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

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:51 pm

On screens across Normandy and Picardy, from Amiens to Avranches, the SRNP ident played. A voice. "Ce soir sur SRNP1, le Festival International de la Chanson, en live d'Amiens. Attention, cette emission contient les clignotements". The warning about flashing images was not all that unusual, and indeed it always followed the yearly introduction to the World Hit Festival (normally on SRNP2, a hint if you needed it), but it was what lay in between that was key; it was going to be live from Amiens. Amiens! No need to mention this or that host country as they had done for so many years before. No, it was being held in the capital of Picardy itself. The Normands and Picards had been waiting a long time for this moment. They had not hosted since Avranches hosted the contest in WHF33, and, more importantly, the country had finally broken the infamous "curse" that it had seemingly brought upon itself after the disaster that was the hosting of the 24th World Hit Festival when it won. Frederic Duchamps and Annabelle Vallence had brought the trophy home, and now it would be their turn to help run proceedings, and ultimately, to pass the trophy on to whoever was able to win over the hearts and minds of professional juries and millions of telespectateurs across the multiverse. And so, as that ident played, there was a sense that a lot had led to this moment, amongst the home crowd, amongst the staff at SRNP, and amongst Frederic and Annabelle, waiting behind scenes at the Mégacité conference centre where they would run the show that would unfold just next door at the Zénith d'Amiens.

There was perhaps a little time to ponder the absurdity of it all as now the broadcast went multiverse wide, and the opening ident of the World Hit Festival itself and the official theme of the contest played. Sure, the country had had a very successful run over the previous five contests or so, under the benevolent leadership of their lord and saviour Simone Derrida, as the team running proceedings in SRNP had come to know her affectionately, if teasingly. And, indeed, the country had come very close, indeed losing a tie for first place just as they had back in WHF32. In a way, no one expected to ever actually win, even as SRNP had arranged plans with the city of Amiens following an internal bidding process, just in case. The brief glimmer of hope, and the bucketloads of caution, had finally been justified. Now, all they needed to do was to run the show. And, indeed, things were going smoothly. Very smoothly. As stated, the ident of the World Hit Festival played out and fell into the ears of millions, and set the hearts of the artists waiting nervously in a conference centre in Amiens for their time, their moment, pounding even faster than they already had been, if that were possible. The theme reached its great, final crescendo, and then, a moment of quiet...

tune (0:30-1:35)

Eschewing for the most part the traditional opening performances customary at the World Hit Festival, instead, SRNP opted to prepare a short film to open the show, a journey across Picardy, and Normandy and Picardy more widely, and through time to show its heritage and culture, following the narrative of a young girl from the coast going inland to Amiens, the host city, but also highlighting the country's historical narrative, through high points and low, all culminating in the show being held that evening. And so we begin, in the town of Le Crotoy, at the mouth of the Somme, it having passed throughout Picardy including Amiens itself (thus establishing the link and the narrative drive from early on). This short section of the opening was named "A Travers la Mer" (Across the Sea), and is set to a tune composed by the Picard folk artist Michel Gaulfier, drawing on a series of folk tunes and motifs to create a calm, gentle, almost stargazing opening piece, as though you were looking out to sea, in part wistfully, in part with hope. Indeed, this short section opened with a focus on the mouth of the Somme at low tide, in which it is actually possible to cross the sands over to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, and showed families and young children having fun, running around, that sort of thing, with the occasional look both out to sea and inland, where the river, whether by the canals built to facilitate travel or the thick marshes that the Somme is well known for, came from, passing through from Amiens. Then, using timelapse imagery, the video showed the tide rise and cover the sands, slowly zooming in towards the promenade looking over the bay until eventually a young woman, aged about twenty or so, could be seen looking out across the water, out to and beyond the sea. Dreaming. Hoping. Longing, perhaps. But her goal was not to be to go beyond, not this time. And so she looked once again inland, across to Saint-Valery, over the small sailing ships that had taken to the water, and beyond, inland. She would be going upriver instead...

tune (1:35-5:17)

A brief moment of silence. Yet some, swiftly following, the first twinkles of the ivories that opened the next section of the opening video, "Sur la route d'amiens" (On the Road to Amiens), the first part of a two part piece, the second to follow on from this, by Amiens based composer and artist Hugo de Beaulieu, who won a commission for the pieces and indeed helped influence the wider artistic direction and narrative of this opening video following it. Hugo, aged 35, is originally from Bayeux in Normandy, but has made his home in the capital of the Picard Republic for the last ten years, where he has made a name for himself through his bringing together of his classical training with more electronic elements, and indeed he has even collaborated with rap and hiphop artists in the past including at the prestigious Concours de la College de Cherbourg pour la Musique (Cherbourg College Music Contest), the biggest internal musical event, and indeed TV event, of the year (albeit slightly marginalised this year by the whole, you know, WHF thing going on). In many ways the piece he has composed for WHF in two parts is very much reflective of his general style, and to the observant viewer, his influence on the wider production will be noticeable too. In any case, SRNP were very glad to have such a vital artist be part of the creative team, showcasing the best of Picard talent.

But what good had that talent been put to? Ah, now there's a question! Time for us to return back to what was actually going on methinks. (OOC: For your benefit, I will provide rough timings for the descriptions, see below).

1:38-2:17 : And what was going on was that our female protagonist, Amelie, was slowly wandering about the bustling streets of Le Crotoy, the famous restaurants full to taste the world-class food available, especially the seafood that Normandy and Picardy more generally is world-famous for. Indeed, as she passed one of them, she even pinched a mussle from the pan of a family enjoying their Moules Frites, the mussels being as fresh as you could hope for (not of course that any of this extraneous information would have been available to the viewers, who would rather simply see a young girl pinch someon's dinner). In any case, the opening section showed off the small Picard town, an image of ordinary life for ordinary people in this little piece of paradise. And yet, this clearly was not enought for Amelie. She was heading home, outside which was a proper classic Picard and indeed more generally French car, the Citroën DS, ready to leave this little time behind. The view followed Amelie as she ran inside her house, running about, bringing together her things, the TV on in the background, which was focused on briefly, showing the moment Frederic Duchamps and Annabelle Vallence won the last contest (even though it would have been night-time in Normandy and Picardy when that was broadcast and it was definitely day outside in this VT). Having grabbed everything, it was time for her to grab her moment.

2:18-2:35: And here we go! Throwing a suitcase into the back of an old-style car and getting behind the steering wheel, it was time for Amelie to ~~set sail~~ drive away to claim her destiny. And so, the journey begins, looking now firmly inland, leaving the sea behind, with Amelie setting boldly off on the road to Amiens. Yet, of course, at first she wouldn't be all that far, as was made clear by some of the wider shots as she drove away from Le Crotoy, with the flat plains and the marshes along the Somme being visible.

2:35-3:32: As we follow her on her journey out, through the coastal plains, there were a series of shots of cyclists riding along the Tour de la Baie de Somme cycling route alongside the road, cycling alongside Amelie and her car, and being then left behind as she carried on further inland. She passed on through the little town of Noyelles-sur-Mer, not a large settlement by any means but simply the first reached on the course of her journey. Indeed, this certainly wouldn't be Amelie's final destination, she had not given up Le Crotoy for a small little village. In any case, this allowed us to see the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme [Somme Bay Railway] steaming past. Again, she soon left this behind and took to the open road, and there were a mixture of shots, some showing Amelie having a wonderful time, some focusing on the surroundings, including the various little towns and settlements she passed through, and the people leading their lives, live musical performances taking place in the background, people queuing up outside a boulangerie, all the typical features of Picard (and Normand) life.

3:32-4:04 : At this point Amelie reached Abbeville, the capital of the historical region of Ponthieu and the more broad 'coastal region' of Picardy, and it is here where the past, the key element of this opening section more generally, begins to slowly emerge, the heritage that Picardy is built on slowly beginning to show itself, coming from behind the modern country it created. She drove into the main square in the centre of Abbeville and got out, looking around, and from there the audience were shown a series of views of life in the city. Some definite hints of the general theme aforementioned came to the forth in this section, whether the look towards the Abbeville War Memorial and the 1960s Town Hall as points that stick etc., alongside the older past reflected in the city some of the sites and the like. A taste of what is to come, both for our protagonist seeking something bigger, something better, and for us, the audience too

4:04-4:50 - A return to focus back on the girl as she leaves Abbeville behind her and passes along the roads further up along the Somme, including even this far up very much some country roads, sites of the river and the marshes alongside the river, people coming along in vessels. In another definite nod to the theme going on here, pass through the Samarra Arboretum and the recreations of ancient life from the Paleolithic to the Gallo-Roman period, showing the deep historical roots of the region. Carry on through towns etc. as Amiens gets closer and closer

4:51-5:17: At this time, the history seems to burst through into the present, and the crying of accountants might faintly be heard in the background if you listen hard enough. Shells blast holes in the road around the car as CGI knights made to look like they are from the Bayeux Tapestry pass by, the faces of certain historical figures and the like seem to rapidly and disappear and the images glitch between modern footage and grainy black and white images, almost a battle going on between the two, until, as the music fades out, we are left with grainy, black and wide footage of a bombed out Amiens after the Second World War. An image of devestation. But from this there would be hope...

tune (5:18-10:10)

And so, we have travelled across Picardy and a very representative slice of its countryside and arrived in the host city itself, Amiens. Unfortunately, our parallel journey through time, or history's reaching out to us, has left us in 1945 and in the aftermath of the Second World War, which obviously had brought a great amount of toil and destruction to the country more generally. Thus, this next section was going to celebrate the hope that can come out of the desolation, to show how Amiens, as a mircocosm of all of Normandy and Picardy, was able to recover and begin to heal the wounds of war, and also managed to work its way through the trial and tribulations of its more modern history. It is a case of looking to the future, just as much as history clearly has made its mark, and about forging a new tomorrow.

5:18-5:53 - We begin with the city in ruins, but with the Cathedral standing defiant. Starting here, and throughout, there is a great amount of use of archive footage and images, in almost a documentary fashion, cataloguing the journey that the city took, intersepersed with live action clips at various point, as occured at the end of this section, where, in order to affect a change of scene, the laying down of blueprints of the design for the forecourt of the cathedral are layed across the screen from a perspective beyond it, before the camera zooms out to show a series of architects, led by Pierre Dufau, looking over and finalising the plans they had been working on since 1942

5:53-7:06 - We now move to looking at the early stages of the building of many of the now iconic landmarks of the modern Amiens, the Gare d'Amiens, the Tour Perret and the Place Gambetta, interspersed with footage of ordinary people starting to try and refashion their lives; workers going back to the factories in the Saint-Leu district, children going back to newly built schools, and people adapting to new ways of life, indeed shunning some of the new buildings that appeared over the course of the 50s and 60s (here taken as a general designation, and thus not strictly sticking to an onwards chronology, not of course that anyone even in Amiens watching would have really noticed) and, with their traditional Amiens spirit, simply deciding to hide them with other buildings.

7:06-8:03 - Time carried on, as the music in the song slowly builds, providing the forward impetus, but it is not all plain sailing for the people of Amiens. We arrive in the late 60s, and the student riots which took hold across the border in France in 1968 made their way across into Normandy and Picardy too. We are shown footage of those protesting, their signs and their banners and their marches, but also the putrefaction of rubbish as the binmen strike and among other negative effects. Meanwhile, just as before workers were shown returning to the factories, now, as time progressed in the 1970s and 80s, Amiens began to lose its industry and people lost their jobs, and the film does not shy away from showing this. And yet, within this, we see people helping each other and looking out for each other, signs of the spirit of the people of Amiens, struggling and yet still being able to find moments of joy.

8:03-8:35 - And now, we are given a rapid succession of signs of change, showing how far the city has come since the 1980s. Very early on, the Saint-Leu district saw attempts to revive and repurpose the area and bring it new life, and thus we see the University of Picardy (Amiens) buildings opening to students, and, as we move into the 1990s, the redesign of the parc Saint-Pierre and the finishing of wider renovation works and. Continuing even on into the 00s and the Gare la Vallée project to revive the Place de la Gare as a major centre of social life in the city, in very rapid succession we can see the ways the city has tried to forge a new path and to recover from the past.

8:35-8:50 - For a brief section the song seems to reach a lull, and for this section, we are given a large sweeping shot over the city of Amiens, surrounded by the marshy hortillonnages which here make their first and certainly not final appearance of the night, and simply showing just how far the city had come from the opening shots of Des Nouveaux Horizons.

8:50-10:10 - And so we go into the final leg, the final crescendo, with a rapid zoom into the city. From this, audiences around the multiverse are shown life as it is now in the modern, vibrant city that the competitors and visitors to the 57th WHF will find themselves in. There is the nightlife, performances in the various bars which are known to be scouted by eager SRNP Heads of Delegation amongst others, the bars and restaurants, some of them world famous and serving the finest Normand cuisine, going down to the hortillonnages, with all the usual shots of people being happy and jokey and the like with the Cathedral looking over in the background. Indeed, there was, overall, a general shift towards night time, although the previous sentence will show you that things were more jumbled than that as part of a reflection of the life and vigour to be found. Consequently, there was the obvious shot of the ferris wheel on the Place de la Gare, but different things like the nighttime Christmas markets on the Cathedral Forecourt, and, indeed, we moved over to the Zenith d'Amiens and the wider hosting complex, too, where the show would be being held and the acts would perform. Indeed, with a final shot looking at the Zenith from above, and as the lever de rideau finally came to an end, the waves spread across the screen and the logo of the contest appeared. There was applause in the background as these opening graphics played, whilst a very hurried Frederic Duchamps, who would be hosting the contest, made some very last minute arrangements, and his producers begged him to at least try to host competently...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:05 pm

And with that, the opening image was open. But, rather than cutting to the Zénith d'Amiens, which had just been seen at the end of the opening VT, and to the stage which had not even been seen yet at this point, but rather it was time to go over to the MegaCité, the large conference centre just next door, where one of its halls had becoming the hosting centre for the contest. It was from here that the show would be run, and where the greenroom for the artists, alongside seating for a couple of thousand more fans, could be found, and it was here where viewers from around the multiverse were met by Frédéric Duchamps, the man who had helped bring the contest home to Normandy and Picardy alongside his wife, Annabelle Vallence. No one was quite sure why Frédéric had been given the position of host for this contest. He had very little experience. And what experience he did have did not bode well, as it was... chaotic to say the least. The producers perhaps were hoping for a somewhat familiar face for the international viewers, and someone who knew the ins and outs of the contest having been through it themselves. They were not going to get that. But, in any case, it was time for him to begin speaking, and that's where things began to get interesting...

"Madames et Messieurs, bienvenue au Zénith d'Amiens pour le cinquante-seiz... cinquante-septieme, pardon, festival international de la chanson, qui est diffusé en live à des millions dans le multiverse!"

He could have sworn that this was the 56th contest. Oh wait, that was the one that he had won. The card hard been right after all. Frédéric shrugged as the crowd appaluded all the same. Could have gone better, could have gone worse, although now he had to provide the English version of what he had just said. He had complained to the production team that this was unnecessary, that all it would do would be prolong the show, and cause him problems as he barely spoke English (a fact no-one had bothered to ascertain beforehand). But, it had to be done, and so he would try...

"Alors... Ah, so, ladies and men, welcome to the Zénith d'Amiens for the fifty...seventh world 'it festival, which is being broadcast live to millions of you across the multiverse"

More applause. Why where they applauding exactly the same thing again? Nevermind, he thought, he had got through the English rather painlessly. And so, back to French, in which we would speak more about the night's proceedings...

"Nous sommes fiers de faire bon acceuil aux 20 autres pays pour ce festival ici à Amiens, et leurs artistes s'asseyent ici dans la MegaCité d'Amiens..."
Translation: We are proud to welcome 20 other countries for this festival, here in Amiens, and their artists are sitting here in the MegaCité d'Amiens

With this, and much to Frédéric's annoyance, the crowd in the MegaCité, the premium conference centre in all of Picardy, burst into applause and the cameras turned to show the artists all sat together with their delegations, waving about their flags, cheering, that sort of thing; unsurprisingly, some emphasis was placed on the Normand entrant, Alys Montgolfier, for whom Frédéric had written the Normand entry this contest. His annoyance wasn't the result of any sort of vanity, the attention turned away from him, but was more just a general antipathy towards the concept of cheering everything every two seconds. This was going to be a long evening, he thought...

"Alors, je peux continuer. Ce soir, les deux républiques ouvrent leurs portes, et nous espérons qu'ils pourront briller. Nous avons travaillé avec les meilleurs talents prometteurs dans tout de Normandie et Picardie pour exhiber ce que nous croyons etre le meilleur de la Normandie et Picardie, sa campagne, ses gens, sa cuisine et sa culture, de Saint Quentin à Mont Saint Michel
Translation: So, I can continue. This evening, the two republics open their doors, and we hope that they will shine. We have worked with the best up-and-coming Normand and Picard talent to show off what we believe to be the best of Normandy and Picardy, its landscape, people, cuisine, and culture, from Saint Quentin to Mont St Michel

It was all going well for now. All he had to do was keep reading, keep trying to make some sort of eye contact with the camera pointed at him now and again, as behind him the background played with the waves playing as per the logo.

"Et le même et vrai pour la ville hôte, Amiens. Nous sommes live ici, à travers la rue dans le Zénith d'Amiens... la Stade de la Licorne, chez Amiens SC... et le Place du Don au centre d'Amiens..."
And the same is true for the host city, Amiens. We are live here, just across the road at the Zénith d'Amiens, the Stade de la Licorne, home to Amiens SC (the local football/soccer club) and the Place du Don in the centre of Amiens

As Frédéric read the location of each of the places that would be hosting part of the night's festivities, the camera would cut to live feed of the relevant location, starting with the 6,000 strong crowd in the Zénith, and finally giving a glimpse of the stage for the first time; then to the Stade de la Lincorne where a crowd of several thousand watched the show on a large screen, with the stage set up for a later performance; and the Place du Don, the heart of Amiens, where events had been taking place all week, and from where later the Normand votes would be given.

Tu as peut-être remarqué notre scène merveilleuse qui a été dessinée par le concepteur célèbre Picard Lucien Élul, et sur cette scène, c'est où les concurrents vont jouer ce soir. Faisons bien de regarder...
You might have just noticed our wonderful stage, designed by noted Picard designer Lucien Élul, and it is on this stage that the acts will be performing tonight. Let's take a proper look at it...

There was another cut now to the stage, pictured below, in all its glory, the lights all flashing, and the logo playing on the background screens. Just over the road, Frédérix couldn't conceal his contempt for the stage, and indeed he was overhead muttering something not very polite. He had turned away, as if expecting the break to be longer, so was quite unprepared for his next cue. He realised. He jolted into action, pivoting around and ruffling his hair...

See the Design | See the Stage in Action (Upbeat) | See the Stage in Action (Ballad)

Alors...Bien, comme j'ai dit, 21 pays se disputeront le trophée de la grand prix, comme j'ai disputé avec ma femme, Annabelle, l'année dernière. Puis, des juries et des télévoters de chaque pays votera afin de déterminer leur top 5. Chaucun attribuera cinq points à son préféré
et ainsi de suite. Mais voyons qui joue quand...
So... Well, as I have said, 21 countries will compete for the trophy, like I did with my wife, Annabelle, last contest. Then, juries and televoters from each country will vote to determine their top 5. Each will give 5 points to their favourite and so on. Let's see who's performing when...

The below image, showing the official running order of the contest that would unfold over the course of the evening was shown

Nos amis, Todlichebujoku, qui nous ont reçu si bien le dernier concours, s'arrêtent le spectacle, mais maintenant, le festival est ouvert par Alezie du Nord. Bonne chance!
Our friends, Todlichebujoku, who played host for us so well last contest, close the show, but now, the festival opens with North Alezia

And with that, Frédéric's job was done, for now. And without too many hiccups. Some might say it wasn't perfect; the production team saw it, however, as a success. And now, it was time for the first entry, and the postcard began to play...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:05 pm

Entry links etc. to go here

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:08 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:24 pm

North Alezia has a great reputation in the World Hit Festival, always earning top 10 ever since they debuted at the 52nd edition at Monterra, Kalosia. The country nearly won the competition in the 56th edition in Brahmokerto, Fromulya with Halimah Sa'adinova's Hilang di Zafi, only to get 2nd after being defeated by Todlichebujoku by two points. North Alezia got much less lucky one edition later where North Alezia got its worst result, a 10th place. This time, North Alezia plans to be a little luckier with this edition, hopefully even finally bring in the title to Zafizamarrah.

Andi Ainii Irqimaza Novogrody (short name Ainii) was the youngest of the Andi-Novogrody non-identical twins. She was born ten minutes after Robi, her twin older brother and also the composer of her entry to this edition's World Hit Festival. (Robi was born on 30/01/90 at 23:50:00 and Ainii was born on 31/01/90 at 00:00:00) She was the daughter of Mukhlis Krasnaya Novogrody (yup. Mukhlis the premier and rebel leader himself) and Andi Rinra Panaikata. The Russian and Buginese fuse into one culture. (Funny Fact: One day before Mukhlis and Rinra married, they got sat on the floor with a table with a lot of stuff in front of them. Mukhlis got surprised when he got thrown rice at him that he nearly tumbles himself upside down. Turns out it's a Buginese tradition called Mapacci...)

Ainii enjoyed her childhood being the national family. However, Ainii herself in an interview said that being the children of the premier she and his brother are always brought up everywhere up and down, left and right. She said that it was stressful that she said that she won't even think about getting the Premiership seat even if people asked her to. Other than the stressful life of being a Premier daughter, Ainii found her singing potential after Ainii sung a song his brother "wrote", which Robi jumped up and down hearing his song being sung by his sister. Her father also apparently said: "Ainii got serious potential." This proved that Ainii was special because usually, singing abilites in the Novogrody family always went to the males. Ainii is a new exception to that theory.

Ainii completed her tertiary education at the Millenial University of Zafizamarrah at 2012 with a degree in Music Production. Ainii quickly debuted with an album called "Be Serious or I'll Make You" released on the same year, earning applaud and fantastic reviews. That's right! Ainii jumped to the music scene earlier than Robi (which was working as a detective. Only to be fired due to him being ousted for "Incompetence" (honestly it's just due to Robi finding out that his higher-ups are embezzling money), which started making albums in 2017. For some reason, however, Robi went viral and his popularity shot up. And Ainii would always highly support him.

Ainii is also a great composer, although she specifically wants Robi to do the World Hit Festival entry because "He is made for these kind of stuff and she is not sure about doing it herself". Ainii is also a great at economy stuff. She was so good at it that people joked that Ainii inherited the Andi part of the family's ability to haggle in MASSIVE amounts. Ainii is also great in violin, which she learned since she was 5. However, Ainii has some not so good sides too. She can be a little bit violent (she is a black-belt in Karate, one day she threw someone upside down for unknown reason).

Kau, Yang Terbaik gives a message to its listeners about positivity and happiness all around. To do whatever you like without caring so much about people judging. And to be honest to themselves, and to speak the truth. The lyrics are actually partly based on her mother's advice when she was a teenager.

The Live performance will be accompanied by four backing singer and dancer. Mizan Alhiqfliazul, Risani Martha-Emilio, Intana Seranti, and surprisingly, his own brother, and the composer of the song itself, Andi Robi Idris Novogrody.

The postcard ended, and transitioned to the stage where the are two female backing singers and a big door. People applauses for Ainii's song. The instrumental starts, and lights scatters everywhere. From behind, the screen on the LED strip shows a white line going to the front side of the stage. When the last drum are being hit, the two male backing dancers kicked the door open (don't worry it's not locked so it's ok). The two male backings quickly walked upfront and walked directly to the left and right of the door giving Ainii the spotlight who was wearing a black gown with white leaves as a decoration on the side that can actually light up like this). The camera quickly zooms to Ainii

Jangan takut, katakanlah isi dalam hati (hati)
Siapa yang peduli, percayalah isi dalam hati (hati)

Ainii walks to the front accompanied by the male backing singers walking behind. while she do that, the line below her follows her to the front accurately.

Dengarkanlah suaramu di dalam diri
Jangan lupa jadilah dirimu sendiri

Ainii arrived at the center part of stage, the men behind her pivoted behind her and the audience, the female backing singers walked to the center so they can be near Ainii. Ainii points to audience and then proceeds to hold the female backing singers hands at "Peganglah erat tanganku"

Janganlah kau kuatir
Karena mereka amatir
Peganglah erat tanganku

When the drum hits, Ainii quickly looked upwards and swished part of her dress. Which then quicklly continued with Ainii facing the camera again. The backing dancers walked a few step backwards. The view turns to a steadicam and on the third phrase, the steadicam can be seen running through the front stage which Ainii responded with facing the camera and spreading her right hand at the camera's direction

Janganlah kau pesimis, Jangan kau menyerah
Kuyakin dengan pasti engkau akan berjaya

Jangan takut 'tuk jadi yang terbaik
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

After that, the view changes back to the front view where Ainii is shown moving her shoulder up and down alternatively between her shoulders and spreading her hands. In the third phrase, the view changes to a top view which viewers can view Ainii spinning herself slowly and elegantly in the same spot, which is followed by her backing dancers.

Berjalan dengan bangga, menatap ke depan
Siapa urus mereka bilang tak elegan

Jadilah apa yang menurutmu layak
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

The view changes back to the front view, where from far away, it quickly zooms again. The male backing singers still facing against the audience again are now holding a red rose they've been putting on their shirt pockets.

Semua ma-nu-si-a, pastilah akan diuji (uji)
Orang kan mencela, mereka mungkin kan mencaci (caci)

In the first sentence of this part, the female backing dancers moved a step forward. On the second cue, the male backing dancers raised their right legs as low as possible and then using that leg to pivot themselves back to the front

Takkan hilang hal bernama iri-dengki, (ahh...)
Tapi jangan sampai kau menjadi letih (ahhh...)

The lights went dark for a while, only making Ainii visible through a single overhead light. In the "Peganglah erat tangannya" part, the female backing dancers makes way for the male backing dancers to present themselves. The men walks upfront slowly, and on the small drum hit, The male backing dancers jumped one step to the front and threw their single flower to the opposite sides of the stage. And on that double drum hit, all lights light up again

Jujur apa adanya,
Katakan kepadanya,
Peganglah erat tangannya

The male backing dancers walked back to form a horizontal row with Ainii and the female backing dancers at the center. The group walks together on the third sentence in which Ainii continues to sing and accompanied by "aaahhh..."'s from the backing singers.

Janganlah kau pesimis, Jangan kau menyerah
Kuyakin dengan pasti kau akan berjaya

Jangan takut 'tuk jadi yang terbaik
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

The group disperses into a V if we look from the audience view. The camera view changes to once again, the overhead view, which shows the formation change as follows. The gif also includes the previous moves before the second reff.(ignore the bandicam watermark)

Berjalan dengan bangga, menatap ke depan
Siapa urus mereka bilang tak elegan

Jadilah apa yang menurutmu layak
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

The lights except for the one above Ainii dims out. And with that, Ainii's white leaves shows its light. And the smoke machine turns on and smoke spreads around the stage. Ainii stares at the camera, and on the third sentence, Ainii spreads her right hand and naturally, spreading her fingers before closing them back into a fist, which she puts softly into her heart

Mungkin kau tak punya high heels, memang
Mungkin kau tak punya make-up, memang
Tapi yang terpenting ialah isi hatimu
Siapa urus, mereka tak tahu hati kamu?

Ainii lets out a small laugh, and before you know it, all lights light up again and the group is visible again and Ainii is moving her shoulders again while singing at the same time

Janganlah kau pesimis, Jangan kau menyerah
Kuyakin dengan pasti engkau akan berjaya

Jangan takut 'tuk jadi yang terbaik
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

The group disperses the V formation and returns to the horizontal row formation at the center. Where the female backing dancers steps forward a few steps and Ainii also walks a few steps back although more elegantly and more carefully while pivoting. At the third sentence the row walks forward slowly and elegantly, and for the final hit, the men runs back front again and crouch proposal style facing eachother with their left (Robi) and right (Mizan) hand up in the air while their heads are looking at the audience and the female backing dancers just raised their left or right (depending on position) hands elegantly. Ainii stares softly at the camera while fireworks are being popped around. For easier explanation, check the reenactment below (once again, excuse the watermark)

Berjalan dengan bangga, menatap ke depan
Siapa urus mereka bilang tak elegan

Jadilah apa yang menurutmu layak
Karena memang benar Kau, Yang Terbaik

The instrumental ends and Ainii raised her hands while holding the female dancers hands, which resulted in Ainii shouting "SHUUKRAAN KASSIIIIRRAAA! THANK YOU! MERCI, AMIENS!" The audience applaused and the male dancers stand back to rejoin the team in the horizontal row position and they all bowed at the same time.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:28 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:44 pm

Kevin Spellingerror is your average vartugian; not being able to sing and only weigh 15 kilograms. Now he is standing on stage, flying the vartugian flag for you.

We now begin with only Kevin on stage. His vocals are not good. The background is cartoonish green-blue. There are moments that Kevin doesn't do anything of note.

[Holy mother of cow here we are
The entry that everyone wanted at all
Vartugia´s gonna get first place
Just wait and see. We are pro at that

Kevin is now joined by two male dancers dressed like this.

With a solid entry and clever RP on this thing
We are going to Sërna next time
Because this is the winner of WHF hands down
We can even sing and do

One of the dancers trip up but he quickly gets on his feet again.

Since everyone wanted a savouir
An entry that everybody loves
Pack your bags for Sërna
Yes, Yes

Out of nowhere, nothing happens.

So give us all your points
Give us all your points
Give us all your points
Yes, give us all your points

Out of nowhere, three cheerleaders now begin to throw themself on stage.

We are singing a song that has the best text ever
This song is so revolutionary

The two male dancers leave the stage,

So give us all your points
Give us all your points
Give us all your points
Yes, give us all your points

You have for sure so many questions about us
Like who will come 2nd place behind us?

One of the cheerleaders, realizing she is in a vartugian WHF entry, decides to slowly just walk off stage.

We just signed up for World Hit Festival
Make something breathtaking
Gonna write something that everyone will vote for
With the deepest lyrics known to mankind

At this point everybody knows that Vartugia are gonna win
If anyone doesn't give us points we are breaking your knees
And other several things that we can't write in this forum
This entry are better than yours entry

Lots of points
Points for everyone single vartugian on this planet

So give us all your points
Give us all your points
Give us all your points
Yes, give us all your points

Lots of points
Points for everyone single vartugian on this planet

Since everyone wanted a savouir
An entry that everybody loves
Pack your bags for Sërna
Yes, Yes

Lots of points
Points for everyone single vartugian on this planet

Since everyone wanted a savouir
An entry that everybody loves
Pack your bags for Sërna
Yes, Yes

We are singing a song that has the best text ever
This song is so revolutionary

So give us all your points
Give us all your points
Give us all your points
Yes, give us all your points

You have for sure so many questions about us
Like who will come 2nd place behind us?

We do want all your points
This song is the true winner
Sërna`58 next time
We are the winners now

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:45 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:51 pm

Lili Paraone is representing Togonistan in the 57th World Hit Festival in Amiens, with her song ''Warrior's Heart''

Lili Paraone is a 26-year old singer from Sifa County, Togonistan. Chosen to represent the nation via internal selection, Lili performs her song ''Warrior's Heart'' in the 57th World Hit Festival.

Lili was born in a small village of Fila, located in Sifa County at Southern Togonistan. Fila is surrounded by forests and is as countryside as it can get, with people earning their living via farming and handicraft. As it is common with Southern Togonistani countryside, the sense of national pride and upholding of traditional values is higher in the region than it is in bigger towns up north. With music and dances being a big part of Togonistani culture, Lili has been practicing music since young age, singing traditional folk songs and learning to play various traditional instruments. As Lili grew older, she started to earn money by performing as a street musician in the nearby towns and villages. During one evening in a small local pub where Lili was performing, she was approached by composer Ino Metua who offered her cooperation on a joint project. Soon, Lili and Ino released their first album with songs on it heavily influenced by traditional Togoni compositions. Over time, Lili became more well known and got offered work in Tushlark with record label Amstaff, however, Lili denied the offer, deciding to stay true to her roots and kept doing her own thing in the south.

Lili and Ino had sent in their work to be considered for WHF before, but so far, the internal selection had decided to opt for different kind of music. Which is why Lili and Ino were surprised when they received a phonecall, offering them to represent the nation in WHF. Lili was excited about the opportunity to perform her music on the international stage, thus the offer got agreed on.

Lili is standing on the stage, wearing a long white dress with flower patterns. Her hair are let loose and straightened to the sides. Music starts playing and LED screens start displaying dark grey clouds in the sky. Lili's mic is placed on a stand in front of her, she grabs a hold of it and starts singing.

Young boy leaves home, claims a warrior's heart
That boy, that boy, that boy is no more
He takes on a journey to the lands far away
Our boy, our boy left behind his home

When the clouds in the sky cover up the sun
They leave no room for the birds to sing
When we take up our arms, we stand as one
Our spirit bird takes us under his wing

Camera starts rotating around Lili and some wind appears, waving Lili's hair as well as the sleeves of her dress, as she does some hand gestures.

Aaa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa-haaa-aa
Aaa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa-haaa-aa

Clouds on the LEDs turn red. Not the beautiful sunrise type of red, but more sinister, darker, perhaps even a bit demonic shade of red. Wind starts waving her hair even more as Lili puts her arms to her sides, while her dress sleeves keep waving.

Wairua te toa kawe tonu kairakau
Mo te herekore, whawhai tatou
I waoku, pae moana, i matuaiwi
Te tiaki hapori, whawhai tatou

Wind calms down and Lili puts her hand to the microphone again. Once again, the stage is dominated by the dark grey tones, some hills with rainforest can be seen through the clouds on the LED screens, as well as occasional birds flying through the clouds.

Young boy left home, claimed a warrior's heart
That boy, that boy, that boy is no more
He travels over the hills and far away
That boy, that boy is protecting his home

When we take up our arms, we stand as one
Our spirit bird takes us under his wing

Camera starts rotating around Lili again and some wind appears, at first just a slight of it, but it builds up, waving Lili's hair more and more as well as the sleeves of her dress, while Lili does some hand gestures.

Aaa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa-haaa-aa
Aaa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa, aa-haa-haaa-aa

Stage turns dark and a single spotlight lands on Lili, who sings the chorus as the wind still waves her hair. LED screens display a hillside during moonlight, where silhouettes of some warriors with spears can be seen climbing up, before turning into a shot of some boats on the sea during a night and eventually being covered up by grey clouds.

Wairua te toa kawe tonu kairakau
Mo te herekore, whawhai tatou
I waoku, pae moana, i matuaiwi
Te tiaki hapori, whawhai tatou

Wind stops blowing on the stage and on the background, an eagle can be seen flying through the clouds, looking forward and waving her wings as the last shot while Lili sings the final line.

Once peace is restored, we put down our arms

As an applause is being heard for Lili's performance, she does an elegant bow towards the audience, before leaving the stage.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:54 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:12 pm

Dänyel has been placed in a bed, whereas his dancers, dressed like "they forget to wear clothes", are around him. One of the dancers has their place at "an unfortunate area head first" (the dancer's head is not placed at [i]that thing, but it looks like it from the broadcast).

Dänyel is awake and looks at the camera when he begins to sing, placed 45 degrees left to him. He's looking forward but his eyes look at the camera.[/i]

Kjærligheten kan ta slutt. Når noen jukser med deg
Har dårlige tanker, dette blir min siste dag
Vi to gikk sammen som par, klar for å leve evig
Hentet min kjæreste. Vi to skal slå opp senere

Dänyel gently pushes the dancer who has their head placed at him out of the bed. Dänyel then gets up from the bed from the same side where he punched out the dancer. He walks around to the edge of the stage and sits at the edge, looking sad. One unspecified dancer and another one have woken up and alike they are in love, hugging each other, in the background.

Jeg var på min siste kjærlighet
Og jeg skal ende livet mitt med en bang
Jeg savner ikke kjæresten min. Savner ikke hen

The rest of the dancers now wake up. Dänyel stands up and slowly walks toward the centre of the stage. The bed is gone. One unspecified dancer and another one-act like they are in love, hugging each other.

A closeup is followed where a male hand a female hand now touches Dänyels face. All of the female dancers have their nails in red nail polish. No dancers touch Dänyels mouth, eyes, or nose. One dancer accidentally for a second touches Dänyels handsfree microphone and this can be heard.

Kosetid med deg, one night stand
Kropp i kropp action, smakte min kjærlighet
Hørte en lyd fra en mobil. Da begynte det å kollapse
Løy til meg at du hadde en annen, slo opp med meg for den personen

Jeg var på min siste kjærlighet
Og jeg skal ende livet mitt med en bang
Jeg savner ikke kjæresten min. Savner ikke hen

We now have a chair and the bed is gone. Dänyel walks toward the chair and sits on it. One male dancer puts his left leg on Dänyel`s left leg whereas a female dancer puts her right leg on Dänyel`s right leg as well.

Du hadde en affære med en annen. Elsker du ikke meg mere?

Both of the dancers remove their legs from Dänyel. All of the dancers are now shoulder to shoulder surrounds Dänyel.

Jeg var på min siste kjærlighet
Og jeg skal ende livet mitt med en bang
Jeg savner ikke kjæresten min. Savner ikke hen

Dänyel with all of his dancers close to him collapses on stage with his dancers cover him in the pile of humans. The camera pans over the pile of humans as the broadcast cuts to the next thing. They will stand up and walk away.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:14 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:21 pm

Ira Lesco is a 36-year-old famous local, fashion model, singer/ songwriter/ TV presenter and is most well known outside her native islands as the spokesperson for Malta Comino Gozo at Worldvision. She will sing in beautiful Amiens in Normandy and Picardy.

The song starts with a glowing white strobe emitting out of the stage at various angles into the arena. The back LED's are white. We notice there's a light wind machine blowing. Spotlights focus on Ira. Ira is wearing a white dress like this, she is feeling very confident. She doesn't face the camera to start with. She is shrouded in darkness and the spotlights above slowly light her up. The LED floor is swirling with blue and white. The camera pans in for the first few lines before we have a stage show.

Just like the timeless wind
Blowing through the trees
My heart’s the softest drum
Whispering on the breeze

As the pre-chorus hits the background changes to a blast of blue and white light and the spotlights race around the arena to cheers. Ira points at the camera lens. The view is now a face shot, she beckons towards the camera

I gaze into the void
Wondering why
My thoughts seem so loud
Drowning out the silence

There's a sudden flash of white lights and cheers from the arena as the chorus hits. The lights on stage all turn blue and the background is a mix of blue and white liquid moving. The camera pans around the edge of the stage, Ira is central stage. The camera now a back of the arena shot. A mass of flags can be seen waving about. As the beat kicks in purple spotlights race around the arena, the camera pans around the back of the audience. We have a closeup shot for the last line.

So speak, to me in words unspoken
Shout it out above the trees
Speak to me, with silence broken
Share with me the life
So speak to me my love
Speak to me
Share with me the life

The camera is from above for the instrumental. The crowd cheering. The LED's turn black again and the spotlights white. The camera pans around the front of her, Ira follows it and moves her arm in front of her. The LED background now ocean waves

You sigh a sigh so deep
The oceans moves in endless waves
Washing up on a distant shore
With every breath you take

The stage this time fades into black but is illuminated with dark blue spotlights. The LED strips along with lighting rigs light up blue and white, and the pink spotlight shoots out into the crowd. Ira struts confidently around the stage with attitude, the camera following her. Ira has a slightly excited look before a sense of pride is expressed on her face towards the end of the verse.

So speak, to me in words unspoken
Shout it out above the trees
Speak to me, with silence broken
Share with me the life
So speak to me my love
Speak to me
Share with me the life

The spotlights stop and the stage is left dark. Ira is dimly lit. Ira grabs her dress and moves forward to the catwalk area. She does so with confidence. The lights above the stage now light up white. The camera zooms closer as she holds the "Oooh" note.

Oooooh...

After the build, the LED's flash an amazing white and light up the entire stage and all the lights concentrate down onto Ira. The camera floats around the edge of the stage. We then have a view looking upwards towards her. The chorus builds and suddenly the bright blue and purple spotlights race around again. The LED's are the blast of blue and white. and the camera is now looking out over the arena from behind Ira. There is then a facial shot that zooms out as Ira holds the last note

So speak, to me in words unspoken
Shout it out above the trees
Speak to me, with silence broken
Share with me the life
So speak to me my love
Speak to me
Share with me the life you lead
Share with me the life
Share with me the life

Sparklers shoot out the edges of the stage and stay until the end of the song. Ira finishes the song superbly. The crowd erupts excitedly " Merci Normandy and Picardy" she speaks gently. "Thank you, everyone."

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:22 pm

marcel lyotard, the foremost singer of "variété" music and composer from laon, picardy

[INSERT DESCRIPTION HERE]

[INTERVIEW]

[MOVE ONTO NEXT ACT]

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:25 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:32 pm

Anita Carrasco knew that her fate. And she was not happy about it.

After Overseer Guy Autriche disqualified her winning song, Truena (“Thunder”) from competition in the 56th World Hit Festival due to its ineligible dubstep beats, she felt distraught and discouraged. Was it fair, then, to go through the trouble of signing up, getting selected, sitting down with a prestigious composer and spend more than countless timelines trying to harness the raw power and potential of the song through her delicate voice, just to have her dreams of representing the Achaean Republic on the Multiversal stage squashed by a musical infringement!? It was tragic—no, mortifying, humiliating—to say the least. It was hard to view the comments praising her, canceling her, objectifying her, naming her, shaming her, and supporting her. It was hard enough to give interviews reliving and rehashing the controversy, or trying to laugh at the flurry of memes that appeared after a few days. Maybe she needed to step out of herself and take a laugh. It sucked, but they had a point.

Anita was known as a perfectionist in the musical world. A young prospect from Lago de Candelaria in Arapaima, she grew up in an environment that breathed music. Her father was an organist and played for the Candelaria Symphony Orchestra on weekdays and as a volunteer for the Corola Metropolitan Cathedral in the weekends. She listened to Bach, Wagner, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and all the other classical musicians her father performed in those recitals at the city’s prestigious opera house. Her mother, a former social worker that became a school principal at one of Candelaria’s largest vocational schools, also encouraged her to follow her dreams and pursue her education. She was also a trained mezzo-soprano for the Corola Children’s Choir and was also a volleyball athlete, which gave her a free scholarship at the University of Candelaria—which became a minor scandal because her, despite being of relatively wealthy upbringing, earned a merit-based scholarship when a significant portion of the scholarship winners were from poorer backgrounds. But this didn’t deter her from following her mother’s footsteps as a social worker.

At the same time, she minored in music theory and used that to shape her singing career…in reality shows. She reached the quarterfinals for Achaean Idol in rival channel TVA, only to lose her place in the semis because someone else sang a classic Whitney Houston competition staple. She then competed in X Factor Acaya, only to not make the final cut when the teams were being made. She even made the tryouts for AS1’s The Voice Acaya, but she had to pull out at the last minute due to her mother’s death. And she had some singles hit the pop and contemporary charts, her LP’s being well known in major Corola cities and keeping her busy with tours and hits in local indie pubs and venues.

Her debut self-titled album, Anita, also gained traction on radio with her first hit song, Sepárame De Tï (“Separate Me From You”), which also earned her a mention in the country’s hottest chart and a couple of interviews in TV shows around the country and online. The growing exposure of the candelariense led scouts at the AS1 delegation to invite her to the District of Muñíz for the Casals Sinfónico Popular, which worked with composers and the University of the Federal District of Muñíz to work an entry for the past Orchestral Edition of the World Hit Festival. And everybody knows the rest of the story. Until she was disqualified.

Undeterred at the circumstances, the Achaean delegation agreed to have third-placed Narinho represent the country at the Orchestral Edition in Tödlichebujoku—which gave the country a respectable sixth place—and let Carrasco perform “Truena” in next edition, wherever that is. The broadcaster’s commitment to improving their performances, as well as garner another victory that would garner greater visibility for the community, gave World Hit Festival a slight edge in priorities for the Corola-based media conglomerate.

And in this agreement, amidst a mixture of pity and determination and plain resignation, Anita Carrasco was on her way to Amiens.

So there was Anita, jet-lagged and with barely an few winks of sleep caught on a plane, eating a Ficelle picarde and drinking a nice warm cup of tea, sitting on a small café besides the hotel where she would spend the next couple of weeks while on the city. She’s traveled with her dad a couple of times to Gallic Europe whenever he performed with the Candelaria Symphony Orchestra and he was allowed to bring a plus-one when her mother couldn’t go. She’s also been to Normandy and Picardy a couple of times before: Rouen, Avranches, St. Helier, Laon. But never to Amiens, the capital of Picardy and one of the region’s quaintest and peculiar cities. With the towering Amiens Cathedral behind her and the quite chilly weather of late winter in Northern Europe—something she would never experience in Candelaria, not even on the mountaintops!—she was enjoying one of the simplest things she could do: eat warm food, drink a nice hot beverage, and people-watch judiciously at the embankments of the Somme.

Once the crew was able to get the details squared away, Anita was able to spend a few hours gazing at various shops, admiring the many places Julius Verne ate, drank, or slept, or listening to the peculiar French accents that the Amiens residents would speak in, unlike the ones from Paris or Montpelier or Marseille or even Rouen. She wanted to eagerly, gingerly practice her textbook French (her father tried to teach her French, but she never cared about it until she got tapped for this edition), but it was a bit hard to engage with the locals at first glance, even though a few old grandmas asked her if she’s seen her grandchildren after lockdown ended.

A few hours later, Anita got a behind-the-scenes look at Le Zénith, the venue where she would have to perform in front of the Multiverse in the next few weeks. She was admiring the technologically impressive stage, the theatre-like layout of the scene, the lights and the production team trying to set up the final details with the Achaean delegation, trying to communicate themselves in a hodgepodge of Spanish, English and very rudimentary Standard French. It was enough to take in, to close her eyes and visualize her performance, attempting to portray the steps and the lights while listening to adoring fans—and hopefully some Achaeans—that would enjoy the entry. The Achaean Republic has been seesawing in their contest performance, and with a three top-ten entries in the last four editions after a victory in Bovingdon, she needed to show that the Achaean fire was here to stay.

The Achaean postcard was finished, and the cameras returned to the arena at the Zénith with throngs of socially distanced cheering fans and a somewhat-empty stage flashing the red-blue-green colors typical of the Achaean Republic. Suddenly, the lights onstage turned into beaming flickers, dimming and lighting up and then dying out as if they were not working anymore. There was, however, a faint sound of thunder echoing throughout the stage and rumbled throughout the arena, a low-tech sound made by moving sheets of aluminum and amplified through technology and the speakerphones. Firmly grasped, there was a scene filled with black and white, with flickers and glimmers of light on the screens.

Anita was in the center stage holding a microphone, the stage lights only showing half her face and her wavy blonde hair. Behind her, the screens showed moving images of lightning roaring across the sky. From what could be seen in the half of her body exposed to light, she was wearing a shiny white sleeveless beach dress that had small meshes around it. Her wavy blonde hair looked slightly unkempt and frazzled as if she were suffering the high humidity of the Achaean weather or if she woke up on the wrong side of the bed—but no, that was a style choice she made along with her personal hairstylist. This time, however, she was barefoot, and—for those eagle-eyed viewers at home—she painstakingly painted her nails silver and added a little glitter onto them. She wanted to make the sparkles from the nails part of the scenery. However, this made her wince at the cold, hard floor that almost shocked her with pain (before the jury final, she rehearsed with heels, but she took the heels off and she couldn’t get used to the arena temperature). Nevertheless, she had to pull through the spiky cold-and-hot floor thanks to the floodlights, which also may have slightly impaired her vision of the audience looking attentively at her performance. She had to work things through somehow.

She began to sing, firmly grasping her microphone with her left hand as she stayed motionless, glued into the arena, the cameras circling around her. A gray fog was covering her feet, and she tilted her head slightly to the left, then slightly to the right. Anita looked intently at the handheld camera. She wanted to reach into the viewers with her piercing gray eyes and stretching her right hand showing a small red flame in her forearm, a reminder of her devotion to La Candelaria and her hometown reminder, a gift she gave to herself when she graduated from high school. As the camera moved slightly to the viewer’s right, however, it was noticeable that something fragments was scaling up and transforming Anita’s arm. It was an augmented depiction of a Lichtenberg figure, a branching, fern-like pattern that appears as fractal figures formed out of an electrical discharge—and, for those unlucky to be struck by lightning, the figures burst into the skin for within the first 24 hours of a lightning strike. (Enhanced by augmented reality, the makeup crew created soft outlines with a soft brownish dye from henna, only to glisten in the skin once the deep flashes of light from the LED screens touch upon it. The handheld camera circled around her in the first verse, and it was impossible not to miss the flashes of augmented henna in her body creating these gorgeously haunting figures into her skin. She needed to be quizzical, quixotic, effusive, attentive but also distant—kind of like the thunder she was trying to escape from.

La noche empezó
Y con ella empecé a dudar
De cuán pobre el amor
Perdió su electricidad

Y estás tan lejos de mí
Aunque te esucho aquí

The top camera showed a bird’s eye-view of the stage with Anita in the near center of the LED strip below her. Lightning strikes appeared below her feet and on the LED screens beside her, and the stage was turned into flickering patterns of light. She held the microphone with her left hand and titled her body towards it, eyes closed, blonde wavy hair floating slightly under her elbows. The light fixtures beside her were running erratic—some were stoic and barely moved, while other alternating light fixtures turned sideways or left to right, mimicking the foggy cover of a rainy, thundering night. The echo of the thunder grew ever more prescient, ever more powerful, always a split-second away from the lightning as it “strikes” the earth. At the same time, the stage cameras focused on her—and then she threw herself of the floor.

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya puedes escapar

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya no hay marcha atrás

One of the cameras had Anita laying on the floor on her right side, her curly and frizzy blonde hair, with her hand laid on its back and the microphone on her right. She needed to sing and fixate herself to the camera, trying to gaze at the camera and slowly grazing her chest. She was enveloped by the fog and trying to concentrate on her wording. Anita was always used to showing the most perfect voice, the most perfect voice, the most perfect attitude. There was so much enveloped in her endless quest for perfection: her privilege, her musical experience, her theory. But her fears ebbed away as she sang and tried to keep serving faces to the camera.

Another view of the camera expanded on Anita’s list and, as it slowly paced away from the floor, there was an image of the singer laying on the floor with her hair pulled back while the fractal images of thunder traced over the screen. Once again, the lights beside the ends of the stage blinked randomly with the fog, each of them reflecting the milky image of the thundering fog. It was hard for Anita to see, especially when the blinding lights almost grazed her eyes. She looked faint and squinted for a reason—which incidentally also gave much more gravitas to her performance.

Esta es la ocasión
De ver cuánto te arrepentirás
La lluvia llevó
Todo trago de dolor

Y estás tan lejos de mí
Aunque te esucho aquí

She quickly stood up and sang back to the cameras behind her. For a brief moment, she had her back to the cameras as shown on the birds-eye view of the stage, so she quickly corrected her body position. As before, there were lightning strikes, erratic floodlights, a thick, dense fog covering her dainty feet, the LED screens showing signs of lightning, the sweet smell of dew drops being charged up with electrons of energy in the rain. Thanks to augmented reality, the lightning strikes appeared randomly on screen-though digitized by the Achaean delegation’s scene technicians. For viewers at home, the quantity of light on stage would be electrifying, quite photosensitive even, and it was hard to strike the balance between visualizing the somewhat hectic and violent perception of a lightning strike and any triggers that could affect the audience, all the while enhancing the quality and delivery of a simple break-up ballad. Once again, the echo of the thunder grew ever more prescient, ever more powerful, always a split-second away from the lightning as it “strikes” the earth. However, she did not throw herself on the floor, laying on her side while trying not to hurt herself—instead, Anita sheepishly walked backwards and placed herself towards a small platform some stagehands placed moments before.

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya puedes escapar

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya no hay marcha atrás

Once on the platform, the stage turned dark, and the lights only focused on Anita. She was sweating bullets while she sang, the sweat dripping off her head and coating her curly locks tainted with impermeable anti-frizz spray, enough to make a hole on the ozone layer [i]twice had there not been a ban on chlorofluorocarbons in the Achaean Republic since the late 1980’s. It was also hard to portray confidence, resolution, finality and even sassiness through her voice, more so with her demeaner and countenance as thousands of eyes seemingly looked at her. The handheld cameras once again circled around her, with her gaze trying to match that of the lens. Behind her, the LED screens showed the intensifying thunderstorm, with the augmented reality lightning surrounding the stage as the far-stage cameras zoomed out into a near-complete view of the scene.[/i]

Por ti no hay nada más que luchar
¿Aceptaste tu error? Pues, vete a volar

The stage finally turned pitch black. Then, three heartbeats could be heard, each heartbeat slowing down and the LED lights on the stage suddenly showed a graphic description of electrical pulses that reverberated across the vastly empty stage. The idea was to create a massive overflow of energy, the same one that would be discharged when a lightning bolt touched the virgin ground. The straight LED lines were filling up like a charger, connecting and converging into a central point behind her. Thud! The lines were a quarter full. Thud! The rectangles were half-full. Thud![ The lines were almost full, converting at the center LED screen.

Suddenly, an augmented lightning strike appeared to hit in the center of Anita’s heart, shocking her body and carefully bending her to a near arch, appearing suspended in mid-air. Perceptive viewers could see the hauntingly beautiful and mysterious Litchtenberg figures coursing through her body. (In reality, some clever camera work showed that the lightning strike was barely[ behind her back, and the bending made it look as if she were directly hit by it.) Beside her, four men were singing Gregorian chants to the dubstep beat while wearing white cassocks and translucent breastplates. Two men stood beside her on the left, two on the right. They also showed the same Litchtenberg figures augmented on one half of their faces, while the other half was covered by the sadness. At the same time, her contorted body returned to “normal.” She swung her body back and forth, and she walked the platform and prepared her voice to belt out the song’s highest tunes, scat a bit, belt out some more, and look flawless while doing so.

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya puedes escapar

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya no hay marcha atrás

Right before the final verse, the stage lit up in an explosion of energy. The augmented lightning bolts moved along with the sudden dubstep beat. The once-erratic l[i]ights, randomly programmed to turn on and off in a technical mimicry of the lightning’s pattern, would finally fixate on the deepening fog and provide some well-guided light. The whitewashed men, dressed in cassocks and forged in ominous looks, were only looking forwards to the audience at the Zénith, to which one of the cameras did a wide pan to the stage to see the many waving flags and cheers of the audience there. The Achaeans couldn’t disappoint. And there was Ana—vigorous, vivacious, energized and full of life. Her petite frame, her elegant pace, her frizzy golden locks, her sweaty arms, enjoying the performance of her lifetime. It was as if the lightning gave her a jolt to sing the highest notes without breaking a sweat.

Then, the illumination on the stage fell quiet. All the fog, the wind, the clouds, the thunder, the lightning, the floodlights—everything stopped. For a brief moment, one could appreciate a stillness, a calm before the storm of sorts that eerily resembled the one people could experience before disaster strikes. Only a small light, that of the camera, focused on Anita and her faint expression, her somewhat vivid paleness that just a few moments ago filled her with light, as if she were truly struck by lightning. The Lichtenberg figures made an appearance once more as the fractals erupted through her skin, as if they were being drawn out by hand and not by blood. They were running down her body and covering her face to the point it looked realistic despite it being drawn through augmented reality. Carrying her microphone and drawing her last strengths, she finally sang: [/i]

¿Y si truena, mi amor?
Lo nuestro acabó
Ya puedes escapar

The music stopped. The stage turned pitch black once more. A loud thud could be heard above the playback. Viewers at home could also experience the same blackness within their screens or projects or computers or wherever they were watching. The Achaean performance was complete, and it followed cheers of throngs of supporters, and more so of the several Achaeans that either lived in Normandy and Picardy or traveled to the country in irresponsible defiance of quarantine orders just to support their champion.

Anita got up the floor and waved while covering her breasts with her right hand. She yelled to the microphone, “Thank you! Gracias! Merci beaucoup aux le peuple d'Amiens !” Spanish, English, and—finally—French. Perhaps the Normands and Picards understood her. At least she hoped so. She’d like to do this again sometime.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:37 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:41 pm

Who is GENI? That's a question a lot of people have been asking since she debuted out of nowhere in 2015. She has never performed in a large venue, instead focusing on crafting delicate bedroom dance pop in the privacy of her own home and sharing these songs in Open Stage nights at smaller local venues around her home city of Baspink. Her first release, a single called Honey Home, spent three weeks at #1 despite her not having any media presence outside of her twitter account.

Her story seemed to be over when she stopped releasing music in 2018. Her twitter went silent. No one seemed to be able to get in touch with her, not that they were really able to before. But when TVH announced the open call for submissions for WHF 57, suddenly there she was - except this time, her song was louder, more joyful, and more polished. Where had she been? What is this?

"i wanted to try something new" was the only thing she tweeted along with a photo of a professional studio with well-known producer Žïlëp Cehmë in the background. Žïlëp had been set to represent Hafamarimët in WorldVision 83 as part of the duo DoubleŽïlëp, although this was unfortunately an edition of the contest which would see Hafamarimët withdrawing. From the start she was clear that she didn't want to do too much of the writing, seeking a more "traditional pop starlet" experience.

When the song won the online vote held to decide Hafamarimët's entry, she made her television debut on Past Your Bedtime, a nightly pop culture discussion, performance, and quiz show hosted by Bïdnel Halnetka. Oddly enough, she didn't perform the song, instead being a panelist on one of the quizzes (coming in last) and saying that the World Hit Festival would be the first time the song would be performed live.

The LED screens at the back of the stage flash green with the first few bass notes, then dark blue with the lower note. GENI, wearing a grey metallic body suit with a ruffled black collar and black boots, walks in time to the end of the promenade, reaching the end as she begins to sing. The lights overhead rotate stripes of light and shadow over her face, as if behind spinning prison bars. On "in my mind," the lights change to a purple wash and she turns around, walking in time to the middle of the promenade, kneeling as she sings "you'll never escape it." She stands sharply on "I'm alone" and walks to the larger part of the stage, turning to face the front as the next verse begins.

If I think, think about it
I don't think I'm quite alright
I'm in a prison
In my mind
It keeps repeating "this is forever"
"You'll never escape it"
I'm alone

GENI reaches forward, holding her hand out in a gesture of open honesty, waiting for someone to take it. She bends her elbow and lets her wrist and fingers go loose, putting the back of her wrist to the side of her forehead after "if I'm ever free again." She snaps her hand back out on "I'll find you," except this time it's a sharper, more desperate reach. She holds it through the rest of the verse, and as she sings "will be gone," she drops the gesture and begins to walk back down the promenade.

(ooh)
And I promise if I'm ever free again
I'll find you
(ooh)
And the isolation will be gone

Sparks fly from the sides of the promenade as the chorus begins. The lights shift in intensity, redder in the middle and more purple towards the edges, almost like a halo around the stage, or sort of the appearance of an eclipse. The intensity of this effect lessens slightly at the "done, done, done" as the LED screens at the back of the stage begin to again flash that green and blue pattern seen at the beginning. GENI's dancing is mostly bending at the waist and reaching, every so often switching what hand her microphone is held in. Her reaches sweep across from left to right, right to left, and at "might let you in," she kneels, reaching forward towards and audience member.

She stands back up and proudly beats her chest on "nothing's gonna stop" before turning and heading back towards the main portion of the stage. She arrives with a twirl and a stomp on "take a step" and her eyes sparkle. She's enjoying herself and finally beginning to let that show. She shakes her head on "I will not spend" and her smile grows.

Baby when I'm done, done, done with sadness
Then I won't spend another night alone
I'll put my head on right and
I'll hold your hand, I might
Might let you in, might let you in

Nothing's gonna stop me, me from feeling
You'll be thinking that you know me now
We'll take a step together
We'll make a plan for forever
And I won't spend, I will not spend
Another night alone

She takes the microphone away from her mouth and dances happily, turning in a circle while the whistles echo through the arena. The LED screens flash a bit more brightly and most of the other lights in the arena cut out. As the verse begins, the screens start to show clips from many different movies at once of the romantic leads holding hands. On "higher," a wind machine kicks on, causing her ruffled collar to float and dance. She stands and enjoys that effect for a moment, then begins to walk back to the end of the walkway. She gestures towards herself on "come with me," making eye contact with an audience member beyond the camera and smiling. She puts her open hand on the side of her head on "what you thinking," with some of her fingers outlining her eye. She quickly flings her open palm away from her face on "let it out."

Give me your hand
And I'll take you higher
To happiness we climb
Oh I said come with me baby
And it'll be alright
Now what you thinking?
Let it out

She drops her smile, making earnest, pleading eye contact with the camera for the bridge.

(ooh)
We got our problems, yeah, both you and me

She brings that smile right back though as sparks begin to fly once again. She dances freely, looking into different cameras as they cut to her. She pulls her ponytail and tilts her head on "I'll put my head on right," smiling and almost sort of rolling her eyes at herself, in a lighthearted way. She starts to have a little more fun vocally with this second chorus as well as physically, giving a big thumbs up on the line "make a plan for forever," barely finishing the last line before pulling the mic away from her mouth and laughing, truly obviously having a good time as she dance-walks her way back to the main platform at the end of the chorus.

Baby when I'm done, done, done with sadness
Then I won't spend another night alone
I'll put my head on right and
I'll hold your hand, I might
Might let you in, might let you in

Nothing's gonna stop me, me from feeling
You'll be thinking that you know me now
We'll take a step together
We'll make a plan for forever
And I won't spend, I will not spend
Another night alone

The arena goes completely dark except for the LED screens repeating the green and blue pattern. The second shot in this bridge is a closeup of her face, although it is only visible when the screens flash. When the beat stops, sparks begin to fall from the ceiling around her, illuminating her in a warm glow. She stops smiling, allowing a tender moment of vulnerability to wash across her face. Her smile comes back as she admits that she "couldn't think of someone better. She finishes that line and turns to run back down the promenade.

Another night alone
Another night alone

No, we're not perfect people
But that's what makes us so strong
I couldn't think of someone better for me

She loses all inhibitions for this chorus, dancing freely and wildly, reaching out and taking the hands of various audience members, looking back at cameras that aren't quite on her yet, smiling brightly the entire time. The sparks that fly at the beginning of the chorus stay on for longer this time, and eventually become jets of flame for the last line of the first part. The lights begin to get brighter, adding some flashing white along the edge of the stage in different patterns, and smoke begins to pour into the audience and over the main part of the stage, making it look like GENI is dancing on top of glowing, flashing clouds.

Baby when I'm done, done, done with sadness
Then I won't spend another night alone
I'll put my head on right and
I'll hold your hand, I might
Might let you in, might let you in

Nothing's gonna stop me, me from feeling
You'll be thinking that you know me now
We'll take a step together
We'll make a plan for forever
And I won't spend, I will not spend
Another night alone

The camera is a close up on GENI's face for the first two lines as she spins slowly, still smiling and kind of bouncing in time, making direct eye contact with the camera. It zooms out as she says "but that's what makes us so strong," and a fan starts at the exact same time, clearing the arena of smoke and showing that the white lights along the edge of the promenade are lit solid white. The LED screens have stopped flashing, and the red and purple halo now has a spotlight of pure white on GENI. Holding the microphone in her left hand, she flexes her right arm on "strong" and holds it through the next line. She drops it and dance-walks back to the main stage, taking her time and interacting with audience members along the way. She arrives just in time to turn and sing the penultimate "no more nights alone," smiling into the camera. She turns her head to the side and tilts it back as the lights fade and the LED screens again flash their familiar green and blue with the bassline, revealing her only in silhouette.

No, we're not perfect people
Another night alone
But that's what makes us so strong
No, no more nights alone
No more nights alone
No, no more nights alone

In the darkness she cries out "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:46 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:52 pm

After Britonisea's best placement in five editions, Britonisea participates in their seventeenth consecutive World Hit Festival, now sending James Benamar to the Festival...

Britonisea took a risk at the previous World Hit Festival that nearly landed them with a second orchestral victory. The first time that Britonisea won the orchestral edition, the broadcaster decided to send something that they thought no other country would send and they more than right to send Vhe Qi to the Festival. This time, they didn't want to go for the same genre, but they did want to take a risk. Sending Britonisea's youngest World Hit Festival participant in the form of once-troubled young teenager Alexandre Augustin was great for PR in the country, with a song that was very powerful. Featuring in French, Britonisea's third language, and English, it was something new for the country and made it possible for Alexandre to really feel what he was singing about. Alexandre was very close to scoring Britonisea their eighth win at the World Hit Festival but Normandy & Picardy were on their best form in ages and ended up winning - only a few points ahead of Britoland. The country was happy for Normandy & Picardy, the country hadn't won for editions upon editions, even coming second to Britonisea at the 52nd World Hit Festival - but it was a bittersweet moment for the Brits, of course, they wanted to win again. BVC, on the other hand, had a huge sigh of relief. While they didn't want to not win, at the same time, they had recently hosted the 53rd World Hit Festival and that was three shows - two more than usual. The 53rd World Hit Festival was a very expensive edition of the Festival, and while BVC thought it was money well spent, they wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer to win and take the Festival back to Britonisea - especially because the broadcaster is focusing on Vha Mehlodhivestoile!

ORIGINAL BVC POST;

At the previous World Hit Festival in Todlichebujoku, Britonisea returned to the podium position for the first time since the 52nd World Hit Festival, coming 2nd - only a few points behind the winner and now the host of the 57th World Hit Festival, Normandy & Picardy. Speaking first at the live show of A Hit For The World, "There was a lot of hype for Alexandre Augustin, and I think the Britonish delegation honestly thought that Alexandre could win it all", explains Tom Stardust - the head of delegation for Britonisea at the World Hit Festival until the 60th edition. "We were the victors of the last orchestra title and we definitely wanted to keep the trophy, but Normandy & Picardy managed to snatch it from us - and they definitely deserved the win - no doubt about that! I think Alexandre was disappointed, though, but he knew - we all knew - that he did such a fantastic job - it was an honest song that won't be forgotten at the Festival, that's for sure." he continued. "We now had to think...where next for Britonisea? What type of entry did we want to send? I had a look back on the types of songs that we have recently sent to the World Hit Festival - ever since our last win, say, and really analysed - what has worked for us - and what hasn't? Okay, girl band might not have worked, shouty female ballad might've worked two WHF decades ago, the male duet, they were great too but didn't resonate. Bingo! I had to look a bit further back to realise that the Britonish rock scene is pretty fantastic." Many people in the audience raised an eyebrow at this statement, thinking about what this had to do with the upcoming World Hit Festival, but Tom would go on to reveal a lot more information, introducing the artist out to the stage, "When I think about the time we won the last orchestral edition and when we came 2nd at both the 38th and 49th World Hit Festivals...there definitely is a formula here. Britonisea LOVES this sort of stuff and I do too and I'd love to be the head of delegation for a song as fantastic as the one picked for the 57th World Hit Festival. The man that is representing Britonisea at the upcoming World Hit Festival is...James Benamar..."

James Benamar entered the small studio floor of A Hit For The World to the sound of cheering from a socially distant audience. He greeted the host and Tom Stardust before the host questioned him about his song "Quicksand" (which was displayed on this huge LED board between them - conveniently in the pixel dimensions of the above image. James spoke about his time living on the Brito-Estogian border - he has family from both countries with his family finding living on the border necessary to travel from one country to the next. James Benamar also spoke about watching the 49th World Hit Festival live when it took place in Alshkan and remembering the entry from Britonisea - Michael Turner - "Unguided" which inspired him to one day participate in the World Hit Festival himself. 8 editions later, he's doing just that. "I'm really happy I've been given the chance to represent my country. I love the song that I am sending, I wrote it with some pretty fantastic people and regardless of whether the song does well or not, I think I'll be happy with the fact that I even got to perform it in the first place! I'm looking forward to going to Normandy & Picardy!" James rejoiced.

James performed his song live in the audience, with the song receiving relatively good feedback so far from the Britonish public. The song as of 23:30 GMT has been released on all major platforms. We wish James a load of luck at the upcoming World Hit Festival in Normandy & Picardy!

James travelled to Normandy & Picardy rather early to get to his hotel and settle in the country for the time that he'd be there. BVC weren't interested in bringing a huge delegation to the World Hit Festival this time around so they had the budget to stay a bit longer if needs be. Whilst he was there, apart from doing his postcard, he didn't do too much in terms of exploring the culture of the country. He did have a load of carbs whilst out in Amiens - he simply couldn't help himself, he loved the fresh bakery in the country and was a big fan of baguettes - something that Britons adored too. On the night of the allocation draw, James saw that he was drawn to perform in the First Half which seemed to be a thing for Britonisea. Britonisea had performed in the 1st half in every recent edition except the ones that they hosted - and even then Britonisea never used to be anywhere close to the end of the show. When the official running order came through and Britonisea seemed to be performing in position number 8 - the same as last edition - it didn't come as a surprise, though position 8 has done some wonders for the country. Britonisea, of course, came 2nd last edition in 8th position but the country won in 8th position at the 48th World Hit Festival. Maybe this is a good thing for James? Regardless of his running order position, he was excited to get on the stage and perform with everything he has got.

After our good friends from Hafamarimet performed on the stage, it was time for James Benamar to make his way to be the centre of attraction. James wasn't sure what to expect from the crowd in Normandy & Picardy - would they like his song or would it be a bit of a miss? Either way, James had to get on the stage and do the best that he could do to get the points and make his country proud. James was wearing a white t-shirt with blue jeans - something very simple for this performance. The white t-shirt extended past his hips, it seemed quite oversized on him but he wore it pretty well. Appearing on the stage with him was Alexei and George who were wearing something similar and stood on either side of the stage, upstage. They both had microphones on stands but they weren't seen at the start of the performance. As the postcard of James came to an end and the cheers of the audience came in, James quickly got himself into position - a strong manly pose with a microphone in his hand, which was down the side of his arm. There weren't any props on the stage, just him and the two other men who weren't yet seen. The two sides of the stage (the side LEDs) were black and so you couldn't see anything in front or behind it. There was steam coming from the bottom of the stage which slowly made its way up the side of James' body. There was silence before the strings came in. The camera was focused on James from the shoulders up. He looked into the camera before the camera began turning on its axis as James started to sing. The camera turned rather slowly, as James stared deeply into it.

I am knee-dip in my fears and worries,
I would scream for help, a shame no one can hear me.
I’m slowly sinking and heart is racing,
This may be the end, I won’t go without a fight.

On the LED screen behind him, there was a sign of a crack appearing which seemed to be letting some sort of light in but it was unclear. The light was sparkling along with the song pushy and punchy beat in the background. The lights were interacting with this as well, with lights above James also sparkling in the darkness too. As the camera stopped swimming on its axis, the short pre-chorus came up; a line that was sung only by the backing singers who were both still being blocked out by the light not coming through the screens behind them. There was a bright light coming from above James as he was bathed by the light. He held his toned arms out, revealing his rather wide wingspan making him looking rather omnipotent especially from the angle the camera was catching this from.

(Won’t go without a fight)
With every ounce of strength that I have left in my bones,
I’ll escape, I’ll escape, I’ll (escape, I’ll escape)
I won’t let the pressure win, I won’t be giving in,
Don’t drag me under with (don’t drag me with you)
I won’t - be taken by your quicksand

You’ve stalked me for years, appearing in nightmares
When will you let go? When will I be at peace?
Is this what you want? You want me to suffer...
This could be the end, I’ll fight ‘till my last breath

As the next verse started, you could see that the fog on the stage started dispersing with the camera shots becoming more dynamic than before - changing every few seconds or so. James was singing out towards the audience during this section, though, not really interacting with the cameras that much. As we moved into yet another chorus, the blackened outsides of the stage flashed on to reveal the two male singers flanking him. They seemed just as enthusiastic to be on the stage with him, singing with as much gusto as he was. As we move onto the chorus, there was a shot from the furthest point of the arena with the lights going a tad crazy with James holding down his shirt, gripping as he unleashed the full extent of his vocal abilities. His voice was flawless and gritty, with the backing singers really doing well to hone the entry in very well.

With every ounce of strength that I have left in my bones,
I’ll escape, I’ll escape, I’ll (escape, I’ll escape)
I won’t let the pressure win, I won’t be giving in,
Don’t drag me under with (don’t drag me with you)
I won’t - be taken by your quicksand

Pull me under and make me drown,
My life in your hands, watch me go.
Feast on my bare flesh and drink my tears,
Though, my demise will haunt you for life,
Haunt you for life.

As we move onto the dramatic bridge section, all in all, there was a lot going on with the stage. From very dynamic lights from every corner of the arena and flashing LED screens along with on-screen graphics to help make the mood as dystopian as possible. While the main shades used being white, black and grey, there were some tints of red too, which appeared in the strobe lighting but mostly the on-screen graphics. The fans was also slightly used, with James' hair was flung back, with him subconsciously running his hand through his jet black hair, giving the audience another thing to swoon over. The camera would also alternate between the two singers behind him too as the backing singers looked at one another throughout the song.

As we moved into the calmer section, you could only slightly hear something in the background with the strings as the dancers moved closer to James. They were facing sideways now - with the Normand stage also working sideways as well as longways! James looked into the camera as one backing dancer went to to the right side of him and the other to the left.

With every ounce of strength...
That I have left in my bones, I’ll
With every ounce of strength...
That I have left in my bones, I’ll

With every ounce of strength that I have left in my bones,
I’ll escape, I’ll escape, I’ll (escape, I’ll escape)
I won’t let the pressure win, I won’t be giving in,
Don’t drag me under with (don’t drag me with you)
I won’t - be taken by your quicksand!

As we turned back around to face the audience again, the men were in some sort of formation - with James Benamar being in the middle of the stage, one person upstage right and the other downstage left. They were all strongly swaying with the music for what would be the final chorus of the song.

With every ounce of strength that I have left (your quicksand!) in my bones,
I’ll escape, I’ll escape, I’ll (escape, I’ll escape)
(your quicksand)
I won’t let the pressure win, I won’t be (your quicksand!) giving in,
Don’t drag me under with (don’t drag me with you)
(your quicksand)
I won’t - be taken by
Your quicksand!

At the end of the song, the three strong figures shot their fists into the air with the lights in front of them blacking out, only leaving their sihlouettes with their firsts up as a strong final image. "THANK YOU!!!!!" he shouted out into the audience who were cheering rather loudly, "I LOVE YOU ALL!" We then moved onto the 9th act, Axuva.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:57 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:01 pm

All I know is that I was a fool
To not recognize who you really are
이제 나는 알아 selfish truth (now I know the selfish truth)
그래서 지금 나는 On my own ( So now I am on my own)

It used to be til death do us part
But now I’m saying goodbye, Only got me myself and I
It’s like you never cared about my feelings at all
그래서 지금 나는 On my own ( So now I am on my own)

Now that I know the truth
너와 나 just won’t do (me and you just won’t do)
눈물이 나도 (even if)
Tears fall from my eyes

나는 뛸거야 away from you (I will run)
I shared my world with you
하지만 지금은 On my own ( But now I am on my own)

You said we would be together for life
Walk down the aisle
Our love would strive
하지만 너는 그 반대를 보여 줬어 (But you showed me the opposite so)
하지만 지금은 On my own ( But now I am on my own)

Now that I know the truth
너와 나 just won’t do (me and you just won’t do)
눈물이 나도 (even if)
Tears fall from my eyes

나는 뛸거야 away from you (I will run)
I shared my world with you
하지만 지금은 On my own ( But now I am on my own)

(Know the truth..)
Know the truth
(Know...)

Now that I know the truth
너와 나 just won’t do (me and you just won’t do)
눈물이 나도 (even if)
Tears fall from my eyes

나는 뛸거야 away from you (I will run)
I shared my world with you
하지만 지금은 On my own ( But now I am on my own)

Now that I know the truth
너와 나 just won’t do (me and you just won’t do)
눈물이 나도 (even if)
Tears fall from my eyes

나는 뛸거야 away from you (I will run)
I shared my world with you
하지만 지금은 On my own ( But now I am on my own

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:03 pm

postcard tune

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:14 pm

Previously at the 56th World Hit Festival, Pemecutan was seems to be having a hard time to choose an orchestra theme song for their delegation as the song theme is not quite popular in the country. Fortunately, the official then choose Ayu Pratiwi, a newcomer in Pemecutan operatic-theme singer. She performed in the competition with her song "Cinta Kita (Takkan Goyah)". The performance was quite accepted with them received two 5 points from Todlichebujoku and Joija. With a total points of 25, they once again finished 5th for the second time in a row.

Moved to the 57th edition with Normandy & Picardy as the host, the domestic official doing their online televotes again to choose the entry for Pemecutan. With the result reveal Putu Sutha once again will represent Pemecutan in World Hit Festival. The singer was represented Pemecutan in the 54th edition where he was finished 9th. He was questioned for his age as he looks very young for a 34 years old men. But he is just said that he might be have a baby face.

For this edition, Putu Sutha will performed his own rendition song entitled "Bintang Impian" (Dream Star). The song is included in his latest album, Teruntukmu. It is one out of a few songs that he is write himself. For the composition, he is in cooperation with Hendra Gunawan. Hendra Gunawan is a well known composer in Pemecutan which numerous songs that have been nominated and won Chakra Music Award, Pemecutan music award. The song have been release digitally in January 2021, as the third single from his latest album. The song is well received.

Putu Sutha make his last preparation as the stage worker ask him to come to the stage as his time is getting nearer. He checked himself for the last before heading to the stage accompanied by the stage worker. For his performance, he is wearing an all black clothes. Knitted long-sleeves cardigan with mohair sweater and fabrics pants is what he is wearing. He is trying to looks casual for this performance. He is waiting at the back stage before his name is being announced. The postcard is being displayed on the big screen as the light is dimmed out.

As the intro of the song is played out, the background screen is changing into five part of volume bars. The lights are ups and downs based on the beat of the music. Putu Sutha is seen standing at the center of the stage with a standing mic in front of him. The down light shine through him. He grab the mic as he sing. He swayed away and moving his body synchronizing with the music. The camera often changing the zoom from full face into full body but it focus on the front view. The volume bars is like the GIF below.

Disaat kegagalan yang terlihat
Kucoba tuk tetap slalu berjuang
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi...tinggi
Disaat hatiku ingin menyerah
Kulihat kerlip bintang di atas sana
Kugantungkan harapanku disana tinggi
Sang Bintang Impian

The lights on the stage changing again. The side lights put a differing colors based on the music of the song while the volume bars at the background is change into a moving rainbow spiral which moved from the center out. Putu Sutha grab his mic and singing the song energetically while moves around the stage and greeted the audience to make an interaction with them. The background screen light is like this GIF.

Jatuh bangun ku bertahan
Tuk meraih segala impian
Lelah penat tak terasa
Demi menggapai segala cita

Sgala daya kulakukan
Upaya trus dijalankan
Sgala yang dikatakan, dilakukan
Tak kan kuhiraukan

Dan ku coba semua
(Apa yang kubisa)
Semua yang kubisa
Tuk gapai titik tertinggi
Bintang impian

The background swirl is suddenly change into a bright white light as the song is entering its chorus before change back into the volume bars. Putu Sutha has standing at the center again as he reached the chorus part. His hands are moving resembling a despair heart then change into a powerful fist which gives him strength.

Disaat kegagalan yang terlihat
Kucoba tuk tetap slalu berjuang
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi...tinggi
Disaat hatiku ingin menyerah
Kulihat kerlip bintang di atas sana
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi
Sang Bintang Impian

He is still standing at the center stage making eye contact with the audience as he enter the second verse of the song. The background is changing into another rainbow swirl. The camera sometimes viewing how the audience reacted with Putu Sutha's performance and then change back into Putu Sutha's light movement at the center stage.

Banyak jalan yang kutempuh
Tuk menggapai segala impian
Saat putus asa datang
Kan ku teguhkan keyakinanku

Sgala daya kulakukan
Upaya tetap dijalankan
Bgitu banyak cibiran dan hinaan
Tak buatku gentar

Dan ku coba semua
(Apa yang kubisa)
Semua yang kubisa
Tuk gapai titik tertinggi
Bintang impian

The background screen change into volume bars again as Putu Sutha sing the chorus part again. The camera is swiftly change from front view to side view between half and full body shot.

Disaat kegagalan yang terlihat
Kucoba tuk tetap slalu berjuang
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi...tinggi
Disaat hatiku ingin menyerah
Kulihat kerlip bintang di atas sana
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi
Sang Bintang Impian

As he enters the bridge part of the song, the lights on the stage are soften. He is just standing at the center of the stage. His hands is moving like grabbing the mic stand but his hands are still in mid air. The background screen is displaying a geometric swirl with soft lights (see gift picture below) before suddenly change into a pop out rectangular lights with differing colors as Putu Sutha sings the last half of the bridge part.

Akan ada masa
Disaat yang terburuk
Namun ku trus maju
Terus maju
Roda waktu berputar
Jalan terang mengarah kepadaku
Berikan petunjuk untuk jalanku
Lapangkan jalan impianku
Tuk gapai bintang harapanku

The background suddenly blacken before the pop out rectangular lights shown again as the song enters it last parts. The lights on the stage become brighter and more colorful as the side block lights also going on and off interchangeably. Putu Sutha is moving around the stage energetically. He is settling again at the center as he repeat the chorus once again. The volume bars is appearing again as the background as the outro is played until the song is end.

Disaat kegagalan yang terlihat
Kucoba tuk tetap slalu berjuang
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi...tinggi
Disaat hatiku ingin menyerah
Kulihat kerlip bintang di atas sana
Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi
Sang Bintang Impian

Ho...oh...oh...oh....
(Disaat kegagalan yang terlihat)
(Kucoba tuk tetap slalu berjuang)
Kugantungkan harapanku. Tinggi...tinggi
(Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi...tinggi)
Ah...ha...a...yeah...yeah...yeah yeah...
(Disaat hatiku ingin menyerah)
(Kulihat kerlip bintang di atas sana)
(Kugantungkan harapanku disana, tinggi)
Harapanku disana. Tinggi...

Bintang harapanku

Sang Bintang Impian

The stage is lighten back to normal as Putu Sutha is giving the namaste pose before leaving the stage as the host is taking away the show.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:18 pm

postcard tune

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

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

Intervention de l'animateur

01 | alezie du nord

02 | vartugie

03 | togonistan

04 | darquemanie

05 | malte comine gozo

le premier entracte

06 | république achéane

07 | hafamarimet

08 | britonisie

09 | axuve

10 | pemecutan

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