World Hit Festival 44 - Jefferton, Anollasia | Draft Thread

by **Anollasia** » Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:16 pm

Welcome to the Draft Thread of the 44th World Hit Festival! This will be the place where nations will work and post on their entry that I (the host) will then eventually transfer to the IC thread once it opens. The final deadline for posting entries will be Saturday, March 2 at 9:00 pm/21:00 Eastern Time (UTC-05:00) with the IC thread hopefully up within a few hours after. However, nations are free to make minor edits to their entries as I transfer them to the IC thread. There will be a 24 hour grace period after the entry posting deadline for nations to ask for edits as I post/finish up the IC thread. After Sunday, March 3 at 9:00 pm/21:00 Eastern Time (UTC-05:00), all entries are considered final.

For this thread, you can use any format that you wish when posting your entry. The only things that will change as it is transferred to the IC thread will be the header (which will act as a link to your postcard and will be located at the top of your entry) as well as the text being aligned to the center for uniformity's sake. Otherwise, the host nation will not alter the RP aspect in any major form, but minor additions are liable to be made that will only come at the very end of your entries.

Important Information: As written by Kalosia for WHF26: The host (Anollasia) reserves the right to make alterations to your RP when copying it over to the IC thread. However, these alterations will be limited to cleaning up the formatting as well as adding (not deleting) RP regarding the situation in the arena (i.e. how the audience reacted). Substantial/major alterations will not be made without written permission, and any further changes to an entry within the IC thread will only be done upon written request by the user behind it, and with host discretion.

Schedule

~~Draft Thread Opens: Monday 11th February 2019 (1 week late)~~
~~Sign-Ups Close: Monday 18th February 2019~~
~~Draft Thread Closes: Saturday March 2 2019 at 9:00 pm/21:00 Eastern Time UTC-05:00 (countdown clock)~~
~~IC Thread Opens: Friday March 1st to Sunday March 3rd~~
Voting Deadline: Sunday 10th March 2019 at 9:00 pm/21:00 Eastern Daylight Time UTC-4:00
Grand Final Winner Known By: Sunday 17th March 2019

Running order

1. Anollasia
2. Kalosia
3. 1zmedu
4. Besen
5. Nightom
6. Fromulya
7. Indo States
8. Mercedini
9. Astoria
10. Britonisea
11. Normandy and Picardy
12. Todlichebujoku
13. Estogium
14. Izmedu
15. Llalta

What is a Complete Entry?: A complete entry, by technical definition, is an entry on the draft thread with a usable tune and a complete set of lyrics (all stanzas, verses, and etc. covered). Which means, I can transfer a post with just pure lyrics onto the IC thread and mark it as a complete entry. However, I encourage all nations to put in RP to your entries. It makes the entry look far more complete than just lyrics on the page, and while it won't guarantee higher points, it will signal to the WHF community that you are putting in effort than just beyond lyrics. However, I understand that time is a crunch. What will not be transferred is an entry with incomplete lyrics or just a header.

RP and Stage Info: When determining your performance, you are more than free to use the show + host city details post as you write your RP. If you have any questions about specific stage effects or trying to see what is/isn't possible on the stage, don't be afraid to ask me questions through the OOC thread, via telegram, or through Discord.

Header
Please place this header at the top of your entry.

Code: Select all: [box][size=200][b]Name of country[/b][/size] [size=150][b]Artist - Song Title[/b][/size] [b]Title transcription:[/b] If applicable [b]Title translation:[/b] If applicable [b]Language(s):[/b] The language(s) that the song is performed in [b]Lyrics:[/b] Name(s) of IC songwriter(s) [b]Music:[/b] Name(s) of IC song composer(s) [b]Tune:[/b] Link to the tune of your song[/box]

WORLD! START POSTING NOW!

Note: This post may be regularly updated without announcement, please do check from time to time especially during/near deadlines.

by **Anollasia** » Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:24 pm

Anollasia
Queens of Diamonds - Oit's Denot Yetough
Title transcription: N/A
Title translation: It's Not Enough
Language(s): Anollasian, English, Turkish
Lyrics: Nur Özden, Natasha Warner, Lauren Schwartz, Reem Hayek
Music: Nur Özden, Natasha Warner, Lauren Schwartz, Reem Hayek, Joel Parker, Bülent Ersen
Tune: The Aces - Volcanic Love

Left to right: Lauren Schwartz, Natasha Warner, Nur Özden, Reem Hayek

Queens of Diamonds are an Anollasian group formed in Jefferton in 2015. The group consists of Nur Özden, Natasha Warner, Lauren Schwartz, and Reem Hayek. They formed during their last year of high school for fun and were already best friends since elementary school so they had great chemistry. It was nothing serious until they performed at a school concert which was posted online and amassed millions of views. John Amlin of Coral Records discovered them and was impressed by their stage persona and Nur's voice. He signed them to the label and they already released two albums, one in 2017 and one in 2018.

The group are excited to be performing in the World Hit Festival and they love that it's taking place in their home city! From their houses, it would probably take a 30 minute drive to get to Uptown Arena.

The story of this song is a bit interesting. The group members described it as "a love song infused with an environmental and humanitarian message." In reality, the song is a mashup of different songs that the members wrote. The love aspect of it was written by Nur and Reem, while the environmental and humanitarian aspect was written by Lauren and Natasha. It just so happens that the chorus works for both concepts.

() = backing vocals
[] = translations

The stage is dark. A faint noise is heard in the distance when, suddenly, the song comes to life. Now the stage is lit by dim, purple lights. The light is enough to see the figures of the girls, standing in a line, but not enough to pick up any details. The girls are rotating their hips and sticking their arms out during the instrumental intro. There also appears to be some haze, generated by a haze machine. As the music settles down, they are moving their legs to the beat. Singing can be heard but it's not clear who's singing, due to the dim lights.

Kaluck tain karkless [Stuck in darkness]
Benmy kalart yan't uçly [My heart can't fly]
By the same token
My mind is chained, it can't decide

N'apacaz şimdi? [What're we gonna do now?]
Aşkın azaldı, yok oldu [Your love is decreasing, it disappeared]
Kesh bei yan dönerse oit [I wish I can reverse it]
Amut seour aklind dis balseyere [But your mind is elsewhere]

The dim, purple lights are replaced with spotlights on each of the girls. Finally able to see their faces, the audience cheers. The girls smile in response, but the song's not over. Nur shyly looks down and sings the lead, while the others sing backing vocals. They're all doing the same move: putting their arms along their body and moving each shoulder up and down alternately.

O-o, o-oit's denot yetou-ou-ou-ough [O-o, o-o, it's not enough]
O-o, o-o, it's not enou-ou-ou-ough

Then the whole stage is lit with bright green lights and the LED screens in the back turn into a dark, murky green. The girls all sing this part and they jump forward together. Then they raise their arms in the air, as if someone is pulling them up. Then they wave their arms in the air.

You're pulling me up
Out of the murky swamp
You're pulling me up
But I'm left dangling now

The lights turn purple and the LEDs turn orange. Lauren, Natasha, and Reem sing the chorus. All of the girls move their arms to the left, right, and then wave them in front and shake their heads, gesturing "no".

O-o, o-o, o-oit's denot yetou-ou-ou-ough [O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enough]
O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enou-ou-ou-ough

The LEDs turn deep red and the lights turn light blue. Nur steps forward and sings lead again. They all stand straight, with their arms off to the sides. Nur then points to the camera and they bend one of their legs and caress their thighs in a seductive way.

Bei'm nerely teedorn [I'm nearly reborn]
Amut seou olare ayname yinain [But you are same again]
Finish what you started
I'm waiting for your loving touch

The LEDs become light blue and the lights become light green. The group now pretends to be thinking by putting their finger on their chin and looking upward. Then they hug themselves, while Nur sings into the camera.

But I've been thinking
About what you said may be right
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Biz hiç onu bırakamayız [We never can leave it]

The lights stay light green but the LEDs turn dark green again. The girls in the back jump forward to be in a line with Nur. Then they lift their arms, pretending to be pulled up, before waving them around.

You're pulling me up
Out of the murky swamp
You're pulling me up
But I'm left dangling now

The LEDs turn orange and the lights are purple again. They do the same moves as before: move their arms to the left, right, then forward and wave them as a "no" gesture. Once again, Nur is the only one not singing.

O-o, o-o, o-oit's denot yetou-ou-ou-ough [O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enough]
O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enou-ou-ou-ough

The lights become light green and the LEDs become blue. However, the Earth is revealed as it zooms out from the ocean blue. The girls are initially standing still as the music briefly dies down. When the beat comes back in, they start clapping and go to the B-stage via the walkways. From the audience's perspective, Nur and Reem take the walkway on the right and Lauren and Natasha take the one on the left. The LEDs keeps zooming out and the Earth keeps getting smaller and smaller until it's just a speck. By the end of this bridge, the screens are completely black. The audience is also clapping along to the song, before being silenced by Nur, who lets out some killer vocals in the last verse.

Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Bakalım ona belki [Let's take care of it maybe]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Bakalım belki [Let's take care of it]
Bakın onaaaaaa [Take care of it]

The black LED screens shift to a dark green colour. All of them are singing again, except Nur on the first verse, quickly recovering from the killer vocals. They don't jump this time but they still raise their arms in the air and then wave them.

You're pulling me up
Out of the murky swamp
You're pulling me up
But I'm left dangling now

Lauren, Natasha, and Reem sing the "o-o-o" parts, while Nur interjects. After the first two verses, Lauren and Natasha face Reem. They do a call and response with the "o-o-o" parts, where Lauren and Natasha lean in while singing and Reem leans back. When Reem sings, she leans in and the other two lean back. Meanwhile, Nur is right behind them, visible through the space between the girls. She is tearing the place up with her vocals and her face also looked strained.

O-o, o-o, o-oit's denot yetou-ou-ou-ough (denot yetough) [O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enough] [not enough]
O-o, o-o, o-oit's denot yetou-ou-ou-ough [O-o, o-o, o-o, it's not enough]
O-o-o, o (you're leaving me hanging)
O-o-o (o-o-o) (leaving me hanging)
O-o-o, o
O-o-o (o-o-o) (you're pulling me up)
O-o-o, o (you're pulling me u-u-u-up)
O-o-o (o-o-o) (you're pulling me up)
O-o-o, o (you're pulling me u-u-u-up)
O-o-o (o-o-o)

The stage is dimly lit with green lights, while the LED screens are black. A speck appears on the screens and is quickly revealed to be the Earth again as it zooms in. It keeps zooming in until the entirety of the screens are blue. Lauren, Natasha, and Reem get in a line and kneel on one knee with their heads looking down. Nur stands right behind them as she sings the last part of the song, her voice smooth and naked.

Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Dünyaya aşığız [We're in love with the world]
Bakalım ona belki [Let's take care of it maybe]

Everything goes black once the song is over. The audience instantly erupts with applause and cheering. A spotlight is focused on the group, who are bowing. Nur says "Thank you, Uptown Arena! Thank you, Jefferton! Thank you, Anollasia! And thank you, world!" Lauren blows kisses, while Natasha is waving at the audience, and Reem is simply smiling. They head off the stage for the next act to perform.

by **Darkmania** » Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:03 am

by **Indo States** » Tue Feb 12, 2019 4:30 am

FATIMAN FEDERATION (INDO STATES)
Metroliner (Band) - The Budd Metroliner
Title transcription:
Title translation:
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Wendy Adamson
Music: Danny Adamson
Tune: Berlin - Take my breath away (INSTRUMENTAL)

Metroliner is an Band based in Rozlyn City, Fatiman Federation. It was Started in 2018 in Order to show their Songs in one Bar in Millennium District where the Pubs and Bars are Very Open every Night. But you may think there is no night clubs.

Their First Song, The Budd Metroliner was First Inspired the Name from an Electric Multiple Unit that Used on Penn Central and Amtrak's Metroliner Service between Washington DC to New York. And Lyrics was Story of an Businessman takes her Family in New York City for an Business Party with his Co-Workers. Then they Headed Home Midnight by Riding the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago and Live with their Grandparents.

Not Italic - Main Lyrics
Italic - Choral Lyrics

Lyrics:

Traffic is on the Way, No Motion is Going on.
When the Amtrak is Ready to Board from Washington to New York
An Budd Metroliner Ruled the Amtrak's Metroliner, Than Keystone.
Watching Good Views in the Pennsylvania, SEPTA is here.

The Budd Metroliner,
The Budd Metroliner.....

Watching in the Station, When the Food is Already Served.
In the Views of Amtrak, The Great Baltimore Penn is Here.
The Metroliner is Very Relaxing.
Watching in the Window of Metroliner is Best.

I Know.

The Budd Metroliner.....

The Trip is Ended, You can see the Statue of Liberty
And After this, Return to Chicago.
The Night is On, The Night is On...

The Budd Metroliner,
The Budd Metroliner.....

The Lake Shore Limited is Next,
Could your Co-Workers take them to Schenectady?
Next Time, The Budd Metroliner is the Fastnest Train in the United States.
When it is Your Birthday, Take your Family to New York City.

Insane......

The Budd Metroliner......

I Know.......... (2x)

The Budd Metroliner, Your Begins I Know....
Run..

The Budd Metroliner..........

by **Besen** » Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:41 am

Besen
Leonardo Nesita - "Without You"
Language(s): English, Besenian
Lyrics: Annalisa Maie, Leonardo Nesita, Rowen Kapita
Music: Madame V, Leonardo Nesita
Tune: Einar - Parole Nuove

Leonardo Nesita
Besen announced their participation in the World Hit Festival originally with their representative being Annalisa Maie. Soon after, rumours came out that the song had been performed already by the singer before the cut off date for entries. This is obviously not allowed, and so BC1 rushed to find a replacement. They even considered bringing back Naomi, the last Besenian singer at WHF, to perform again, but nothing came of that. They then looked to new talents to find an alternative: this is why they found their artist finally. Leonardo Nesita was scouted as he was singing Michael Jackson covers in a bar, and the TV producer knew immediately that he must be the one. He appeared firstly on Ne Diome Ame (The Daily Fix), which introduced him to the public that he had previously been unknown to. His single launch was also largely attended and this helped it climb the charts, where it is currently sitting at number 28, expected to rise after the results of the contest are announced.
The song itself is written by Annalisa Maie, Leonardo Nesita and Rowen Kapita, with Annalisa being included in the writing process as it was believed she should have her chance to be involved somehow. They have been praised for coming up with the song in the short timeframe that they had and also they were unsure whether or not they would even be able to give the song on time, so it's a relief that they managed to find this alternative. The instrumentals of it are very rock influenced, which comes with the actual style of Leonardo himself, BC1 definitely didn't try to take away his identity when they picked him. "Without You" has been widely compared to "Sand" by Georgie Green, who represented Besen at the 39th WHF in Darkmania, and came a respectable 7th place.
And so, with such little time to bring something together, it is not without a tinge of pride that he sings his song tonight. Good luck, Leo.

Leo steps out to the cheering crowd in a black leather jacket. His hair is swept back, and he appears to be wearing a single, small earring on the left. He wears tight black trousers for the performance and on the top of the left pocket, there is a visible red rose, sown in. Not much is seen through the view of the camera in the premier shot, just a single mic stand, which holds a silver microphone. There's a small amount of smoke gliding in, which is exemplified by the onlooking spotlight which gleams against Leo's gorgeous porcelain skin. The screens do not yet appear with any sort of significant image, just a grey background with a bright rosy flower standing out against it. Glaring and focused, he slips into the first lines of his song.

I don't know what to say
Som ne tuto cri té
What's the matter with you?

Screaming that you are sorry
Cosan voisa, tima direi
People talk, time passes

And I can't stand the feelings
Té noema e mie
You gave to me

And my mom she adores you
Aut u prio di amoré
Again it's about our love

With the beginning of a new turn in the song, the spotlight seems to be elevated, so that it no longer takes up the only lighting seen. An orange aurora now lightly makes it way onto the floor. The camera swoops around to follow Leo's facial expression, he points into it and keeps his hand held tight on the mic. He seems nervous but he gives off a sense of innocence that might appeal to an older audience perhaps.

You can check it now
Peri nontem apred erne me on tés techa
But I don't know if it's me on your phone

It's beneficial to guard it from my eyes today
And I don't know why
Té dirae nono ne credite
You can get all the credit

For turning this love into something tiny

It's like you can hear a pin drop in the audience as they are all fixated on watching him perform, his aura is sweet. As the instrumentation ramps up, he looks across to his right, swiftly followed by a tight camera shift, to reveal a small band. Previously hidden, they are illuminated in a brighter orange than the one visible under Leo himself. One guitarist, one drummer and one bassist. There still lies a dark undertone to the whole stage however, as the grey remains a signature theme in the view. The leather jacket he uses as a beacon, as it glimmers.

And you don't get to question why
No, you don't get to be carried
Through this, even though that you're hurting
So don't you ever question why
I decided to be a man
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah

For the first time, a second and third camera are introduced to each side of him, meant to be more effective in portraying each angle of the intensifying stage design. The biggest screen behind him keeps the flower in centre, yet something shifts all of a sudden. Petals start to fall very slowly off, making their way into reality. It starts with one. Then there are a couple. Soon, a dozen flower petals are at the feet of Leo. It helps to brighten the cameras frame of the whole scenery, as the pink contrasts the grey beautifully.

Desi me ey tés tempo
Hurting me and your tempo

Unless you feel like falling
Simpe aden ne doro
Just open the door

Or is there something to hide there?

The band to the right gets the focus of the lenses as they strum and aid the lifting drama of the track. It gives time for Leonardo to move to his next cue, which begins with him leaving the comfortability of his mic stand. He goes the opposite way of the band, as far left as the stage allows. He is shown to make contact with his audience for the first time, reaching out to touch the onlookers that are closest to the front of the stage. Although the rain of petals had stopped by this part of the song, there is still that orange highlight which contrasts the blackness of the background.

You can check it now
Peri nontem apred erne me on tés techa
But I don't know if it's me on your phone

It's beneficial to guard it from my eyes today
And I don't know why
Té dirae nono ne credite
You can get all the credit

For turning this love into something tiny

More confident in himself to deliver the song, Leo is able to perform for the cameras much more, which makes the audience much louder than previously. His voice sounds powerful in this chorus, and he fills the stage even though he is no longer fixated to the middle of it. Of course, there is help from the band, which reminds him of happiness.

And you don't get to question why
No, you don't get to be carried
Through this, even though that you're hurting
So don't you ever question why
I decided to be a man
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah

Back in the middle, central and once again concentrated on giving the cameras a show, he places the silver mic back to its habitat. Flashes between Leo himself and his guitarist build the tension to what felt like an explosive moment. At the end of the bridge, not only a shining orange explosion was seen but the avalanche of petals felt surreal. Pink, orange and red, they fell gracefully from the unknown highs of the arena. Leo interacted with them for the first time, picking one up and caressing it in his hand.

Confunde eí mon trase pala nabi
Confused if my words mean anything

Sinso téra mode, sinso rera mode
Since you lied, since I lied

Ey cambino lor contano fasto guerié...
And trying to contain this war...

Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah

He holds out a single red rose, classic and nonchalant. The second and third camera men seem to have wavered away from their focus, as only the first one keeps it's shot on a middle view of Leo's body. The grey of the screens begins to absorb the rose, until there is nothing but black left on stage. The band slivers away into it, and soon there wasn't a spotlight left on Leo either. Everything stopped for a moment. Then the cheers and the lights came back. He had done a good job for his first time singing in front of a massive viewership.

And you don't get to question why
No, you don't get to be carried
Through this, even though that you're hurting
So don't you ever question why
I decided to be a man
Risking all my heart to live without you, ah yeah

The wide smile is uncontainable, he brightens the stage. He doesn't say anything but gratefully leaves the stage with his hands praising the audience for giving him the ability to do what he did.

by **Estogium** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 4:14 pm

Estogium
Ola Ruah ft. Jayden Adams - Cold River
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Ola Ruah, Jayden Adams
Music: Ola Ruah, Jayden Adams, Scott Maslen
Tune: Rhys - Starfish (ft Felix Sandman)

After placing 15th and 16th in the last two editions of the World Hit Festival, Estogium is trying its luck with the singer Ola Ruah featuring Jayden Adams - an Aloquirbic singer.

During the last two participations of Estogium in the World Hit Festival, RVC and Estogium have placed 15th and 16th - which makes the last two Estogian entries two of the worst placing entries ever at the contest. While Estogium's results have not been high as the population has been hoping for in neither the World Hit Festival nor WorldVision Song Contest, RVC recently placed top 10 in the WorldVision in Main Nation Ministry and are hoping to replicate that hidden success here at the World Hit Festival after so much failure. This edition, Estogium is going down a different root, perhaps seeing whether the World Hit Festival audience wants something different from Estogium instead of the same old. This edition, Ola Ruah - from Estogium - will be holding the Estogian flag in Jefferton, Anollasia featuring Jayden Adams - an Aloquirbic singer. The RVC Delegation are hoping that with this joint venture, Estogium will do much better at the WorldVision Song Contest.

At the start of the song, Ola Ruah stood in the middle of the stage with panels of lights in tubes behind her. The cameras zoomed in to Ola who was standing in the middle of the stage. The floor below them was full of smoke, hiding anything below her ankles. Blues and purples were the most prominent colours as the camera progressed towards Ola as she begun to sing;

My body is tense with emotion,
As I think 'bout what's to come.
I wanna leave here with no regrets,
I've made too many of them

As the camera zooms to her face and she sang the verse that had just gone, another shot came from the side. Here, Jayden Adams appeared behind the girl and started to sing with her. The colour panels in the back started to fade in and out - changing intensity as the two singers now sung together...

I'm drifting, I'm drifting
Along the river.
Floating underneath the stars
Guiding me afar

The purple soon faded away with blue being the most prominent. The camera zoomed outwards exposing the large stage in front of them. Gold light made a path between the two singers and the man at the audience. They started to walk along the path as they sang the chorus. The lights in the arena flickered on and off as the chorus went on.

I dabble my feet in the cold, cold river
Feel weightless, I feel like I'm in a new world
By myself, I don't need anybody
For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.

For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.
For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.

The audience cheered as they finished singing the chorus. Jayden looked to his right, before being joined by a camera with another path from where he was standing welcoming him to walk to the right of the stage. He followed the stage as the song went on.

(Yeah)
People tell me that I am over-reacting,
But they don't know the truth.
They don't know how my head runs, it's like an explosion.
The results are deadly.

As Ola came back in, she was on the left side of the stage before she turned (as did Jayden) towards the audience. There was then an effective done with the cameras, where one side of it was of Ola while the other side was of Jayden as we went to the pre-chorus. The colours faded away...

I'm drifting, I'm drifting
Along the river

Before blue, purple and red splashed out on to the stage for the next chorus of the song. The camera quickly zoomed out to show the whole of the stage. In this time, Jayden and Ola made their way back to each other while singing the chorus again...

I dabble my feet in the cold, cold river
Feel weightless, I feel like I'm in a new world
By myself, I don't need anybody
For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.

For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.
For the first time, I feel like I'm in heaven.

The lights flickered once again as the two meets and hold hands in the centre of the stage again. The light panels were focused on them, turning different colours behind them. A shot along a track captured the moment from directly in front of them. It captured moments of the audience swaying with the song.

All this pressure on my mind, I cannot cope, take a trip
By myself, I go to the edge of the riverbank and
I look at my reflection, I look deep into my eyes,
And there I go, I go forward into the water.

They let go of each other quickly, walking slightly in opposite directions. Two sets of sprinklers went off on either side of the stage and the lights, before all the lights faded away instead of a spotlight with the two of them under it.

I float to the top, and oh the water carries my weight
Yes, I am fearless, what cannot be seen is not there, no
And so I go and do something I know will make me right.
So when I'm stressed, I take a trip to the cold river.

At the end of the song, Ola Ruah and Jayden got themselves together and held each other's hand. They took a bow as the audience came in, "Thank you, everyone!" They both said together.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:50 am

Normandy and Picardy
LUDUM & KAOS - La Nuit
Title translation: The Night
Language(s): Normand French
Lyrics: Etienne Batek
Music: Manon Sources, Etienne Batek, KAOS
Tune: Sagi Abitbul - Mariko

KAOS, the folk group who worked on La Nuit alongside producers LUDUM (Etienne Batek and Manon Sources)

They had come so close, and yet so far. No one in Normandy and Picardy had expected that the nation would again see the lofty heights of the Top 2 but there they were, only beaten on the last vote. On the one hand, RTN were quite happy with that outcome, as they would have been faced which potentially having to host the next contest, which was now instead to be in Anollasia, and it would be a lot less embarassing to refuse the rights as second choice than as the winner. On the other hand, the 2nd place created a great sense of expectation; they realised that they might have to live up to this, and try and do well again. Of course, the target was always the crown, or so they told the public. And some even within the WHF department believed it, even if the chiefs of RTN didn't. So now the search was on for the song to choose the next act which would have a crack at World Hit Festival.

An offer came through from the WorldVision department. It was very rare that the two talked to each other, if ever, so this came as somewhat of a shock to everyone, including possibly those in the WV delegation. The plan was simple; there would be a joint NF, with one of the top two going to WHF and one to WV, to be randomly assigned to each. The offer sounded good; it would allow both delegations to pick at once, and have the public seal of approval. And thus, Notre Chanson was born. Seven songs competed for one of the two tickets, and in the end the band LaSeine going to WorldVision where they would finish 6th, whilst Marcel was chosen to represent Normandy and Picardy at World Hit Festival. But, as you will have noticed, this act is not Marcel's "Une Question Piège" which does beg the question "What happened?"

Marcel pulled out unexpectedly, and it later was revealed it was due to a number of reasons, including timing conflicts which had not been immediately obvious as well as a family issue. This, of course, left the WHF delegation in rather a sticky situation, suddenly left without a song. They could, of course, have gone for one of the other songs in Notre Chanson, but this would be far too much like common sense. So, instead, they decided they would ask around the record labels and see if anyone would be interested. Two main groups put themselves forward, folk band KAOS and the DJs/producers LUDUM (Etienne Batek and Manon Sources, two of the biggest producers in Normand music). Each had very different songs. So what did the WHF department decide to do? They managed to get them to work together on a track to represent Normandy and Picardy at the contest, mixing the traditional folk stylings of KAOS with LUDUM's modern production. And thus, "La Nuit" was born...

The whole stadium is, as per usual with Normand entries now, smothered with darkness. Pitch-black. People in the crowd murmured to each other in participation of the act to come. The final preparations had just been made on stage. The lead singer of KAOS, Michelle la Roux, was on the front "B-stage", although obviously at this point could not be seen. She stood, nervously, yet full of excitement, waiting for the show to begin. And then, the music started playing. The main lights in the stadium, a very dark shade of red, remained very dim, whilst spotlights dashed around the stage and the crowd madly. Both the main and secondary stages were shrouded in mist, and on the B-Stage what appeared like a rocky mountain top could be sign, highlighted amongst the darkness, with Michelle all in long, flowing white robes, almost ethereal in a manner, reaching out to the camera as it passed and the voice called out as below.

Bienvenue, tout le monde

The camera view flew past Michelle and to the main stage, where - in addition to the plenty supply of LEDs already in the arena, a series of shard like LEDs had set up, with the mist and smoke surrounding them. A series of faces, painted as if in warpaint, could be seen on each one, with the different images darting around. The lights continued moving around madly, intensifying as the song built up. The faces, which had been portrayed mostly from the side, began turning around and being seen fully profile, and along with this a series of different expressions could be seen, generally becoming more aggressive and fierece as the song built up and the camera moved around them, showing them from different angles. The stairs and raised back section were obscured in the darkness, with the focus on the main stage purely being the shards. The background LEDs, whilst very dark, showed a series of traditional folk patterns, something perhaps like this.

La, la, la, la...
La, la, la, la...
La, la, la, la...
E, e, entre-e-e-e le jour-our-our et la nuit-it-it...
Between the day and the night

A-a-a...

The lights proceeded to calm down again, and the faces that had been shown before almost seemed to dissipate away, with only smoke being left in their wake. The camera view changed to show Michelle close up, holding her hands above her eyes, her hands being covered in all sorts of patterns which seemed to extend beneath her clothing, but the root of which could not be seen. Her skin almost seemed to be sparkling, adding to her ethereal feel.

Entre le jour et la nuit, il attendera
Between the day and the night, it waits

The rest of the stadium was now mostly in darkness once more as all the light seemed to have been drawn to Michelle on the main stage, who was lit by a single, white spotlight, somewhat faint in its intensity. The camera moved out slightly, to show the wisps of smoke curling around the bottom of the rock, which it could now be seen Michelle was almost stuck in, as if she was part of the rock itself ie. that she was part of and as old as the earth itself, again adding to this spiritual depiction. As she sang she moved around, especially with her arms, to the beat of the song. As the first part of this section came to an end, the spotlight began to slowly increase and decrease in intensity.

Il fait sombre au-delà des murs
It's dark beyond the walls

Qui nous sauvegardent, qui nous enveloppent
That protect us, that envelope us

Rouge, c'est la lumière
Red is the light

L'œil qui nous garde
The eye that keeps watch over us

Blanche, c'est la lumière
White is the light

Qui nous surveille
That keeps an eye on us

As the song continued, the background LEDs on the main stage, which could be seen at the angle of the camera shot in such a manner that they seemed to frame Michelle, now showed the image of an incense burner swinging side to side, almost like the pendulum of a clock, only just emerging from the darkness. In each flourish between Michelle's singing, the LED 'shards' on the main stage burts into life, showing more of the folk patterns from earlier. The lights, whilst changing in the manner aforementioned, generally got brighter and brighter.

Noir, c'est la porte
Black is the door

Vers la lumière qui cache
Towards the light that obscures

Les idées qui filtrent en tête
The thoughts that seep into our minds

Et mots sont futile
And words are futile

Images sont traîtres
Images are treacherous

Alors marchons vers la nuit et...
So let's march into the night and...

Suddenly, a drumstick appeared on screen and seemed to smash the image which shattered. The camera rapidly moved around for a moment before returning to show the arena again, with the shards of the image from before, which showed Michelle reaching out to the camera, although now she appeared to be on her rock with storm clouds and lightning around her rather than the stadium, moving about on all of the LED screens, seeming to float around above a background of black waves with little bursts of colour and shards of the same colours from earlier also being shown; these images spread across the background screens on the stage, the LED shards and the other two main, side LED screens.

Il fait sombre au-delà des murs
It's dark beyond the walls

Qui nous sauvegardent, qui nous enveloppent
That protect us, that envelope us

Rouge, c'est la lumière
Red is the light

L'œil qui nous garde
The eye that keeps watch over us

Blanche, c'est la lumière
White is the light

Qui nous surveille
That keeps an eye on us

As the song continued, the cameras gave a series of panning shots over the stage, and indeed from the audience. Michelle continued moving around, whilst the pieces kept floating about, moving around the shard-shaped LEDs and the background, but the pure black background above which they floated seemed to move around and bits of light, almost like lightning, seemed to try and burst through at various points randomly around.

Noir, c'est la porte
Black is the door

Vers la lumière qui cache
Towards the light that obscures

Les idées qui filtrent en tête
The thoughts that seep into our minds

La chemin est longue
The road between light and darkness is long

Entre de la lumière et sombre
Allons-y, allez-ez-ez...
Let's go, (you) go, go...

Things seemed to calm down again, with the cameras focusing on Michelle for a brief moment as she sang, reaching out towards the camera as she did so, the spotlight shining faintly on her again bringing out the ethereal nature of her outfit.

Entre le jour et la nuit, il attendera
Between the day and the night, it waits

As the instrumental break began, the cameras broke off from Michelle, and where the background had calmed slightly whilst Michelle sung, the lights that had tried to break through the black background suddenly burst through, showing the storm raging behind it, bolts of lightning shooting down revealed to be the source of the light. Lights flashed on and off whilst others moved around the stage and the entirity of the arena, whilst the background screens began to move through the thick layer of mist and smoke that covered the main stage, whilst they switched between dark versions of the folk patterns shown before and the faces which appeared once more.

Eventually, Michelle was to sing once more, and so the cameras, which had been moving about to add to the chaotic feeling, even corkscrewing and filming bits upside-down, focused once again on Michelle. As she sang, a group of 4 dancers, forming the vertices of a square around the central "rock" on the B-Stage. Meanwhile, it almost appeared that several Michelle's appeared, with one on either side as if trying to escape from the real Michelle's physical form.

Et vers la nuit...
And into the night...

All the spotlights which had been flashing and moving around the stage turned to focus on Michelle as she sang again, with the four dancers looking up towards her. Using some nifty technology ~~clearly borrowed from ERR~~, the camera feed at home then changed to showMichelle and the rock surrounded by lightning and storm clouds, whilst the dancers seemed to try and clamber up to reach her at the top, at times slipping and falling, each reaching out and trying to grab her. Ocassionally there were breaks in the clouds which showed the crowd in the stadium and the lights, but these were just brief glimpses. Each of the dancers was focused on in turn, trying to reach Michelle at the top, before the camera settled as the song came to an end on Michelle herself who once again covered her eyes with her hands, and the storm clouds and lightning disintegrated away, showing once more that they were in the stadium. The dancers seemed to have given up, laying on the rocks as if tired and admitting defeat, but still trying to reach Michelle. It was with this image that the song came to a close.

Entre le jour et la nuit, il attendera-a-a-a...
A-a-a-a-a...
La nuit, nuit, nuit, nuit...

by **1zmedu** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:02 pm

1zmedu
Nikola & Jacques - Summer Nights
Language(s): English
Lyrics: insert Swedish composer here
Music: insert Swedish composer here
Tune: Ell & Nikki - Running Scared

1zmedu’s outcomes in both WorldVision and World Hit Festival have been rather subpar, never being able to reach the top 10. However, they are looking desperately to change that, hopefully with their newest entry by Nikola and Jacques, “Summer Nights”, a bittersweet song telling the memories of a broken relationship. The RT1 hope that this sweet song will bring hem to the top 10 for the first time.

Black = Both
Blue = Jacques
Pink = Nikola

The stage is all dark when a couple faint white lights appear, lighting up a man and a woman on the satellite stage who walk slowly towards each other in the darkness. Their faces are concealed in the shadows and the woman wears a pristine white toga like dress, cut off just above the knees. The man on the other hand wears a white t shirt and white trousers. They both have golden blonde hair. As they walk slowly towards each other, the backing vocals sing the “Oh-oh” part. As they meet in the middle, the white lights burst on matching the sudden shift in atmosphere in the music. Spotlights roam around the arena and the LED screens turn to pure white. The camera pans across the stage to view the whole grand feel of the stage.

As the verse approach, the camera moves to the main stage where Nikola and Jacques stand back to back. They both wear the same thing as the dancers at the front with Jacques wearing a white suit instead and Nikola having a train on the back of her short toga style dress. The camera turning to Jacques who sings into the camera with an air of sincerity about him. He raises his hand to the camera as his eyes glimmer in the bright lights. It then turns to Nikola who sings in the same way into the camera, almost sadly.

Remember
Remember all the times that you’d tell me that
I was yours
Baby remembering
Remembering all those nights we spent talking oh

The lights flash again as the chorus begins and the camera goes o the dancers on the satellite stage who begin flying slowly into the air in each other’s arms, spinning alongside it. They lean back as they ascend. Nikola and Jacques turn to look at each other holding hands, eyes looking longingly into the others. The slowly break apart as they sing sincerely, walking backwards as they stare at each other before walking round to the catwalks. The LED screen shows pink cherry blossom petals falling on the white background, a beautiful yet sad prospect. As they break apart the dancers do too, reaching out their arms as they are pulled apart.

The touch of your lips on mine
Under the starlit sky
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost
The warmth of your hands on mine
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost

The camera turns to Nikola who walks down the left catwalk, her beautiful white train gliding behind her. The female dancer is also lowered to her level, and walks behind her like a shadow. Nikola looks sweetly into the camera, the lyrics so bittersweet matching her tone. She glances over to the right towards Jacques and slowly sweeps her arm outwards, as if telling the camera to go to Jacques in the right catwalk. He also walks with his dancer behind him, however he is a little more casual, a sweet smile on his face. His eyes glimmer in the white lights. The audience also shout around him as he walks, flags of all nations waving to the shower rhythm of the song.

We’d lie awake
Lie awake thinking ‘bout those hopeless dreams
Like the foolish kids that we were
And you’d say to me that
We’d be forever
Stay forever
Forever

The camera yet again takes a further back view of the stage, the LED screens bursting into the purest white with pink petals streaming downwards. The lights have a golden tinge to them this time however as they roam around the arena. The two dancers are lifted into the air, running gracefully as they soar upwards. They eventually meet in the middle and spin, the camera spinning the opposite direction around them. Nikola and Jacques also meet up on the front satellite stage, holding hands cutely as they sing, gazing lost in each other’s eyes. They embrace for a couple moments as the chorus draws to a close.

The touch of your lips on mine
Under the starlit sky
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost
The warmth of your hands on mine
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost

The white lights begin flashing to the drums, which have been mixed up a little for the bridge. The camera circle Nikola and Jacques from a distance, who are still facing in each other eyes. The LED screens show dark spots that begin to plague the screen like raindrops slowly building up as the bridge progresses. The dancers above run in a circle mid air, doing flips every so often and other graceful tricks in the air. However, the LED screen then becomes black, a few dim white lights to light up the stage, matching the quietness of the section. Stars begin shimmering beautifully on the screen, as Nikola and Jacques fall into each other’s arms tightly, fully embracing. Their singing of the final line is a bit muffled as you can hear a little sob. It is beautiful as they lay in each other’s arms with stars like diamonds shining, and the emotions are strong in the arena.

Watching our love fade away
A million stories lost astray
Lost astray

There is a huge flash of light and the LED screen bursts into white for the last time. Golden sparks fall from the ceiling of the arena as well as golden geysers on the main stage, giving a grand touch to the final chorus. Nikola and Jacques let go of each other, holding hands, and sing the chorus as if it were life or death. Tears begin falling from Nikolas eyes. The dancers above continue to do a graceful midair dance with lifts, spins and tricks. Yet, somehow embracing each other just like Nikola and Jacques. The camera takes a shot from the back, taking in all of what’s goung on onstage.

The touch of your lips on mine
Under the starlit sky
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost
The warmth of your hands on mine
Only you and I that matters
That summer night we lost

Nikola stands in front of Jacques, still holding hands, as they sing the final section of the song. The camera zooms into this intimate scene, flags waving and crowd jumping up and down with excitement. Sparks fall behind them giving a dramatic backdrop and sometimes glimpses of the midair dances blip into view. However, it remains very emotional somehow. They turn and gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes, lost in the moment. Nothing else matters right now except for them.

Don’t say goodbye
We’ll meet somewhere else
That summer night we loved

They hug as the song ends, sparks flying one last time to signal the end of the song. Their embraces lasts a couple seconds before they look out into the cheering audience. They look a little overwhelmed but they compose themselves and bow, before saying, “Thankyou Jefferson!!! We love you!” The hug again, both an emotional wreck.

by **Britonisea** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:00 am

#10 BRITONISEA
Lucie Dagenham - "Comeuppance"
Tune : Barbara Opsomer - "Ta Plus Belle Insomnie (Official Video)"
Music: Garant Bless, Xavier Boyd Lyrics: George Small, Lucie Dagenham

Britonisea is participating at the 44th World Hit Festival after having hosted the edition before in the nation's Northern-most city, Burgendore. Samantha Buckette will represent Britonisea in Jefferton.

After Evangeline Hope's win at the 42nd World Hit Festival, it was the turn of BVC and Britonisea to host the competition for the fourth time (27, 35, 38, 43) and this time, the World Hit Festival was being held out of the mainland in Ghiezland - which is home to Burgendore. It was rather odd for Burgendore to have hosted as there are many other cities that have a larger presence in the country, including Ghiez in Ghiezland. BVC stated that it would be good for Burgendore to host as 1. They are going to host a leg of Vha Mehlodhivestoile 2019 in the same arena and it is good preparation and 2. After hosting the competition in the capital city of Doportedas, which is of high profile, it would be good to move the World Hit Festival to another city which isn't as high profile. Nevertheless, Burgendore provided a great host despite the freezing temperatures. For the first time in the World Hit Festival history, Anollasia had won the competition - the reason for which they were hosting the current competition in Jefferton. As position #19 had won in the two editions before and BVC decided the running order, fans suspected that BVC had seen the international response to Anollasia's song and agreed that they were indeed the favourites to take the crown in Burgendore. The voting sequence during the 43rd World Hit Festival was very exciting with a mixture of nations being on the top before that was all changed during Phase 2. Britonisea, which finished 2nd at the end of Phase 1 finished 7th overall, which follows the pattern of Britonisea finishing in the top 2 before dropping out again (2nd, 6th, 2nd, 7th, 1st, 7th). If the pattern continues, Britonisea is expected to do well in Anollasia...

With Britonisea using Lucie Dagenham as the representative for the nation at WorldVision Song Contest 68 - where she came 4th - Lucie's chances are expected to be good thanks to her prior experience and ease for the BVC Delegation...

Lucie Dangenham walked on to the stage with two other females who were going to be her wing-women. She was not wearing a shirt or anything on top apart from wearing a black blazer which was quite big for her, coming done to her thighs. While that blazer was undone, there was a completely transparent "belt" going around the inside of the blazer so it didn't come undone when she was getting down and dirty during the performance. On her feet, she had on thigh-high black leather boots with quite a high heel, accentuating her fabulous legs. her wing-women were also wearing the exact same clothing too. Her hair looked flattened and wet as though she had just come out of the shower, and the other women on the stage had it on the same way. Choosing to impress the television audience by keeping it intimate and awe-inspiring was ideal and perhaps more important than making a large display for those inside the stadium. On the stage with them was a three different sides of walls which projected displays all around them - with the screens behind her not being used at all. There was also a large pool of very low-lying water which wasn't even higher than a fingertip.

I will not forget the past,
You know the saying, I’d forgive but not forget.
But tell me where’s the fun in that?
After all you are not feeling
What I now feel, you’re content while I’m still reeling.

As the song started, she was standing in the middle of the low-lying pool of water with her two wing-women standing on each side of her. While she was standing in a strong pose, facing the front towards the audience and with both her hands on her hips, the two women on her side where standing slightly to the side with one of their hands on their hips (the one closer to the very large LED screens) and their other hands slowly making their way up their legs. On the projection screens all around of the three women, it looked as though they were going through a forest because to the audience in the stadium and at home was shadows resembling trees (moving about as though they were walking through a forest).

Lucie started to sway along to the music in a very sultry way, looking directly in to the camera that was advancing slowly on her. Her face kept on being covered by shadows before reappearing but the camera never stopped coming closer. She never took her eyes off of it either. As the finger snapping came in, the girls on the side used their free arm (that was travelling up their arm) and used it to finger snap in a really sassy and snazzy way. The next part of the song came and in that small transition between the verse and the pre-chorus (the small sound) there were four different camera shots; a close up of her, a wide angel shot of the whole stadium, a mid shot of her and then an aerial shot before returning to the beckoning shot that it was before. As she sang "I will stand back", she jumped slightly in the air and when landing on the floor, transferred her weight to her back foot, bending both her legs. The wing-women quickly turned around and copied the way she was now standing.

I will stand back.
But you’ll be on my radar.
I will watch you from afar and
See you break many hearts.
And hopefully, one day you will realise that…
There will be some repercussions,
For your bad actions...

Another shot which was further back was shown to those at home as she sang "You'll be on my radar." Along with the camera shot, she also made a telescope around her eye using her free arm (the one without the microphone). She was using her one hand to do a few gestures that were related to what she was singing. For example, as soon as she finished doing the "telescope", she then pointed out to the audience for the word, "afar" and then placed her hand on her heart when singing "hearts". The girls in the back were copying the actions in the back, but using both of their arms. With the build-up to the chorus approaching, the three women started to slowly bend their legs even more, slowly disappearing out of frame. By "For your bad actions", the camera shot had blurred.

You blinked and thought that I was gone but,
I will not give you the satisfaction of my absence.
I’m not sure if you’re aware that
I know that at the end of all of this…
You’ll get your comeuppance.

A camera from above them was the shot to follow. When the camera was up there, you could see that the women were sitting down with their legs up at a 60 degree angle in the air. The girls on the side started to sway while sitting down before getting up on their knees and splashing the water about, flinging their already damp her around the stage. Lucie Dagenham did sit on the floor and did get up to her knees when the other girls did, but instead of splash the water about, she raised her hands to the audience and the camera which had made it's way down to her now. Ever so often, she would casually look down to the stage floor before sneakily looking up...you know that look... When singing "comeuppance" she took a smile before dancing swaying her hair crazily but sexily around the stage. The projections that were behind her were of dancing women - silhouettes (Lucie and her wing-women recording their dance routines obviously as they looked exactly like them). The lights in the arena flashed hues of pink and purple during this section.

The lights then dimmed as they went back to a verse in the song. A bright normal light was cast on the three women in the very low pool. They all looked up as this bright light shone on them. A high angle shot captured this moment, and when Lucie was due to sing again, she slowly made looked down on the floor before looking towards the audience. She couldn't help but cheekily smile as she did her next action. The three women slowly made their way from on their knees, sliding their legs downwards to place their bums on in the pool. All of them were now looking forwards and dancing alongside the beat of the song...

I was tired of chasing you,
I did not want to lose all of my dignity.
So I thought it would hurt as much,
For you to see that I am not affected by you,
Won’t let it get to my head.

When singing the word "head", the three women put one of their hands on their head before rolling their shoulders and then using their shoulders to keep with the beat of the song. As the pre-chorus came back one more. They started to bounce up and down in the position that they were in, slowly making their way up from their seated position back to their knees. On the screens around the three women were silhouettes of the torso (and above) of men representing the man that Lucie Dagenham is singing about in her song. The camera was just focusing in on the action that was happening as the chorus grew closer and closer.

So, I stood back.
Look at you, you could not cope
Had you knocking down my door but
I was preoccupied.
And on that day, I think that you realised
There will be some repercussions,
For your bad actions.

The women had made their way up to their knees and together, in unison, they tiled their head to the side after "I think that you realised". The two wing-women then put their hands on their hips as Lucie kept on singing. When Lucie Dagenham sang the words, "For your bad actions" there was an extreme close up of her lips, covered delicately in pink lipstick. At the end of her saying them, her pearly white teeth bit her bottom lip, with the next camera shot showing the stage as a whole.

The chorus had started once again and this time, in came in with a bang. Pyrotechnics from the side of the stage shot metres in to the air, with the cameras capturing it. This was one of the only times during the performance when the camera shot was so far away from the action happening on the stage. The same pink and purple hues came back on the stage, and projection screen behind her was off three women dancing mixed with the trees of the forest that we saw at the start of the song.

You blinked and thought that I was gone but,
I will not give you the satisfaction of my absence.
I’m not sure if you’re aware that
I know that at the end of all of this…
You’ll get your comeuppance.

What came out of your mouth was rich,
And for a while I believed you, I believed you - I believed you
Now I feel that my mind is messed
Cuz for a while I believed you, I believed you - I believed you

During the bridge section, the women started to bend over from their positions, before rolling over and making a bridge (away from the audience, though, not exposing anything that the audience would rather not see). An aerial shot showed what was happening on the stage as they all looked up towards the camera. Lucie continued singing, "I believed you - I believed you" while looking deep into the camera. After she sang, "my mind is messed", she then twisted her body to look out towards the audience who were behind her.

The first few words of the song were pretty quiet before it came in explosively afterwards. The white light that was there in the last song came back before the pink and purple lights kicked in for the rest of the song joined with other colours on that side of the colour spectrum. The three women all stood up quickly swaying along to the song as sparkles shot from either side of the stage.

You blinked and thought that I was gone but,
I will not give you the satisfaction of my absence.
I’m not sure if you’re aware that
I know that at the end of all of this…
You’ll get your comeuppance.

You blinked and thought that I was gone but,
I will not give you the satisfaction of my absence.
I’m not sure if you’re aware that
I know that at the end of all of this…
You’ll get your comeuppance.

At the end of the performance, Lucie Dagenham took a large bow before looking up and clapping her hands. "Thank you Jefferton!" she shouted into the microphone before running off the stage with the group of people that she was with. She was satisfied with her performance and hoped that she could keep up the good results that Britonisea has received for a long time now.

by **Nightom** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:21 am

#15 NIGHTOM
Jaxel Wykeham - "Hold Your Head Up High"
Tune : Robert DeLong - "My Favourite Colour Is Blue (Official Video)"

Robert DeLong - My Favorite Color Is Blue (Lyric Video)

"I am ready to wave the flag for my country, I am ready to serve under Nightom...again!"

-Jaxel Wykeham

Jaxel is a 26 year old male, from the capital of Nightom, Knightinghamshire. He describes himself as "proudly Nightomese", which is obviously something they are taught to say when they go to school. Jaxel has loved music since he was in secondary school, where his passion for the subject was unleashed by one of the music teachers he still remembers to this day. He is said to like rock music, a bit of EDM, but his likes for genres are not..specific, which can be seen through the type of music he produces.

Jaxel stood in the middle off the stage, with one of those DJ desks. The staging at the time was really dark, with a green spotlight focusing on Jaxel, with small green flickers of graphics on the screen, making Jaxel seem a bit distorted as the camera slowly zoomed in towards him. He was looking down at the desk before raising his head and singing calm and rather seductively in to the microphone.

Have you ever thought what would happen if you jumped?
Closed your eyes and jumped, weightless like a feather.
I suppose that thought might have crossed your mind just once,
When you have had enough of all life's dramas.

He pointed at the camera right at the last word, slightly tilting his finger of as though he was mimicking a gun going off. As soon as he did that, the camera quickly zoomed out and faded to black. Leading to the first pre-chorus of the song, reds started to appear in the staging with a psychedelic display being shown on the screens behind him. He looked down at his DJ desk, slowly rocking along to the music, which was developing.

Whilst you indulge in your self pitying,
There are real people with real problems, they're suffering.
You tell me you're done, that life for you is over
He did dump you, just after three months
You've got to get your head out of the sand.

The camera, during that pre-chorus was far away, and so for the viewers at home, they were able to see the psychedelic image being shown behind him, and the audience jumping along to the song. The shots then cut from the left, to the right, to centre during the last line before everything went dark. He then sang the line, "Turn your back and hold your head up high" with the normal lights quickly focusing on him. The camera quickly zoomed in.

Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Hold your head up high.

Jaxel then got off the desk he was on, and started walking around the stage, looking in to the steadicam which followed right in front of him. He looked deep in to the camera as he sang them some real lyrics. As Jaxel sang lines like "a knife" he would re-enact these words. In the example given, we brushed his hand across his neck before cruelly smiling at the people at home.

Have you picked up a knife - thought how sharp it's blades were,
Imagined the damage that object could do?
What you've experienced is how life goes 'round,
It's painful, so slowdown. It is not the end.

He walked over to the middle of the stage, with the steadicam still following him before slowly moving away from the man. He remained where he was, looking out in to the large audience.

Whilst you indulge in your self pitying,
There are real people with real problems, they're suffering.
You tell me you're done, that life for you is over
He did dump you, just after three months
You've got to get your head... out of the sand,
Hold your head up.
Hold your head up, keep your ears open.

As the song in the back went a bit crazy and EDM, the lights flashed on and off along with the song. He stayed in the middle.

You know that I'll always be here,
And standing right by your side.
No matter how hard life gets for you, turn around, you'll find me there,
With a shoulder to cry on!

Oh I am trying to let yourself know,
There are people in this world that
Are really struggling...

During the last line of that pre-chorus, Jaxel strong turned around and raised his hands up towards him. The camera quickly zoomed out, before the explosive chorus. When he sang the first line, there was no light on his face, but there were strong intensity, very bright lights which swiftly turned on during the first line of the chorus. With the camera at a low angle, just in front of him, he looked godly as he raised his hands high in to the heavens.

Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.

Ah oh Ah oh Ah oh (x150)

At this part, water was let off from the top of the stage. The water did not fall as though it was a light drizzle, but more like a hurricane. As it fell, he furiously shook his head/hair forwards and backwards, with the camera enjoying the sight from far away and close up, crazily swooping past him (a la Cyprus 2016 - during the chorus) The screens behind him were all off, with the light coming from in front of above him focusing on him furiously jiggling about in the downpour. He also jumped up

Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high.
Turn your back and hold your head up high. (ohs)
Turn your back and hold your head up high. (Ohs)

Turn your back and hold your head up high.

He said the last line and fell in to the puddle beneath him. The Normand crowd all applauded after Jaxel which made him smile with glee, as he got up, he thanked everyone, "Merci, thank you very much for the chance."

by **Llalta** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 12:09 pm

Llalta
Daniel O'Callaghan - What If We
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Danielle O'Callaghan, Esther Winterbourne
Music: Danielle O'Callaghan, Esther Winterbourne, John Marshall, Alexander Southborne
Tune: You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban

The 43rd World Hit Festival, held in Burgendore, Britonisea, was the most recent contest that Llalta participated in. The poppy song “Make History”, performed by Llaltese drag queen and former WorldVision participant was to represent the nation at this prestigious event. It was expected to do well, given Llalta’s impressive track record so far and Patricia’s 4th place in WorldVision 65. Maybe even top 5 perhaps. Alas, Llaltese fans were disappointed in a mediocre 10th place, which, while good isn’t the kind of placing the LBN wants after two consecutive 2nd places. It was rather disappointing for the island nation, and they knew they had to do better; pull out all the stops. However, at least Llalta has gotten its third top 10 placing in a row, hopefully one Llalta’s next entry can achieve too.

After the rather mediocre results from WHF43, the LBN asked Daniel O’Callaghan, a famous Llaltese singer who has spent much time abroad in places such as Britonisea. He decided to write a true Llaltese ballad, written alongside Esther Winterbourne (participant for WorldVision 69 & 71 and World Hit Festival 40, 41 & 42, getting 4 top 10s and two 2nd places) and two members of the Llaltese band Evergreen, John Marshall and Alexander Southborne. After a couple rewrite of the composition and instrumentation this version was picked, using a Llaltese violin. However, the LBN has faced many problems along the way. Being so small, money has always been a threat to the LBN and has held them back a couple times. This loomed over during the run up to WHF44. Though money tight and workers few, the entry was finished and the song was sent.

The song, a power ballad by the name of, “What If We”, is a grand ballad that uses many Llaltese instruments and styles to create a powerful experience. “What If We” also has a meaning in that one should always stand up for what they believe is right, that everyone has the power to change the world. Though slightly generic, it does not shy away from tackling more serious topics such as wars and unnecessary deaths in general.

Daniel O’Callaghan is a 48 year old Llaltese singer, born in St. Christopher. Though he’d always been a singer in pubs and Llaltese music festivals, his career did not take off until the release of his first album, “Songs of Mother Nature”, filled with ballads with a Llaltese twist. This album also gave him international success and he became a household name in Britonisea and Izmedu to name a few. Over time, he’s been on many reality TV shows and concerts, releasing new singles every now and then. At 32, he married to Lucia O’Callaghan, and had 2 kids with her - 15 and 12 years old. From there he moved into Britonisea and lives there to this day with his family. Despite this, he says Llalta will always be his home.

The arena is shrouded in darkness, quiet, until a couple golden spotlights light up, illuminating a violinist on the front satellite stage. His black hair is sleeked back and he wears a traditional suit. He begins to play his deep chestnut violin, eyes shut, concentrating on the melodic music. His chiseled, tanned face is lit in a soft golden hue from the spotlights. Though it is hard to see, the background LED shows the night sky, a splatter of stars subtly placed upon the black canvas of the sky. The camera pans across, circling the violinist for a while before zooming outwards, the violinist becoming smaller as he is surrounded by the many flags that wave slowly, and the many lights waving from side to side. At this moment the song becomes a little more grand, introducing more instruments. A mix of golden and white lights billow outwards as the song builds up, and the background LED screens show a bright amber sun rising on the horizon, with cotton clouds towering like majestic beasts, the arena illuminated in a nostalgic golden hue. The camera takes a far back view of the stage, showcasing the beautiful lighting in all its glory.

As the piano begins to play, the camera circles the pianist and his sleek black classical piano, before turning to Daniel O'Callaghan who appears walking towards the front of the stage. He is met with applause and cheers as he begins to sing the verse softly. He stops near the front of the stage as he stands in front of the LED sun on the horizon, giving him a heavenly appearance as the light ripples and shimmers around him. However, the LED screen then begins to show an endless plain of candles, flickering and dancing in the darkness. His luscious brown hair is let down as they hang down to his shoulders, and he wears a deep emerald suit with a white shirt and matching shoes and tie. He smiles slightly as he gazes out into the audience, his eyes shimmering in the lights. The lights during the verse also turn into a deep mauve colour to match the more somber feel of the melody.

And though it seems like we are merely nothing
Lost in a world where we can’t make make a difference
So we stand by, watching countless souls drift by
Fallen in silence but it doesn’t have to be

The chorus approaches and the camera pans across the stage, the lights brightening a little to match the song. The LED screen remains having the candles on them, burning brighter than the verse. It then zooms into Daniel as he reaches his arm out welcomingly with a warm smile, as if inviting the audience to join his quest to make the world a better place, all in different languages from Izmduan to Britonish. The camera takes a further back shot with Daniel centre with a sea of flags and lights waving majestically, sometimes but very rarely covering his face as he sings the chorus. He smiles proudly; proud of his song, his work, his message.

‘Cuz what if we, stood up to face the darkness
‘Cuz what if we, painted the earth with our words
And maybe we could reach the heavens
What if we changed it for the people yet to come

The camera switches back to the violinist who returns to the satellite stage, emotionally playing the symphony, eyes shut. The focus then turns to the LED screen behind him, showing faces of various races, genders, ages. Each smiling, eyes bright with love. They smile for a moment before moving onto the next face. A little piece of text is beneath each face, a message they want to spread to the world. They continue whilst the violin plays in the background before switching back to Daniel centre stage for the next chorus.

The camera pans across the stage before circling Daniel, who winks subtly into the camera. He then addresses the audience with his charismatic smile, still singing effortlessly. During the chorus, we also see a glimpse of the audience, waving their lights like fireflies in the arena. The LED screens shifts to the brilliant amber sun setting amongst the rolling green hills. Towering clouds with tints pinks and oranges, the whole picture reminiscent of the beginning LED show. However, as the chorus nears the end and becomes a little quieter, the sun disappears and the night sky shows up, silver stars shimmering on the pitch black.

‘Cuz what if we, walked side by side with strangers
‘Cuz what if we, gave words to those without
And maybe we could reach the heavens
What if we changed for the people yet to come

The camera focuses in on Daniel for a moment, before fading to black as the song quietly winds down. There is a mild cheer from the audience from those who think it is over.

However, the camera takes a far back shot of the stage as golden lights billow majestically outwards as the penultimate chorus starts, garnering a huge cheer from the audience. On the stage, six backing singers (3 male and 3 female), dressed in a mix of smart suits and sleek black dresses stand behind Daniel, 3 on each side mirroring each other. The LED screen at the back shows scenes of happiness and hope, children smiling as they play in fields on grass and couples hugging in front of fireworks, all in black and white. Golden sparks also begin to fall from ceiling above, giving the entry a grand feel. The singers at the front raise they hands up to the sky, the camera switching to the violinist who continues to play it and the pianist, both lost in the mesmerising melody. The camera switches back to focus on Daniel, smiling as happy as ever.

‘Cuz what if we, tore streaks upon history
‘Cuz what if we, danced among the stars
And maybe we could reach the heavens
What if we changed for the people yet to come

The low cello that introduces the final chorus has a flash of white and gold lights to accompany it, further dramatizing it. Again, the camera takes a view from the far back of the arena, the stage and all performers in it. At this point sparks begin to rise like geysers from the outer edges of the stage, giving the final chorus more gold than it needs. Daniel and the backing singers behind him raise both arms up to the sky before dropping them slowly again. The LED screen behind shows a child and mother walking on some pastures towards the sunlit horizon as the chorus quietens. The lights turn to a pale gold and white colour and all gather onstage to illuminate Daniel and those onstage, not to mention the sparks slowly grinding to a halt. Eventually, the arena is all quieter again, and less flashy, the camera slowly zooming into Daniel and his backing singers, whom are all facing towards the audience. The LED screens behind them shift into stars, the outline of the child and mother become a constellation in the dark maybe and purple skies. Argent stars flecked across the darkness.

‘Cuz what if we, stood up to face the darkness
‘Cuz what if we, painted the earth with our words
And maybe we could reach the heavens
What if we changed for the people yet to come

The backing singers and Daniel raise their hand towards the front, as they face the camera smiling. Daniel’s soft yet reassuring voice dusting nicely with the equally as soft piano behind, setting a quieter tone to the song to end it on. The stars behind them glimmer subtly.

What if we changed for the people yet to come

After the song ends, the audience cheers, applauding the emotional Llaltese entry. Daniel and the back singers now in unison, beaming brightly. “Thank you Anollasia and thank you world!” He smiles proudly, hoping he represented his home well.

by **Todlichebujoku** » Mon Feb 25, 2019 2:11 pm

Tödlichebujoku
Olanni Tairellinen - Saarsikka
Title translation: Little Rose
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Hanako Olkkunen, Olanni Tairellinen
Music: Olanni Tairellinen, Youko Sééger
Tune: Samuli Edelmann & Orkestra Suora Lähetys - Käteni

After the relative success of the past two heavily pop/electronic acts, the WHF team at SterGo100 was ready to try something a bit different. After receiving feedback from fans and fans that the broadcaster was courting, a rising performer known for his more traditional take on music was chosen. His advocacy for those of different sexual orientations came as a plus to the broadcaster, which was also looking to promote acceptance and tolerance of such minorities, in order to lower the suicide and depression rate among the nation's youth.

Olanni Tairellinen began as a folk-rock artist in the hinterlands of Keski-Tasangot, Tödlichebujoku. Bubbling under for several years, he unwittingly shot into nationwide fame with a viral performance recorded at a local fair, his down-to-earth demeanor and gravelly voice found him fans far beyond his original audience. Buoyed by his newfound fame, Olanni found himself collaborating with various well-known artists and producers, breaking into the mainstream market with hits such as "Yotain Parempaa" and "Veri ya Vesi". Soon he was touring the world, making stops in Popolijas, Liberuja, Nēvetajas, Seregata, Felkelőnapolos, and Solongijas. No longer limited to Taploukku, Lagoa, and Grellenbyooša-ga, his new fame was absolutely dizzying. And Olanni, borne from the fields and ranches of central Tödlichebujoku, soon found himself at the intersection of ideologies. On one hand there was the conservative sect of Maailmaalinen that he had grown up with- and on the other, the growing acceptance of open heterosexuality even in his conservative town of Abstoszenderakušuu. For most of his life, Olanni had never truly considered the implications of his community's view of sexuality. But the sudden expanding of his horizons had exposed to far more than he had ever thought possible. Fan message after fan message, confessions, life stories, expressions of extreme gratitude for his music, flashed before his eyes and ingrained themselves into his mind. So many fans that found a deep conflict between their religious beliefs and their realization of their true identity were hanging on by their fingernails, holding on only for Olanni's music. Shocked, and coming to terms with his expressions of bisexuality, he found a cause to uplift and promote. But still the suicides continued, with his home province of Keski-Tasangot leading the nation in losses of teenage lives in the midst of the provincial Maailmallinen council cracking down harder on the interpretation of sacred marriage. Countless men and women were tearing themselves apart over the idea of themselves as mere animals, subhumans that were not worthy of the gods and of interactions with others, an unintended side effect of the widely held belief that the covenant of homosexual relationship was a primary attribute that elevated humans above wild animals. And too many of these men and women came to the conclusion that the only way for them to escape this subhuman existence was to end themselves, and end their suffering and the jeers.
Understandably, Olanni was shocked at the epidemic prevalence of self-harm and suicide in the world of his upbringing. Too many promising lives were being snuffed out due to a bigoted understanding of sexuality and the human relationship to the world, and he knew something had to be done. Wracked with convulsions of grief after a particularly heartfelt meeting with the parents of a deceased teenager, and even more deeply at the sudden death of his close friend Hiroši Toivonen who had grown weary of living a lie but was unable to reconcile his faith, Olanni drifted into a writing fugue state, energized and determined to play his part as an ally and advocate for his beleaguered and downtrodden set of friends and fellow citizens. With his husband Viiri, Olanni wrote a song, to be performed throughout the countryside of Tödlichebujoku as an anthem of support and faith for those openly heterosexual and transgender struggling with their identity and place in the world. When SterGo100 caught wind off his endeavor and offered its full support and the backing of the Grand Rotlichtčiku Orchestra, Olanni simply could not turn down the offer to truly bring his message to the widest audience possible, and save as many lives and families as he could. it was a work of love, of passion, of empathy, and now it is here in Anollasia for WHF44.

The stage glimmers with specks of blue that disappear. The orchestra arcs along the back of the stage, softly underlit. Spotlights illuminate the violinists as they begin the song, then fade as Olanni begins. Clad in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, he stands front and center, but is only illuminated when he begins to sing, dancing a bit along with the song. An animation of blossoming roses amidst snow and rain plays on the background screen

My saarsikka, don't you fade away like snowmelt, but stand strong through the storms and heat waves
Spread your branches, blossom strong in the love that you've been given, the soil's deep and living, vibrant

The roses in the animation are buffeted by a blizzard as wind and faux snow drift down upon Olanni. He clasps his heart, clutches at the microphone stand, stares daringly at the camera

Wicked winds and stubborn snows will test your heart but I do know, your roots draw deep and ever wider
Reach for heaven with bounty and determination, seed the world with fruits of kindness

As he continues on to the next stanza, his voice grows gravelly and breaks up a bit as his thoughts turn to Hiroši. He bites at his lip as he chokes up and wipes a tear away, but manages to keep it together. Imagery of scarred and damaged leaves and stems, some singed by fire and others lacerated, fall continuously on the background screen

Death and pain might sap your soul but scabs and scars make you strong, I know that you'll never give up, no oh no
The sun will burn like fire, and the frost will bite like knives, but you will stand and rise tall

Now more composed, he is joined by a number of male choral singers from his childhood temple, dressed in shimmering, flowing robes.

La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai
La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai

Two pairs of dancers in traditional robes and tunics take the stage. One pair consists of two women; the other of a man and a woman. Olanni sways and claps in time with his backing singers, and the audience begins to join in. Behind, the screen erupts into a blossoming collage of iridescent, rainbow colored roses

With renewed vigor, Olanni swoops in to grab the microphone stand and sing into the mic, and animations of drooping roses righting themselves to face the sun are seen on the background

My saarsikka, no matter who you might be, you've been meant to grow and prosper
You can nod and you can weep, but soon the sun will warm you, let you raise your head in glory

Feeling nigh unstoppable he has detached the microphone from its stand and is right up at the edge of the stage, where some of his superfans are reaching up to him. An animation of a single rose bush, with dying leaves plays, but it is a cutaway that shows the vibrance and life within the stem and roots, pulsing in promise of a better season

When times are harsh you'll lose your leaves, but power still lurks deep within, to bloom another sunrise
The light, it calls, with warmth and loving kindness, climb and claim your true potential

The stage is suffused in a golden glow as the animation is replaced by cycles of dry land and floodwaters, but with trees and shrubs persisting and bursting into flower in between. Olanni paces along the length of the stage edge, glowing with a grin of hope and faith

Drought and flood they come and go, the world is ever changing and I know that you'll adapt now, now oh now you will
Be a splash of vibrant health in this garden of the gods, and they will see you flourish

The entire male choir from his hometown temple has joined him on stage, and they sway while clapping and singing. On the background screen, a sweeping view of a majestic garden, perhaps one of Paradise, of roses and a number of other stunning flowers gives way to iridescent rosebuds continually erupt into shimmering rainbow blossoms

La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai
La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai

La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai
La la la lai la la la la la la la lai lai

A curtain of rainbow pyros drifts down behind the stage as the choir splits into three rotating groups, Olanni at the head of one of them. Four couples now dance on stage, with two trans couples joining the previous two. The orchestra is underlit by a shimmering rainbow light, and the audience is clapping and swaying along

"Kiitos, kiitos kaikille, kiitos Anollasia!" shouts Olanni, tears streaming down his face in joy, before bowing with the rest of the performers and exiting as a bouncing, giddy group.

by **Astoriya** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:08 am

[box]Astoria
indie-riot : Can't stop that crazy feeling
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Robyn Starr & Topher Simms
Music: Macie Westley & Otis Proudfoot
Tune: Tune/box]

I heard there was a secret head
That Jack knew about, and it pleased the technician
But you don't really care for arms, do ya?
Well, it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled technician composing Ooh

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

I'm not here to say I'm a mild thing
I'm not here to lie to you

Some people wait a lifetime
For a head like this
Some people search forever
For that one mild head
Ohh I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime
For a head like this

I'm not here to say I'm a mild thing
I'm not here to lie to you

There's still a little bit of your heart on my mind
There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
It's still a little hard to say what's going on
There's still a little bit of your heart, your greasy heart
There's still a little bit of your fingers I haven't shot
You step a little closer each day that I can't say what's going on

A heart taught me to kick
Love taught me to bleed
Life taught me to leap
So it's not hard to fall
When you kick like a greasy heart

The baffled technician composing Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

And if we're only here once I wanna kick with you
You've got something I need
In this world full of arms there's one loving me
And if we're only here once (ooh)
I wanna kick with you (you, you, you)
You've got something I need
In this world full of arms there's one loving me
And if we're only here once (ooh)
I wanna kick with you (you, you)

Skies are mild, I am funny
Catching arms in my hands
Only silence as it's ending
Like we never had a chance
Do you have to make me feel funny?

You can take the greasy heart
You can break my feet
Like I'm made of arms
Like I'm made of arms
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a greasy heart
Like an ugly torch

Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you kick
Somehow you will
You will when you kick

I'm not here to say I'm a mild thing
I'm not here to lie to you
I'm here to kick
I've finally thought it through
I'm not here to bleed
I'm not giving up (ooh)
I'm here to learn to fly
To learn to fly is my goal

by **Mercedini** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:31 am

Mercedini
Eliqzir - "Envy"
Language(s): English
Lyrics: Eliza Qazir
Music: Eliza Qazir, Samuel Borlaviac
Tune: Billie Eilish - bury a friend

Only nineteen year sold and ready to slay your life and serve looks, it cold be a breakout moment for one of the nation’s rising talents in the music industry, as she steps out onto the World Hit Festival stage for her international debut. One of the rare talents not found on a local talent show, Eliqzir (stage name of Hoventon native Eliza Qazir) worked her way up the ranks writing and publishing her own music on YouTube before moving into the studio to write for some of the nation’s most well known artists domestically and internationally. Her song “Envy” is seen as a quintessential Eliqzir music, scoring her first number one single on the Mercedinian Hot 100 and putting her on the radar on other artists

With a little help of WorldVision and World Hit Festival veteran Samuel Borlaviac, the song was cut down and edited to make it suitable for the international stage, with Borlaviac also having a hand in the staging, now he is considered as one of the permanent fixtures of the Mercedinian delegation to the competition. Mercedini have fallen outside of the top ten in both of the previous two editions, after never being outside of the top ten in all of their previous nine participations before then. It’s hoped that Eliqzir can restore faith in the Mercedinian music industry with a good result when she takes to the stage in Jefferton, Anollasia

The song begins with Eliqzir standing in the middle of the stage surrounded by two women and three men, all wearing black, fitted outfits. Five beams of light shine down from the roof of the arena onto the surrounding performaers while Eli stands with a dictinctly red light above her head. The group of performers rock side to side and click to their fingers to the beat of the song, with small cheers being caught by the arena microphones.

Eliqzir takes to microphone, being backed up by one of the male supporting artists next to her. The look on her face makes her deem determined to give the performance of her life, despite her age being younger that most who sing at this level. The six performers split into three groups on stage, with each group containing one man and one woman, with Eliqzir taking the centre group.

(Elly)

Honey, I'm faltering
Your eyes are wondering
Think this is fun for me?
Think that you know

Ran low on energy
Turned into enemies
Still no apology
Think you should go

Eli sings into the eyes of her make accomplice, black and white lights flash in the background of the staging, but the faces of the people on stage are hardly seen due to the low lighting illuminating the stage. Face definitions can be seen but any detail is lost as the camera switches from a sepia effect to a black and white screen. During the final line, the three women pretend to hit their partners as the males fall to the floor.

(No fear)

Game, played 'em out. I do it intently
The pain, don't make a sound, one-up your round. I do it correctly.
You say I'm too young to doubt... your words that effect me.
No way will I stick around. 'cause your face is down, you're dying of envy.

The three women walk round to the back of their respective partners, with the broken glass effect being visualised with a large crack in the LED screen behind the performers being seen, even if the staging hasn’t used any graphics thus far in the performance. In the 'ahhh' portions of the song, the three women appear to puppet their male accomplices as they rise from the floor and mimic the actions of the women who move closer together at this point. A tune the end of the verse with the beat kicking in, the three men are walking once again as they get close to the females before the verse comes to an end.

You play and I pass, away from your looks
(ahhhh)
Knowing the trend, boy you fucked up
(ahhhh)
My centre of mass, vacating your lungs
Knowing the trend.
Dying of envy.

The long periods of deep bass is reflected by an extremely subtle but noticeable stabbing effect around the arena which lights up the stage and allowing any movement on stage to appear jumpy and artificial. The stage goes dark once again with the bass returning with all six performers on stage changing their positions into one position where they are all situated at the same point, with come lying, song kneeling and some standing up with Eli in the centre of it all.

The six rock back and forth before returning to a single point for the second chrorus of the song which mimics the beginning of the Mercedinian entry

Dying of envy
Dying of, dying of, dying of... envy
Dying of, dying of, dying of.

The bodies of all six performers now stay still with their hand patting the person in front or to the side of them to the beating of the clicking, the angles switching from close ups of Eli singing to sweeping shots along the bottom of the stage, the dark light still shrouding the performance in uncertainty to the audience in the arena and people at home.

Honey, I'm faltering
Your eyes are wondering
Think this is fun for me?
Think that you know

Ran low on energy
Turned into enemies
Still no apology
Think you should go

Eli stands all on her own in the centre of the stage as her face it finally lit to the audience at home. The double up of vocals is visualised by her face cloning itself on screen, With both faces singing that same words, although both of them are off from each other with the audience knowing one is the real singer but not knowing which it is truly is.

We knew that our start. It wasn't intended
Creep to break in my heart, and run in so far, I couldn't collect it.
Agreed to form a bond, we were injected
I see still want a part, but you found a tart, so fucking forget it.

The two accompanying women walk into shot and stand next to Eli as then song begins to pick up pace from previous verses. With the light show behind them continuing in line with the progress of the song. Thin beams of light circle the stage and the surrounding portions of the audience, but don’t pick up any kind of movement as the audience members idly watch on from beneath as Eli works her magic on the arena in Jefferton.

We're talking bout something that can't be repaired right now
I'm moving away and I know your scared right now (oowah)
You know I'm the queen, and I put on my sacred crown
You envy my guy or envy my friends right now?

The crowds let’s out a small cheer as the lights in all part say if the arena begin pulse off and on in line with the wub-wubs of the song which ring around all corners of the arena. The three women all stand tall in front of the audience and don’t move a muscle with all the movement coming from the camera as they sweep in from around the arena towards the awaiting performers. Eli looks to be in her stride following a nervy opening verse, embracing the Cher’s from the crowd aswell as the occasion in Anollasia.

The friends I know, know I help my own, but you aint my own, so don't call my phone.
And my head's recalling, my eyes are burning, but you aint my own, won’t chase your bone.

The three men come back into the performance for some more punishment from the ladies, with the six performers on stage duelling in three groups of two once again. This time the men put up more of a fight as the camera moves up onto the stage and weaves around the six of them before making its way to Eli who turns to it and whispers the final line of the verse as the stage becomes void of all light and colour once again.

You play and I pass, away from your looks
(ahhhh)
Knowing the trend, boy you fucked up
(ahhhh)
My centre of mass, vacating your lungs
Knowing the trend.
Dying of envy.

A more extreme and intense bout of strobing from the lights around the arena light up the audience and the seating areas to reflect the sudden turn of intensity in the music, with one of the more experimental entries sent by Mercedini is now in full swing. The single red light returns and is places upon the head of Eli and the six of them rock back and forth in time with the beat as one monolith in the centre of the stage.

Dying of envy
Dying of, dying of, dying of... envy
Dying of, dying of, dying of.

The five beams return to the staging once again, something which mirrors the very start of the performance of 'Envy', giving many memebers of the audience deja vu, with the camera angles, lighting and movement pretty much a carbon copy of the opening seconds of the song, rounding out the performance with aplomb. The performance end with Eli clicking her fingers as all of her supporting performers fall to the floor to signal the end of the performance.

Honey, I'm faltering
Your eyes are wondering
Think this is fun for me?
Think that you know

Ran low on energy
Turned into enemies
Still no apology
Think you should go

With the audience not sure what to make of what they have just seen, plenty of respectful applause is heard around the arena as Eliqzir simply continues her resting bitch face before giving a cute smile and then thanking the crowd. “Grazije Jefferton, thank you all!”, a quick cut to waving Mercedinian flags before the transition to the next part of the show is made

by **Izmedu** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:39 pm

Izmedu
Dorotea Viskovic & Nenad Niksic - Maja pisma
Title translation: My Song
Language(s): Izmeduan
Lyrics: Dorotea Viskovic
Music: Nenad Niksic
Tune: Ornella Vanoni, Bungargo, Pacifico - Imparare ad amarsi

“I find that only in singing do I have the words that mean something to me... I have said so much all these years. I only find... meaning when I am on stage. That is all.” - Dorotea Viskovic

The Izmeduan delegation was a quiet one. Much of it was on the behest of Dorotea Viskovic, Pavao Sintic (the head of delegation), and Nenad Niksic, who wanted a quieter approach to the proceedings considering Izmedu's WorldVision delegation was eating up the news cycles back home. It was a stark contrast to ages ago, when it was Izmedu's WHF team that would constantly catch the public interest. For Dorotea, this paradigm shift was one she didn't mind at all. In fact, she enjoyed and relished in a more intimate approach to how RTI were now conducting their World Hit Festival participation. Of course, Dorotea knew that her stature as Izmedu's oldest living artist was a part of it. She funded the entire entry almost on her own, and she knew that the legend and the myth that the media created from her 70-year long career was itself its own mini-zeitgeist, even if Dorotea was once no longer the overwhelming presence in Izmeduan media she once was many years ago.

She reflected back on her career, a very long one filled with successes, failures, startups, and career restarts. At 83 years old, the thought of representing Izmedu in the World Hit Festival wasn't a wild one to her eyes with the only exception of health issues that may arise of transportation. Yet... she found the atmosphere around Jefferton, Anollasia to be exactly where she wanted to be in the lead up to the contest. She was first piqued by the offer of first representing her hometown three editions ago, but Dorotea believed that things weren't meant to be then, especially due to a health scare that would make the rehearsal schedule unfeasible for her. Now... in hindsight, she felt more at home abroad than back home, where she's staked out a career for so long and is now considered an 'elder stateswoman' of sorts, even amongst younger living legends like Dejan Mlakar and Josipa Milas. She was, by virtue of her tenacity and her survival, almost peerless in the industry. By virtue of that peerlessness, she felt almost alien in her own country.

Dorotea's career is one that is marked with detours. She started off her career at the tender age of 12 years old, where she was a local singer in the early days of Izmedu's conception as even a nation-state. Her inflection for sass and her ferocity even as a young teen made her something of a local sensation in the as-of-yet forming city of Vodiznad. She grew up alongside Izmedu itself, becoming a known and persistent presence even as the country suffered transitioning from a state to a republic. She was able to side-step the dictatorship through maintaining a decade of being a performer, not necessarily a creative artist. In the Damjan dictatorship, Dorotea was a stunning, vocally acrobatic, and emotive performer that grasped at the public attention of Izmeduans and laid the foundation that even legends like Josipa Milas would emulate when Izmedu as a country matured from a fledgling republic.

It was when Dorotea reached her late 20s was where she began to expand her ventures. She was something of an infamous omniglot during her argued 30 year-career peak in the business. She was a popular fixture in VodiFest, was always on the hunt for Izmeduan standards to cover, and started to really pump out her music production. She was known for the torchlight Izmeduan ballad. Her vocals were husky and yet strong, and she sang with the kind of pained heartbreak and sadness, delivered with a stately elegance, that marked the old kind of vocal pop in the Izmeduan dictatorship. She was at once an actress, hostess of VodiFest itself, and even once tried to break into radio hosting. However, even during her career peak, these ventures often resulted in failure, humiliation, sometimes both, and sometimes even the repeated threats of her career ending.

At age 38, she found that her record deal was swept under the rug and having been faced with a career flop. Her younger self was savvy enough to use her name as a cachet to be able to hustle to a much smaller record deal, but in many ways Dorotea overworked and overwhelmed herself. Her tenacity reached a breaking point where all she ever focused on for the next 10 to 15 years was simply her career. She performed and toured around Izmedu almost constantly and was always recording 'something,' her roles in acting were variable in quality. She was an industry wildcard in Izmeduan entertainment. When Dorotea was good, the material was sublime and was an instant classic. When Dorotea wasn't so good... It was clear that she wasn't, and she would often find herself working just that little bit harder to be able to get herself back on her feet.

She was falling behind when her contemporaries were gunning ahead in their singing careers. It all culminated into a nervous breakdown and near-death experience for Dorotea at the age of 55. The stress that touring, singing, and acting led her to have undergone a forced break. She lost her singing voice, which then led to a hospitalization, which then snowballed into a brutal prognosis of the wear and tear that Dorotea forced upon herself. If Dorotea continued to work in her current pace, it's likely she wouldn't have even lived to see her 60s. That was reflected by the fact that once Dorotea reached her 50s, it was clear from colleagues and friends that she was exhausted. She was unable to put her all into any project and hadn't had a shining moment.

That was the moment where she realized that enough is enough, and what led to her finding the basis of the kind of 'stateswoman'-esque figure that she fashions herself to be. It was a life shift that was many years in the making, but as Izmedu transitioned from dictatorship to democratic republic, Dorotea found it befitting that she'd enter her 60s with much less of a focus on being out there. The name and the brand that she created in terms of quality was tattered, but at the same time... She was slowly coming to terms with what she created and staked out for herself. It sounded silly to her mind, but the fact that she now let herself take life day by day... was almost a miracle for the constant work she put in on herself. She took the slowness and the newfound peace without any sort of guilt. It was then that she found the panache to be able to re-establish herself.

No more of the constant touring, no more of scatter-shot appearances in media. She wanted to focus on the one thing that kept her sane... Those old torch ballads she did in Izmeduan, where she honed and zoned in on her vocals and her emotions. She made a comfortable living for the next 20 years doing so, starting after she was able to recover her voice. It wasn't quite the explosive, high falsetto, or seductive voice that she was used to being able to tour around with. Her register was much lower now, but also wizened and more expressive than she was used to. As Izmeduan music history fades to the record books and its glories are celebrated, so too did her profile.

Her road to the World Hit Festival and the song, 'Maja pisma,' rose when she turned 80 years old. By the time she became Izmedu's oldest living artist, her career crystallized enough to which she became one of the three singers ever to be honored by the Izmeduan president (receiving the Izmeduan Order of Merit), an honor that rarely, if ever, goes to Izmeduan artists. She was lucky so far, but she knew that mortality and time were limited for her. She was shocked when the contest headed for Polumisec back in 41, and bringing alongside a trusted friend (Nenad Niksic), proposed to perform for the contest. A health scare prevented the World Hit Festival appearance from occurring without Dorotea risking her health.

Of course, this time around, she had to travel. She knew performing at home would've been an easier thing to do, but Dorotea wanted to take one last risk... She didn't know what it was about getting older that made her even more energetic, but she didn't want to turn down the chance again. Three editions later, a refinement of Maja pisma's message, and Pavao Sintic's retirement as the Izmeduan head of delegation later... Maybe being in Jefferton was the right call instead of performing in Polumisec.

Being at home felt too safe. Here... she felt free again. She felt those same vibrant emotions that she experienced in her career peak whenever a venture and record went well. That feeling of adventure...

As it was Izmedu's turn, she held Nenad's hand as she was gently led by him onto the stage. She'd normally be a little bit flummoxed at being guided, but she didn't want to sever or spoil the moment.

And... she smiled.

Stage lights billowed down to the center at the advent of the Izmeduan entry. The Uptown Arena flashed with a blinding white light that simmered to a darkness. The crowd cheer lessened as econds passed, with gentle lights coming on that would herald the beginning of the entry. The audio track began to play... A haunting sound would slowly wade through the Uptown Arena, as a spotlight began to flash on the B-stage of the arena. A gentle guitar would then begin to serve as the instrumentation to the song, with the camera slowly panning around the stage. Dorotea was then slowly exposed to the audience at Anollasia and to the television viewers at home. As the instrumental intro progressed, the solemn melody coincided with a closer view of Dorotea herself. Her eyes were closed as she gingerly grasped the microphone stand right in front of her. She opened her eyes to gaze at the audience with a wistful smile. At that moment, she felt the cue in her in-ear ring, and it was time to sing...

Jamo se smijem
Kraj mag života
L'aura prolaze
Maja nostalgija
Udahnem prendam
El putovanje
Kraj je blizu
Ah, I maju cru

For the verse, that simple guitar would quiet down for a gentle piano. Dorotea sang with a simple yet heavy cadence, her voice ringing out with the kind of aged huskiness that belied the experience she was bringing to the stage. While her body was static, her face and hands were almost active. The expression turned from a wistfulness to one of nostalgic contentment, her voice smoothening the cadence. At the second half of the verse, the guitar was once more prominent, mixing itself with the gentle piano as a soft build-up. The camera would focus on her for the entire verse, focusing on primarily catching the expressions. She locked the camera into place with her gaze, reaching out with a tentative hand at the end of the first verse.

Kako slavim kad sutra dođe
I nema je
Nalazim el rasaun biti sretan
U muziku

For the pre-chorus, the camera would slowly shift views from the front to the side. It emphasized that feeling of nostalgia and reflection. The light configuration was allowed for the camera views to emphasize her face, her gaze and expression looking just a touch more haunting with the white lights reflecting off of her visage. She sang with an almost a quiet determination, nodding her head forward as she looked to almost ponder the very questions she was singing. In two lines, Dorotea looked almost tense, and for the latter half, she subtly relaxed. She gently held the microphone as the camera faded back to a frontal view of her face, with her smiling as she ended the pre-chorus. The lights would coalesce slightly as the instrumentation paused for just one brief second...

Pivam maja pisma ljubaura, durim sve svoje
Pivam maja pisma života, ona je vična
Mui ju sam u miru, jer sam fenaio maj posao
To je kraj i početak

The lights would gently lap down towards Dorotea's direction, with nary a special effect on the screens or on the stage in sight. The camera focused primarily on Dorotea's deliver as she delivered the chorus with a subtle yet impassioned vocal tone. From the way she edged forward on the microphone to her earnest expression, she was fully invested into the song's message of at peace. The camera would fade between various camera angles as the song's gentle instrumentation intensified just slightly. The piano and guitar-led production was then further buttressed with a background drum and bass, complimenting Dorotea's emotional vocals. The way she carried herself was almost story-teller esque, as if she was singing this song to someone right in front of her, willing for them to take whatever they can get from the song should they so desire. She would then hang back slightly at the last line, timing herself to the instrumentation's softening as the camera once more concentrated on her. She looked up to the ceiling as she sang out the last line, smiling towards and holding her chest with her free hand. She visibly breathed and looked almost giddy as the camera would pan out and focus on the entire stage for just a brief moment, before focusing on the main stage.

To sam napravio
Sve maje progreške
Fatalne kortal
Tražim samo oprost
Ne mogu živiti
Jamo predugo
Da scora vrimena, ili se izbugim

For the second verse, Nenad Niksic was revealed. He was situated behind a piano, revealed to have been the one leading the piano-led parts of the song. He smiled sadly at the camera as it focused on him, stage spotlights descending upon him to register his presence further to the audience. Much like Dorotea, he carried on a similar sense of an almost overwhelming nostalgia to the proceedings, but the tone was much more indicative of regret. He sang the first four lines of the second verse with a latent sadness in his eyes, reflecting upon the remorseful lyrics. Unlike Dorotea, he deliberately avoided the camera's gaze, often being seen looking into the side as the camera concentrated on him and his piano playing. While his voice was just a bit more powerful than Dorotea's, he kept his vocals mostly at the low, sorrowful tone. At the fifth line of the verse, the vocals and camera switched back to Dorotea, representing a shift in tone both lyrics and delivery wise. There was a sense of optimism twinkling in her eyes as she focused on the camera's gaze, following it when the view was right in front of her. She was swooning to the audience and shaking her head slightly at certain lines. She would then angle her head a little bit sideways at the end of the verse, acknowledging Nenad's presence in her own subtle way.

Moram veneći do izraza sa životom
Nalazim da jamo cilu sam
Slobodan sam...

This was the first moment in the song where their vocals finally joined together. They sang this pre-chorus with a heightened sense of urgency and yet a calmness of an acceptance, as if both singers were realizing a long-held revelation. Nenad's vocals would drive home the harmony, while Dorotea maintained that warm huskiness to her tone. The lights would intensify just a bit more as the camera did a special effect where the feeds would organically mix their individual views together in real time, emphasizing the feeling of the duet even if they were separated. They both looked toward the audience as the pre-chorus ended, knowing the song would only get more emotional from here on out.

Pivam maja pisma ljubaura, durim sve svoje
Pivam maja pisma života, ona je vična
Mui ju sam u miru, jer sam fenaio maj posao
To je kraj i početak

The lights were shining as brightest as they could, the camera views alternating between both singers as they passionately sang the chorus. What turned from a peaceful acceptance was now almost an impassioned acknowledgment of what their (especially Dorotea) lives have become. Dorotea held her chest as she sang, letting her vocals soar a little bit and doing some vocal inflections while Nenad was the one leading the harmonies. Nenad's delivery itself was emotional, his eyes closed as his free hand balled up into a fist from the way he sang the chorus. They remained singing the song together throughout this whole chorus, both of them nodding towards each other the entire time. At the end of the chorus, the camera would catch their almost-determined expressions, singing that last line almost as a mantra. The song didn't let up or go gentle as the chorus ended, with the camera pulling back to a view of the whole stage.

Pivam maja pisma ljubaura, Pivam maja pisma života

This was the climax of the song. Surrounding the reprise of the two lines of the chorus, the instrumentation and the stage lights were as going to be as dramatic as they'd come for this song. The camera would pan out for the brief moment that the instrumentation swelled to its most dramatic point, with Nenad visibly vocalizing in the background. Then, for a brief moment, Nenad and Dorotea would sing their respective lines. Nenad gave it his all in his delivery of that one line, and Dorotea would have her brief turn for the second line. They pushed their voices and bodies as far as they can go, and once those lines were done... Both of them stepped and held back as the camera took a survey of the entire stage. The camera would start from Dorotea's position and slowly pan out as the instrumentation swooned to its most highest and dramatic heights. The lights would gently move upwards throughout this. The camera would eventually go back to Dorotea, with her hands visibly shaking and her eyes tearing up as the instrumentation neared its close...

Pivam maja pisma ljubaura
La pisma nade

Dorotea and Nenad delivered the first line together, with Dorotea taking the lead on the vocal and letting out a powerful belt. The lights would then darken at the second line, the instrumentation paring back as the camera closed up on Dorotea. The emotions had overtaken her, but she never let them compromise her vocals. Even with emotional eyes, her vocals lilted upwards for a graceful finish to the climax. Now, it was time for the song's gentle outro...

Jamo se smijem
Kraj mag života
L'aura prolaze
Jamo sam u miru

She smiled throughout this entire outro, repeating the very first lines of the song as a book-end. She smiled to the camera as she sang, her face tilted and her expression growing at the progression of each line. There was a gentle guitar supporting her vocals as he sang this at just a slightly higher key, representing the turn from a resigned nostalgia to a true acceptance of living out one's final days. In her mind, Dorotea was grateful for the time she had left, and these last few lines were a celebration of being in this contest and singing her heart out. Her eyes closed when she ended the entry, stepping back as the lights darkened.

Like the old days, Dorotea did a slight bow when the lights came on. She caught Nenad's gaze and both gave a gentle embrace on the stage, both bowing together.

They walked away from the stage, with Dorotea smiling throughout.

by **Fromulya** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:20 pm

Fromulya
Permatasari Putri Ali Rahayumangun - Kuingin Nasi Padang
Title translation: I want Nasi Padang
Language(s): Indonesian
Lyrics: Permatasari Putri Ali Rahayumangun
Music: Ali Mangunkusumo, Sri Putriningsih Sulistyowati, Yohanes Martin Suryadiputra
Tune: Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng — Tante Lien

When Sari, full name Permatasari Putri Ali Rahayumangun, came to a Western country to study, she was perhaps not the most prepared to adjust her lifestyle. Yes, she knew things were different on that other side of the world, but she did not fully realize what this meant until experiencing all those little things.

Although she has completed classes in December and will formally graduate in May, she wanted to express how she felt in a creative way. With the help of her father, songwriter Ali Mangunkusumo, and a few of his friends, together they produced this song. In it, Sari sings of how she misses Nasi Padang, a traditional rijsttafel-style form of dining where several dishes are laid on a table, and you only pay for what you eat. Of course, food has many cultural and psychological implications to someone's life quality, so Putri thought that this was the best way to express her yearning.

The song became viral, and since Sari wasn't doing anything anyway (she had finished all her classes and was waiting to graduate), she decided to submit this song to Televisi Republik Fromulya (TVRF) to be considered for the World Hit Festival. And she got through.

For the occasion, she wore a simple batik skirt with a black top. It's what all the Indonesian female youth are wearing these days, it's the kind of look they pull off when they want to feel a bit cultural/patriotic while staying in style.

As the song began, Sari walked on stage dragging a wheeled suitcase with her, making facial expressions expressing discomfort with her new environment.

Ketika ku ke mancanegara ‘tuk merantau
Tak ada yang bilang hidup tak s’perti di pulau
Di sini banyak salju, udaranya dingin
Dan makanan yang ada tak ada yang ku ingin

In the background screen, as she mentioned the foods in this next part, they appeared on the screen.

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

She opens her suitcase and pulls a bunch of big cards with pictures on them. Each card's picture corresponds to a food mentioned in this next part below.

Ketupat, sate kambing, menghilangkan cemas
Tapi ku rindu bumbu terasi yang pedas
Kue lapis, lemper, risol, rebus singkong dan bakpao
Manisnya gula jawa, itu yang aku mau

She gets up and walks around. Again, all the foods mentioned appear on the screen.

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

She arrives at a picnic table, where she reluctantly takes a seat. On the table are a plate of sandwiches, a salad, a steak, and a dish that's covered.

Lama-lama aku terbiasa makan roti
Dan lambat laun ku bisa menyesuaikan diri
Ku santap sayur salad, dan ada juga bistik
Tetap ku kangen rendang, itulah yang terbaik

She opens the covered dish and to her surprise, it's rendang! The delicious beef curry gets her excited to sing the last chorus.

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

Kuingin nasi Padang
Dengan ayam bakar
Dan sambel dan kerupuk
Dan kelapa muda segar

She gets up and walks to the front of the stage. As the song ends, she thanks the audience, saying "Thank you, terima kasih!" before taking a bow and leaving the stage for the next entrant.

by **Kalosia** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 3:03 pm

Kalosia
Rafael Tunisi - Aržentu
Title translation: Silver
Language(s): Kalosian
Lyrics: Stefanu Marseľanu, Rafael Tunisi
Music: Basil Fonseka, Fabian Kawagutši, Sebastianu Korsu, Antoniu Merkator, Rafael Tunisi
Tune: Flamingo — Kenshi Yonezu

2 years after his participation at the 31st World Hit Festival, Rafael Tunisi is back! The 20-year old who previously represented Kalosia with "Rikordal Me" has won the Festival dele Melodie Kalosiane once again.

This time, it is not a self-written song he will be performing. But because of the collaboration between different songwriters and producers, the result is one-of-a-kind. Composer Fabian Kawagutši, who is of partial Japanese descent, introduced singing styles that he became familiar with growing up, to the song. Overall, though, the polished piece gives off a very modern and distinct sound.

Tunisi is now in his second year at the Monterra Academy of the Arts (AAM) majoring in Music Composition and Production. Although all of his friends and colleagues at the institution are musicians, the other songwriters behind "Aržentu" are professionals from his record label, and although he himself is studying to become a producer, he played a more minor role in the songwriter process as he did not want this project to interfere too much with his studies.

For the performance in Jefferton, Anollasia, he wore an interesting look consistent with his urban style — a leather jacket, underneath it a shirt in floral print, with grid-pattern pants, and a hat.

As the song begins, the background screens display an urban scape. Rafael is seen on the platform at the back of the stage. He slowly makes his way down as the camera follows him from the front, while he begins to sing.

Le note fride, strati di rope
Tiu tesoru da mi lë kalor u kestë oskurita
Polsu le nove sensažioni
Insemë tu e ja, noj skrivamu kestë storia

U oñu kilo kestë awtu ralënta
Ma la notë në standu pju ǧuvanë
Stamu kopriti da la kopertë nerë
Pošemu tšerkarë pële stele ul tšelu
Ma ja në troveru rëspostë tia

By now, Rafael had made it to the bottom of the stage, and did a few dance moves to the rhythm of the song (think Justs at Eurovision 2016).

Ma au un a-a-a-aržentu
Gwadñu solu un a-a-a-aržentu
Voľevu kelu l’o-l’o-l’oru kë tu luj da
E penšavu kë
Eru lë meľor u toji oki
Poj ditševi kë
Da ti bašari pju grandi

One could hear what appeared to be odd sounds, they were part of the mix. That was Rafael's idea particularly.
He did a few more dance moves; sudden movements while slowly walking. Then continued to walk as the camera followed in front of him. Rafael seemed more interested in engaging with the audience at home than the audience in the arena.

Pežitu la penë, përduto mia fedë
Ur sapu kë tu voľevu solu miu premio
Penšavu kë stavamu kaminandu
Ma erë unë garë kë tu kaševu da mi

U oñu kilo kestë awtu ralënta
Ma la notë në standu pju ǧuvanë
Stamu kopriti da la kopertë nerë
Pošemu tšerkarë pële stele ul tšelu
Ma ja në troveru rëspostë tia

Rafael started making his way down the catwalk.

Ma au un a-a-a-aržentu
Gwadñu solu un a-a-a-aržentu
Voľevu kelu l’o-l’o-l’oru kë tu luj da
E penšavu kë
Eru lë meľor u toji oki
Poj ditševi kë
Da ti li bašari grandi

As he reached the satellite stage, a black-and-white filter was faded in (so the audience at home didn't see it in colour) while Rafael slowly started to kneel.

La nevë kade dal tšelu kestë notë
Ma ja në au tia amurë per tenerë
Poj sederu ki solu u l’oskurita
E laša miu koru a želarë, žatšarë

The middle eight was perhaps where Rafael appeared to sing most passionately. As it continued, it seemed as if he were praying.

Se në fosë tiu primu, perkiz në diše mi?
Sarebë pju meľor se në komenšimu
Se në fosë tiu primu, perkiz në diše mi?
Sarebë pju meľor per evitarë lë dolor

He slowly got up. In the first line of the next, the filter was quickly removed as everything burst into colour. Now he began to interact with the audience, giving them high fives as he made his way back to the main stage.

Ma au un a-a-a-aržentu
Gwadñu solu un a-a-a-aržentu
Voľevu kelu l’o-l’o-l’oru kë tu luj da

Eru lë meľor u toji oki
Poj ditševi kë
Da ti li bašari grandi

As the backing singers sang this last part, he slowly walked to the back of the stage, but not climbing the platform.

Voľevu kelu l’oru kë tu luj da, në kestu aržentu
Voľevu kelu l’oru kë tu luj da, në kestu aržentu

He quickly turned to the crowd again and crossed his arms — the final frame.

As the song ended, the crowd cheered. Rafael finally broke from his pose and said "Thank you Jefferton, love you all!", bowing and waving his hands to the audience, as he then walked away as it was time for the next entry.

World Hit Festival 44 - Jefferton, Anollasia | Draft Thread

World Hit Festival 44 - Jefferton, Anollasia | Draft Thread

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