WorldVision Song Contest 112 | Puerto Ámbar | IC Thread

[Ethane]

Entry placeholder

[StrayaRoos]

22
StrayaRoos
K/K - Time

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We Are Domi - Paradise

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Music: Douglas Caseta and Francis Raesdi
Lyrics: Sidney Dareti

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The Group

K/K are probably one of StrayaRoos' most recognizable acts for an international audience, having represented the nation at WV101, as well as WHFs 65 and 67. The group is made up of Sidney Dareti, Douglas Caseta, and Francis Raesdi. The three met at university and started making music; the rest is history. The group has also been among the songwriters for another Roosian WorldVision entry, "Higher" in 103.

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The Song

Paradise was released in December 2023, as the lead single from K/K's eponymous debut album, due for release in April. The song explores the feeling of wanting to go back to the past where you were much better off, specifically during a poor relationship.

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Roovision
Roovision was very much an out-of-the-blue NF for 112, only occurring as a test event for JWHF10. Therefore, it was even more surprising when the group's manager forwarded an email from rtvS asking if they wanted to be one of two established artists to participate in the event. They agreed and sorted out a song in the two weeks they were given. Then there was the actual contest. The performance made heavy use of the LED screens and various props, creating a scene of a back alley in the middle of the night. Then, after a round of voting, they won in an apparent landslide, with 34 points, winning both jury votes, and narrowly losing out on the televote. The win sent them to WorldVision for the second time and made them the first to win Roovision twice.

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Performance
The stage is set up with LED walls on wheels¹ and streetlights, which depict a stereotypical dark alleyway that you'd find in a movie. Sidney is standing in the middle of the two walls, and she starts to sing. The camera is zoomed in on her face, and it follows her through the first verse.

Standing in the middle of the street
I thought that everything was fine
Everything was already perfect
But you screwed it up
You never really felt like home
Then you just broke my heart
Every time it always hurts
It’s never alright
Every day seemed to be like hell
I gave up since you held me tighter, it seemed like I’d be stuck forever

During the previous verse, Sidney moved to lean on a street light and started the chorus, and halfway through the chorus, the camera zooms out, showing Francis and Douglas on the stage's outer ring. The camera cuts to both of them for about 10 seconds

Why can’t I just freeze time?
When everything’s alright
Felt that I would be fine
When I’m alone in time
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past’s where happiness lies

During some point of the chorus, a third LED board is rolled in, while the streetlights are taken away, and the two already on the stage are moved to sit vertically next to it, and they change to display a night sky, as the camera returns to focus on Sidney. After the line 'Then I heard your voice' is sung, her head swivels back for a moment, in a way like someone surprised and sort of jumpscared her.

In the night so free
Then I heard your voice
You surprised me with that embrace
Then I fell into the trap of a fuckboy
And your breath on my skin
It made me feel so warm
But that wouldn’t last and just went away
Forever

The LED boards change again, this time to a window during a thunderstorm, with the droplets of water and the occasional white flash. This is visible throughout the chorus as Sidney paces in front of it.

Every day seemed to be like hell
I gave up since you held me tighter, it seemed like forever
Why can’t I just freeze time?
When everything’s alright
Felt that I would be fine
When I’m alone in time
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past is where happiness lies

The 'storm' starts to clear slowly during the reptition of the chorus. The camera flashes to Francis and Douglas again, for about 15 seconds each this time.

Why can’t I just freeze time?
When everything’s alright
Felt that I would be fine
When I’m alone in time
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past’s where happiness lies

During the 30 seconds where the camera doesn't have them in shot, the LED boards are removed. Now the camera is back on Sidney, who's voice starts a crescendo, going up towards the point where it sounds like she's almost in tears.

I try to go higher
But always get hurt
With tears, I shudder
To show that it hurts
It's worth all the trouble
It's worth all the trouble
It's worth all the trouble

Next, building up towards the finale, her voice remains a bit shaky, but sounds similar to what it is normally towards the end of the verse.

Why can’t I just freeze time?
When everything’s alright
Felt that I would be fine
When I’m alone in time
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past’s where happiness lies

Now with her voice back to sounding like normal, Sidney takes a more nostalgic tone for the finale, with the camera sitting at an angle where all three members of the group are visible in the shot.

Why can’t I just freeze time?
When everything’s alright
Felt that I would be fine
When I’m alone in time
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past’s where happiness lies
Where it lies
Where it lies
Where it lies
Where it lies
Those times always rewind
And I realise
The past’s where happiness lies

After the final word is said, Sidney yells a thank you into the mic, and the trio leave the stage.

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Footnotes
¹ I have found a way around your tricks Achaea. evil laughter

[Placely Placington]

23 - Placely Placington

A Couple of Daves (feat. Dave the Hobo) - Hardcore Placely Rap

Tune: Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz (feat. Ice Cube) - Roll Call

Long story short the Placely Party Rap, which was the Placely Placingtonian entry from last time, didn't do as well in the WorldVision as it did back in WHF69. So Dave McDaverson not only decided to team up once more with Dave the Living DJ Booth as A Couple of Daves but they also brought in Dave the Hobo as well. Technically speaking it should be a Trio of Daves but oh well. Not much else they could do about it. On the upside, while there are no LEDs apart from on Dave the Living DJ Booth's screen, there are water projections. They won't splash onto him and cause him to short circuit, but they're pretty neat I guess.

Yeah, sorry this is a bit barebones but I'm running out of ideas for Placely and I've been distracted by both the World Cup of Hockey and by Yakuza: Like A Dragon (yes, I know Infinite Wealth is out, but I don't have it). It's going quite well, although before this one boss I did have to do the business minigame to unlock an extra character, change a couple of people's jobs and grind everyone until they were roughly Ichiban's level (and job level) just so the boss wouldn't kick my arse. Again. I'm just glad this extension had an extension just so I can get this done.

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Pink – Dave the Hobo
Purple – Dave the Living DJ Booth
Blue – Dave McDaverson

You know the deal already. The postcard comes to an end and we get a shot of the stage. And, as typical for Placely, there wasn't anyone applauding the song. Not that that ever stopped them. A few seconds after the caption disappeared and the camera got into a good position, the audience finished their non applause and the song started. With Dave the Living DJ Booth screaming in pain and Dave the Hobo walking on stage and making signs.

(HELP!)
Treble Daves! (END ME!)
It’s time for the Hardcore Placely Rap!
It’s Dave the Hobo and Dave McD (LIFE HURTS!) here on stage (WHY?)
And the man, the myth, the legend Dave the Living DJ Booth
Shout out to: Health Minister, my man Melty, Chief Econ, Potassium Man, TD!
Sports Bloke, Jim the Grindcore Guy Bloke, Wynan Schitt, the Test Subjects, let’s go! (HELP ME!)

After the intro, they get right into the chorus. For the first half of it, it was mostly Dave the Hobo jumping in place with the occasional shot of Dave the Living DJ Booth. For the second half of it, the camera concentrated on Dave McDaverson and Dave the Hobo. In this case, it showed close-ups of their faces whenever they rapped their lines.

It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap(TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE! HELP! HELP!)
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!

Dave the Hobo gets right into the first verse of the song where he throws pointless, random shots at some unknown, unnamed nation. Who was he targeting? Even he doesn't know and, truth be told, it doesn't really matter. Whoever it is, though, they're definitely more successful than Placely. Not just that but more stable, send actually amazing music, have excellently choreographed and videographed performances, infinitely more memorable and, most importantly, even their worst rapper would trounce Dave the Hobo in their sleep. Especially since they probably don't need to make up words like "thingles", "weep'll", "platues" and "know mes". Big L, he is not.

Your entries! Be some wallpaper, background noise thingles
But Placely? We’ve got those boom-bap hard rap singles
Your singers! Be some boring off-the-street people
But Placely? We got vocals that’ll make you weep’ll
Your music! Be so boring and they’re free from rhythms
But Placely? We’ve got tunes that’ll cause some schisms
Your artists! They’re forgettable, vanilla homies
But Placely? People from Vart to Brit know mes
Your dancers! They’ve got two left feet, they’re just living statues
But Placely? Our moves sure as hell ain’t no platues
Your staging! Be some blank screen and default stage staging
But Placely? It’s so high class and it’s all the raging
Your lyrics! They’re hard to read and poorly-written
But Placely? Lyrics so great you feel like you’re smitten
Your broadcasts! Half the time the feed will drop out all the time
But Placely? No delays, there’s no drops, works just fine (HELP ME!)

Back to the chorus and back to the first half. However, for the second half, the camera was a wide shot of the stage that slowly zoomed in while Dave the Hobo and Dave McDaverson just pranced around. Whenever they did their lines they raised their other arm up in the air and pointed down at the ground. Why? I don't know, they just wanted to look cool, I guess.

It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE! HELP! HELP!)
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!

Now it's time for Dave McDaverson to rap his first verse. Ignoring the first bit where he had to butcher his name purely so it'd rhyme with the rest of the verse, as well as him also making up his own words throughout, it was just him going around the stage while the cameras concentrated on him. Sometimes it was a frontal shot that he followed, sometimes it'd be a wide shot of him standing there and doing things. Not much else I can say, really.

My name is Dave MaycD and I rep Placely
And I rap greatly, my flows are creately
I rep the best stately, my raps are so gracely
Don’t know why they hate me, maybe they are so fakey
My flow makes them achy, they can’t even break me
Can’t even fake me, it’ll be a mistakey
I don’t know why they hate me, is it because they ain’t me
Sounds like the case maybe, perhaps they should face me
No one can replace me or even deface me
I’m in the best shapely, while my foes are flaky
They try to erase me but they can’t escape me
And if you want me to stop my skills then come make me
My flows are so spacely, they’re smoother than slately
Old school like a late fee and I’m so bravely
Oh don’t be afraidy, I’m gonna make ya see
I am gonna save thee from all of these lamees!

First half is the same as the last time. Hell, the second half is virtually the same except both Dave McDaverson and Dave the Hobo were really sticking their knees up as they moved around the stage.

It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE! HELP! HELP!)
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!

More unnecessary disses from Dave the Hobo. Hey, it is a hardcore rap after all (well, the song itself is actually crunk but semantics) so of course he has to be angry and confrontational for whatever reason.

Yo!
Your raps will never be as hardcore as our raps
No, you won’t out-hardcore the Hardcore Placely Rap
Your flows can’t beat our flows
A Couple of Daves and Dave the Hobo roll out
(END ME!)

Back to Dave McDaverson doing his second verse now. Most of it was the same as his first one but there were a few differences. For a start, during the sixth line the screen went into black and white while a coloured picture-in-picture shot of Dave the Living DJ Booth doing his bit showed in the top left corner. Then between the 10th and 11th lines the screen went dark before it went back into light, while the water projection thing just sputtered out a little bit of water and Dave McDaverson did a little jig in time with each initial. And in the 14th line, the camera cut over to a rolling, zooming shot of Dave the Living DJ Booth doing his bit before it cut back to Dave McDaverson on the 15th.

Here comes Placely
The best rappers all up in your face, yee
We’re busting out the sickest rhymes and the smoothest flows
Every day, as we can surely say
Sickest rhymes, purely sublime, we are so great
At doing the stuff we do (MY LIFE IS PAIN!)
As I purview from me to you
As if you don’t have a clue about my rapping skills
Comparisons a few, I’m rapping just for thrills
My rhymes stuck in your head like glue
H.R.P – Just think, just let it stew
My rhymes supreme and my schemes I’ve got a slew
Super smooth with the bars that few refute
Everyone knows I’ve the skills that you repute (TURN ME OFF!)
They try to counter my claims but you refuse
They try to diss me even though there’s no excuse
Try to step to me even though they know they’ll lose
And we all know they wanna be in my shoes (HELP ME!

Even for the last chorus the first half remained the same. However, for the second half Dave McDaverson and Dave the Hobo marched until they were facing each other. When they were close enough they angrily threw their arms down every time they sang their bit. And that's all that was.

It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!)
It’s now time for (TURN ME OFF PLEASE!) the Hardcore Placely Rap (TURN ME OFF PLEASE! HELP! HELP!)
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!
Time for Dave the Hobo! Time for Dave McD!

For the first bit, the camera cut to a shot of Dave the Living DJ Booth, and every time he said something it cut to a closer shot of him. Then Dave the Hobo said his first line here he was jumping up and down on the spot on his tippy-toes while pointing at the unenthused and unamused crowd. Then it cut to a slanted shot Dave the Living DJ Booth saying his bit. Then it cut to Dave the Hobo marching around the stage trying to get the crowd pumped, even though they clearly weren't. And so on and so forth throughout the rest of the verse.

(HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!)
A Couple of Daves and Dave the Hobo!
(EXISTENCE IS PAIN, SOMEONE TURN ME OFF!)
We’re from Placely Placington and we’re gonna steal tho show!
(WHY WON’T SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME? I AM IN HORRIBLE PAIN!)
Got Dave McD by my side, I’m never flying solo!
(WHERE ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT I WAS FULL OF COPPER?)
If you’re trying to mess with me, then remember that’s a no-go
(I WISH THEY TRIED TO TAKE IT OUT EVEN THOUGH I DON’T HAVE ANY!)
He’s Dave McDaverson and he’s the best person!
(I WISH THE WATER WOULD JUST SHORT CIRCUIT ME!)
He’s Dave the Living DJ Booth and he makes sure the tunes are smooth!
(CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PUSH ME INTO THE WATER EFFECTS DISPLAY PLEASE?)
I am Dave the Hobo, I’ve got the smoothest flows!
(CAN ONE OF THE EAGLES DROP SOMETHING ONTO ME?)
And we’re a trio of Daves, making the songs that you craves
(A PIANO OR SOMETHING ONTO ME PLEASE!)
Hardcore Placely Rap! Rap! Rap! Rap! Rap! Rap!

And with that the song was over. Dave the Hobo and Dave McDaverson stood back to back with their arms folded, before they gave the crowd a Dreamworks-esque smirk. There was one clap. One. And it might've been from someone who caught a fly. However, before he got the chance to thank the crowd, a couple of police officers came onto the stage to arrest both Dave the Hobo and Dave McDaverson. The latter by bringing in someone of Placely Placington's most well-known export into the country with the intent to give it out to people, and the former because he trapped a couple of people in one of his cardboard boxes. Turns out those people didn't appreciate Dave McDaverson muscling in on their turf, Dave the Hobo saved the day by sticking them into one of his boxes and the police only found out about it because those people had been missing for the past couple of days.

Meanwhile Dave the Living DJ Booth was hoping that those people who tried to steal parts from him because they thought he was full of copper would come in and finish the job. Yes, that bit during the last verse was based on something that had happened during the trio's adventures it Puerto Armbar or whatever it's called. Unfortunately, they would not come on and do that. Instead a stagehand came on to wheel him off and get everything ready for the next, much better act to come on. Take it away.

[Achaean Republic]

24| Achaean Republic
Lorenzo Bacci - "Solitario
Tune: st. Pedro - Dos Extraños

Simple enough. On stage, there was a table draped with a red-and-white checkerboard mantle. There was also a small cup of coffee, an ashtray with a large Cuban cigar (even though Lorenzo himself didn’t smoke cigars), a vase with a single red rose, and two wooden chairs. One chair had nobody sitting in it. Another chair had Lorenzo, dressed in a bare and spartan angle as if he was awakened from his slumber by the pouncing rays of the Achaean sun. He wore white pajama pants, fluffy and almost transparent that placed his bulging body in certain looks. He also wore a plain white guayabera opened in the seams, showing his tattooed skin and bulging muscles glistening with some water or sweat from the stage’s floodlights. The projections behind him showed an early-morning setting of the colonial buildings of Downtown Santa Ana, his hometown, where the ancient adoquines covering the floor gave way to a bevy of cars and buses and footpaths of visitors and tourists and port workers alike, although he appeared to be transported and reflexive in what would be the incoming rain. For many Achaean families, something is missing: where’s the bread? Or the María cookies that every Achaean grandmother gathered with sliced cheese for sudden friends and grandchildren that wanted snacks and some gossip? Maybe the bread, cookies, and cheese were replaced by the cigar, which would have been an acceptable substitute…seventy years ago.

For a man like Lorenzo to sing boleros when he could be singing something much more commercially viable (and violent) like reggaeton and dembow—both imported from nearby islands and turned viable, if quite controversial, products of the Achaean music scene—would meet scoffs, scorn, and derision. There was also a somewhat backhanded racial basis to this: he is black (well, in reality, half-Black; his father was an Italian luxury hotel manager that got a black rosariana housekeeper pregnant and abandoned the family before he was born), so he should be singing something urban. But he refused. He wanted to sing a bolero. That music his grandparents would dance and drink and move within two or three slabs of concrete in a dingy, small-lit corner bar. Bolero was romantic and emotional, something that has constantly been relegated to AM radio and old-fashioned telenovelas. There was no use in bringing it back, no less from a black man, no less from a non-Cuban! The racism, colorism, and stereotyping coming from Achaeans was off-putting and annoying, dismissive, and quite condescending. But still, he pushed ahead.

Solitario (“Lonely”) is a song in which Lorenzo embodies a lonely man lamenting the effects of a recently broken relationship. From his end, it looks that he tried and tried and tried to make things work, until they didn’t. And now he sits in a corner, brooding of the love that was lost. It sounds pathetic, but also human. There are simple perils in simply going through the motions of love. Boleros are like that—they expose the fragility of love to its listener, providing them with a soothing comfort from romantic heartbreak and the circumstances of life, along with copious amounts of alcohol and cigarettes. The gendered nuances and sophisticated poetry of boleros of yesteryear gave way to the tech-influenced, queered, and reclaimed boleros that drag on the fears and elements of regaining and reclaiming power. So yes, Lorenzo listened to reggaeton and dembow. But he also wanted to enjoy a few boleros while he could.

That Puerto Ámbar became the new host only upped the ante.

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Puerto Ámbar was always known as a wretched tourist death trap, filled with foreigners and crackheads and rich shipping oligarchs that squeezed the natural beauty out of it. But all those stereotypes were rich coming from Santa Ana, a city that was known as a city that lived in the past, and their sandwiches were greasy enough to give people a heart attack—not to mention they were delicious. There were always silly and petty rivalries between Achaean cities: Corola and Candelaria had one. So did Rosario and…well…basically anyone else. But Puerto Ámbar Lorenzo did remember and did have some affection towards it. After all, part of his family lived in the barriada near the port, with many of them working as stevedores and fishers and cooks at the local restaurant shacks that tourist enjoyed visiting for cheap food and stiff drinks while buying some trinkets. It was here where, allegedly, his Italian father arrived in a cruise ship in the seventies and worked his way towards managing a prestigious hotel on the other side of Santa Ana—and abandoned his mother (or so the family said) while pregnant. It was a city his mother hated visiting, if only that jogged her memory of the pernicious moments she lived while being a single mother. Not that she passed all that misery towards her sons, no. But the memories were too hard to swallow, even years after that happened.

He sat in the center of the stage, trying to sink in the screams and hollers of the hometown crowd that suddenly fell enchanted with the bolero, and forcefully grabbed his microphone in hand. There, Lorenzo managed to transport himself into the speaker, the lonely man (could that be the Italian?) who lamented the loss of his love for whatever reason it was. First, the eagle’s eye view of the camera showed the center of the stage and Lorenzo underneath it. Then, the camera pointed at his face, looking forlorn and downcast, rueful and almost regretting singing and only looking to spend it inside, drunk and sulking. But the day was too beautiful to waste in relentless self-pity.

Y la lluvia, ¡qué atrevido!, ayer todo era bonito
Ahora llueve y mi alma se ha amargado
O era amante o era amigo
Cuánto amor te ha golpeado
Desde hoy, soy un hombre solitario

The water projections on both sides of the stage showed two fountains located in the town square, in front of the church. There was another camera angle showing the couple dancing the bolero. But this wasn’t the flashy, excessive bolero many around the world used to watch on Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing with the Stars; rather, this dance was tighter, sensuous, with the woman tightly clinging on her partner’s neck while being swayed by his lead. One step. Two step. Move her body to the side. Move his to the beat of the compás. They had to watch out for the water, of course. But they had to watch out for the movements of the guaracha, the singer’s inflections (yes, those were part of the dance) and the singing of the public. This being Achaea, it was odd that such a song like a bolero would cause an uproar at home; however, it quickly charted once it was announced that the semi-unknown Lorenzo would represent the country (that he was shirtless when it happened kind of helped), and then hometown pride also translated to rapidly massive streaming success. So of course, they were accessories to Lorenzo. But damn, they better look good doing it.

Soy un hombre solitario
Estoy triste, cuánto amor te ha golpeado
Fui un tanto desesperado, tú mi ser imaginario
Y ordinario
Soy un hombre solitario

Brief flashes of the crowded audience could observe many reactions from the crowd. Many were singing. Others were cuddling up tenderly to their partners, dancing in almost the same way their grandparents were dancing their boleros fifty, sixty, or seventy years ago. A young woman was wearing tight jeans and heels and dancing with her boyfriend, a man wearing Cuban chain links and sporting a sleeve tattoo, cuddling up with her while carrying a drink in his right hand. It was a masterful display of skill and concentration, all the while not wasting his corcinos’ worth of mojitos in an intimate moment with her beloved. Was bolero making a comeback after decades of being relegated by bachata, reggaeton, trap, and dembow? It was too early to tell. But watching the youth embrace the past bodes well for the country’s musical future.

Tu destruyes una puerta, eran dos, una belleza
Desvanece nuestro amor en la pobreza
Sé muy bien que he mentido
Aunque quise ser tu amigo
Ya, ¿qué va?
Soy un hombre solitario.

As he sang, Lorenzo thought of the few breakups he experienced. His first breakup, that of his first girlfriend while in high school, ended amicably because she left to study fashion in Scotatrova. His second girlfriend, the one he lost his virginity with in college, left him for another man whom he considered to be his best friend. Then he had a heartbreaker phase where he broke lots of young women’s hearts—and didn’t pick up their phone calls after he promised them the world and its miracles. Then a third girlfriend, his first serious adult relationship, slowly drifted apart because of his busy touring schedule; she understandably wanted more attention to nurture the relationship, but it was impossible to reconcile. This made Lorenzo feel like a lonely man—not that he was really lonely, he had the body and the movements (and some say endowment) to carry over the ladies (and some men who were quite fond of him). So Solitario came as a sort of lament, a paean to his somewhat diffusive love life, especially with all the Carnivals and Valentine’s Days and celebrations roiling over (it sometimes feels that living in Achaea is a non-stop party, one would question how they could keep the economy reasonably afloat). But he managed to press on and find love, or let love find him.

Soy un hombre solitario
Estoy triste, cuánto amor te ha golpeado
Fui un tanto desesperado, tú mi ser imaginario
Y ordinario
Soy un hombre solitario

There was a wide-pan view of the stage from the viewer’s right to the viewer’s left, the couple tenderly dancing on the corner in front of the water projections, trying their hardest not to get damp or flooded by the water, their elegantly coiffed hairs trying to get slightly crisp due to the combination of the humidity—always a constant problem in Puerto Ámbar—and the heat of the lights on stage. Slowly, the front platforms in the front began to elevate to several feet up in the air, with Lorenzo standing in the front and the bolero dancers on the right. Then, the camera displayed with a bird’s eye view of the stage also fixated on the stage’s end to focus on Lorenzo and the water projections beside him.

His musical tone was imbued with questions. Not anger or reclamations or self-pity (well, not as much as the speaker’s voice expected on the song, much to Lorenzo’s chagrin). It was curiosity. Curiosity, plain and simple. He wanted to know what happened that things fell apart so quickly and both, both, dropped it without a fight. He wanted to know why things died down so it wouldn’t happen again. Or so he hoped. She (and we assume it was a she) is not entitled to provide them with any answers. He is required to live with the mystery of her choices. After all, satiating her curiosity is only but a favor. It wouldn’t heal his broken heart any quicker than time would do. And maybe some rum. Or therapy.

¿Por qué me dejaste llorando
Si en otra vida te he amado?
¡Dame bien tu espacio
Donde rompe el corazón!

¿Por qué, por qué, por qué, porqué me dejaste llorando
Si en otra vida te he amado?
¡Dame bien tu espacio
Donde rompe el corazón!

Donde rompiste
Mi solitario corazón

Lorenzo wiped sweat, maybe a tear or two, from his eye. He also ran quickly to where the dancers stopped and gave them a curt hug. There were cheers from the ambarense audience and those visiting from near and afar. “Thank you!” Lorenzo shouted to the crowd. “¡Fueguero, carajo!” He also shouted and blew his kisses. You could expect that the Achaeans, messy hosts as they were, would send something tropical, bombastic, overstimulating. But not this time—they did send something tropical, yes, but it was demure, solitary, and sensual. Running doggedly as the poor maximizers of the Multiversal musical world, their (not totally unfounded) reputation was behind them. But maybe this time things were different. Perhaps the Multiverse would tell, and loudly at that.

And the rain, how dare you! Yesterday everything was beautifulI
Now it rains and my soul has become bitter
Or I was (a) lover or (a) friend
How much love has punched you
Since today, I’m a lonely man

I’m a lonely man
I’m sad, how much love has punched you
I was a bit desperate, you my imaginary being
And ordinary
I’m a lonely man

You destroy a door, it was two, it was a thing of beauty
Our love is failing through poverty
I know very well that I lied to you
Even though I wanted to be your friend
Now, what’s the point?
I’m a lonely man

I’m a lonely man
I’m sad, how much love has punched you
I was a bit desperate, you my imaginary being
And ordinary
I’m a lonely man

Why did you left me crying
If I loved you in another life?
Give me your space well
Where the heart is broken!

Why, oh why, oh why, oh why, did you left me crying
If I loved you in another life?
Give me your space well
Where the heart is broken!

Where you broke
My lonely heart

[Uskad]

Tune = Frank Sinatra - Time After Time

About the artist

Robert Sametika (born 17 September 1994) is an Uskadian jazz musician, notable for his album “Rain”, released in 2016, and the album “Life”, released in 2019.

Born in a small town in the agricultural province of Temesia, his interest in jazz music began when his pianist grandmother played him various jazz songs, and when he was 12 years old, asked her to teach him. His grandmother taught him to play the piano, and by age 16, he got into a local music competition and won second place. Although he did not win, it motivated him to start a career in jazz music.

He began his career after leaving university, signing up with a small music label, and published his first album, Rain. It became a smash hit in Uskad, and propelled him into further popularity. Due to popular fan requests, he began covering various jazz songs from the 50s, and this experience inspired his next album, Life.

He later was selected by the BSRU to represent Uskad in its debut in WorldVision 112.

About the song

(Excerpt from a BSRU interview)
The song “Walking Alone” is a song about longing for love. Specifically longing for love from a deceased loved one. I wrote it inspired by my grandma’s and my own personal experiences. But it was mainly my grandmother’s experiences.

I felt inspired to write this song when I listened to older jazz songs, and remembered a moment from my childhood when my grandmother told me about how much she misses her husband.

Performance

The performance starts as the lights begin to dim, and spotlights begin to shine at the performer, Robert Sametika. Sametika begins to hold the microphone

Walking alone, I love to think of you, coming back to my shoulders
Yearning to feel
to once feel love’s embrace, in the moment where we meet again

Sametika gets a little confidence boost from the audience cheering at him, and as the lights fully turn on, the jazz orchestra is revealed.

Reaching out for your love
Will you accept my love?
Even if you are gone, please do
And walking alone
I still do love to think
you’ll return to me once again

Sametika puts away his mic, and the camera pans to each member of the orchestra playing their instruments.

Reaching out for your love
Will you accept my love?
Even if you are gone, please do

The camera spins around Sametika.

And walking alone
I still do love to think
you’ll return to me once again

Sametika smiles at the audience while the audience is cheering.

[Metras]

26. METRAS
Moonlucht - "AŚLAN"
Tune: The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again

BEFORE ASTRIUS, THERE WAS AŚLAN.
Upon the waves of Zefirus she stood proud, the prosperous brainchild of the revolutionary architect Ríon Poier and his school in Breham. It was named for the prosperity god Aś, who blessed the ocean it was built in ashen wood above. For 40 years it stood unfettered by the rough seas of the western front and basking in Éira's sun. Commerce thrived, the arts flourished, and people came from all over to to experience the wonders and glory of the world's shining seabourne city.

Until the mob invaded.

Old and illustrious buildings became hotbeds for criminals. Public plazas became unsafe, oil lamps were taken out, and the city was shrouded in darkness. The Aślan Syndicate became the true rulers of the city as its wealthier residents fled to the prosperous Astrius. Within months, the once-shining city was all but destroyed. Aślan was cut off, and the Metrasian government placed an embargo on the whole city. The material on which the city was built began to degrade, and its flammability made it a real hazard. On the night of 20 Meridiś 165, a small fire in the supports of the Auld Queen's Head spread rapidly, and began to take the rest of the city. One by one, buildings were felled and public plazas went up in flames. The embargo that was still being levied on the city meant that it could not receive outside aid, and aid that came from within the city proved futile. The fire raged on for days, and despite efforts to save the city it was reduced to a few measly pillars in the wild sea by the eve of Mariś.

HAULED OUT ON HER FATHER'S CANOE, ŚULIA WATCHED HER WORLD BURN.
That's what Moonlucht's grandmother told him. She survived the disaster by the skin of her teeth as the sun peeked over the horizon. Her family wasn't rich, and despite her father's entrepreneurial prowess they weren't able to escape with the grand exodus. Only a child, she was sent to the mainland alone and had to make a life for herself in the city of Breham. She made a small living for herself as a seamstress, but where she really shined was in the theatre. She joined up to the Marynson Theatre Company at the age of 22, and began to star in plays from Luśina the Great to a newly-uncovered Mabbáth, becoming all but a household name for people up and down the eastern coast of Victoriana. After experiencing it all, having her name spelled in lights and having her shows performed on radio, she produced her own play about the doomed city she escaped from, and promptly retired to spend time with her children.

But Śulia isn't the one on stage tonight. Instead, there stands her grandson Sébastyn, better known as Moonlucht. Born during the ides of Nivosen, deep in the winter, the spirit of Ośarne flowed within him from a young age. He and his grandmother acted together, played together, sang together. Naturally, as an old star, his grandmother often took him with her to events she was invited to, including the inagural presentation of the Meridian Awards in Theatre in 205. Eventually it did come time for Séb to fly the nest, and he ended up studying in the National College of Arts and Culture in Luśania. His time here was unremarkable, though it was here where he formed his band Moonlucht. The project only lasted 2 years - during which he obtained his music degree - before all other members left, and eventually Séb was left as the sole member of Moonlucht. That's where Daśaor comes in.

DAŚAOR PÚBLIŚIN METRAS IS STRUGGLING.
Well, to say suffering is a bit of exaggeration, but it's not exactly in the best place either. Of course, since their failed bid to host the WorldVision contest's one hundred and second edition they've all but retreated into the shadows, their name uttered only by the most dedicated of WorldVision fans. Their output has been reduced gradually to news and the odd chat show by the emergence of television, with Amalgás Farśín Metraśirs taking a large portion of their viewership. While both services are owned by the government they have been at odds for some time, and in a recent fit of one-upmanship DPM announced that Metras would return to the multiverse-famous contest, so that all may gawk at futuristic people. There was only one problem. They didn't have any money.

Who could have possibly had a lot of clout but still have been irrelevant enough to want to go to WorldVision? The obvious answer to this question is up-and-coming folk artist Marśalín O-Tomas, who represented the nation before, but DPM decided that Moonlucht would have to do as Marśalín was busy on the day of the contest. He would be going to Achaea!

---

Like any self-respecting Metrasian at this time of year, Moonlucht is representing his country in the traditional garb of the Festival of Valánt. It's an intricate dress, adorned with cog-like accessories which cover his side and front and absolutely decimating gender norms, as befits Moonlucht's eclectic style. Despite the sweltering Achaean heat (Metras is incredibly cold at this time of year, to say the very least), he's handling his rather heavy and DPM-selected outfit like a champion. Sure, a slightly lighter fit would have been preferred, but he's tough enough for the heat. An artificial sun, created as an illusion projected on spraying water, stands behind him, as he sits upon a stub of oak wood, awkwardly jutting out of the stage like a pillar in water.

Héilreis
Héilreis o’r tá tén a brumśtan
Lośen ar tá mór samagh
Scrédal
Scrédal bónghas ar tá mór dimafét
Fé’n emgarn césen t’ ó raturaś

Fó cairdh gárdaś en tá héilreis
Cairdh gárdaś en tá héilreis
Bodhan, bodhan en tá tén
As tá awr spégach héinebh

Aślan, oś fé copion?
Aślan, oś copion?
Aślan sirta hol
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

Aślan inéś copion
Aślan ne copion
Aślan loś ablas
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

Fó cairdh gárdaś en tá héilreis
Cairdh gárdaś en tá héilreis
Bodhan, bodhan en tá tén
As tá awr spégach héinebh

Aślan, oś fé copion?
Aślan, oś copion?
Aślan sirta hol
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

Aślan inéś copion
Aślan ne copion
Aślan loś ablas
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

Aślan, oś fé copion?
Aślan, oś copion?
Aślan sirta hol
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

Aślan inéś copion
Aślan ne copion
Aślan loś ablas
Tá’n strothe chéile aras Véna
As wiloś fé

The music fades out, and Moonlucht is left standing solitary, arms stretched out like Jesus on the cross. After a few seconds, he returns to normal, beginning to stride off the stage. As he takes his steps away, he tears his sweltering mask off and shouts a very resounding...

"TÁNKAŚ! THANK YOU ACHAEA! ÉIRA Á CHÁNIBHE!"

Sunrise
Sunrise over the fire and brimstone
Burning on the silent sea
Screaming
Screaming ringing on the helpless ocean
I try to stop it but [it] returns

My love stolen by the sunrise
Love stolen by the sunrise
Drowning, drowning in the flames
As the sky envelopes their face

Aślan, do you copy me?
Aślan, do you copy?
Aślan falls behind
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

Aślan doesn’t copy me
Aślan doesn’t copy
Aślan burns ablaze
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

My love stolen by the sunrise
Love stolen by the sunrise
Drowning, drowning in the flames
As the sky envelopes their face

Aślan, do you copy me?
Aślan, do you copy?
Aślan falls behind
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

Aślan doesn’t copy me
Aślan doesn’t copy
Aślan burns ablaze
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

Aślan, do you copy me?
Aślan, do you copy?
Aślan falls behind
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

Aślan doesn’t copy me
Aślan doesn’t copy
Aślan burns ablaze
It’s torn apart like Venus
As I watch

[Carrelie]

27. Carrelie

[Aenglide]

Country Name: Aenglide
Artist Name: Mado Lina
Song Title: First Sight
Language:

Music: Madolina Knulvsen, Lilen Asgard
Lyrics: Madolina Knulvsen
Tune: Anamanaguchi - Prom Night

Here’s to another edition of the grandiose and beloved Worldvision Song Contest. The Akjefuldin City Council exchanged the Worldvision keys over to Achaean hands in an official promotional visit, and wished only the utmost best for the newly selected host city of Puerto Ámbar. The ceremony marked the handover of something special; the transfer of the world’s largest celebration of music, from one city to another. They know for sure that the party-loving Achaeans will host a celebration just as good as Akjefuldin, if not better. After speeches, photos and the like, they shook hands with the city officials for the final time before returning back home, many miles away, to the chilly north.

Let’s reflect on the previous edition, that came back to Aenglide after thirteen editions. The spotlight has been switched off from Akjefuldin’s role as the host city of the 111st Worldvision Song Contest. The occasion marked an exciting return, as the event was Aenglide’s second time hosting Worldvision, with the 98th edition having been held in Keterig. It was a cooler change, as the contest moved even further north to Akjefuldin, a city that was in the middle of a bittery Nordic winter. Even with an outdoor venue with the sun having set hours before the opening, the advanced heating in the Nardelisen Arena made sure that the night time temperatures stayed away from the fiery scenes of the moments. A full crowd in the football field’s three stands showed the excitement of the Aenglish audience, ready to see yet another edition of Worldvision on home soil.

If we rewind back to just after when Amia won for the Alezian Union at the 110th Worldvision Song Contest, it was shortly revealed that ÆTV would be bidding as host for the 111th contest. To change things up, the second-largest city would have a go and see what the Worldvision spirit is all about. The bid showcased the many spectacles in Novapax’s westernmost city, home to around 580,000 known for harsh ocean winds and steep hills, but a prominent skyline in contrast to Keterig with it’s tiny village feel, even with a decent population around 700,000 residents. The successful bid was accompanied by bids from two joke nations; Placely Placington and Robloxian Robloxia. Citysburgh’s rap left the crowd mild, while Bloxburg submitted a bid centred around spice, but clearly wasn’t tongue-burning enough to satisfy the voters. The biggest trouble, however, that left Akjefuldin residents worried was Eureka, the town in the Spiritual Republic of Caryton that welcomed a cute, Christmas-themed style bid, with designs that easily rivalled the Aenglish bid. The proud Akjefuldin citizens backed their bid, but were not surprised if Eureka did end up winning. To many people’s surprise, it was a 21 point difference between Akjefuldin and Eureka, who took runners-up in the bid war, putting us into official hosting victory! Shortly after the exciting reveal, preparation was underway to make Akjefuldin and the Nardelisen Arena as inviting and spectacular as it could possibly be.

On the night of the contest, it was confirmed that a staggering total of 29 entries would participate in the Nardelisen Arena, two more than the previous edition in Ous, Ugunnustan. With singers coming from all ends of the multiverse, Akjefuldin showed the world that it was a city capable of uniting different countries together beautifully under the art of music. The voting segment came after all the songs, and we saw that the debuting nation Great Britain and Irelandia, scored last place with a saddening zero points. Father Squidward and Mister X joined them at the bottom of the leaderboard, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, it was Samudera Darussalam that took the bronze spot, with 214 points. Closely in front of them were the Worldvision powerhouses Malta Comino Gozo, that with the song Dandelion, were able to complete the podium set they’ve always dreamed of by finally achieving their second place. But the grand winner of the contest on familiar shores were the previous hosts Ugunnustan, that with Qalima Serieva and her song Promise, managed to take the trophy home with 232 points, a moment in Aenglide that made Worldvision history, to be remembered for the editions to come.

But that begs the question. Where were we in the midst of all this? How did the local Akjefuldin rock band Arrowlanda do? After taking pride as being the host entry in the contest, it did not meet well to the expectations and standards of the jury and televoters, and only took a disappointing 19th place, tied with fellow Novapax nation Terra Zealandia, who also scored 83 points. Their song, which is entitled “Intertwine”, was described as a generic rock track, of the typical Aenglish kind. It generated hype before the contest, backed by many Aenglish Worldvision fans, however was crushed by the quality of many other songs. They were understandably devastated and heartbroken after such a tragic result, as Aenglide has never placed that low since Worldvision 95, where we came 21st in Nakom, Yvesia. It was shocking seeing Aenglide on the undesired right-hand side of the leaderboard. It was such a poor result on a home hosting, especially due to the fact that Aenglide’s first and (as of current) only win, was on home soil for our first celebration in Keterig. For modern times and modern music standards, people began to hope that this was simply a blip, and tried becoming optimistic for Aenglide’s results in the future. It sparked the thought, who was going to represent Aenglide in the 112th edition of Worldvision? After heavy consideration, ÆTV internally selected Mado Lina to try and save and recover Aenglide from the hole that the country dipped itself into. In a fair act of desperation, the public were not at all hesitant to discover and listen to Mado Lina’s previous works to see if it was a good decision for ÆTV to have made; and to put it boldly - in their eyes, it was easily going to score higher than Arrowlanda.

Madolina Knulvsen (born September 3rd, 1994, age 29), better known as simply Mado Lina, is a singer-songwriter from Albisey, the largest island in the Aenglish province of Östoyen, but has relocated herself to the Aenglish capital of Keterig, like so many musicians have done for the better of their career. She’s a pop singer, although loves to take inspiration from other genres in her music occasionally, like rock and, for this song, chiptune. Although having lived in Keterig for over nine years, she still visits the island she grew up on for the occasional visit. She was brought up with music lessons in junior school, having taken vocal lessons and piano lessons on a weekly basis.

When asked in an aspiring artists interview from her early teens, she said that she wanted to grow up and become a famous singer. She has also watched many editions of the Worldvision Song Contest when growing up, and has stated that she’s “always wanted to sing for my home country on that stage,” and now that she’s been officially selected to represent Aenglide, it was a monumental dream that had come true for her. Mado Lina usually creates music in the English language, and has had a few charting singles in Aenglide, like “Lost With You” and “Losing Me.”

As well as those other two songs from before, this song, which we will reveal here as First Sight, has peaked and made it onto the top of the Aenglish Weekly Music Charts, ahead of the contest. Mado Lina’s song will be the twenty-first entry to represent Aenglide, and is optimistic about scoring high for the country.

On the days leading up to the contest, she stepped on board the plane and headed straight for the Achaean shores. The heat immediately struck her, being from the chilly wind-swept islands to Aenglide’s southeast. However, it was nice for a tropical change. The party festival vibes that the Achaeans are renowned for gave Mado Lina some enchanting excitement to perform, and they were all ready to set the stage for Worldvision. The ceremony of the exchanging of host cities by the Akjefuldin Stadhed / City Council and representatives from Puerto Ámbar allowed for a great moment between not only the two cities, but the two countries as well. It was an exciting moment for Mado Lina because she was invited to the ceremony, and her song was revealed along with the handover.

Puerto Ámbar is a brilliant host city for the contest. An intertwining mix of multiple cultures coming into one, truly a city that unites many countries and cultures. The city, as the name suggests, was a historically important port city, for traders crossing the Atlantic, totally reminiscent of Akjefuldin, a seafaring and mercantile port city. Along that time, many crowds of different ethnic groups, as the city has experienced Canarian, Galician, French, Italian, and Arab migration in its time. (Might I add that the two Aenglide Worldvision references in that previous statement are not intentional.)

She also expressed that after the grand final was finished she would “stay for like a week” because ever since she’s been in the city, she’s fallen in love with the Achaean street life and weather, but hasn’t been able to look around the city freely as she’s been around the Aenglish delegate who have travelled along with Mado Lina for her Worldvision journey. Her week has been full of rehearsals, interviews, press conferences, all flashy things. Mado Lina - with her Aenglish upbringing - wasn’t all too fond of all the fast-paced pre-contest preparation, but she was getting used to it being in a party nation.

It was the day of the big Worldvision final. Prior to the contest, Mado Lina herself held up to high standards, as she is the Aenglish entry that’s leading on from Aenglide’s undesired 19th place finish last edition, which left Aenglish Worldvision fans crying and desperate for ÆTV to send someone worthy for a better result in the contest. It made Mado Lina nervous, and understandably. However, with the courage from her delegation, and all of the training she’s done, she was ready to take on the Worldvision stage.

Before the contest, it was found out that Aenglide and Mado Lina would be performing in the twenty-eighth spot, between the occasionally returning nation of Metras and gargantuan debutants Gallicelèstia. When Moonlucht was performing, Mado Lina was getting the last checks done for when she’d go onto the stage. Metras’ entry had been concluded, and the lights around the Navegantes Convention Center dimmed down completely. This was the moment when Mado Lina was going to perform on the stage.

The Aenglish postcard showed up on the big screen. While this was happening, Mado Lina took to the stage and the friendly Achaean crew helped her set up. Everything was in its right place, and the thumbs up marked the beginning of our grand entry. The lights came back on, revealing Mado Lina on the centre of the stage, in front of a screen that showed roses falling. The music began to play, and the grand audience erupted in applause for Mado Lina. The intro played and showed various scenes around the arena, the stage, and Mado Lina herself.

Out of all the people in the universe
I felt connected ‘round you
The gravity of your love simply pulled me in
And there was nothing I could do
And something’s gotten into me lately
It’s making me go round and round
Can’t quite explain it baby, I just don’t know how
But it only ever happens when you’re around

The cameras focus and zoom on in Mado Lina, and the lights start to darken slightly and point in on her. It reflects the pre-chorus, as this part of the song builds up quiet tension.

Only you can take me so much higher
Don’t stop till it makes me come back for more
I need to fulfill all of my desires
The sensation is the only thing I live for

The lights brighten up on the stage for the chorus, and this happens while the camera immediately zooms back to show the entire stage. A pixelated heart is shown on the LED screen behind her. The cameras face to show the audience, with many colours and flags around the end of the chorus. This generates a slightly audible cheer. When she says “twist me around” and “spin me around”, she does a twirl accordingly.

Twist me around and hold me, hold me
Treat me like it’s our very first time
Never let go like it’s only for one night
Spin me around and hold me, hold me
We can walk down under the red lights
(Wouldn’t know what life is like without you)

For this small interlude, a similar scene is captured like the pre-chorus beforehand.

I’ll be with you even with we’ve got nothin’
It don’t take much for me at all, baby
(Even if we’ve got nothin’)

The second chorus is finally here. The camera zooms out to reveal the entire stage, and some backing vocals are added to the performance as well. Mado Lina wants to make sure she finishes the song off very strongly, so she vocalises a longer note at the end of the last line, “wouldn’t know what life is like without you.”

Twist me around and hold me, hold me
(I want you to hold me)
Treat me like it’s love at very first sight
Never let go like it’s only for one night
(Please never let go)
Spin me around and hold me, hold me
(Want you to spin me around)
We can walk down under the red lights
Wouldn’t know what life is like without you

The closing pulses of the track allow Mado Lina to finish strong. As soon as the song ends, Mado Lina shouts ‘Thank you Achaean Republic”, allowing for a substantial cheer from the predominantly Achaean crowd. She returns back to the green room to greet the delegation after a wonderful performance. They think that Mado Lina is sure to top a better result than last edition (partly thanks to the sadly fewer number of entries of this edition).

[Estogium]

withdrawn because i am tired

[Alezian Union]

30 Alezian Union

"The Same"
Singer : Adam + Eva
Composer : Adam Razak, Eva Steenlaar
Lyricist : Adam Razak, Eva Steenlaar
Tune : SOA - Seule

[Gallicelestia]

---

THE ARTIST

---

By winning the prestigious Sereno Festival, the 24-year-old electro-pop artist Anele Lily has been selected to represent Gallicelèstia for its debut at the 112th WorldVision Song Contest.

Born in Nuovo Faro, the capital city of Gallicelèstia, home to 44.6 million people, the young black Gallicelèstian songstress grew up with her grandparents in their three-room apartment, in the north of Nuovo Faro, after her parents were imprisoned when she was only three years old.
During her third birthday party, Anele was sighted by a surveillance drone. As she was not registered in the public system, further data was sent to law enforcement authorities. Later that day, the police arrived with a search warrant at their apartment. Her parents have since been in prison because parturition and pregnancy, respectively, constitute crimes in Gallicelèstia.
Due to the circumstances of her birth, Anele only has Gallicelèstian nationality, in lieu of citizenship.

According to her grandparents, Anele already demonstrated great levels of talent when she was six years old, singing the carol “Silent Night” for Christmas without losing a breath, staying on pitch for the entirety of the performance. However, missing her parents, the traditionally joyous affair grew one to be dreaded by Anele.

In an interview with Milia Trarrero, the head teacher of the primary school Anele attended, Trarrero said “Anele usually was on her own. The other children found her weird and didn’t want to play with her, despite them not knowing about her past. Therefore, instead of socializing with her peers, Anele would be sitting somewhere she can hide to write in her diary.”
When she started attending middle school, Anele’s music teacher, Cornelio Augustus, quickly recognized her talent for instruments and singing, and afterwards taught her how to play the piano in private lessons. Two years later, Anele joined the orchestra and the school choir, which provided her with her first opportunities to get any experience of what it means to stand on a stage and perform for an audience.
At her graduation from high school, Anele Lily sang the Gallicelèstian national anthem “Nostra Patria”. Prior to that she had already performed at smaller venues, selling out tickets at bars and clubs, becoming a minor national celebrity on the social media network HoloX, where she already had amassed 500,000 followers.

After high school, Anele Lily completed the three-year national service, being part of the Nuovo Farese Youth Symphony Orchestra. In her third year of national service, she released the song “ICONIC!”. The song quickly went viral on HoloX, surpassing 100 million views by the end of its release week. Two months later, she participated in the 219th Sereno Festival as a newcomer, earning a respectable 12th place out of 30 participants.

Anele Lily’s confidence and popularity with young Gallicelèstians and the international jury have propelled her through the 220th Sereno Festival. Anele scored a total of 366 points in the Sereno Festival, of which 147 points came from the international jury. Notably she also was the second favorite of the demoscopic jury and the televote, respectively. Throughout the competition, Anele Lily has thoroughly defied the expectations of her critics.

---

THE SONG

Tune: Madison Rose - Better Off Alone

---

Following Anele Lily’s victory at the Sereno Festival, her self-written song “Non Sono Un Clone” has been revamped with the help of the legendary La Zaza. A WorldVision Version, and an accompanying music video of “Never Be A Clone” have been released, which has become a double platinum record in Gallicelèstia. In order to reach a wider audience the song has been partially translated into English, though the final chorus and post-chorus remain in Gallian.

The WorldVision Version, “Never Be A Clone,” is noticeably different from the original version that had previously won the 220th Sereno Festival. The intro was replaced by a more powerful, majestic start featuring dramatic strings and a harder bass line. The lyrics of the intro were cut to provide an opportunity for a vocal moment right at the beginning of the song. Similarly, to accommodate a dance break, the entirety of the bridge of the song has been replaced by an instrumental section that is 30 seconds long.
Furthermore, the instrumentation has been altered to introduce more dynamism to the song, gradually increasing in instrumentation and energy over the course of the song, rising in energy during the choruses and post-choruses to create a more anthemic soundscape.

Due to these changes, the electro-pop track “Never Be A Clone” by Anele Lily runs 2 minutes and 58 seconds with a tempo of 126 bpm. However, the song continues to be in the key of E major, is high energetic, and very danceable with a time signature of 4 beats per bar.

During the 220th Sereno Festival, a tabloid released a special, leaking to the public that Anele Lily does not have Gallicelèstian citizenship. Further, the circumstances of her birth as well as her parents being imprisoned were detailed. In an interview in the green room during the third evening of the Sereno Festival, Anele Lily argued that “the Gallicelèstian system of citizenship and nationality is unjust,” referring to the intensely bureaucratic and arduous process those born through parturition seeking Gallicelèstian citizenship must undergo in order to be granted citizenship.
Social media posts by Anele Lily such as “Unapologetically myself, got a problem? There’s the door,” have rendered her a polarizing figure. She has since also come out in support of the protests, which had started in late 2223, demanding from the Gallicelèstian government to reform the constitution. Fellow artists and participants of the Sereno Festival, such as Lady Galli-Galli, have also shared their thoughts, most of whom are supportive of constitutional reform. Recently, in early February of 2224, more than eight million people took to the streets.
The Gallicelèstian citizenship and nationality system has become an increasingly relevant matter, which the previous administration sought but failed to address prior to the end of its term in December. Her outspoken and confident nature have earned Anele Lily many fans among young Gallicelèstians and other progressive forces.

Yet, the issue, and by extension Anele Lily, remain a controversial topic in the nation. In the case of the latter this may be linked to the lyrical content of the autobiographical anthem “Never Be A Clone,” which Anele has described as an homage to her family and other people like herself who do not fit neatly into Gallicelèstian society.

---

AT THE WORLDVISION SONG CONTEST

---

As the Achaean crew is still preparing the stage for Anele Lily, she is already being rushed onto the stage, which is covered in sand to create a barren, inhospitable environment, resembling a desert. Slightly anxious, the 24-year-old performer tries to calm her nerves and does a few vocal exercises. Though she quickly regains most of her confidence, she wonders if the ordeal should really be having this kind of effect on her. She has toured Gallicelèstia and has participated twice in the Sereno Festival. Anele doesn’t really consider herself a newcomer anymore. Some might even call her a seasoned performer by now, though that might be going too far.
Still, Anele can’t quite believe that this is happening. She pinches herself to confirm that this is real. The slight, sharp pain emanating from her underarm tells her all she needs to know–it's not just a fever dream to finally be standing on the WorldVision stage.

She is wearing a futuristic, silver cyborg suit, arranged to look like armor, giving her the air of a commander ready to conquer. Her makeup has been kept neutral, with highlights on her cheek bones and glossy lips. A necklace and mask of jewels complete the stunning look.

The noise of the audience is being drowned out by her in-ear monitor headphones. An Achaean crew member greets her to check if the head mic is firmly attached to her. Yes, of course, it is.

Remembering the intense regime of endless dance practice, vocal coaching, and promotional activities that have entirely consumed her life since she won the 220th Sereno Festival, Anele smiles to herself. She has come a long way from being considered brash to confident, and now representing the nation she calls home on the occasion of their debut.
She has done this more than a thousand times in Gallicelèstia, in rehearsals on a replica of this exact stage, which was built specifically to prepare her and mould her into who she needs to be until there is nothing left to improve–no camera angles missed, no vocal moments blundered. The performance concept was developed to create an immersive experience that conveys the story of the lyrics and excites those watching, always keeping them waiting and guessing what happens next.

A tear ricochets from her cheek. Anele promised her family that she’d make them proud. She will give this her all, to make all those calls missed, dinners skipped, sleepless nights, and most of all, her hard work and dedication count. Several times she had considered giving up during the rehearsals, it would have been so easy to simply stop, not caring about what that would entail for herself or the broadcaster, but La Zaza and her team have guided Anele through this journey in which she has surpassed her limits time after time. Anele feels in every fiber of her being that she must not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity go to waste. She wans to make the most of it; she will weather the storm and turn the tide. When the party is over, she'll see whether it all will have been worth it. Regardless of her success in the contest, her music will have been introduced to millions of people all around the world.

Black smoke covers the mosh pit and envelops the stage like a blanket, aided by augmented reality to completely ensure that none of the members of the audience will be visible in camera shots. The dunes on the floor of the stage are partially submerged under the mist.

The compass-shaped stage is enclosed by a mirror wall to create the illusion of a space existing in a vacuum, almost like a trap from which it is impossible to escape, while the mirrors shall also be used to cinematographic effects. Despite that, the audience will be able to see through the mirrors, and thus be able to see the performance. Though this is so much more than just a performance to Anele.
The water projections start to take shape, creating the illusion of a night sky, and finally the Navegantes Convention Center darkens. The time to impress is now, there will be no retakes, no do-overs. The eyes and expectations of a nation of almost 759 million people are resting on her. There is no time like the present.

0:00 - 0:09 (Intro)

Due to the revamp, the intro has been altered to have a more powerful, majestic start than it originally does in the tune; and the intro does not feature any lyrics.

For reference: Noa Kirel - Unicorn 0:00 - 0:07

The show starts with an extreme wide shot by a dolly camera, serving as an establishing shot, focusing on the silhouette of Anele Lily. As the camera starts to zoom in, Anele belts out an E5 with impeccable resonance, power, and pitch. The camera cuts to a medium shot of her back.

As she sustains the high note, she plays with her voice, adding melisma to captivate the audience. The next frame is a medium shot of her upper body frontally facing the camera. She wears a fierce expression on her face, the camera gradually zooms in, offering a medium-close up of her face.

0:09 - 0:22 (Verse 1)

Lyrics

Trace the shadows of the stars Never ignited, behind bars In my rear view fade the streets Where the beacon of hope weeps

Without losing her breath or a beat, Anele begins to sing the first verse with a nostalgic tone, while a long shot adds room for her emotions, followed by a full shot of her, and then a series of medium long-shots. The water projections and augmented reality work in synergy to create twinkling stars in the sky that die before they fully ignite. For the second line of the first verse, Anele moves her hands in a way that symbolizes being restrained to emphasize the lyrics of the song.
The third line of the first verse starts with a close-up of her face, offering a closer glimpse into her psyche and her regrets, fostering a sense of intimacy. Then the frame turns into an overhead shot that serves as a POV shot, offering audiences watching the show a glimpse of Anele's perspective while she briefly looks back at the mirror, studying her own reflection. A tilted panning shot of her side as she is walking from the back of the stage, close to where the mirror wall is, to the center follows said personal moment. Meanwhile, her footsteps echo through the mist and the sand of the dunes.
For the fourth line of the first verse, the camera cuts to her front, and zooms out until it offers a full shot of her. In the background an illuminated futuristic lighthouse can be seen, signaling an SOS in the water projections.

0:22 - 0:38 (Pre-Chorus)

Lyrics

I’ve been running all the night And stuck in fight or flight Didn't I play by their rules? I should've seen the signs They read between the lines Seein' through my mask of jewels

The opening shot of the pre-chorus is a panning full shot. The futuristic lighthouse disappears, now again replaced by the night sky. Anele adjusts the quality of her voice to make herself sound slightly frightened but still fully in control. It appears as though she is running away from her shadows, kicking up sand, which is captured from multiple angles by the cameras in a series of quick cuts. As the pre-chorus continues, she starts to increase the energy and drama, intentionally voicing breaths into the mic while wind machines highlight the . A close up of Anele's face shows her inner turmoil allowing the audience to connect with her. A 360° medium long shot follows this sequence to add awe-inspiring cinematography to the performance, with an almost hypnotic effect. This scene is followed up with a close up of her face for the final line of the pre-chorus as Anele lifts the proverbial veil by removing the mask of jewels, and tossing it away. Then the camera zooms out into a wide shot with Anele now standing at the front of the compass-shaped stage, a few meters away from the other side of the mirror wall.

0:38 - 0:53 (Chorus)

Lyrics

I hope you feel never How their words cut to the bone I may not be the same But I'll never be a clone Never be a clone

While Anele amps up the energy for the first chorus by making use of her perfect belting technique, a wide shot offers a view of her striking a powerful pose and her holographic replicas doing the same. The camera cuts to a tilted, panning front-facing full shot, Anele and her replicas perform quick, choreographed arm movements and syncopated steps. The wind rages on. A mirror full shot shows them performing the choreography effortlessly. This sequence is then followed by Anele executing hip rolls in quick succession as the camera switches to a close up of her face for less than a second, followed by a full shot of her back, and then a medium shot of her front, zooming out as the chorus finishes.

0:53 - 1:08 (Verse 2)

Lyrics

You failed to bring me down You can't catch me now The spine of shame, it is my crown And I'm going up, ciao ciao

As the second verse starts, Anele is captured by a medium long shot, performing dance steps in the center of the stage, the night sky fades and is replaced by dawn, which provides Anele and the dunes with a morning glow. For the second verse, she adds sass, pizzazz, and personality to the vocals, having a much more vivacious attitude since she overcame the darkness. Next a short wide shot is followed by a panning full shot, in which Anele shapes her hands to form a crown on her head. For the end of the fourth line of the second verse, the cameras show a close up of Anele winking and waving at the audience as she sings "ciao ciao," then the cameras zoom out into a tilted full shot from above, with Anele smiling and looking up.

1:08 - 1:24 (Pre-Chorus)

Lyrics

I’ve been running all the night And stuck in fight or flight Didn't I play by their rules? I should've seen the signs They read between the lines Seein' through my mask of jewels

A POV shot from the perspective of Anele reveals a robot approaching her as the second pre-chorus starts, as the music rises in energy, her voice lifts. A fast sequence of a wide shot, panning mirror shot, and full shot show Anele and the Robot dancing around each other in the dunes with light, airy movements. As the pre-chorus continues, the two seemingly befriend each other, united by their differences. Next a close up of her face and the robot's face play in quick succession as they continue to dance before the cameras turn to a sequence of a wide shot, close up, and full shot. As the pre-chorus comes to a close with a close up, Anele gleams. Then the cameras zoom out, showing the barren landscape the two are trapped in.

1:24 - 1:39 (Chorus)

Lyrics

I hope you feel never How their words cut to the bone I may not be the same But I'll never be a clone Never be a clone

The second chorus starts with a bird's eye view shot of the robot and Anele breaking out in a mirrored dance, causing sand to be kicked around on the stage. Anele's vocal control and agility remain impeccable despite the complex dance routine. A panning mirrored long shot shows how the two move fluidly in-sync on stage, much like waves of water balancing on a tightrope to evade crashing against a cliff and toppling over. Next, a series of quick cuts in a complex succession of wide shots, full shots, close ups, and medium long shots, with some tilted to add layers of perspective and dynamism to their routine, capture their performance. They execute their moves flawlessly, never missing a beat or facing the cameras at an incorrect angle. The chorus ends with a medium-close up of the two kneeling in the sand.

1:39 - 1:53 (Post-Chorus)

Lyrics

I'll never be I'll never be a clone I'll never, I'll never be Never be a clone I'll never be I'll never be a clone I'll never, I'll never be

The post-chorus starts with quick shots as the two perform a reprise of the choreography, albeit with noticeable differences. Anele adds staccato notes to her vocal performance to add flair and foreshadow a showdown. An over-the-shoulder shot shows the back of the robot in the mirror, with a pulsating red area. Anele and the robot continue to execute their footwork, hip sways, and arm movement. However, a POV shot from the perspective of Anele shows how the robot's begins to move more aggressively, causing the routine to turn into a tense moment, in which Anele seeks to escape the robot. Ultimately, a full shot shows a defeated Anele Lily, conquered by the robot, followed by a tilted close up of her tired face. The stage darkens again to a night sky.

1:53 - 2:23 (2:09) (Dance Break)

Due to the revamp, the bridge has been altered significantly to incorporate a dance break, the bridge is now 30 seconds long; the bridge does not feature any lyrics.

For reference: Dreamcatcher - Scream 2:24 - 2:53

The section begins with a wide shot of the desert landscape, gradually zooming in to show an Anele trapped by ribbons. A close up of her face, and a subsequent 360° full shot, show Anele struggling against the constraints. moving slowly and deliberately to break free. As the section continues, a series of medium long shots and over-the-shoulder shots show Anele using powerful, sharp movements and her armor, becoming more forceful and dynamic until she finally breaks free. Once freed from the ribbons Anele performs an impressive solo, incorporating acrobatics, martial arts, and contemporary dance. Quick camera cuts, consisting of close ups, full shots, and panning shots are used to create a dramatic and dynamic visual that keeps changing.

Nearing the end of the dance break, the robot returns, and runs towards Anele. A slow-motion shot shows how Anele performs a powerful kick that collides with the robot's chest. The robot smashes into the mirror wall, the robot breaks apart and causes the mirror wall to disintegrate. Simultaneously, lights are used to illuminate Anele's armored chest while she executes an E7 whistle note with incredible precision and support, leading into the last chorus. The cameras zoom out into a wide shot, and once more night turns to day, accompanied by pyrotechnics.

2:23 (2:09) - 2:41 (2:25) (Chorus)

Lyrics

Lo non sento più Non sono ridotta all'osso Non sono la stessa Sono mai stata un clone? Non sono un clone I don't feel it anymore I am not reduced to the bone I am not the same Have I ever been a clone? I am not a clone

The final chorus starts, with a full shot after the wide shot, revealing Anele Nely surrounded by six female dancers, and wearing a black body suit instead of her previous armor. A sequence of complicated camerawork, consisting of close ups, full shots, panning medium long shots, bird view shots, and 360° shots capture the complex dance routine of the seven women moving in-sync with syncopated footwork, and ballroom-inspired choreography, Anele Lily add-libs melodies to add another vocal moment to the performance.

2:41 (2:25) - 2:58 (2:42) (Post-Chorus)

Lyrics

Non sono mai Non sono mai un clone Mai sono, non sono mai Non sono un clone Non sono mai Non sono mai un clone Mai sono, non sono mai Non sono un clone I am never I am never a clone Am I ever, I never am I am not a clone I am never I am never a clone Am I ever, I never am I am not a clone

The final section of the song starts with a full shot of Anele looking fierce, serving confidence and sass, which then turns into a wide-shot, showing the desert landscape of the stage and the fans in the arena. As the seven women continue to amp up the energy, they are being joined by holographic versions of Gallicelèstian woman who are sharing their own performances live on HoloX. Together they incorporate a march in an almost-drill like manner into the dance choreography, featuring Anele as their commander. The performance ends with a close up of Anele smiling at the audience while she belts out the final words an entire octave higher, the cameras zoom out into a full shot.

---

To the thunderous applause of the audience, Anele Lily and her dancers hug each other. Anele then blows a kiss at the fans and sings into her mic "I love you Puerto Ámbar! Muchos gracias a todos! Thank you so much! Grazie mille! Merci beaucoup! Vielen Dank an Alle! Dyakuyu!"

Afterwards she and her entourage leave for the green room, where they are immediately greeted, praised, and welcomed by the Gallicelèstian Head of Delegation, as well as the legendary La Zaza, the choreographer, and the designer of the props.

---

[Kalosia]

32
Kalosia
Bib — Anita Maxwynne
performed in English to the tune of Bibi Habibi — Tea Tairović

Hi lovelies! My name is Maria Kiáro, but you can call me by my stage name: Anita Maxwynne. Today I wanted to talk to you about my work, particularly my recent single "Bib" which has the honour of representing my country—Kalosia—at the 112th WorldVision Song Contest.

Perhaps a little bit about myself, I was born into a family of hard workers. Dad was an accountant, Mom used to be a florist before giving up her day job to spend more time with her three kids. I was the youngest of them, and only daughter. My two older brothers are practically each other's best friends; the oldest one is 31, works as a football coach, and is married with a two-year-old daughter and another baby on the way. The middle one is just two years younger but he's still an eligible bachelor in case you were interested wouldn't you love to have a bartender from one of Monterra's finest food establishments for a boyfriend? As for me, I turn 27 next month but so far I've lived quite a life already!

Growing up, I was raised as the family's precious little princess. At first I was a bit sheltered from the cruel, cruel world and the harsh elements, but as I grew older, and my brothers turned to men who have what it takes to protect their loved ones, I was trusted to take my own steps and explore pathways in life that I had never imagined. At the age of 19 I was recruited as a model for a local clothing store, run by a friend of my aunt. This was a bit of a side gig as I worked at a beauty outlet at the time as my main hustle. Before you knew it, one offer led to another and by 22 I was strutting down the catwalk at Monterra Fashion Week!

Around the turn of the decade, I was interested in exploring music as an alternate pathway. I talked to some people, tried to learn a bit about the industry and figure out what role I wanted to play exactly. At the time I was doing shoots for Rikardu Fabrini, who had recently designed the dress that Carladini wore at the 80th WorldVision Song Contest. I did not really have the opportunity to talk to the designer, but managed to introduce myself to someone from Carladini's management, and made myself known and available to them.

Before any further meetings could happen, the pandemic hit. Around this time, I spent my days at home. In my free time, when I did not feel unmotivated to do anything, I watched tutorials related to singing and songwriting. I wrote a few song concepts here and there, but realized that I was more of a performer than an author. That's when I decided to adopt my stage name, Anita Maxwynne, and really work towards getting my talent out there!

We don't really have all day so let's fast forward to the present day. At this point, I've released enough singles to put together a compilation EP which came out last fall. At this point, the first chapter of my artist career has closed and it's time to pave way for the next season. And it starts with WorldVision.

Now, here's my song. It all started when my good friend Enriku Taures, who is a producer, approached me with a Middle Eastern sounding beat and an idea. He buttered me all up and said I would be the perfect talent for the concept he had in mind! And honestly, I was feeling it too. He also connected me to the hip hop artist Niél sBor, a big name in the Kalosian music industry and himself a WorldVision veteran. Turns out he wrote the lyrics!

One night while I was out for drinks with Enriku and Niél, we talked about our lives and careers and one topic led to another. Soon I was intrigued with Niél's experience at WorldVision and it transpired that the track we were working on would actually have some potential on such a platform. But there was one thing: Niél had no interest in going back as a performer, and this song was designed as a duet. Eventually, we reached a compromise: We would release the song as intended, and then my management would come in and help put together a version that I can perform as a soloist. And that's exactly what we did.

My management then submitted my song to RTVK for their consideration, but to be honest this almost never happened! It came shortly after the last WorldVision contest took place, and we had just gotten our worst result in a while. Rian Dalesso made it clear in the media that he was livid over the result, and I mean, I totally get him. We were in the bottom 10 of the jury, for goodness' sake! What kind of Kalosian entry does that?! Even though we were kinda saved by the public vote, but frankly if I were him, having put my all with a solid radio-friendly track only to be paid dust by voters, I wouldn't look back either.

I have faith in my entry and, save for actual injustice, I think I will be proud regardless of my result at the contest. I think I stand a decent chance anyway and, hey, so do the RTVK. ¡¡¡Vamonos à Acaya, babyyyy!!!

And let me tell you how I've been having the time of my life here! Puerto Ámbar is really the enigma of the Achaean Republic. Some people say this country is poor, some people say the conditions are trash. Well guess what haters? This is MY shithole! It was made for ME!

I enjoyed getting a bit of sun at the beach as I sip a cocktail—heaven knows I need it—and walking by the colourful houses that adorn the stone-paved streets. It's like someone took the villas in Sitria and gave them a fresh coat of paint in the colours of the rainbow! Enriku was enjoying it too. Sadly, Niél couldn't make it with us because he already had some prior commitments he couldn't move around. But I hear he'll be here with us in spirit... or at least that's what the RTVK execs promised.

Anyway, I just came back from our last dress rehearsal and let me tell you the game plan, based on how this show went. Picture this. For the big night, I'm wearing a skimpy glittery red dress your boyfriend could only dream of taking off. As the song starts, I stand posing on top of the elevated platform, which is set to the highest maximum setting. You can't see me though! The lights are set in such a way that you can only see a silhouette of my figure. There are also stage lights that take turns flickering to the beat, which help set the scene as I also change poses to the beat.

Eventually, as I put the mic to my mouth, the spotlight shines on me, revealing my look to the world. As I start singing, the platform also begins to lower itself. The enthusiasm in the arena is madness. But I'm not mad, though. Or should I be?

- one of her sibs is holding a sign in the audience

I heed your call as you start whistling your tune
I feel your heartbeat as I hold you lovingly
Thought your affection was as pure as the full moon
It turns out you believe there isn’t room for me

After all, I am singing about some made-up guy who cheated on me. Maybe I should be mad, as I point upwards with my free hand (other hand on mic) as I sing "high, high, high", and then at you, the viewer watching at home through the camera, as I sing "lied, lied, lied".

I need a high, high, high
But you lied, lied, lied
Now all you wanna do is fight

Now, I won't let myself get carried away. But I let my body take over, as I wave all smugly singing "bye-bye-bye" and pretending to "cry cry cry" in a mockery of my fictional ex whose relevance ends when this song does.

When I say bye-bye-bye
Don’t you cry, cry, cry
Cause then we’ll know that I was right

At this point, I am at stage level. Not that you notice, though, because right as we enter the chorus, three dancers each from both sides of this loooong stage make their entrance, dancing. If you ask me about the choreography style—I don't know what it is, and does it really matter? I don't care if it's Lebanese, Gaza, Bahraini, or Tunisian! But it's belly dancing for sure, I think. And let's be real: the way these ladies turn their hips make every girl wish they were Lebanese!

You sit so smugly within that high chair of yours
With every tantrum, you give everyone more chores
You need a bibby, oh baby, over your chest
Because when you open your mouth, you leave a mess!

The camera people, having been enamored with my dancer's movements, finally snap out of it and remember that I'm supposed to be the star of the show. My eyes are up here, you know?!

I really thought I was in love with a grown-up
But to your actions you cannot even own up
Don’t want a bibby, oh baby, over your chest?
Then I’ll put you to sleep and leave your ass to rest!

The wind machine turns on, and happens to also blow bits of sand left over from the people who performed right before us. It isn't intended, but I think it really sets the scene anyway. As I am now in the middle of a row of 7 performers, I move my hips to the rhythm of the song in a pattern of movement that I hope mesmerises the audience.

Now a steadicam tried to sneak up on me from my left side but I caught that mf before they could do anything sketchy! I turn to my left and so do all the other girls, who move around a little so that the cameras get a better view of me. Of course they also dance around to the rhythm, their arms moving almost as sensually as the rest of their bodies. In alignment with the lines of this next part, I try to look somewhat astonished and then almost pitiful as I sing. After only two lines, I turn almost 180°, looking to my right instead.

How could you gain the trust of other girls
Who flow to you like rivers to the sea?
But soon your selfish planning will unfurl
The world will know of your misdeeds!

Now the girls and I face forward again, and based on what I saw during the first rehearsal run earlier this week, on the TV screens it should look like we are taking up all the space. A "close-up shot", I think the camera crew called it. I just focused on singing and let the dancers take over with the movements. Point up "high, high, high" two girls at a time, but then they point at each other for "lied, lied, lied", also two at a time. And then rumbling around as I talk about fighting.

I need a high, high, high
But you lied, lied, lied
Now all you wanna do is fight

While the camera in front of us stays there, if my memory from the first rehearsal is correct, it should look like it is zooming out for you guys, giving a slightly bigger view of the stage. All six of them turn away, two at a time, when I sing "bye-bye-bye", and then half-cover their faces during "cry, cry, cry". But they don't hold this pose for long because I decide to turn left and we all align ourselves in single file, with me "leading" the pack.

When I say bye-bye-bye
Don’t you cry, cry, cry
Cause then we’ll know that I was right

Now, I start walking to the beat as I sing, while the dancers are behind me, following along while also belly dancing. As instructed by this performance's choreographer, the fashion in which I walk is stylized, slightly modified to sync with the movements of the dancers.

You sit so smugly within that high chair of yours
With every tantrum, you give everyone more chores
You need a bibby, oh baby, over your chest
Because when you open your mouth, you leave a mess!

Because of how big the stage is, we had to move rather fast to complete half a cycle around it. But eventually we make our way to the front "catwalk" if you will, where I again take centre stage, with three dancers on my left and three more on my right.

I really thought I was in love with a grown-up
But to your actions you cannot even own up
Don’t want a bibby, oh baby, over your chest?
Then I’ll put you to sleep and leave your ass to rest!

Great, just the final lines of the song to go. As I deliver the closing lines, the stage lights become a bit more dimmer, save for a spotlight on me. I look straight into a camera in front of me, which I believe is delivering what they call a 'close up shot' that just focuses on me. I try to be a bit more focused as I sing this final bit.

Thought your affection was as pure as the full moon
It turns out you believe there isn’t room for me
Guess I’ll no longer be enamoured by your tunes
I’ll walk away from you, I’ll go set myself free

"LET'S GO!" I shout into the mic right as I sing out that last line, and the girls and I do a final, choreographed routine. As this happened, I saw a spidercam zip by. It was the time of my life! I let myself loose as much as I could in this dress, moving my hips along with the dancers despite me being not as flexible.

As the music comes to an end, we do a group pose together. I can already imagine the audience going wild for us. I'll shout "Thank you Puerto Ámbar, ¡te amo mucho!" and blow kisses to the audience. My brother, the one who is a bartender, said he will attend the grand final show and hold up a sign in support for us. My delegation has let the production crew know and is coordinating with him so we can pull off that shot at the end as the cameras usually show audience reactions to the entry. Then the girlies and I will leave the stage.

Anyway, how does that sound? I look very forward to the live show tonight! Pray for me that everything goes well. Hopefully I'll have time to recuperate and celebrate a successful performance in the green room, as we wait for the results to be announced. But that's my story so far, and we can catch up again after the show. See you around, lovelies!

[Furballland]

Jarosvat: Ayy, Welcome to our broadcasting commentary, i am Jaorsvat Üszuvatoka,
Klaborsza: Klaborsza Môszvatík,
Marina: and Marina Bayøglavat, we are now live in Puerto Ámbar, Achaean Republic

As the contest is starting, they are introduced to the postacrds of a nation that they represent.

1 - Vartugia
Jaro: That's weird, well at first
Marina: Is this a joke?!
Jaro: What the F[REDACTED] is this song?!
Marina: This sounds F[REDACTED] horrible! This comes from a troll!
Jaro: S[REDACTED]! She even struggles! Look at her terrible dancing!! Like what the F[REDACTED]!
Marina: Too dry! Negative infinity out of 10!
Jaro: She couldn't bear her own performance she cried!
Marina: LOL! She even said that she "won't butcher the '90s classic", and also said that she "slay just like she slay the mother" and "This is a forum-based song contest lol"
Marina and Jaro: AH-NOYY-YING! (Annoying!) She even f[REDACTED] pretended to get cheered by the audience, even the audience are aware that she is terrible!
*Klaborsza is speechless this whole time, in his mind, he said, "Bulls[REDACTED]! i hope Vartugia will fall, death to Vartugia!"

2 - Hakushiya
Jaro: Look, i love anime, and this is the perfect spot for me! Douze Pointe!
Marina: She thinks she was an alpha, but ok.
Klaborsza: This is getting creepy, creepier than the Hazbin Hotel.
Jaro: Don't mention Hazbin.
Klaborsza: Ok.
Marina: This stunt is dangerous, she plays as a drug addict!
Klaborsza: Yikes! Horrifying!
*Indinstictive Chatter for 1 minute*
Jaro: I am feeling dizzy!
Klaborsza: Agreed.
Jaro: But overall, this is a good one.
Marina and Klaborsza: Yeah i know right!

3 - Furballland
Klaborsza: It's us!
Jaro: What is Ğretvak doing?
Klaborsza: Just some creepy decoy that looks like AI, but it is just human.
Marina: She should have chose the guitar pop, this is just dull for my taste, although, we should support her, and i don't want her to return to her old state, where she was suffering from mental illness.
Klaborsza: Though we don't deserve top 10 for now.
Marina and Jaro: Yeah.
Klaborsza: Although the put it into effort, she have a lot of acting that she did in this perofrmance.
Marina: She made the cameramen suffer by recapturing again and again in the teardop scene.
Jaro: I know right.
Jaro, Klaborsza, Marina: Nice Job in this perfromance

4 - Brodhavan
Klaborsza: Nice entry!
Mairna and Jaro: I know.
Jaro: It is just nice ig..
Marina: Beautiful shot!
Klaborsza: This is all about the convos that can't work, and ended up cheating on him, so sad.
Jaro:: Beautiful Vocals!
Klaborsza: Mwah Mwah
Marina: Stop kissing Klab!
Klaborsza: Uhhh okay.
Marina: The Instrumental break is nice.
Klaborsza: Wth just happened to the stage screen?!
Jaro: Just depicting a dark side.
Marina: Wow! Sakura trees everywhere, and the spark shower is just good!
Jaro: I'm getting so emotional! I love how Maléna and Bjorn kissed each other!
Marina and Klaborsza: We know!

5 - Crustyland
Marina: Ahhhhhh! Too bright!
Jaro: Too saturated, but again, this is good performance.
Klaborsza: That's mediocre, but the 360° spin impressed me.
Jaro: Made me vibin' here, this is great
Marina: Wanna dance?
Jaro: No thanks, i am vibin' too much.
Klaborsza: Who send this man here?
Jaro: I honestly do not know?
Marina: I will soon go to Rannk.
Jaro: Okay.
Klaborsza: Oh my god! What an impressive transformation!
Marina: I am blind with the colors!
Klaborsza: Impressive dance moves too!
Jaro: Amazing!

6 - Beepee
Klaborsza: Who's this [REDACTED]?
Marina: KLAB! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
Klaborsza: I'm sorry I-
*Marina Punches Klaborsza*
Jaro: Calm down, and accept everyone, not to be a homogenic racist one.
Klaborsza: Ok.
Jaro: The gibberish word by that man sat said "Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub" reminds me of that "Skibidi dop dop dop yes yes"
Klaborsza: I know, but this performance is actually amazing!
*No response for until 20 seconds before the end*
Marina amd Klaborsza: This is a vibe that we're looing for.
Jaro: Yeah.

7 - Terra Zealandia
-TBD-

8 - Waisnor
Jaro: What a mess!
Marina: Like your mind last edition!
Jaro: Shush!
Marina: Ugh!
Klaborsza: Nice choreograph!
Jaro: Wow, so much of her so-called memories.
Klaborsza: Okay so?
Jaro: Nevermind.
*For 1:24, there were no responses.
Marina: That is so hard and sad.
Jaro: Please be emotional Jaro.
Klaborsza and Jaro: Bravo! I guess?

9 - Mother CupcakKe

Jaro: *Moans like a korean chef with pufferfish eating a carrot*
Marina and Klaborsza: Shut it Jaro!
Jaro: Okay, fine.
Marina: She looks like a 69 year old.
Jaro: She is 75?
Klaborsza: Don't tell her age, it may just be a photoshop by her to look old or if it is real, she would be really old.
Jaro: Make me depressed.
Marina: She hoped that she will be young again.
Klaborsza: So she is that old.
Marina: I could tell her by the wrinkles that shown over time.
Jaro: She was suffering from depression, only caring about her self-esteem
Jaro, Klaborsza, Marina: What a fantastic peice of a performance!

10 - Kinqueven
-TBD-

11 - Missus X
Jaro: Ew! Why is this exist?
Marina: That some weird bros, and Fake Boris Johnson
Klaborsza: That is so racist!
Jaro: Like your mind when Beepee's perfroming!
Klaborsza: *Sad noises*
Marina: So Weird!

12 - Britonisea
Marina: The title itself is racist, what a cultural appropiation is this?!
Jaro: This is a good performance
Marina: Ah yes, thae stormy days are still there in this scene
Klaborsza: The dance moves are intriguing
Jaro: I know right!
Klaborsza: Splish-splash!
Marina: I am having some weird feelings because of the lights that they used
Jaro: Maybe we will observe in silence.
Marina: My Douze Pointe is here because of this!
Jaro: Can you please be quiet
Klaborsza: No, you can't we're having a good time here, this song is fun, bye bye boy!
Jaro: That boy is a la-la-loss.

13 - Hafamarimët
Jaro: After some time, we finally have an English laguage song from this country, pervously in WV111, we hear the Hafamari language, such as the recent one by Žahëvana Vjobönetka with her song Mïnjëjek.
Marina: Wow, such an expaination.
Klaborsza: Nice!
Jaro: It is quite tight for her.
Marina: Where is she?
Jaro: Her choreograph is good.
Klaborsza: Just ike in our performance, the mist is getting spread out.
Jaro: What is this figure doing?
Marina: She is revealing herself, she pushed that figure down there.
Klaborsza: Čïnira was such a good perfromer, and she exhaust herself.
Marina: She is amazing!

14 - Saint Monkey
Marina: What is he doing?
Jaro: Jonathan Lewis, nice.
Klaborsza: He wants his sister and he loves her, and he wanted to be in the graduation.
*No responses for 38 seconds*
Jaro: He is vibing!
Klaborsza: We felt bad about him.
Marina: Aw, what an amazing group hug!

15 - Malta Comino Gozo
Jaro: Here is MCG, the favorite
Marina: So gloomy
Klaborsza: So Mysterious.
Jaro: Maltese, never heard of this language before.
Klaborsza: Wow, this is a crazy one.
Marina: That is so creepy, that's just my opinion, and the music itslef is great, this is the best performance here.
Klaborsza: It is amazing
*Indistinctive chatter for 1 minutes*
Jaro: Ay, ay, ay, still great, i wanted that, i heard a boom while we chit-chat.
Klaborsza: Impressive effects, and the camera zoom is unique.
Marina: That was too bright!
Jaro: I am blind with these lights.
Klaborsza: Oh my, that was so crazy, the effects are just stunning, this deserves another win for the Worldvision, literally, legitimate, and seriously.
Marina: Fanal, if you hear this commentary, we are your fans!
Jaro: This is crazy!
Klaborsza: The effects are just getting better, i will never forget this!
Marina: First, this performance is so broght that i could be blinded by it, but now, it is too dark. What a win.
Jaro, Klaborsza, Marina: This is a masterpiece, Deserved!

16 - South Batoko
Marina: WTH is this strange noise?! did i hear some strange instruments, or it's just me, i don't know, but i iterally just hear the Kayōkyoku ripoff.
Jaro: What a melody.
Kalborsza: Wrong Marina. This is just some normal melody, that is very calm, as well as being faster that Kayōkyoku.
Marina: Ugh! I am dumb!
*There wore no responses after that.*

17 - Uthossia

Klaborsza: This is just great!
Marina: End of communication right now!
Jaro: No, you cannot stop this.
Marina: Okay.
Klaborsza: This is a great perfromance, i love this one!
Marina: Yeah, what a downpour, so rainy and cold.
Jaro: We are sure that we won't be swept away XD
Marina: Jaro, please stop with your dry jokes.
Klaborsza: Fantastic one! I love how this nation win, when we are in a strictly enforced, mandated, and forced hiatus due to our stupid "Secret Puppet Scandal".

18 - Axuva
-TBD-

19 - Nihilitia
-WITHDRAWN-

20 - Ugunnustan
-WIP-

[Robloxian Robloxia]

33. Robloxian Robloxia
Anna Borshunne
"Salmonella"

"Baby in the Kitchen" - Ayesha Smith (Ayesha Erøtica)

Oh no. It's that nation. And they've gotten crazier since the humid weather. rrrW will be sending the famous Anna Borshunne who is known to donate money to give makeovers and plastic surgeries to those who can't afford them. She will be representing Robloxian Robloxia with the song "Salmonella". Before entering the contest, when she was last minute chosen to represent R. Robloxia she said "OMG if I get a ton of money from this song, I will donate it!" Her charity "Money4Makeoverz" has gained national attention as she donates to those in need by giving them make-overs.



Anna Borshunne is relatively new to the music scene, as a philanthropist who used to own a plastic surgery hospital and a now influencer, she has dipped her toes in to the music scene. Her first song "BBL" was released just a year ago, part of her first EP titled "This Story will SHOCK You". The EP contains her debut song as well as three other songs, notably "Lip Injection", "Baddies", and "Queefy Queen". "Salmonella" is her first non-album single.



Her song is about a time when she injected undercooked chicken and proceeded to feel the after affects of the bacteria, salmonella. On an interview on HotNewz she stated "This song is deeply personal and has an obvious deep meaning. LUV U FAM." The single cover was made by Anna Borshunne herself. On a twitter post she said it took 2 minutes to create, which she claims is "an awfully long time".

She playfully walks on stage! She mouths the words "SLAYYY". She is holding a sign, but it's facing her, so the audience can't see it. After saying the first two words of the song, she flips over the sign which says "<3 Plastic Surgery" while the two other dancers pull out signs that say "I hate Chicken" and the other says "I hate bacteria"

Oh god!

I'm having dinner, and eating the chicken
Eating the, eating the, eating the chicken
I'm having dinner, and eating the chicken
Eat my food!
I'm having dinner, and eating the chicken
Eating the, eating the, eating the chicken
I'm having dinner, and eating the chicken
Eat my food!

It's the chorus, she starts twerking, showing off her BBL and lip injections. The water display projects a giant thick lip that is mouthing "slay" on repeat. She twerks some more while the dancers swing their signs left and right. They then do this slow dance where they swing their arms back and forth but they are bent down. The camera zooms a little too close to their butts and the camera man looses his job Some audience members like this, others don't.

It gave me flipping salmonella
It gave me flipping salmonella
It gave me flipping salmonella
I hate chicken, ARGH
It gave me flipping salmonella
It gave me flipping salmonella
I ate the frigging chicken whole!

She lays on the floor and it cuts to the camera above. The camera then zooms extremely close to her lip. She licks her lips slowly, then bites them in an erotic way. The camera cuts back out and the water projections have changed to show a lip that's mouthing "hot lipstick"

Now it caused me barfing
Now it caused me bloating
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea

For this next part Anna and her dancers act like they are choking.

Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh
Chicken disease
Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh
Salmonella has got me bad
Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh
E.R.'s closing
Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh
Vomit attack

Oh no, the commentators are bored. The audience is annoyed, despite some of the members liking the song. Analysts predict Robloxia will get very few points on both the televote and the jury. Anna is now waving her sign around.

Now it caused me barfing
Now it caused me bloating
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea
Now salmonella has caused diarrhea

She finishes and yells "MONEYYYYY FOR MAKE OVERSZZZZ" and air kisses the audience before throwing all three signs somewhere far and runs of the stage.

[Mister X]

---

Michael Robinson & John Joseph - "Who I'm Meant To Be"
Tune: Olly Alexander (Years & Years) & MNEK - "Valentino"

---

---

---

Michael Robinson and John Joseph flopped harder than your mum in Saltdean Lido in WorldVision 85, so when they were announced as the artist for MRX Television for WorldVision Song Contest 112, quite a few quizzical and puzzling looks were in the offing. Following a gruelling national final, during which the demos of songs were chosen without the final artists or vocals (so that there would be a level playing field, in theory), this song won on a tie-break thanks to the generous offerings of the international juries. There is, therefore, a great deal of expectation on Michael and John in Puerto Ámbar, for if they do not do well a huge chunk of the Mister Xian media will no doubt allege that they ought to have picked the other song instead and the tiebreak rules or points system need changing, and about a million and one other suggestions which will not be particularly helpful. Upon arrival in Puerto Ámbar Michael and John were not surrounded by press, nor a huge amount of media interest - for Joris Bohnson from Missus X was on the same flight and the press were suddenly alerted when he was held up at customs - but that suited them just fine, for they felt without much of the media attention they would perform better.

Staging does not come easily to the creatives at MRX Television and this has proven no easier. The song is a relatively gentle number so it is hard to think of things that happen in order that they just stand on stage singing. Or sitting. Or moving. But neverthenonetheless MRX Television tried to throw their last three ounces of creativity behind this and so came up with something which, hopefully... works. A lone guitarist sits on the stage on our right, and opens the song as we fade in from black.

We'd been together for a decade, can't you see that it's time for us to move on and you to leave?
I know it'll be so hard to start again but I have to say I think this is the end
But then...
I don't want to hear your lies, you say it's true, and it kills my heart to hear all of your cries
But I've heard all that before, it's nothing new, and I ain't no kind of fool

Michael is wearing a red t-shirt with a blank leather jacket over the top. John is not yet on stage, and does not even appear in this first chorus. The lighting is warm and friendly, and in the first verse we have just heard, we have mixed in soft focus between all three people on stage. For the chorus, the lights strobe in perfect synchronisation with the little drum fill, and in the chorus the lighting changes into more natural white lights, mixed in with a dash of romantic red, indicating that the song is an emotional love affair, along with a bit of movement from the movers. He stands up and sings down the camera, moving his body rhythmically but not "dancing" in the sense of choreographed movement: as with the lighting, rhythm and movement is the order of the day.

And don't you know when it's time for me to go
I won't let you keep a hold over me, this is what you're meant to see
Don't you know that it's time to let me go?
I just don't think that you now can see this is who I'm meant to be

A huge cheer erupts from the audience as John emerges from the audience left (i.e. directly opposite the guitarist) and walks onto the stage during this second chorus. John has gone for the same silhouette and outfit choice as Michael, albeit he is wearing a black t-shirt and they are both wearing black leather trousers. The lighting stops moving and generating the rhythm, and indeed stops its hints of red. In this second verse, the vocals are much more emotive than they were in the first verse.

Baby, don't you see what everyone can see? Everyone knows that we are not to be
It is not a case of whether I stick or twist, but I have to say it's something I won't miss
But then...
I don't want to hear your lies, you say it's true, and it kills my heart to hear all of your cries
But I've heard all that before, it's nothing new, and I ain't no kind of fool

For the second chorus, once again the lighting changes into more natural white lights mixed in with a dash of romantic red. Michael and John sing perfectly duetting each other, the differentiating tone in their vocalisations complimenting each other perfectly, essentially vocalising their introspections into and with each other. They sing towards each other, but not aggressively. It is difficult to tell just who is singing the song to whom. The both of them on stage creates an aura, a sense that the stage is not big enough for both of them, for their stage presence is able to fill the room, despite there being just three people on stage, more so than an entire army of oversized Chinese takeaway items (as Missus X demonstrated earlier on).

And don't you know when it's time for me to go
I won't let you keep a hold over me, this is what you're meant to see
Don't you know that it's time to let me go?
I just don't think that you now can see this is who I'm meant to be

The first half of the bridge is an extension of the chorus in how it is shot. Essentially we keep the chorus staging, with Michael and John still singing at and with each other. The second half of the bridge is a musically fascinating call-and-response affair. The lighting stops flashing, but continues its rhythm and movement from the choruses. Some clever camerawork ensures that Michael and John are never in the same shot during this bridge, indicating further separation between the pair. The final line of the bridge gives a split-screen, with John on the left (as he is on the stage) and Michael on the right (as he also is on the stage, as it happens).

This is me, yeah...! This is who I'm meant to be, oh no (oh no), ooh yeah
Ooh... no, no, no
Yeah... Yeah...

Why can't you see this is who I'm meant to be? Why can't you see this is who I'm meant to be?
Why don't you know this is who I'm meant to be? I ain't no kind of fool

For this final chorus, a golden shower of sparks rains down at the back of the stage, the lighting gets redder and yellower - so perhaps one might say oranger - and the two reunite on stage, and sing this last section shoulder to shoulder. Historians will say they are good mates. Others will ship them. Is there something going on between them? No. There is not. But it helps their image that their relationship is such a tight bond that two men can sing so emotively over breaking up like this insofar that they are not singing about each other after all. The coda at the end of the chorus also follows the same pattern.

And don't you know when it's time for me to go
I won't let you keep a hold over me, this is what you're meant to see
Don't you know that it's time to let me go?
I just don't think that you now can see this is who I'm meant to be

Why can't you see this is who I'm meant to be? Why can't you see this is who I'm meant to be?
No, it's time to let me go
I just don't think that you now can see this is who I'm meant to be

The song ends and the two men make sure to give due credence to the guitarist who has been somewhat forgotten about by pointing, end-of-theatre-production style, to him, who stands up and takes a bow. The three politely accept the applause and raucous cheering from the crowd before making their way off the stage.

---

[Achaean Republic]

After the final entry was sung, the people at both the arena and the green room next door, as well as the massive audience outside the arena watching near the port, and in some TV screens across the Multiverse, knew what was coming next. It was time to open the voting and declare a winner.
Marta Jara and Laila Násser once again changed their clothes to match the occasion. Marta Jara changed to a gold dress with a one-shoulder styling, slipped-back wet-like hair, and golden stilettos that occasionally caused her to stumbled. Laila Násser, meanwhile, wore a long blue formal dress that covered her silver pumps and brought her curly hair forward.

The time has come.

MARTA JARA: Thank you so much for Mister X for their presentation! (Cheers could be heard from the audience.) All right, I guess this is it!

LAILA NÁSSER: The last song is out, the phones are coming in, the WhatsApp channels are getting flooded, the Grindr—

MARTA JARA Marta! Está lloviendo! We agreed we would not mention Grindr—(A random ping sound with those familiar to the dating app would show up. Some men visibly groaned in the audience, frantically checking their phones. It was a dangerous prank to pull in the Achaean Republic, more so in such a crowded place like the port.)

LAILA NÁSSER: Oops, sorry! (shrugs) But…you know what I mean, right? What matters is that it’s time to vote for your favorite country and choose the winner of the WorldVision Song Contest!

MARTA JARA Okay, guys; let’s count together!

MARTA JARA & LAILA NÁSSER: Start voting now!

Once again, the fireworks could be seen around the audience, bringing cheers and celebration the arena. The water projections were showing a timer of 15 minutes, and people rapidly took the time to vote by phone, text message, the official app, and WhatsApp, an indispensable tool that facilitates life in the Achaean Republic.

To vote in the 112th WorldVision Song Contest, please choose your top ten favorite entries from 1-8, 10, and 12 points in the JURY VOTE.

Then, use the following form to submit your points for the TELEVOTE.

You have until Monday, February 26 at 11:59pm GMT (6:59 PM EST) to vote. Good luck!

MARTA JARA: Laila! Laila! Where’s Laila? Where is she, she was just here around me…

[Achaean Republic]

From the first beats of the dabuka, the bird’s eye view of the stage could see a brown-haired, olive-skinned woman spinning counterclockwise (to the viewer’s left). Her hair was twirling alongside her body, with nary an extension falling down her fair with force. It was dizzying, yet hypnotic. How her neck didn’t snap was anyone’s guess. But one could not deny how graceful and sensual her movements were. However, all the men surrounding her (and they were all men) kept a semicircle in the middle of the stage. First there was Jauncy with the darbuka or goblet drum, whose rhythm matched the beats of Laila’s hips. Beside him, two men carried the riq, an elegant tambourine of different sizes that created different piercing sounds along the dried flesh of goat or lamb. They matched their thuds with Laila’s hair-whips. Then, another man played a violin—modern-day Arab musicians have an ungodly love affair with adding violins to their music. But it did add some depth an gravitas, so it wasn’t hard to complain. Then another mustached man, the one that looked like his face was stamped from a Chef Boyardee commercial—only darker and stockier, with a bald spot in the crown of his head and a smile that is missing one or two gold-plated teeth. And then beside him, a young man playing a Casio keyboard. They were all dressed in black shirts and pants, trying to rein in the sweat coming from their foreheads, calmly dismissing it with a few pats.

Fui un peregrino, tanto
Buscando el amor yo canto
Y me envuelvo en tu luz cuando
Mi amado, te acercas a mí

Mi amor es templo, es santo
Las paredes crecen cuando
Tu me atrapas lejos, algo
Que muero y acaba por mí

Another spin of the camera showed Laila’s arms swinging in formation, then to the left and then to the right, then moving her hips to the cadence of the strings. Every thump of her legs and thud in her chests followed the beat of the darbuka, the crystals in her clothes jingling accordingly. She exhibited sensuality and confidence, even though she struggled to maintain the power of her voice, all the while twirling and facing the camera and the audience in Beepee. Would it be seductive? Would it be hypnotizing? It was, of course, different and unexpected. But would it be enough to call people’s attention?

¿Quieres respirar la sal
Del mar que sale pura, el cristal
Quita aquel velo y así
Confundes tu alma para mí?

Fui un peregrino, tanto
Buscando el amor yo canto
Y me envuelvo en tu luz cuando
Mi amado, te acercas a mí

She deftly adjusted the microphone while bending and twisting her belly. The performers surrounding her were amazed at her distinct movements, almost as if she learned that dancing somewhere in Cairo or Beirut or Damascus (before the war) or Amman. Here or there, a slip of her dress would show the small tattoo on the sleeve, focusing on the small date in her wrist. Or was it a birthmark? It was quite irregular to tell, and maybe that was the entire purpose.

The cameras circled at Laila’s dancing while the drone lights sparkled irregularly above them, as if they were glistening stars above them. A few drones had green-tinted hues in different shades—dark green, regular green, mint green—almost as if the forest would fly from above their heads, twinkling, sparkling, almost floating.

Ay,¡si los árboles cantan
A buscar el sol y el agua
Como me enredo en tu piel, intacta
Morena, descalza y feliz!

Transforma el oro en plata—
¡no! Rechazo las piedras caras
Para entregar mi ser y mi alma
A buscar la hazaña de sentir

Once more, the stage turned to Laila at the center, dancing and showing off the piercing movements of her belly, once to the left, and once to the right, with nary her hair breaking a sweat, if only slightly pulling towards the middle, her tattoo barely showing at the 360-degree glean of the manual camera with all the musicians performing beside her. She practiced much of her belly dancing skills in her parents’ restaurant, particularly in the after-hours with the musicians. While her parents were a bit wary of her doing it for a living (they really wanted her to study, or at least take the reins of the restaurant like her brother did), they did not budge—after all, Achaea is a free country, and showing some skin and sweating in it is not as much of an issue as it used to be. The idea was to show sensuality and vitality without the inherent tackiness of the raqs sharqi people would see in stereotypical depictions of the Middle East. Of course, it didn’t help that she grew up embodying those stereotypes in her family—a restaurant, a thick accent, heavy Catholicism (most Achaeans of Arab descent are Catholic and very well integrated to the national fabric) and socially conservative mores (for some) may have precluded her from accepting more of experiencing an Achaean lifestyle. Maybe she was a pilgrim trying to walk her way into an exploration of her own future. Maybe she just needed to keep spinning around.

¿Quieres respirar la sal
Del mar que sale pura, el cristal
Quita aquel velo y así
Confundes tu alma para mí?

Fui un peregrino, tanto
Buscando el amor yo canto
Y me envuelvo en tu luz cuando
Mi amado, te acercas a mí

I was a pilgrim, so much
Looking for love I sing
And I’m wrapped in your love when
My beloved, you get close to me

My love is a temple, it’s holy
The walls grow as
You trap me far, something
That dies and returns to me

Do you want to breathe the salt
Of the sea that is pure like crystals
Take off the veil and like so
You confuse your soul with mine?

I was a pilgrim, so much
Looking for love I sing
And I’m wrapped in your love when
My beloved, you get close to me

Oh, if the trees could sing
And look for the sun and the water
As I mix in your skin, intact
Dark, barefoot, and happy!

Transform the gold to silver—
No! I refuse the expensive stones
To surrender my body and soul
To seek the challenge of feeling

Do you want to breathe the salt
Of the sea that is pure like crystals
Take off the veil and like so
You confuse your soul with mine?

I was a pilgrim, so much
Looking for love I sing
And I’m wrapped in your love when
My beloved, you get close to me

---

[Furballland]

Tamara Ludszavėmka: Hello everyone! Too bad that we didn't managed to host this edition, but we are proud of you Puerto Ámbar! Thanks to you, we are warmed up, and the beaches are so pristine and beautiful! Anyways, here is the vote from the Furballlandian Jury.

Hafamarimët, 1 point.
Britonisea, 2 points.
Saint Monkey, 3 points.
StrayaRoos, 4 points.
Ugunnustan, 5 points.
Uskad, 6 points.
Gallicelèstia, 7 points.

Mister X, 8 points.

Waisnor, 10 points.

Our Douze Pointe goes to.....

Malta Comino Gozo!!!!

Thank You! ¡Gracias! Puerto Ámbar, and the Rest of Achaean Republic! Good Night!

[Brodhavan]

Grømmvel Ölssen calling...
This is the offical results from the jury...

Gallicelèstia - 1
MCG - 2
Metras - 3
Achaean Republic - 4
Uskad - 5
Ugunnustan - 6
Hafamarimët - 7
Hakushiya - 8
Crustyland - 10
Britonisea - 12

[Hakushiya]

As Hakushiya's turn to present its jury votes has come, its spokesperson - Sita Andachakra (she/her) from the State of Avadong (better known as AndaBlueFace) - appears on camera from her home in the inner city of Avoy to deliver her national jury's top ten favorite entries.

Sita: Buenas noches, Puerto Ambar, and thanks so much for delivering a spectacular carnival of music from across the multiverse! I had a fun time organizing a WorldVision jury for Hakushiya with six of my fellow WV113 hopefuls* the other day, and now I'm calling to present you... with their top 10 of the other nations' entries into this edition!

Sita starts reading from a sticky note on her laptop that contains the Hakushiyan national jury's top ten entry list.

Sita: First off, I'd like to announce the names of the nations whose entries were ranked in between the 4th and 10th places, and those are...

1 - Kalosia
2 - Hafamarimet
3 - Beepee
4 - Waisnor
5 - StrayaRoos
6 - Britonisea
7 - South Batoko

Sita: And now for the top 3, where our jury's 8-point bronze medal has gone to...

Malta Comino Gozo!

Sita: For our 10-point silver medal, it's gone to...

Saint Monkey!

Sita: And here's the moment you've all been waiting for! Before I proceed, though, lemme just say that actually, our jury liked its top 2 equally... but knowing there can be only one victor from all that, our douze points ended up going to...

Furballland!

Sita: And that concludes our call! ¡Gracias por todo!

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*OOC note: expect me to launch Hakushiya's national selection process for WV113 (2 semifinals + 1 grand final) some time after I've posted this (among other things) ok

[Beepee]

Good Evening Puerto Ámbar!

Good evening, WorldVision!

This is BONC Norfolk Pinewoods calling.

Our 12 points, the douze points, from Beepee....

Goes...

To....

BRITONISEA!



Thank you and have a wonderful night.

[Saint Monkey]

Saint Monkey is calling...

Good Evening WorldVision! I am Aurora Kucera, and will be announcing the results for the Saint Monkey Jury! It's been a wonderful evening and event, and I hope you've all had a fantastic time, I sure have! Let's give it up for the Achaean Republic and our wonderful Hosts Marta and Laila!!!! (Crowd: WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!) Thank you most of all! The people of Puerto Ámbar and Achaea have been simply amazing, and have been very welcoming since the beginning! Thank you to everyone! (Crowd: WOO!!!!!!!)

Ok, now it is time for the moment. Of. Truth.

Here's our top 9!

So who will get the 12 points...?

The amazing Fanal and MGC!!!! Well done!!! Absolute Banger!!!!!!!!

Good Night Everyone and hope to see you soon!

1- Hakushiya
2- Avuxa
3- Ugunnustan
4- Beepee
5- Achaean Republic
6- Metras
7- Gallicelestia
8- Britonisea
10- Aenglide
12- MGC!

[Placely Placington]

06/21 or 25 I honestly don't know at this point, I'm getting conflicting answers - Placely Placington

haldo here be pointsly pointsingtons

1. Gallicelestia
2. South Batoko
3. Aenglide
4. Achaean Republic
5. Ugunnustan
6. Crustyland
7. Metras
8. Waisnor
10. Missus X
12. Furballland

[Gallicelestia]

Buenas noches Puerto Ámbar! Buona sera! Good evening world!
My name is Nicoletta and this is Nuovo Faro calling!

First of all, we’d like to thank you, the hosts, Marta Jara and Laila Násser, as well as the entire crew, and all the fans out there for the amazing show! Muchas gracias! Grazie a tutti!

Anele Lily, we were blown away by your performance, Gallicelèstia is so incredibly proud of you! You’ve been an exceptional representative for our debut at the WorldVision Song Contest! Brava!

Tonight, extraordinary and daring performances have graced the stage. Here are the first points from the Gallicelèstian jury.

1 Crustyland
2 Kalosia
3 Malta Camino Gozo
4 Britonisea
5 Metras
6 Mister X
7 Axuva
8 Achaean Republic
10 Ugunnustan

And finally the twelve points, les douze points, i dodici punti, from the Gallicelèstian jury go to…

Aenglide!

[Mister X]