WorldVision 89 Contest Thread | Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku

[Todlichebujoku]

OOC THREAD - HOST BID / STAGE DETAILS - THE PLAYLIST

It's been a long time since Tödlichebujoku last hosted WorldVision in the 66th contest, and even longer since Äuszer's first attempt at hosting the contest in the 32nd contest all those years ago. And for the rest of the world, it's been a long year. But now, we're here. The Ametsuči Dome finally opens its doors to the many fans of WorldVision, and the pre-show music softly plays as the audience members file in and settle in their seats. A friendly hubbub steadily grows, before the lights turn down and all attention turns to the stage as the orchestra is revealed.

---

- T H E M E -

Escape From Yomi

Küösti Mákelá & Üüsertsenkeiken City Orchestra
(Tune: Two Steps From Hell - "Starfall")

Behind the Üüsertsenkeiken City Orchestra, an animation plays. Fire and ice dueling for dominance, washing across the screens, scintillating effects of snow and spark sparkling and scattering... before all is awash in flame, before fading to make way for the opening act

---

- O P E N I N G A C T -

Ugós (Fire)

Daina Balodis ft. Grãde Nuno
(Tune: Kate DeLuna ft. Elephant Man - "Whine Up")

Daina Balodis finally makes it on the international stage! But first, Grãde Nuno is here to kick off the song. He appears atop a black plinth toward the back of the stage, sharply dressed

Let's burn it up!
Are you feeling hot?
And even if you're not
We'll heat up this house, yesim!

Let's go!

Daina is illuminated in front, on the central stage, in a slim fiery red dress, naturally. Her head, facing off to the side, snaps forward as she begins to sing, a seductive smile upon her lips, surrounded by dancers clad in black

Caught your eyes upon my body
Know you like some burning heat
Come and follow if you're hungry
Gonna serve a spicy feast

I can feel our flames attracting
Rising in the wind
Each breath we're carbonizing,
The passion within

She whirls around, hand outstretched to the dancers moving around her, as if controlling them

Oh oh oh
Make 'em stop and hit the floor
Oh oh oh
Bust through the exit doors

Daina steps forward, camera close, the dancers trailing behind her. The stage is brushed in swathes of gold and orange, flickers of red beyond the center

We're building higher and higher
An unstoppable fire
I'm burnin'
That's all I feel
When you're on me, around me
Two hot bodies entwinin'
I can't believe it
But it feels so real

Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's you
Ugós, ugós, ugós, with me
Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's us
Ugós, ugós, ugós, burn up!

After the high-energy shots of light over the audience and synchronized dancing on the stage, Daina is found glowing in a number of spotlights as she strides forward along the projecting platform, whirling herself around every so often as she sings in Nevetasso

Més chovacaro esã ugósgréco

We are a conflagration tonight

Bístamas, spéçígas, dabas spéco

Dangerous, powerful, a force of nature

Carstáci para ugono vétro

Hotter than a firestorm

Varã ezcausét térauda ballxos

We can melt steel beams

The dancers chase her down and they all skid to a stop at the end of the platform, Daina sliding along in a reclining position, the dancers prostrate around her. Despite the content of her lyrics, she looks cool and relaxed. Except for the smoking smile upon her face

We're building up to climax and we just can't stop
Dancing through the embers, hear them spark and pop
You feel me superheating, we're glowing like the sun
Shining through the midnight, burning long past one

Oh oh oh
Make 'em stop and hit the floor
Oh oh oh
Bust through the exit doors

A ring of orange spotlight travels around her, the camera view shooting from above and rising up. The dancers are splayed around her and also rotate, as fire begins to jet out from the stage edge around them

We're building higher and higher
An unstoppable fire
I'm burnin'
That's all I feel
When you're on me, around me
Two hot bodies entwinin'
I can't believe it
But it feels so real

Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's you
Ugós, ugós, ugós, with me
Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's us
Ugós, ugós, ugós, burn up!

Grãde Nuno reappears striding down the main stage, having made it back down from his perch. He's clearly having fun here, a bit of a jaunty expression as he pops about the stage edge, with Daina eventually joining him and dancing alongside

Ugós
Light up the party till it's ash and ugós
When will we stop, well nobody knows
Dance till you drop and the ceiling is smoke
Body to body and you know how it goes
Sweating in heat with our cheeks all aglow
Head feeling light and it's not just ozone
And you're feeding my flame, make me shout, "Ugós!"

The two face each other for the next lines, with more fun than affection, before going their own ways

Oh oh oh oh
We're burning!
Oh oh oh oh
Yesim!

Let's go!

Fire billows out from all along the stage edge, as yellow and orange sparks rain down from the ceiling. Amidst all the heat, Daina is developing a clear sheen of sweat as she continues, but appears to be utterly unbothered otherwise. She makes her way back down the projecting platform with the dancers in tow, and Grãde Nuno bringing up the rear fist bumping the audience whenever the flames pause

Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's you
Ugós, ugós, ugós, with me
Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's us
Ugós, ugós, ugós, burn up!

Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's you
Ugós, ugós, ugós, with me
Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's us
Ugós, ugós, ugós, burn up!

Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's you
Ugós, ugós, ugós, with me
Ugós, ugós, ugós, it's us
Ugós, ugós, ugós, burn up!

The lights and fire slowly dissipate into darkness as Daina continues singing, and only once she has exited the stage does she stop singing, and the last light upon her extinguish into blackness. After a pause, the lights brightening once again and the audience begins to applaud

---

With a great flap of wings, Ensio Aasili makes his presence known from behind the audience, slowly gliding in a lazy spiral down to the stage. He harumphs and shakes his mane, settling his wings into their resting position, before turning his attention to the audience.

"Ah, hello. Welcome to Äuszer, and welcome to the 89th WorldVision Song Contest! I am the stunningly handsome Ensio Aasili, and soon to arrive is my bestie MÜRKÜLLINEN!! Let's have a moment of silence for her to manifest." Ensio adopts a gallant posture as silence permeates the arena. He snorts.

SHE is here. Her presence slowly becomes culpable, an icy chill down the spine of every viewer and audience member. An untouchable haze builds throughout the arena, a nearly electric vibrance gathering upon the stage. Her emotions become known, a balance of dueling feelings at the tip of one's mind. Her voice is not so much heard as it is felt in shades of regret. It is sad that she is becoming less of this world. Once, her mutilated body was visible upon the Beiszendmizu stage, but now she only exists as a gaseous vapor of half-remembered life, vaguely coherent as she begins to speak.

greetings. we are as one tonight. will it be the last we shall see one another in this fair land? i hope not. but the future lies and deceives us in its past. but for the present, we must live in the moment. and in this moment. it is time for music. it is time for sound. it is time for gathering.

Ensio whinnies in delight. "Great then! Our theme tonight is Ice and Fire, and of course good old Daina Balodis from the first Sinun Valintasi: Starfall has joined with Grãde Nuno for a fiery opening, and after all them entries we're about to hear, miss Nina Ebner from Sinun Valintasi 65 has an icy interval for us. We love a fun theme."

time is flying, my dear. faster than you could ever hope to soar. we shall miss some who are not with us tonight. i ache for the champions not long past. but the powers have decreed what must proceed. and thus we must continue.

Slivers of frost are spreading along the stage floor below her hazy presence. Ensio, unbothered and slightly oblivious, shrugs and tosses his head, proclaiming, "And there we go! Good talk everyone, let's move right ahead and..."

L̶̬̗͕̏̍͐̈Ë̴̛͓̩̤͛T̶̗̞͗̾ ̵̛̖̽͐T̷̛͉̖̓͛H̴̙̭̀̂Ề̸͍̻͖̭ ̸̲̑͋͆̕C̶͓̟̫̿̍̾̑͝Ơ̷̡̥͎͖̥͒̌͂͆̕N̶͉̳̣̍͊T̷͚̰͉̃̊È̶͖͚̈S̶̪̲͕̮̀̏̋͂͆T̷͍͇̀ ̵̧̜́B̷̦̭̊Ȩ̵͍̫͐G̸̘̉́Í̵̘̻Ṉ̷͚̳̣̕͝!

-

[Todlichebujoku]

- E N T R I E S / P O S T C A R D S -
postcards coming soon^TM

---

- 1 -
Carrelie

- 2 -
New Zealandic South West Saint Martin

- 3 -
Norrp

- 4 -
Beepee

- 5 -
Estogium

- 6 -
Scotatrova

- 7 –
Malta Comino Gozo

- 8 -
Adab

- 9 -
Britonisea

- 10 -
Elejamie

- 11 -
North Alezia

- 12 -
Ertzei Kishim

- 13 -
Faraby

- 14 -
Belgaam

- 15 -
Polkopia

- 16 -
Axuva

- 17 -
Nekoni

- 18 -
Kalosia

- 19 -
South Alezia

- 20 -
Ethane

- 21 -
Pemecutan

- 22 -
Rhim Flavezztowland

- 23 -
Antahbrantahstan

- 24 -
Placely Placington

- 25 -
Fatimania

- 26 -
Nihilitia

- 27 -
Waisnor

- 28 -
Greater Korean Juche Republic

- 29 -
Vartugia

- 30 -
Plangainer

- 31 -
These American States

- 32 -
Tödlichebujoku

- 33 -
Crustyland

- 34 -
Achaean Republic

- 35 -
Auphelia

- 36 -
Caryton

- 37 -
Zamboodle

- 38 -
Natanya

- 39 -
Kyritakia

- 40 -
Saviera

- 41 -
Saperetia

- 42 -
Saint Miron

-


- C O M M E N T A R Y -

---

Adab - ABC | 1-42

Carrelie - CarrelieOne | 1-7

Elejamie - ETV1 | 1-20 - 21-42

Talvezout - TRT & Zizair | Odds

[Carrelie]

CarrelieOne presents.. WorldVision
with English-language commentary by Vian Genamann & (at times) Morneys Oter
1 - Carrelie
Alone - Mary O'Enpont
Lyrics & Composition by Mary O'Enpont
Tune: AURORA - Runaway

Prelude

The 88th contest had proved to CarrelieOne that WorldSong did indeed work, with the people rejoicing over their highest placing yet. Preparations for WorldSong 89 began immediately, with 8 artists being selected to compete in WorldSong. Rising star Dwynwen Mwyn of Iffrwff was projected to win the contest, and things were looking up for Iffrwff. That is, until its neighbour took the crown.

Arianos' win was somewhat unexpected in the moment. In the first phase, it had been tied with Iffrwff, and people held out hope as the votes were read out, but it became clear that Arianos were going for the crown. At the end, Mary gave a tearful reprise as most of Carrelie stood beside her. She would be going to Äuszer!

Who is Mary O'Enpont?



October 21st, 1993. Czechoslovakia has just been dissolved, Carrelie has welcomed its first woman Captain-Regent, and Vian Genamman's Baïsés-Çoú is topping the charts. Below all the noise sits new mother Madelin O'Enpont, cradling her newborn in her arms. Little did she know, young Mary has a great life ahead of her.

Madelin introduced her daughter to the world of music at a very young age. She taught Mary how to play the piano, the violin and soon, Mary was a prodigy! By the age of 9, she was a local celebrity, and by 18 she introduced herself to the wider world. She began with indie music, distancing herself from the mainstream yet still attracting large crowds. She was having the time of her life!

It's not all been great, however. In May 2017, her husband sadly passed away after battling cancer for three long years, leaving Mary and her daughter behind. She took a break from music for a while, not releasing anything until February 2018. It seems that her recovery has strengthened her resolve, as she has been releasing hit after hit ever since!

Since then, she's been very popular, but no longer feels the spark she once felt with indie music. With hits such as "Let Go" and "One More Day", she has forsaken the indie scene and has entered the mainstream with much acclaim. Despite the minor backlash, tt seems like there's nowhere to go but up!

CarrelieOne Commentary

V: "That was a nice opening. Not really to my tastes, but I understand the appeal."
M: "Pardon me? That's the greatest opening act I've ever seen! You need to sort out your tastes you old hag!"
V: "... Morneys, I should remind you that we're on air..."
M: "..."
V: "Well... anyway, up first is our very own Mary O'Enpont with Alone."
M: "It would seem so, we were drawn to participate first tonight."
V: "Let's hope that this edition we'll reach new heights! Let's get to the top 5!"
M: "Of course, we're going to see her performance now."
V: "Take it away, Mary!"

The Performance

Mary walks onto the stage alone and barefoot wearing this dress and a black scarf. Snow falls over her as she walks up to the microphone, with the LCD screens displaying a fantastic snowy landscape. The backdrop shows cedar trees and lone caves in its jagged cliffs, with snow-topped peaks scattered around the area.

Woh-oh, wo-o-o-oh
Wo-oh, wo-o-o-oh
Woh-oh, wo-o-o-oh
Wo-oh, wo-o-o-oh

A chill blows through the arena as snow gathers around Mary's feet, somewhat resembling the scene in the background. Her forlorn expression is illuminated by a lone white spotlight.

You said we would go together,
Now, I’m the only one left,
I remember now that it came upon you while you slept,
Alone.

The background shifts to a monochrome colour pallette as Mary takes the microphone off of its stand. The lone spotlight strays to reveal a black and white chair, which she promptly sits in.

I recognise I’m a coward,
I only think for myself,
I thought I would be fine, putting your love on the shelf,
Alone.

She looks from left to right to left again, before rising out of her seat. She slowly trots towards the front of the stage. The wind picks up, blowing behind her. She brings the microphone stand to the front of the stage and places it down, placing the microphone on it.

You know I tried how hard I did,
I tried only to be outbid,
A tainted soul, a tainted sou-ou-oul;
Now with mem’ries of the pain,
I can’t go back lest myself be slain.

The wind stops, the snow ceases to fall. All is quiet for a quick moment, until the chorus is quietly uttered, somewhat timidly, by Mary, the hair of whom has just settled behind her back.

And now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I was always in the wrong.

The wind picks up again, blowing towards the audience as the spotlight fades to gold. Gold coins rain from the sky in the background, though they gradually become increasingly faker-looking as the verse progresses.

An illusion of grandeur,
An illusion of grandeur for us and,
In the moment we didn’t know better,
Then once more, it went to dust.
Alone.

She takes out some blue and gold glitter, representing things that look expensive though in reality are very cheap, like fools' gold, and lets it fall to her left. The coins in the background fade, being replaced by dust.

I should have listened to your crying,
Before I sealed both our fates.
I still question to this day why I closed the gates.
I don’t know.

The wind picks up once more, and Mary clasps her hands on her chest. On the third line of the pre-chorus, she streches one arm out, followed by the other, only to close them in on herself as she sings the next line.

You know I tried how hard I did,
I tried only to be outbid,
A tainted soul, a tainted sou-ou-oul;
Now with memories of the pain,
I can’t go back lest myself be slain.

Mary rips her scarf off, the wind carrying it into the audience, never to be seen again. More spotlights turn on, gradually snaking towards the back of the stage. She grasps onto the microphone as she sings the audience, explosions of colour appearing in the background.

And now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I can’t go back or I’ll be gone;
Now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I can’t go back or I’ll be gone;
Now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I was always in the wrong.

And then everything stops. The wind stops, the spotlights fade, and the background wipes to black. All that's left is Mary's spotlight. Suddenly, snow begins to fall again.

Yet I’m still going,
I don’t know why at a-a-all,
And I’m still running,
And I’m going to fa-a-all;
Yet I’m still going,
I don’t know why at all, a-a-all,
And I’m still running,
Inevitable fa-a-all.

The spotlights begin to reappear, one by one.

I still remember that one day,
Only your mem’ry remains.

Now all the spotlights are back on, and the wind is once again present. The background now shows dragons sweeping in and out of the mountains and the trees.

Now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I can’t go back or I’ll be gone;
Now, I’m alone,
I’m alone, no longer strong,
I can’t go back or I’ll be gone;

The spotlights reach the back, revealing 5 people wearing black and white two-tone outfits. The all begin to sing, Mary simply standing in front of them.

Now, I’m alone,
I’m no longer strong,
No, no.
Now, I’m alone,
I’m no longer strong,
No, no.
Now, I’m alone,
I’m no longer strong,
No, no.
Now, I’m alone,
I’m no longer strong,

The spotlights turn off and once again Mary is the only one in focus. She utters the final line..

Still remember all your love.

...And it is done. Her emotional performance has come to an end. She utters a quick, "Thank you", and hurries off stage, with the chair, making it ready for Beans and Co. to take the stage.

[New Zealandic South West Saint Martin]

2 - New Zealandic South West Saint Martin
Beans & Co. - Posedata de abeloj (Owned by Bees)

Helpu, helpu, mi bonvolu
Mi posedas abelojn
Mia animo foriras
Posedata de abeloj

Mi provis la telefonon, telefonon, telefonon
Ĉu respondoj venis? Tio estas ne.
Bonvolu dio helpu!

Helpu, helpu, mi bonvolu
Mi posedas abelojn
Mia animo foriras
Posedata de abeloj

Ĉi tio estas sufiĉe serioza!

Mi ne povas provi forkuri, forkuri, forkuri,
Abeloj atingos, jes, ĉu ne?
Bonvolu dio helpu!

Helpu, helpu, mi bonvolu
Mi posedas abelojn
Mia animo foriras
Posedata de abeloj

Ĉi tio estas sufiĉe serioza!

Eĉ se mi vere provas, vere provas, vere provas,
Ili venos serĉi vin kaj mi.
Bonvolu dio helpu!

Helpu, helpu, mi bonvolu
Mi posedas abelojn
Mia animo foriras
Posedata de abeloj

Helpu, helpu, mi bonvolu
Mi posedas abelojn
Mia animo foriras
Posedata de abeloj

Help, help, I please
I own bees
My soul is leaving
Owned by bees

I tried the phone, phone, phone
Did answers come? That's not it.
Please god help!

Help, help, please
I own bees
My soul is leaving
Owned by bees

This is pretty serious!

I can't try to run away, run away, run away,
Bees will get there, yes, right?
Please god help!

Help, help, please
I own bees
My soul is leaving
Owned by bees

This is pretty serious!

Even if I really try, really try, really try,
They will come looking for you and me.
Please god help!

Help, help, please
I own bees
My soul is leaving
Owned by bees

Help, help, please
I own bees
My soul is leaving
Owned by bees

[Norrp]

03.Norrp

The Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc-dxNilmBg

Sniper under Subcultures

^{Norrp will debut in this Worldvision 89 in Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku and will fly there on a special plane}

Everybody in the stadium cheers for Norrp. There is 3 people on stage. Bradley (singing in Blue) the male singer, Sara ( singing in red)the female singer and Micael the DJ. Black when they both sing. The music starts with Bradley "Uh"ing to open the song. The DJ booth is at the back right of the stage. The duo stand in the middle of the stage. The stage will be lit in blues and whites. The floor will be sand yellow.

Verse 1
I got off the plane in Ibiza
In I..BIZ..A
Saw the sunshine
And the palm trees
I really like this
OH YES PLEASE!



Verse 2
I got to my hotel
Nice and clean got no fleas
I..BIZ..A
I really like this Hotel
It's nice here
OH YES YES PLEASE!

We have a promenade background them with people walking on it

Verse 3
I went out on the front
Saw lots of girls
I..BIZ..A
With little bikinis
I really like this
OH YES PLEASE! YES PLEASE!

Verse 4
Went to a club near the cafe
I..BIZ...Ahh
Met a girl from here
She's no tease..

I really like this
OH YES PLEASE!


Micael plays synths. Sara and Bradley dance about under the many colorful lights.

Chorus
I..BIZ..A
Met a girl
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
She's no tease
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A



Verse 5
First Class, yeah, everything to Ibiza
Sharp boy yeah down to the club..
Grab a drink we dance we laugh
I I really like this

Verse 6
We walked to the coastline
I..BIZ..A!
Couldn't believe my luck
When they said they love me me

I really like this island
OH YES.. PLEASE...
I..BI..ZA!

Micael plays synths. Sara and Bradley dance about under the many colorful lights.

Chorus
I..BIZ..A
Met a boy
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
He's no tease
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A

The stage will turn white and yellow.

Verse 7
Every single second is golden
Hold onto the moment
Hold onto the moment, mmm
Every single second is golden
Hold onto the moment
Hold onto the moment
And party in IBIZ..
A!!

We have some sparklers. The stage will turn white ands blue again

Chorus
I..BIZ..A
Met a girl
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A
She's no tease
I..BIZ..A
I..BIZ..A

I..BIZ..A

"Thank you Tödlichebujoku!" We see them smile to the crowd, the crowd clap and cheer they enjoyed their entry

[Beepee]

4. BEEPEE
"Only Love"
Performed by
Jolie Beaujaube

Tune: Sarah Zucker - "Ohne Dich"

ARTIST BACKGROUND

JOLIE BEAUJAUBE

The small café is bustling and as Jolie Beaujaube enters her heart sinks.  She comes to this place every Saturday morning, to relax and unwind.  She thinks of this as her time, an important part of her mental wellbeing.   But there are no seats and there's a long queue at the counter.

She pauses for a moment: should she leave and find another coffee house or wait for someone to leave.   Her eyes scan the tables, and she notices a couple preparing to leave. 

Jolie strides towards the soon to be free table.    Arriving, she plonked herself down to find a man doing the same and sitting opposite her.   They spend a brief few moments staring at each other, in silence. 

The waiter comes over and Jolie orders her usual latte with pain au chocolat. He orders the same.

The pair contiune to sit in silence and Jolie remains lost in his pale blue eyes.  She notices his short brown hair, styled elegantly. His dark rimmed glasses, making him seem older betraying his youthful complexion.  His slender face.

The coffee and pastries arrive and the stranger smiles at her, coyly.  Jolie suddenly feels a flush across her body realising she has been staring straight at him. Her heart skips a beat, then another, realising that the man in front of her is the man of her dreams, her every desire.  She glances away quickly, as if to hide her feelings, before she glances up to try to read his face.

He dares a smile.  She smiles back, and pushes a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

She hopes this will be the start of her great romance.

WORLDVISION 89

Beepeean Televisual Commentary

Hugh Jakeman, Beepee's regular WorldVision commentator provides tongue-in-cheek wisdom on each of the entries for the Beepeean televisual audience. Luckily this edition, Beepee is sufficiently early in the running order that the wine has not been opened.... yet.

" Well! That was the Norrpish entry there... emphasis on the Norr. A solid entry there, wiith "Woah, we're going to Ibiza, Back to the island. We're gonna have a party, in the Mediterranean sky...." wait... no... thats not right... anyhoo...

Up next, be of good cheer, it's us... the little nation that can. Now this year  we have Jolie Beaujaube, my that name's quite a mouthful, singing Only Love.  Jolie has made a bold choice with the staging for this song.  There's explosions all over the place, and I'm not sure the stage manager will be too pleased with these choices.  There's going to be a bit of clean up after this one.  Despite this, the song has a foot tapping beat

Here she comes, let's cheer her on in word and gesture."

PERFORMANCE

As the postcard ended, Jolie Beaujaube took her position at the centre stage. Jolie, to keep with the theme of the song wore a blue and white striped sparkly jumpsuit paired inexplicably with a pearl necklace.

In the hall, the back and floor LCD screens are set to bright white.  However, the staging for the show starts in greyscale (think Charlotte Pirelli - Hero). 

The camera starts by focusing (tightly) on Jolie's face, before slowly withdrawing throughout the opening two verses ending up by showing the full stage.  The camera work mimicking the styling of the song with the opening of the song starting quietly slowly building towards the chorus.


We're alone in the ocean
From the moment we appear
All alone in a liferaft
Searching for someone to steer



In the deep of the ocean
There's nothing but blue
I see lightning crackle
As the clouds gather near


As the bridge builds, Jolie reaches her left hand into a pocket on her jumpsuit (à la Ira Losco - 7th Wonder)  The camera now shows the full stage, Jolie still standing centre stage in her full monochromatic glory.


And when the storm blows
And the thunder rolls
Waves are crashing around me


As the first "Only Love" is song in the chorus, Jolie flicks her hand to the side, the camera switches to full colour, and sprays out blue powder paint.  As the powder paint explodes out from Jolie hand, the LCD screens to the rear of the stage and on the floor mimic the explosion of blue....

With each subsequent "Only Love" the camera cuts to differing angles, to the left and then to the right and finally back to front; this provides a little bit of further visual interest for the televisual viewers at home.


Only Love
Leads me back to harbour
Only Love
Finds me safe to shore
Only Love
Calms the stormy water
Makes me calm, like I was before


During the chorus, reaches her right hand into another pocket within her jump suit. As the "only love" is sung in the second section of the chorus, this time Jolie flicks her hand to opposite side as previously and a spray of red powder paint explodes into the air, again mimicked by the LCD screens in great sprays of colour.


As the waves roll all around me
And the tide is rising high
Only Love
Calms the raging water
And brings me back to you once again


As the second set of verses begins, Jolie walks down the stage onto the massive electrical guitar shaped stage out to the neck of the guitar and towards the audience. Arriving before the start of the bridge to the chorus.  The camera follows Jolie on her wander to the headstock.


When the north winds are blowing
And darkness descends
I navigate by star light
Searching for a hidden cove



Help me to find safe harbour
Take me away from the sea
And when the hurricane passes
Take me back to the Quay


Again, Jolie reaches into a small pocket...


And when the storm blows
And the thunder rolls
Waves are crashing around me


This time a yellow explosion of powder paint is flung by Jolie off to the side, and it's mimicked on the LCD Screens.  However, as Jolie has walked to the smaller stage out into the crowd, the explosion appears to cover a poor audience member in yellow dye.  The man, flying a South Alezian flag, sputters and coughs and shakes his fist angrily towards Jolie as he wipes himself down.

Jolie, carries on regardless....


Only Love
Leads me back to harbour
Only Love
Finds me safe to shore
Only Love
Calms the stormy water
Makes me calm, like I was before


The camera swoops around Jolie, who smiles down the camera singing, flowing the camera as it spins around d her. its all a little  dizzying.

As the following only love is sung, this time Jolie flicks out a green spray of powdered pain.  To the left side of the stage.  This time her aim is a little better and she avoids the audience, who had been looking a bit apprehensive knowing what was about to come.


As the waves roll all around me
And the tide is rising high
Only Love
Calms the raging water
And brings me back to you once again


With the chorus over, Jolie turns and returns down the neck of the guitar to the main stage.  During this time she sings the following verse, but in order to to provide a bit of visual interest the show director shows various shots of the audience and the inside of massive Ametsuči Dome.


And as storm passes once again
I unfurl my sails for you
And as the wind catches in my sheets
It's all okay, I will be safe


By the end of the verse, Jolie has reached back to the main stage and is joined on stage by four backing dancers.  At each Only Love of the choruses, the backing dancers throw plumers of multicoloured powder paint in the air, causing bright rainbows of colour to float through the air.  The LCD screens again mimic the explosions... this time in large splodges of various colours.


Only Love
Leads me back to harbour
Only Love
Finds me safe to shore
Only Love
Calms the stormy water
Makes me calm, like I was before


As the second chorus begins, white begins to creep back into the colourful LCD Screens from the edges. It closing more and more on the centre of the screen as the chorus continues.


As the waves roll all around me
And the tide is rising high
Only Love
Calms the raging water
And brings me back to you once again



As the song finishes, the white has formed the shape of a heart with a rainbow of colours inside and the words "only love" appear on the screen behind Jolie, who (along with her backing singers) thrust a hand in the air in one final explosion of powder paint colour.

With that the perofrmance is over and Jolie and her backing singers wave to the crowd saying "Thank you Worldvision", and leave the stage.

The camera briefly cuts back to the South Alezian man covered in yellow dye, who looks severely peed off, before the next postcard begins for Estogium.

Beepeean Televisual Commentary

Returning to pleasure the Beepeean televsiual audience with an auditory delight, Hugh Jakeman's biting commentary returns.

"Well that was Jolie Beaujaube for us.   She's got a good head on her shoulders.  I'm suggesting that poor audience member wash that performance down with a warming glass of merlot.  Anything to take the taste out of his mouth.

Anyway, good job, Jolie Beaujaube.

Up next its the Estogian entrant.  These performances are coming thick and fast now.   Estogium always put on a good show and this year is no different... Jared Atkinson is singing 'Hypnotised'. Now the present Mrs Jakeman has told me she'd get lost in his eyes... so I expect this to score well with thirsty viewer. Speaking of thirst, I'm going to start on the wine early this year... salut".

[Estogium]

#05 ESTOGIUM
Felix Thompson - "Feral"
Tune : KADNAY - "SANTIAGO"
Language: English



Yes, he's back. Yes, he's singing the same song and yes, he's still a sexual deviant.

And now he's performing his homoerotic entry in Todlichebujoku! This should be fun!

Felix Thompson was wearing this outfit; he was wearing a slightly oversized dark jacket with no top underneath alongside some jogging bottoms which were patterned slightly lowered so that you could see the top of his boxer shorts. It was time for Felix to perform on the stage and with the delegation wishing him well on the stage, he was ready to represent his country proudly. He was hoping that he would get a good result here in Fromulya due to the fact that Estogium had not been performing very well in the past few editions. This edition, the World Hit Festival would be held outdoors with limited LCD screens. While this would ultimately limit what Felix might have prepared for the Festival, he decided to not use the LCD to full effect, rather making the screens simply fit the style of the song, doing geometric shapes and whatnot and help the lights, which he would heavily rely on during the performance, be more pronounced.

As the audience cheers Estogium in, the music started quite quickly, with there being not much delay from the last people cheering and the start of when Felix's first words. The first thing that you could see when the music started was Felix facing towards the back of the stage before turning around to reveal that he was strumming a guitar. Here, his jacket was slightly opened so that you could see his chest and chiseled body. Though, I am sure you didn't notice that before you should've been focusing on his amazing guitar skills! At the sound of the weird screech right before Felix started singing, he slightly tilted his head up with there being a cutaway shot to a further position away from Felix before we return to a medium shot, showing the guitar which was around his waist area up. Felix started to sing with a slight grin on his face.

As he sang the end of the first line, he gave off a cheeky wink to the camera before continuing what he was singing. Throughout the first verse, it was mostly him singing in the camera with the camera going from side to side slightly, just to give the performance a bit of dynamism. As we moved further into the song, the camera slightly tilted upwards to make Felix seem taller and more dominant - but the change was only slight.

Stop boy, you know I’m crazy.
Living life on the edge,
I know that I ain’t got much time.
I end each night on a high.
As long as I feel good,
Don’t care if it’s wrong or right.

Listen and learn, don’t speak,
I’ll give you what you seek.
You’ll feel something unique,
You’ll scream “Oh my God!”
You’ll see my inner freak,
I will make your knees weak.
Come take a peek into the life I live!

As he sang the lyrics, "Don't care if it's wrong or its right", Felix took the guitar off of his shoulders before throwing it off camera before he started the pre-chorus which took the song into a different direction. When singing about speaking, he put a hand over his mouth but moving it to only his fingers when he sang the next lyric. The LCDs around him were white flashing slightly on and off along with the beat of the song. As he screamed "Oh my God!" There was a shot of Felix moving his head back slightly, with the field of focus behind him suddenly decreasing and with the camera slightly zooming into his face. The lights on the stage were multiple different colours of the rainbow, but he had a central white bright light on him so we could see him clearly in the camera.

Right before the chorus of the song, he walked up to the camera that was positioned towards him before, kissing the lens of the camera as he counted the chorus in. There wasn't as many cheers in the audience at that as there would've been had he performed in his home country of Estogium, but he was sure that his fans back at home were cheering him on from the comfort of their sofas.

1...2...3...3
Come, enter the world inside my mind,
Where time stalls and no one is sober.
Where we’re all high on cloud nine all the time.
A place where wine fills all the oceans,
Where we're nothing but wild, we’re feral.
This world is mine, it’s in the palm of my hands.
So, no don’t you dare get in my way.

The LCD screens behind him, which were slightly above him near his head since there above a flight of stairs, you could see that it was the same colour as a dark red wine with the image looking as though it was a liquid; the wine oceans behind him. As he sang that, he took a step to the side, with another camera capturing him moving side on, with his head right to the right of frame. He was looking in his direction for a few seconds before he turned his head only to meet his eyes with the gaze of the camera as he sings the title of the song "feral" with his blue eyes enticing you to be feral along with him. With the rest of the frame (left) not being used, he raised his hand up slightly in a clasp position (say if you were holding a basketball or a large ball) as he sang the words, "This world is mine", with Felix looking at his hands as he sang this before returning his look back towards the camera facing him. With the same hand he was holding "the earth" in, he pointed towards the camera with it slightly moving outwards as he warned everyone to not get in his way if you won't join his journey. At the end of the chorus, the camera slightly went fuzzy while Felix got onto the ground, laying down dead centre in the middle of the ring of fire.

As we move onto the next verse of the song, there was an aerial shot of Felix looking up with his hand behind his head with the camera slowly getting closer and closer to him as he sang up towards the sky. There were right spotlights which went alongside the inner circumference of the ring of fire which were twirling around him as he began singing the second verse of the song.

Everything is upside down,
Because life as you know it, it doesn’t exist in my head.
The boy you knew once before,
He is reformed, he’s reborn
He’s reborn into someone new.

Listen and learn, don’t speak,
I’ll give you what you seek.
You’ll feel something unique,
You’ll scream “Oh my God!”
You’ll see my inner freak,
I will make your knees weak.
Come take a peek into the life I live!

He was laying down on the ground for the first few lines of the verse before he quickly positioned himself onto his knees, facing the audience as he was quickly joined by another camera. The spotlights which were around him slowly moved outwards as Felix continued to sing, singing "he's reborn into someone new", with his finger pointing at himself as he sang this. He took a knee before he got up into standing position as we moved into the pre-chorus of the song. Suddenly in the shot, four other men who were all topless but wearing a coat over their bodies appeared in the shot. You could tell that the men that were with Felix were from ABEN, with the Estogians ignoring advice to keep the delegations as small as they can be but they did opt for one dancer from the country - no idea how they get him involved.

The four men all walked to the edge of the stage in very masculine fashion as Felix counted the chorus in...

1...2...3...
Come, enter the world inside my mind,
Where time stalls and no one is sober.
Where we’re all high on cloud nine all the time.
A world where wine fills all the oceans,
Where we're nothing but wild, we’re feral.
The Earth is mine, it’s in the palm of my hands.
So, no don’t you dare get in my way.

We’re feral tonight,
We’re feral tonight,
We’re feral tonight,
We’re feral ah!

All four of the dancers by Felix were dancing in unison with one another, moving their bodies along with the beat of the song which included some hip action, and multiple bouts of thrusting and air grabbing which was certainly an enjoyable sight for those who liked what the Estogian team had to offer. As we moved closer and closer to the end of the chorus, a spotlight on each of the guys became more noticeable. There was a final shot of Felix looking into the camera before the camera quickly zoomed out to see the five guys all on the stage together now stuck in one pose with a black background behind them and strong spotlights on each of them with the temples behind them creating a marvellous display.

As we moved to the instrumental section of the song, the camera switches between each guy with some cool effects on camera, with the lights turning into a neon aesthetic as we moved from one person to another. The jackets that they were wearing were also reacting to the lights that they were wearing, slightly glossing up as these cool neon lights were being shone on them.

Before we went into the final chorus, there was a shot further away looking at the temples behind.

1...2...3...
Come, enter the world inside my mind,
Where we're nothing but wild, we’re feral.
The Earth is mine, it’s in the palm of my hands.
So, no don’t you dare get in my way.

Pyrotechnics going everywhere was going everywhere as the dancers got into a five point star position with Felix standing in the middle, at the front with the fire plumes appearing from every corner of the stage possible. At the end of the song, there was a small cheer. "Thank you all" Felix politely said to the camera before him and his men walked off the stage happy that the performance was done. He loves Todlichebujoku much more than Fromulya!

[Scotatrova]

6. Scotatrova
Iago Valthes
Comon U Sonie
Tune: Alessio Bernabei - Nel Mezzo Di Un Applauso


Scotatrovian singer Iago Valthes first rose to fame as the frontman to the band Moflos which he helped form in early 2014. Moflos received major exposure by competing in the 2015 season of the Scotatrovian talent show Pioxo Canthar? The band would come in second place, however they would win the "best group performance". Later that year, the band's debut album, Ñoves Altes was a massive success, and would go on to become double platnium. Its 2016 sequel, Ñovas Cordas would fare almost as well. In June of that same year, Valthes split with the group and signed a solo deal with Xunara. His 2017 entry for Ereide eu le Cançe Scotatrofina, "Xicena", sealed his popularity as a solo act as he placed 4th that year for the state of Martrin. He would debut his first album, "Xicena", later that year as well. Valthes would return to Ereide for Martrin in 2020 with the song "Comon U Sonie". Making its way comfortably into the final, Valthes would go on to win the contest for Martrin, thus securing him a spot in WorldVision 89.

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As the postcard for Scotatrova concludes, the camera pans from above over the stage for the Scotatrovian performance. Onstage is Iago, with a guitarist to his left and a bassist to his right. Behind them is a drummer. The stage is lit up in a pinkish-purple hue, and a fog machine located behind them helps accentuate the stage lights shining down from above. There's a short silence as the song takes time to begin. Once the piano starts, the posterior stage lights begin to flash intermittently.

Cailes promaveras gom cabethas ai le nuves
Previ restar dormithe que svelado zen thé
Diar ai diar, toth sendize lúo misemo
Nel me vo par thé, resu ai sarema par thé

Verthemende qüerá firete siophar que nel poix
Soltarte lir, mur segi cathicia para omplire
Axen macanes fagos que solton atres

Spring skies with our heads in the clouds
I’d rather be asleep than be awake without you
Day by day, it all feels the same
I’m not gone because of you, I’m at peace because of you

I really want to let you know that I can’t
Let go of you, but we keep falling for each other to fill up
These empty spaces that we’ve left behind

As the song begins, Iago slowly walks forward while singing, waving his hand up and down while doing so. The main camera positions itself directly to his left, about 10 feet or so away from the stage. The guitarist also comes into frame as well. Like Iago, the guitarist is moving around in place while playing, bending forward slightly and then standing up right. The camera then pans to the right and the bassist is seen, mimicking similar movements to both Iago and the guitarist. Iago's goes up to the mic stand and holds it with both hands, looking at the camera before looking back at the crowd. He moves one of his knees to the rhythm while holding the other in place. Overall, his performance and demeanor give off a comfortable and relaxed swagger.

Nel tié núele que temere
Potre pusereme axte gomigo ía garthan
Le munde bruxar, durazire até la final
Eu le sond, minevas sunara por ll’avadith

Tue corth m’aueque
Lí lonuas savize
Ía criá que eí tendú
Vastante ea axtia vitha

We have nothing to fear
I could lay here with you and let’s watch
The world burn, it will last until the end
Of time, alarms will ring for eternity

Your heart guides me
Colors fade
And I think I’ve had
Enough of this life

As the song starts progressing, Iago has his free arm outward while tapping his foot. He begins to clap with both hands and takes a couple steps back. The camera slowly zooms out as a result to get a better look at the stage, and the bassist once again comes into view, this time clapping his hands over his head. Behind him the drummer can be seen playing while holding up his right arm. Iago walks over to the guitarist and the two face each other. Iago sings while the guitarist plays, both having a smile on their face as they do so. Iago then sticks to the left side of the stage while the guitarist and bassist stick to the right side as they play.

Vethzó le crescule plathe ai plathe, tú ía ie
Nel qüerá svelare, ei comon u sonie
Nel diçás u puruelle
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte

Verthemende qüerá firete siophar que nel poix
Soltarte lir, mur segi cathicia para omplire
Axen macanes fagos que solton atres

Let's watch the sunset side by side, you and me
I dont want to wake up, its like a dream
Dont say a word
Dont say a word, stay here
Don't say a word, stay here

I really want to let you know that I can’t
Let go of you, but we keep falling for each other to fill up
These empty spaces that we’ve left behind

As the chorus begins, the camera angle is a little ways out from Iago. It slowly starts zooming in on him. It captures a close up of his face, and as he sings the line "Nel qüerá svelare, ei comon u sonie" he points out to the crowd and as he finishes "sonie" the camera pulls back rapidly and the stage erupts in strobing lights with the added instrumental. Iago places his hands at his sides while he jumps up and down, before picking the mic back up to resume singing. The guitarist and bassist are both seen jumping to the beat as well, and the drummer can be seen moving his head back and forth. Iago holds his hands out and makes a "come on" motion to the crowd, waving his arms towards him as he encourages the crowd to dance. The stage also becomes lit in a faint green, which then slowly fades to blue as the chorus progresses.

Nel tié núele que temere
Potre pusereme axte gomigo ía garthan
Le munde bruxar, durazire até la final
Eu le sond, minevas sunara por ll’avadith

Tue corth m’aueque
Lí lonuas savize
Ía criá que eí tendú
Vastante ea axtia vitha

We have nothing to fear
I could lay here with you and let’s watch
The world burn, it will last until the end
Of time, alarms will ring for eternity

Your heart guides me
Colors fade
And I think I’ve had
Enough of this life

While the verse directly after the chorus provides some kind of cool down, the energy is brought right back as the pre-chorus starts up again. The stage lights behind Iago go from a solid, pinkish hue to flashing white strobes. They move up and down and side to side throughout the duration of the pre-chorus. A sideview of Iago is seen as he comes to the front of the stage and sings down at the audience. At the end of the pre-chorus, he points out at the audience, encoraging them to now sing along with him.

Vethzó le crescule plathe ai plathe, tú ía ie
Nel qüerá svelare, ei comon u sonie
Nel diçás u puruelle
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte
Nel diçás u puruelle
Nel diçás u puruelle, sol restar
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte

Pioxo avere sitho un nuixa sol
Gemaix moiç resro soles, lúo xurá
Gom tue saet, deápos eu toth axte sond
Lí xergares se vion

Let's watch the sunset side by side, you and me
I dont want to wake up, its like a dream
Dont say a word
Dont say a word, stay here
Dont say a word
Dont say a word, just stay
Don't say a word, stay here

It could have been a night alone
We will never be lonely again, I swear it
With your help, after all this time
The nightmares are gone

With the chorus coming back, Iago begins dancing around the stage, alternating between jumping one each of his feet. Again the bassist and guitarists are seen, this time both playing as they look over at Iago, both clearly concentrated on their playing and the performance. They're also jumping and down but stop as Iago dances over to each of them, and again Iago sings over to them while they play, all before turning back out to the crowd. For the verse directly after the chorus, Iago puts the mic back onto the stand. A right side view of him is displayed as he once again grasps onto the stand with both hands. Towards the end of the verse, he lets go and holds his hands out at his sides. He can be seen slightly turning as the next verse begins. As soon as he finishes the line "Lí xergares se vion" he does a quick spin in place as the next verse starts.

Nel tié núele que temere
Potre pusereme axte gomigo ía garthan
Le munde bruxar, durazire até la final
Eu le sond, minevas sunara por ll’avadith

Tue corth m’aueque
Lí lonuas savize
Ía criá que eí tendú
Vastante ea axtia vitha

We have nothing to fear
I could lay here with you and let’s watch
The world burn, it will last until the end
Of time, alarms will ring for eternity

Your heart guides me
Colors fade
And I think I’ve had
Enough of this life

Iago grabs the mic off the stand one final time as he finishes the rest of the song. The stage lights behind him are now strobing in different phases of purple, blue and white throughout the verse. Again Iago motions out for the audience to help sing along with him, holding out the microphone for a quick second before resuming his singing. He goes back to the front of the stage and sings directly to the audience closest to him.

Vethzó le crescule plathe ai plathe, tú ía ie
Nel qüerá svelare, ei comon u sonie
Nel diçás u puruelle
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte
Nel diçás u puruelle

Nel diçás u puruelle, sol restar
Nel diçás u puruelle, restar axte
Nel diçás u puruelle
Nel diçás u puruelle, sol restar

Let's watch the sunset side by side, you and me
I dont want to wake up, its like a dream
Dont say a word
Dont say a word, stay here
Dont say a word

Dont say a word, just stay
Don't say a word, stay here
Dont say a word
Dont say a word, just stay

As he sings the final chorus, he looks up as he sings. During the small gap just right after "ei comon u sonie", he takes a quick bow and brings the mic back up to his mouth as he makes his way back up. Once again all three of them onstage start jumping and dancing in place as the chorus progresses. A quick camera pan back over at the drummer shows him playing the drums full of passion and concentration. While finishing up the chorus, Iago puts the mic back on the stand as he concludes the final lines. With the final "Nel diçás u puruelle, sol restar", Iago ends the song by raising his fist in the air. He smiles as the crowd bursts into applause and hugs both the guitarist and bassist. They have a quick exchange while the audience is still clapping and Iago gives them a quick "Greixas Äuszer!" before they walk off.

[Malta Comino Gozo]

Song Title:Summer Nights
Artist: 5ive
Lyrics and Music: Keiran Schiano and James Favray
Language: English
Red Elecktrick - Come Alive

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In the last contest held in Rhim Flavezztowland City for the first time, Malta Comino Gozo again achieved a top 5 position! At the end of the jury votes after receiving 12 points from Estogium and Todlichebujoku the island nation was 7th in the jury! As the televotes came in the team sat there in anticipation as the scores rolled in. Country after country was announced and soon it was then the top 10 Simeon and his team sat there, leaning on their hands, shaking with nerves. Suddenly, 4th place on televote went to both them and Britonisea! The camera closed in of the MCG team, they hadn't won but cheered nonetheless as the nation took off towards the top half of the board. After the rest of the voted Izmedu was revealed as the winner. A welcome return for the great songwriting nation. Malta Comino Gozo has finished a very respectable 5th place again equalling their result in WV78 and WV85.

After the contest their song "The Beast" charted at number 1 in Malta Comino Gozo and Estogium, number 2 in Todlichebejoku as well as placing top 10 in various other nations such as Nekoni. The message of the song had gained a lot of support on social media. During the performance #MCG shot to the top of many social media sites. The hashtag was used 3 million times! The song had encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to speak up about Mental health. The band have made numerous interviews since. The band were interviewed on MCG1 a couple of days after the contest and "Were touched at the response their entry had had and we're unbelievably proud of their placing.


The emphasis immediately moved to the nation's next entrant, who, like the majority of the nation's previous entrants, was chosen internally. MCG1 had been in negotiations with 5ive's management for some time and had been invited to participate in Worldivison 87, but due to scheduling issues, the band will instead represent the islands at Worldivison 89.
So, who are 5ive? 5ive (pronounced Five) is a Malta Comino Gozo pop band consisting of 5 members, Keiran Schiano, James Favray, Sebastjan Guerrera, Benjamin Miller and Kristofer Azzopardi.

From Left Back:James Favray, Keiran Schiano, From Right Back: Sebastjan Guerrera, Benjamin Miller, and Kristofer Azzopardi,

Keiran Schiano 5ive's lead singer lives in Il-Hillside with this fiancee Amy and in his free time loves cooking, playing chess and watching films. Building a reputation for himself in the small but very friendly Malta Comino Gozo pop scene, he was soon acknowledged as one of Malta Comino Gozo's most skilful and best looking singers. Naturally, production activity followed shortly. Working out of small studios in his hometown as well as in Swatar Bay (where Keiran took his master’s degree in fine art), tracks like the pop/rock hit “Arcimboldo” soon landed in the top 40 charts. Keiran sound is raw, playful and drenched in oceans of soul – just the kind of stuff the dance floor’s of today are longing for.

In a recent TV interview about the upcoming contest in Äuszer, the band said,

"I think the best way to describe us would simply be five guys making music for kicks. We found each other through our love of music, and we continue to bond over it to this day. The main aim of the music we make, for the moment at least, is to be unique, and bring out our full potential as musicians whilst still being easy to listen to and understand, even for the least musical of people.

We’ve been together in this current line-up, writing our own original songs since we were 16 years old, and you can hear that young naivety in some of our older songs. The harshest reality we had to face as the band got more serious and we started to get some good gigs, was that being in a band is more than just writing songs, recording them and playing live: there’s a business side to it that none of us was prepared for, so that took quite a while to get used to. In fact, I don’t think we’re actually used to it yet. On the other side of things, the fact that our music taste as individuals varies so much, combined with our constant hunger to discover new music, means that our sound is constantly changing and evolving, and it can sometimes be a challenge to get some consistency in our live sets."

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2019 was the big breakthrough year for 5ive with the epic pop anthem “Purple Drank” being released on DJ Koze’s new Pampa Records imprint, going off to Avon in Elejamie to participate in the Red Bull Music Concert and starting up a record label Studio Barnhus.

5ive are back hotter and cooler than ever before with a catchy and infectious summer tune that will have you turning up the volume and grooving from the very first guitar note. ‘Summer Nights’ is now the 6th official release of their award-winning album ‘Beauty nor Optimistic’ which was recorded and produced at Swatar Studios. This track ignites an instant good mood feeling and the music video, which was released on Thursday, amplifies the song’s vibe and shows a fun and playful side of 5ive which is always transmitted in their live shows.

Without a doubt, 5ive have become one of the most popular bands on the island and they are not showing any signs of slowing down. Their hard work and determination showed in the music they create and in the performances they give on any stage they are on.

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As well as singing in his spare time lead singer Kerian, 29 is also a male model and he was adored by the fairer sex for his fair brown hair. It was a casual jumble sometimes but mostly neat and flowing. His crescent-of-moon eyebrows were thin and narrow. He carried an imperious nose well and his angular cheekbones carved down towards a flinty jaw. Unusually for a model, he had a manly, tall, well-built physique. His muscles always on show through his tank top at the slightest bit of sun. The catwalk loved the way he glided with an athletic grace without skipping a beat.
His brown eyes were orb round, and darted constantly, a-gleam with delight and the vigour of youth. They were soft eyes and swam with joy. They shone brightly like two sapphires dipped in a milky pool and like the colour of earth kissed by spring rains, the hue that promises to stir life from dormant seeds guiding the plants upward by the light before blossoming into their vibrant colours of the spring season. Everyone commented on his vivacious character and his gentle nature. His voice could be foghorn loud when he was booming out a guffaw but it was normally mellifluous. His gap year clothes always made him appear younger than his years. The swirl of his loamy cologne had them swooning in the aisles.

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The Hod and band would travel via passenger airplane from MCG equipped for passage into Tödlichebujoku's universe as the nation didn't have the equipment available for dragon travel. Keiran and his team would be staying at The Šinton Sunrise. A lovely hotel built around the former headquarters of an old Nahua community organization. It had a modern style and boasted excellent views of both the downtown area and the waterfront. The skyscrapers gave structure to the cityscape and glistened in the evening light. Centuries of grand design and sculpture all came together in the wide avenues to form that eclectic yet peaceful cityscape. The tall buildings were so different from one another. In the distance, the volcano lies craggy against the bright blue sky, like a bomb in wonderland. The volcano had been simmering for many, many years. The white wisps rising from the top like the fumes that give away a secret smoker. The sides are much like any other mountain, covered with old-growth forests, the farmland below is fertile and around it the massive city.

TEA FIRST! After a long nights rest, it was time for tea, it was unlikely that you would ever see an itinerary from Keiran and the band without a tea shop on, and this one was no different. That coupled with Äuszer exploding tea culture, there was plenty of tea shops options. Their first stop at 49th Parallel Teas Roasters on Main Street was completely unplanned, but soon became their favourite of the lot. 5ive were on a long walk to breakfast, when they found this spot. Since they all had a few minutes to kill before their brunch reservation, everybody decided to try it. The tea shop was PACKED with locals getting their morning coffee and baked goods. Seriously, the flavours were amazing and everyone salivated over their lovely drinks. The tea shop was a bit out of the way from Downtown, but totally worth the mission next time they knew to use the extensive and cheap public transport system. As a wide, sprawling city, transportation was paramount in Äuszer. The underground system connected the downtown to the outer suburbs, and to rail lines that further connect to other Tödlichebujoki cities.

The host city boasted so much culture and had a vast array of temples and shrines to visit, such as the Maailmanusko temples which were temples for the Maailmainusko religion, as well as museums such as the Historical Center, Academy of Natural History, Wartime Defence Monument and Interpretive Center and homes of various Tödlichebujoki stars known from film, music, and art. The Team would explore all of these sites on their free days before rehearsals started.

That evening they would check out the local food. Äuszer had restaurants with cuisines from a mix of different countries and cultures, but its native food is spectacular in its own right. The region's famed honey-glazed pine-smoked chicken was a hit with the team For dessert they tried Hedelmát yáátikkó, a shaved ice and fruit juice confection, mixed with liquor. The team stumbled home that evening after enjoying "a couple" of these scrumptious ice treats.

The next day the slightly sleep-deprived team would explore The Üüsertsenkeiken Gardens and Conservatory, which were centrally located near the cities downtown. This enormous park was an escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Its waterfront path right on the sea was a favourite for locals who enjoyed walking, skating and biking. There were areas within the 400-hectare forest where you don't feel like you’re in the vicinity of a bustling downtown core. Garden Lake was certainly one of them. No traffic or noise pollution could be heard here. The MCG team loved the park! On their walk, they encountered wildlife such as raccoons, frogs and herons.

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The amazing LCD screens lining the beautiful modern stage shone brightly in the colours of the Malta Comino Gozoan flag as the voiceover welcomed Malta Comino Gozo to the stage! The massive crowd applauded as 5ive walked out onto the stage. There was an overwhelming sigh of colours not only from the screens but from the crowd as well. Kieran felt a sudden flare of joy as excitement overtook him. His white chinos and crisp white t-shirt underneath his bright lemon yellow jacket which was the colour of childhood happiness and the brightest of spring flowers clung to his masculine frame. Screams could be heard from the audience situated near the stage edge as Keiran came into view. The rest of the band were also wearing standout coloured outfits with a white t-shirt underneath and white trainers. Sebastjan was in maroon red, James in Blue, Benjamin in Pink, and Kristofer in light grey. The band stood centre stage and eluded handsomeness as the audience howled excitedly.

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The band quickly made their way onto the stage to their respective positions just before the postcard ended. The Ametsuči Dome echoed with cheers and applause as the lights went out ready for the entry. The audience was a sea of smiles, a chorus of ecstatic but gentle hearts awaiting the beginning of the performance. The cheers warm the air as much as any sun could. Kieran's posture was rigid and he relaxed his shoulders. He was feeling nervous, it was the usual pre-stage nerves. He realised he had been clenching the jaw and relaxed his jaw immediately. He spoke to himself quietly " You can do this!" His muscles strained against the fabric at the forearms, biceps and chest. His heart was beating against his chest he took a deep breath and got ready for the song to start. Suddenly, the lights dimmed. The arena is filled with navy blue fan lights, like waves of the sea splashing out right after the lights are off. The fangirls screamed like a lion’s roar. The excitement exploded in the stadium.

The stage is dark before it is then illuminated from the back, there is a glow of bright warm yellow light of a sun setting. The camera is perched on the stage floor looking upwards at Keiran who is stood centre stage, shrouded in black only standing out because of the light behind him. The LCD's behind now changed from yellows and oranges to pinks and purples a transition from daytime to night time. The lights around the stage turn to a warm yellow. The camera then smoothly cuts to an onstage close up of Sebastjan in his maroon suit at the far left back of the stage. He is looking down at his beautiful black and pink chrome electric guitar, as he plays the opening riff. An energizing grin with a glint of mischief and fun appears on his face. He doesn't make eye contact with the camera. Before Keiran sings we cut briefly every few seconds to each band member at their respective instruments; Benjamin on electric guitar who is standing with an assured posture, at the far right back of the stage, his dazzling white electric guitar hanging around his neck in front of him, James who is centre back behind Keiran standing in front of his Electronic Keyboard, he smiles proudly and winks as the camera cuts to him before we then have a shot of Kristofer on drums whose perched on very so slightly raised plinth to the right of James slightly off centre, he is sat proudly wiggling his arms to the beat. We then cut to a frontal stage shot as the lights slowly start to light Keiran up warming him a lovely warm yellow evening glow. He is smiling and miming playing an air guitar his playful nature on show As he sings the opening line the camera switches to a frontal shot of him facing the head on camera before it zooms out slightly. As he sings, he maintains a grip on the microphone with his right hand, his left hand animating the track. He is swaying from side to side slightly too. He moves his left hand steadily nothing to over the top. The camera carries on steadily zooming out. We then cut to a left facial shot, right facial shot before finishing head-on as for each "Glow glow glow" he sings.

A purple tint invades the summer sky
The world is changing and autumn is approaching
Soon the land
Will be a-fire,
In a warm glow glow glow

We then have a shot above the audience waving their arms and their flags, showing the spectacular stage in full view. The blank LCD screen at the back as well as the tiers of LCD screens fill with a warm yellow light that cascade down into one another like lava before we cut to Kristofer on the drums. The stage is surrounded by warm glowing spotlights. The songs famous cowbell begins. Kristofer playfully smiles as he hits the cowbell. Keiran is still standing mid-stage as the onstage camera cuts to a shot of him singing. He sings towards the camera in front of him, his eyes lighting up a little smile appearing across his face. He playfully gestures out with his left hand towards the camera as he wraps up the verse.

Summer is nature’s treasure trove
Enjoy the beaches, the barbecues
In a few short months
All will be cold.

We then have a spider camera shot from Kieran which swings outwards head on showing the impressive stage again and all its LCD screens, which then changes to a pinky summer sunset with bugs and palm trees, the whole band is in view playing their instruments. We hear a cheer from the crowd as the pre-chorus plays. The camera zooms in on Kristofer hitting the cowbell on his drums, he looks towards the camera and smiles a cheeky smile. The camera then cuts to Benjamin standing proudly playing his guitar, before we have another shot of Keiran, this time from his left side singing out towards the audience, a little bounce in his footsteps as he moves energetically on the spot as the chorus nears.

Summer nights
I feel good, I feel alright, alright yeah yeah
I feel brand new.. and that's alright right yeah

The bass kicks in and the audience cheers. Warm golden spotlights shine down onto the stage illuminating the stage like a setting sun. The lights around the stage turn back to a warm yellow. The lights overhead around the stage an assortment of shades, a blend of pinks, oranges, yellows and reds. The LCD screens continue to play the summery scene. We have an angled up-close shot of James now as he plays the notes on the keyboards for the chorus. He grins up at the camera and sticks his tongue out. He is shuffling excitedly along as he plays. The view then cuts to a boom camera shot which whizzes in from the back of the arenas towards the stage over the excited crowd. Some are even jumping up and down. The whole point of the song was to be high energy and fun and the band were certainly doing that. The colours of the stage screamed a summers evenings with bright bold colours.

The sun is setting on the LCD and there are only a few swallows left in the sky. They pirouette, their scimitar wings slashing the air as they go. The setting LCD sun cast long shadows on the stage and the slanting rays of the give a warm orange tinge to the front of the arena.

Summer summer nights
Take my hand
My pretty little lover
Let's party all summer

The spotlights around the stage turn a dark blue and launch beautiful light blue light into the air. The colours of the stage begin to fade from brilliant reds and oranges to darker tones mixed with cobalt blue and grape juice like purple. We have an onstage close up again of Kieran singing. The view then backs out to an off-centre body shot. As he sings "Moons alight", he looks behind his right shoulder and sweeps his right arm upwards in a curve as an LCD crescent moon appears from the floor rising upwards to the speed of his swing on the right hand tiered screens.( Think Sweden Eurovision 2015 with the animations.) He turns back to the camera cheekily, like a kid who's just done a magicians show. The spectators cheer loudly. He smiles but keeps composed. In the latter part of this verse the colours fade into more twilight colours, the stage was tinted sepia, the edges were now more orange, the LCD floor a deeper hue. The stage felt like a warm evening to the viewers watching. As Kieren sings. We then cut back to a frontal body shot of him, as he sings captivatingly towards the camera walking a fine line between being seductive and being charming, his voice has a persuasive quality to it. For the last line of the verse "Stars a glow, glow, glow, glow" the camera back outs as Kieran proudly clicks his fingers as dozens of little tiny star lights penetrate the LCD screens shining softly amidst the dark navy blue.

It's the start of night
Moon's alight
The skies a blazing purple delight
Remnants of sunset
Shining bright
Stars a glow glow, glow, glow

The view pans outwards from Kieran towards the roof as he waltzes forward slightly, towards the catwalk but doesn't step onto it. We then cut to Benjamin and Kristofer respectively playing their instruments. They both are smiling gleefully. The verse rounds up with a body shot of Keiran singing out towards the audience, the view is from below looking upwards with a scattering of spectators in the foreground.

With the darkening of the sky
I hear the frogs croak
Their late night serenade to the firefly
And the rustling of the palm's, maples and the smell of pine

We have a quick shot of Sebastjan playing the guitar riff before the pre-chorus comes in. Kieran then lifts his right arm up in a "jump" motion encouraging the crowd, before the camera suddenly pans right out as he sings as "Beneath the tide" as 5 glamourous female dancers, 3 left, 2 right, converge onto the sides of the stage 3 of them are dressed in national flags, one in a Malta Comino Gozo flag, one in a Tödlichebujoku flag and one in last contests winners, Izmedu's flag. The crowd cheers again. The view then cuts back to a shot of Kieran head-on as he moves his body gaily. His right hand holding his microphone. His gorgeous smile on show for the viewers.

Beneath the tide
You can see the fishes glide, glide, yeah
Fin to fin...
And swimming from side to side

All the lights dim suddenly and then the chorus kicks in with full splendour. The LCD's again lighting up in a huge array of evening colours from red's, oranges, pinks and yellows. We then have an angled up-close shot of James as he plays the keyboards for the chorus. He is illuminated by glowing yellow lights the shine out from the edges of the stage. The 5 dancers have converged centre stage whilst Keiran has moved to the left edge of the centre stage. The women are dancing like this 2:03-2:05. They continue to dance like this through the chorus. The view is now from the extreme mid-right of the stage looking down. Kieran points to the camera above him staring right into the lens, as he sings "Take my hand" before it changes to a view soaring above the audience from right to left.

Summer summer nights
Take my hand
My pretty little lover
Party all summer

The colours dim down to a neon pink as the camera cuts to an upper-body shot of Keiran. The beat dies down and we can hear the guitars. Using fancy CGI's only the viewers at home can see see this video Keiran's outline and then his hands are painted in a neon white, which dances around the outline of his body. He stares at it as it travels through his fingers off his bright hand, the mic in his left hand. We can hear the others on stage clapping behind. All 5 dancers are spread equally across the stage now, with 1 dancer per band member. The camera pans outwards revealing the entire stage as Keiran then moves his free hand up as he sings "the starry night above" the stars glow intensely on the dark blue LCD's. His voice ripples with warmth and power. He is overcome with happiness and energy, we can see that in his charming smile.

The summer breeze plays
Announcing the coming summer days
The aroma of the grasses was an intoxicating perfume
And the starry night above
Was a painting much better than anyone could cre...ate

The beat of the drums kicks back in. We cut to Sebastjan playing the guitar riff to the prechorus. He leans back as he does before we cut to Kieran amping up the crowd his hand waving up in the air, his legs bending as he bobs up and down.

Summer nights
I feel good, I feel alright, alright yeah
Lets get this party started, wooh thats right right yeah!

The onstage camera cuts from Keiran to a boom camera which swings right to left over the heads of the audience as Kieran jumps widely upwards as an explosion of colours again, fills the stage as the chorus starts. Neon blue, yellow and pink spotlights whirl around the arena.
The background changes to different pinky summer scene,with palm trees and dragonflies. Sebastjan, James and Benjamin can all be seen jumping excitedly whilst Kristofer enthusiastically plays the drums. We can hear some backing vocals from Sebastjan, James and Benjamin. Kieran excitedly runs out on the guitar-shaped catwalk. He is bouncing along and stretches his left hand into the audience as he sings "Take my hand" The audience gathered around the stage go wild with the nearest spectators all receiving a touch from Keiran as he runs in a circle around the edge of the catwalk. The dancers then follow him encircling him facing outwards, shaking their hips with their hands in the air. This part of the song described the perfect summers evening. Kieran described his summers evening as a college student at the coast,

"We spent the summer nights bare-shoulder, skin kissed pink by the midday sun, freckles blooming across our backs like constellations. Our chests blossomed in the air thick with humidity as we wrestled each other to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs still slightly tinged with the awkwardness of growing up. Seagulls littered the sky like bits of old newspaper as we crashed through the waves gulping against the shore. Sometimes, we would stand still and let the water creep up around our ankles and recede from our toes, watching the sand squelch between them. The world was filled with vague possibilities, an echo of adventure we felt deep in our bones.

But now we revelled in the promise of our new found freedom as the inevitable decline of summer forced its way into our
consciousness. We were leaving behind the fear and embarrassment of college for something that was much more feral. It was tradition for the newly graduated to camp out at the coast setting up little shanty towns and spending the nights dancing around bonfires with red solo cups filled with various concoctions while trying to avoid the stern gaze of the adults driving by. The moonlight rippling on the water’s surface like piano keys, the trees weathered grey lining the dunes scraping the sky with their topmost branches or the way storm clouds rumbled low across the sky like wild horses, manes streaked by lightning, as the lights on the horizon shone in the night".

Summer summer nights
Take my hand
Drinking all night
That's right
Party all night
Yeah...

An array of firework fountains spray out around the edges of the main stage and continue until the last line. More neon blue, yellow and pink spotlights whirl around the arena still in a splendid display engulfing the arena in bright lights. They continue for the rest of the entry. The band sing all the parts in not in bold behind Kieran's main lyrics. The dancers follow behind Keiran in a line ruffling their hands and waving their hands outwards, as he runs back from the catwalk to the centre stage the camera showing the stage in full from the middle of the arena. The camera then follows CGI neon pink and blue bands that travel over all the people on stage, they start with Kieran, before they travel between each member of the band, the camera panning across the stage as it follows them, (3:29-3:35 of the video) the CGI effects darting about and twining around the excited band members dancing between them with sweet little sunshine and hearts rising upwards before popping. The view then switches to a shot of the main stage. The dancers line up in a row behind Kieran and carry on dancing to the beat. It then cuts to a view of Kieran at the end of the song as he points towards the camera and viewers, beads of sweat sitting on his forehead.

Summer summer nights
Take my hand
My pretty little summer
We party the night away
Summer Summer nights
Ohhh yeah
Starting tonight
Let's not waste it
Let's not waste this night

“Thank you everyone!” He says before he is overwhelmed with emotion, covers his face in his hands and looks down! We cut to a view of some ecstatic MCG fans hopping around and waving their flags and banners amid a crowd of people cheering enthusiastically from other nations. In the arena, the entry was a big hit! The team exited the stage, beaming with delight at how well it had all went! Could this be another top spot?

[Adab]

8. ADAB
Ninki Jalil – "Running Through the Grass”
Tune: Taylor Swift - Cardigan
Language: English

Ninki Jalil

Background
Eighteen years. That’s how long Adab had been gone from the WorldVision stage.

So how did it come to this?

At the end of WorldVision 71, the future seemed bright for the country’s continued participation in the contest. The Adab Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was firmly under the control of the uncle-nephew duo Enki and Benji Akiya, Director-General of the ABC and president of the ABC’s WorldVision-WHF Committee, respectively. Uncle and nephew both enthusiastically supported Adab’s WorldVision efforts and would have kept the nation participating in the event forever if they could. Although the most recent results had been rather middling, the ABC overall was enthusiastic regarding Adab’s prospects on WorldVision, perhaps hanging on to the golden age of WorldVision 65-68, where the nation made the top 3 in three out of the four contests, including one victory. Nothing indicated that Adab’s participation in WorldVision would soon be so cruelly cut short. It was not the ABC’s or the Akiyas’ intention to pull Adab out of WorldVision; external factors forced them to.

A few months after the conclusion of WorldVision 71, the Adabian stock market crashed. It was only the beginning of a nationwide recession, the greatest the nation had faced since the Great Depression. The full extent of the crisis cannot be adequately explained here, but everyone knows the basics of the story: Over the next few years, the recession would deteriorate into a depression, countless businesses would fold, and millions would be driven out of work and into the streets. The Adabian government quickly reacted with an interventionist New Deal-style approach, giving financial assistance and providing projects for the unemployed. The outpouring of money into several sectors meant its withdrawal from others, and the ABC was included in the latter category. Sweeping budget cuts were enacted, and the government announced that Adab would not participate in WorldVision or the World Hit Festival for the time being. The FBC's WorldVision-WHF Committee was deactivated.

Enki and Benji Akiya tried to make the best of the situation, but the budget cuts forced the ABC to cut down on broadcasting time and eventually lay off employees. The ghosts of sins past came back to haunt them. Enki’s infamously mercurial temper and behavior had made him many enemies inside and outside the ABC. Now they came together, charging him with failing to improve the ABC’s financial situation or the quality of its programmes. When they went to the Imperial Palace to seek Enki’s removal as Director-General, the Palace happily obliged. Overnight, Enki Akiya found himself banished from the ABC, the organization which he had served for years as Deputy Director-General and then Director-General. His nephew, who had held no official position within the ABC since his committee was shut down, was now clearly unwelcome in the corporation either.

Friends and connections came to their rescue, securing lucrative directorships for uncle and nephew alike, but it was clear that their hearts lay with the ABC and that they hoped to one day, once the financial crisis was over, to reassume their rightful place in the corporation. But as the crisis receded and the economy slowly recovered, the Akiyas’ enemies retained a tight grip on the organization. There was no way back for them. Their other dream, to resume Adab’s participation in WorldVision and the WHF, seemed increasingly like a pipe dream; the government was focusing on economic recovery, defense, and infrastructure, and repeatedly denied the ABC the funds required for compete in those events. As year after year after year passed, the glory days of Adab’s participation in WorldVision and the WHF began to recede from memory.

Enki had been feeling poorly and exhausted for some time. One day, while walking alone at the Adab City Park, he suffered a stroke and collapsed. Bystanders called an ambulance, but he was already dead. He never did return to the ABC. The corporation sent no one to his funeral, not even a wreath.

Now it fell to Benji to preserve the glory of the Akiya name and return it to the ABC. Benji was actually much more well-liked than his uncle, even by their competitors for power in the organization; he was simply seen as a thorn on their side. Benji had an important ability: he made friends much easier than his uncle ever could, and friends he had in every corridor of power: in the Imperial Palace, the Privy Council, and the private sector where he now worked. His job was a comfortable and high-paying one, but he never gave up on his dream to return to the ABC. And one year ago, that dream came true: the ABC was rocked by a corruption scandal involving its board. The Imperial Palace was furious; only a few days after the scandal broke, the entire board was out. Replacements were needed, especially as Director-General, and who could be a better Director-General than Benji Akiya? Almost seventeen years after he was unceremoniously booted from the organization, he was now back as the top dog.

With Benji now back as Director-General, it was time to pick up from where the ABC left off all those years ago. Having secured a bigger budget from his friends in the Imperial Palace, Benji announced that Adab would be returning to WorldVision and the World Hit Festival. Mehmet Bahri – Adab’s last Head of Delegation to the WHF – was reappointed to head the country’s WHF and WorldVision delegations. The announcement was greeted with jubilation by music fans, especially those who were old enough to remember Adab’s WorldVision golden era.

There was, however, a problem: with WorldVision 89 fast approaching, Benji needed to find an artist to represent the country, and find them quick. The announcement of Adab’s return came too close to the event itself to allow for any elaborate national final or selection system involving public voting. An internal selection was the only option. Several up-and-coming artists were proposed, but Benji were dissatisifed with all of them for a variety of reasons, ranging from “boring music” to “he literally beat his girlfriend”. Veteran singers were considered, but Benji worried that the WorldVision audience would find them boring, too.

A music legend was offered the job. He politely turned the offer down, saying he wanted nothing more to do with WorldVision, but nevertheless promised Benji that he would be available for “consultation” and would inform him if he found someone worthy.

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Two years ago he felt rather tired, and he noticed that he had been urinating more often than usual. One night he found streaks of blood in his urine. That very night his chauffeur rushed him from his mansion to the hospital in Adab City. Tests were performed. Prostate cancer was diagnosed.

Surgery was quickly performed to remove the prostate gland. For a day following the surgery he appeared to be fine, if rather weak. Then he sank into unconsciousness. For three days and nights he lay between life and death as a worried nation held vigil. Envoys from the Imperial Palace quietly approached his closest relatives – he had never married and had no children – to discuss the possibility of a state funeral.

On the third night, however, he awakened, and afterwards he rallied.

He would not die after all. But Kinan al-Salaman emerged from the ordeal a changed man.

For many years he had been Adab’s most admired living musician. He was the country’s first and by far most famous representative on the WorldVision stage. Millions of his albums had been sold, and his influence on the generation of Adabian musicians who came after him were far-reaching. All the while he built Al-Salaman Group into a business empire which included Al-Salaman Records, the country’s largest record label from which several WorldVision and WHF contestants came.

Now he found himself facing his mortality. It was not the first time he had done that, but – now that he was in his sixties – it felt more real than ever. If he were to die, al-Salaman decided, than he would die the same man as he was when he was born: a Druze from Jabal al-Druze.

In a move which stunned the country, al-Salaman announced that he would be “taking a break from music” and sold three-fourths of his stake in the Al-Salaman Group to Robin Albarani, who up to this point had been Adab’s last WorldVision contestant. Though al-Salaman would still draw a substantial income from his remaining shares, the sale ended his effective control over the group. He took his leave from Adab City and retired to his ancestral villa on the Jabal al-Druze. With family members there having died or moved away, al-Salaman was now the outright owner of the villa. For the next two years, accompanied by a secretary and a few servants, he contented himself with raising sheep, watching the scenery, donating to (and making the occasional public endorsement of) charitable causes, and studying the Druze faith. He raised no protest when Albarani renamed his group the Albarani Group. Offers to sing, feature in a concert, or record a collaboration album were all politely but firmly declined. Journalists were turned away at the gate. He still maintained his mansion near the city, the Alwalid, but visits there became sparse.

It is said that one of the greatest pains of old age is losing your friends, and this rang true in al-Salaman’s case. Alalngar Jalil was one of his oldest friends. He was the son of Inimabakesh Rahman Jalil, the folk and rock figure who had discovered al-Salaman all those years ago. He himself had made a career as an author and authority on the history of Adabian music, all the while remaining one of al-Salaman’s closest friends and supporters. Around the time of al-Salaman’s hospitalization, Jalil was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The prognosis was not good, but there was still a chance. Chemotherapy was begun. Al-Salaman made one of his increasingly rare forays from Jabal al-Druze to Adab City to visit his friend, faded and weakened but at peace with whatever was to come.

His next visit to Adab City would be to attend his friend’s funeral.

Like the country, the funeral was an almost-bizarre mix of the Islamic and the secular. After funeral prayers were performed and the body was committed to its earthly grave, mourners were led to a nearby convention hall for the memorial service. Family members delivered eulogies and shared memories. Al-Salaman sat quietly through it all, his fellow mourners – many of whom had not seen him for a long time – shocked by his deterioration. He wore glasses and appeared a much-diminished figure from the outspoken young man who once strode across the multiverse’s stages. His face was marked by deep, dark lines and his jet-black hair had turned completely white and disheveled at places.

A 17-year-old girl delivered one of the eulogies, the deceased’s granddaughter. Al-Salaman had encountered Ninki Jalil before, if only fleetingly. She aspired to be a singer and in fact had already released two EPs, which racked up respectable streaming numbers. He had never heard any of her music. Her eulogy was heartfelt, but al-Salaman’s attention increasingly turned towards the piano, with mic attached, that stood next to the lectern. No one had played it; clearly it was meant for her.

And sure enough, at the conclusion of the eulogy, she sat down before the piano and oriented the mic towards her. “I wrote this yesterday as a tribute to my grandfather,” she said, obviously rather unaccustomed to performing before such a buttoned-up audience, her eyes somewhat avoiding them. Her long, thin fingers danced delicately between the keys, her youthful voice carried across the hall. Al-Salaman listened to her, solemnly but soon realizing that he was spellbound by her voice. A woman sitting next to him slowly and quietly moved her head back and forth, tapping a finger or two. But al-Salaman was struck by her lyrics, which he realized showed a maturity, a sort of quiet strength not often seen in 17-year-olds, something he could understand:

And I know I’ll remember you for the rest of my life
I’ll see you in every corner and in every room
There’s always a place for you in my mind
And I know you’ll never leave me there

Following the memorial service, al-Salaman called Benji. “Mr. al-Salaman?”

“Benji, I know someone.”

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The Performance
Ninki Jalil had never expected to make it to the WorldVision stage, and certainly not this soon. In a way, her appearance here was Kinan al-Salaman's payback to her family. The circle was now complete; Ninki's grandfather had discovered young al-Salaman and catapulted him to fame, and now al-Salaman would do the same for Ninki. This is not to say that her spot on the WorldVision stage was completely undeserved; her music had gained a following and was praised by critics for being well-crafted, especially for someone her age. Even if she never made it to the WorldVision stage, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to forecast a bright future for her in Adabian music. But now this golden opportunity had fallen on her, and - nerves be damned - she took it. She would be Adab's first contestant to grace this hallowed event in eighteen editions. An entire country was rooting for her; she would not disappoint them.

Long before she took off on that plane bound for Tödlichebujoku, she had been shown photos of Äuszer's Ametsuči Dome and the stage inside. The delegation had explained to her in length about the LCD screens and all the possible effects that she could use for her performance. The venue certainly had impressive amenities; now it was left for her to decide how to use them for her performance. She wanted to use those effects; she also did not want them to overwhelm the performance, and all the feeling that she put into it. Music is often a conduit through which its performers express their innermost feelings, touching their listeners in the process. Ninki was no exception. She would love to see the audience awed by the effects, but most of all she wanted them to listen to her words, and if her words touched their hearts then that would give her the happiness of a lifetime.

With the previous performers from Malta Comino Gozo having left the stage, the lights were dimmed and the audience found themselves faced with a vast, dark expanse of floor. Yet it was not total darkness; the LCD screens were bathed in strands of dark blue, somewhat faded but still recognizable to the naked eye and allowing the audience to see the stage and the tiers that flanked it. The sharp-eyed among them (and those in the front rows) could see some stagehands shifting back and forth across the stage, looking like thick stick men in the darkness, some of them carrying a black shape that was only barely illuminated by the LCD blue, though many in the audience quickly recognized it to be an electric piano. Then they disappeared backstage, not to return until the end of the performance.

Our own performer entered the stage with the same amount of fanfare that greeted the stagehands: none. The only reason many in the audience realized that she was the one they had been waiting for was that, unlike the stagehands, she entered completely alone, a lone shape whose features were barely exposed by the lights, and immediately made her way to the piano which had been set up at the center of the stage. She was dressed in a blue gown, diamonds dotting the upper part and her skirt somewhat flowing out with every step she took. Her dark brown hair fell slightly beyond her shoulders; she had chosen not to tie it. Once she assumed her seat, the first thing she did was to see if the mic was working, issuing this simple statement in a somewhat nervous voice: "Hi everyone. Uh, I'm Ninki Jalil, I'm 17 years old. I wrote this song about my grandfather who passed away recently. It's called 'Running Through the Grass'."

The audience clapped and some cheered as she settled down before the piano, made herself comfortable, and adjusted the mic attached to the piano, particularly the few Adabians who had been allowed to travel to Tödlichebujoku. The spread of the Great Pestilence across the multiverse had caused the government to restrict the number of Adabians allowed to fly here to only fifty, not including the official WorldVision delegation, and those lucky fifty had to fly alongside Ninki and the delegation in a single Adabian military plane made available specially for this purpose (that plane was now sitting on Äuszer's airport, waiting to take them home). There was a minor uproar when the government refused to use interuniversal portals, fearing that the portals were too easy to steal, allowing ill-intentioned people or those infected with the Great Pestilence to too easily make their way from Adab to Tödlichebujoku and vice versa. The delegation and fans separated upon their arrival in Äuszer, Ninki and the delegation booking into the Grand Quetzal and the fans being accommodated at the Šinton Sunrise. Their movements were severely restricted; Ninki was to travel with the delegation and an Adabian military officer at all times (they enjoyed one foray to the downtown S E A restaurant, but otherwise stayed in the hotel), and the fans were ordered not to leave their hotel at all. Everyone had to wear electronic bracelets to keep track of their movements.

But all that did not matter now. No, not now. The Adabians were tightly packed in one section of the venue, not far from the stage itself; they were under express orders to travel in one group into, inside, and out of the venue. What they lacked in numbers they more than made up their voice, chants of "Adab!" and "Ninki!" traveling the width and length of Ametsuči Dome. Many small Adabian flags were waved as Ninki's nimble fingers gently pushed down on the piano keys, at first rather tentatively, but then she began to find her groove. Previously the stage was generally blue, but now the color began to change to wide rows of black and white on the floor and on the tiers, with subtle gradations allowing for the color to softly change from one row to another. This was done so that the floor and the tiers would fit in with the LCD screens in the background, upon which was imposed the black-and-white image of an old man. The lights above slowly increased in brightness, shining down on Ninki, the piano, and the stage in gold-tinged bands of light. And now the multiverse found itself facing the image of Alalngar Jalil, the singer's late grandfather who inspired this song.

And his granddaughter's voice softly echoed across the dome.

Dark grey hair, dusty skin
Old pictures, jet-black eyes
Your shadow lingering on over me

Some kind words, thoughtful advice
Don’t say too much, say what matters
I can see your eyes staring right back at mine

The large picture of Ninki's grandfather began to fade away, and with it the black and white of the stage and tiers gradually subsided and faded, washed away by shades of green traveling from the back of the stage to the front, the green at the back actually somewhat darker than on the front, but the gradation was very gradual and well-done so as to be effectively unnoticeable. The lights shone down still on Ninki and her piano in bands of gold, playing sunlight to the green's grass. Once the picture was completely gone, a wide panorama of an idyllic grassland was gradually revealed across the LCD screens in the background and on the tiers. Ninki's eyes, which had hitherto been fixed on some point between the mic and the keys, now started to fly towards the audience, many of whom quietly mesmerized as they watched the performance.

Her eyes widened as she took in the audience. Obviously unaccustomed to performing before such a large audience, and no doubt thinking of the infinitely larger audience witnessing her performance on their TV screens and the Internet, she took the time to gauge - as best as she could from her position - the audience's reaction to her performance as her fingers continued moving on the keys. Later she would admit that she was scared to see he audience's faces, fearing that they were finding her boring. But it was a humanizing moment for her; for all her musical and songwriting ability, in the end she was a 17-year-old girl who found herself on a stage far greater than anything she had ever been on, with the eyes of untold billions across the multiverse bearing down on her. It was a position that many dreamed of attaining, but only few would ever achieve, and this girl now found herself in that position.

I still see you
Running through the grass
So light on your feet, I-I-I-I-I
I see you
Memories in technicolor
Your frame in every picture, I-I-I-I

Ninki's eyes now returned to the piano, which she clearly felt much more comfortable to look at than the audience, no matter how much she wanted their attention. The gold lights were still there, spanning the length of the stage from the left tiers to the right, aiding the audience in seeing her. As if she wasn't already visible enough, a narrow spotlight - more crystal-clear white than gold - now came down from the heavens to Ninki and the piano, reinforcing who the star here was, who everyone should be paying attention to. Those in the very front rows would later claim that they could tears beginning to stream from her eyes, and maybe that's why she turned away from the audience to her piano. She did not want to have to break down and overly expose her grief and vulnerability in front of the audience. If she had to weep, then she would weep to the piano, which wouldn't make any comments - especially negative and hurtful ones. Maybe some things are better left unseen.

The stage and the tiers were still green, but while the LCD screens on the tiers continued to show grassland, the background screens changed to show a picture of the old Jalil family house, a two-tier, decidedly suburban structure where Ninki's grandfather lived, loved, and raised a family. This was where many of Ninki's memories were made, happy and sad. This was an integral part of her life.

When I needed shelter you took me in without questions, with no pretensions
Your heart was so kind, I was afraid of breaking it
I still remember so clearly
The dust in your hair, the sun in your eyes
Your image in every frame of my memory

Now it was green's turn to give way on the floor and on the tiers to a new color: gold, which would fit in more with the gold that was already shining down from above. The transformation did not happen suddenly; rather it occurred gradually from the front of the stage to the back, green slowly losing every inch of the stage to the gold. The change in color was done to emphasize the gold and, again, to fit in with the background. The picture of the Jalil family house faded away, replaced by two pictures; the LCD screens on the left showed a picture of Alalngar Jalil atop his bicycle on a dirt track that cut across an open field; he was a keen rider, especially in his younger days. The screens to the right showed another picture, that of a toddler Ninki on her own, smaller, bike, with Alalngar watching in the background. The dividing line between the two pictures was right down the middle of the centermost screen. A common theme of the pictures was the abundance of sunlight, the pictures having been taken at midday, hence the change to gold which is often associated with the sun.

I still see you
Downtown on your bike
The sun on your head, I-I-I-I-I
I see you
Giving me the silver coin
With the old man’s picture, I-I-I-I

When I needed shelter you took me in without questions, with no pretensions
Your heart was so kind, I was afraid of breaking it

The performance had not been a cheerful one to begin with, and now there were hints that it would soon turn even darker. As Ninki's fingers danced away on the piano, the gold began to disappear from the stage floor and the tiers, slowly replaced by shades of dark blue, though the gold lights from above remained there so that the audience could still see Ninki. Both pictures - of Alalngar alone and of Ninki and her grandfather - dissipated into black. For a few seconds there were absolutely nothing on the background LCD screens, before another picture came into a view - that of an orangish evening sky, with the sun about to slip into the gold-tinged clouds. Once the sun had disappeared behind the clouds, the sky turned dark blue, almost blending in with the color of the stage floor and the tiers. The clouds remained, but turned darker and became harder to see, making way for the image of the moon rising against a dark, shadowed mountain, with the dark clouds ominously hanging on in the background.

To watch the sunset and the moonrise
Over the hill
And you were there with me always
But then you're gone

The Tödlichebujoki organizers had had the foresight of installing weather effects for the benefit of performers, and this happened to fit in well with Ninki's idea of her performance. The dark clouds began to increase in number, eventually overwhelming the upper part of the night sky and causing the moon to disappear behind it. Viewers now saw a moonless night, with clouds that were seemingly becoming darker with every passing second and a dark mountain below it. Any lingering sense of joy and happiness that might have been produced by the preceding pictures would surely have gone away by now. That happy, idyllic childhood of hers, the days spent with her grandfather, were gone. As she reached the climax of the song, she began pushing her fingers down on the piano keys with more force. Her eyes narrowed, her teeth were clenched, and she was looking squarely at the piano, seemingly ready to just pound away. Her voice rose in power and loudness, but at the same time betrayed a sense of desperation.

And if the audience thought that they were watching drops of water fall onto the stage floor, then they were correct. Those drops became increasingly rapid, their intensity reflecting the intensity of Ninki's feelings, until the audience heard the noise of thunder blasted out of the sound system and a full-blown rain was hitting the stage (though not in a radius of a few meters around Ninki and the piano, in order to avoid damaging the piano). From time to time, the water would bounce against the floor and onto those who stood closest to the stage, leading to some in the very front rows retreating backwards. As the words came out of her mouth, Ninki would glance again at the audience, though by now she wasn't very concerned about their reaction. She just needed to get her words out.

And I see you
Trying to stay so strong
‘Cause that’s in your nature, I-I-I-I
I see you
Saying everything’s alright
Whatever comes of this, I-I-I-I
I see you
Fading but never yielding
Dwindling but still trying, I-I
And your eyes still have that little spark inside

The stage was now drenched in water, and Ninki couldn't care less. By now she was just banging away on the piano, putting her heart and soul into it, partly because she wanted the whole thing to be over and done with as quickly as possible, partly because the painful memories of her grandfather's battle with cancer were flooding back in and she was trying to block them. Every word she said was the truth, every verse and every syllable. She would never admit it, but she was starting to have second thoughts about performing on WorldVision. Why did she even agree to this? And of all the songs that she had written, why this one? At this point she was just racing to the end of the song, hoping that after all this was over she could just run away to some place where she wouldn't have to show her face, where she could cry as much as she wanted to.

And I know I’ll remember you for the rest of my life
I’ll see you in every corner and in every room
There’s always a place for you in my mind
And I know you’ll never leave me there
I hope to see you if only for one last time
In this life or the one after
I’d say sorry for every mistake I made
And I’d just fall into your comforting hug
And I’d never want to leave
I’d never want to leave
And I’d never want to leave
And I’d never leave

Now the rain was receding, and Ninki's fingers slowed. Through the rain she looked again at the audience, wondering if they were captivated or disgusted by her performance, but ultimately deciding that she didn't care. In the background, the dark clouds started to disappear, and the dark blue of the night sky gave way to a lighter shade of blue, with hints of orange on the lower parts of the screens. Sunrise. Maybe there was something to salvage out of all this.

When I needed shelter you took me in without questions, with no pretensions
Your heart was so kind, I was afraid of breaking it

The end of the song was rather sudden, actually; once she had gotten the last word out, she stopped playing the piano, leaving only a faint echo of the last note to travel across the dome before that, too, faded away. The rain had stopped, and now she rose from her seat, turning towards the audience. For a split-second they stared at each other in silence. That silence was soon broken, however, as one by one people started slowly clapping. Then the claps grew faster, and faster, and people started cheering, and then they were hollering, and of course the Adabians - paltry as they were in numbers - leapt to their feet clapping and cheering, waving their flags, chanting their contestant's name, soon to be followed by many others from various nations.

And Ninki reacted to all this with stunned silence. Her performance had not been a complete failure, and while she hated exposing her grief to the entire multiverse, the audience here took her performance very well. As the clapping and cheering grew louder, encompassing the whole venue, she tentatively took a few steps towards the walkway. First step, second step, third step, she took them slowly. Then she gradually picked up speed, until she was almost running to the end of the walkway. At the very end she stopped, then cautiously climbed down to the crowd. But she mostly ignored them as they eagerly tried to touch her, shake her hand, get their hands on her. Slowly she proceeded to a particular section of the crowd. Some in the crowd realized where she was heading and stepped aside for her. She walked ahead gingerly, until in front of her was a flood of Adabian flags. A man with wily white hair and mustache emerged from the crowd of Adabians and stood directly facing Ninki: Mehmet Bahri, Adab's Head of Delegation to WorldVision and the WHF. "Ninki-"

"Mr. Bahri," she said simply before launching herself on him, putting her arms around his shoulders and her jaw squarely on his left shoulder, closing her eyes. And as the audience cheered for her, she sobbed.

---

Epilogue
Adab City Cemetery, about half an hour after the performance

They stood there, alone. The older man was clad entirely in black that barely served to distinguish him from the night. The younger man - Benji Akiya, Director-General of the ABC - was in a business suit, also mostly black but a little more polished, that did no better in preventing him from disappearing into the dark. He did not know why the older man invited him to a cemetery, of all places, but he went nevertheless.

The only light, dim as it was, came from the nearby street lamps. The wind wheezed softly. They were standing before two gravestones, which the older man pointed at.

“Inimabakesh Rahman Jalil was the one who discovered me. I was performing in bars, and he saw me and took me to talent shows, and from there to the WorldVision stage and beyond,” said Kinan al-Salaman, shifting his finger between the graves. “His son Alalngar was one of my closest friends and supporters. If it weren’t for these men, I wouldn’t be here and we would have never met. Now Alalngar is gone, but his granddaughter is still here, and it’s only right that I repay my debt to the family.”

Benji nodded in understanding. “Everyone is saying she did great. My social media is blowing up right now.”

“I watched it on my phone on my way here,” said al-Salaman, smiling, glancing over his shoulder at Benji. “She did great. You got your money’s worth. You and I knew she would do great.”

“Yeah.”

“And Benji, I’ll tell you this,” al-Salaman continued, his head slightly bowed towards the graves, his smile a bit fainter. “Don’t make me go up on that stage ever again. No, I won’t even write songs for the contestants. I like you, Benji, but you’re good enough on your own. My time has gone. Now is the time for the younger generation to take the reins.”

Al-Salaman then turned around and started towards the exit. “But Benji,” he stopped midway, turning to the other man who was still standing by the grave, staring at him, “feel free to call me whenever you need my opinion. I’m a musician, but more than that I’m a fan, and I’ll always remain a fan.”

He continued towards the exit. And Benji Akiya stood there still in the darkness, the wind gently blowing past him.

[Britonisea]

#09 BRITONISEA
Shaughna Lucero - "nobody wants her."
Tune : Winona Oak - "SHE"
Music: Reece Witherspoon, Gordon Thurrows • Lyrics: Shaughna Lucero


Shaugha Lucero going for gold: Shaughna has been announced to be the 45th act Britonisea has sent to the WorldVision Song Contest. She will sing the song "nobody wants her."

After yet another podium finish last edition in Rhim Flavezztowlandat the 88th WorldVision Song Contest with "Come What May". Shaughna Lucero is now has the weight of the nation on her shoulders...

Britonisea has been doing fantastically well recently at the WorldVision Song Contest, ending their lower top 10 curse they had at the 87th WorldVision Song Contest when the nation won with a resounding 242 points - securing an undisputed win in Polkopia. Move forwards an edition to Rhim Flavezztowland and it looked as though Britonisea could do it once again as the points came through, though by the time we reached the end of the Jury votes, it became clear that catching Izmedu would be a very difficult ask. In the end, Britonisea finished in second place - more than 60 points behind Izmedu who won with the largest point victory in WorldVision Song Contest history. With that being said, the last time that Britonisea had two consecutive top 2 finishes was at the 73rd and 74th WorldVision Song Contests - 15 editions ago - it has been a long time coming and a welcome change. The question was whether Britonisea would going to keep this up, especially since Vha Mehlodhivestoile 2021 was in full swing. It shouldn't be a problem for BITC. While they do help with certain aspects of Vha Mehlodhivestoile, their main focus lies on the WorldVision Song Contest with BVC trying to navigate their way through the Works Hit Festival. The Britonish selection for the 89th WorldVision Song Contest, however, was a rather rushed process - especially since BVC wanted BITC to provide a name for the 2nd Semi-Final of VM so they could debut the performance and give her the performance that she was entitled to. BITC knew that this was an obligation but due to recent events, things became a lot slower and harder and so finding the next WorldVision act felt like a difficult process. However, in the end they found Shaughna Lucero who would sing "nobody wants her" in Todlichebujoku for the 89th WorldVision Song Contest.

ORIGINAL BVC POST;

Shaughna Lucero is set to be Britonisea's 45th participant at the WorldVision Song Contest with her song "nobody wants her." hoping for an eighth Britonish victory...

Shaughna Lucero is a 25 year-old singer-songwriter from Aronyk in Britonisea and is set to represent Britonisea with her song "nobody wants her." which has been described as "dark" and "alluring" by fans of the WorldVision Song Contest and those who watched Shaughna perform her song at the Jury and Family shows of Vha Mehlodhivestoile Semi-Final 2 which takes place in Boscombard, Authority of Kyvivre in the west of the country. This will be the first time that Shaughna performs her song live on television with the song being released on all major platforms at 20:00. After her earlier performance, she said "I am so excited to represent my country at the upcoming WorldVision Song Contest. I have received pretty good feedback that I will be taking to Todlichebujoku - I cannot wait to get on my dragon and fly my way to Tobuland!"

Britonisea placed 2nd last edition when Roksie Rakas rocked her way up the scoreboard, giving Britonisea +200 points for the second time in a row.

Upon travelling to Tödlichebujoku, Shaughna wanted a bit of a break from her hustle and bustle life she had suddenly been thrusted into. She decided to check out the The Üüsertsenkeiken Gardens and Conservatory where she would go a few times to stroll out, have her lunch and take some unforgettable pictures that she would upload to her Instagram account. She made sure to check out the jazz concert that happened there too which helped her calm down and enjoy Todlichebujoki culture in general. On the week of the Grand Final, Shaughna was ready to get going once again, however. She pulled from one place to another, with people wanting her to be in two places at once. She simply couldn't. She was drawn to perform 9th in the Grand Final between Adab and Elejamie which made her think "Phew, okay, nice and early for me then, I won't need to wait around - thank heavens!"

---

Initially there was going to be quite a few changes from the performance at Vha Mehlodhivestoile 2021 to here but the BITC officials liked it so much that they decided to keep it pretty similar here at the WorldVision Song Contest. She was called to the stage to perform her song after the performance...

She stands in the middle of the stage as the camera swoops in. The audience cheers for a while before the music started and her face is lit amongst the darkness. Shaughna wears a catsuit as she starts...

Duration: 02:48
Main Vocalist: Shaughna Lucero

She’s been blacklisted,
Nobody wants her.
She sleeps on cold floorboards,
Has mice as her friends.
Hopes and dreams keeps her warm,
Her thoughts keep her sane.

She had no mum or dad to tell her why she...
Tell her why she’s the way that she was.
She thought that it was just because.
Until one...night…
She sneaked out and she had some fun.
Came back home with hands full of blood.
Hands full of blood, hands full of blood.

As the music slightly changes into a dreamy sound, Shaughna slowly moved her hands in a wavy motion with some clouds appearing in the background on the LED screen. The stage slightly goes lighter in colour as the back wall became slightly more intense. It looked as though everything stopped as Shaughna repeated the phrase "Hands full of blood", with the screen shattering as she held her hands out. As the screen shattered, lights from the side of her started flickering as the stage quickly flooded with low flying fog.

The devil’s in her - flip goes the switch,
The darkness comes right out.
You can’t help her, she’s untouchable,
One word and she’ll end ya.
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, she doesn’t,
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, care who you are.
She’ll lure you in, she’ll chew you up
And then she’ll spit you out.

As she sang to the chorus, the lights from either side flashed on along with the beat of the music, so the shadow on her face would be on either side dependant on the beat of the song. The camera shots were fast and sharp, with a different angle being used every few seconds or so. Meanwhile, the screen behind her wasn't being used all that much, with the lighting and camerawork driving this entry. The stage floor was covered in smoke as we moved into the verse.

I guess it’s what happens, Rapunzel locked in,
Ignore the stories ‘cuz pain turns to hate.
Had a sense of freedom, got to her head,
For her, this is heaven.

But for us it’s Hell, she goes ‘round torturing kids,
And she blames it all on the id.
Because one night...
She sneaked out and she had some fun.
Came back home with hands full of blood.
Hands full of blood, hands full of blood.

There was a shot rising from beneath the smoke, looking up at Shaughna as she spins around aimlessly on her axis before noticing the camera watching her. Shaughna bends down and reaches out to the camera, singing towards it. As she reaches the lines "Hands full of blood", she reaches for a black baseball bat, and whacks the camera before a shot of the whole stage is shown, zooming quickly into Shaughna who quickly stands up and smiles, irking her head.

The devil’s in her - flip goes the switch,
The darkness comes right out.
You can’t help her, she’s untouchable,
One word and she’ll end ya.
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, she doesn’t,
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, care who you are.
She’ll lure you in, she’ll chew you up
And then she’ll spit you out.

Appearing on the stage with her were people wearing a similar catsuit, but they were completely covered up so you couldn't see their faces. They were all dancing in odd contemporary, making those watching feel quite uncomfortable. As we move onto the bridge section, the screen started to do some crazy things.

[Distorted Voices]
The devil’s in her

During the final chorus, there was a lot more pyrotechnics shooting flames right into the air from every angle making the stage look like a fiery inferno. She sang the final chorus before a close up shoot saw her smiling straight into the lens. There was a large round of applause before the three hosts of the evening as they made their way onto the stage as Shaughna disappeared.

No you cannot reason with her,
No you cannot change her with hope,
You see the darkness of her eyes?
You should start running or tonight you will die

The devil’s in her - flip goes the switch,
The darkness comes right out.
You can’t help her, she’s untouchable,
One word and she’ll end ya.
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, she doesn’t,
She doesn’t, she doesn’t, care who you are.
She’ll lure you in, she’ll chew you up
And then she’ll spit you out.

During the final chorus, there was a lot more pyrotechnics shooting flames right into the air from every angle making the stage look like a fiery inferno. She sang the final chorus before a close up shoot saw her smiling straight into the lens. There was a large round of applause before the three hosts of the evening as they made their way onto the stage as Shaughna disappeared.

[Adab]

OOC: My commentary here does not necessarily reflect my real-life opinion of the songs, the nations, or the people behind them.

WorldVision Commentary Presented by the ABC
A special program of the Adab Broadcasting Corporation


Left to right: Filippos Eliades, Abigail Halevi, and Derrick Bobbama

Our Commentators:

Filippos Eliades: Hailing from the Greek community in Adab City, Filippos has been a nationally-famous author, journalist, and music critic for many years. He currently hosts Later... with Filippos Eliades on ABC2. He also campaigns against international slavery, abuse, and the hunting of endangered species.
Abigail Halevi: One of Adab's most promising young actresses, Eilat's very own, Abigail is also guitarist in the ska punk band The Penguins and hosts her own podcast, Sitting Down with Abigail Halevi, which is carried on all major streaming platforms.
Derrick Bobbama: An outspoken lawyer, community organizer, and voting reform activist, dubbed a "firebrand" by his critics, in his spare time Derrick loves listening to music and following the latest musical trends and is a self-proclaimed "WorldVision fan". Derrick currently plans to start his own social media platform, called Parley. We are honored that he has graciously agreed to join us in the commentary box in his spare time.

Commentary:

0. Theme
Abigail: And here's the music!
Derrick: I like it. It has that epic feel to it. Definitely a great way to begin tonight's proceedings.
Filippos: I quite enjoyed it. It sounds like a Hans Zimmer B-side, although that's not a bad thing.
Abigail: Honestly I don't know enough about classical music to comment on that. But this theme rocks!

0. Opening Act
Filippos: So this Diana-
Derrick: Daina.
Filippos: Daina, Diana, whatever. Anyway, it's an enjoyable tune and an enjoyable performance. She and her friend Nuno sound as if they were manufactured in a Spanish factory.
Abigail: You do know it's more polite and direct to just say that they're influenced by Spanish and Latin music right?
Filippos: Yeah, whatever, but you get my point.

1. Carrelie
Abigail: This is a beautiful song, and what a way to start the contest!
Derrick: Yep, we're definitely starting on the right foot.
Filippos: Her voice is a bit grating at times and the bells annoy me, but the lyrics are good and I feel it definitely hits close to home for her. Much respect to her for persevering after her husband's untimely passing.

2. New Zealandic South West Saint Martin
Filippos: Where the hell is this South West Saint Martin and how come I've never heard of this supposed New Zealand territory?
Derrick: I don't know but all I know is they exist and they've now sent a song to the WorldVision stage.
Filippos: Is this Esperanto?
Abigail: No, I don't think so. Also, to our viewers back home who are just joining us right now, the title translates to "Owned by Bees".
Filippos: Are there even bees in New Zealand?
Abigail: I don't know, but it seems to me that this song is about searching for protection from a bee attack.
Filippos: Well that's certainly a unique subject matter.

3. Norrp
Derrick: Ah, the joys of Ibiza.
Abigail: You ever been there?
Derrick: No, actually, but I've heard from others that it's quite wonderful out there.
Filippos: This sounds like something you'd play on the beach while watching the sunset and having a sip of margarita. That's not a bad thing.
Abigail: This song is certainly laid-back and relaxing. We'll see how well it does in the voting.

4. Beepee
Derrick: This song is better than I expected!
Filippos: It has a catchy beat and melody that's guaranteed to be stuck in your head for days. Lyrics are good too.
Abigail: I was bobbing my head along to the beat by the last chorus!
Derrick: Honestly this is a perfect pop song. I can see this becoming popular in Adab. Great dance-floor music.

5. Estogium
Filippos: I feel sorry for this young man. Clearly his mind is messed up.
Derrick: What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with the guy. And this is one hell of a danceable beat!
Filippos: I mean just look at the lyrics. All the drug usage clearly has screwed his head.
Abigail: You're reading too much into it. There's nothing wrong with him. He seems perfectly healthy and alert. And yeah, I agree with Derrick, this is a good song.
Filippos: Still, I fear for him. Felix, if you're seeing this, if you need help, it's never too late to seek help.

6. Scotatrova
Derrick: I'm not so sure about the tune. I feel like I've heard this on radio a million times. But the lyrics are beautiful, though.
Abigail: The lyrics are the best we've heard so far tonight. And I love the performance. This Iago guy has got quite the confidence and charisma and swagger.
Filippos: I like the guy's commitment and he does seem to be the kind to easily connect with the audience. I wish him the best.

7. Malta Comino Gozo
Abigail: This is such a laid-back, feel-good song.
Derrick: I'm not sure about this. It's a good song, but the field is pretty packed and I feel like there will inevitably be some better songs.
Abigail: You can't deny that this kind of song has quite the following, though. I mean, it's a good song. It's not a bad song. And you can tell the performers are genuinely invested in this song. I hope it does well in the voting.
Filippos: It's a nice song, if not very unique. But I think it will do well with the masses.

8. Adab
Filippos: That is a sad song.
Derrick: But it's sincere, though. You can't deny that.
Filippos: I'm not saying it's a bad thing.
Abigail: I must admit I got a little choked up in the end. You know it's a form of catharsis for her.
Derrick: Yeah, you can see the performance took its toll on her.

9. Britonisea
Filippos: What a dark and sinister song. I hope this does not reflect the general mood of their population.
Abigail: It's not for everyone, I agree, but I quite like the song. It's... elegantly dark.
Filippos: How did this even qualify for WorldVision? Such murderous, satanic lyrics.
Abigail: What part of it is murderous and satanic?
Filippos: It's literally about a murderous, child-torturing psychopath!
Derrick: Well it's not that dark, to be honest with you. It certainly isn't the darkest song I've ever heard. And it's not like it's going to turn our children into devil-worshipping murderers.
Filippos: This song does have some potential. It may even top the charts in Guantanamo.

10. Elejamie
Filippos: I'm actually liking this song. It's not my cup of tea, but it's well-crafted.
Abigail: I can see this becoming a hit on Adabian dance floors.
Derrick: I do hope they place highly on the final rankings. I think they deserve it.

11. North Alezia
Filippos: Look, I like the tune, but why do you need a paramedic if you're falling in love?
Derrick: I mean this love is driving her crazy, man. Just look at the lyrics. She even fainted!
Filippos: Look, I can understand if she needs a paramedic because she fainted, but does she really need a paramedic because she's in love?
Derrick: She's in love and her love is so powerful and overwhelming that she fainted. That's why she needs a paramedic!
Abigail: I should just point out that I love the lyrics. I think they're a fresh and interesting twist on the usual love songs. It's not every day that you hear about paramedics on the radio.
Filippos: Well it is certainly interesting, I'll give you that.

12. Ertzei Kishim
Abigail: This song is a banger!
Derrick: Yeah, it's definitely something you can headbang to. The rock crowd might want to vote for this.
Filippos: Nice to see a Rothschild branching out into music. I guess banking gets boring after a while.
Derrick: You do know Sderot Rothschild is the name of the whole group and not just of one man, right?
Filippos: Wait, really?
Abigail: Are they even related to that family?
Filippos: I don't know. I guess not?
Derrick: Well I mean all Rothschilds come from the same family, just as not all Johnsons are the same family.
Filippos: Yeah, that's a possibility. Maybe one day we'll have someone like, I don't know, John Smith Rockefeller or John Doe Rockefeller who actually is from a different family.

13. Faraby
Abigail: A quite simple and understated performance, and I love it. And the guy at the end, is that her boyfriend?
Derrick: I don't know but I do know that I like this performance. It's sincere and straight from the heart.
Filippos: It's a bit overly sentimental. That's not a big problem, though. I can see this gaining some points from the jury and televote.

14. Belgaam
Filippos: So Belgium-
Derrick: Belgaam.
Filippos: Right, Belgaam. I think this song has potential.
Abigail: It has this alluring feel to it. You may even say it's sexy.
Derrick: True, true. I do hope this gets points in the vote.

15. Polkopia
Filippos: It's a nice melody, but am I the only one thinking the lyrics are creepy? "People watching people through the peephole" and all that?
Derrick: I mean it's only one part of the song, and it's not like that particular line is a reflection of the author's personal experience.
Abigail: I would suggest that you get your mind out of the gutter, old man.
Filippos: My mind has never been in the gutter. As Goebbels once said, "Accuse the other side of that which you are guilty."
Abigail: Are you saying my mind is in the gutter?
Filippos: Well I didn't say that. I think it says more about you than it does about me if that's what you think.

16. Axuva
Derrick: Now these are some fresh and excellent lyrics. Cosmic energy, galaxies, supernova. I'm loving the space analogy.
Filippos: I have to concur with you there. The lyrics are definitely not trite and run-of-the-mill stuff.
Abigail: This song has great potential. I hope the voters will give it the recognition it deserves.

17. Nekoni
Derrick: I love this! This is a song made for revolution.
Filippos: This is something I can bob my head to.
Abigail: Yeah, this song is badass.

18. Kalosia
Abigail: Man, the lyrics sure are depressing.
Derrick: They do hit close to home. Too many idiots in this multiverse.
Filippos: Very true. What a shame.

19. South Alezia
Filippos: Where's the singer? I can't see the singer.
Abigail: That is the singer.
Filippos: What?
Abigail: The mic.
Filippos: The mic is the singer? Like, they installed some chip deep inside that mic that plays the music-
Derrick: I believe we're dealing with a sentient mic here.
Filippos: I'm sorry?
Derrick: I mean they did name the mic Mikeaella Rouffone or something like that. Mike-Rouffone. Microphone. Get it?
Filippos: Well I thought it was a stage name. I wasn't expecting it to be an actual mic! And how did they even manage to create a sentient mic-
Abigail: It's technology, Fil. Maybe they're simply ahead of us in microphone technology. So anyway, from a purely musical perspective, I don't know what to make of this.
Derrick: It's too flat for me. No power, no passion, no strength. I don't know why people are even clapping along to this.
Filippos: Uncultured swine.
Derrick: Me?
Filippos: No, the South Alezians.
Derrick: Oh, okay.

20. Ethane
Derrick: I love it! An acoustic song. Something I can relax to.
Abigail: The melody reminds me of those campfire nights long ago. I wish I could go back to those days.
Filippos: The lyrics are pretty tasteful, too. I mean, it's the usual "let's join hands and unite for world peace" variety, but at least they didn't overproduce and overdo this thing like, say, "We Are the World".
Derrick: Eh, I love "We Are the World". There's a bunch of my favorite musicians in there.
Filippos: I mean it's not bad. But it's rather syrupy.

21. Pemecutan
Filippos: A song in Balinese! Now this is a nice change of pace from the usual stuff.
Derrick: It's certainly unique, and I like them for bringing something different to the table.
Abigail: It's moments like this that remind us that the multiverse is much more culturally diverse than we think sometimes.
Derrick: A wonderful song and wonderful performance. I hope the voters give them the points that they deserve.

23. Antahbrantahstan
Abigail: Now this is a tearjerker.
Derrick: It's a strong song, though, even if the melody is bound to make some people shed tears.
Filippos: It's maudlin. Not overly so, though.
Abigail: It's not entirely hopeless. If you look at the lyrics, the narrator still has hope that things will get better.
Derrick: True, true. It's a beautiful melody. I think this song will do pretty well among people here in Adab.

24. Placely Placington
Derrick: Uh, so we're cutting away from the broadcast until we can ascertain what actually is happening down there.
Abigail: If you're just joining us now, we believe that there is black magic going on onstage, as well as violence by the performers against the crowd.
Filippos: What kind of travesty is this?!
Derrick: Well, so that is Placely Placington, and-
At this point a series of gunshots is heard in the distance
Filippos: What in the name of God is that?!
Abigail: Holy fuck, is that-
Derrick's phone rings and he takes the call
Derrick: Yes, hello... oh, wait what? What the? Oh, uh, sure, sure, yeah, thank you, sure, just call me back later. Derrick ends the call Alright, so just stay here, stay here in the booth. It's safe. No, I don't think he's trying to kill us. So, uh, I have been informed that a man has rushed the stage with a gun-
Abigail: What?!
Derrick: -and shot, uh, whatever that thing is that is performing for Placely Placington. And we have been instructed to stay there, in this booth- hey Fil, help me out here and lock the door, I don't want anyone else to get in- Filippos obediently gets up and locks the door -and we have been instructed, once again we have been instructed to stay in the booth. No new reports on what going's on onstage for now, and if you have just joined us, as I've said before we're cutting away from the broadcast until Placely Placington is gone and the next nation takes the stage. No one should bear witness to this travesty.
Filippos: Good God, I'm here to provide commentary for a music contest, not-
Derrick's phone rings again
Derrick: Hello, yeah, what is it now? Flynn Taggart? That commentator from Elejamie? Why- what the hell is he even doing onstage? How did he even obtain a gun? Are you even sure that's Flynn Taggart?!
Filippos: That ugly-ass hockey player? I knew there's something weird about that guy. He gives me the creeps.
Abigail: To be fair I think everyone gives you the creeps.
Derrick: Still talking on the phone Oh... whatever, look... what do you mean it exploded into... cola? Like, Coca-Cola? Wha-what are you even talking about? Ah nevermind I don't want to know. Just call me when it's the next nation's turn, alright? Derrick ends the call And so, ladies and gentleman, that was Placely Placington. What a performance.

25. Fatimania
Derrick: This has a decidedly 80s vibe to it.
Filippos: As I understand it, the lyrics about the end of a high school/college relationship?
Derrick: Yeah, pretty much.
Abigail: Lyrically I think it's just... ordinary. You know, I mean there's been, like, a thousand other songs about it. I'm kinda digging the arrangement though.
Derrick: It has just the right amount of synth and sax in it. Not too much so as to overwhelm the song.
Filippos: I don't feel strongly in any way about this song.
Abigail: It's pretty ordinary, but it's not bad. We'll see how well it does in the voting.

26. Nihilitia
Derrick: I feel like I've heard this song before in a workout video.
Abigail: It's actually a very rousing song, and I've got the translation of the lyrics and they're really good. The song is basically an environmental anthem dressed in a catchy beat.
Filippos: Yes, I like the lyrics actually. I can see this being played at environmental protests.

27. Waisnor
Filippos: I must say, the music is exquisite.
Abigail: And the lyrics too.
Derrick: Yeah, I agree with you both. This is one of the better performances tonight.
Abigail: It's a joy to listen to. Well, a joy in a bit of a downer way, but I'd love to listen to it again.

28. Greater Korean Juche Republic
Derrick: Uh, that's a pretty good performance I guess, if rather propagandistic, but that's the Greater Korean Juche Republic for you.
Filippos: Communism has caused great suffering, death, and oppression to untold billions. I will not grace this propaganda with a single second of my commentary and I hope never to see something like this ever again on the WorldVision stage.
Abigail: Well I'm afraid you're just going to be disappointed.
Filippos: I probably will be.
Abigail: You know, we're not really here to talk about politics, so I'm just gonna talk from a purely musical perspective. It's... well, the usual GKJR stuff. It's nothing new I guess.
Derrick: Right.

29. Vartugia
Filippos: What the...
Derrick: It's Vartugia.
Abigail: Wait, did he really have the Committee in his basement?
Derrick: I... I think so.
Filippos: Nice of the police to come in and put an end to this farce.

31. These American States
Filippos: I sense no malarkey in this performance.
Derrick: It seems that they are genuinely remorseful for the previous government's actions. I appreciate it.
Abigail: I only hope that this will finally lead to world peace.
Derrick: From your lips to God's ears.

32. Tödlichebujoku
Derrick: Yeah, I like this beat.
Abigail: Lyrics are pretty ordinary, but you know this stuff will be a hit on dance floors across Adab.
Filippos: Yeah. This song has much great potential.
Abigail: I can see myself dancing to this.

33. Crustyland
Derrick: They had a pretty good tune and wasted it on lyrics about... walruses?
Abigail: I feel sorry for Lattsa. She doesn't deserve this.
Filippos: Well she agreed to this. I'd say she deserves this.
Derrick: It was quite the performance, really.
Filippos: I have nothing to say about this.

34. Achaean Republic
Filippos: One hell of a fashion choice.
Abigail: Don't let it distract you from the song and performance, though. This is the best-choreographed performance of the night, and the lyrics are good too.
Filippos: I do like the 80s feel of this, though. The song, the hair, and all that.
Derrick: I particularly appreciate the red ribbon. I feel like we've forgotten that HIV/AIDS is still a pandemic. While we have made much progress, we still have a long way to go towards completely eradicating this disease.
Abigail: True, true.

35. Auphelia
Derrick: Now that's what I call music!
Filippos: The performance looked like it was designed by an oriental. And I mean that in a good way.
Abigail: Well it shows the diversity of this multiverse's cultures. And the lyrics and performance are simply beautiful.
Derrick: Especially the lyrics. It's poetry. Beautiful.
Abigail: I can see this gaining many fans in this country.
Derrick: And it will be fully deserved. It's beautiful.

36. Caryton
Filippos: Praise the Lord! This is unironically better than some of the earlier performances that we've seen.
Abigail: I'm digging this retro sound. The lyrics may be too religious for some, but you can't deny that the song is catchy, and the staging was done tastefully too.
Filippos: I agree with you. This is definitely something Hank Williams would have done. I can see George Harrison doing this if he had discovered Jesus instead of Krishna.
Derrick: God bless Cary.
Abigail: Amen.

37. Zamboodle
Filippos: I will say nothing other than that General Daewae should have been facing trial for crimes against humanity and that it is a disgrace that the WorldVision Committee allowed him to stand on that stage.
Derrick: I must concur with you. It is a disgrace that dictators like him are allowed to stand here instead of in front of a tribunal.
Abigail: Exactly.

40. Saviera
Filippos: Right, Saviera.
Abigail: This is pretty good, I guess. I can see this gaining some points.
Derrick: There have been better songs tonight but this isn't bad.
Abigail: Stoic is a cool name for a performer, though. I mean if we were giving points based solely on the performer's name, I'd give this 12 points.

41. Saperetia
Derrick: An encouraging message dressed in an 80s-style tune. Never give up!
Filippos: The lyrics aren't very unique but they are good nevertheless. I think we all can benefit from listening to this song.
Abigail: Perseverance is a virtue, after all.

42. Saint Miron
Filippos: I must say I like the tune very much. A great way to close the night.
Abigail: Indeed. Dang, this is the last song, right? It's been a long night.
Derrick: Yeah, but it's good to end it on a high note. And now we wait for the votes!

[Elejamie]

10 Elejamie

Patricio Esposito (ft. Aribella) - I’ve Been Waiting

Tune: Lasgo - Something

Top: Patricio Esposito (keyboards, drums, production). Bottom: Ariana Benitez Landowska, aka Aribella (vocals)

No, there’s no artist background this time. No one really reads them anyway. Not to mention that Aribella’s fairly new with nothing particularly interesting to bring up and most of Patricio’s backstory was covered in my WV75 entry and he went fairly quiet after that tournament.

In the last competition, Elejamie was represented by Naomi Hamanaka, otherwise known as Kyandii. Her song, Lotus, was an absolute smash hit at the last ElejamieVision with both the international juries and the domestic televoters. It got 5s from Ertzei Kishim, Britonisea, Tödlichebujoku, the Achaean Republic and Natanya when it came to the international juries and 5s from Autumnia, Aventry, Birch State, East Reise, Mittedorf, Richston, Shiner and Wyken when it came to the domestic televote. With 49 international points and 123 domestic points (more than double what second place got) making up a total of 172 points, hopes were high that she would have what it would take to give the nation its first podium spot since WV77. Aided by a highly energetic performance involving plenty of dancing, hopping into the ground, a rear display and the splits, hopes were high that she would be able to get it done. It probably also helped that Kyandii’s other song from the national final, I’m Your Robot, was the runner-up (with 102 total points, aided by 5s from Beepee and Hafamarimët internationally and 5s from Eastern Elejamie, the Elephant Isles, Swannings and West Reise domestically) which meant hopes were high enough that she could’ve potentially given the nation its first back-to-back top tens for quite a while.

However, the voting didn’t go exactly as planned. For a start, the nation failed to get a single set of 12 points, much like what had happened in the 85th contest. Except, while they were able to get a ten in Valletta, the most that Kyandii had received were sets of eight points from Beepee, Britonisea, the hosts Rhim Flavezztowland and Oqmet. There were some sixes from Malta Comino Gozo, the Greater Korean Juche Republic (despite their entry not having anything kind to say about longtime ETV commentator Flynn Taggart), along with a couple of fives from Placely Placington (who always seem to give them five points for some reason) and North Alezia. But other than that there were either very few points or absolutely nothing at all. Despite making it to fifth place with 47 points by the halfway mark things just kept going a bit downhill and, by the time the jury votes were in, Kyandii had finished in 10th place with 64 points. The televote managed to swoop in and save the day to an extent as she managed to pick up 85 points from it. However, it wasn’t enough to give her a good result as she only ended up moving one to 9th place with 149 points.

As a result, ETV decided to make some drastic changes to their plans. For a start, they decided to scrap their planned entry for the 89th edition seeing as they feared it would carry on with the vicious cycle they were in, where they would get a top ten finish in one competition only to completely drop out the one after. While this proved to be controversial, it ended up being a good shout as, three days before she was due to fly out, Kyandii's father contracted coronavirus and she said that it would’ve made it harder to perform because of her worries for him. They also admitted that they would be internally selecting an entry for the upcoming 89th edition and only for the 89th edition, as they figured there was still a bit more promise with ElejamieVision.

After scouring the charts to see if there are any homegrown stars who’d be interested in taking part, they were able to get in contact with Ariana Benitez Landowska, aka Aribella, via her label. She had finished fourth the last season of the X Factor, which was completely different to the previous seasons due to the obvious reason. Auditions had to be given in video form, most of the rounds were done behind closed doors and the quarters, semis and the final itself saw a minimal audience having to socially distance themselves. Regardless, she gave some strong auditions and did consistently well as she regularly avoided finishing near the bottom, even if she was nowhere near the top of the rankings at the end of each week. Even though she was still eliminated, she was still able to snag a record contract and did a couple of songs that did well. And, as a fan of the contest, she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer given to her and was announced as the Elejamian participant for WV89.

The problem? Aribella wasn’t particularly keen on any of the songs provided. While one or two of them she liked, she thought they weren’t her sort of style or that someone would suit it better than she did. Naturally, this led to things becoming a bit strained before she was tasked to come up with a song by herself. She did struggle at first but a chance meeting with Patricio Esposito, who was formerly one half of Fata Morgana and one of her idols. Although he didn’t show much interest in it at first, he relented and agreed to help her with her predicament, much to the joy of her label who thought that having a former podium finisher would lead to a good result and hopefully good sales. And, as bonus points, he said that he only really wanted a one-time payment instead of any royalties which more than made up for him wanting complete control over the music.

However, Patricio was still extremely hesitant to return to the competition. First of all, the last time he took part in the competition was in the 75th edition with his best friend and former bandmate Yoni Maenilon a couple of nations had completely messed up their votes which saw them lose a point and, with that, the competition itself (don’t worry, I’m not going into any further detail). And secondly, after Aurora Cassidy came fifth at the 82nd edition in Tiferet (with a song his sister Soraya helped make) he went on an angry drunken rant where he called the contest a “monument to mediocrity”, a “one-sided popularity contest” and angrily called out a number of nations for what he saw were bad entries that inexplicably did well, although he did heap genuine praise on the winning Llaltese entry and, while he didn’t say it was his favourite, he did call it a worthy winner and a song he wouldn’t mind listening to again and again. It didn’t go down exactly well and indeed his sister completely called him out on it, and not just because he’s not supposed to be drinking.

So why did he agree to the return? Other than he felt a bit guilty disappointing someone who was pretty much an ordinary fan (as opposed to a stan, who nobody actually likes), he wanted to redeem himself and he wanted to give the competition a shot at redeeming itself in his eyes. But, more importantly, he felt like he was growing a bit stagnant and maybe producing an original song for the first time in over a year and a half would help him regain that spark. After all, following the dissolution of Fata Morgana Patricio decided to take a break from music. He married his fiancée a couple of weeks later and the two of them had their first child a number of months after. The only things he had been doing during that time were remixes, collaborations with his sister and remixing some of her sister’s stuff. The rest of the time he was just helping out around the house and looking after his daughter.

Now that he was back in the saddle, he had to get into the habit of actually composing his own tunes. Easier said than done especially since he’s never really heard a song by the person he’s working with. This wasn’t too much of a surprise, really, as he only listened to talk radio or his own collection of music during his downtime. But fortunately she managed to give him a couple of links to some songs and TV performances that she did While he did think her vocals ended up falling a bit flat at some parts, which he did mention in an email with her, overall he had a positive opinion on her singing and he said he’d be looking forward to working with her, as evidenced by him almost immediately trying to start work on a new project despite having no idea how to do it. He did manage to get a rough demo made after a few days of constant restarting and starting at random bits but it was still lacking in some areas, especially since he didn’t have a vocal track to work with. Fortunately, when he was sent a scratch track of her vocals for that song, he was able to refine it to how he wanted it. There were still a few issues he had with his final product, namely the fact that he didn’t like how the song just ended (as he couldn’t find a way to actually end it), but overall he was OK with what. At least it was a stepping stone to getting back on track.

Eventually, they got the final version of the song recorded, as well as a few extras (such as a Spanish-language version and an extended version that lasts 7:37) that they stuck onto the physical release just as an excuse to get people to buy it. They sent it to her label who approved of it but made a few obligatory changes that you’d expect from higher-ups. Fortunately they weren’t anything catastrophic, merely putting Patricio’s name first because he’s the more well-known artist (something he disapproved of but didn’t have the energy to fight) and maybe having someone tinker with the mix to make it sound louder, so there was no real need for him to call it quits and put everyone back to square one. The single was first released digitally before the physical copies were released the week after. Around that same time, ETV submitted it to the IBA and, once it was accepted, announced that they had found their entrant for the 89th edition in Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku. As for how Patricio felt about the whole ordeal? He didn’t care that much about any changes they might’ve done because he didn’t notice it a great deal and, while he felt the lyrics were another case of too many cooks ending up making up something half-arsed as well as a weak attempt to match Yoni’s skills, he thought she still sang them quite well and he still felt like he had the magic so he didn’t have much to complain about. And, of course, Aribella was still pleased to be working with one of her idols.

As the contest drew nearer Patricio, Aribella and their entourages flew out to the host nation. It wasn’t the first time an Elejamian act had performed in the country as, while there might’ve been a stopover here or a small concert there, they paled in comparison to Dinosaur Head performing at the 36th WorldVision over in Müllhipu, where they came 25th with 44 points. Fortunately, things have somewhat progressed for the country at the contest since then so Patricio and Aribella didn’t have a high bar to worry about. They had their week-long stay in quarantine, which gave them both ideas on how to do their performance and maybe any kinks they needed to iron out so it wasn’t all bad. It probably also helped that they deliberately ignored any news about the coronavirus, either to not bum themselves out about it or because they’re tired of hearing about it. Plus Patricio was savvy enough to get some cigarettes from the Duty-Free so he didn’t have to worry about running out mid-quarantine, even if they were a brand he didn’t really smoke.

Eventually, when they were allowed out and they weren’t doing anything related to performing, they went their own ways. Patricio and his wife Carrie decided to do some sightseeing such as hiking on the Backbone to get some fresh air, go whale watching because they were Carrie’s favourite animal and even visited a museum or two just to get inspiration. They even usually rounded up each night with some time spent at the Waterfront Bandshell for drinks and live music before heading back to their hotel. Aribella, meanwhile, stayed close to the city. She visited the Kuiskaten Setrejá Raceway to enjoy some racing, she did some shopping in Satavuotiskatu and she visited a club once or twice to get some dancing done. The two artists did team up and do a bit of promotion and even some bits for the camera but they primarily avoided too much interaction with one another when it wasn’t needed, presumably to dispel any rumours or notions that they were dating.

And so, the big night came. No turning back now, not especially after the days spent rehearsing, getting to grips with things and maybe a rewrite or a tweak if they felt something was a bit clunky. All of their energy was concentrated on putting on a good show. They made it to the Ametsuči Dome and were now waiting, not just to be called up to do the Parade of Nations bit but also to perform their entry. Would they be able to make it back to back top tens for the first time in nearly ten editions? Would Patricio even make his second podium appearance, hopefully without any last-minute fuckups? Will the vicious cycle carry on and ETV edge further and further closer to just leaving the competition? Here’s hoping it won’t be that last one.

---

Parade of Nations

“Elejamie we need you here in 30 seconds!”

That was the call from the production manager as Patricio and Aribella scrambled to get ready. He gave his wife a couple of quick words and a quicker kiss, whereas Aribella gave her mum a quick hug. The two of them grabbed their face masks and put them on before they stood in the required spot. They had already talked about what they were planning to do when they stepped out onto that stage, although they were drawn relatively early on in the running (10th), so they had to come up with an agreement much quicker than the last time he was in this situation. Luckily they did and they patiently waited

“Tres, dos, uno.” Patricio counted down to himself, with the production manager counting down as well but with her hand. At the right time he turned to Aribella and said to her “Vamos.”

It was then showtime. When they were given the signal to welcome themselves to the crowd, they stepped out and waved to the audience. A loud but not deafening roar filled the air as they stepped out onto the back bit of the stage. The cameras then cut to the duo as their name was read aloud. Patricio decided to stay at the back and do a bit of waving while Aribella was a bit more forward. She waved with both hands as she stepped closer to one of the cameras. She even pulled her mask down so her face was fully visible, if only so she could say something into the camera. “¡Hola papá! ¡Espero que estás bien!” After all, it was pretty much her song despite him being listed as the main artist, so he figured he’d let her get all the time in the Sun. He just made the music so he didn’t feel like he deserved that much credit.

It probably was also worth noting that they were wearing the outfits that they were going to perform in. Patricio was wearing a black polo shirt, a pair of black cargo pants and a pair of black and white trainers, along with the same pair of blue polarised aviator sunglasses that he wore back in Monterra. A pair he only wore for style and not for medical reasons. Aribella, meanwhile, wore a white sleeveless midi-dress with gold trim, along with a pair of white trainers, although the laces were black and were clearly a replacement for the original ones. The two of them were also wearing black face masks for the obvious reason even though they probably weren’t needed at the moment nor would they be worn throughout the performance, although Patricio’s was plain and Aribella’s had a cat face pattern on it.

Aribella then put her mask back up and reconvened with Patricio. He gave the audience a thumbs up before the two of them walked backstage. They had to clear the stage anyway because it was time for the next country (North Alezia) in the Parade to come on and have their entrant do their bit. There was nothing else to do other than to wait for any further instructions so they just headed back to their table in the green room. They kept their eyes open for everyone else who was participating, with Aribella wishing them good luck in both English and Spanish, before it was finally time for the competition to start. It was going to be a long night. At least Patricio brought a few “rillos” with him for when he needed them.

---

OK, it’s the entry now


The front cover of the digital release; the physical release is higher-def, feels less like a Pen & Pixel knock-off and features a sticker which reads “The Elejamian entry for the 89th WorldVision Song Contest in Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku!” in the bottom right corner. I would’ve made the back cover as well but that TfL thing went down a few years ago and I can’t seem to find a good train sign generator site to use instead.

The postcard had come to an end and, as always, we got a shot of the stage. A distant one, to be exact, with the camera zooming in closer to the stage. However, it was a bit different to the last competitions. The lighting was already minimal, with the only sources being screens from people’s phones, the necessary lighting needed for emergencies and whatever’s going on backstage. Although it wasn’t really picked up by the TV people, there was also a pre-recorded message letting the audience know that the following performance would contain flashing lights. While one could argue that there is a bit of irony in that Patricio is epileptic and is on medication for it, in reality he isn’t photosensitive so it’s not that much of an issue to him, although he still finds it a bit annoying especially since he’s the one making the music. Either way, we can make out a shadow at the front of the stage and another shadow at the back, surrounded by an array of instruments. They were both waiting for the cheering to die down and for their nerves to calm. The first thing happened, at least. And while Aribella was feeling as calm as she could be, Patricio felt like heading outside for another smoke despite just having one.

Fortunately, he was able to put that behind him and get the song started. After what sounded like a pitch shifted whistle, which was actually part of the song and was included because the music video ended up being filmed at a subway station (which also explains the single cover featured above), we then heard some programmed drums and then cut to a close-up of Patricio playing his instrument. There were a few lights concentrated on him with a couple of lasers going up and down in the distance, away from his eyes for obvious reasons. And it all helped show what his set-up was. Facing the left-hand side of the stage, he had a double-decker keyboard stand with a keyboard on both levels right in front of him, another filled up double-decker keyboard stand to his left and a table with an electronic drum pad to the stand he was in front of. The displays behind him and underneath him appeared to be turned off but, in reality, they were actually showing a black screen as evidenced by the black being a bit lighter than a normal turned off display. When the four-on-the-floor drums kicked in, the lasers started to turn on and shine a green ray of light up and down his torso, directly avoiding his eyes for obvious reasons.

And then it was time for the first verse to start. A light started to shine on her as the lights above Patricio started to dim. They were still on because the area surrounding him was a bit brighter than the rest of the dimmed stage but he was still shrouded by darkness. The camera then cut over to Aribella, who was looking down when the light started to shine on her. She lifted up her head and stared into the camera as she started to sing. The camera remained focused on showing her from the front just standing still and singing into the mic, although partway through the first line they faded into a cut of Patricio playing his instruments before the shot faded out shortly after the start of the second. During a small drum break during the second and third lines, the lights started to flicker before they went back to the way they were, something that was completely intentional as it was in sync with the drums. Indeed, when it did that, it went to a wide shot showing everyone on the stage. It then cut back to Aribella who carried on singing as she slowly lifted her right hand, her palm to the side and her fingers looking like she’s about to ball them up into a fist. Indeed, that’s what she did on the fifth line as she did a couple of fist bumps as she leaned forward and bobbed the upper half of her body up and down a couple of times with the beat, purely to emphasise a bit of it.

I’ve been waiting for a while
To say how I feel about you
We’re now alone
The two of us together
It should be the perfect time to speak

As the pre-chorus started, the lights besides her quickly brightened as she sang the first line and the stage display underneath them started to show little rings that not only appeared in random places but also strobed in time with the beat for a few seconds before flickering away and returning in a completely different place. Aribella’s eyes opened wide during the first line as she looked around, though during the break she bobbed her head back and forth a little bit while she kept looking around. This wasn’t for any dramatic effect or anything like that, it was just the way things were going for her. Both her head movements and the lights went back to the way they were just before the start of the second line. For the third line, Aribella was leaning forward and staring into the camera, her eyes wide open again with a pleading expression on her face before she started to slowly look down at the ground throughout the fourth line, keeping that expression on her face as the camera started to zoom out.

I want to tell you
But something’s stopping me
From letting it out
And I feel ashamed

And then it was time for the chorus. The lights went dark during that first line before a row of lights turned on and started to shine on Aribella just in time for it to start. The backing screens started to show white waveforms of the song against the black backgrounds, giving the audience a good idea of what was going on there. The lights began to form a circle around her, with one of them turning off and then turning back on when the light next to it turned off and so on. Patricio started to sway his head from side to side as he really got into making the music which the cameras really picked up on, while it cut over to Aribella partway through her third line. She had her hand out, bent in a way as if she was about to grasp something before she quickly moved it behind her back in a quick chopping motion, keeping herself like that until she reached the end of the sixth line, although she moved her body a little bit during that whole thing. Going into the seventh line she then lifted her head up and shook her head, causing her hair to fly a bit before she went around doing a myriad of poses for emphasis while the camera did a couple of different shots (even panning from right to left slightly while it did a Dutch angle right in front of her), even cutting away to Patricio still getting into playing his music. When it was time for the last verse, she rested both hands on the microphone as the camera went in for an extreme close up, with her doing another pleading expression on her face.

I don’t know what I can say
I’ve been waiting
Waiting for the right moment
But I can’t get it out
And I don’t know
When I’ll be able to
I just want you to know
How I’m feeling
But I can’t get the words out
And I don’t know
When I’ll be able to

Afterwards, we got an instrumental break. As the rear display went back to its normal light black, Patricio slid to his side and picked up a couple of sticks out of the drum pad right in front of him. It was just an ordinary one with a black body and dark grey circular pads that were spread out and raised an inch or two from the body. It also appeared to be custom made as there were a couple of stick holders to one side of it, just to make it easier to transport. He took the sticks out of the holders and started to perform a frantic solo with them. The camera went back and forth between shots of him playing his instrument and Aribella just dancing along on the spot. It was also at that point where it was a good idea that the commentators and the people at the arena gave out that seizure warning because the lights started to flash heavily at this point. The lasers were turned off even though they wouldn’t be that much of a concern and would probably be overshadowed by the flashes.

When that was over, he put his sticks down on the table and scooted over to his keyboards so he could get ready to play them. It was also at this point where the lights fortunately stopped flashing and instead just moved around quite a bit. The lasers still moved up and down around his torso while he carried on playing his instruments. In fact, most of the camera shots throughout this bit was simply him playing what he needed to play. Whether it be from the side, straight ahead or at an angle, he was the focus of attention. There were a few cuts back to Aribella who was slowly swaying or shaking on the spot to the music and even a wide shot showing them doing what they were doing with some fans in the front row positively reacting to the music. Or perhaps mesmerised by the light display. Shortly before it was her turn to sing again, she tilted her head down and looked down at the floor underneath her, the last ring strobing before it flickered away into nothing and no more rings would show up to do their thing. Not for now, anyway.

Then it was time for the next verse. He stood completely still as he pressed a key on his keyboard to his side. It was one of his older keyboards from his first band but he kept it around anyway because he felt it had the best choir sound. He also seemed to be a bit out of breath, no doubt because of the high energy display he had performed despite having a cigarette not too long ago. Fortunately the camera was mostly focused on Aribella. She was standing still and still staring deeply into the camera as she was singing. She also had an anxious or pained look on her face, mostly to keep with the whole "can't spit it out" theme of the song she was singing. Although the camera was fixated on her throughout the entire verse, there was a black and white faded picture-in-picture that came in before going out again. It was of Patricio still playing his keyboard from the side, although he was rocking his body back and forth a little bit because the music had picked up. Towards the end of the last line, Aribella was once again leaning forward and making a couple of fist pumps with the last few words, again to emphasise them.

I don't wanna keep on running
I know that won't fix a thing
Can't get in gear
Feels like nothing's working
And I'm choking when I try to speak

Onto the pre-chorus again now. Or, rather a slight variation on it, as Aribella only said one line. Her right arm stuck out and bending upwards, her fingers spread and her upper body was bending backwards a little bit. Her left hand was still clutching the mic right in front of her mouth. Although the camera was at a medium shot, it was also in a position where Patricio was just visible on the right hand side of the screen, hunched over as he played his instruments and the lasers still going up and down as if they were still scanning him.

I want to tell you!

After Aribella finished singing the previous line she lifted her arms straight up in the air as the stage dimmed around her. Furthermore the shot started to fade to black. Off-camera, the spotlight started to shine back on Patricio as he started to play one of his keyboards again. The camera faded into a panning shot of him playing it, going from right to left before it faded out again. A few seconds later, it faded into a tilting shot of him from the side playing his instrument while a faded picture-in-picture shot of him playing from the front showed in the top right corner; that too, faded out after a few seconds. It then faded in again once more but it was a front shot of Aribella, head down in darkness as she waited for her next bit.

When it was her turn to sing again, Aribella lifted her head up, leaned forward and started to sing into the mic. While the camera was busy filming her from the side, Patricio was off-screen moving over to his right a bit. When the camera quickly cut back over to him, he was playing his bass keyboard with one hand. With his other, however, he had picked up one of the drum sticks and started to hit it against one of the pads of his drum kit. The lights around the foot of the stage and above it also started to flash at this bit, although the lasers were turned off because they weren’t necessary for this bit. When we cut back to Aribella for the third line, her fist was by her side and she was shaking it up and down a little bit before she turned her head to the side. When it came to the fourth line she turned her head again to face the crowd before she leaned back a little bit, moving her head away from the mic to get a bit of breath before she sang the chorus.

I want to tell you
But I'm too afraid
Of what might happen
But I wanna try

It was time for the chorus again. The stage lights stopped flashing and turned off just as soon as she sang the first couple of words before it exploded into light when the music kicked back in. Indeed, in the lead up to it Patricio put his stick down on the table and immediately slid back over to where he was earlier so he could carry on playing his keyboards like he did earlier. At that point, it was essentially the same as the last time the chorus had played. Same cuts, most of the same movements and Patricio still getting really into his song. Not much else to say really, and not just because I can't seem to think of how to differentiate it.

I don’t know what I can say
I’ve been waiting
Waiting for the right moment
But I can’t get it out
And I don’t know
When I’ll be able to
I just want you to know
How I’m feeling
But I can’t get the words out
And I don’t know
When I’ll be able to

At that point, the song started to come to an end. No extended intro or anything, mostly because Patricio wasn’t able to think of anything but also because he felt that it wasn’t the sort of song that warranted one. It wasn’t the first time, as his last WorldVision song also ended shortly after the last lines of the song. As the last synthesised drum beat came to an end and faded out with the rest of the track, the lights started to dim. Aribella was looking down at the ground and seemed to be breathing heavily, although fortunately she had moved the mic down to about waist-level so it wasn’t picked up and she only really did it for some kind of dramatic effect. Off-screen Patricio stood back from his equipment and started to put his drum sticks back into their holders.

Just as the song faded out, the crowd started to applaud the act that they had seen. There were a few fans waving their flags, holding up signs or even waving at the audience whenever they were able to notice the camera. While it’s still up in the air over whether it was because they had enjoyed the performance and the song or if it was to be polite, Aribella looked back up just as the lights turned back on. She was breathing normally again and smiled at the crowd. Patricio got out from behind his position and walked over to the front of the stage and the two of them bowed. She walked up to him and then started to speak into the mic. “¡Gracias! Thank you, Äuszer! I love you all very much, have a great evening!”

Patricio didn’t say anything other than a simple “Gracias.” that was picked up by the mic but was barely audible over the crowd. After all, he wanted his role to be low-key and he didn’t really have a whole lot to say. And, as previously mentioned, he felt that this was Aribella’s song so he wanted her to have the whole spotlight. He also gave a slight wave before he went back to where he was earlier so he could pick up a couple of things. He started to head off backstage with the table and his electronic drum kit, sticks in holders. Aribella didn’t carry anything with her but it was more due to her being all fingers and thumbs and she didn’t want to risk dropping any of his keyboards. The stagehands helped with the rest of the stuff as they helped North Alezia’s very own Arlianna Safarudiyyah get ready for her song. Patricio and Aribella sat down back at their table in the green room and, after receiving a bit of support from their entourage, started to relax. The hard part was over, now it was just a question of whether or not it would pay off.

---

A little extra bonus recap

After we see the Britonish act Shaughna Lucera and her entourage cheering for the camera, waving their flags and everything else, we then cut to a snippet of the Elejamian performance. More accurately, we have the first couple of words said during the face before we get the chorus, with Patricio moving his head from side to side as he played his keyboards. Probably not the best thing to show to refresh everyone's memories but hey, if he was enjoying it then it might actually be a good song. The rest of it was just simply the chorus again with the white waveforms against the light black backing screens, the lights above Aribella turning off and on again one after another in a circle, the rings strobing before disappearing and reappearing on a different part of the floor projector, Aribella's moves as she was simply standing there and everything else this rather minimalist performance gave us.

Just as we get to the "I just want you to know" line, we then cut over to Aribella, Patricio and everyone else they had brought along with them (namely a couple of people who had helped make the song, Aribella's parents and Patricio's wife Carrie) in the green room. Almost everyone was cheering for the cameras, what with them saying "WOOOOO!" and everything like that. A few of them smiling and waving while the rest of the people cheering were waving Elejamian flags. Aribella was even blowing a couple of kisses to the camera. The only person who wasn't participating in the cheers was Patricio, who was hunched forward a little bit and had his shades lowered a bit so you could see his dark brown eyes. He was disinterestedly waving his flag back and forth while he had a facial expression that simply said "Help me, I am in hell". A complete 180 from the last time he was featured in a WorldVision recap. These cheers carried on until it was time to cut away and to cut the music, for it was time to recap North Alezia's performance...

[North Alezia]

Habisyul Damaqqi: So you won Alma...
Arlianna S.: Yes...
Habisyul Damaqqi: And you got the ticket to represent North Alezia.
Arlianna S.: Yes.
Habisyul Damaqqi: And your song got so popular in all parts, that they said that you pulled a season five on everyone.
Arlianna S.: True indeed.
Habisyul Damaqqi: Well I think you got a good chance on winning the Worldvision Song Contest.
Arlianna S.: Hopefully. I think my song is pretty good, so hopefully. And North Alezia can win this either now, or in the future. We will win hopefully.
Habisyul Damaqqi: Come on, let's be optimistic. Who knows something happened and YOU bring the trophy here at another episode of this crazy talkshow?
Arlianna S.: Ahahahaa. You're right, but you know, I just don't want to be complacent.
Habisyul Damaqqi: Right. OKAY! Thank you for coming here and talk about Worldvision Song Contest with us, Ms. Arlianna Safarudiyyah! Just a reminder, the 89th Worldvision Song Contest will be broadcasted live from Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku at [date still tba, still waiting for answer] at 8 in the evening right on ABA Channel 3! And we will continue talking about stuff with Arlianna Safarudiyyah here, so don't go anywhere, why? Because!!!
(Everyone in the studio): THAAAAAAAATSSSS TEEEEEA! (while pointing at a glass (not cup) of tea)

-That's Tea Episode 1177

North Alezia has participated in every edition since debuting in Worldvision 82 held in Tiferet, Ertzei Kishim which resulted on Imara Syafani earning 17th with 117 points. However, North Alezia will jump to nearly winning one edition later with Samara and Izdar's My Life Falls Apart Before Me. After that, North Alezia suffered from a fall from 2nd to 11th then 15th. And North Alezia returned to form in Worldvision 86 and 87 earning top 10 on those two edition, but sadly falls back to 15th. This edition, North Alezia once again tries for top 10, or even top 3.

The Worldvision Song Contest remains as North Alezia's MOST watched television show in North Alezia, raking in around 90 to 120 million viewers per edition in North Alezia. The reason is that North Alezians like music and likes to make friends with other countries. The effort has even been supported by the Premier and the Government, citing that "The Worldvision Song Contest is a great way to present North Alezia to the world as flexible, free, and friendly."

Arlianna Safarudiyyah is a North Alezian chemist and (perhaps one-time or hopefully more in the future) singer who was born in Itabqa, Zafizamarrah (Located just west of the Metropolitan City) in 15th of April 1996. She was the youngest child from Mazalialqa Safaruddin and Isarqiana Sa'amirah. She has been touching with music ever since she was young. She knows how to play the drum by heart because she has been playing it since she was five with a recording of her first ever drumming which she still keeps secret and would rather be forever. She is unmarried and still lives in Itaqba, but moved out from her parents' house.

Arlianna is a star student, getting the best grades in school, especially in Chemistry. And she aspires in Chemistry so much that she finished her tertiary education in Chemistry at the Science Institute of Zafizamarrah (a BIG science institute in North Alezia) just two years ago (2019), and landed herself a job in Petrolezia doing chemical stuff.

Other than being a good chemist, she is also a good musician, as well as the drums written earlier, Arlianna can also sing. She has also won Petrolezia Got Talent in 2020 which is held virtually where she sung "Tape Three, Tape Twenty Two Thousand Twenty Two" by Husrina Madalier. Since she was busy with her work, she didn't have time to sing or stuff except when it is indeed free time or it's summer or winter break where she might record one songs or two and never release it. One day one of her coworkers suggested that she tries for Alma through a regional competition called "ZafiVision". Arlianna tried, and eventually becoming a regional favorite after singing "Majnun" by Mina Al-Diyyah, which if you remember, is the North Alezian entry back in World Hit Festival 53.

Being from the capital, Arlianna got big pressure from people that wants the Capital to return to form and win again. And with "Paramedical", she won the trophy by a great margin and earned the right to represent North Alezia in the Worldvision 89.

Paramedical is a song about falling in love so much that the singer needs to call a Paramedic (or actually in this case, Paramedical which in North Alezia, also refers to the occupation like "What do you do? Oh I'm a Paramedical.") to calm herself down. But even with Paramedics, she can't help but fall in love. The singers falls in love so much that she needs to call 111 (North Alezian Emergency Services).

The song is written by Rahmat Zahulafi-Yamaqzul or RZY who was North Alezia's debutant for World Hit Festival 52. He earned 6th in the competition with the song "Kalimat". While the lyrics was written by Arlianna herself. She gained inspiration from her friend who is a Paramedic and her other friend who is a Doctor.

Originally, Andi Robi Idris Novogrody was going to assist in composing the entry, however he got put to work in World Hit Festival 57 in Amiens a few weeks ago (which resulted them 6th), and Robi said that he wants to take a rest and enjoy time with his children and watch football (Independent Associations Cup) where North Alezia will probably suffer more and more than 8-0. (Actually it's getting better, and we're actually doing great in hockey!)

Arlianna has a blog that she wrote to every day! Here we give you her most important blog post that relates to this competition.

ENTRY 01 - Pre-Zafivision
Hello, readers! Arlianna back again with a post in my blog.

Recently my friend Uszari talked to me asking me to try in Zafivision. He knew I sang a lot. But what he didn't know that I don't actually want to do that for now, as my music abilities are still mediocre at best (imo)

Well, Uszari told everyone, and now EVERYONE wanted me to go, atleast to represent Zafizamarrah in Alma. I literally shouted, "ALMA?!" You got to be insane.

And now, I'm currently finding songs that I made that I haven't released to the public (as if I would do that) and I found Paramedical. Ugh. Wish me luck.

ENTRY 02 - Zafivision
Hello, readers! Arlianna back again with a post in my blog.

So continuing about Zafivision. I will tell how I did later in this post, but before Imma tell you what happened. So, Zafivision this season was held in Polkadot Mall and there were literally a thousand people sending in their application, and now we have 15 people in the competition. And in the group, there is.... Mazakki Yabliqani. One of the most famous North Alezian singers. And I'm talking NATIONAL here. I felt that I'm about to threw up right at my chair.

So right, I sung my song, "Paramedical"... And.... I don't even know how it happened. But...
.
.
.
I got selected to represent Zafizamarrah. Welp. Time to revamp this (for now) catastrophe. Wish me luck for Alma, y'all
By the way, the reaction at my workplace realizing that I won Zafivision? Can we say that the entire office (not the plant because that will be dangerous and the government will fine usso no) got "ransacked"? Yeah they're pretty crazy.

ENTRY 3 - Alma
Hello, readers! Arlianna back again with a new post in this blog!

Well, so, I got to represent Zafi. Zafi is the capital of North Alezia. Zafi is the region that all the others look to for aspiration. And yet we stopped winning after what is it? Season three? Anyways, Basically, the pressure is harder than that Hydraulic Pressure stuff I saw on TV. Way harder. I mean, "We are the capital, we should be the best!"

I literally thought that I won't win because y'know, Ethan Clarkes got a good song, I like that mystery song... Basna is my dang favorite like I like bands. Never once a thought of holding that glass trophy and going outside the country pass through my head. All six songs including mine has been sung. And I don't know how this happened, but....
.
.
.
.
I won Alma. Zafizamarranians are getting crazy when I saw their reaction from the screen at ABASphere, later they said that I broke Tel Hadiv's hattrick. I received the trophy and the ticket to the Worldvision Song Contest. And I won by a landslide. Now the pressure is harder. But in some ways, I definitely got estatic. And don't ask how my coworkers reacted. So yeah, I got paid vacation, and I drove from home to ABASphere and back, and repeat, and repeat.

ENTRY 4- Song Preparation and Flight to Todlichebujoku
Hello y'all, this is Arlianna with another blog post! A big one this time.

So, I won Alma, now Paramedical has to be revamped. HARD. Because impossible that we'll do well with my unstable version. So I called Rahmat Zahulafi-Yamaqzul (WHF 52) and asked for his help which he responded happily because he said that he wanted to do Worldvision for long, but he always fail in Zafivision he said. We revamped it, and honestly, I'm very thankful to him the team that has made it happen. Other than the rehearsal stuff, I got a lot of stuff I've experienced. One, my instagram account @ArlieSa exploded in followers and they have been sending me very positive comments (with some critical ones which I will definitely put to mind on doing my choreography, maybe I'll do a final albeit minor revamp to the song) and I got motivated by it. I also got the chance to sing "Paramedical" in various TV shows. My favorite appearance (which is also the most tiring) is on Episode 1177 of That's Tea. I got to talk a lot there, I sang the song. The funniest moment there which I might as well never forget is the moment where Habisyul Damaqqi danced to Paramedical, moving his hips so hard that he lost balance and spilled his tea. We have to make another glass of tea after that.

Anyway, I got to practice choreography, meet with the backing dancers, discussing about the event and how should we present ourselves to the people of Todlichebujoku... It's really that tight of a schedule. And by the way, since North Alezia found out that there are a lot of universes out there, the world became a lot bigger. Especially Todlichebujoku. I don't really know about we going on dragons. They said they are tame, but yeah. I'll doubt that. We'll just go by interdimensional plane portal like we always do thank you.

And a few days later, and few choreography redraws, we flew to Todlichebujoku. We started at Mukhlis Krasnaya Novogrody International Airport, and apparently, I'm the last one. Oof. Should've set that alarm earlier. But I got excited the night before. And when we arrived. I gotta say. AUSZER IS MASSIVE. Sure Zafizamarrah is big, Don't get me wrong. But look at the buildings here. Oh my, oh my. How I start to like this place. And the cuisine, is beautiful. I like seafood, so it's a match I'd say. And I won't tell you how much stuff I got from that business district called "Satavuotiskatu"...

ENTRY 5 - Pre Worldvision Rehearsing
Hey everyone, Arlianna's here with her new blog post!

So, I finally got to visit Ametsuči Dome. And this thing is massive. Honestly, if the government hear this, We should expand the National Stadium to allow more than 50,000 seats... But then, where to put the expansion, putting two new pillars passing through Muhadarim Avenue? Not going to happen.

And I rehearsed there, got things done nicely with the help of the TOBUK camera team. Appreciate it. Anyway, yeah, rehearsing was fun, I got to meet other artists, and we talked about various things. And our team got tea afterwards. Love it.

ENTRY 6 - Worldvision (Before Results)
Hello! Arlianna with a special blog post here! And I'm currently in venue so that means I wrote this in mobile.

So, here I'm writing before I actually got out in front of the stage... Me and my backing dancers get our final makeup done... Anyway I like our design, really lovely. And we actually use that dang LED screen, which is a new for North Alezia.

This thing is massive, and I see a lot of artist from various countries dressing their best, and now I'm getting less and less confident. Dangit. Keep it together. Well, the hopes of the country in Worldvision are in my hands snd the North Alezian team's hands now. I got out from the back door and I followed a pre-planned walk to the stage for my Parade of Nations. By the way I walked there myself, and I walk after Elejamie's Patricio Esposito and Aribella.

I'm getting nervous, and I don't know how well I'll do. If I win, that'll be the best thing that has ever happened in my life. If I don't, the experience is still great and my singing career might as well elevate after this competition.

Wish me the best of luck, everyone!

Paramedical
Singer: Arlianna Safarudiyyah


Backing Singers :
1. Harqanniah Muhasina
2. Akita Razahnayn
3. Iszana Matta
4. Toriqqa Sarinahulafayna

Music: Arlianna Safarudiyyah, Rahmat Zahulafi-Yamaqzul
Lyrics: Arlianna Safarudiyyah

(The postcard ended, the audience applaused. Firstly, the view is pointed at the usual spot, then as the first "ooohs" start rolling on, the view quickly changes from the top of the stage running all the way down to the front of Arlianna with her backing dancer, keep in mind that the stage is dark at first. Suddenly, as the instrumental plays, the view changes to one backing dancer wearing an ancient arabian clothing holds a candle on a small bowl which is already lighted on. The dancer played with it, moving the bowl slowly while staring at the camera for a few seconds and then the dancer runs to the center of the group before Arlianna sung her first verse)

(I need a Para-para-pa-
Para-para-pa
Paramedical)

(The view changes to the a steadicam situated in front of the group, with the lights dim, all four backing dancers lights on their candles while the camera slowly raises upwards revealing Arlianna in the middle wearing the same ancient arabian clothing as the backing dancers wearing a head microphone.

Drowning in emotions of love
You are the, single key, to the heart o-of me
You are my only penicilin
Your love made my body feeling numb against pain

(Staying at the same position, The front backing dancers lie down facing the audience, putting their candles on the floor, while the back backing dancers face opposite sides away from Arlianna and raised their candles with their left hand, at the same time a light behind the group lights up, revealing Arlianna in full. At the third sentence especially at the "I've fainted", Arlianna falls herself backwards to be caught by the standing back dancers who holds her from falling to the floor with their not-busy hand.)

You're the one that I wanted
One-one-one's what I need
You're the one cause I think I've fainted

(Suddenly, all lights became dim, then lights up again and the LED shows a video. And the front backing dancers put their candles on the floor and the back backing dancers put their candles on the floor behind them. Then reorganize to form a straight line. The group starts moving their hips to the tune, left-left-right-right-left-right-left-right. The camera shows all the team dancing and synchronizing together sliding from left to right.)

I need a Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Paramedical

(The group did the same move but now the view changes to the steadicam situated at the right side of the stage, who slides to the left, prompting Arlianna to look at the camera when it reaches her viewpoint.)

I have been Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Pa-Paragraphing

(The backing dancers spins a full circle, while Arlianna points both of her hands at the audience. Then she opens her hands, flips both of them, and then followed quickly by Arlianna putting her hands together like someone doing a high-five (just without the high five))

Don't even ask why
I think you're the one that I wanna try

(Her backing dancers copied Arlianna's hand gestures, and they all start moving their hips again as before added with the hand gesture)

I need a Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Paramedical

(The group makes a vertical line, Arlianna behind, raising her right hand, while immediately the lights became dim, and the LED screen returns to black, overhead lamps one by one, substituting the other, lights dancing over the group, getting faster by seconds. The backing dancers crouches in different height depending on the dancer's position. The dancer on the front crouch the lowest, while the dancer in front of Arlianna crouch the highest, not too high that it blocks Arlianna or anyone's view. On "HEY", all backing dancers raised both of their hands to the sky.)

(HEY!.....AY-ZED!)

(Pa-pa-ra-medical)
(AY-ZED)

(Pa-ra-pa)

(One by one, each "Pa" was sung, Arlianna would raise her left and right hand like a gun directing it to various parts of the stage, and her finger would always be followed by the camera. First at the left side, then the right side, then the lower left side, then the right side, then the ceiling, then the camera situated on the far side of the ceiling, which then followed by a quick zoom in visual effect that changes view directly to the front side camera with Arlianna pointing her fingers at the camera in front of her)

(Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa)

Pa-Paramedical

(The line disperse, and the group returns to the original formation. And Arlianna raises her hand and shapes it like a candle, flowing it left and right. The backing dancers pick their candles again. The backing dancers face diagonally facing the audience)

(oooohh....)

(Arlianna spreads her left hand to the front facing the camera.)

Ain't it insane that I need IV?
And my journal said that you're the one that they envy?

(Arlianna puts her left hand away from the camera, and raised it sideways. In the "one-one-one" part, Arlianna moved her shoulders up and down alternatively.)

You're the one that I wanted
One-one-one's what I need
You're the one cause I think I've fainted

(Suddenly, all lights became dim, then lights up again and the LED shows a video. And the front backing dancers put their candles on the floor and the back backing dancers put their candles on the floor behind them. Then reorganize to form a straight line. The group starts moving their hips to the tune, left-left-right-right-left-right-left-right. The camera shows all the team dancing and synchronizing together sliding from left to right.)

I need a Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Paramedical

I have been Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Pa-Paragraphing

(The backing dancers spins a full circle, while Arlianna points both of her hands at the audience. Then she opens her hands, flips both of them, and then followed quickly by Arlianna putting her hands together like someone doing a high-five (just without the high five))

Don't even ask why
I think you're the one that I wanna try

(Her backing dancers copied Arlianna's hand gestures, and they all start moving their hips again as before added with the hand gesture)

I need a Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Paramedical

(Arlianna points her right hand facing the camera, and while that happens, the group shapes a vertical line again and the camera zooms out, which is then followed by the backing dancers giving way for Arlianna to "tell" the camera to zoom in, which is followed by the camera accordingly zooming in to Arlianna.)

(oooooh)
Para-paramedical
Pa-Paramedical

(The lights got dim again, followed by a lot of light flickering above. Now with the addition of flames flaring from the bottom. The backing dancers disperse away from Arlianna in order to give her the spot light.)

(HEY!.....AY-ZED!)
(Pa-pa-pa-pa)

(The flames is off, Arlianna stands alone with an overhead light above her lighting on. Arlianna moved her hand elegantly, moving some golden bracelet (not actually made from gold), and her wristwatch. She also moved her shoulders slowly and surely. At the fourth sentence, each syllable is met with a single shot of fireworks. And at the last sentence, Arlianna once again points her finger at the camera in front of her.)

(Pa-paramedical)
لا تجرؤ على اللعب الغبي (la tujriw ealaa allaeb alghabii)
ضربة واحدة ووقعت في الحب (darbat wahidat wawaqaeat fi alhabi)
انا احتاجك لتحبني ('iinaa aihtajik litahabuni)
انها الحقيقة ('iinaha alhaqiqi)
Pa-Paramedical

Don't You Dare Play Dumb
One single hit and I fell in love
I need you to love me
It's the truth

(The lights became dim again, the backing dancers joined her again forming a horizontal line, moving their hips just the same as before.)

I need a Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Pa-ramedical

(Arlianna gestures her hand like she is calling someone silently, and the backing dancers putting their candles on the floor in front of them.)

oooh

(The group moves their hips again, holding their hands together.)

Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Pa-ramedical

Para-para-pa
Para-para-pa
Pa-ramedical

(Arlianna first looked at the camera calmly at the first sentence, then One by one, each "Pa" was sung, followed by her backing dancer, Arlianna would raise her left and right hand like a gun directing it to various parts of the stage, and her finger would always be followed by the camera. First at the left side, then the right side, then the lower left side, then the right side, then the ceiling, then at the last sentence, the group points their finger at the camera situated on the far side of the ceiling, which then followed by a quick zoom in visual effect that changes view directly to the front side camera with Arlianna pointing her fingers at the camera in front of her)

So give me
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa
Pa-paramedical

(The instrumental ends, the audience applaused, Arlianna smiled happily, and shouted "SHUKRAN KASIIRA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH TODLICHEBUJOKU! LOVE FROM TEAM EN-AY-ZED!" The backing dancers celebrated as well which then followed by them bowing to the audience and them bringing their candles back with them, and then the view changes to a team of North Alezians celebrating their entry with North Alezian flags and one even brought in a bear plushie. )

[Ertzei Kishim]

. : 12 - Ertzei Kishim - أراضي الكيش - ארצי כישים : .
Sderot Rothschild - Mahari Na (Please Hurry)
סדרות רוטשילד - מהרי נא
Language: English, Hebrew
Lyrics & Composition: Roï Danker, Ran Ben Almog, Daniel Elgazi, Tomer Aharoni
To the Tune Of - You Me at Six - SUCKAPUNCH

The previous contest in Flavezztowland City feels like an age ago! Rhim Flavezztowland, hosting for the first time, put on a spectacular competition for the world. Tanya Benisti who was the Kishraeli entrant lit up the stage with her performance, and hopes were high that she was in with a shot of winning, especially as the Kishraeli fans had not pegged other entries to do better. Then the voting started... and it was not good for Ertzei Kishim. The delegation were stunned as the results came in. Some spare throw away points here and there, but by the halfway of the jury voting, Ertzei Kishim sat 13th with 34 points - much lower than HARESHET, the Kishraeli fans, and even Tanya expected to be. Luckily, Tanya kept her cool and never lost her smile as the voting progressed. Luckily for Ertzei Kishim, these handfuls of points became increasingly more common. By the end of the jury voting, EK had risen to 3rd in the table, interestingly not receiving a single 12 point - how long ago did that last occur? Kishrael finished 6th in the televote, jointly with Scotatrova and Carrelie, which in the end was enough for the country to hold onto its podium finish, a third third-place finish in four editions. The point total was slightly lower, and the enthusiasm around Tanya's entry was not quite as high as other podium finishes, but it got the job done. The Izmeduan winner was simply uncatchable, with a massive 273 point total. Ertzei Kishim did not vote for the winning entry, nor the second place one, but then nobody expected it to. WE DIDN'T INVITE OURSELVES TO THE PARTY. With the contest wrapped up, HARESHET made preparations for the next edition, starting with a new edition of Kdam-WorldVision.

Kdam WorldVision returned for the 89th edition, with a wide variety of songs for the Kishraeli public to choose from. The pre-contest favourite was Yona Begrouti, who had already scored a number one hit in Ertzei Kishim before the contest aired, but in fact it was Sderot Rothschild, a group formed amongst students who studied at Rakaphy State University some two-years ago, who took the crown. Their song was a surprise winner of the night, narrowly pipping the jury vote with 12 points from the Elejami and Achaean juries, before storming to a televote victory with a 19 point lead on their closest competitors, giving them a lead of some 27 points over runner up Tal Turjeman. Simultaneously, HARESHET had in fact produced a comprehensive bid to host the 89th edition of the contest, some 7 editions after the last time that the contest came to Ertzei Kishim. The plan was to shine a light on Rakaphy, indeed as the other big city in Ertzei Kishim, it would have only been right to do so after Tiferet hosted so recently. Equally, Sderot Rothschild would be on their home soil, something of a beautiful fairytale story for the band. The bid was a risk, as it engineered a total transformation of the contest's format as HARESHET had successfully done in WorldVision 82 with the introduction of the televote. This time it offered the introduction of semi-finals, which would see nations compete in two semi-finals in order to qualify for a grand final. Unfortunately the bid was unsuccessful, with a sleek bid from Äuszer, Todlichebujöku eventually beating the bid from Rakaphy into second place; a number of nations had expressed their fear of not qualifying under the proposed format.

The Album Art for "Mahari Na" by Sderot Rothschild

Sderot Rothschild, fronted by lead singer Roï Danker, were formed at Rakaphy State University with the band mates all students on a variety of different courses at the institution. The band was named after the street on which their university was based in Rakaphy, Sderot Rothschild, but with a change of spelling to make it "cool". They had performed on the local circuit while in university, appearing in a number of trendy bars in Rakaphy, and later further afield in Tiferet, before attempting to do this professionally after they graduated. Their victory at Kdam gave the band an opportunity of a contract at the state music label, but this was conditional on a good performance at WorldVision. Typically, their music tended towards the alternative rock/indie-pop vibe and their WorldVision song was to remain true to this vision, however it did contain some hints of dancey instrumentals as is typical of most Kishraeli entries. With that said, Sderot Rothschild's participation marked an interesting change in direction for the Kishraelis at WorldVision. In an interview with HARESHET, Danker described the song as a 'complicated'. He continued 'We wanted to write a song which detailed what it's like to be in an unequal situation, it's not necessarily about love, but it could be... we don't know, we wanted it to have a versatile message and reach out to a wider audience, but we do know is that we believe every word we wrote'. The song was primarily written in English to appeal to a mass market, but the band thought it important as a symbol of national identity and pride to include a few lines of Hebrew, indeed, the song title was decided on the repeated Hebrew line 'Mahari Na', meaning 'Please Hurry'.

Todlichebujoku had not given the Ertzei Kishim delegation, or any delegation for that matter, any COVID-19 guidance. One must assume that Todlichebujoku was COVID-free unlike most of the countries in WorldVision, but one would find that hard to believe. The Kishraeli delegation did not quarantine like they had done in other recent countries, rather, they went straight ahead and lapped up the culture. Äuszer was a cold city, particularly in comparison to the average temperatures in Ertzei Kishim, and the band were almost caught out by said cold, yet a quick shopping trip sorted out a cute and warm outfit for the boys, very cute indeed. Everything looked sharp, almost sterile, as many Kishraelis would expect from a Todlichebujoki city. Part of the press tour involved the band travelling around on the zipping public transport, tasting sweet-iced desserts at lunchtime, to posing outside some pointy hilltop castles in the evening. In some ways, it was exhausting, combining the press aspects with the rehearsals. While the boys of Sderot Rothschild were hits with bloggers and media, they couldn't help but find it tiring as natural introverts. While music was a release for them, the social aspect of being in the spotlight was a little harder to deal with than they initially expected.

If the Tobuki stage was to be described, the word one would use would be... tall... it was very tall. The issue that the band found was that, despite the stage's height, and the wings upon which items could be placed, the space on the stage floor was extremely small. Initially out of the question was to place the non singing band members on the wings of the stage, as the band were adamant that this performance was about all of them, not just Roï. They did manage to fit all band members, with their instruments on stage, those being drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar, as well as space for an additional backing singer, however they were spread thin along the width of the stage, meaning clever camera angles were going to be needed to make the space look somewhat deeper. The cheering died down as the North Alezian performers came off the stage, and the Kishraeli postcard began to be played on the screens. During this time the backstage crew quickly assembled the instruments onto their positions, with the band running on soon after. Everyone had their place, with Roï in the centre, ready to perform their song. As the first notes of the song rang out, the band members began miming their instruments, they were of course not playing live. Roï leans into the microphone and starts singing, almost crooning into it. He's dressed relatively casually, with a khaki jacket rolled up to his elbows, jeans and a button up navy shirt... it's chic.

For just a minute
I’ll stop the whole world
I’m trying to hold on
But it’s getting heavy…
It’s getting so damn heavy…

As the song picks up in speed, led primarily by the introduction of a quickening drumbeat, the first shot of the next part focuses directly on the drummer, Ran Ben Almog, before cutting away back to Roï. At this point, the stage LEDs begin pulsing a deep red, and spotlights at the bottom of the stage start swirling and projecting softer reds into the audience. As he sings "Seems we've learnt nothing", Roï closes his eyes. The camera then does a close up panning across the front of his face, before he opens his eyes while the shot is still close.

Time to reorder
The cycle is repeating
Words losing meaning
Seems we’ve learnt nothing
And it’s killing me…

The camera once again focuses on one of his band mates, this time Daniel Elgazi and Tomer Aharoni, the bassist and guitarist are focused on, they can be seen from the same shot but are still draped in the dark red and are not totally distinguishable. That is of course, how they would prefer it to be anyway. It returns to a frontal shot of Roï singing the bridge, and then shows a shot of the stage from above. On the jutting peninsula of the stage, the red LED stage lights begin flowing into a grey colour on the peninsula, acting as a very literal interpretation of the lyrics in the song. The song then bursts into a 'rock-style' breakdown, at which point Roï bounces away from the microphone and forward to interact with the crowd. It then cuts to shots of the band, one after the other giving it their all miming their instruments - it is in fact a very convincing interpretation by the group. At the sides of the stage, the soft red strobe lights turn into darker red ones, and spin at a faster rate in time with the song.

Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale

The stage returns to how it as in the previous verse, however the pulsing of the LEDs is now at a quicker tempo to represent the current speed of the music. Momentum in the track was building and as a result the energy on the stage was also matched. Roï moved onto the peninsula part of the stage, removing the microphone from its stand. He began singing into himself, two hands over the microphone as he put it up close to his lips. The lower of the stage began to be filled with smoke, and as it did so, the floor LEDs turned dark so as to darken the smoke into black. It began rising to around his waist, covering his lower half in a black smoke.

Give me distractions
Reckless abstraction
Tired of inaction
But I keep spinning around
This engulfing void

As the bridge came about, Roï began singing the title words of the song, the most recognisable parts indeed. He began moving among the mist, holding his microphone in one hand while using his other hand to swipe through the smoke, wafting jets of smoke up and around his face. As he did this, it appeared random, but each time he wafted the smoke a sound effect, almost as if a dragon was flying by, like a "whoosh" occured, suggesting this was carefully choreographed. The whooshes added weight to the bridge was consistently getting heavier as it moved into the chorus.

Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Translation: "Please hurry, the force of gravity is killing me"

For the chorus, the screens at home showed a shot of Roï's head as he sung. It was mirrored on the other half of the screen, and then they were overlaid onto one another and made translucent. Thus the two shots of his head would move at the same time, and then blend into one another creating an almost psychedelic effect. At the same time, the screen had a soft red overlay with what appeared to be embers flying around it. Thus, the image presented on the screens of those at home was almost frantic, but it represented a building of intensity in the song coinciding with a more intense visual.

Ohhhh, pull me into your gravity
I keep spinning around you
I can’t break free into the empty space
Ohhhh world can you stop for me
Dancing on the narrow axis between love and hate
Tears build in my eyes
The colours keep bleeding
Mahari na, ha'ykum holekh umitkarer*

*מהרי נא היקום הולך ומתקרר

Translation: *"Please hurry, the universe is getting colder"

The final bridge, and the penultimate part of the song calmed the whole song down for a moment. The stage changed from the reddish hues, to dark ones, almost completely black in fact. A single spotlight shone on Roï from above and behind, thus creating a complete silhouette of his body. He had lowered his head and almost hunched his shoulders. As he began singing a camera shot panned across his front, showing the top half of his body, then faded out into another which focused mainly on his head. Throughout singing this whole part of the song Roï didn't look up once, and the quieter instrumental allowed for the cheering of the fans to be heard in the background.

Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Mahari na, mahari na

מהרי נא, מהרי נא

Colour bleeds, into the deepest hues of grey scale
Mahari na, koakh ha'kvida hores oti

מהרי נא, כוח הכבידה הורס אותי

Colour bleeds, colour bleeds
Mahari na, mahari na

מהרי נא, מהרי נא

Translation: "Please hurry, the force of gravity is killing me"

The first few lines of the final chorus sounded almost soft and anthemic, the stage brightened into a complete white LED show, before quickly introducing red into the mix. The result was a flashing assortment of red and white light that built, more and more intense as the song ended and quickened. White strobe lights span at great speed across the stage, certainly enough to cause a seizure. A single shot of Roï appeared on the screen during the frenzy, the final two lines in fact "It's getting colder, I'm getting colder" - the shot took in his whole body and zoomed in before cutting away dramatically and back into a shot of the stage with the stadium and crowd too. As the strobe lights reached a climax, the white appeared to beat out the red, and while the white strobes continued at breakneck speed, the red LEDs "bled" out of the stage via the peninsula of the stage.

Ohhhh, pull me into your gravity
I keep spinning around you
I can’t break free into the empty space
Ohhhh world can you stop for me
Dancing on the narrow axis between love and hate
Tears build in my ears
The colours keep bleeding
The universe is freezing
It’s getting colder
I’m getting colder

With the instrumental ending the song, Roï began dancing around the stage until the end. The crowd erupted in a cheer for this unique Kishraeli entry... it's certainly nothing the typical Ertzei Kishim fan would have expected from the country. The band joined Roï at the front of the stage before they took a bow and shouted "Thanks Todlibu!"... they were too flustered to say the full name, but that was okay, it appeared the domestic crowd had enjoyed the performance.

[Faraby]

13. FARABY
Bea Altun – "Under the Bridge”
Tune: Taylor Swift - Betty
Language: English

Bea Altun

Background
Loss is the overarching theme of this song.

Faraby’s Compact of Free Association with the Islamic Empire of Adab was received with mixed feelings by its people. It was not all completely bad; by entering into the Compact, Faraby was allowed access into the Adabian economy and single market and development funds would come in from Adab City, funds which the island needed following the chaos and dysfunction of the Dark Time. Faraby would also retain substantial autonomy in domestic and foreign affairs. Farabian representatives would be seated in Adab’s Privy Council and the country retained the right to, among others, send and receive diplomatic missions and – most importantly in this context – send its own delegation to the WorldVision Song Contest and the World Hit Festival. Indeed, many Farabians had long seen Adab as a beacon of stability in the region and favored union with the larger country, believing that it would also serve to better integrate the somewhat isolationist island into the international community and multiversal economy. On the other hand, Faraby’s integration into the realm of Adab – albeit as an “associated state” with wide-ranging autonomy – meant that the country would never again have complete sovereignty over its own territory and would now have to pay taxes to the imperial government. For prosperity the Farabians had traded away a bit of their freedom. Prince Samir, who now found himself a vassal of the Emperor of Adab, told his countrymen in a televised address that he had only come to the decision to sign the Compact “with a heavy heart” and reassured them that “whatever comes next, I believe – and you should believe too – that our future remains bright, and that together with our Adabian brothers and sisters we shall achieve peace and prosperity for this country of ours”.

But still the show must go on, and WorldVision drew nearer. Although it did not place very highly (still on the left side of the scoreboard though!), Prince Samir and the FBC had been very satisfied by Zehra Kaya’s rendition of “Riding on Your Love” at WorldVision 88 and decided that Faraby did have a bright future in the event after all. To signal their trust in the FBC, Prince Samir increasingly withdrew himself from involvement in the state’s WorldVision and WHF effort. Grand Vizier Sania Russo, who now had an ex officio seat on the FBC Board and found herself acting chairman, found the FBC to be something of a distraction from her regular duties, but agreed to help with the FBC’s latest shot at WorldVision until a new official chairman was found. She quickly conferred with FBC Director-General Sabiha Vali and Head of Delegation Kara Abbas. As usual, Vali wanted an upbeat, marketable song that she felt would do well on radio and with the general public. Abbas, however, suggested that they seek something that actually resonated with the nation’s current mood, even if it meant a ballad. Quite surprisingly, Vali agreed, though she insisted that the song not be “too gloomy”.

One thing that must be decided quickly was how exactly to choose the act. The FBC obviously desired a selection process involving public voting, but with the event rapidly approaching and details still being hashed out it became clear that such a process could not implemented right now and would have to wait until next edition. For now, the FBC would once again have to rely on internal selection. The FBC invited interested applicants to send a video of themselves performing a song with a maximum duration of five minutes. Bonus points would be given if the applicants performed original songs in the video. The corporation soon found itself overwhelmed by the sheer number of submissions, with applicants ranging from nationally-famous singers to unknown street performers and genres from rock to salsa all making an appearance. As Russo busied herself with government business, Vali, Abbas, and FBC staff spent days and nights going through the videos and debating which artist deserved the chance to represent the state on the WorldVision stage.

---

Bea Altun was 18 when she had her first heartbreak. He was a nice and charming boy, also 18, who took the same classes in high school. They had bonded over a shared love of music, though otherwise they couldn’t be any more different. He was rather quiet, bookish, and academically-inclined, made friends easily but was nevertheless regarded as somewhat of a mystery by even his closest friends. She was bright and bubbly, an extrovert extraordinaire, the fount of gossip (though never maliciously), the school comedian, the jokester. Yet her bright side hid an underlying strand of melancholy, which she put down in her diary and songs and projected on her piano and guitar. On the surface, the breakup was actually quite amicable; they simply had been growing apart for a while. Quietly ambitious, he devoted himself to studying, hoping that he would get into the School of Political Science at the University of Faraby (he did) and from there maybe to a diplomatic career or even a job at the World Assembly. She wasn’t as academically-inclined as he was, but did well enough to get into the School of Business at the same university, though she still harbored dreams of becoming a professional musician and even released an indie pop EP on her last year of high school, which became quite a hit on streaming services. The pressure of studying and their career ambition simply pulled them apart, and when it ended; it really ended. They no longer even tried to chat online. Though neither would admit it, it was simply too painful. Bea tried to appear strong and indifferent in public; in private she spent nights banging on her piano and crying onto the pillow.

The Schools of Political Science and Business, though located on the same university grounds, were located quite far away from each other, and they would not meet again for another two years, when they happened to take the same German language class. Their conversations were stilted and awkward, and they seemed more intent on avoiding each other than talking to each other. She did notice something different in him; he appeared more confident and outspoken now. Well, whenever he wasn’t talking to her. In one of their short, stilted conversations, he admitted that he hadn’t yet gotten a new girlfriend and was not interested in entering into a relationship; she admitted that she felt the same. Their conversations began gradually increasing in length, even if there remained an air of formality to it. They began chatting online again, though they usually kept it brief and it was only to talk about homework.

As much as Bea desired to avoid him, a part of her was glad to see him once again, even though they could never again get back together. Whatever, let bygones be bygones. But sometimes she found herself wondering if she had made a mistake in losing him. If only she had done a few things better, or been more open and honest, could she have kept him? Though she couldn’t keep her mouth shut on a lot of things, she had mostly kept her feelings to herself. And with no one to talk to, she processed her feelings the way she knew best: she put it into song. Not long after, she heard that the FBC was opening applications for the chance to represent Faraby on WorldVision. With not much to do at the moment, she videoed herself singing and performing this song on guitar and sent the video to the FBC, fully expecting them to ignore her video and give the spot to someone older and with more experience. During one of their short online chats, she sheepishly admitted to him that she had written a song that was inspired by him and had submitted it to the FBC. “Thanks,” he replied. “You know I’ve always wanted to be in one of your songs.”

Putting the video experience behind her, Bea returned to the studio intent on recording her second EP. That EP would have to wait; on her first day in the studio, she received an unsuspecting call: “This is Kara Abbas, Faraby’s Head of Delegation to the WorldVision Song Contest…” The shock was so overwhelming that her mind could barely register the words that followed, although she did understand that her submission had been chosen as the best by the FBC and that she was asked to come to the FBC as soon as possible. She immediately rushed to the FBC, still wondering what the hell was happening, where she was met by Kara Abbas.

“I- I…”

“Honey, it’s a beautiful song. You should’ve seen the reaction of the staff here when we played your video. Even some of the guys shed tears.”

She had been asked to come to create a professional recording of the song in the FBC’s own studio. She promptly did so, still not believing that this was actually happening to her, recording the song in a stripped-down manner, only her and her guitar. The song’s production was rushed, but immaculate nevertheless. Within a few days it was on radio and streaming services and a hit on both. That song was about her own relationship, but to her surprise it had found a wider relevance; many listeners – including FBC insiders – related it to the loss of the country’s sovereignty, feeling that the song represented their yearning for a free Faraby. To them, the lyrics especially resonated at a time when they were mourning the end of their independence and understanding that they could not turn back the clock, but nevertheless acknowledging that it was for the best. This was the song the FBC was looking for, and they knew it.

Bea Altun was going to represent Faraby on the WorldVision Song Contest.

---

The Performance
Prince Samir and the government had come under heavy criticism during the previous WorldVision edition for allowing no less than 100 Farabians - not including the official delegation - to fly to Rhim Flavezztowland to watch the contest. Although the number was quite small and preventive measures had been put in place, there was much concern - not entirely unjustified - that any of those 100 people could contract the Great Pestilence from foreign nationalities and bring it to Faraby, which had hitherto been unaffected by the disease. While understanding their criticism, the Prince still wanted to give lucky Farabians the chance to see their star in person on the WorldVision stage. Therefore, for this edition, despite calls to not let any fans fly to Tödlichebujoku at all, the Prince followed in the footsteps of his Adabian superiors and simply reduced the number of fans allowed to fly to the country to 50, chosen randomly. Fans could submit their names to the FBC website for selection, and submit they did by tens of thousands. The FBC then used an online app to randomly pick 50 names. While there was not much protest over the outcome, it did result in farcical situations such as two men being allowed to travel but not their respective girlfriends and a 14-year-old boy being chosen over his parents and younger sister. Another selection was held the next week to replace one entrant who turned out to be a dog. His spot was won by an 80-year-old farmer who said he had never been on an airplane.

Acting on instructions from Adab City, Farabian authorities, too, denied the use of interuniversal portals, declaring that they were too easy to steal, and ruled out the idea of riding the so-called passenger dragons, fearing that they would frighten the country's fans. Dragons actually feature prominently in Farabian history, though not necessarily in a positive light; the island was heavily forested and inhabited by dragons before the arrival of man. When the first humans came under the great warrior Faraby, they cut down the trees to build their homes and slaughtered all the dragons (although tales suggest that dragons remain deep inside the caves on the north of the island). It was this rather negative image of dragons that perhaps led to the Farabians' aversion to passenger dragons. With no other choice, the 50 fans were put in a Faraby Airlines plane bound for Äuszer. Bea and the delegation, meanwhile, had flown earlier on a private jet provided by Prince Samir.

The Farabians were placed in the Šinton Sunrise. The fans were not allowed to leave the hotel at all, whereas Bea and the delegation were allowed to travel around the city should they choose to, as long as they were accompanied by Farabian police officers which Prince Samir had sent with the delegation. They spent an entire afternoon touring the Satavuotiskatu shopping district, then considered trying one of the city's reportedly lively clubs and bars, but ultimately did not do so as Bea was feeling tired and wanted to return to the hotel to sleep. Besides, she had to preserve her voice for showtime, and she decided not to risk trying anything that could potentially harm her voice. A few days later they visited the city's famous Üüsertsenkeiken Gardens and Conservatory. Otherwise they largely isolated themselves in the hotel, counting down the days and nights until Bea's appearance on the WorldVision stage.

And that night was now upon us. After the previous act from Ertzei Kishim left the stage, the stage was bathed in darkness, with the audience only able to still recognize the shape of the stage and tiers thanks to a white light along their outlines, thin but especially noticeable in the dark. The LCD screens at the back were completely black, and it was in this state of darkness that Bea Altun made her entrance, wearing a black chiffon dress that did little to distinguish her from her surroundings, acoustic guitar on her arms, with the strap going over her shoulder, down her back, and around the waist, and harmonica hanging up from her upper chest and in front of her mouth. The stagehands had set up a mic on a stand right at the center of the stage, along with a stool for Bea to sit on (like Taylor Swift in this video). As she took her place on the stool, the screens behind her gradually began to turn a dark shade of blue, dark as the sea at night, along with the tiers. The stage floor remained black for the time being, but on four corners of the floor - two at the back, two on the front - lasers shot up in a light shade of orange, similar to the color of a brightly burning fire. The invisible lines between those lasers formed a rectangular area, on the center of which was Bea.

The camera now zoomed in towards Bea, with the screens behind her and tiers turning dark blue, and lasers in front of and behind her. A solitary white spotlight gradually revealed itself upon her. "Hi, my name is Bea Altun, and I'm here representing Faraby," she announced calmly, with a smile, trying to demonstrate self-confidence. The Farabians in the crowd reacted with a round of applause and cheers, which the rest of the dome followed, more out of politeness than genuine excitement for this young singer. Could she win them over?

The Farabian delegation and fans had been instructed to stay together in one large group at all times during their journey from the hotel to the venue, while inside the venue, and during their return to the hotel. They were to notify the Farabian police officers posted to them if they intended to go to the bathroom. One officer were to accompany them during the walk to the bathroom and stay right by the door, outside, for the duration of the toilet break. But, in the midst of the applause and commotion and general sense of excitement that followed the previous act's performance, one man managed to slip away from the crowd. No, he didn't intend to leave the venue. He just wanted to remove himself to another section of the venue, somewhat further to the back, where he could be alone in the crowd, unbothered by anyone he knew as he took in the performance. And so the boy found himself between some foreigners, whom he guessed - with no good reason - to either be Tödlichebujoki or Kishraeli or Wadiyan or some country he had never heard of, watching as Bea slowly, tentatively, started strumming the guitar and blowing the harmonica, as the backing harpsichord track emerged from the venue's sound system.

Baby I know and you know we never want to see each other again
But I guess it’s not meant to be
Baby I’ve got nothing to say, I know you’ve got nothing to say, too
It’s like we’ve never met

What’s in the past is in the past
It’s best we just go on with our lives
But sometimes, sometimes I think of you
You know we can’t turn back the clock
Honestly I don’t want to

Bea didn't go into the contest with very high hopes, and the FBC had made it clear to her that it would not pressure her to try and win the whole thing. The most important thing, as far as Prince Samir was concerned, was that the song and performance were a proper reflection of Faraby. Its people, culture, national mood, whatever. She had written this song as a reflection on her personal feelings, but the song had now gained a wider relevance with the whole country, and the FBC had sent her to this stage to air those feelings - not just her feelings, but the country's feelings, too - to a multiversal audience. The stage floor remained pitch black and the tiers blue, but the screens at the back now changed to show a wide panorama of Prince's Street on a sunny day, a major thoroughfare which cut right through the financial center of Adab City, flanked by skyscrapers and cafes and bars and office buildings. The street itself was empty, with the few pedestrians on either side of the street the only hint of human activity. As Bea strummed on, the camera gradually retreated from her, in order to allow the viewers to see both her and the screens towering over her. Viewers found themselves taken on a slow-motion journey through the street, with leaves occasionally seen falling from the trees beside it and onto the concrete.

Do you have to show up again?
Do you want me?
Do you want it?
Do you want me to go back to the past and make up for the lost time?
Why should we go back to the past when it’s tomorrow we should be looking to?
I don’t know much about love
I know that I don’t want to think too much about it

Bea's eyes occasionally shifted between her guitar and the audience she was singing to, watching quietly and solemnly. Though she carried a harmonica with her, the actual playing was done by the backing track in the parts where it accompanied her singing. Even though she would sometimes look at the audience, that did not affect her guitar playing. That had become second nature to her, the result of years of pouring her feelings - angst, sadness, unbridled joy - into the instrument. She spotted her fellow Farabians in the crowd, some of them gazing at her with a grin. Not too far away from them were the Adabians; she wondered if they knew the song had become some sort of anthem to many of their new countrymen who were not entirely pleased with joining the country.

Baby you know I hold nothing against you
But I think it’s useless to go through all the memories again
I was younger, you were younger, it’s all water under the bridge now
Nothing we could have done differently

What’s in the past is in the past
It’s best we just go on with our lives
But sometimes, sometimes I think of you
You know we can’t turn back the clock
Honestly I don’t want to

The camera now moved away from the LCD screens to provide the international audience with a side view of Bea, tenderly singing to something beyond the screen. Sections of the crowd could still be seen, though not very easily with the lights having been somewhat dimmed on them to place the emphasis on Bea. The camera was initially positioned quite far away so as to allow a full-body visual of her, complete with the stool she sat on. Gradually it zoomed in until the stool could not be seen, and those watching on TV and online could only see her from her stomach upwards. In the crowd, the boy watched on in quiet contemplation, admiring the performer at the center of the stage. Her perfect blonde hair, her elevated position, the spotlight on her made her seem like a cross between the most beautiful girl in the world and an outright goddess. She really was someone to admire, and he loved to see her. The man next to him, noticing that his eyes were wide open, his mouth somewhat agape, and he had not moved even a little over an entire minute, turned to him. "You alright, man?" The reply came rather unconvincingly: "Uh, sure, sure, yeah, I'm alright."

Do you have to show up again?
Do you want me?
Do you want it?
Do you want me to go back to the past and make up for the lost time?
Why should we go back to the past when it’s tomorrow we should be looking to?
I don’t know much about love
I know that I don’t want to think too much about it

Bea's voice was noticeably tinged with sadness and regret. She tried to keep him off her mind, wanting solely to focus on singing the words and getting through the performance. But it was not easy to perform a song with such a deeply personal subtext without having the memories of the circumstances under which the song was created from flooding back into her mind. She saw him in her mind, if not in the actual crowd. She did not want to remember him, especially not now, but still it was nice to think of him. In the midst of a performance that was not very cheerful, the crowd saw her looking straight forward to no one in particular, smiling, her broadest smile of the night so far. The camera took advantage of this by quickly changing back to a front view of her, like in the beginning of the performance, zooming in until her chest could not be seen and her smiling face was undoubtedly the centerpiece of the screen.

I was trying to just mind my own business
Then you showed up, my past coming back
And imaginations of what we had back then
I thought I could put them all behind
The days and nights of your piercing eyes
Thought I could forget you but
It’s not as easy as it seems

Bea now began playing the harmonica again. The backing harmonica track was still there, but was quickly overwhelmed by the sound of her own playing. She was not actually very proficient at the instrument, but she at least knew the basics, and she did hit all the right notes, which was ultimately what mattered in the performance. In the crowd, the boy listened closely to every word she said, trying to associate them with his own past memories, realizing that they were as relevant to his situation as he thought. Meanwhile, the camera now zoomed out once again to show Bea against the backdrop of the LCD screens. The screens now no longer showed Prince's Street, instead taking viewers on a slow-motion journey along a suburban sidewalk on a cloudy day. Her voice grew pensive, every passing word taking her back to the days long gone even as she tried not to remember them. In the crowd, the Farabians waved their national flags, but it was a slow, sad wave, tinged with nostalgia for the things that they had lost, ranging from a former partner to a fully independent country, further adding to the general sense of sadness and depression pervading the Farabians in the dome.

I know you don’t want to hear this but
There’s something I feel I should say now, I need to get it out
I’m not mad at you, I never have been
Sometimes I wonder if it’s my fault that we ended up like this
But one thing that I want to say
Is that I still like to see you

In the crowd, the boy realized that he was starting to well up with tears, pondering over every word and what it meant to him. He pushed his hand across his eyes, not wanting anyone else to see that he was crying, wiping the tears aside. Slowly he started towards the front rows, gently nudging people and asking them to step aside a bit to open up his way. All the while his eyes were fixed on the girl atop the stage, her blonde hair shining like the sun in the spotlight. After reaching a certain distance, he began to move sideways, intending to end up right in front of the girl, where maybe she could see him.

I still like to see you after all
Yeah I still like to see you

Bea's eyes were now squarely on the crowd as she reached the climax of the song. Some of them were gazing at her with adoring eyes, especially in the Farabian section. Some others appeared captivated and mesmerized, and generally everyone in the dome was looking straight back at her. Her fingers grazed the guitar strings with increasing speed and urgency as she reached the key change, as if she was preparing to release all the feelings that she had kept in her heart. Though not very clearly, she could see some sudden movements in the crowd, not very far away from where she was sitting, as if someone was trying to force his way to the front. The crowd remained generally civil, though, and there seemed to be no reason to worry, so Bea kept on playing.

Do you have to show up again?
Do you want me?
Do you want it?
Do you want me to go back to the past and make up for the lost time?
Why should we go back to the past when it’s tomorrow we should be looking to?
I don’t know much about love
I know that I don’t want to think too much about it

What’s in the past is in the past
We should just go on with our lives
We only have the future to look forward to

With the last strum of the guitar, the lasers died down, LCD screens were turned off and the tiers, too, went dark. The spotlight was still directly on her, but now all the lights above the stage were switched on, finally allowing the audience to see clearly the full extent of the stage and tiers for the first time since the beginning of this performance. Bea sat still, obviously relieved that the performance was over, but unsure of the audience's reaction. She did not need to be unsure for very long, though, as the crowd - led by the Farabians - began showering her with applause. She stared at the appreciative crowd, visibly beaming, happy that her performance was received well, letting out a simple "Thank you, thank you very much everyone" as she did not know if she had anything more to say. She rose from her seat, one hand reaching for the mic and releasing it from the stand, hoping that she could say a few more words of appreciation.

She would not get that chance. As she mouthed into the mic, her eyes suddenly moved to the front row slightly to her right and lingered there, near where the walkway met the main stage, quite close to where she saw the earlier crowd movement. The crowd waited for her to say something, but no audible words came out of her. Instead, she found herself slowly putting the mic back on the stand, her hand shaking, her eyes fixed still on that same place.

The boy was in the front row, looking at her, and she looked back at him.

Lenin once said that there are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen. In this case, it would be more accurate to say that there are weeks where nothing happens and seconds where weeks happen. As those in the crowd closest to the boy realized that he and Bea were staring at each other, they, too, turned at him. The rest of the crowd, seeing Bea staring at someone or something in the audience, turned at that general direction. The boy had not expected Bea to notice him, but now not only was she looking at him, but so too was the crowd. The eyes of the entire dome were on them both.

He had never been one for the spotlight, but that had now been thrust on him. They looked on at each other, every second seemingly becoming longer, with not a word exchanged. The crowd, too, did not say anything. No one knew what to say.

She nodded at him. He nodded back. And in the end, it was Bea who broke the silence. "Hi."

"Hi," he said back. Realizing that someone had to do something, he steadily laid his hands on the stage, then, after a moment of hesitation, raised his body onto the stage. He and Bea were now only a few feet apart from each other. He took a step forward, then another, until they were barely separated. He turned towards the mic, making sure that he was not too close for his voice to be picked up by it.

"Don't worry. I turned it off."

"Oh, okay."

"How... how did you get here?"

"I'm one of the lucky fans." The boy smiled for the first time since getting on the stage, obviously proud that he had managed to snatch a spot. Bea could feel her heart beating faster, now that he was right in front of her. A noise came from the Farabian section of the crowd, as it dawned upon them that one of them had managed to slip away and climb onto the stage. Bea and he glanced over at them for a second, but otherwise ignored the noise. The rest of the crowd, too, was starting to make noises, some clapping, a few others shouting and cheering and chanting, but they paid no heed to them.

"You know," Bea began, "I've always thought you never liked the spotlight."

"I still don't, the crowd kinda forced my hand," he said. "You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... the truth is that I still feel for you, and... I know I can't just go back to the past and make things right, but..."

Bea was still gazing at him, with nothing coming out of her mouth. She tried to ignore them, but all the feelings that she had kept in her heart were threatening to pour out, and she knew that she couldn't look at him for much longer without doing anything, something, about her feelings.

"...I just want you to know that. It helps clear my conscience. You don't have to go back with me, and I know I don't deserve to have you back. and-"

Suddenly Bea launched herself on him, her arms going around his back and pushing him into a tight hug, her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. His stomach clashed against her guitar. Stunned, he - more out of reflex than actual intent - put his arms against her back, one hand holding to her guitar strap. And though her eyes were closed, she could not stop the tears from streaming down her face. "Bea, I-"

"I love you, you doofus. Don't ever leave me again, please," she said, sobbing, holding him even more tightly as the crowd erupted in applause and cheering.

[Belgaam]

14 - BELGAAM

ŻIRAÑAI - THE TRUTH
TUNE: HELEZA - 6



Belgaam are participating in the WorldVision Song Contest for the seventh time. The last time they participated, they sent the well-known pop star Sariula, with the song “Toxic”. She placed 23rd with 103 points, which in terms of placements was Belgaam’s new worst result. Shortly after the contest, TBS confirmed they would not use Tariña’o Melodi to select the Belgaamian entrant for WV89, and said that they would announce the Belgaamian entry on 2 March, during the talk show, “Żoñalíż Ñilñövż, Tariña!”. 1 week later, when the show was aired, the young singer Żirañai was revealed as the Belgaamian representative for WV89 with her song “The Truth”. She said “I can’t wait to represent Belgaam in WorldVision and perform my song!”.

Żirañai rose to fame after winning the 2019 edition of the Belgaamian singing competition “Żdiuñaj Iovþñia!” at just 16 years old, where she was mentored by the most streamed Belgaamian artist and WV81 entrant, Maveria. She released her winner’s single the day after she won, which peaked at number 13 in the Belgaamian Music Charts. She was rumoured to be representing Belgaam in WV81, but it was later revealed to be Maveria. In early July 2020, she released the song “Never Again”, which peaked at number 8 on the charts. 3 months later, she released an EP with 5 songs, which peaked at number 5 on the album charts. 2 months later, she said in an interview that she “would love to go to to WorldVision” and was rumoured to be representing Belgaam in WV87, but Ñöżania Tríelżi was eventually announced as the Belgaamian entrant. She later released a single called “Attention” which peaked at number 23.

Żirañai was revealed to be representing Belgaam on 2 March, on the talk show “Żoñalíż Ñilñövż, Tariña!”. She performed “The Truth” live during the show, and it peaked at number 3 on the charts a week later. The song quickly became a fan favourite, with people saying Żirañai could get Belgaam’s best ever result in WorldVision. She has received support from her fans and some Belgaamian celebrities. She promises everyone that her performance will be really good and she won’t let them down.



Żirañai is sitting on a golden throne, as the cameras zoom into her face.

I wish I could turn back time but we both know the truth
We weren’t meant to be and I know that you know the truth

Żirañai walks off the throne and starts to sing the first verse, and there are two female dancers next to both sides of her.

How did I think for even one second that we could be together and nothing could ever break us apart
I fell into another trap and I couldn’t get out of it, it was never working
Everyone said “you’re good on your own, you don’t need anyone to ever make you happy”
And it got to the point where I lost control and everything turned from good
From good to bad

Żirañai starts to sing the chorus as the dancers perform their choreography as rehearsed.

I wish I could turn back time but we both know the truth
We weren’t meant to be and I know that you know the truth
I wish I could turn back time but we both know the truth
We weren’t meant to be and I know that you know the truth

Żirañai walks to the other side of the stage while she sings the second verse.

I don’t know why it took so long to realise it wouldn’t work, ‘cause it never does and that won’t change now
All of my time, wasted on you, I should’ve listened more carefully to the warning signs, yeah
I’m so confused, I’m gonna lose this stupid game that life is playing with me, I can’t escape
I don’t know what to do, I don’t wanna think about it, I’ve decided I’m gonna quit

Żirañai starts to sing the chorus as the dancers perform their choreography.

I wish I could turn back time but we both know the truth
We weren’t meant to be and I know that you know the truth
I wish I could turn back time but we both know the truth
We weren’t meant to be and I know that you know the truth

During the instrumental break, Żirañai and the dancers walk back to the golden throne. At the end of the song, Żirañai sits on the throne and the dancers stand next to both sides of her. Żirañai says “Thank you so much, Äuszer! I love you all!”, as she and the dancers exit the stage to make way for the performance of Polkopia.

[Polkopia]

Inita Gold // "People"

Many were taken by surprise when the hardly mentioned and up-and-coming artist, Inita Gold, advanced through the second semi-final of the Landa vy Polkopiya, over more established artists in the Polkopian scene such as Martin Tyvin and Rena Lorak. Prior to the competition, Inita Gold was the least-followed artist on music-streaming platforms out of the ten competitors, having only one song with more than 50,000 streams. When the competing songs were initially released, People gained momentum and became Inita's most popular song in a matter of hours, however her song was nowhere near as popular as some of the other competing songs, namely fan-favorites Morning and Muskets, each of which had over a million streams by the time the semi-finals were broadcasted. When the four qualifiers had been announced initially, most people assumed that Stas Lisa or MAKINA would be given the Wildcard slot to advance, as both had made massive names for themselves throughout their Landa vy Polkopiya journeys and had a large domestic fanbase, however the domestic juries had decided to award the fifth and final qualifier position to Inita Gold. Fans on social media platforms had very mixed opinions regarding this, with many claiming that the voting system was unfair, and others going so far as to claim that there was a conspiracy within the judging panel against certain artists. On the other side of this argument, many were happy to see fresh, new faces in the Grand Final, as some fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouths after seeing the same familiar faces in the Grand Final year after year. It seemed to many people as if artists with a more established background and fanbase were given a massive advantage over newer artists, as people were more inclined to vote for the artist over the song itself. Inita Gold's advancement into the Grand Final was a breath of relief for those who believed this, and many saw Inita as the "face" for this so-called generation of new and up-and-coming artists. This momentum that Inita was on carried over into the Grand Final, where she soared to the top of the scoreboard with the international jury votes, but came second to Anna Viktoreevna and MAKS in the domestic televote. Luckily for Inita, the lead she built early on in the voting process proved to be unassailable and she ended the night with 178 points, only four points ahead of the runner-up, and therefore won the right to represent Polkopia at the Worldvision Song Contest in Äuszer.

In her song, People, Inita Gold expressed that she wanted to convey an atmosphere of freedom, youthfulness, and carelessness. Unfortunately, with the pandemic, we have all been limited as to who we can and can't see, and the environment in which we see our friends and family. "I started writing this song years ago." Inita said on her podcast, "I came home from this party that went on overnight and I just remembered seeing so many crazy things happening. People were doing all sorts of drugs and other things, and it seemed really carefree, you know? I remember this guy, he was wearing black-and-white, zebra-print pants and a white mesh shirt, and you literally couldn't see his face with all of the glitter he threw on. I came home later that day and I said, 'yes, this is what I'm writing about.'" At the time of writing the song, Inita was eighteen years old, but didn't finish writing the song until she had turned twenty. "You know, with the pandemic and everything going on, I really couldn't get my head around writing about the party. I took on some other projects that I had to focus on, and that just kind of fell into the background, but I always knew I wanted to come back to it. It just didn't feel like the right time." With her song, Inita does her best to convey visuals to the listener so that the might be able to see and feel what it was that she felt years ago at this event, and to her, that's what was most important with her song. If she could manage to convey even just one of the senses she felt then, then she believed that she had done her job as an artist.

Lyrically, she was very happy with what she had accomplished and had believed that she had done the very best she could in order to convey certain feelings and emotions to the listener, but now the biggest challenge was bringing all of these emotions to the Worldvision stage. Through her experiences watching Worldvision and being around avid fans of the competition, she knew that most people were focused on the visuals rather than the lyrical content of her songs, so as good as she felt her song may be lyrically, it wasn't even half of the entire package - she had to deliver a visually stunning performance as well. Being a young artist and rather inexperienced, although she thought she had an idea with how she wanted the stage to look, the intricate bits and pieces of the whole performances proved to be too overwhelming and she delegated the task of staging her performance to the PNB, though everything had to be run by and approved by her in order for it to go through. She already approached the PNB with a list of things she would like to be included in her performance, such as the deep lighting and dark tones, ideas on what may be on the LED screens, however it was difficult to come up with stuff on such short notice, as the bidding process for Worldvision is always a long process. Because of this, Inita had to sit down with her team and come up with three plans - one plan for each bid, should it win. With the stage proposed by BONC, Inita found it very easy to incorporate he ideas she had on such a small stage. After all, she did want to convey a more intimate setting, while also somehow incorporating a more chaotic background which doesn't detract from the singer (her) throughout the performance, Out of all the stages proposed, Inita felt most confident with the one proposed by BONC. Then there was Plan B - the stage proposed by HARESHET. This stage was a bit bigger and far more open, so Inita and her team proposed bringing in props or dividers of some sort in order to have the stage feel more enclosed. She wasn't necessarily enthused with the idea, but she would do whatever it took in order to make her vision come to life on that stage. Luckily, the thing that worked in her favor the most was that large LED screen in the background, and she was prepared to use that to her advantage when the time came. Last was the bit brought forth by TÖBUK, and the worst-case scenario for Inita and her team. The stage was absolutely gorgeous, however it was suited for more over-the-top performances rather than the muted stage presentation that Inita had in mind for her song. The multiple tiers would have to be colored in such a way that it would hardly be visible to the viewer so that their peripherals wouldn't be overloaded with stimulation with an in-your-face projection on these LED screens. Ideally, Inita wanted to be the only one on stage, but she feared that she would have to change her entire vision if this bid were to win or risk the stage swallowing her up throughout the entire performance. Once the bidding phase concluded and it was in fact, the Tödlichebujoki bid that won, Inita griped and complained privately to her team, but didn't let this minor obstacle hinder her vision. At the end of the day, she was an artist and she would do everything in her power in order to make this work. She knew that the stage design worked against her, but she was dedicated to overcoming all of this and deliver a flawless performance.

Inita was positioned at the very center of the stage, sitting down in a position where one knee was bent and her foot was flat against the floor, where her other leg was underneath her body. She faced away from the audience and wore a black lace top which cut off above her belly button. In addition to that, she wore a loose-fitting black pullover with a silver trim and black leggings. She also wore a black pump on her feet, which increased her height by at least six inches. Silver glitter covered her chest and the side of her face, near her hairline, and her long, brown hair fell in a natural, wavy pattern. The stage was set up in a way so that most of the LED screens were completely dark, save for the very bottom, long LED screen, and the top LED screens on either side of the stage, and all of these LED screens were colored in a very deep red and black gradient. The gradient pattern was designed so that the very middle, horizontal part of the LED screen was colored black, which slowly became a deeper shade of red as the screen extended outward. The design was animated so that the horizontal black color became wider, then thinner again, and so forth. The middle, vertical panel was the only LED screen that was illuminated behind the main stage, with the outer bit colored in the same dark red hue as the other screens, but instead of the black center, the gradient faded into a golden color, resembling a sort of "light at the end of the tunnel." As Inita sat onstage, her silhouette was the only visible part of her. The instrumental began to play, resulting in a few golden shimmers along the LED screens that already had the red and black gradient animation playing. This shimmer would only last a second, but occurred two different times in the instrumental bit before Inita began to sing.

The night's still young and we live for danger.
3AM pull up to a stranger's house.
Dim the light, through the hall, past the glitter
Chasing the day with a cup of bitters, now.

Toward the end of the previous verse, Inita had spun and looked toward the audience, however at the time, the lights were still dimmed so that her silhouette was the only thing visible. During the pre-chorus here though, a spotlight illuminated Inita center-stage, who stood up and slowly walked forward. During this time, the LED screens on the side flashed on, one by one, starting with the bottom one, illuminating in the same black and dark red gradient color that had been on some of the screens earlier. Imagines of peoples' silhouettes were visible along the LED screens as well, with the 'people' alternating between dancing, drinking, and socializing in large groups, depending on the LED screen one was looking at. By the end of the first line of the pre-chorus, all of the LEDs on the sides of the stage had been illuminated. Meanwhile, on the LEDs above the main stage was another animation - a circular object with a gold trim and a dark exterior. It started in the very middle, but grew and grew as Inita proceeded to sign the pre-chorus, with the trim spinning as it approached. Upon the object coming more and more into view, one could see it was a peephole.

When one door shuts another opens wide
But do you want to know what lies inside?

During the chorus, the peephole that was being shown on the LED screens above the main stage moved "past" the screens, making it seem as if the camera was showing the inside of the peephole. Now, on the screens, faceless people were seen dancing, drinking, and partying. At certain times, peoples' movements made it seem as if they were smoking and doing cocaine, however the drugs themselves weren't visible, nor were the peoples' expressions, so the interpretation was left to the viewer. The lighting in the background of the animation was a deep pink, and so vibrant that one really had to strain their eyes to see what was happening, though the main performance camera was mainly focused on Inita rather than solely focusing on the background. Meanwhile, the LEDs along the sides of the stage moved from the red/black color scheme to the same vibrant pink hue that was shown on the central screens, and the silhouettes along the LEDs continued to be shown.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
Need that affirmation, reputation
They could have but they know they couldn't.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
When everyone's looking at you,
Do what it is you do.

The central LED screen now fluctuated between different views of the house, with a distorting effect in-place to indicate that the perspective of whose eyes this was from was getting increasingly less sober as the song went on. First, the camera from which the LEDs were projected quickly panned to a clock whose hands were turning at a normal pace, then became faster and faster until the hands broke off. Then, the camera spun and transitioned to spilled cups on a granite countertop, with empty glass bottles littering the area alongside the cups. During the next line, it showed a faceless person lying on the couch with their face turned toward the ceiling. It slowly began to snow, and accumulated solely on the faceless person's "face" where their nose should have been. Then the next line faded back to a general view of the party with snow covering the floor.

Forgetting that the hands on the clock are turning
Vision's getting hazy, words are slurring, hey.
It's snowing inside, gonna make your head spin
Don't know what it is, but you know it's something great

The main camera focused on Inita now, who stared intensely toward the camera. During the first line that she sang, the camera showed her from the front,, slowly zooming in on her as the progressed, but when she started to sing the second line, the camera showed her from the side, at which point she turned her head and continued to stare into the camera as she sang. During the second line though, she sang with a smirk on her face, whereas when she had sung the first line, she had been completely serious. When she finished the prechorus, the camera faded out to a black, grainy pattern before moving on to the next camera angle for the chorus.

When one door shuts another opens wide
But do you want to know what lies inside?

When Inita began singing the chorus again, the camera, after transitioning from a grainy black pattern, now showed an aerial view of the stage. On the LED floor, the same peephole projection that was projected on the center LED screens during the first prechorus was shown spinning in place, with Inita standing in the center. If one were to look very closely, they would see the very faint silhouettes of people dancing along the inner perimeter of the peephole. When the camera transitioned to the frontal view of the stage soon after, the audience at home could see the LED projections on the background screens, which showed the same projection of the house party that was shown in the previous chorus, colored in the same vibrant pink hues as before.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
Need that affirmation, reputation
They could have but they know they couldn't.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
When everyone's looking at you,
Do what it is you do.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
Need that affirmation, reputation
They could have but they know they couldn't.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
When everyone's looking at you,
Do what it is you do.

During the last prechorus bit, the camera circled around Inita as she sang. Initia, meanwhile, looked directly ahead toward the audience, not acknowledging the camera in any fashion, despite it being so close to her. In addition to this, it also began to rain fake snow. In between lines, Inita inhaled, shut her eyes, and looked up, before singing the second line. If one were to take a closer look at her, they would notice that her eyes had appeared super dilated as well. This was because Inita managed to put contacts in her eyes sometime during the last chorus which gave the illusion that her pupils were dilated. The faint cheer of the audience in the arena was audible for the people watching from home for this bit.

When one door shuts another opens wide
But do you want to know what lies inside?

During the first bit of the chorus here, the camera showed a zoomed-in frontal view of the stage, with Inita in the very center. She looked directly in the camera, but seemed to sway a bit as she was singing. It looked as if though she was trying to be focused, but struggled with staying still or maintaining her balance. Of course, this was an all an act in order to even further emphasize the lyrical content of the song. Once the beat dropped though, Inita stepped forward and danced in place, moving her hips, swaying her shoulders, and other movements one would typically do at a club with pulsating music playing in the background. The background LEDs showed the same party, but the transition between different scenes in the party gradually became quicker and quicker, until it became almost chaotic with how quickly different scenes were being projected. As soon as Inita stopped singing though, the scene immediately turned black and she just stared at the camera until the performance itself was done and the lights all faded into black.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
Need that affirmation, reputation
They could have but they know they couldn't.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
When everyone's looking at you,
Do what it is you do.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
Need that affirmation, reputation
They could have but they know they couldn't.

People watching people through the peephole
'Cause the people know they're looking.
When everyone's looking at you,
Do what it is you do.

The lights faded back on and Inita hurridly took her contacts out. "Thank you! Thank you Äuszer!" She screamed into the microphone before running off of the stage as the Tödlichebujoki team prepared the stage for the Axuvan performance.

[Axuva]

#16 AXUVA
Leila Hwang - "Elevated"
Tune: Dua Lipa - Levitating

As the song started, the camera looked down at them from arial view, going back and down, viewing the backup dancers and Leila. As she started to sing, the lights on the floor of the stage lit to the beat and a inscription in cursive of Leilas name would appear on the LED screen, and they would begin to dance in front of the stair prop Leila was on, she had on vest and matching heel boots.

Such a cosmic energy, theres nothing that compares to me
So baby you’ll be set for life
Theres something about you that puts me in the mood
So we could go to town all night
Angel in disguise, never to deny
The elements of who you are
If you’re considering giving all your love to me
Just take me on to your ride

As the camera zoomed out, it would show people on the side blocks of the stage in skates, dancing to the song as if they were having a party, dressed in 70s attire. Leila continued to sing on the stair pop as the dancers moved.

[Pre-Chorus]
I only, live for you baby
Nothing but you, We’re elevated
It’s everyday, I want you baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

As the camera zoomed around the stage and back to Leila and the backup dancers, they continued to hit the choreography.

[Chorus]
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated

As the dancers switched, another group of dancers would get on stage, Leila took off her vest, stepping down from the stair prop and grabbing the microphone revealing a 70s like outfit, and Leila and the dancers would start to do vogue like dances as extras stood on the outer sides of the stage, hyping Leila and the backup dancers up, reminiscent of New York ballroom culture in the 70s and 80s.

[Verse 2]
Feeling all the love in me, Theres nothing that compares when we
put love to our hearts
The two of us together , and there’s never nothing better
Just come and make your mark
Angel in disguise, never to deny
The elements of who you are
There’s really nothing better even in the stormy weather
Just come and take charge

As dancers were dispersed across the stage, Leila falls back into a crowd of men behind her as she sang the pre-chorus and they lifted her up, spinning her around.

[Pre-Chorus]
I only, live for you baby
Nothing but you, We’re elevated
It’s everyday, I want you baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The men would put Leila down to the ground as she slid out of their hands, and they all joined the dancing crowd on stage.

[Chorus]
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated

Leila would walk down the runway as other dancers followed behind her and danced along as the camera viewed her from below.

[Post-Chorus]
There’s nothing holding me back alright There’s nothing holding me back alright
Just take control of the flight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We’re elevated (Woo)
There’s nothing holding me back alright There’s nothing holding me back alright
Just take control of the flight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Leila and the dancers got in formation, dancing to the beat, as she got ready to transition to the pre-chorus.

[Bridge]
Feeling so astronomic going far off
When our galaxies collide we supernova
We going super fast so lets blast off
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Feeling so astronomic going far off
When our galaxies collide we supernova
We going super fast so lets blast off
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

As the beat slowed down, they all slowed their dancing and then as the beat paused. Leila smacked the camera away from their close view, and the view changed to panning across the arena.

[Pre-Chorus]
I only, live for you baby
Nothing but you, We’re elevated
It’s everyday, I want you baby

The view would switch back to infront of them, and as they pointed up to the sky, Leila would be lifted by wires and she would continue to sing.

[Chorus]
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated

The dancers would once again disperse on stage, dancing as Leila was in the air, singing and sparks would be falling onto the stage and smoke rose in the air.

[Post-Chorus]
There’s nothing holding me back alright
There’s nothing holding me back alright
Just take control of the flight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We’re elevated
There’s nothing holding me back alright
There’s nothing holding me back alright
Just take control of the flight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The dancers would point to the sky as the song ended and so would Leila, as she sang the last chorus, and as the song ended, smoke and sparks would blow in many different places in the arena.

[Chorus]
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated
But it’s true, feels like, youre a bright light
But it’s true, baby, your cosmic energy
We’re elevated

[Nekoni]

Yeah, ain’t happening, sorry.

[Kalosia]

18
Kalosia
What a Shame — Mercyradio
performed in English to the tune of Watershed — Giant Rooks

Mercyradio is a Kalosian indie band. Founded in 2017, they became nationally known following their appearance at the 2019 Kasin Indie Festival. In November that year, roughly 4 months after that performance, they represented Kalosia at the 77th WorldVision Song Contest in Marjorium, Mister X, where they came 4th in a field of 23. The band released their first album a month later.

More recently, they were announced as the Kalosian entrant for the 89th WorldVision Song Contest in Äuszer, Tödlichebujoku. They are performing their latest single, What a Shame, which offers a pessimistic outlook on the world and life as we know it. One of the members of Mercyradio claims that the song is actually about dealing with the aftermath of a breakup, sung from the perspective of a man that is mad at the world for letting his life become like this.

Kalosia was drawn to perform 17th, following the entry from Nekoni and preceding South Alezia. For their performance, they are keeping things simple, wearing hip, fashionable clothes. The lead singer is wearing a subtle print shirt and chinos. The stage also has a typical band setup. The song doesn't have a fancy intro, so it begins right away with the band members singing.

What a shame
In this game
Humanity lost to the faithless
It’s all hopeless

At this point the stage is largely dark except for spotlights on the performers, by the way.

What a shame
If you said “the hour is up”
I’d believe you
Count the seconds to the end

Now the stage lights slowly light up, with the stage being still somewhat dim, bathed in subtle warm golden light. The verses are performed solo by the lead singer. The camera mainly focuses on him at this point.

I talked a lot
I thought a lot
About what we came here for

But to be a man who tries
Tries too hard
To shake the earth to its core

Now as we move to the pre-chorus, the song starts to build up. Some of the stage lights start to flash to the beat.

Life’s like a movie
We can’t stop the stream
So bring the apology
Cause we’re destroying the dream

Now the chorus. Some blue lights kick in and the stage is fully illuminated in a duotonal blue-golden lighting.

What a shame
In this game
Humanity lost to the faithless
It’s all hopeless

What a shame
If you said “the hour is up”
I’d believe you
Count the seconds to the end

In this next part, the singer references the theory of evolution, implying that Charles Darwin was wrong due to the perception that natural selection has failed to eliminate "idiots" from society, instead allowing them to thrive. While the band had mostly been scattered across the main stage, at this point the lead singer drags his mic stand forward as he gets on the catwalk, but doesn't really get too far.

Ignorance called
Darwin was wrong
Idiocy remains, surviving

But it is also at this point of the song that the singer appears to get a moment of clarity and realize that wallowing won't change anything. Instead, one must get up. He stops right at the end of the ramp, before the long path on the runway.

Still the world turns
Somehow it’s messed up
But yet, we can go on

Though perhaps it could be possible as well that this song takes the perspective of someone who has some sort of a superiority complex. Why would he want to "defy [...] a thousand sheep"? This is consistent with his expression of having lost faith in humanity. The staging isn't particularly flashy, to be frank. Of course it's the music that matters most, but the dynamic camera angles at least try to make the show somewhat exciting. It pans across the stage, it closes up on the backing singer, it shows the audience... you get it.

Tried to jump high
Why can’t I defy
The grazing field a thousand sheep wide?

But it's this line below that cements the idea that this song is about the end of a relationship. Unless... that "you" refers to someone who had recently done something that caused the protagonist of our story to lose his faith in humanity? By the way, the band members seem really into the instruments they're playing. You can see their passion.

Sitting in bed
Tried to get you out of my head
Asking myself

And that final verse blended very well with this next part, not exactly a pre-chorus. A bridge, perhaps? The blue lights fade away, making the stage bathed only in warm, golden light.

What do we do? Where to go?
Are we not screwed, after all?

But then it does get followed by the pre-chorus, presented in a way that's calm, paving the way for the climax to build towards the end of the song. To reflect this, the stage lights subdue as well and the only lights remaining — mostly spotlights on the performers — turn white.

Life’s like a movie
We can’t stop the stream
So bring the apology
Cause we’re destroying the dream

Now as they begin singing the chorus, the climax starts to build. Note that they alternate between the original, pessimistic chorus and the novel, more optimistic one.

What a shame
In this game
Won’t let myself lose to the faithless
To the hopeless

What a shame
If you said “I gotta get up”
I’d believe you
I would save you

The stage lights gradually come back, blue and gold. You also notice the audience become increasingly enthusiastic.

What a shame
In this game
Humanity lost to the faithless
It’s all hopeless

What a shame
If you said “the hour is up”
I’d believe you
Count the seconds

And now the rhythm was back in full swing. The stage lights, some of it at least, began flashing to the beat again. The lead singer moves back to the main stage as well, joining his band.

What a shame
In this game
Won’t let myself lose to the faithless
To the hopeless

What a shame
If you said “I gotta get up”
I’d believe you
I would save you after all

Now I'm not sure if you notice but the camera has begun to prefer closer, more intimate angles to the stage. This is by design. As the song comes to an end, the band feel the need to not leave with an open question, but to instead provide some closure and coziness, if that makes sense. And if it doesn't make sense don't worry about it.

What to do?
Are we not screwed, after all?

And now as the song comes to an end, the stage lights begin to dim, save for a few spotlights on the band members, who also visibly become calmer. You can hear the audience cheer as well.

Oh, where to go?
Oh, what to do?

The song comes to an end. The crowd cheers. The lead singer takes a bow before reaching back to the mic, saying "Thank you Äuszer! Love ya!"

[South Alezia]

Ken Lee for number 19
19. SOUTH ALEZIA
Tune: Valentina Hasan - Ken Lee (improved English version)


(The audience applaused loudly as usual. Suddenly a random voice shouts through the venue....)

Ladies and gentlemen, the best singer, the master of its own craft. Mike(aella) Rouffone!

(The audience went crazy as usual.)

Well I guess I am truly the best
I am better than the whole rest
And I guess I'll get the twelve points now

My smile will shine in the night
My smile will shine.... Yes it'll shine......

We always suck at these kind of stuff
Why can't you all give me a bit of love
Well I guess I'm better than you all

My smile will shine in the night
My smile will shine.... Yes it'll shine......

Dear me, how I love me very very much
Dear me, I address me as such

(we can hear people clapping along, enjoying Mike(Aella) beautiful voice. Such charisma because it might be true that someone fainted due to the beauty of the song itself (actually the person fainted due to how WTH the song is)

Dear me!!!, I'm the best mic available
Dear me!!!!, I really lovin' me, ooooh...

I'll turn these hearts around me
Juries will absolutely vote for me
And I guess I already take the public's heart....

My smile will shine for the world
My smile will shine.... Yes it'll shine......

(More people applaused crazily more than ever on the climax. You could swear someone on the commentator boxes shouted "I LOVE YOU")

DEAR ME!!!!!!! how I love me very very much
DEAR ME!!!!!!!, I address me as such

DEAR ME!!!!!!!, I'm the best mic available
DEAR ME!!!!!!!, I really lovin' me, ooooh...

(What a great song. Everyone applaused... Next song please )

[Ethane]

20 - Ethane
Take A Stand - to the tune of Cities-Acoustic

The stage is dark. It is hard to see much on the stage; it appears quite empty. The arena is quiet. There is a sense of anticipation, of waiting. A sense of mystery, the appearance of a grand reveal. A single spotlight clicks on. It is shining down, illuminating a solitary wooden stool stood in the centre of the stage. In front of it is a microphone in a stand, poised at a height for someone to sing into while sitting. That is everything. The rest of the stage is still shrouded in darkness.

Then you can hear someone strumming on a guitar. You can’t see the person, but you can hear the music. From the shadow’s steps Lachlan. He walks up to the stool and takes a seat. He’s wearing a casual black polo shirt and blue denim jeans – going for the casual, chilled look. Everything about the performance comes across as low-key. The camera captures this in its entirety, focusing on the singer appearing from the darkness and then sitting on the stool. Lachlan clears his front, then leans forward slightly, bringing his mouth closer to the microphone. He begins to sing – looking out across the audience as he does so.

Have you just heard this?
There is injustice all around.
You need to search this?
You get angry from what you've found?

Two more spotlights shine down on him from the rear. The stage remains dark, absent of any colour or light beyond the now three spotlights. Lachlan appears to be reflecting as he sings, with a thoughtful look sketched across his face. He’s not just here to sing; he’s here to teach. To learn. To make a better world. His head is tilted slightly down as he looks out at the audience. The camera-view switches between an audience view – looking at Lachlan face-on – and a panning view – towards the end of the pre-chorus the camera pans in from the right side and gets up close to his face, with the artist singing while looking directly at the camera.

People are suffering every day.
But don't despair cause I know we'll find a way.

Lachlan looks up, his gaze now over the audience right to the back of the stadium. He’s not looking at anyone in particular, more just gazing off into the distance and the potential that the future holds for him and for the world. But he’s still just sitting there, strumming away at his guitar, and singing straight into the microphone. Very little has changed.

We'll lock our arms together.
We'll tell the world that we're saying no!
They know they can't divide us,
We fight for a better world.

We'll take a stand forever,
And tell the world they need to know,
This place is full of terrors, so hold on,
We fight for a better world.

The strumming pattern visibly changes as he starts playing the post-chorus guitar melody. The camera closes in on his hands playing the guitar – there’s more clear movement and skill to this part of the performance compared to the casual strumming pattern of the verse and chorus so far. However, once again very little changes on stage. Lachlan is clearly more passionate and into the performance with the more dramatic strumming pattern and the camera captures that well, but outside of that the stage is very much completely dark outside the vicinity of Lachlan.

Lachlan then reverts back to the original strumming pattern on his acoustic guitar. He calms down a little bit again, reverting back to his thoughtful stares across the audience and down the ground. He occasionally looks down at his guitar to double check his strumming pattern and finger positioning. The camera flicks between a panning shot across the audience, before a shot starting from a view of Lachlan on the left side as he starts singing again, before rotating around the back of his head until it gets to a face-on position with the artist staring down the lens as he sings.

Stand up for justice,
And make your voice heard on this earth,
Then they will notice,
As we fight to make ourselves heard.

Lachlan looks to his right, looks to his left, then looks back out across the audience again. He seems to be singing with a little more passion, a little more fire. He’s closer to the microphone. His face appears slightly more strained. And he has a more passionate glare in his eyes as he looks out across the audience. Once again, the lighting remains mostly the same. But the mood has shifted slightly. It’s gone from gloomy and dark to a lighter ambience – perhaps helped by the slight glow provided by the lights along the edge of the stage which, while keeping some of the stage shrouded in darkness, do provide a certain level of ambient lighting.

People are suffering every day,
But don't despair cause I know we'll find a way.

Lachlan smiles. It’s the first time a smile has been observed on his face in this performance. The ambient light is increasing gradually, but much of the stage is still shrouded in a level of darkness. The three spotlights remained trained on him. The camera captures the whole stage from a camera over the heads of the audience, and keeps switching between that angle, panning angles of Lachlan, and close-ups.

We'll lock our arms together.
We'll tell the world that we're saying no!
They know they can't divide us,
We fight for a better world.

A light shines on another microphone stand, set-up at the front of the stage overlooking the audience. Lachlan jumps up and dashes to it, as he changes the strumming pattern, immediately singing the more intense part of the chorus as he reaches the new microphone. Two spotlights on the original stool shut off, and the other spotlight follows him. Then that spotlight switches off, leaving only 1 spotlight on him. The camera captured this short dash and then moved to a face-on view of Lachlan singing as he smiled and sung over the audience. The ambient lighting is also continually increasing in intensity, illuminating the stage slowly.

We'll take a stand forever,
And tell the world they need to know,
This place is full of terrors, so hold on,
We fight for a better world.

Three backing singers and a couple of other people are suddenly illuminated. They’re standing behind Lachlan – a couple of metres behind. Their arms are all interlocked. There are people from all different backgrounds, all different ethnicities in the line – the people are truly meant to be a reflection of the diversity of universal society. There is a spotlight on each one. Once the backing singers are illuminated, the white ambient lighting reaches its full intensity, illuminating the whole stage with a dim-ish white light.

Oo-oh
oo-oh

Lachlan stills as he sings the final lines of the song, singing directly into the microphone. Someone from in front of him rapidly lowers the stand – a member of the crew in the front of the audience – to a height at which he can sing into as he sits down with his legs dangling off the edge of the stage. The rest of the stage – spotlights on the backing singers and the ambient lighting – also rapidly fades back into darkness, shrouding the line with interlocking arms back into darkness. Just a solitary spotlight is left on Lachlan as he changes his strumming pattern again to end the song with. He sings the final few lines into the microphone, smiling while directly staring into the camera.

They know they can't divide us,
They know they can't divide us - yeah,
They know they can't divide us,
They know they can't divide us,
They know they can't divide us,
They know they can't divide us,
We fight for a better world.

As soon as the song ends, Lachlan stands up and generic ambient arena lighting returns. The line of people with interlocked arms remains, standing still and staring out across the audience, not making eye contact with anyone – their faces clearly serious. Lachlan backs up until he reaches the middle of the line – a space is made for him and he interlocks arms with his two neighbours, placing the guitar on the floor behind him.

“Thank you so much! We’re so proud to be here, representing Ethane. Thank you for having us, and thank you for letting us get our message out. Always fighting for a better world for everyone – love is all you need. So show everyone some love, thanks for having us!” They delink arms and all head for stage exit.

[Pemecutan]

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21
Poleng - "Sujatine" ("The Truth")
Music: Kadek Juni, Putu Sandiyasa
Lyric: Kadek Juni, Gede Kamajaya
Language : Hanacaraka (Balinese)
Tune - The Chainsmokers - Who Do You Love

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At the 88th WorldVision Song Contest, Pemecutan representative have faring well. Mitha Kemala which was previously represent the country in 84th edition (Pemecutan first involvement in WorldVision), made a comeback after being selected to represent Pemecutan in the 88th edition. Her song "Cerita Cinta" was well accepted. The result was quite better. Standing with 145 combine points, Pemecutan placed 12th. This is their second top 20 placement after a 10th in 86th edition which is their highest placement so far. This is also their second time to gained more than 100 combine points. On the sidelines, Pemecutan marked their highest Televotes points with 81. Although the Jury votes only received 64, which is their second best. One positive note is the country received their first 12 points in the edition.

For the 89th edition, the selection team really make a change and experimenting with their selection. The 5 songs that being released for online votes are really broad. The vote result is quite a shocked. Poleng with their song "Sujatine" is received the highest votes and automatically selected as the representatives of Pemecutan in the 89th edition of WorldVision Song Contest. They will fly to Auszer in Todlichebujoku, the host of this edition. Kadek Juni, Poleng vocalist, seems surprise with the result. But he is very happy that they can represent the country in a big competition like WorldVision.

From left to right: Komang Putra (guitar), Gede Kamajaya (bass), Kadek Juni (vocal), Putu Sandiyasa (guitar), Gus Oka (drum)

Established in 2011, Poleng have been one of the most popular pop rock band in the country. Most of their songs are written in Hanacaraka, one of the official language of Pemecutan. They have received 8 Chakra Music Award including Album of the Year. 5 albums have been released with more than 10 singles. The band members haven't been change from the start of their establishment. The name of the band come from the color name which associated with Pemecutan ancient motto, "Rwa Bhineda", which means two different things. Poleng is a white-black-grey checkered-board color sequence which in line with Rwa Bhineda motto because there are always bad things (black) in good things (white) and there is also good things (white) in something bad (black) and sometimes we have something in between (grey). We can't see things just from 2 perspective of good and bad. The color Poleng have become the second most popular color sequence in the country after the Tridatu color (black-white-red).

The band member preparing themselves at the backstage waiting for their time to performed. They are wearing a casual black shirt with their band logo printed on it. They are also wearing poleng pattern fabric which covered their pants as one of their signature style which also promoted and introduce Pemecutan culture. Not to forget the black "Udeng" headpiece, the traditional Pemecutanian headpiece for men which they wear for the show.

The host eventually called out for them. The lights on the stage are off while the stage crew preparing for their performance. The band members are positioned themselves with Kadek Juni as the vocalist standing at the center of the stage. The postcard of Pemecutan is shown at the big screen which give a glimpse of lights that the audience can peak who will performed. As the intro of the song started, the postcard is change into Poleng band logo. The lights on the stage are on. Changing their color to the beat of the music.

Yeah...
Tekane mebibih manis

She came with a sweet mouth

Setate ngelemesin

Trying to seduce

Janji ne kanti mati

The promise until death

Tresnane abadi

The love is eternal

Jani adi setate ngejohin

But now you suddenly stay away

Sing buin pati inget ngabarin

Rarely remember to give news

Bingung bli ken bikas adine

I'm so confused with your attitude

Ade ne engkebin

There's something that you hide

Kadek Juni then take his mic and walked to the front, walking on the guitar-like stage. The crowd try to shake their hands with him as he walk through. Komang Putra and Putu Sandiyasa, the guitarists are also walked to the left and right side of the stage. Giving a larger coverage for them to approached the audience. The stage lights are going wild as they are changing rapidly, very fast as the music moved faster during the chorus.

Ho...uwo...
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

Nyak adi ngorahin ho...oh...

Would you tell me?

Ho...uwo...
Sing ade ne engkebang

Don't hide anything

Pang tawang mekejang

So I know everything

Yen adi sing enu demen

If you no longer like me

Sing buin tresna

No longer love me

De sajan nyaruang kitane

Don't try to say otherwise

Jeg orahang

Just say it

Ho...uwo
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

De ngengkebang...de ngengkebang...ho..oh...

Don't hide it...Don't hide it

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Jeg orahang...jeg orahang...ho...oh...ho...

Just say it...just say it

The stage lights get calmer as they entered the second verse. Kadek Juni is still standing at the guitar-like stage singing the second verse. While the guitarists and bassist are moving around the stage. making a connection with the audience.

Yen mule ade ne lenan

If there is someone else

Ne ngeranayang sayang

Which makes you feel loved

Depang bli ane ngalah

Let me give in

Pang pada pada liang

So everyone is happy

Kale de sajan adi nyakitin

But don't you hurt me

Gantung adi rasan atin bli

You hang my feelings for you

Luungan sube kel kepegatin

It's better that I break this

Tresnan bli ken adi

My love to you

Kadek Juni walked back to the main stage as he sing the chorus. He is approaching his band members, the guitarists and bassist. They are standing closely at the connector between the main stage and the guitar-like stage while singing the end of the chorus.

Ho...uwo...
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

Nyak adi ngorahin ho...oh...

Would you tell me?

Ho...uwo...
Sing ade ne engkebang

Don't hide anything

Pang tawang mekejang

So I know everything

Yen adi sing enu demen

If you no longer like me

Sing buin tresna

No longer love me

De sajan nyaruang kitane

Don't try to say otherwise

Jeg orahang

Just say it

Ho...uwo
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

De ngengkebang...de ngengkebang...ho..oh...

Don't hide it...Don't hide it

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Jeg orahang...jeg orahang...ho...oh...ho...

Just say it...just say it

Kadek Juni suddenly seating at the connector while singing the part. The music stopped and they are just clapping when they sing the first part of the chorus again. The music getting more lively as they sing the second part of the chorus. Kadek Juni and the other band members are heading to the main stage. Standing in a row which covered the whole stage length.

(Ho...uwo...) Jani adi setate ngejohin

But now you suddenly stay away

(Ho...uwo...) Sing buin pati inget ngabarin

Rarely remember to give news

(Ho...uwo...) Luungan sube kel kepegatin

It's better that I break this

(Ho...uwo...) Tresnan bli ken adi

My love to you

Ho...uwo...
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

Nyak adi ngorahin ho...oh...

Would you tell me?

Ho...uwo...
Sing ade ne engkebang

Don't hide anything

Pang tawang mekejang

So I know everything

Yen adi sing enu demen

If you no longer like me

Sing buin tresna

No longer love me

De sajan nyaruang kitane

Don't try to say otherwise

Jeg orahang

Just say it

Ho...uwo
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

De ngengkebang...de ngengkebang...ho..oh...

Don't hide it...Don't hide it

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Jeg orahang...jeg orahang...

Just say it...just say it

Kadek Juni reprise the second part of the chorus once again. He sing it in a very passionate way until the end. The lights on the stage slowly darken as the music nearing the end until all the lights are off and only the band logo are appears at the big screen.

Yen adi sing enu demen

If you no longer like me

Sing buin tresna

No longer love me

De sajan nyaruang kitane

Don't try to say otherwise

Jeg orahang

Just say it

Ho...uwo
Ape ane sujati?

What is the truth?

De ngengkebang...de ngengkebang...ho..oh...

Don't hide it...Don't hide it

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

Nah nah

Yeah Yeah

Ape ne sujati?

What is the truth?

The crowd are giving a sounded applause for their energetic and passionate performance. The stage lights are back on while the host congratulate them for their performance. All the band members are standing hand in hand at the center stage and bowing for the last time before heading to the backstage.

[Rhim Flavezztowland]

22. Rhim Flavezztowland