stage in a shimmery golden color and meanwhile, the fog machine ramped up the intensity so that the stage was being covered by at least a half-meter of fog by the end of the breakdown.

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov
Yes'li yest' nekovo ostat' naš.
Biy naš mati ves

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov.
No na danniyom momente
Čekan v tišeniye.

As he sang this line, the stars all began to move as quickly as they had done before the breakdown. The LED screen on the floor began to 'open up' in the sense that there was a bright golden line forming in the middle of the stage, which grew wider and wider as seconds passed. This line was extended all the way to the back of the stage and reached the spot on the background LED screen where the galaxy once was. Currently, it was still a massive ball of yellow and orange hues, shooting out stars and planets at a rapid pace all throughout the LED screens.

Vo vesmire...

The final chorus was here and MAKSIM stood up to continue walking around the stage. Now, animation playing on the LED screens which had previously shown the stars shooting forward, toward MAKSIM and the audience, had now reversed itself so that everything which had shot out before was now being sucked back in to the massive yellow and orange orb that was being shown in the background. Wind machines kicked on to maximum intensity too so that the fog on-stage was being blown toward the back of the stage as well. MAKSIM's jacket, hair, and articles of loose-fitting clothing he was wearing also seemed to be blowing back in that direction, giving the audience the illusion that it really was this massive ball in the background sucking in everything. By the very end of the chorus, once MAKSIM had finished singing the last high note and the instrumental had slowed down, the ball faded and in its place was a beautiful galaxy setting, more colorful and artistic than before. The lights had dimmed to deep shades of purple and MAKSIM returned to the middle of the stage, smiling as the lights faded and the performance was completed.

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov
Yes'li yest' nekovo ostat' naš.
Biy naš mati ves

Yes'li miy sami vo vesmire
Ya biy dat' tebe ves laibov.
No na danniyom momente
Čekan v tišeniye.

"Thank you very much. Thank you." MAKSIM calmly said into the microphone before waving to the crowd, loudly cheering the Polkopian entrant. Members of his team ran onstage and they all bowed together before hugging and running off of the stage so that the next participant may perform.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:04 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:14 pm

Carrelie never expected to participate in the World Hit Festival. Throughout the years, the country had seen its fair share of successes in various song contests, but the WHF seemed out of their league. Against the nation's better judgement, CarrelieOne decided to sign up for the 56th contest, only to withdraw due to financial constraints. This time around, however, they were determined to compete.

Anilïs Carolesier was the logical choice for their entry, being young and popular in the Carrelian music scene. Over the years, he's released many albums and taken the hearts of many young women the nation over. It was only a matter of time until he'd be representing Carrelie on the world stage, and that time had finally come. He was determined to win.

The postcard leaves the screen, showing Anilïs and his 2 backing dancers with their backs to the cameras and the audience. He continues to face away from the camera as the music begins.

For you and me it’s been a great long while,
So maybe it’s time to get out and smile.
We could also call over our greatest friends,
Make sure it never ends!

All 3 whip around to face the audience in unison, Anilïs throwing the microphone forward and then catching it as he slows down, as the chorus begins. All lights center on him as he goes into the chorus, with the lights dispersing and scattering after he sings the first line.

You wanna know what I hear?
Yeah, Ç’aie ve Çanmi-i’r! (wo-oh wo-o-oh)
Étaçïe çe, I’ve got the feelin’,(o-oh)
Çe çanmét grïenter é hereuxenne é oú
Ve çanmir béen!

Two stick figures are metaphorically dropped onto the LED screens in the back, one with a white background and the other with a black background. Throughout the chorus the one on the left reaches out to the somewhat downtrodden one on the right. It pulls the other into the light frame and pats its shoulder, nodding its head.

Çoú, í té çon táráfe,
É çe, á Marien-Ave,
Çe’ie allen çélébratièr,
É çe’ie çélébratièr jusqu'au mïenne,
For a long time,
We’re gonna have a party,
And ev’ryone is invited,
The mornin’ comes when we’re done, we don’t finish till the morning![/b]

A number of cameras appear on all the LED screens, all flashing repeatedly as Anilïs opens the chorus, twirling the microphone.

You wanna know what I hear?
Yeah, Ç’aie ve Çanmi-i’r! (wo-oh wo-o-oh)
Étaçïe çe, I’ve got the feelin’, (o-oh)
Çe çanmét grïenter é hereuxenne é oú
Ve çanmir béen!

The LED cameras contiune to flash as he takes the microphone off of its stand, running closer to the audience while his backup dancers stay in the back. Between the flashes the two stick figures appear to be sneaking around. They both eventually find a door and enter.

Yeah, you know what I hear?
Oh, Ç’aie ve Çanmi-i’r! (wo-oh wo-o-oh)
Étaçïe çe, I’ve got the feelin’, (o-oh)
Çe çanmét grïenter é hereuxenne é oú
Ve çanmir béen![floatright]The good feeling!

A screen wipe happens, revealing a whole host of stick figures dancing with monochrome lights. The original two enter and the one in the front tries to beckon the other onto the dancefloor, but it refuses.

I know, it seems exhausting,
Partying ‘til the morning,
But soon you’ll see the importance,
Of getting loose while you can and just enjoying it!

Cameras appear again, covering the scene of one figure trying to convince the other to join it. Anilis goes to the very front of the stage again, looking down at everyone.

Yeah, you know what I hear?
Oh, Ç’aie ve Çanmi-i’r! (wo-oh wo-o-oh)
Étaçïe çe, I’ve got the feelin’, (o-oh)
Çe çanmét grïenter é hereuxenne é oú
Ve çanmir béen!

The cameras disappear and the formerly stubborn figure joins the other on the dance floor as Anilis places the microphone back on its stand.

Yeah, you know what we hear?
Oh, çe’ai ve çanmi-i’r! (wo-oh wo-o-oh)
Étaçïe çe, we’ve got the feelin’, (o-oh)
Çe’ie çanmét grïenter é hereuxenne é oú, é oú,
Ve çanmir béen!

The music ends and the fans applaud. It truly is a wonderful time to be alive for Anilis, and the figures are shown dancing some more on the screens. What a wonderful evening!

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:15 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:20 pm

Rina for Amiens: Rina is the next Estogian World Hit Festival representative and she will be singing her song, "Another Night" in Normandy & Picardy.

Rina Louise is a 21-year-old from Palisadoes, one of the largest Western cities in the country which hardly gets any chance in the limelight. Rina Louise has always been involved in music in her life - always participating in her school talent shows and musicals - liking songs that are a lot more contemporary and upbeat. Rina has also had some dancing lessons too which she will bring on the World Hit Festival stage for everyone to enjoy. Estogium's chances at the World Hit Festival aren't great, with the country struggling to reach the top 5 ever since the 52nd World Hit Festival when Estogium finished 3rd place. Estogium is hoping that by sending a good contemporary song, that the country could be successful by following a long-term plan starting this edition. "For Estogium, while our neighbour does a fantastic job at the World Hit Festival, we are very much in their shadow" explains the newly-elected Head of Delegation for Estogium at the contest. "Our music scenes are basically the same so when people have to pick between Estogium and Britonisea, most people pick the latter - and that's great for Britonisea, but not for us. What we have to do, though, is send even better, even more, memorable entries to the Festival - and maybe experiment a bit! Even if people don't like our entries, I at least want those entries to be a talking point" The Head of Delegation then goes on to explain why they decided to send Rina to the World Hit Festival, "Well, I think that it was a no brainer to send Rina to the Festival. We haven't seen something this modern from Estogium from a couple of editions and we definitely wanted to make a comeback especially since we knew that Nightom wasn't going to come to Amiens. We think that Rina will do a great job wherever she places."

Hearing from Rina herself, she said "Yes, I am so excited to represent my country at the upcoming World Hit Festival - I want to put on a show and actually give Estogians to watch and be proud of. I think that our World Hit Festival journey has been rough and I hope that even if I don't place well - which I hope I do - it will kick start a wave of success as I'd love to soon see my country right at the top of the scoreboard!". At the qualification draw, Rina was drawn to perform in the 2nd half of the night as Normandy and Picardy confirmed that 21 nations would compete for the title of the 57th winner of the World Hit Festival. Rina was following the draw live and seemed to be happy that she was performing in the 2nd half but nervous as to her final placement. A couple of hours later, in the early hours of the morning, it was announced that Rina would be performing in 16th position - after Carrelie and before South Alezia. Would Rina find success performing in 16th? We will have to find out...

She didn't want the performance to be extravagant. Rina wanted to go for a simple performance with a couple of dancers and some cool graphics behind her and she would be mint. "I can't believe I am next" she muttered under her breath as the song from Carrelie got under way. She, at the time, was doing her vocal warm-ups to make sure that her voice was ready for her performance. She wasn't singing any crazy notes where she would need most of her vocal cords but she wanted to make sure that she was alright. As the song by Carrelie finished and they moved off the stage, it was now time for Rina to grace it. On the stage was her and a few dancers locked off in a small room which would make the colours from the strobes pop. The audience after the postcard cheered before the stage turned to darkness. As the first notes of the song played out, Rina was alone on the stage with the camera slowly focusing on her. Strobes were flashing between blue and red as she slowly made her way to face the camera face-to-face.

The hate in your eyes, I hadn't seen before
The way you raised your voice, frightened me
Saw a different side to you I'd rather forget
All because I called you out,
All 'cuz you got caught.

As she sang the chorus, the camera was rather constant, staying in one position and only slowly zooming out very slowly but not by much. Rina always kept eye contact with the camera throughout this section. She moved to the chorus section, the one which she sings herself. The flashing alternating strobes stopped before a much further away shot was seen, with lights from the back end of the stage trailing its way from the top of the stage to the bottom. Dancers appeared from behind the little room that she was as Rina jumped forwards, allowing there to be space for the dancers behind her.

Another night by myself, alone in bed,
I am assuming this love we got is dead.
Walked out the door with words unsaid, no
Didn't mean for this all to end.
Another night by myself, another night I regret

Another night by myself, alone in bed,
I am assuming this love we got is dead.
Walked out the door with words unsaid,
Didn't mean for this all to end.
Another night without you, all by myself

Another night, another night

As the robotic sounds started singing the chorus, Rina and her dancers started dancing in unison with one another while being blacked out so you could only see the silhouettes of her and her dancers, a similar effect to this one but imagine there are more people on the stage copying her. They continued dancing together for the duration of the chorus, with the lights blindly flashing to white very temporarily at moments, with the camera interacting this with very quick close up shots. At the end of the chorus, her and her dancers did something similar to this with Rina getting on a lower level, only to be caught by a camera looking up at her.

You make me feel like I was in the wrong,
I'm not the one who made the mistake.
Willing to forgive, forget and move on,
But only if you own up to what you have done.

Another night by myself, alone in bed,
I am assuming this love we got is dead.
Walked out the door with words unsaid, no
Didn't mean for this all to end.
Another night by myself, another night I regret

She was singing into this camera now, reaching out to touch with the camera and also lowkey flirting with it too - flashing her eyelashes and whatnot as she made her way through the chorus. There was a shot that was further away from where Rina was surrounded by the dancers who were touching every orifice of her body, pulling her from side to side during the chorus section leading into the robotic voice. The lights followed a similar format to how it was before.

Another night by myself, alone in bed,
I am assuming this love we got is dead.
Walked out the door with words unsaid,
Didn't mean for this all to end. (and)
Another night without you, all by myself

Another night, a night

Oooh, a night I'd rather forget
Oooh, a night I'd rather forget
Another night by myself, alone in bed,
I am assuming this love we got is dead.
Walked out the door with words unsaid, no
Didn't mean for this all to end.
Another night by myself, another night I regret

Another night by myself (Another night by myself)
Another night I regret

At the end of the song, she bowed and thanked the audience before moving off the stage, as the show moved into another interval.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:20 pm

sophie saint-desir, the winner of l'etoile normande

[INSERT DESCRIPTION HERE - Won L'Etoile Normande, essentially the Normand and Picard equivalent of the Nuove Proposte round at Sanremo, which means she will be present at the next Concours de la College de Cherbourg. Here she is performing her new single, Le Regard (The Look)...]

[INTERVIEW]
[MOVE ONTO NEXT ACT]

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:22 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:25 pm

The stage is silent. Full silence until... Guitar starts being strung and everyone being "hysteric" over this group

Ku terbangun jam lima pagi
Sela-mat pagi duniaku
Ayo kita nikmati hari
Ayo bersantuy bersamaku

Eh, lihat ada notif di layarku
Yasud, buka aja dah-

TUGGGAAAS TUGGGAAASS TUGGGASSS TU-GAS

Google Classroom meronta-ronta
Tugas dikumpul hari ini
Tugas-nya disuruh bikin video
Video durasi lima menit

Kalo gitu ayo buka kameranya,
Eh, lihat ada notif-

TUGGGAAAS TUGGGAAASS TUGGGASSS TU-U-GGAAAAAAAAAS

OHHHHHHH

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Paling nggak tolong batasnya jangan satu hari...

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Jangan tugas video karna uploadnya lamaaa banget...

Tugasnya udah selesai.
Akhirnya bisa mabar.

Sekarang kita bisa main main
Sekarang kita bisa santuy

Eh bentar muncul notif di layarku
Coba yuk dicek dulu-

TUGGGAAAS TUGGGAAASS TUGGGASSS TU-GAS

Banyak banget,
Batasnya hari ini pula.

Murid terpintar aja tidak mungkin bisa,
Menyelesaikan semuanya

Aku kasihan dengan mereka
Mereka yang bingung bagaimana
Buat makalah dan buat mading
Apalagi bikin makanan

Ah... beri aku lebih banyak waktu...
Berpikir menghabiskan batere
Aku tahu maksud mereka itu baik,
Tapi kalau aku jujur, jujur, jujur

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Jangan jangan mereka pada konspirasi-an...

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Coba saja ada tugas yang nyuruh kita tiduran...

Aku tahu... kamu betul-betulan capek....
Tapi janganlah... Jangan menyerah tuk berjuang!!!

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Berdoa agar kamu kuat dalam dunia yang keras....

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Aku nggak paham gimana caranya bikin kue

Tolong jangan spam tugas di lubuk hatiku
Aku nggak paham bagaimana caranya tuk roll depaaaaan...

Semua tugas sudah selesai
Sekarang kita sudah betulan santuy
Semua kan baik baik saja
Sekarang kita bisa mabar

Ketika datang malam hari,
Meski besok bakal banyak tugas,
Berbahagialah, dan tidurlah, untuk lubuk hatiku.

The audience sat there stunned, some flying South Alezian mini flags

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:27 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:34 pm

Poppy Cox, 24, is a part time social media influencer and part time veterinary receptionist. She enjoys book binding, brutalist architecture and unworts. She dislikes chintz, wiwibloggs, and words ending in x.

Growing up as a precocious youngster, she often found herself in trouble with the law several times, luckily she's put her bad self behind her and has settled into simple local activism.

Recently, Poppy organised marches for the right for plants to roam, anti-anti-anti-tobacco, and (most importantly) more WorldVision and World Hit Festival... because thats what we all want!

A wave nervousness overcame Poppy as she waited backstage for the prior performance to conclude. She nervously shook her arms to rid herself of the tension, and then cracked her neck side to side.

Her outfit for thr evening was a stunning red and gold dress, tailored to fit snuggly around her waist. It attempted to achieve a slight Mediterranean feel with a more loose form around the hem.

She strode on stage, she awaited the music to begin, facing the rear of the stage. The stage was unlit and in darkness dark.

As the music begins the lights fade in.The backing singers sing "ahhh-ah-ah-ahhh- ah-ah" and Poppy begins to sway her hips to the beat of the music following the rhythm and sound.

before turning round to face the camera and the audience and singing... strutting to the front of the stage.

It takes only three words,
To save a hundred thousand good reasons,
For me to be leavin',

Poppy's free hand seductively runs up her side, in a manner to get her man, and the viewing public, to notice her femininity.

As she sings the following a male backing dancer comes onstage wearing dark clothes, he dances like in a contemporary fashion behind and around her before placing his on her from behind.

I wanted so much more,
Than all of this spin that you gave me,
Only your words can save me,

As she sings the following, she and the backing dancer become mirror images of each other standing in profile on the stage.

On the borderline,
Between staying and leaving,
Lie words of love.

As the chorus begins (lyrics clearly inspired by Lior Nakis, I mean who else am I right?) there's a palpable sense of tension between the dancer and Poppy. Who sway together briefly, before the dancer spins off to dance by himself whilst Poppy returns to looking down the camera. This time, however, there's a coyness in her eyes.

Say "Ich liebe dich",
Aber du sagst nichts,
Or you can say "je t'aime",
Si tu veux, c'est à vous,
Tell me "inħobbok",
It takes more than just a look,
Parole d'amore,
Ti amo, mi amor.

As the beat kicks in, the backing singers, hidden on stage, contiune with their "ahhh-ah-ah-ahhh- ah-ah"'s andthe backing dancer returns and the pair gyrate around the stage. Before the pair stops and Poppy drops into his arms

I'm waiting to hear,
All those words of love.

As the second verse begins, Poppy switches to Italian adding some aurual interest for the listener.

Ti sto aspettando,
Aspettando la tua risposta,
non arriva velocemente.

There's a deep intensity in Poppy's eyes as she stares down the camera and into the viewing publics souls, as she continues.

Non c'è null'altro da dire,
non ci sono parole da ascoltare,
nessun sentimento.

As she sings the following, the dancer, who had previous run off stage, returns takes her in his arms. The pair dance together as he runs his hand down her side.

On the borderline,
Between staying and leaving,
Lie words of love.

With the end of the bridge, Poppy turns to face the dancer and the pair do some form of tango, however Poppy leads pushing the dancer back, showing herself as being assertive in requesting his love.

Say "Ich liebe dich",
Aber du sagst nichts,
Or you can say "je t'aime",
Si tu veux, c'est à vous,
Tell me "inħobbok",
It takes more than just a look,
Parole d'amore,
Ti amo, mi amor.

As the pair continue their dance routine it melds into a paso doble (Beepeeans are clearly nothing if not inconsistent in their dancing styles), with the pair seemingly dance battling for the upper hand. The dance is nothing if not highly charged with romantic tension.

I'm waiting to hear,
All those words of love.

The dancer runs away looking at the ground standing on the opposite side of the stage from Poppy, as the beat breaks... a sign perhaps their love had faded and is no longer tenable.

There's a final quiver in her voice as she continues...

"תגיד "אני אוהב אותך
And i will say it back,
Aku cinta kamu ,
berikan aku sesuatu,
Jeg elsker deg,
Ja, dag etter dag,
Parole d'amore,
Ti amo, mi amor.

With that the chorus complete, the dancer returns and bends onto one knee, pulling out a rose to hand to Poppy as she completes the song with...

Parole d'amore,
Ti amo, mi amor.

With the performance over, Poppy and the dancer bow politely and leave to allow room for the next entry, the buzz in the Zenith d'Amiens already beginning to rise as the crowd anticipated the home entry...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:35 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:42 pm

Alys Montgolfier, 40, the artist who will be representing Normandy and Picardy on home soil in Amiens

Here she was, the home girl, performing on the stage in Amiens. Sure, Alys had performed in the Zenith many times beforehand, she knew the place rather well. She told herself she shouldn't be nervous; this was home turf, almost literally, for her. Yet, despite her years of experience, having indeed performed to larger crowds (at least in person; Alys desperately tried to keep the thought of the millions watching elsewhere out of her mind) than the one before her tonight, something about this felt different. Perhaps it was the fact she was performing for her country, and indeed for her city. Perhaps it was the millions of eyes around the multiverse peering at her. Maybe it was the song she would perform, one that had grown very dear to her indeed, and that she really wanted to do justice to. But, of course, she couldn't do that if she didn't perform it, as much as that is stating the obvious. In any case, she knew what to do. It was time to draw on that experience, the energy of the home crowd already roaring as the postcard came to an end, and all the rest of the madness and energy that held the last few weeks of her life, which certainly was unique. It had all in a way, however, been leading to this moment, and so it was time.

The lilting tones of "Vraiment Un Normand", a song that everyone in both Republics knows and holds dear, came to an end, and the little piece of incidental music played as the generally reserved Picard crowd went wild, as might be expected. She knew she had to fulfil their expectations, she definitely felt the weight on her shoulders; even if there was no pressure to win unlike that felt by previous Normand performers, she still would be expected to do well. Yet, she could also channel that energy. So, she stood there in the middle of the stage as taken in both directions, surrounding her on the sides and reaching out in front of her towards the audience, in her fully white loose fitting suit, rather like the one here, with perhaps a bit less flesh showing. The last little adjustment to the microphone stand. A final deep breath. And then it was finally, after an agonising wait, time to get going. The Normand delegation had decided to keep things rather simple and pared back for this performance; there was hardly going to be any of the snow, lampost props and dancing that had helped them win in Todlichebujoku, and take several awards whilst they were at it. No, they really wanted to ensure the emotion and Alys' performance could shine through. That of course, however, did not mean there would be no staging at all. As the song began, Alys was lit from behind by light, rather like in this image, albeit coming up from stage level. In any case, this was the stage set up, very simple, with no other lights on, and the camera very much remaining focused on Alys as she sang, her hands hovering over the microphone stand (one hand on top where the microphone and stand meet, the other 'around' the stand itself, not far down). She started looking down, her eyes closed, and slowly looked up to see the camera, which she sang into, the camera focusing on her, her face and the sense of longing melancholy that was etched across it in key with the song itself, and letting the song itself do the talking.

J'imaginais
Alors, je ne sais pas ce que j'imaginais
Dans ces rêves d'enfance
L'horizon san cesse devant
Et je n'ai pas su n'importe quoi
Je n'ai jamais demandé pourquoi
Ouais je connais

Maintenant je connais
La peine qui coule avec la joie
Le ruisseau dans lequel je me noye

As the song entered the prechorus, the first light shining up from behind Alys was joined by two others, both again from the back but from the two corners, shining faintly upon her. Meanwhile, the lighting strips along the sides and the roof of the stage along the edges of the various LED panels, slowly faded on and off in irregular patterns, some on and some off at a time, with the shame, warm yet slightly worn hue, like an old light that has had a lot of use but is coming to its end, helping add to the sense that the song was building. There was a panning shot of the stage from slightly further back, coming down across the stage at a slight angle, to help show this off, as Alys asked/sung her questions, now holding her arms out pleading in front of her, turning towards the camera as it slowly moved across. Then, there was a cut again to a closer shot, as she slowly moved about, moving with the flow of the music, as she looked up towards the camera, her hands returning to the microphone stand.

Je suis ici? Ou je suis là? J'étais du tout?
Je sens vide, dehors de temps, loin du cœur

And then, with a sudden flash of the background lights, a brief moment of intensification before they died down again as the song built further, the chorus began. The light strips, rather than having different bits flash on and off, now slowly faded on and off along the entirity of the length of the stage, but in many was that was the only really noticeable change during the chorus. That said, the camerawork did vary during the audience to help add a bit of life, providing a variety of different shots, some focusing very closely on Alys, including one in which she was situated to the right hand side of the screen (as it would be viewed from him) with everything else slowly twinkling behind her to give an example, and others providing a wider view of the stage and Alys' place within it. She was stood there in her white outfit bathed in the sea of warm, almost golden light, but she certainly was able to fill up the stage, or at the very least didn't seem swamped, as she served her iconic vocals for which she was well known in both Normandy and Picardy; she hadn't won the Festival de la College de Cherbourg three times for no reason. She herself was living every moment. Yes, the emotion of the song definitely was getting to her, the lyrics very much did reflect her train of thought at times in the past and those feelings were bound to come forward again, but she was also confident and knew the crowd, now silent and watching her applaud and yet providing the essential buzz she could latch onto, was with her, and so she could use that to drive the performance on.

J'ai attendu un millier d'années et j'ai pas eu rien
J'ai pensé un millier de penses au sujet de rien
Sans jamais vraiment comprendre
Je ne savais jamais où j'allais, non

Un millier de mots, de signes et d'images aussi
Ils montent rapidement sans fin et jouent sans cesse parmi
Les flous d'innombrables et les sombres
Dis moi, dis moi quelle route prendre

As the slow drumbeat kicked in and the next verse began, the lights died down a little bit and the camera view switched to stage level, looking towards the back again and focused, unsurprisingly, on Alys, who started to sing the next verse, switching now to English, very much a novelty for a Normand entry. Now look, movement! She slowly grabbed the microphone and removed it from the stand, and slowly began to walk around. The camera followed her, turning to look at the side of the stage, where the LED strips could be seen to slowly fill with a gradient, with a faint gold glow at the end towards the back fading out to a deep dark blue towards the front of the stage, and Noemi looked up, walking along, at once seeming sullen and yet driving forward with the conviction in her performance, a mixture of her confidence and actually being increasingly fuelled by the actual emotions behind the song, which perhaps isn't the best thing but can always help with a ballad like this.

And now I'm here
Amongst the odds and ends
Trying to piece myself together
To find a thread to link all these shattered dreams
The stories I was told and how they all turned out

By the time the next prechorus section arrived, she had reached the very front of the stage and was faced looking towards the back, so that the audience watching on in the Zenith d'Amiens could be seen behind her. Unsurprisingly, especially given that the crowd was made up of a very large proportion of Normands and Picards but also given the nature of WHF crowds in general, the crowd was more than happy to be part of the staging at this point, having got out their phones and turned on the torches to provide the backdrop, thousands of little dots of light, at once fragmented in many pieces, and yet, being the individuals, coming together to form a whole, a very delicate balance. Overthinking over and turning back to the entry, there's not much more to state.

Please don't mend me, I can do that by myself
But I need time, and I need much more than help

The chorus having begun, Alys, the lights of the audience of the audience still behind her, began to move again, now coming down essentially along the other side of the stage, such that her path might be described as almost semi-circular. In any case, she continued to walk along, as the lighting strips and LED panels along the side of the stage behind her slowly glistened and twinkled. As she walked along, a series of almost laser like beam lights, in the same sort of slightly golden, slightly faded and tired, light, slowly flickered in front of her, such that it came between her and the cameraman on stage. Alys seemed almost to become fascinated with the light, moving her hand through the beams, breaking them etc., as though she were weaving her hands like some sort of fabric, or slowly moving them through a slow moving river of light. This fascination was only partly a result of having to perform for the cameras, but in a way almost helped Alys to calm down, to take a moment even as she sung, to grab a hold of herself. Then, towards the end of the second part of the chorus, there was a change of shot to allow the steadicam operator to leave the stage, a camera looking down from what might be taken to be the top left of the stage from the audience's perspective, and slowly turning in as the lights slowly started to pull in, seemingly condensing down to the LED strip along the bottom of the stage, before the camera shot faded at the end of the chorus, Alys having reached the middle of the stage where she had started.

J'ai attendu un millier d'années et j'ai pas eu rien
J'ai pensé un millier de penses au sujet de rien
Sans jamais vraiment comprendre
Je ne savais jamais où j'allais, non

Un millier de mots, de signes et d'images aussi
Ils montent rapidement sans fin et jouent sans cesse parmi
Les flous d'innombrables et les sombres
Dis moi, dis moi quelle route prendre

Even the strip of light along the LED floor had pulled inwards before dissipating beneath Alys' feet, but not everything was darkness, oh no. There was a cut to another, closer and lower down towards the stage shot, still looking in as if from the front corner, but now actually within the bounds of the roof the stage. This perspective showed off the fact that, at first coughing into life, before bursting almost into a flood, a series of images were projected onto Alys' all white suit. These were all pictures of her throughout her life time from a series of family photobooks. Alys had been very uneasy about the idea when the staging team hired by SRNP, or rather the same director (Marcel Petit) who had worked on the previous 3 Normand entries, and thus seemingly had very good form, first presented it to her; this is perhaps no surprise, given this would include personal images of her and her family. It took a number of conversations, but eventually she came around to the view that it would be a good idea; not just as a 'moment' as part of the otherwise very restrained staging, but also because it helped hammer home what the song was about, the attempt to try and build some sort of narrative, some sort of story, through one's life, and indeed the pain that can come when this all seems to fall apart and your life feels no more than a series of images, evoking memories you cannot relive, moments captured but not gone, and just in general how disorientating life can sometimes feel, the sense of being caught in the current. Cheery stuff. In any case, this was the set up for this section, as the camera just very slowly zoomed in on Alys, who was back behind her microphone stand, her arms out somewhat to her sides, moving about through the beams of light, reaching out, trying to grab hold. With the final two lines, as the song built again with the strings and percussion, the lighting strips around the stage slowly began to flicker into life, the strip of light along the centre extending outwards from Alys' feet again, and grew increasingly intense in rather a short period of time.

Oooooh
Les lumières vacillent, mon esprit se désagrège aux millions
C'est une déluge qui coule à flot sur moi
Sans tout de sens, sans une histoire pour moi
Je m'assieds au regard fixe sans fin au spectacle
Et j'essaye comprendre moi-même encore

It was time for the final push, the final chorus. In many ways, she just had to get through it. But it wasn't ever going to be a case of just 'getting through it' for Alys. This wasn't just going through the motions, as it were, but rather she felt every word of it, as cliche as that might sound, and she was determined that that would be shown. Yet, this wasn't going to be the familiar burst into a curtain of fireworks streaming down along the front of the stage. Partly, this was just for aesthetic reasons; with the nature of the stage design, the delegation had decided they simply wouldn't have liked the look of it. But there was more to it than that too. The Normands had learnt that this was not the only way to bring an end to an entry; it had taken them long enough, perhaps, but they had finally got around to it.

Instead, as the song burst into its final chorus, the LED panels at the back of the stage and along the sides and roof of the stage, became filled with an almost rather stark almost kaleidscopic representation of the various different images that had been projected onto Alys, some fading in, some out, moving about. These were mostly in black and white, as they had been projected onto her, but there was the odd burst of colour, and indeed the black and white was increasingly coloured in over the course of the chorus, the blue of the sea at Le Crotoy, the greens of the Parc du Grand Marais in Amiens, and the red of Alys' own hair, slowly bringing a burst of colour. Throughout all this, there were a series of wider pans and closer shots of Alys as she sangs, and playing with the long perspective that the stage provided by moving along through it, showing the sides and even the roof; they'd not been put there just to be ignored now. Indeed, the final shot of this chorus began over the chorus and moved along into the maws of the stage, zooming over Alys' shoulder, and into the image of the eye that had been slowly emerging in the LED background panels from amongst all the images, made to look like of Alys' own.

J'ai attendu un millier d'années et j'ai pas eu rien
J'ai pensé un millier de penses au sujet de rien
Sans jamais vraiment comprendre
Je ne savais jamais où j'allais, non

Un millier de mots, de signes et d'images aussi
Ils montent rapidement sans fin et jouent sans cesse parmi
Les flous d'innombrables et les sombres
Dis moi, dis moi quelle route prendre

This, alongside a quick fade, allowed a transition into the last little section of the song as the embers slowly began to die away. Indeed, once the camera feed had fully faded back in again, the audience around the multiverse were met by the image of Alys, almost like at the beginning of the song stood behind the microphone stand, hands hovering around the microphone and stand, albeit now from the pure rush of adrenalin that had been powering her through the last three and a half minutes, lit from behind, but now from above, by golden light, a ray of light bursting through the darkness (and indeed plenty of the stage was lit, albeit the shadows had certainly made their appearance known). The camera shot very slowly zoomed in, starting from a view showing all of Alys, at stage level, and slowly zooming in to the last shot focused quite closely on her face, the weariness, the melancholy, and yet, through all of this, like the beam of light shining on her in the darkness, the brief glimmer of hope in her eyes pouring out into screens across the multiverse. And with that, the performance came to an end...

Il était un fois, une fille qui imaginait
Avant qu'il soit devenu un flou dans les lumières aveuglantes
Elle imaginait
J'imaginais

The home crowd went absolutely wild, as you might expect, cheering "Alys! Alys!" and generally celebrating as if she had already won. Alys herself was absolutely drained and shattered; it certainly wasn't the most physically demanding performance ever, but it was a draining one. "Merci!" she managed to shout out, waving to the crowd, allowed perhaps a moment longer than most of the other acts to take in the crowd, before the producers finally had to help her off stage, as the graphics and jingle played and the show moved back over to the MegaCite conference centre for a brief break before the Kalosian entry...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:44 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:50 pm

Eída Valetu previously won the 52nd WorldVision Song Contest for Kalosia as a member of the band EVE. Although they remain together, the band are on a hiatus to allow the girls to pursue their own projects. In Eída's case, she has been focusing on her solo career, branding herself as AIDA.

AIDA competed in Festival dele Melodie Kalosiane 47 and won the national selection, earning her the right to represent Kalosia at the 57th World Hit Festival in Amiens, Normandy & Picardy. This marks Kalosia's 50th participation at the World Hit Festival.

Her song, Suprë lë mar (Over the sea), is a song of growth and ambition. The song tells the story of a journey of personal growth, with the singer "reaching over the sea" and "rising to the sky" to follow her dreams. The song was written by Marko Tošini, a Kalosian DJ also known by the stage name Marco T.

Kalosia was drawn to perform 20th in a field of 21 entries, following the hosts Normandy & Picardy. With the large amount of audience support for the home entry, there was definitely some added pressure to perform well. But AIDA was confident that she could pull off a good show, and made her way to the stage. For the big night, she was wearing a stylish glittery pantsuit, with the buttons open and a black bandeau underneath.

The song begins with a chord. The lights come on, but everything is blurry. This slowly blurs and it turns out the camera has been showing AIDA standing at the back of the stage, mic in hand. She is actually surrounded by three cameras from different close up angles, but this one shows the front profile. AIDA starts singing. With each chord, the camera angle switches, before going back to the front/main camera.

Sentu piédi moji uli
Grani žentili di sablë
Mentrë l’akwa lo’ lavanu
Dandu mi un sensažio fridu

AIDA starts slowly walking down the stage, with the camera following her from her front. The other two cameras back away and retreat.

Benkë san moltë atentë
La kuriósita mi šfida
A dëstružuto moltë žentë
Ma në ja

She meets a mic stand where she places her mic. The camera angle changes to one on the rails in front of the stage that slowly goes around the stage. Here, we can begin to see what the rest of the stage looks like. The LED lights are surrounded by abstract blue metallic graphics whose bright pulsations flow through the screens along with the flow of the song.

Ma lentamentë ja sto përdendu
U penšeri moji, mia personal nuvë
E ja vidu lë kaminu žusto
Në san perfektu, ma ja dovu provarë

Now the LED screens suddenly went black and the stage lights focused on AIDA as she sings the chorus. The background strobe lights do flash to the beat, some small ones following the percussion but the bigger ones following the chords.

Suprë lë mar atenu
Ali ťelu alžu
Kestu futuro miu
Lo speta solu mi

As the tension builds, the LED screens return, displaying the same graphics they previously showed.

Le valeje gardanu
Pëli steli lasu
Es lë speranzë final
Pëlë speranzë… atenu!

At this point a male backing dancer steps out. Bare-chested, he is wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants. He moves freely around the stage, with his energetic, liberal dance moves. As he circles the stage around AIDA (with considerable distance), many of the guy's dance moves involve reaching gestures, in line with the message behind the song. AIDA isn't in focus in this instrumental break, but you can see in the background that she grooves along to the rhythm.

Eventually, the break ends and the focus returns to AIDA, whom the camera closes up on for this next part. Off-camera, the dancer vacates the stage.

A dëspetu dëli dubi
Rëkoľu moji intenžioni
Komë kolombe, relašu
Loro kë segu alë ventu

Lyrically, AIDA compares herself to a kite that rises, but acknowledges that a kite is held down to the earth by a string, and likewise it is only her that holds herself down. She meets a resolve: in order to truly fly free, she must cut that thread and let go of what holds her down.

Kalkëvoltë kadë alžu
Sentu komë unë papiľë
U kë mi tiru ǧu poj
Keste korde

In this next part, with the camera's stage shots, you can see the dancer returning, slowly making his way on stage with slow, relaxed movements.

Loro taľu per rëlašarë
Volandu altu, traversu le nuve
E ja vidu lë kaminu žusto
Në san perfektu, ma ja dovu provarë

The camera focuses on AIDA for this next part, but the dancer remains visible in the background doing more energetic, confident choreography. The LED lights remain on, but the strobe lights do flash to the beat.

Suprë lë mar atenu
Ali ťelu alžu
Kestu futuro miu
Lo speta solu mi

Now the dancer approaches AIDA, dancing directly around her. In the last word of the next part, both of them reach upwards, with the dancer mirroring her gestures.

Le valeje gardanu
Pëli steli lasu
Es la speranzë final
Pëla speranzë… atenu!

The dancer quickly withdraws himself and continues dancing around the stage freely. Again, AIDA is grooving to the beat. In this instrumental break, the camera pans across the stage but also shows us the audience enjoying the performance.

When the break ends, the LED screens turn off again, leaving AIDA surrounded only by the stage lights. The dancer is also nowhere to be seen. The cameras close up on AIDA for the next part, slowly moving around but with quickly switching angles to build tension.

(Ja sto përdendu) Ja…
(U penšeri moji) Në san perfektu
(Në san perfektu) Ma ja dovu provarë

The camera angles gradually become more distant as the strobe lights grow stronger and the LED gradually returns. As she sings the next part, one camera angle closes up on her before dramatically zooming out and then immediately changing into a camera that pans around the stage.

(Loro rëlašu)
(Volandu altu) Dovu provarë
(Në san perfektu)
Ja dovu volarë

The dancer returns, moving as liberally and energetically as ever around AIDA. She herself also sings powerfully as ever, as the song reaches its high.

Suprë lë mar atenu
Ali ťelu alžu
Kestu futuro miu
Lo speta solu mi

AIDA takes her mic off the stand and takes a few steps forward. The dancer joins her.

Le valeje gardanu
Pëli steli lasu
Es lë speranzë final
Pëlë speranzë… atenu!

Now all the LED lights and stage lights darken save for a few that create a golden ambience. AIDA just stands there and the camera pretty statically focuses on her, zooming out slightly, in line with the pace of the song, which has slowed down. The dancer still has a bit of choreography to do, but it is noticeably very slowed down. AIDA sings the final line of the song.

Suprë le mar atenu

The camera continues to zoom out. The dancer takes AIDA's hand and together they perform a few moves before reaching a final pose right as the song ends. They sustain this pose for a few seconds. Once the audience begins cheering, the two let go and take a bow. AIDA thanks the audience, saying "Merci Amiens, thank you!", blowing a few kisses towards the audience before leaving the stage as it is set up for the entry from Tödlichebujoku.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:51 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:59 pm

Midori Kita flipped through the crystal album, a faint smile visible on her lips. It all seemed so odd that she ended up all the way here, but really, who could have guessed at all the events that had happened recently? She never thought she'd end up heading to the World Hit Festival stage, not after a sheltered childhood growing up in a miniscule farming village 3 hours away from Seltsaaniboči, not after placing 4th in the inaugural Sinun Valintasi: Starfall, and most certainly not after the near-societal collapse that the nation was still recovering from. She absolutely was still recovering mentally and emotionally from the brush with death when a crazed mob set her block on fire, where she barely escaped with her life and the most basic of essentials. Midori could never forget the all-pervasive smell and taste of ash, the crackling flames, and the way the sky glowed with a dull, throbbing red. But she lived. And that was the most important part.

From that point on she could live her life, finally let her guard down, and revel in safety and security. She could finally go through all the messages she had missed. She could finally come across the tentative offer from Estegoa100 that rather timidly asked for her possible involvement, and, stifling a laugh, could finally make another move for her career. While the Tödlichebujoki public was not a big fan of her entry, criticizing her on what was termed "forced melodrama" and "stiff conceptual execution", the international juries were far friendlier, with the jurors from Elejamie, Polkopia, and the Achaean Republic all gracing her song "Kimiva" with their top points. Though she was third in both the jury and international televote segment, her significant lead on fourth place in the televote placed her solidly in the top three prior to the very harsh domestic televote, where she was tied for last, and ultimately dropped a position to fourth place. To be fair, that artist who eclipsed her happened to be the Izmeduan star Letenje, who exploded in popularity in Tödlichebujoku and his album "Rebirth" soon found itself sitting at the top spot of album sales for the year. As for Midori, well, she continued on with her career, chilling just under the current of popularity. But now? A second chance. Even if it seemed to be a last ditch effort on the behalf of Estegoa100 to deliver an entry before VVMxD hijacked the application process, Midori was thankful that she could finally strut her stuff in the international limelight.

Thin, spindly blue laser beams shine vertically down from the ceiling in two rows, creating a hallway effect, flickering with the opening notes. Men dressed as ancient soldiers become barely visible along the back of the stage as they begin to stomp and vocalize. Just before the first verse, the laser beams turn red quickly in a sequence, and a deep reddish spotlight better illuminates Midori, swathed in a metallic chainmail-like dress and a warped, twisted crown as she reclines on a polished dark wood throne on center stage, her body draped over its arms. She slowly turns her head to face the audience, visible between the sparse "walls" of the red lasers. Her slick black hair is draped over her shoulders and shines in the light as she moves, and as the camera moves closer to her, inked patterns become visible on her skin. She haughtily regards the camera view

Kiemurtelet mulle kuin iilimato, limainen
Ya yálleen uskallan sun kuolla
Pühát voimat taistelevat taivaalla, raivopáinen
Niin yátán sun kurtistua

Her throne begins to scroll forward, with the laserlights moving backwards and creating a sensation of greater speed than in reality. White lasers flicker through them occasionally, and a white strobe periodically flashes over Midori and her throne. Midori looks right through the camera view, the harsh red lighting making her facial features look forboding, slightly frightening

Kimiva, vataši o nikumu šikaši,
Ttare kka muši o ki ni?
Čika o hatte modoru

Kimiva, vataši ni sakentte imas
Vataš'va tek'ni, naitsoon' taikoš'mas
Motto ookun yoči kka arimas

The camera view whirls around her from a distance, as wings of white spotlights pass around her, intersecting with the red laser lights. She closes her eyes, head tilted back, hand draped over the side in a dismissive manner

Mooičitto kiite, nankai mo to nankai mo
Vatašiva kieteiku madeno ma (madeno ma)
Vatašiva, anatakka vhutatappi
Monokkoi kansatsu šimas

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

The color drains out of the lights and lasers, and now we have a stage in stark black and white, Midori's chainmail-weave dress glinting in the light as the camera captures an array of dancers clad in matte black costumes around her, laid down and kicking up with their feet, rolling in a circle

Kimiva, vataši o nikumu šikaši,
Ttare kka muši o ki ni?
Ttoo širo te iunttesu ka?

Kimiva, vataši ni sakentte imas
Vataš'va tek'ni, naitsoon' taikoš'mas
Motto ookun yoči kka arimas

Her throne is now at the edge of the stage as the dancers form a semicircle around the back, the ones farthest back standing up and writhing to form an unsettling living backdrop for Midori and her throne. She rises to her feet, the light now soft upon her

Mooičitto kiite, nankai mo to nankai mo
Vatašiva kieteiku madeno ma (madeno ma)
Vatašiva, anatakka vhutatappi
Monokkoi kansatsu šimas

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

Fire erupts along the edge of the stage, frighteningly close to the throne and creating a deep orange-red glow that lights her up from below, as the ambient spotlights fade away

Murtuuko luurankosi? Má tulen tiedán
Olen odottanut tátá hetkeá
Saanen sárkeá kallosi, maistaa sun verta
Ya paskoa tuhkanne páálle

The flames wrap behind her along the back of the stage, as the rest of the lights cut out, except for blinking spotlights that flash upon her glimmering dress, creating its own flashes that hit the camera as it rotates around her just above the level of the flames

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

Ai yai yai yai ya
A yai yai ya
A yai yai ya

One single spotlight shines upon her from above as the rest cut out. Soon it too, fades

"Kiitos Amiens!" she cries out before exiting the stage.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:00 pm

That was it, the final song had been performed. And so, the televoting slots, for those countries that have televotes, opened up. A recap played showing all the songs, before the same screen that was shown earlier, with all the countries that had performed...

[Note: Ignore the note at the bottom of this, I'll be making an updated graphic for this at some point soon...]

vous pouvez voter maintenant | voting is now open

OOC: Voting is now open, and will close on Sunday, 14th March, 23:59 PM GMT (i.e. midnight GMT). Please send you votes either via telegram (Normandy and Picardy) or through Discord DMs. When voting, please give a full ranking of all performing entries, from 1st to 20th (you can't vote for yourself). I would also appreciate it if you could send along with it a picture of your spokesperson alongside their name and where they are being beamed in live from, and further, any RP/speech.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:36 pm

Televoting had only been open for around 20 minutes, but the Normands had, unsurprisingly, found a way to stretch the programme out for an extra forty minutes or so beyond that. How, you might ask? Well, once you've accounted for Frederic monologuing at length, various interviews with Normand musicians and poets, comedy acts and "comedy" acts, including Frédéric and a friend of his, Jules Javert - a famous Normand radio host, messing about with a vocoder for far too long (see Sanremo 2019 for the inspiration for this). In any case, I, OOCly speaking the host, have been merciful on you all, and for your sakes, and indeed for my own, I have decided not to narrate and RP any of this. Sure, a Normand audience might certainly be used to this sort of thing - they are well accustomed to the 5 day Cherbourg Music Festival - many others are not. And, of course, the entire programming was in French, and in certain parts the foreign commentators had been given very little to work with; for example, M. Javert had shown up completely out of nowhere, to the surprise of even the producers, albeit not Frédéric's (he had, without any form of permission, and at the last minute, invited him along for... reasons?) In any case, it was time for the results of the 57th World Hit Festival to be revealed to the multiverse. Frédéric took up his place, still in the hosting complex in the Megacité where the voting reveal would take place, as behind him the screen revealed, to the murmurs of the crowd in the conference hall, and the gasps full of expectation from the various artists sitting there, the scoreboard...

"Alors, Madames et Messieurs, maintenant c'est le temps. Derrière moi, le tableau d'affichage montre les vignt-un pays qui disputent ce festival. Comme on pouvait s'y attendre, tout les concurrents ont zéro points au début. Notre mission désormais est l'attribution des points qui leur ont été donnés par le vote des plusieurs juries nationals et des télévoters, par laquelle nous apprendrons à qui la plupart ont été attribuée et, ainsi, qui a gagné"
So, ladies and gentlement, now it is time. The scoreboard behind me shows the 21 nations competing in this contest. As you might expect, they all start with zero points. The job at hand is to assign the points that have been given to them by the voting of the various national juries and televoters, through which we will learn who has received the most and thus who has won.

This was met by applause across the various parts of Amiens taking part in the contest, if only out of a great sense of relief that it was finally time to get on with it. Indeed, this was shown, with cuts to the Zénith, the Stade de la Licorne, and the stage that had been set up in the Place du Don, before it returned to the Megacité, the various acts waving flags about and feeling the sense of dread dawn upon them, and so their applause and celebrations were perhaps tinged with the nerves that would naturally fall at this point. The camera cheekily, perhaps unsurprisingly, lingered for a moment of the Normand act, Alys, one hand waving a small Normand flag, the other holding on to the Head of Delegation, Simone Derrida, who had also been involved in the running of the show but had now come to see what happened as Head of Delegation. And so, as the applause died down, Frédéric continued...

"Alors, cette sera effectuée par deux étapes. La première étape, je présenterai les points de 4 à 1 de chaque pays. La deuxième étape, un représentatif de chaque société de radiodiffusion apparaîtra en live de leur pays afin qu'il donne 5 points à moi, ou plus au chanteur qu'ils ont apprécié le plus. Tout les points seront additionnés au fur et à mesure et ils seront montrés sur cet écran"
This will be done in two stages. In the first stage, I will present the points from 4 to 1 from each country. In the second stage, a representative of the broadcaster of each country will appear live from their country to give me, or rather their favourite competing act, 5 points. All the points will be all be added up as we go along and shown on this screen.

As Frédéric explained how the process would work for what must have been the millionth time, speaking really only to the Normand audience who were well aware of this fact by now, given as it was in French, many just wished he would actually get on with the very process itself. The Normand audience no doubt wished to see if their home girl would somehow be able to keep the title in the Two Republics, and if not, whether they would agree with the winner who would 'usurp' the title. The artists in the Megacité likely were just wanting to get the thing over with and to do away with the uncertainity, but they would have to wait for that. And the international audience and commentators almost certainly, well, you get the idea. In any case, the show would work at a Normand pace, albeit voting promised to be relatively swift. Indeed, Frédéric was about to finish speaking, and he suddenly, quelle horreur, switched to English...

"And to the acts sat in front of me, I have been through this, it's a rough ride but you'll get through it. Bonne Chance, Good luck. Alors, enfin, nous commençons la première étape avec les votes de 4 à 1 de..."
Anyway, we begin Stage One with the votes from 4 to 1 from...

World Hit Festival 57 | Amiens, N&P | IC Thread

11 | ertzei kishime

le deuxième entracte

12 | farabie

13 | rhime flavezztowland

14 | polkopie

15 | carrelie

16 | estogique

le troisième entracte

17 | alezie du sud

18 | beepee

20 | calosie

21 | todlichebujoku

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