BVC | 47th World Hit Festival | Kyvivre, Britonisea

[Britonisea]

11 KALMARLUND
Linus Eriksson - Path to Exile

Trigramme: KML
Translation of Title:
Language: English
Music: Arnold Karlsson
Lyrics: Linus Eriksson
Tune:Woodkid - ''Iron'' (Alternative Link)

Postcard Music

Kalmarlund returns to the World Hit Festival after taking a break themselves for a single edition. Kalmarlund is another nation that is relatively close to the World Hit Festival 47 hosts, Britonisea, with the two sharing an ocean together with it being a straight forward flight between Kalmarlund and Britonisea. BVC were excited that Kalmarlund would return to the World Hit Festival in the nation’s cultural capital. They participated in the World Hit Festival 45 where the nation finished 13th place with 7 points before deciding to take a break from the competition - like many nations tonight. With many fans from Kalmarlund in the audience tonight, it is expected that the nation will receive huge reception in the hall and going into their postcard, they most certainly did! The first thing that we saw was the model Tim who was stroking the side of a horse delicately…

One of the most important animals in Britonisea are horses with horses being known regionally and now internationally as one of the very things that represents Britonisea. For Linus, he was going to experience that. Tim quickly snapped out of the pose he was in and walked out into a field where he gave a handshake to the Kalmarlund representative before the camera turned around them both to expose a huge stable full of horses. Tim and Linus both walked up to a horse before letting it out. Tim told Linus to hop onto the horse with Linus looking back at Tim with an awkward expression before giving in and accepting. Soon after, we saw Linus on that horse with Tim holding the rope which was tied to the horse. Linus didn't seem as though he was in his comfort zone, but tried to be the dove above the water (if that's a phrase), seemingly acting as though he wasn't phased by the up and down of the horse's gait.

Tim started to run a bit, with Linus holding tight onto the horse. The Britonish team decided to make the audio heard here over the postcard music with Linus screaming slightly as Tim laughed and only ran a bit faster. Tim ran towards a hurdle, with the horse jumping over. Tim shrieked as the horse jumped over the small hurdle. Tim then bought the horse back to the stable, laughing until he was crying with Linus holding onto the horse still shocked. Linus jumped off the horse and embraced Tim with the man still laughing. After a while, the pair walked off with the picture of the horse being featured in the postcard for Kalmarlund....

[Britonisea]

Tune for Kalmarlund

Linus Eriksson (26 years old) is a Kalmarlundian singer from Strömby. He represents Kalmarlund in the 47th World Hit Festival with his song ''Path to Exile.''

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Stage design throughout the performance is rather minimalistic, with Linus standing on the stage wearing a white tank top and brown sweatpants. The stage is rather dark with beams of warm light running across the stage and arena throughout the performance.

Deep in misery, been ran away
Now I am walking my own way
Oceans away from home, I follow a path
Tired and injured, I am...

A traveller on a road that leads nowhere
I'm walking through the swamps, no fear
Only the pain that hurts in my heart
A new life but where do I start

During the break, Linus lowers his head and when it's time for him to sing again, he raises his head again and continues singing.

The sound of birds that sing above my head,
The sound that I hardly even hear
Over the mountains across river fords
I am condemned, not a ward

From the dawn to night to the morning light
From day to day I fight
I recall the faces of my companions
The ones I decided to betray

Linus looks up to the ceiling and lets the light beams slide across his face.

A traveller on a road that leads nowhere
I'm walking through the swamps, no fear
Having lost the hope I can only smile
I'm walking on the path to exile

The song ends with Linus lowering his head and looking to the ground. The audience applauds and Linus thanks them for that: ''Thank you!''. It was now time for Mercedini to perform in what is a passage of Novapax nations...

[Britonisea]

12 MERCEDINI
NiiNA - "Open Air"

Trigramme: MRC
Language: English
Music: N. Pesconti, M. Cartei
Lyrics: N. Pesconti, L. Leonra, K. ze Lowra
Tune: Simone Emilie - "Anywhere"

Postcard Music

Performing now is Mercedini, one of Britonisea's closest friends who it shares a region with. Mercedini has won the World Hit Festival a couple of times already with them hoping that they will strike gold in the Britonish Cultural Capital that is Kyvivre. Mercedini also understands the struggles of hosting the World Hit Festival, hosting a successful edition of the Junior edition instead of hosting the senior versions when given the chance. Mercedini returns to the World Hit Festival after a break, with many fans making the assumption that ENM's decision to come back might be because Britonisea is hosting - while others believe that Mercedini is feeling very patriotic in the run up to the World Cup - which they intend to win. As the screens got ready for Mercedini, we were joined on the terrace by Dimitri J who smiled at the camera as we got to him. He was wearing a dashing pink outfit, which was fairly noticeable. Dimitri got up and walked out of the room inviting the camera to come inside.

Here, Mercedinian star, NiiNA, would experience The Grand Pink Ball which takes place in Junteräpten. The Grand Pink Ball is a prestigious ball that is usually open to the elite where people can dance the night away - for a good cause as they are fundraising for those who need help the most. Dimitri walked through his hotel room and over the hall to the one opposite him and knocked on the door and waited patiently for a second. At around 11 seconds, NiiNA opened the door to her hotel room and came out wearing this pink beautiful dress that you can see below actually. The camera focuses on Dimitri who gives her a thumbs up before taking her hand.

At 24 seconds, the pair get into the lifts, both looking at each other with the camera focusing on certain areas of clothing on both NiiNA and Dimitri, such as his watch or her shoes. By the time it was 32 seconds, the pair walked out of the lift with them being greeted by 100s of people in a room decorated in pink. She looked at him before running into the middle of the dancefloor with Dimitri smiling as she ran into the middle. Dimitri soon joined her, with a small montage of them dancing soon following. At the end of the postcard, an establishing shot of the ball was shown with the information being shown on the postcard.

It was the turn of Mercedini to now shine on the stage - good luck to them!

[Britonisea]

Tune for Mercedini

Following a national search by Mercedinian national broadcaster ENM, in conjunction with the Mercedinian Football Association, twenty-two year old singer-songwriter NiiNA was announced as the act selected for the 47th World Hit Festival, with her song 'Open Air'. A late addition to the participants list in Kyvivre, ENM executives cited the success of Mercedinian music abroad and previous victory at the WorldVision Song Contest prompted a return to the contest for the nation in blue and black. A number of high-profile vocalists were anticipated to be announced, but the Zoloroni-native beat out competition in the hundreds of eligible artists to secure her name and song as the Mercedinian representative.



NiiNA was present for the opening match of the 82nd World Cup campaign, where she headlined of the pre-match entertainment, singing 'Open Air' in the Zoloroni Sports City Stadium in front of nearly 75,000 fans before the home match against Lisander. It was the first iteration of what has been tipped to be a regular occurrence for Mercedinian music featured in the World Cup ethos, with fans and musicians hoping it would expand the knowledge and awareness of Mercedinian music in competing nations. With World Cup Qualifications secured last edition, songs to capture the imagination of a nation will return shortly for the start of 83rd World Cup campaign, while previous anthemic singer NiiNA moves onto the World Hit Festival, as she sings in Kyvivre with her song 'Open Air'.

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The lights in the Kyvivre go dim as the crowd cheers for the opening chords of the song. A single spotlight is placed upon a black piano which is being played by a young male in a black suit, the camera pans over to NiiNA who is slowly walking towards the centre of the stage. The surrounding expanse of the crowd has been lit up with the lights of phones from all around the arena, which is captured as the camera sweeps around NiiNA in the centre of a small stage. The small instrumental piece after the end of the first verse lights up the rest of the stadium in many different colours, causing a rainbow effect in the crowd beneath her and in the stands.

Baby, can you take away everything so it's us two
We can turn the page and make it feel brand new
Playing all the same games

NiiNa now walks along the front of the stage where excited crowds are situated beneath her as they wave their flags and film the Mercedinian performance with their smart phones, the feeling of familiarity takes over NiiNA as she begins to relax in the surroundings of a friendly crowd. The stadium microphones pick up a growing movement as the crowd begin to clap along to the song, NiiNA smiles as she hears the audience encourage her from all sides, with even some fans of other nationalities enjoying the music as the camera pans along the many faces that line the outskirts of the stadium, this song has been a hit before, meaning all of the fans know the words and the melodies enough to sing along. A single spotlight tracks her movement towards the stage as the second verse comes to end.

When all around are crashing, can you lift me up?
When we're on a high, I don't want it to stop
We can move it forward, but we ain't got time

The circular stage glows in a series of different colours as lights as NiiNA turns to face the front camera in the arena, which is broadcasting to many different television sets not just in Mercedini, but in millions that are watching the festival from around the multiverse. The flowing white dress reflects the numerous colours that are emitted from the stage as it sways delicately in the stadium breeze. As the pre-chorus comes to an end, the footage fades to black to begin the choreography for the chorus, not before NiiNA blows a kiss to the camera.

Oh-ooh-oh-ooh-oh
They sometimes say that it's a waste of time
When pressure's high, that's when we grow-ooh-oh-ooh-oh
Look to the stars and when we both just look around...

The ArenaKyvivre stage floor is lit up with colour as the chorus plays out around the arena. The projection originally begins from the circular platform which the performer is standing on, and slowly spreads out to engulf the expanse of the audience, which is rewarded with a large cheer from the crowd. A camera elevated above the crowd begins to slowly sweep forward from the stands towards the centre of the stage as the Mercedinan performer reaches her arm out towards the camera as it flies past to cover take in the rest of the stands which are illuminated in a deep blue, representing the Mercedinian colours in a patriotic nod to the national colours. Not that the locals would mind too much.

We can breathe the open air (mmmm)
Let us fly through open air (mmmm)

The beat finally kicks in to the song as NiiNA switches the song's language to her native Mercedinian, with subtitles on screen for international viewers who many not be able to follow the foreign lyrics. A number of lights from around the arena light up and converge on the performer in the centre of the stage. She walks around the edge a manned-camera moves up onto the stage and circles NiiNA, capturing the waving lights in the stands and the colours which are mixing in with each other to form a technicolour pitch beneath her feet.

Mi fai del mio meglio, veru
C'e una lunga strada da percorreru
Ogni giorno sgna il potenziale
Sogna grande, vai avanti

I'd try my best for us, will you?
There is a long road ahead of us
Everyday I dream of the potential [we have]
Dream big, move forward

A number of dancers now grace the pitch as they move their way towards the stage, where the Mercedinian vocalist has already taken a knee with the colour draining out of the performance. The camera footage cuts to a small orchestra in the rear portion of the ArenaKyvivre stage, just out of sight from the audience, before NiiNA returns and it slowly rising to her feet for the beginning of the second chorus. She clutches her heart as white lights fill in the picture, acting as a transition for the second chorus.

Oh-ooh-oh-ooh-oh
They sometimes say that it's a waste of time
When pressure's high, that's when we grow-ooh-oh-ooh-oh
Now here's our chance, this is a moment you can't miss.

A more upbeat start to the second colours, as a second round of colours fills the arena and begins to blead into the stands as the twenty-thousand or so audience members all hold up white bracelets which allows the colours to be transmitted digitally away from them and be seen more vividly from an aerial angle as the camera sweeps forward once again. Coloured lights flash around the stadium to add the production value of the performance, making it a special moment for the young Mercedinian performer and those in Kyvivre, making it feel like a party atmosphere inside the arena.

We can breathe the open air (mmmm)
Let us fly through open air (mmmm)

We can breathe the open air (mmmm)
Let us fly through open air (mmmm)

The colour fades away once again as NiiNA walks forward from the main stage and onto the very front edge of the stadium, just in front of the audience members waving their arms for the performance, she turns her back to them and gives the viewers at home a more intimate performance, with the Mercedinian singing into the camera with twenty thousand spectators behind her, clapping and singing along in this magical three minutes for the young performer. NiiNA offers her hand to the camera before the camera fades to black for the third and final chorus.

We've been here for centuries
Growing strong from who we meet
We've been here for centuries
Growing strong from you

NiiNA belts out her note in front of tens of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers as the audience explodes into colour, with sparks flying from the stage and around the arena in a mini-festival of light and colour. The audience lifts their bracelets once again to transmit more colour back at the camera flying around the stadium. This time, the national colours of all competing nations swoop around the audience, creating a little window for each nation to be represented, with the blue and black of Mercedini most recognisable to the performer, but the blue, red, orange and white panel in the centre of the audience receives a small cheer when it appears on the arena-screens, reflecting the TV performance that millions are seeing at home.

We can breathe the open air, yeah
Let us fly through open air (mmmm)

We can breathe the open air
Open air to fly through

The Mercedinian flag settles in the stand behind NiiNA as the performance draws to a close. NiiNA offers her hand to the camera for one final time to the camera as she sings the final line of the song. The colour drains from the stadium following the three-minute performance which officially marks the return of Mercedini in international contests. The Mercedinian performer cracks a smile as the crowd erupts into loud cheers and chants as she waves to her fans around the arena and thanking them in her native Mercedinian, "Grazije Mercedinia, Grazije Bretonezia. Andiamo!". With the next performance only moments away, the crowd waves goodbye to NiiNA as she soaks in the final moments of her performance, she couldn't have sung it any better than that. The next nation to perform on the World Hit Festival stage is Togonistan...

[Britonisea]

13 TOGONISTAN
Marco Cobra & DJ Striker - Rising Sun

Trigramme: TGN
Translation of Title:
Language: English
Music: DJ Striker
Lyrics: Marco Cobra
Tune: Headhunterz - ''Orange Heart''

Postcard Music

Togonistan is certainly bound to get one of the largest applause in the whole of the arena tonight as they return to the World Hit Festival that is being held here in Kyvivre, Britonisea. Togonistan is viewed very highly in the country with the nation being one that Britonisea regularly trades with and visit with Togonistan being a top tourist destination for Brits despite it’s distance halfway across the region. Togonistan, while it hasn’t won or hosted the World Hit Festival as of yet has been rather active in the World Hit Festival-sphere, with them recently hosting the 5th edition of the World Hit Festival rather successfully. It was nice to see Togonistan participating in the World Hit Festival in Britonisea with BVC withdrawing from the Junior World Hit Festival held in Togonistan with the Britonish broadcaster not expecting them to return as a result. However, BVC had its reasons and support this time around was more important than being petty. Togonistan had picked #20 to be their postcard, with them travelling to Quickenden to meet model Timothy K. who would take them bowling…

Now while you might think that bowling is a bit boring, we are talking about TENPIN QUICKENDEN here! We wouldn’t just take them to any old bowling place - the one in Quickenden is one of the largest bowling alleys in the country with lanes on multiple floors and sceneries. TENPIN Quickenden is also one of the only places in the nation to offer hundred-pin bowling too, but it doesn’t ring as well as the name Tenpin. Regardless, the business makes millions in revenue and is a great drawing point to coming to Quickenden for holiday or pure entertainment. As seen at the start of the postcard, Timothy K was holding a bowling ball with him turning around and rolling the ball hitting a strike. Marco Cobra was standing behind the camera, with him applauding Timothy’s efforts when the camera turned to face him. The pair met arms before it was time for Marco Cobra to take a shot. Marco tried his best but didn’t manage to emulate the success of Timothy but it didn’t quite work. As the postcard hit 20 seconds, Marco looked back at Timothy and clenched his teeth with Timothy rubbing Marco’s shoulder. The pair moved onto a different floor which looked rather different from the floor they were going on, with the pair going to a different scenery to complete their game…

A montage followed them as they went onto different floors with Timothy continuously hitting strikes whereas Marco wasn’t doing that. Though, at around 40 seconds they moved to the top floor with it being an astronomical theme and this time, Timothy didn’t get a strike but Marco did. The pair celebrated together before Marco threw one last ball out onto the bowling alley. The camera tracked it as it went down the path with the camera stopping and capturing the picture below. The audience came in cheering “TOGONISTAN. TOGONISTAN” with the Britonish audience excited for their good friends to perform…

It was time for Togonistan to take to the stage...would we see a Togonistani World Hit Festival soon being made?

[Britonisea]

Tune for Togonistan

Marco Cobra (real name: Rangi Faamoana) is a 21-year old Togonistani singer and social media star born in Hwoarang. He started singing at the age of 7, when his parents singed him up to a music-oriented school. During his school years, he was described by his classmates as a shy, introvert person. Rangi had social difficulties, which caused him to be dropped out of the school. His parents were deeply disappointed in him and as soon as he turned 18, Rangi decided to leave his home and move to Tushlark to study hairdressing. During his studies to become a hairdresser, he started posting hair tutorials to social media under his 'alter ego' Marco Cobra and started gaining fame through that. Eventually, Rangi finished his studies and had gathered enough money to open his own hair salon. It was at this time he also came out of the closet, revealing himself as bisexual. There were various reactions to that, with the majority of his fans being very supportive, yet there was a contingent of people who started online bullying him after that.

Having studied music before, he decided to write a song inspired by all this. He said that his goal was to ''raise empathy and understanding amongst the people.'' The message of his song, Rising Sun, is to not hide who you are and be proud about it. When writing the song, Marco teamed up with DJ Striker, a widely respected Togonistani EDM artist.

The stage is dark with Marco's silhouette being seen on the stage. As the music starts playing, a ray of reddish-gold light lands on Marco's face as the camera zooms up on him. Marco looks into the camera and starts singing the first verse, expressing some deep facial expressions while doing it. Throughout the verse, some orange free-form lines start forming on the huge background screen, starting from the bottom and branching out as if they were some sort of trees growing up. By the end of the verse, the huge screen is filled by those lines.

There's a beauty inside
You can no longer hide
Climb out from the box
Closed by society's locks
With the power of love
I can see my kingdom
Built up to the sky
where we see our rising sun

Stage lights up as the camera zooms out. Background screen has transformed into a mixture of orange-red colors with a big orange sun rising up. The arena is lit up on the orange-red color scheme and Marco can be seen in his full height singing on the stage. He is wearing an outfit consisting of a golden hoodie, a pair of tight golden leggings and a pair of white sneakers.

Up to the sky, see it go rise
Building it up, up
To the rising sun

LED lights on the ceiling screen start flashing in red light scheme to the rhythm of the music. On the large background screen, faces of people of various ages, races, genders etc. can be seen fading in and out through the overall red-orange color scheme.

Rising sun

Marco has his head lifted up as he is walking around on the stage with his arms open. Camera takes a few shots to the audience, showing them jumping up and down to the rhythm of the beat. Meanwhile, the background screen shows the orange sun again. In fact, the picture there zooms in on the sun and while doing it, the arena lights up more and more until, eventually, the sun fades out. The stage gets dark again and Marco can be seen sitting on the edge of the stage, being lit up by a single beam of light. He starts singing another verse as he bows towards a member of the audience. Looking deeply into the person's eyes, he sings the first two lines of the verse while gently touching the person's cheek.

Then, Marco stands up again and starts walking on the edge of the stage, doing a few hand gestures on the way. Eventually, he makes his way to the middle of the stage, where he stops and stands facing the audience. Camera focuses on him as he raises his arm up and looks up to the sky.

No longer have to hide
Whatever's on your mind
Without a single glare
We can all come to share
As this is our kingdom
We can go all sky high
'til we see the rising sun

Ceiling lights start flashing again to the rhythm of the music, as Marco bends his knees a bit and keeps singing. Background also starts to light up again in the red-orange color scheme.

Feel the power inside you
Time to unveil what is true
All together, it don't matter
How different we all are
It's our movement, it's our pride
To awake and come alive
It's provided, we can't hide it
Release the truth inside you

Lights flash on the arena for a moment. Marco stands up straight and does a set of hand gestures aimed at the audience. Orange sun on the background starts rising up again, lighting up the whole arena more and more. Camera zooms up on Marco for a moment and some tears can be seen dropping down his eyes, before the camera zooms out again and takes a far-away view of the stage.

Up to the sky, see it go rise
Building it up, up
To the rising sun
No need to hide
Stay side by side
Lighting a fire
This is our rising sun

Rising sun

Stage lights up even more as red and orange spotlights start rotating around the arena. Camera shows the grid ceiling for a moment, from where some sparking red pyrotechnics can be seen lighting up the arena even more. Meanwhile, Marco is walking around on the stage, bowing towards the crowd at the edge of the stage and doing various gestures to them, as if he was communicating with the crowd. A lot of the people at the arena can be seen dancing and for a brief moment, camera focuses on a pair of fans from Togonistan. They show the nation's flag while jumping up and down with a smile on their faces.

Eventually, as the music calms down, pyrotechnics stop and lights stop flashing as well. Instead, the bright red and orange light and color schemes slowly fades more into a gold-ish tone, before fading out completely and leaving the arena in darkness. Crowd starts cheering as the song ends. For a brief moment, the stage lights up again and Marco can be seen bowing to the audience and sending blow kisses to them. ''Thank you Kyvivre, thank you so so much!'' The audience's reaction followed straight into the next act - the host nation themselves...

[Britonisea]

14 BRITONISEA
Naomi Assan-Duke - Her Last Breath

Trigramme: BRI
Language: English, Britonish
Music: Tahafa Talagi
Lyrics: Naomi Assan-Duke
Tune: My Indigo - Where is My Love

Postcard Music

It was the time for the hosts of the World Hit Festival 47 to perform, with the audience cheering crazily for their nation that was about to perform. Many pundits expected Britonisea to host the 47th World Hit Festival even before the competition happened with those speculations skyrocketing by the time it was announced that Britonisea had won the 46th World Hit Festival. Britonisea had never turned down hosting the World Hit Festival, even picking up the responsibilities for the 35th World Hit Festival. This is the fifth time that Britonisea has hosted the World Hit Festival, the fourth time in thirteen editions with BVC refusing to turn down any hosting duty that comes to them especially during their overseership. It was a matter of picking which city should host the competition with BVC executives going for Kyvivre, which is allegedly BVC’s favourite city for hosting events such as the World Hit Festival. It marks 20 editions since Britonisea’s first-ever hosting in the same arena. The postcard was about to start with the model Britonisea was given being Markus Aaronson, who would also be the spokesperson for Britonisea come the time for voting...

The first shot was of the gorgeous Markus Aaronson doing push-ups in a park, sweating his behind off, ready for Naomi to join him. Wearing jogging bottoms and a loose t-shirt, we saw Naomi was jogging in the park, though she looked as though she wasn't really burning any calories - more of a leisurely run. She then ran towards the Outdoor Fitness Park in Kyvivre with Markus waiting for her. As she ran up and noticed the man doing push-ups, she tilted her head, lowkey inspecting his body. He suddenly popped up causing her to look down on the ground. She cheekily looked at the camera as she did this with Markus Aaronson looking at her with a smirk on his face. He tapped his watch, shaking his head to signify that she was late with her raising her shoulders showing that she didn't know about it. Suddenly she was told to do high-knees using the bar on the floor. She didn't seem like she wanted to do it but Markus, with his strong arms, pointed fiercely towards it, looking in a different way to where Naomi was. Naomi walks over.

As the postcard music intensifies, we see Naomi doing lots of different workouts with Naomi starting to sweat with her hair going all over the place in a montage. There was a section when Naomi accidentally laid her hand on Markus' arm before looking at the camera and smiling, taking that smile away as he looked at her. As the postcard went on, more and more people started to join her in the park and by the time the postcard had ended, the camera zoomed out to find multiple different people in the park. A huge audience sound was heard as the postcard stopped. Britonisea's name showed up on the screen...

How will the hosts do in the rankings of their largest World Hit Festival hosting? I guess we will have to find out...

[Britonisea]

Tune for Britonisea


You swept in and conquered all: Naomi is ready to break her silence at the World Hit Festival 47 in Kyvivre, Britonisea!

In what will be Britonisea's 11th consecutive participation at the World Hit Festival, Britonisea's hopes for yet another win lies with the talented Abjan singer, Naomi Assan-Duke, even after what has been a hectic build-up for the nation at the Festival.

At the World Hit Festival 46, it was the edition that Fabio McAlpine had organised to celebrate five editions since he took the reins of overseeing the World Hit Festival from Izmeduan Ivan Sandic. It was a glorious moment for Fabio and he was happy that there was an alright turn out to what was a divisive contest which resulted in some broadcasters not participating for that reason. Britonisea and BVC were unsure about what to send to that edition, with Guy Autriche not sure whether Britonisea should send something experimental and outlandish or send something that was safe and would get the nation in the top end of the scoreboard. Guy Autriche was good at making it work for Britonisea, with the nation always finishing on the left-hand side of the scoreboard since he became the Head of Delegation for Britonisea at the World Hit Festival. In the end, Guy Autriche decided to go for outlandish with Guy's intention for the Festival was "if we are going to flop, we might as well do it with noise and a huge bang!". The loud bang was in the shape of Doportedasian 22-year-old, Vhe Qí, who did not receive the best of responses when his song was released to the world. Critics thought that the entry by Britonisea at the 46th World Hit Festival was "unbritonish" and unlikeable. BVC had to respond to the critics of their decision, announcing that BVC wholeheartedly had faith in Vhe Qí and his ability to win the World Hit Festival. Though, despite BVC knowing that Vhe Qí had the ability to win the World Hit Festival, they were not prepared to actually go out and win the Festival. By the time it was the 46th World Hit Festival in Polumisec, Britonisea was not as much as a favourite as it usually was, with online commentary and TV stations' commentators being left rather speechless at the entry, Guy Autriche wondered how far Britonisea would fall in the placings. The voting started soon after all the songs performed, with Britonisea receiving quite a few points in Phase 1. By the time we reached the halfway point of Phase 1, with 33% of all points being given out, Britonisea was leading the way with 12 points. It wasn't odd for Britons to see Britonisea so high up on the scoreboard, with the nation being a familiar sight at the top as of late. As expected, Phase 1 ended with Britonisea not at the top, with the nation falling to 4th place behind Izmedu, Normandy and Picardy and Todlichebujoku - nations Britonisea is constantly in competition with for first place. The second phase was interesting for the nation, with two nations (Antahbrantahstan and Estogium) giving Britonisea 5 points, catapulting the nation into first place before it fell to fourth again with the other nations near the top overtaking Britonisea. Down to the last vote - Axuva - Britons were unsure as to whether Britonisea would win the contest or not it was finally revealed that Britonisea would win with 28 points - the same amount as Dean Boyst's win at the World Hit Festival 38. Britonisea took home their fourth win with their 26th effort...

It is fitting that Britonisea's 27th World Hit Festival will be held in Kyvivre, the heart of Britonish culture. Britonisea's lucky number is 27, with Britonisea's first hosting happening at the 27th World Hit Festival and with the now fourth contest happening on the 20th anniversary of Kyvivre '27, BVC wanted to bring the contest back to Kyvivre to host the competition. Kyvivre is one of BVC's favourite cities to host international song competition, with Kyvivre also having hosted the WorldVision Song Contest too making Kyvivre the only Britonish city to host an international song competition more than once (3 times). Kyvians are lucky that the Festival is coming back, with Arenakyvivre being lit up once again. BVC wanted to send an entry to the World Hit Festival that would live up to the hype of going to the Cultural Capital of the nation and they decided to go with Naomi Assan-Duke - an Abajan national.

ORIGINAL POST;

With Britonisea winning their 4th title in Izmedu, BVC is hosting for the second time in Kyvivre and fifth time overall. Abajan singer, Naomi Assan-Duke will fly the Britonish flag with a song loosely about the Britonish occupation of Abaja.

Britonisea's 27th participation at the World Hit Festival is being held in Kyvivre, which hosted the 27th World Hit Festival - 20 editions ago. Britonisea's BVC decided to host in Kyvivre once ago due to it being the anniversary since Britonisea's first-ever win and hosting of the World Hit Festival. BVC did not expect to win the World Hit Festival last edition, but it was a nice surprise for it to have happened and are more than delighted to bring the contest back to Britonisea with a hope that more nations will participate than the previous edition. This edition, BVC decided to take another large step by having Abajan singer, Naomi Assan-Duke representing Britonisea.

Abaja, a nation which gained independence from The Grand Britonish Kingdom in 1936 after the bloc divided, is a nation still heavily influenced by Britonish culture but is still quite different from Britonisea itself - Abaja was a part of The Grand Britonish Kingdom 1805 until 1936. The song, "Her Last Breath" in particular hints about why the Britonish occupied Abaja and how it was like for those Abajans who had to work for the sake of the GBK who sold gold, silver and diamonds to nations such as Anollasia and Elykyellek - two nations that Britonisea still trades with today. With Britonish being a national language in Abaja and with shared names in cities such as New Telm from Telm City and New Plymouth from Plymouth, the relationship between Britonisea and Abaja is still necessary with no hard feelings between the two nations in the current day.

However, 83 years after Britonish (and other now ABEN) forces moved out from Abaja, some members of the public feel as though it is inappropriate to send a song about the occupation, with some regarding it as "highly distateful" and "disrespectful at a home Festival" with BVC pushing to send this entry especially at this World Hit Festival in Kyvivre, which is known to be the Britonish cultural capital - thinking it would be fitting.

A few MPs denouncing BVC for portraying the nation in a bad light. Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin has responded to this stating;

Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin's role in Britonisea is to fairly and accurately educate and inform people about Britonisea in the past, current day and future by providing the Britonish audience with a window to the world. Regardless of whether it portrays Britonisea in a positive light or not, Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin is determined to make sure that the information given is nothing but the truth. Our aim is not to indoctrinate Britons into believing that Britonisea is a perfect utopia but to give every Briton an opportunity to make their own decisions about what they think about the nation that they are living in and how they can better it.

While it may seem odd to send a person who is from another nation to a contest by Britonisea, there was a reason as to why BVC decided to make sure a divisive move. Naomi hails from one of Britonisea's former colonies - Abaja - who's culture is deeply invested in that of Britonisea's. Abajans can speak Britonish, and a few of the city names in Abaja are taken from Britonisea's names such as Telm and Plymouth. Loads of Abajans have Britonish names - both first and surnames with the "Duke" in Naomi's surname being a showing of this. Naomi's announcement caused some controversy within Britonisea not necessarily because she was picked to become the Britonish representative, but because of the meaning because of some of her lyrics within the song.

Despite all the drama, Britonisea is ready to take on the larger field of the nation at this upcoming World Hit Festival - with BVC planning a large contest. Naomi, while scared is excited to perform in front of thousands in person and millions on television. Britonisea is also ready to host the best ever World Hit Festival...

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ENTRY DETAILS
Below, you can find all of the main details about the entry...



Duration: 04:30
Main Vocalist: Naomi Assan-Duke
Lyricists: Naomi Assan-Duke
Composers: Tahafa Talagi

Naomi Assan-Duke slowly walked towards the stage, taking a breath as she walked closer and closer to it. It was the Britonish postcard being displayed on the screens all around the arena with the audience shouting and chanting after the nation. She felt excited to finally get onto the stage and sing her song. It was quite a large setup for the Britonish entry this edition, with a sculpture as for a boat that she would stand on. The sculpture was her on a podium with the sides of the boat around her. She was the only one on the stage, with the seconds coming down before the start of the entry. She was wearing clothes that didn't seem modern, to say the least. Naomi looked as though she was wearing worn-out clothes - off-white and grey. The audience came in with a huge roar as the postcard finished and the lights in the arena darkened. The lights flashed before the whole arena submerged into darkness - it was time for the entry.

What did you say to mama?
She's been gone for days
When will mama return here,
Who's driven her from home?

Silence, I was silenced
Silence.

Everything was quite dark, with the sides of the "boat" being lit with yellow lights around it. The camera slowly zoomed out, exposing more and more of the stage as it did. There was little fog, with the LED floor being in a blue-ish colour representing a boat in the water. There wasn't much colour around, with the stage LED behind being a picture of a moving galaxy, moving very slightly. You could see the stars in the sky sparkling with constellations being slightly brighter than the rest of the stars. As the chorus was about the start and the camera moved out, a Britonish flag rose from a flagpole that was on the boat with her, with the flag getting higher and higher with a light being trained onto it. The flag blew in a wind that was fixed on it. Some members of the Britonish audience, perhaps ones that don't necessarily understand what this meant, cheered as they saw the Britonish flag hoisted into the air.

Her eyes they shone, they were diamonds
I didn't know they were only reflections
Oh she dug for days, just obey they'd say
One day she had enough,
And Mama stood up
She didn't know that day she'd
Take her last breath
Take her last breath

The camera moved from the Britonish flag, which had now filled up the whole of the screen to Naomi who was looking up at it before looking out to the audience. Some lights flickered as she finished the chorus, but nothing too exciting as of yet. Naomi wanted to swiftly move on to the next part of the song, with her looking off to the side with a camera joining her there. The Britonish audience waved their flags as one of the most spoken about lines was just about to be sung. She pointed her fingers out to the audience as though she was singing to all of the Britons in arenakyvivre, blaming them for replacing love with hatred.

You swept in and conquered all,
Not just land but love
You replaced with your hatred,
That's unforgivable

Silence, I was silenced
Silence.

Naomi retracted her hand as she moved on to the pre-chorus of the song, instead, putting her hand over face each time she said silence. The camera went out of focus each time Naomi sang silence. As we move on to the chorus, an orangey light was shown on the stage, with some of the lights flickering around the stage. More fog was on the stage with the stage seemingly getting busier - building up to something rather dramatic happening.

Her eyes they shone, they were diamonds
I didn't know they were only reflections
Oh she dug for days, just obey they'd say
One day she had enough,
And Mama stood up
She didn't know that day she'd
Take her last breath

(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)

As she finished the chorus, the sides of the boat that she was in fell down, with Naomi standing on a platform that was in the air. As this event happened, the camera was further away so we could see everything that was happening. Naomi, herself, started to pull down the Britonish flag from the pole that it was on. As she got the flag down, she ripped it from the mast and let go of it with the flag blowing itself to the back of the stage. Naomi turned around and looked at her audience, with the camera capturing her eyes. The colours on the stage remain rather dark, with the stars in the back staying and the blue LED floor that was mainly covered by fog.

I would cry into my pillow at night
But wishing upon a star
Asking for you home, but you're too fa-aa-ar
I know now that you suffered
You would return if you could
But we both know you can't
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)

Her eyes they shone, they were diamonds
I didn't know they were only reflections
Oh she dug for days, just obey they'd say
One day I had enough,
Mama, I stood up
Mama, I knew this day I'd
Take my last breath

Right before the last chorus, there was an establishing shot of the whole arena, with a large bang being heard in the arena with gold being shot from The Grid which was above the audience. Some members of the audience were not expecting it, with many of them looking up to see what was going on. During the last bit of the chorus, Naomi was on her knees - almost as though she was praying. The camera slowly zoomed out with the lights around the stage flashing (white) on and off. As the camera zoomed out, it captured many Britonish flags waving in the audience - which was done on purpose. She carried on praying for some time as the lights began to flash. After a while, Naomi's face started to flash on the LED screen in and amongst the constellation on the screens behind her.

(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
Mama, I follow in your footsteps, oh
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
And I'm not scared
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
Mama

(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
Oh no!
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
(Take her last breath, take her last breath)
Take your last breath.

At the end of the song, she lifted her head up in the sky with the wind blowing beneath her and her hair flowing upwards. She slowly swayed from left to right as she felt the end of the song. The fog billowed from beneath her, with the camera slowly zooming in on in a low angle shot. She looked out to the front, to all of the audience with the final camera shot meeting her eyes as she said the last line of the song...

Her eyes, they were like diamonds...

At the end, the camera went out of focus with the audience coming in to make the loudest response they had made all night. Although it was a divisive song, it seemed as though when it counted, in Kyvivre, all of Britonisea could come together and be proud of the song that is representing them. Naomi smiled to everyone before putting her hands together, "Thank you everyone, thank you Britonisea!" She took another deep breath before she walked off of the stage ready for what was happening next on the stage and it was Antenovaria!

[Britonisea]

15 ANTENOVARIA
Oxigênio - "Pain"

Trigramme: ANA
Language: English
Music: Oxigênio
Lyrics: Oxigênio
Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahuCf2SN75Q

Postcard Music

There is not that much information that you could find on the act from Antenovaria, with this being their official debut to the World Hit Festival. BVC wanted to try their hardest to get more people invested in the World Hit Festival as so sought for nations that would bring an entirely new flavour to the World Hit Festival. Looking at the entry they decided to pick, it seems as though Antenovaria is certainly bringing their own flavour to the World Hit Festival. Antenovaria decided to join the World Hit Festival, just to try it out, which was good news for Britonisea that had a target of 20 to beat. Antenovaria is sending Oxigênio with the song, "Pain" which they will perform 15th tonight. Antenovaria's act will be going to a children's hospital with Arun H. who would take them around...

==POSTCARD WIP==

It's a big ask to go after the hosts, but can they do it? It's time for the next act - Act 15...it's Antenovaria!

[Britonisea]

Tune for Antenovaria

You took my name
And gave it to someone else
You took my name
And shredded it to die

You gave me the pain
You took my heart and
Tore it away
You gave me the pain
It’s like I never existed


It really stings

I regret the day
You gave the stolen gem
You took my pain
And ran away with it

And I feel the pain
You took my heart and
Tore it away
The touch of a snake
The venom stays longer
Put my heart to sleep

You dont feel the feelings
You dont know what you’ve did to me
Gave me torture to the root of my brain


And I feel the pain
You took my heart and
Tore it away
The touch of a snake
The venom stays longer
Put my heart to sleep

The pain you gave
Is endless
You took
My heart from me
Give it all back to me

[Britonisea]

16 BESEN
Sandcastles - Alone

Trigramme: BES
Language: English
Music: Amaia Masnier & Martino Doloria
Lyrics: Martino Doloria
Tune: Kadie Elder - First Time He Kissed A Boy

Postcard Music

The next nation to perform on the stage in Kyvivre is Besen - a nation that has recently started to join the World Hit Festival but has become a regular that we are used to seeing at the competition. Besen this year is sending Sancastles who will be singing Alone. Besen initially chose 22 as a number when deciding postcards and it was odd - they had chosen a number that would fit very well into the name of the act. But that’s coming a bit later. They person that they received in their postcard was Ziyad J, a model who is actually based in Araparta. The postcard started off with Ziyad J looking into the camera, smiling at Martino who was positioned right by the camera.

We go to Araparta for this postcard which is known to have the largest beach resort in the whole of Britonisea. Araparta is rather secluded when you compare it to other cities of it’s size. Though, this does not mean that Araparta isn’t travelled to and enjoyed. In fact, many millions of people go to Araparta yearly for the beaches. It also is across the way from the nations of Titaniumland and Wolfrenia making the city a big location for tourists from those locations. As the postcard progressed, you could see Sandcastles and Ziyad interacting with each other, boisterously walking into each other, laughing at each other and doing things any two guys would do on a beach.

As soon as the song hit 22 seconds, they arrived at this place where it said “Sandcastle Competition” on it, with Ziyad patting the chest of Martino before pointing at Sandcastles, with Ziyad’s face telling the audience that he should be perfect at this. The pair run towards the competition and start building a sandcastle with Martino getting on his knees and digging the sand. The camera looked up at Ziyad who laughed before providing a bucket which the pair would use. A montage was shown in fast-pace of them building the huge sandcastle together, interacting with one another - showing an obvious connection between the two. At the end of the postcard, the pair look at the work before hugging each other, walking away from the sandcastle as the shot froze on that. You could hear the audience’s applause at this point with Besen’s name showing up on the screen…

It was time for the performance from Besen and the whole of Britonisea couldn’t wait any longer for them to perform...

[Britonisea]

Tune for Besen



Martino Doloria, 23, started Sandcastles as a way to disassociate himself with his own life, an escape. He has endured critical acclaim for his work, which leans more along the soft rock side - although he has made ventured into more ambiguous genres in the past. Originally, he shared the band with two friends whom played drums and guitar, but it eventually went south, temporary ending the group's career together. Sandcastles returned with Martino alone in the band, in January of 2017, with the biggest success in the discography so far. The album, "Heart" was a massive hit on streaming services, where he retained attention from a younger teen audience not only because of the music but because of Martino's character himself.

Doloria is openly into guys, and has been for the duration of his time in the public eye. He has managed to inspire many young people with his messages of freedom in his songs, and also the way he has always not made a big deal out of the male pronouns or the romantic tracks about past lovers. It seemed to normalise the idea of difference of identity in music, and especially the pop industrial machine. So his journey to recognition was speedily accomplished, without having to play off his sexuality.

The path to the 47th World Hit Festival was a complicated one, with BSB being the main culprits behind Sandcastles being the representatives. They approached a lot of artists for the title, but a few declined and some couldn't do it because of schedules which left around 5 up for consideration ultimately. Sandcastles felt like the way to go because of their uniqueness in terms of sound, as the other four were more pop-based singers. They also were the biggest name out of those left - although Martino himself pointed out that isn't always the best quality to go with. In the end, "Alone" was submitted and BSB shortly discussed its potential and announced that Sandcastles would be going to Kyvivre for Besen.

---

As the postcard ends and the transition into the main performance begins, a neon spectacle appears, with four separate coloured rectangular shaped boxes, each with a different brightly lit theme. The first shot is a wide one, which embraces the feeling of the audience for the purpose of emotional payoff back home. The world sees Martino centred in the blue box first of all. The box is more tall than wide, and surrounds him nicely. There are four microphone stands in each of the areas, obviously with three vacant as he stands in the beginning one. Martino positions himself turned around from the camera, then turns for the first verse. As for his outfit, he stands in a full black jacket and trouser combination, which looks almost old-fashioned in the neon illumination.

Heading into into the pre-chorus, Martino's voice is stiff in in it's emotional capacity, but there is a certain motivation in his charismatic movements that accompany the lyrics. In a way the stage design does not fit well with the vibe of the track - even though the atmosphere of the neon seems to oddly supply clarity to the theme.

I find a trace, of love that’s gone
I’m trapped into one place, slowly falling

I guess I’m just, young and free
The sight of your face, I can’t breathe

Coming into the chorus, the colours of the boxes switch rapidly in a rainbow formation, which feels suited to the romantic idea between two men. And then as this happens Martino drops from the small elevation supplied by the structures, to follow through to where he is very near to the edge of the front of the stage. He hops and bounces along to the grooving production, seeming to exaggerate the excitement of the crowd. Again, there feels a contradiction from the lyrics to what happens on the stage but it doesn't mean much when other elements of the design fit so well.

I believed in forever boy
Again and again alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”
I believed in forever boy
You left me so alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”

Martino begins to set off towards a set of stairs which leads up onto the fourth box, which eventually settles on a strengthened yellow, complimenting the blankness and darkness of the back of the stage nicely. The use of the simplicity in the performance comes across effectively on TV, as viewers are able to make judgements about the performer first of all, which so far had been impeccable in terms of passion. He takes his time to sing each word in the second verse, matching the break up of the synth beat.

All I am, is all we were
It wasn’t even worth it, all this time
All my time

He reaches his arms out while he rests the microphone in its stand. And the music escalates to its peak - as does the stage production. The camera picks up this acceleration and speeds up in its changes, shifting from shots much quicker.

I believed in forever boy
Again and again alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”
I believed in forever boy
You left me so alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”

Martino swings around the box along the platform that supports it, looking out into the audience. He encourages them to begin a clap to accompany the bridge and his voice. On each word, the other three boxes stop projecting light, and one shines, in a chain until the final chorus is reached. Martino's face during this almost feels achy with joy, as the crowd does initiate the clap.

Love lost, love lost, love lost, love lost
I’m lost, I'm lost, I'm lost, I’m lost

The lights on the boxes stop showing single colours for the last chorus and instead project a swirling technicolour pattern, followed by the whole stage from the floor to the LED background. He jumps down gently from this scene, and this time goes to the maximum edge of the stage, where he interacts with the crowd, like a rockstar. He goes crazy for the instrumentation which succeeds the last vocalisations of the song up until the repetition of the chant from the bridge. As this occurs, he stands with pride with his body language very opened up, taking in the moment he will remember for the rest of his life.

I believed in forever boy
Again and again alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”
I believed in forever boy
You left me so alone
Remember what I was told
“He’ll come home”

(Love lost, love lost, love lost, love lost)

It was now time for a break...over to the Greenroom!

[Britonisea]

---

Diane Lewis-Stephens: We are now in the Greenroom with the act that just performed - Sandcastles. We've decided to interview you now right before the next act... So...How comes your stage name is Sandcastles. I mean, looking back on it, your postcard didn't look like you were that into it - rather being distracted by something else haha.

Sandcastles: Well, the name originates from my huge of the beach, you know. Ever since I was young I've been terrified of what lies beyond it, but yeah - that's why I'm called that.

Diane Lewis-Stephens: You poor baby! So how was it for you to do a postcard on the beach if you fear it so much, oh my lord!

Sandcastles: Even though it was kind of traumatic, haha, I did really enjoy it - me and the crew had a lovely time on the beach. Being the adult I am, I've kind of had to face my fears a bit and this was a great opportunity to do so; clever for the theme of our postcard to showcase that too. It was an excellent experience. Thank you.

Diane Lewis-Stephens: Aw, and you had the Britonish to protect you anyways! Thank you, my darling. It's now time for Vartugia.

The camera zoomed out and then in on the Vartugian delegation before we went to their postcard.

[Britonisea]

17 VARTUGIA
You - "AAAAAAA"

Trigramme: VAR
Translation of Title:Do i realy need to do that?
Language: Ja
Music: Yes
Lyrics: Si
Tune:Lady Gaga - Bad Romance, but she is drunk

Postcard Music

Vartugia is a lost cause at the World Hit Festival - it is said to say that. The nation doesn’t seem to gel very well with the rest of the nations participating in the World Hit Festival with the nation consistently receiving zero points from each broadcaster with them getting the dreaded zero points on multiple occasions. They are also not the best at the Junior World Hit Festival, and even though the upcoming edition of the Junior World Hit Festival is coming up, we can probably bet that the nation will be heading for the last spot. Though, remaining optimistic, Vartugia might make some moves at the 47th World Hit Festival that is taking place here in Kyvivre, Britonisea. The World Hit Festival 47 postcard for Vartugia is being modeled by a fisherman called Pete.

The postcard started off with Fisherman Pete looking deep into the camera, just staring into the camera. The camera switched to the other side, with a mirror looking back at the camera with Pete looking at himself. Pete them looked at the camera through the mirror, looking at...You. Apparently, the Vartugian delegation were too lazy to come up with their own representative and so decided that You would be the official representative for Vartugia at the World Hit Festival - therefore, you can blame yourselves for the car crash of a performance that you are about to witness. Though, bias aside, Fisherman Pete stood up from where he was before taking the cameraman’s hand - with the camera shot being a POV shot. Fisherman Pete dragged You into a small boat, before pointing down at loads of bait inside the boat. This happened around 25 seconds into the postcard.

After this happened, we watched Fisherman Pete pull his rod out and dash his bait far into the water, with it plonking deep into the river. With a tug, the bait caught a big fish which Fisherman Pete caught and brought into the boat. Pete laughed as the You nodded you head up and down. Pete then gave you a rod too, but as you threw yours out into the sea, the camera stopped when the rod looked like it was picking at the sun. The loud sound of the audience came in for Vartugia, with Britons in the audience politely clapping for Vartugia...Britons did not know what to expect for this Vartugian performance.

It is song number 17 from Vartugia on the stage now...

[Britonisea]

Tune for Vartugia

---

You are a singer who got yours dream to peform at Worldvision Song Contest World Hit Festival. And You celebrated by drinking a shit ton of beer.


You enter the stage.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

You do some drunk dancing that is so bad, it becomes an internet meme

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Loud booing

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

You sing so badly, the songs end and we have only as 4 minutes left. I don't want to use effort to write the song better, so ill leave it here in an awkward place lol

Next up on the stage is Britonisea's neighbours, Nightom!

[Britonisea]

18 NIGHTOM
Sam Rixton - "Nothing"

Trigramme: KNI
Language: English
Music: Sam Rixton, DJ FunTimes
Lyrics: Sam Rixton, Bill Willis
Tune: Simon Peyron - Breaking Up (Audio)

Nightom is located to the North-East of Britonisea, compromising of a few islands stretching across the sea between Kalmarlund and Britonisea. Nightom last participated in the World Hit Festival 44 after briefly returning to the Festival due to their neighbours hosting the 43rd World Hit Festival. Hoping to improve on their result from the competition in Burgendore, KVC entered into the World Hit Festival 44 which took place in Anollasia and while the result was technically better for Nightom, the nation finished joint bottom of the scoreboard. Nightom was not expecting the bad result and withdrew but will be participating as BVC sent a letter of invitation to them with Nightom almost certainly going to participate. For the postcard, KVC picked number 17 which saw them have Theodore T. who was sitting on a wall which was in front of the Toneskian Electricity plant.

==POSTCARD WIP==

It was time for the neighbours to perform - will they do well in Kyvivre this edition? It's Song 18 from Nightom...

[Britonisea]

Tune for Nightom

Sam Rixton at WHF47: Sam will be representing Nightom at the Festival, hoping to improve on Nightom's very bad record at the World Hit Festival.

Nightom returns to the World Hit Festival for the first time since the 44th edition in Anollasia, where Nightom placed 14th out of 15th places, narrowly missing the bottom after receiving more amount of votes. Nightom hopes to better their result in Britonisea...

Nightom has had an on and off record at the World Hit Festival. Statistically, out of all of the ABEN nations, it is the nation that has achieved the least though this must be because of the nation's participation at selective editions such as this one. The World Hit Festival Nightom last participated in with a bitter pill to swallow for the nation, narrowly avoiding last place by technicalities. Nightom and KVC does not want to be in that position this edition. At the edition in Burgendore, Nightom placed a measly 17th place showing Nightom's calling most certainly is not at the World Hit Festival. However, Nightom hopes to change it fortunes with Sam Rixton, who is sending a contemporary song which a catchy hook with some spectacular staging too - which will hopefully catch the hearts of some World Hit Festival fans. A KVC spokesperson has said that Nightom is hoping to enter the top 5, an achievement Nightom has only done once before at World Hit Festival.

---

At the start of the song, it was just him on the stage with the camera looking up at him from a low angle shot. He was looking down at the camera, smiling as he sang. He was wearing a crisp white t shirt with black jeans and white shoes as well. The stage was blue and purple which came into sight more as the camera slowly moved up. You could hear the audience faintly in the background singing along with Sam. They seemed to be excited for this song....

Oh, when I look at you,
I feel so blessed, I'm lucky to have you (Yeah)
Did you know you're the best?
And no one can ever replace you (Yeah)

Girl, I promise, listen to me
Not lying, I've got loyalty
You're always on my mind
I can't do more to reassure you

During the verse, as the drum beats came in, the lights around the whole arena - including The Grid- flashed to make it seem more dramatic with the main LED also flashing. The camera then focused on someone appearing from the back of the stage, before the camera focused on a second person. They both appeared from behind looking out towards Sam who stood on the middle of the stage. They were wearing the same thing as Sam. They ran up to Sam as the cameras focused on them, with another one greeting them as they greeted Sam on that stage. He looked at them and smiled before he looked at a camera looking at him from the side.

My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya
(Yeah) My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya

At this point, Sam was on this large podium that stood in the middle of the stage. The camera kept on zooming in on Sam when he kept on singing a line of the pre-chorus, with him looking out to the audience each time he sang. The final camera came on him face-on, with him looking at the camera. The lights in the arena switched off with the audience being heard screaming and shouting. As soon as the chorus came in, colour filled up the arena with the camera quickly zooming out over the audience who started jumping up and down. The lasers that the Kyvian production employed came into full effect here with the lasers scanning the audience up and down. The cameras frantically zoomed in and out on Sam and his backing dancers who stood up on the podium with him. Some of the camera shots were even zooming into some Nightomese members of the audience too. The arena was set alight with emotions.

Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)

The camera zoomed in on Sam, with it being held at a stand still as he looked down and crossed his legs before he snapped his figure. The lights in the arena returned to how they were at the start of the song - the same bluish purple colour that it was previously. A Steadicam came on to the stage, with Sam following the direction at which it was going. He slightly bended his knees as the camera passed him. He flicked his hair back and smiled sheepishly as he sang the verse.

I wanna hold you close
And when I do, I won't ever let go - no
I know you want me too,
I think your guilt's telling you what to do oh

Girl, I promise, listen to me
Not lying, I've got loyalty
You're always on my mind
I can't do more to reassure you

He stood up straight once again as he came up to the pre-chorus. As the drum beats came in, the lights flashed in a similar fashion to the previous verse however this time, some of the flashing lights were kept throughout the pre-chorus as well further adding to the suspense of what could happen next. He really looked like he was enjoying himself on the stage with him smiling with his teeth showing all throughout this section.

My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya
(Yeah) My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya
My life is nothing without ya

Sam took a huge deep breath as he looked straight to the audience and made a "no" movement with his figures. The camera then faded out with the lighting in the arena also doing the same. Suddenly, all of the lights in the arena went a tiny bit crazy including the LED screen. For the viewers at home, the screen appeared quite distorted too.

Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)

Pyros were set off on the stage, with flames being shot metres into the air. The audience screamed as the heat was turned up for them. Also, steam was shot into the air too. Sam slightly bent and turned a bit red as he was singing the section before the last chorus of the song. The dancers were doing some dancing around him.

My life is nothing without ya!
My life is nothing without ya!
(Yeah) My life is nothing without ya!
My life is nothing without ya!
My life is nothing without ya!

At this point, The Grid also joined in on the action, with the LEDs on top of the audience also flashing on and off in the colours that came from the stage - which was all the colours of the rainbow. As the camera zoomed in and out and did what it had to do, occasionally the camera zoomed in on a light making it look really effective on camera. Sam jumped up and down on the spot and banged his head back and forth as he sang. He was really enjoying his moment on the stage. The dancers next to him were just dancing - doing their own thing.

My life is nothing without ya!
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
My life is nothing without ya!
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
My life is nothing without ya!
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
My life is nothing without ya!
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)
My life is nothing without ya!
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing (no-no-no-no-no-no)

At the end of the song, Sam Rixton jumped forward off the podium to the sound of the Britonish audience cheering their Western neighbours. Sam smiled and bowed to the audience. "Merci, Brityunik. Fico Teis!" He screamed into the microphone slicking back his hair that flopped in feont of him. He then enthusiastically ran off the stage as the next proceedings happened.

[Britonisea]

19 AXUVA
Adryan - "Just Believe It"

Trigramme: AXU
Language: English
Tune: Jaafar Jackson - "Got Me Singing" OFFICIAL VERSION

Postcard Music

It seemed as though Axuva's recent entry into the World Hit Festival saw the nation achieve a result that lifted the mood for Axuva at international song competitions. Admittedly, the nation doesn't have the best of luck at international song competitions - struggling to reach the left hand side of the scoreboard. Underrated? Perhaps....But not at the most recent World Hit Festival in Polumisec. Out of a field of 13 nations, Axuva managed to receive 15 points and place 5th making this the first time the nation has entered the top 5 at any contest before. With that event happening, BVC were keen on getting Axuva's broadcaster to participate at the upcoming World Hit Festival that BVC were hyping up to all of the broadcasters. Axuva accepted the invitation - actually being the last nation to do so. Despite the last acceptance, BVC were elated that Axuva would join them in Kyvivre to participate in one of the largest World Hit Festival Grand Finals ever. Hopes are high that Axuva can keep up the good result but before the postcard comes the postcard and Malik was in the water waiting for Adryan to get in the water with him.

This postcard was one of the two that is located outside of the main Britonisea with BVC deciding to also include Aloquirbe into the picture. Technically BVC owns the rights to Britonisea and Aloquirbe but participates under the name of just Britonisea with Britonisea's law also being law in Aloquirbe and it being involved in trade Britonisea is. For this postcard, we went to Aloquirbe's most Western city - Alosable - which is Britonisea's furthest Western point which is so far across it reaches past Estogium, touching Taeseon and Titaniumland. Aloquirbe is beautiful with Right Cove being just one of the places that shows this. The first ten seconds were showing Right Cove's beauty before we focus on the beauty of Malik who sat there in the pool as Adryan got into the water with him. After a while, the pair were playing in the water with each other - with a ball coming into the equation - throwing it amongst themselves.

As we reached around 32 seconds into the postcard, the pair decided to get out of the water as they heard an ice cream van nearby at the top of the cove. The pair raced each other to the ice cream truck with each of them buying at least three scoops of ice cream each in extra thick waffle cones. They both walked back together to the beach with the pair sitting next to each other on a headland watching the beautiful Aloquirbic scenery. The camera zoomed out on them with the frame stopping, showing Right Cove. The audience could be heard applauding as Axuva's name showed on the postcard.

It was now time for the Axuvian Adryan to take his place on the stage. It's song 19, Axuva.

[Britonisea]

Tune for Axuva

Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da, da da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da, da da
The sweet escape is true
Right now I’m all alone
This love just feels brand new
I wanna fight for your love
Don’t give it away
It’s your time to show off
I’ll take away the pain
I wanna show you right
The time is now, lets live today
Do you know just what you do
My love will last til an eternity
Just know, my love is true
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it
I know whats right
Our love, too nice
Kisses all night
Lets get right
Get on babe
Don’t give it away
It’s your time to show off
I’ll take away the pain
I wanna show you right
The time is now, lets live today
Do you know just what you do
My love will last til an eternity
Just know, my love is true
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it

Our love is really true
Our vibe is something I feel new
You give me a reason to stay
You gave me a reason everyday
Our love is really true
Our vibe is something I feel new
You give me a reason to stay
You gave me a reason everyday

The time is now, lets live today
Do you know just what you do
My love will last til an eternity
Just know, my love is true
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da)
Just believe it (Du-Dum-da)
I can feel it (Du-Dum-da, da da)
Just believe it
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da, da da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da
Du-Dum-da, da da

[Britonisea]

20 TODLICHEBUJOKU
Outoya Avaimia - "Chasing"

Trigramme: TBJ
Language: English
Music: Esu Yárvinen, Onni Nauseeda, Altrich Ueno, Torsti Mákelá
Lyrics: Sikivri Takala, Altrich Ueno
Tune: SIAMÉS - The Wolf

It has been a long time coming for Tödlichebujoku, a nation that hasn't won the World Hit Festival since before both Britonisea and Izmedu won their first victories at the World Hit Festival. With sporadic entries in the World Hit Festival, it seems as though Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin convinced the Tödlichebujoki broadcaster to participate in what has become one of the largest World Hit Festival Grand Finals in history. There is hope for Tödlichebujoku this edition as they send Outoya Avaimia to Kyvivre in the hope that the nation will gain another glory that they can enjoy, reconfirming the nation's place at the World Hit Festival. Of course, time will tell, however. For the World Hit Festival this edition, some members of the group haven't been outside their home nation, Tödlichebujoku with Britonisea becoming the first nation abroad that they will travel to. With that being the case, BVC and (I am sure) the rest of Britonisea wants them to see the nation at it's best, with the delegation being able to see Britonisea's robust television industry with the set of New Dawn, a television series that shows on BVC main channel on Prime Time. Actor, Michael O. would take the five men through the postcard set in Quickenden...

Michael O. was holding a camera in front of a white background which he moved from, turning around to see all members of the Tödlichebujoki group in a line waiting for him. Michael O. was then joined by a few members of the crew - four more actually, with each of the crew members taking each member of the group away. For the first few seconds, each member of the group had an introductory talk by each member of the crew, with the camera shooting each of the band members speaking to the crew member they were with - they looked as though they were all enjoying themselves... Michael O was with Torsti Mákelá, a person which he took a very particular shining to with the pair caught laughing and joking with each other when the camera was on them. They all then came back to each other around 20 seconds into the postcard before all of them run away, with two members of the group going behind the cameras, one with the First AD, one with the cameraman with the other members of the group actually getting involved in the acting, holding scripts in their hands. There was a wider shot of where they were, inside a forest...

[Britonisea]

Tune for Todlichebujoku

Outoya Avaimia is a band formed in Saureai, composed of five members- Sikivri Takala, Onni Nauseeda, Altrich Ueno, Esu Yárvinen, and Torsti Mákelá. All from musical families, the members had known each other from the constant gatherings and collaborations of their parents in the close-knit Saureai music community, and soon became friends only to be split up by diverging university plans. While Altrich, Esu, and Onni managed to graduate, Sikivri and Torsti dropped out to focus on their music, performing in venues around the province, mainly in and around Saureai with some occasional gigs in Estegoa. A few years later, the crew reunited and decided it would be fun to perform together, and began to release both covers and original works on the crystallomatrix in addition to performing locally. Unexpectedly, their performance of what they had considered to be a rather niche song blew up on the matrix, and within weeks the band had amassed a sizable following. The gods were kind, as within that new following were members of the Estegoa100 WHF team, who soon scouted out the band's live performances and paid close attention to their activity. When Outoya Avaimia dropped "Chasing", the WHF team quickly contacted the band and soon the plans were set. It would be the first time they had performed outside the nation, and for Esu and Torsti, the first time they had left the nation.

---

The stage is at first lit in blue. A white spotlight illuminates Sikivri as he begins on the keyboard, and soon the rest of the band is lit. Behind them, an animation of a road plays, the lane markers golden and running up through the center and over the audience via the LED ceiling panels. Torsti grabs the mic stand and holds it close to his lips, looking out toward the audience with a devilish gleam in his eyes

Looking for some spice
Just a taste of fury
Flying high tonight
Passing by, one by one

Radiating from the stage, the lights attain a more amber and sepia hue, the air seemingly a bit more misty and thick than before. Torsti has backed off from his more aggressive mannerisms and now leans back before tilting his head forward and glaring into the camera view with an intense look, his voice deep and heavy like the imagery he invokes

In the summer heat
Somehow ever gloomy
Take a wild choice
Make me terrible

Onni, on the guitar, joins in with Torsti on the chorus vocals. Torsti's eyes are shut tight, as he grips the stand and moves his body to the beat. Around him, the lights go red and white, interspersed by stark darkness, as mist shoots out from around the stage edge

Now we're lost and we're found
Now we're screwin' around
'Cause we're chasing what we never
Could ever deserve to

We're lost and we're found
Got us screwed going down
We got an ache for desire
It's tearing us apart

The stage lighting becomes less intense, but retains the red and white color scheme, with a single star-effect light shining from over the audience to the stage. The road animation also returns, but now darkened and tinged with deep red. The lighting directly on the band makes them look silvery, almost metallic. Torsti gazes level with the audience

Can I feel your pain?
Take me to your starlight
Thoughts are in my brain
One by one, weaving lies

Let me catch the thrill
Before I fall in too deep
You can watch my heart
Driving me insane

With a final intense gaze by Torsti, a quick flash of light brings back the intense white and black staging from the earlier chorus, with flashes and throbs of red. All members of the band are very animated, feet stomping, heads rocking, bodies moving to the beat.

Now we're lost and we're found
and we're screwin' around
'Cause we're chasing what we never
Could ever deserve to

Sparks burst out from around the edge of the stage, as Torsti walks along the stage near the audience, before eventually returning

We're lost and we're found
Got us screwed going down
We got an ache for desire
It's tearing us apart

The lights cut out, leaving several spotlights scattered across the arena roving over the audience, with the band lit only from below. The camera view is composed of a combination of wide shots from across the audience, and some brief closer in shots of the band as they jam, without giving any eye contact to the camera

[instrumental]

The stage lights back up, but the lighting now entirely monochrome and the band is still primarily lit from below. They tone down their movements so that they seem almost robotic, with relatively limited motion. The graphics behind them have bursts of static and pixelation, and mirror images of the band propagate throughout the screens, so that it's somewhat difficult to find the band, if it weren't for the occasional static and pixelation over the copies

We're lost and we're found
and we're screwin' around
We're lost and we're found
and we're screwin' around

Red washes over the arena as the screens depict something like a starfield, points of white light hurtling past above and around. Spotlights once again illuminate Outoya Avaimia as a steady stream of sparks blasts outwards from the stage edge. They return to full vibrance and motion, going all out for the final run of the chorus

Now we're lost and we're found
Got us screwed going down
We got an ache for desire
It's tearing us apart

We're lost and we're found
Got us screwed going down
We got an ache for desire
It's tearing us apart

The lights flash and pulse, and the band members thrash their heads for a few seconds more, before they freeze and the spotlights converge upon them, and then cut out into darkness.

"Kiitos, Kyvivre!" they shout together before exiting the stage. It was their first real performance abroad, and well, they really did feel like they made their best shot here. With the high of the performance still pulsing strong, they find themselves looking forward to seeing the rest of the night ahead. It was now time for the performance from Izmedu...

[Britonisea]

21 IZMEDU
Gdica Snjez - "Heal"

Trigramme: IZM
Language: English, Izmeduan
Music: Gdica Snjez, Cvita Snjez
Lyrics: Gdica Snjez
Tune: Tamara Todevska - Proud

Postcard Music

The recent undisputed kings and queens of the World Hit Festival comes in the form of the Izmedu who used to be the World Hit Festival Overseers. Izmedu has amazingly won the World Hit Festival 7 times since their first hosting of the World Hit Festival 29. Most recently, Izmedu won the 45th World Hit Festival which lead to them hosting the 46th Orchestral Edition, which they did superbly, where Britonisea won their fourth title. Izmedu nearly won their 8th title in Polumisec, Izmedu placing a single point behind Britonisea but adding yet another top 3 medal to their collection. Gdica Snjez will be representing the nation this edition at the World Hit Festival, with them sending a very powerful ballad to the World Hit Festival without shame. “Heal” is a song in both Izmeduan and English - languages the World Hit Festival audience are very familiar with. Izmedu picked postcard 13 which took them to a highway where Noah E was waiting topless on a motorbike...it was a hot day in Doportedas, you see...

Noah E put his helmet onto his head in the picture and rode off with the camera panning around to show him riding along the motorway. There was then an aerial shot following him along the road, and as the camera tilted upwards making it an establishing shot, you could see the skyline of the capital of Britonisea with Noah E heading there. Gdica Snjez was on the ground waiting for Noah to come to her. She checked her phone, waiting for him to come but soon she noticed a motorbike coming her way. She put the phone in her pocket with a wide smile appearing on her face. Noah E rode to her and got off the bike with a helmet for her in his hand. He walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, with the camera capturing this moment. Gdica Snjez was slightly taken aback by this topless man giving her a kiss on the cheek but she tried not to show she cared that much. She put her helmet on and jumped on the back of the bike with the pair riding all the way to a motorbike shop where the pair got gear to wear.

As the music dramatically changed, the pair walked out of the shop together wearing full-body gear - with them riding on a red motorbike later on during the day. The next few shots were of a montage of them riding around Doportedas, with the camera showing them swerving in and out of cars and buildings for in the middle of Doportedas. As they got nearer to the end of the postcard, we noticed that Noah E was taking Gdica Snjez further out of the city, going on a motorway that lead to Kyvivre with the camera glancing at the sign that said KYVIVRE on it. A camera faced on Noah E on the bike was shown, with that being the last shot of the postcard before the audience came in loudly and Izmedu's name flashed up on the screen...

Will Izmedu win again in Britonisea? Only time will tell, but for now, it's Song 21 - Izmedu!

[Britonisea]

Tune for Izmedu

“I'll be honest with you, I've probably spent more of my career trying to prove and justify to myself and to others why I'm still even doing this. No matter how much I succeed, that little voice in my head will always tell me I'm not enough. Things in life are going to confirm that little voice and sometimes, that voice wins out. I've seen it happen to so many artists that sometimes, being in this music industry feels like seeing a long list of names that disappear into the ether never to heard be from again. They're all broken down, overworked, made to feel guilty if they don't do enough, and spat out without any mercy. I've been through that and I was one of the few to remain intact, but I was lucky. Yet even then... It's never gone away, and I write this song for them. That broken down singer, down on their luck and at the edge of giving up. It's what I wished I heard...” - Gdica Snjez

The world is a crazy place... thought Gdica Snjez in a calm afternoon at her residence.

She could only stroke the piano keys with a certain tinge of regret and sadness. Writer's block returned to prevent her from making any discernible melody, or even start with a single note. She gazed out into the window, the Izmeduan weather only faintly overcast hints of gray skies. There was a report from earlier that speculated that it was due to rain either tomorrow or throughout the week, depending on how patterns shook out. She sighed as she crossed her arms, only playing a single chord and not feeling any single melody come to her mind. If anything, Gdica's mind was elsewhere. Her mind wandered to the rumors she heard from her record label just earlier. The new artists that were recently signed were suddenly not appearing to label meetings, becoming unresponsive. The crop before them were deemed to be 'disappointing,' with label management being forthcoming that 'more promising artists needed to be signed.'

Her heart reached out for those new artists. Some names she recognized, some names she didn't. Yet, no matter how familiar she was with them, she could only find a strong sympathy for their plight. Gdica laid her hand on one chord, playing it over and over softly, looking over her shoulder to make sure that her sister Cvita wasn't nearby. She played that chord over and over, doing so in soft intervals as her mind recounted a long experience of being in that position... When she was the first to put the Snjez family's name into the Izmeduan music industry, paving the way for her younger sister to take the fold. She remembered the pressure, the feeling of precarity, the feeling that one second that her career could be wiped out... Or the feeling that, no matter how hard she fought, her career was over before it began. She knew and tried to heed the warnings. The Izmeduan music industry was a meat grinder from the legends to the newbies. It was merciless, sometimes incestuous, benefits some disproportionately, and pushes so many into a proverbial (and sometimes literal) abyss.

Gdica, through pure luck and dogged determination, prevailed alongside her sister. But she knew that determination came at so many costs. These were years spent on precarity, years spent on fretting and worrying, the inadvertent health and stress problems that were brought on, and a feeling that even her current fortune would all be wiped in a second. Gdica kept and lingered at that chord, the only relief from these emotions being that she had a foundation of a song to build off on. These memories and these conditions had led her to now have something to say. As to what?... Gdica knew, subconsciously, the kind of theme that she wanted to work upon. What she needed was more time to think, precious time she needed to figure out how to squeeze around the myriad of projects and appearances that were booked in both the near and distant future.

---

The death of a fellow artist, even for someone that not many in the label were familiar with, was beyond swallowing bitter pills or acceptances. It was a shock to the system that was inconceivable, with no right way to react or respond.

Gdica knew that artist's name when she went into the building with her sister, Cvita. The mood was somber, a hollow emptiness that caused the usual buzz of management and recording activity to be left in a standstill. The circumstances surrounding that artist's death and that day's events were a whirlwind in Gdica's mind. She could barely remember what happened except being told in the office and going home with her sister, not many being forthcoming with the details for understandable reasons. Gdica remembered his name, Patrik Mauzer. He was one of the brand new artists brought onto the label after being scouted in an online search. Patrik was a popular covers artist who began to catch viral fire for his unique delivery on popular Izmeduan songs. That clout was enough for him to begin writing songs independently and seek out opportunities, one of which was the record label that Gdica belonged to.

It all seemed like a storybook fairytale beginning to a career that should've been prosperous. Gdica remembered the fete and press release parties that involved the signing of Patrik and another artist. Almost consistently, she noticed a pattern of being distant and forced happiness, as if Patrik was trying to force himself to go through the motions. He would rarely speak unless he was prompted to, a far cry from his persona in his cover videos. He seemed emotionally distant, not wanting to speak to anyone, almost despondent. Gdica and the young singer only had a brief interaction, one where she remembered hugging him briefly as a congratulatory measure. She had only seen him a scant few times, considering that most of their work in this industry was done independently. From there, he almost existed as an artist within the label in silence. There would always be whispers of his imminent debut, a potential that was 'this close' to blossoming. It was potential that was never realized.

His death was sudden, almost swift. It hit the label with no warning. There was nary an explanation to be given, only an instructions to go back home and either work on new music or take a break. Instead of reflection, the whole label treated it as an period to be quickly repressed and forgotten. There was no time of mourning. This handling and quick repression of an artist's death is what sparked Gdica to not only truly think about the implications of a singer's career in this country, but to continue forth writing that song she had in heard precisely about this. She had a feeling of what happened to Patrik Mauzer, but she didn't dare talk about it out loud. She could only redirect the feeling of grief, even if it was for a stranger, the anger towards her label, and that sense of loss that could've been prevented.

Sickening, but not surprising. Gdica felt as if that phrase was becoming only more and more true as she spent more days working as a singer.

---

“I like the song, Gdica... But are you sure this is going to be a good idea to send to you know... them?”

“It doesn't have to be. I could always just keep it on reserve,” Gdica said to her sister, rummaging through the music program they were using to create the orchestral demo.

Cvita Snjez, the aforementioned sister, shrugged and kept plugging along. It was weird hearing Gdica's vocals being modulated in the rough demo they were creating. It was usually par for the course that both sisters would work on their material independently, meaning that neither really produced each other's songs or did collaborations with each other. Cvita was used to producing pop bangers and dance tracks, maybe some ballads in occasion, but Gdica's song was another kind of track entirely... She hadn't seen Gdica put this much personal conviction or pathos in her work for years, especially with the albums that she was contractually obligated to pursue. She was intimately involved in each and every step, listening to the way her voice contoured to the music, figuring out what notes needed to be made soft and belted, and even down to modifying the lyrics bit by bit throughout the demo stage.

They were gonna need a real orchestra for this at this rate, Cvita knew that for sure. And even if it cost money, she was glad.

For the first time in many years, Cvita saw a raw fire and determination in her sister's eyes.

---

The World Hit Festival, from submitting the entry at the last minute, the whirlwind surrounding the channel, and the circumstances behind the channel boardrooms that led to performing in Kyvivre was something that Gdica didn't want to contemplate. All she knew now was that she had this chance to perform. She never made this song for a contest, she wasn't even sure she had any intention to release the song to the outside public. It was a return to what she longed for. A return to the production of music that was untethered by the forces of needing to survive, of needing an audience. It was a return to the innocence that she knew would never come back. This song was as much her plea to the singers that were lost and down just as much as it is for herself.

This was not just an anthem for those who left, but for those who have been turned away, those who were lost along the way. This was a plea for those unwritten and unheard stories of those who were this close, but were left in the abyss. For Gdica, they mattered too, even if she knew that those singers were now left anonymous and obscure. If for 3 minutes, she can give them in any sort of comfort or solace in their worlds, for which they were more used to silence and apathy, then perhaps that was a good first step. She knew she wasn't going to be a panacea. She knew that this was only a gesture from the side of luck. Yet... She still kept on, bore on even despite the current of fear, failure, and paranoia.

She knew, deep inside, that she needed this as well.

---

Stage lights billowed down to the center of the stage in the Arenakyvivre. The crowd cheer only caused Gdica's breath to hitch as she closed her eyes, hearing the faint effects that preceded the beginning of her entry. She stood alone on that stage, right at the very center. With only a line microphone to her person, she knew exactly what kind of image she was going to project. She was a woman, standing and singing alone to the audience, hoping that her message would be caught from her voice and delivery alone. It was the kind of image that she knew had been deployed before from her own country. She nodded as she felt her in-ear ring with the cue that the music was set to begin. She gripped the microphone tightly, knowing that the gaze of 21,000 eyes in the arena and of millions through the television screen was due to appear soon. With one deep breath, she steeled herself and in her mind, she was right back at home with her piano... Playing this song in full for the first time.

The initial backing track was soft and sparse. The Arenakyvivre's stage was covered in an almost overwhelming darkness save for a single spotlight on Gdica herself. The crowd cheered had subsided by then, the camera making a tentative but careful survey of the stage. The backing track was a gentle series of chords on a piano, with each soft chord growing progressively but only slightly louder. After a bit, the camera would fade to a view of Gdica looking down with her eyes closed, her face finally revealed to the audiences at home in the arena. Her eyes would open, catching the camera's gaze. Her expression was fragile and gentle, yet also carried with it an undercurrent of pain. She's a woman with years behind her expression, having carried the weight of her world and her heart. As the camera inched closer to her, and the beginning of her singing was due, she put the microphone up to her mouth and began to sing...

Kor, I see your tired, dark, and weary eyes
You've been defeated and torn
Your faith's been shaken and you feel lost
And I know, I've been down that road too

Her voice was soft and yet husky, a comforting tone to her voice. Yet, it was laced with the weight of experience, a slight edge and heft to it that belied a maturity to it. The way she delivered these lines was deliberate, taking each and every syllable somewhat slowly and clearly. She gazed at the camera as if she was speaking to a close friend of hers, with the camera never letting up on this same view or fading to another. This entire verse was a close interaction between her and the audience she had imagined in her head. The instrumentation remained soft, only softly playing along to her soft and hushed vocals. She reached a fragile arm towards that camera, another hand of hers slowly reaching up to her heart and clutching her chest and caressing her hair. Much of the verse remained calm, until the final line belied a sense of greater urgency... The switch to the second verse was quick, with not much of a pause or a break after the final line of this verse.

Kor, the world's torn apart your dreams and hopes
Their voices scream
Nemamo nade tebe
It's easy to let them win and give up...

The instrumentation began to build slightly. Gdica's voice went from that hushed calmness to a further emotional urgency, her voice and timber just that bit by bit higher. She shook heard at some parts of each line, her eyes closed, her face grimacing slightly from the emotions beginning to pour out of her. Each note she pinched, and yet delivered to the best of her ability. The lights around her would begin to intensify, going from a total darkness to a fragile and soft light, dancing around her as she performed. The instrumentation caught onto this, with an undercurrent of a cello joining the proceedings, especially as Gdica's voice began to utilize her falsetto for each line ending. She delivered these lines relatively quickly, the second chorus verse passing by and with the verse imminent. She reached a hand up towards the camera for the last line, delivering it entirely in a falsetto and becoming almost visibly breathless as she finished it. She regained her breath in preparation for the chorus, using that brief break between verse and chorus to do so, taking a step back and opening her eyes towards the camera.

Hold on
Take one step and never look back
Stand tall
There is a light inside of you
And say
'Sam fuart, I will rise up and heal'

There was a slight flourish in both the instrumentation and her vocals, arcing up towards a higher tone and intensity. Gdica would hold one arm out towards the camera as it switched between various views of the stage, looking almost like a montage as the camera views would 'fade' and bleed into each other instead of fast cuts. There were moments in the first half of the chorus where Gdica could be seen gazing towards another direction. There were angles, especially in the part more declarative/shorter parts of the chorus, where the camera would focus on side profiles of Gdica's face. They focused on the way her face shimmered against the sparse lights, the way her eyes, even from the side, shone with a broken yet fiery determination. To whoever she was singing this song to, it was clear that Gdica cared, and she exemplified this even further when the camera would return for a more direct view of her. The lights surrounding her began to shine even more bit by bit, intensifying as signs of a fuller instrumentation began to manifest.

Promise me, hold on
Take one step and never look back
Stand tall
There is a light inside of you
And say
'Sam fuart, I will rise up and heal, and heal, and heal...'

For the second half of the chorus, undercurrents of an orchestra began to pare through the instrumentation. Gdica would especially hold her chest and step forward, belting out some parts and letting her vocals soar for those choice few moments. However, she deliberately held back, utilizing this chorus as a way to build-up and set the stage for what was to come. The camera kept alternating and fading between angles slowly, a deliberate move to make sure that all of the attention and action was concentrated on Gdica's emotive vocals and expressions. At the last lines of this chorus, she ended it with a sideways glance, raising one hand up as the spotlight on her darkened for each vocal. She raised that hand up to her and visibly closed it, her expression grimacing into a near-sob. As soon as the chorus ended, she would turn her back on the audience and look up and towards the screen.

For this brief instrumental bridge, an solemn line of cello would play. Images of Izmeduan artists who have passed away, deliberately chosen from artists who did not attain much recognition, had their black and white pictures played on the screen. The camera's wide view would allow the audiences at home to also see the montage being played on the screen. Many of the artists that Gdica, the audience in the arena, and the viewers at home would only have been unfamiliar with many. For Gdica, some of them she only met once or twice, or only heard of in passing. However, in some form or another, they all shared one simple fact: their careers and lives were cut short. As soon as the cello's part of the song was complete, the camera would fade back to a view of Gdica. By this point, she was now glancing at the audience, visibly preparing for the last minute of the song. She caught the camera's gaze once more. The screens may have went dark, but the lights around her only began to intensify and brighten.

Kor, know that you will have to keep fighting
Don't give in, I will be with you
Biti ple, you're never alone

The third and final verse of the song saw Gdica begin to truly go at it. All of the build up for the the first two minutes of the song was now nearing its imminent payoff. She intensified her vocals further, belting out and singing these lyrics with defiance and plea. Her face showed a greater determination than before, but the sympathy and her care in her eyes never disappeared. The camera would focus all its attention on her for this verse, even as the lights around Gdica began to finally intensify and light up the Arenakyvivre. The instrumentation itself also began to pick up, with the orchestra finally beginning to make itself apparent on the backing track and an even greater sense of urgency and drama than before. The instrumentation, the lights, and her delivery kept getting more dramatic for every, building up to a near fever pitch. Gdica pointed towards the audience and the camera, making sure to emblematize and deliver this message with all of the power she could via her voice, arm movements, whatever she needed to do.

Promise me

This brief line was an interval from verse to chorus. A dramatic arm movement followed by a dramatic sequence of flashing lights, woven and framed by a wide camera view. The instrumentation swooned only slightly, the strings in the backing track carrying the song to its final chorus. Before long, the song had finally reached its climax...

Hold on
Take one step and never look back
Stand tall
There is a light inside of you
And say
'Sam fuart, I will rise up and heal, and heal, and heal...'

For the final reprise of the chorus, Gdica gave it all that she could and more. From a controlled delivery to now belting out the song. Her eyes were closed, her concentration firmly set on her vocals, emotions, the camera, and the audience. The lights around swelled and shine dramatically around her, entire arrays and rows of white lights giving light and framing the tragedy and hope surrounding the song's mood and message. The Arenakyvivre's interior, as Gdica dramatically belted out each line, was now at its brightest. At each line and at each note, the viewers at home and in the audience could see Gdica's body wrack and keel slightly over each note, her voice keeping par with the dramatic instrumental. She would end this half softly, her eyes closed and pointing one trembling finger towards the camera. Now, it was time for the second half...

Promise me, hold on
Take one step and never look back
Stand tall
There is a light inside of you
And say
'Sam fuart, I will rise up and heal'

For this, she gave it her all and left everything on the stage. Gdica let her vocals rise and belt for as powerfully as she feasibly could, saving all of the pent up energy not just from the song's build up, but from each rehearsal, each moment writing this song, each moment thinking about this song. The camera switched between close and wide shots, the lights concentrating on Gdica as she sang. She stepped forward at each line, Gdica now finding herself closer to the audience than ever before. Her hands trembled, her voice was at its limits, and she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. However, she never let up or relented. For the fourth and final line, that was the glory moment of the song. One wide stage view, the lights coalescing darkening and then flashing intensely, and Gdica belting out 'and say' with as much power as she could. The camera would return back to her for the final line of the chorus, ending with eyes closed, her eyes and face towards the ceiling. Her voice lilted with power for as long as she could, the lights fading except for a solitary spotlight...

Kor...

She ended the song with that final line. Gdica was too lost for words when the song finished, the lights darkening and the camera turning back to the crowd for a shot of some lucky Izmeduans waving their flags. She had no idea how to take in the cheers or the reactions, only gazing with gratefulness and emotion brimming with her eyes. She couldn't hold it in anymore, too overcome with the complex package of emotions associated with the song to say any words to the crowd except for pinching her nose, on the verge of sobbing.

She blew a kiss to the crowd and walked backstage, hoping that no matter what happened tonight, this song mattered to someone. Moved them, set them on a path towards healing and happiness...

If that happened... That was enough for Gdica to feel fulfilled. We now move onto to the next nation to perform, it is Nekoni!

---

Kor = dear
Nemamo nade tebe = There is no hope for you
Sam fuart = I am strong
Biti ple = You are worthy

[Britonisea]

22 NEKONI
Les Dahlias Noires - "The End of the Line"

Trigramme: NEK
Language: English
Music: Elizabeth Malmédy, Ginny Balthaire
Lyrics: Elizabeth Malmédy
Tune: Kyoka suigetsurou (TËЯRA Edition) // TËЯRA

Postcard Music

Nekoni debuts

WIP POSTCARD

Nekoni takes to the World Hit Festival stage for the first time ever. Can they win on their first attempt? Let's find out now!

[Britonisea]

Tune for Nekoni


Les Dahlias Noires are (from left):
Ginny Balthaire - Rhythm Guitar
Elizabeth "Ellie" Malmédy - Lead Singer, Lead Guitar
Alice de Fleurs - Drums
Mylène Delacroix - Bass

Les Dahlias Noires were, until the arrival of the 70th edition of the WorldVision Song Contest, an amateur band playing at open-mic sessions in their hometown of Varea, Nekoni's capital. Found by a committee executive that just happened to be in the bar they were playing at, he gave them studio time to make the nation's entry their first professional song, and, one miraculous contest win later, they came back from Talvezout as stars, and surely they would not need to rely on a global singing competition such as the WVSC again...until a new channel came knocking.

Step forward nk.TV, a new television network privately owned and ran by an eccentric young billionaire aimed square at the younger market. Having been on the airwaves for a few months, the network was doing fine for itself, but really needed a killer app, and Nekoni's long-awaited debut in the World Hit Festival looked exactly like the sort of shot in the arm the enterprise needed, and for an artist to send, it absolutely had to be the girls, who had a proven track record of winning. However, this was the WHF. A completely different playing field with a whole new weight of expectation upon their shoulders, could lightning strike twice?

---

The stage has four individual circular podia for each group member: a large one for the drummer at the back, smaller ones to the sides, one large one at the front for the lead. They are increasing in height the further towards the back they go, to show the audience all of them at once. The outfits for the girls are sarcastically inspired by the "storybook" themes of the song. All four of them have black/dark purple generic 'princess dresses' with punk modifications: strategic rips along the sleeves, the long skirts cut short to reveal long striped stockings (or in the case of the lead singer, Ellie, fishnet tights), band patches over where normally flower motifs would be, etc. Ellie, as leader, has a silver tiara. Mylène, on bass, has a black lace masquerade mask on, as well as a mini top hat fascinator. Ginny, the rhythm guitarist, has her hair kept back with a simple purple headband, whereas the drummer, Alice, has her now trademark black snowboard goggles pressed up to her forehead to keep her hair out her face.

---

The song begins with the camera focused on just Ellie's face, all the stage light either pointing at her or off during the intro. She isn't playing guitar at this moment. On each 'hit', the lights behind her flash, revealing briefly the other performers. The guitar riff was recorded in advance by Ginny, who doesn't normally do the squiddly solos, but needs must.

You thought you
Could steal my heart away from me
But then I turned into someone new
And the reincarnation of me, it was
The end of the line for you

The instrumental comes, and with it, the lights are fully up, revealing the entire stage. The camera darts between the newly-illuminated members, with extra care being taken to show the drummer when her fills get a bit mad. Ellie has now joined in on guitar, taking over the solo riffs whilst Ginny has moved back to chords. The backing LED screen pulses in that black-and-white pulse you pretty much get from a Nekoni entry on a daily basis.

The verse focuses the cameras on Ellie as she sings without her guitar. As the camera pans around the band, we can see the background screen's video in full. The screen displays a video in greyscale of Ellie in a forested area outside what looks like a generic castle. She is dressed in what she's wearing for the performance, but with all the rips, cuts and patches gone. She walks down the path in the forest slowly, holding in her hand a neatly cut and wrapped bouquet of flowers.

(0'29)
Love, it's a pendulum swing
And I've grown far too tired to push back
And you've not found another 'her'
Are you not as good as you thought you were, dear?

As she reaches the end of the path, she turns right into what appears to be a grassy courtyard area with a single apple tree in the middle. Additionally, next to the tree stands a man wearing a full tuxedo and tails. His entire head is obscured by a full-face wolf masquerade mask made of black metal. The camera cuts to her face, shocked at the man, who gestures her to come closer. She obliges.

Once, you told me I was your princess
In your greatest fantasies, but
My glass slippers have long been shattered up, and now
The clock has struck twelve, it's time to wake up

As the bridge is reached, the wolf grabs an apple off the tree, and hands it to Ellie. She takes it off him, dropping the flowers as she does, and lifts it up to take a bite.

(0'51)
Since you won't learn
I'll sing it over and over
'til the words begin to break through

Just before the chorus hits, the backing video version of Ellie bites into the apple, and the screen and lightning erupts in an explosion of colour, the video replaced with a bright purple on black lightning visualisation, the Grid flashing white in time to the kickdrum pulse just before the chorus. The camera now focuses on Ellie pretty much exclusively throughout the chorus, with intermittent camera cuts to panning shots across the band, and the occasional crowd shot, to show that The Grid is being used, pulsing along to the beat in a luxurious purple.

(0'57)
You thought you
Could steal my heart away from me
Like a dumb storybook fantasy
But I am not a damsel in distress
And I don't need you to rescue me

The background video at this point is interspersed with clips of the video shown in the chorus, particularly the part where she bites into the apple.

I nearly bit the poisoned apple
But then I turned into someone new
And the reincarnation of me, it was
The end of the line for you

The post-chorus section is very much the same as the initial one before the first verse.

There is another video for the second verse, with the camera direction focusing on both the band playing and the video without either dominating. In this segment (in colour), Ellie, wearing the same dress as she did in the first video, is inside the castle itself. The main room of the castle appears to be a long banquet hall, decorated as if it were a wedding, but with no guests. At the end of the room is a long table with a large wedding cake. The scene has clearly been there for a while, as cobwebs line the room, the decorations and banners have degraded from a pure white to a decayed puce, and each of the banquet hall tables contain food that has been overcome with maggots.

As the verse continues, Ellie walks alone down the centre of the hall, the bouquet she once had in hand, looking genuinely distressed to be there, but still continuing to walk. As she does, the video cuts to establishing shots of the decorations eroded away and close-ups of the rotting food.

(1'31)
Merde, that is all that you speak
And as your jaw continues to move
You're making a noise but the words don't come out
Nobody cares what you have to say, now

Once she reaches the end of the aisle, the man in the wolf mask appears to walk on by her side, as if by magic. He is brandishing a large knife. He walks up to the cake on the altar, and cuts a slice. Pulling the slice out from the cake, it reveals that the inside is rotten flesh, which oozes out of the sides. The camera cuts between the inside of the cake and Ellie's shocked and disgusted face.

'We', it's the lie that you made
While you were claiming we had something
There was nothing there in the first damn place, you'll see
You've wasted your time trying to chase me

During the bridge, the camera focuses on Ellie again. She takes her hands off the guitar, and wrenches the tiara off her head. She looks at it, singing the second half of the bridge whilst her face writhes in almost digust as the camera pans around her.

(1'53)
Your fake bonhomie is doing nothing for me
So take the L, goodbye, now go home
I don't care if truth made you cry
I don't care, just get out my sight

As the chorus hits, she snaps the tiara in two, and tosses the halves into the audience. They'll be for sale online at 1am sharp. The chorus is played in the same way as the first one, with the background video displaying the same erratic clips of the video we have just seen.

(2'05)
You thought you
Could steal my heart away from me
Like a dumb storybook fantasy
But I am not a damsel in distress
And I don't need you to rescue me

I nearly bit the poisoned apple
But then I turned into someone new
And the reincarnation of me, it was
The end of the line for you

The solo comes, and the camera focuses on both Ellie's guitar work at the same time as the background video. The video displays Ellie as the princess running from the castle through the forest, which is now at night and raining. She has mascara running down her face, and whilst she runs, she frantically rips at the dress she is wearing, the muddy forest floor splashing up onto her dress as she runs. The video part ends when the solo ends, the rest of the performance being stage-based.

As the acoustic verse plays, the other band members rip off their head/face accoutrements and snap them in half too, throwing them in the audience...which the exception of the drummer, who, in an act of defiance, pushes the goggles down from her forehead onto her eyes. Even in a female alt-metal band, Alice has to be the different one.

(2'44)
You thought you
Could steal my heart away from me
Like a dumb storybook fantasy
But I am not a damsel in distress
And I don't need you to rescue me

At this point, both rhythm and bass guitarists join Ellie on the main platform, taking their instruments with them, Mylène playing her bass as she goes. Ginny, rhythm guitarist, takes an apple from behind the platform that she was originally on, and places it on the floor, centre of the front platform, right in front of Ellie.

I nearly bit the poisoned apple
But then I turned into someone new
And the reincarnation of me, it was
The end of the line for you

Ellie, at the moment the band fully kicks in, stamps on the apple, sending pieces flying. As she does, eight blasts of CO2 surround the platform with the three women playing their guitars, as does one in front of the drummer (this is probably why she had the goggles on).

(3'07)
And you can't steal my heart from me
Like a dumb storybook fantasy
'Cause I am not a damsel in distress
And I don't need you to rescue me

The three guitarists continue, with Ellie gradually moving in front of the two. As she reaches the end of the final line, she is down on one knee, facing left, ready to shred the solo.

I nearly bit the poisoned apple
But then I turned into someone new
And the reincarnation of me, it was
The end of the line for you

The ending solo plays out, and the effects go wild, with the white/purple/black visualisations on the background screen all in full force, with a few extra strobes for good measure. Ellie's pretty heavily into the solo, thrashing her hair around now the tiara's been unclipped, as are the rest of the band members. Alice on drums has been thrashing hers since the beginning. On the final note of the solo, Ellie lets it ring as long as possible, on both knees, with her guitar in one hand and her raised fist in the other crushing what was left of the apple. As the rest of the band hit the final fill, a lovely bit of pyro hits up from the front of the stage.

The crowd goes wild. Britonisea has always had a soft spot for Nekoni's more rockier numbers, and today was no exception. Alice bounds off her drum kit to hug with the rest of her bandmates on stage, screaming "Merci, Kyvivre!" at the audience. This was Nekoni's first bite of the WHF cherry, and the only question after that was what took them so long. It was now time for the performance from Achaean Republic!