BVC | 60th World Hit Festival | Aronyk, Britonisea [IC]

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 9:00 am

WHF NETWORK - OOC THREAD - DRAFT THREAD - PLAYLIST - OFFICIAL RECAP

20:00

Aronyk is gearing up to host the 8th Britonish World Hit Festival and what could be the last all-Britonish World Hit Festival ever. Aronyk is a city in the south of Britonisea in the middle of urbanisation to the nth degree. While people didn't think that Aronyk was ready to host something international such as the World Hit Festival, despite some roadworks and whatnot, the city coped very well with the hosting of the IBA Football Champions League which had as many visitors to the city as the World Hit Festival would have. The World Hit Festibval bosses that in keeping with the tradition of going around to different cities in Britonisea (except for Kyvivre which was considered at one point), it would be best to continue and so Aronyk would be a great choice. Aronyk isn't too far away from a few major cities such as Quickenden and Junterapten and sits alongside the M1 - the main motorway in Britonisea - right in the centre between Doportedas and Telm City - the two big'uns of the country. With over 20,000 people packed into the stadium for what is expected to be a great show, it was time for the Festival to start. There was a huge silence in the stadium as they all counted down, with the official World Hit Festival theme tune playing out for everyone to hear. Television screens were now trained on Britonisea for the first time in seven editions. Aronyk was ready to go...

Opening VT
Video: Aronyk will host the 60th World Hit Festival
Official Transcript of the Commentators in the BVC Commentary Box

Josh Marténse: Hello everybody and welcome back to Britonisea! We're hosting the 60th World Hit Festival in the city of Aronyk!

Rigas Jengiz: And what a beautiful city it isn't, isn't it? Look at all those tall mountains - wonderful. The reason why we are here is because of one man...

Josh Marténse: And his name is Josh, as well, Josh Morris won the festival last edition with his Vha Mehlodhivestoile banger, "Mine" and the trophy certainly was his!

Rigas Jengiz: After performing first in the running order as well, Josh was 15 points clear from the rest of the pack - it was certainly his win for the taking!

Josh Marténse: And for those of you who love a bit of Josh, I for sure do, you'll be able to catch him performing not just once tonight - oh no - he will be performing twice! He will perform very soon so keep an eye out.

Rigas Jengiz: Wooo! And that's the stadium that we are currently in, look Josh! I am so excited to get started, I heard it's going to be a good night full of great music.

Josh Marténse: I hope so, it feels like such a long time since Britonisea last hosted - it's been our longest wait to host since the gap between the 27th Festival and the 35th Festival - can you believe that?

Rigas Jengiz: Winning just became a lot harder recently - even if Normandy and Picardy won like twice in a row!

As Rigas finished her sentence, the picture slightly changed as the World Hit Festival logo was focused on the screen for a couple of seconds. The screen dipped to black before a small orchestral tune started to play.

Opening VT
Video: Punch Deck - 100 Seconds
Official Transcript of the Commentators in the BVC Commentary Box

In true Britonish fashion, you simply couldn't start the World Hit Festival without an exciting, suspenseful beginner - could you? This edition was absolutely no exception as a small tune started with Josh Morris lifting up the trophy in Achaean Republic. Some people thought that it was interesting that the last time Achaean Republic won, it was in Britonisea and the next time Britonisea would win, we would collect the trophy back from Achaean Republic. With the colours of the Achaean Republic now fading onto the screen, we then started to see a montage of the moments after the Festival.

Josh Marténse: This is quite an interesting montage. You can see that there are some shots of Josh Morris walking after he performed his winner's reprise and he's being quickly whisked away by the stage personnel to the Press Conference, I'd assume.

Rigas Jengiz: For a winner, the night after you perform is incredibly stressful, yeah. You can see him speaking there in the Press Conference, he looks happy though - he's soaking up the moment.

You could see that Josh Morris was answering some questions in the Press Conference before the camera cut to him returning to Luton Airport (the city where he is from) with Britonish flags being waved in the air in the foyer where he arrived. He opened up his arms so everyone could hear him. We could hear cheers over the music being played. We then moved onto the pictures of the broadcaster deciding whether they should host the upcoming World Hit Festival or not, with Josh Morris in the room with them.

Josh Marténse: Now you can see Josh's involvement in the hosting of the 60th World Hit Festival. He was involved every step of the way, even deciding the logo and overall design package. He said that he liked the idea of the diamond, you know? With it being the 60th diamond edition of the festival, he said it made the most sense!

Rigas Jengiz: This is probably our darkest design yet and it really brings out that diamond, doesn't it? I personally love it!

We then saw pictures of Josh Morris in the studio again, making some new music which he is about to perform live for the Opening Act of the Festival. Meanwhile, we saw some pictures of people moving into the Arena Aronyk for the football matches that happened a couple of weeks before, with the television officials looking at the matches with glee and excitement - they knew their plan to host in Aronyk was going to work. We saw a shot of fireworks pumping into the air as we then saw a snapshot of the creation of the large and intricate design of the stage.

Josh Marténse: And that is the stage everyone will be performing on tonight - what an hour right?

Rigas Jengiz: It's such a vast stage, I cannot wait to see what everyone will do with it.

As Rigas said this, we saw a few more shots of Josh Morris getting ready to go up onto the stage before we heard the applause of the rampant audience in Aronyk today.

After the VT finished, we transitioned straight into the stadium for the start of the festival. Josh Morris was due to perform his winning song, "Mine" - the eighth Britonish song to win the World Hit Festival. In what was confirmed to be the last fully Britonish hosting (as the Overseer is Britonish and it is BVC officials putting the show on), Guy Autriche was more than excited to have Josh back on the team for a spectacular opening resembling what he did last edition.

OPENING ACT
JOSH MORRIS - MINE
Tune: Irama - La genesi del tuo colore
Lyrics: Atekon Shipton, Josh Morris • Music: Jayden Christopher, William Cross

There were lights all along the edges of the block in order for dimensions to be seen clearly - but also strobe lights in the box itself. The top of the box was clear as well, with there being no lights apart from the bright spotlights being on display to give the illusion that was another black wall above him. The staging took some time to set up and we're sure that the stage personnel started during the host intervention. Josh took one last breath as the postcard came to an end. It was time for the performance and the first thing that audiences could see is the masculine outline of Josh Morris' chest upwards. As shown on the image above, you couldn't see Josh Morris' facial features at all - just his body and he slightly swayed along with the heavenly strings at the beginning of the song. The Britonish audience roared powerfully as their winner took to the stage. You could see the outline of Josh's cheek slightly enlargen as he couldn't help but smile. It was the second time (the first time being his winner's reprise) in which he could do this performance without the pressure of winning.

Before you leave, let me speak...
Let me say what went through my head
I'm not here to fight, not here to raise my voice, no
Don't want no back and forth, I'm in the wrong, I know

As the country had a lot of experience doing this performance, both at Vha Mehlodhivestoile and then again at the World Hit Festival in Achaean Republic, they knew exactly how to stage this on the one that they made. Throughout the first verse, apart from the first line which was focused on Josh Morrris' face - we started to show different parts of his body - such as his hands, before showing his chest which - in and amongst the darkness - had a red beam pointing at him, similar to the ones you'd find if you were about to be shot. The lights which lined the bottom of the box flickered with low intensity, with parts of Josh Morris being shown in between the shaky and quick camera jumps.

Hear me out as I make one final plea, I'm begging, I'm begging
I'm brought to my knees, don't ignore me
Just one more chance, I'm not asking for much
Then our future's in your hands, will you decide to stay?
Will you leave?

As we move into the thirty-second mark in the performance, there was a remarkable difference, as the strobes turned on all around which exposed Josh Morris completely, from a shot slightly further away to show the huge expanse of the box in which he was standing in. Josh Morris slightly tilted his head backwards, swaying along to the song, and tightly grasping his palm as he begged the person he was singing to. As the mention of hands was brought up, similarly to a shot before, we focused on his hand as he moved it up to his face and outwards - his facial expression one of serious doubt. There was a sense of sadness in his eyes as he finished the chorus - transmitting the sense of guilt he feels for wrecking the relationship between him and the person he still loves.

A sketch of the box: The same box that was used in Achaean Republic was brought back to Britonisea and used in this performance too...

With the first sections of the song being rather simple but intricate with the staging - for this section of the song - the lights started flashing erratically, fitting along with the camera shots which would change along with every drum beat - especially during the first few lines of the chorus which otherwise was quite quiet. Each of these shots would be moving - even if it was ever so slightly, but just to make the performance seem dynamic and still visually interesting. The red light that was once there was gone now, with the flashing lights from each of the lamps on the stage along with the pulsating beat of the song. Lights similar to this was being seen for a matter of seconds during the instrumental section at the end of the chorus which is the reason that there was an epileptic warning at the start of this performance! As it can look rather jarring if it happened for a long period of time, this section was only very short and would happen once - with the high contrast between the black or white not being the most comfortable thing to watch.

Mine, you were mine,
The fault's mine, threw away all we had.
Lie - my way through life, karma bites
Now I gotta live with...live with what I've done

The motorised-sounding voice added to the theme as well and the friction - made the song seem slightly off which is what Josh wanted. As he sang the final line - he sang it out towards the audience, before looking out into nothingness with confidence. With the use of a gobo with prison cell bars cut out in front of the light, creating a picture such as this one, it looked as though Josh was behind bars - which obviously relates to what he is singing about. There were flashing deep Britonish blue and red lights around him which signified the colours you'd universally find on police cars - which is the type of vibe that Josh wanted to go for. Josh was happy with how the performance was going so far, and while he wanted to smile and be all happy during the performance, he knew that he had to remain focused and stay in character.

Drank myself into oblivion, caused a scene
(Put...your hands behind your back,
Lower your head, get into the back, and shut up)
Didn't know what I had done (How do you plead on the account of..)
Couldn't remember last night (You're sentenced to...)

As he sang the lyric, "Yeah, you warned me", the gobo looked like tumbling bricks which Josh Morris reacted to by also falling to his knees as well at the same speed as the bricks which fell around him. He then sang the high note once again with "I couldn't stop", as the lights flickered with him. A shot caught Josh while he was on the floor but the man slowly picked himself back up like he did after being ridiculed for going to prison. During 1:37 where there was a static sound, there was a similar flash of light as well which looked like electrocution, with Josh Morris holding himself high up, before dropping once again, but this time keeping on his feet. There was a shot as Josh stepped heavily on the ground before it trailed the front of his body to his eyes as he sang how the pain was strong. The lights slightly died down once again as he moved towards the end of the pre-chorus.

Yeah, you warned me, I couldn't stop
Was stuck in a rut 'cuz the pain was strong
But after time in solitude, I visualised the light ahead

Mine, you were mine,
The fault's mine, threw away all we had.
Lie - my way through life, karma bites
Now I gotta live with...live with what I've done
All the pain that I've caused.
Didn't want to hurt you, I hate seeing you cry,
Your wounds, they'll heal with time and I'll face what I've done.

A wide shot of the whole stage for a split second as we moved into the chorus before we went back to the box with it being more of a technicolour display, lights interchanging (but with different colours such as black and white, with a hint of deep blue). Josh Morris continued to sing with his heart throughout this longer chorus which would lead into the bridge section of the song. Josh felt as though he was nearly at the end. As he explains that he didn't want to hurt, you could see the sorry in his facial expressions as he touches his own face, closing his eyes gently at his own touch trying to imagine that it was his partner's touch. It was the obligatory steadicam time of the performance as we moved onto the bridge section. The camera came to him while the lights were playing up and flickering, circling rather quickly around him and at points exposing the audience behind him who were plunged in darkness but all had their torches out. There was then a shot looking up at him as he extended his arm with - the one without the microphone with a huge shadow appearing in front of him thanks to the overhead lights.

You were my forever,
I know that I betrayed your trust,
Could you forgive me for what I'd done?
I know that our love for one another is still there,
I can see it, I can still see it in your eyes...

At the end of the climax of the song, each of the sides of the box falls over (similar to this, but in this example, it was curtains that were used instead of it being actual sides). As the sides of the box collapse, there was a huge applause in the arena for Josh Morris and his countries. Thousands of people around had their mobile phone torches out with Josh almost surrounded by a sea of lights - which was a great shot from further away in the arena. As we moved into the final chorus and everything slowed down for a hot minute, we were then greeted to a circle of fresnel lights and strobes all around him 360 with one of the cameras focusing on the lights before swiveling around to Josh Morris who was waiting for the camera to face him again. He had a very serious facial expression on him which slowly tuned into one of hope as we moved into the final chorus of the song.

Mine, you were mine,
The fault's mine threw away all we had.
Lie - my way through life, karma bites.
Now I gotta live with...

Didn't want to hurt you, I hate seeing you cry,
Your wounds, they'll heal with time and I'll face what I've done. (the fault, it is all mine)
You might not trust me but I'll admit when I am wrong. (the fault, it is all mine)
I hope we'll reconcile and restore what we had.

(The fault, it is all mine)

At the end of the song, the Britonish flag was displayed on the board behind him using the colours from the light. The man cheered along with the rambunctious audience who were excited at the time. After waiting a couple of seconds, you could hear a voiceover...

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME THE HOSTS OF THE DIAMOND EDITION OF THE WORLD HIT FESTIVAL..."

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 10:00 am

As it was announced, all of the hosts came on to the stage altogether, with a small distance between them. As the announcer said each of their names, the camera would have a close-up shot of each of the hosts. With them standing in spot, looking into the camera, and waving. Jake Bachelot provided those at home with a cheeky wink, but luckily we won't be getting any flirting throughout the main bulk of the show as he will be in the Greenroom. Anders and Priya will be the two main hosts for the show, with Rakesh Hayre taking the lead online. After the three of them had their names read out, they made it to the edge of the stage with Josh Morris' box having mysteriously gone by the time they reached the end. The three of them soaked in the atmosphere before Anders started to speak...

Anders Duran: Bonsoir et bienvenue, welcome to diamond edition of the World Hit Festival - here in Aronyk!

The audience started to cheer very loudly once again, with a camera shot of the whole audience being shown and then a close-up of a couple of World Hit Festival fans holding a Britonish flag on the verge of tears for god knows who reason.

Anders Duran: My name is Anders Duran...

Priya Thompson: I am Priya Thompson...

Jake Bachelot: I am Jake Bachelot, and tonight we will take you through all of the wonderful performances. 21 nations are vying for the 60th trophy of the World Hit Festival - who is it going to be?

Priya Thompson: I can't quite put my finger on who will win, Jake! It's set to be a very tough show tonight and I can't wait for it all to kick off.

Anders Duran: As I previously said, tonight we're in Aronyk - home to just over one million people. Aronyk isn't a city that you first think of when you think Britonisea-

Jake Bachelot: No, the Achaeans were sure that Kyvivre would host for the third time! Some people across the multiverse thought that we'd be heading to an Airport Hangar for the diamond edition as well...

Priya Thompson: The Airport Hangar really did us justice for the 53rd World Hit Festival, which - BT-dubbs was the last time we hosted...in Bovingdon.

Anders Duran: But they were all wrong. We decided to choose Aronyk, an up-and-coming city that is being built nothing into one of the great cities of our country.

Priya Thompson: Calling live from the Arena Aronyk, the same stadium which hosted IBA Champions League matches, over 20,000 people are jam-packed waiting for us to shut up and get on with the show!

Jake Duran: Ahhh! Should we say hello to all of the 20 acts of the 60th World Hit Festival?

Priya Thompson: Let's do it!

NATION'S PARADE
by DJ Ash Kaplan
Tune: Bryant Lowry - Tenshi
Music: DJ Ash Kaplan

From VM2021 to WHF60: DJ Ash Kaplan from Aloquirbe will be setting the stage ablaze for the 60th World Hit Festival!

It was time for the 21 competing entries of the 60th World Hit Festival to come out onto the stage! Please welcome all of our guests!

1st Third

Host Intervention

2nd Third

Host Intervention

3rd Third

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 11:41 am

After the last nation came out on the stage, there was huge applause. You could see two of the hosts on the stage; Anders and Priya were left. The audience started shouting the names of the countries that they wanted to win.

Priya Thompson: Hello everybody! I hope you enjoyed that little celebration - all of the artists really looked spectacular on the stage tonight. Now, it is time to let you know how you can vote at the 60th World Hit Festival.

Anders Duran: The running order for tonight's show has been decided by the Producers of the World Hit Festival after being fairly drawn into two Semi-Finals a week or so ago. The running order has then been verified by the Overseer Guy Autriche, along with the Overseer-Elect Christine Périault from Normandy & Picardy.

The audience cheered, especially the Normand contingent at the back of the arena who were glad the Festival's new home would be Normandy and Picardy after years of trying... That would be spoken about later on in the show.

Anders Duran: After all of the 21 acts of tonight's show have performed, you will be able to vote for them using telephone or mobile texts - you'd have to find out from your commentator which applies to you. Your votes will then combine with the Jury votes to give an overall score for your nation.

Priya Thompson: Your nation will then give out 15 points; 5 points to their favourite song, all the way down to 1. Only five out of a possible 21 nations will receive points from a nation.

Anders Duran: You will not know who gives what points out until the second half to keep you all waiting right until the end. Exciting stuff, right?

Priya Thompson: Indeed! Now, you're probably wondering right now - there were three of you, where has the other one gone?

Anders Duran: Well, the very beautiful Jake Bachelot is providing his services elsewhere. Let's see if we can find him...

The audience kept their eyes on the screen as the ident of the 60th World Hit Festival showed up on the screen for all of those to see. We then went to Jake Bachelot who was in the Greenroom.

Priya Thompson: You left us, Jake! Where are you?

Jake Bachelot: Hello Priya and Anders. Yeah, I am in the Greenroom on the other side of the arena. I'm sitting down just in front of all of the competing acts and throughout the night, I will be presenting some facts, speaking to the leaders of the votes et cetera. I'm looking forward to speaking to everyone!

Priya Thompson: That's fantastic - I cannot wait to see what sort of things you're going to do. Jake, keep our guests safe! I'm sure everyone will be fine, though!

Priya let off a cheeky smile to which Jake smiled and replied...

Jake Bachelot: Haha, I'll be sure to try my best! Back to you to open the show!

There was a camera that swung around and went from the Greenroom to one of the platforms with Anders standing there on his lonesome. Priya would join him in just a second as they open the show...

Anders Duran: Thank you very much Jake! I, too, look forward to what you're going to come up with. We've introduced the guests, we've introduced what's happening in the show...what else are we missing?

Priya Thompson: (Appears) Me!

Anders Duran: Not quite, but yes, hello again!

Priya Thompson: Thanks a lot! Well, I think the thing we are missing are the performances! So let's get straight to it.

Anders Duran: Indeed. Opening the show and performing first is... XX. They will be performing the song "TBA" with the act "TBA".

Priya Thompson: Celebrating the building boom in Aronyk, we told each of the delegations to find somewhere in their nation where minerals, metals, and other science-y stuff come together to make something beautiful.

Anders Duran: We then found something similar in Aronyk, and had each of the artists tour around the immediate area to find out more about the city and its recent success.

Priya Thompson: That sounds fun, doesn't it?! Let's see the first nation!

Both: LET THE WORLD HIT FESTIVAL BEGIN!

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:28 pm

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:29 pm

01
New Zealandic South West Saint Martin
Vera - "Laissez moi maintenant"
Language(s): English, French
Title Translation: Leave Me Now
Tune: Sophie Carle - 100% d'amour
Additional Information
Lyrics: Havena Baul, Etin Tumach
Music: Vera Montremontremont
Trigramme: NSM
Backing Dancers: None
Backing Singers: Jem Bombahie, Elise de Rien

Introduction

New Zealandic South West Saint Martin is not the best place to live. In fact, it's often considered one of the worst. However, even through all this, the New Zealandic Southern Western Saintian Martinishian Government of New Zealandic South West Saint Martin must portray themselves as a lovely destination for tourists and travellers alike, and so has decided to commission another World Hit Festival entry.

The people of NZSWSM were thoroughly disinterested with the 59th World Hit Festival, though the government has set up advertisements for the contest around the island, in the hopes that people would actually pay attention.

Vera Montremontremont, more commonly known by her mononym Vera, is a Port Anilisine by birth and a New Zealandic Southern Western Saintian Martinishian by ~~abduction~~ adoption. She's also one of the greatest voices on the island, behind the angels of Tee-Bee-Aye, and she's also the only person of foreign birth to inhabit the island after The Incident. However, she's been quite the jailbird, having entered the correctional facility 12 times on accounts of accidental minor genocide.

Recently, Vera's been looking at a possible escape in secret, and has signed up to the WHF in the hopes that she may 'accidentally get lost' in the city of Aronyk, perhaps on a train or in someone's house. Will these plans ever come to fruition, or will she be discovered?

Performance

There is no love, there is no peace,
There’s no wind blowing through the trees,
The telephone isn’t working,
And there’s no service where I live.
Always violins, playing so loud
And it’s unbearable, the sound,
How do you cope here, how do you feel,
‘Cause you may have a heart of steel.

Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant
You need to escape this hellhole,
I can’t come with you right now so,
Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant.

Another day, another storm,
Natural disasters where we roam,
In our mud huts, olden TVs,
Our government is made of bees.
Even if I wanted to leave,
Emigration can’t be achieved,
There’s no way out, I’m crying for help,
Won’t someone save me, get me out!

Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant
You need to escape this hellhole,
I can’t come with you right now so,
Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant.

It’s not enough, I just can’t cope
You should escape here, I’ll just hope

Je veux que (Je veux que..)
Tu me quittes maintenant
You need to escape this hellhole,
I can’t come with you right now so,
Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant.

Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant
You need to escape this hellhole,
I can’t come with you right now so,
Je veux que
Tu me quittes maintenant.

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:31 pm

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:31 pm

02
Yaakovistan
ELIAS SAILE - "DOO WOP"
Language(s): English
Tune: Ofenbach vs. Nick Waterhouse - Katchi
Additional Information
Lyrics: Anonymous local hobo
Music: E. Saile
Trigramme: YAA

Elias is a 23 year old male from a highly impoverished area of a miscellaneous second rate city in Yaakovistan's. After starting in his mid teens performing in bars to the success of his latest album and now to be facing the full crowd at a World Hit Festival performance was beyond his wildest dreams. After his confirmation as Yaakovistan's representative the journey to the airport and then to the hotel passed in a blur of excitement and now facing the WHF venue in all its glory finally put everything into perspective.

Elias walks onto stage as its covered in darkness, upon reaching the centre of the stage white spot lights flanking the stage begin to raise from covering the floor ahead of Elias to highlighting his position on stage. The camera dropping as the lights rise, Elias basked in light striking an angelic look upon the viewer. As the first bars are played the lights begin to strobe, large lighting behind Elias on the back wall of the stage begin flashing washing out the small lights on the side when is strikes.

Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop

The backing light reminiscent of a camera flash fully in sync with the beat of the music builds up in intensity as the next lines are about to be sung. The neutral white remains the main colour but as "She" is sung a green tint beings to rise from behind and among the flanking lights. The camera changing angle every other line slowly zooming in onto the centre stage, changing and zooming out to show the full performance.

She breaks my heart
All night long
She breaks my heart
All night long

The green again rising slowly taking up more of the light as the main camera slowly zooms down the centre of the venue, abruptly changing to Elias's left where he stares directly to the camera as he sings the final line of the verse.

Hey, hey, hey
You took such a long time
I got sick, take your fucking love away
Your eyes are fire, but your words're cold
Get lost, honey, i can stand any more

The green lighting dims slightly back to the secondary colour of the stage as the strobe on the back regains dominance over the performance.

She breaks my heart
All night long
She breaks my heart
All night long

The coloured lighting stops returning to the original strobe spotlights as the following lines are sung by Elias. Alternating from either side of the stage as each "Doo wop" is sung.

D-D-D-D-D-D-D
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop

For the final time the green lighting returns to the back ground of the performance and slowly fades away. The camera speradically changing from view to view in a desperate attempt to grasp the full view.

I swung on down to Leon's place
He had her love in his eyes
I said, "Hey man, where, where'd you get those eyes?"
He'd met my girl and she mesmerised

She breaks my heart
All night long
She breaks my heart
All night long

Alright!
She breaks my heart
She breaks my heart
(Well, well)
She breaks my heart

The volume of the music and intensity of the lights having began to slow as the previous verse passed kick back up as the the next verse is sung.

Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop
Doo wop a doo wop, shoopi doobi doo wop

The spot lights having fallen during the final lines of the song cut out as the last words fall upon the audience, the stage being left in darkness as at the beginning.

Priya and Anders came back onto the stage with their arms intertwined together...

Priya Thompson: Thank you for that performance, Yaakovistan! Nice to see you at the World Hit Festival!

Anders Duran: Up next is Normandy and Picardy - the absolute World Hit Festival giants!

Priya Thompson: Will they bring the World Hit Festival back to Normandy and Picardy? Let's find out!

We then went to the postcard of Normandy and Picardy...

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:32 pm

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:33 pm

03
Normandy and Picardy
Marianne Vidal, Anne-Marie Paquet - "On commencera encore le matin"
Language(s): Normand French
Title Translation: We'll start again in the morning
Tune: Emma, Alessandra Amoroso - Pezzo Di Cuore
Additional Information
Lyrics: Anne-Marie Paquet, Jean Bourdieu
Music: Anne-Marie Paquet, Marianne Vidal, Jean Bourdieu

Marianne Vidal and Anne-Marie Paquet, who will represent Normandy and Picardy in Aronyk with «On commencera encore le matin»

So close! SRNP really had a crisis on their hands as the results came in for the 58th World Hit Festival in Le Havre. Having hosted the previous contest in Amiens and then having taken it upon themselves again the next contest, under heavy encouragement from the Normand government - whilst of course it was still expected to come from the same budget - the Normand fan base and those who had been heavily impressed by SRNP's Amiens contest, alongside a sense of pride, the broadcaster had already decided internally that they would not be able to host again. This, in many ways, was not going to be a shock. Of course, in the end, it didn't matter, as the country came close, very close, to its third successive win, but ultimately handed the trophy over to the Achaean Republic. Even this, however, was unlikely to solve all of SRNP's problems, as the two contests had very much strained its resources, and threatened its domestic programming. They were going to try and send an entry to the Achaean Republic, given sending a delegation itself could be relatively cheap, but Simone Derrida knew, and had it made clear to her, that they would very much be on a budget this time around. The process started as normal, with Simone, staying on as Head of Delegation but agreeing to give up the (admittedly small) grant given on top of her regular wage - which itself decreased as a result of attempts to cut costs - for her job as head of cultural programming and host of the weekday afternoon slot on SRNP 3. Indeed, she soon honed in on the target, the act she wished to send to the World Hit Festival, in part due to an interview on her radio show with Anne-Marie Paquet. Anne-Marie is a respected name in the Normand music industry, and was making a comeback after a period taking a break and spending time writing new music, with a series of collaborations. During the course of the interview, the topic of WHF came up casually (as it so often does) and Anne-Marie made the mistake (?) of suggesting she might be up to it.

From that point, Derrida would not let go. Luckily, Anne-Marie kept up her word, and soon was in the studio working with longrunning collaborator Jean Bourdieu, not a famous name outside of the industry but well known within it, and a very steady set of hands. Given it would be part of her comeback, the studio was willing to take up a large amount of the costs, obviously hoping they would profit in the long run. The season all went as normal, well, with perhaps a little less activity than usual, and SRNP were noticeably slower to announce their return than normal which caused a few jitters. Nevertheless, the song, "La lumière dans tes yeux" (The Light in Your Eyes), a very traditional Normand ballad and a safe bet as they appear to have become in the contest, was confirmed as the Normand entry, and whilst there was amongst the accountants at SRNP a hope they wouldn't win, the delegation itself was certainly bullish about its chances of bringing the contest back to Normandy and Picardy for the 60th contest. As you'll have noted, however, this didn't happen, and in fact it couldn't have happened for one very important reason. Just before the Normand delegation was due to fly out to Orongumila, Martin Furcheval, a member of the Conseil d'Etat, the body that acts as Head of State of the Two Republics, died. It was clear that the broadcaster would have to withdraw at the last minute in order to folllow the proper protocol. It would appear that Anne-Marie's hopes, and the suggestion that had indeed become a dream of standing on the WHF stage, had been dashed by a bolt out of the blue. It was devastating to everyone involved, and Normandy and Picardy were forced to stay out of matters.

Soon afterwards, Simone called Anne-Marie to personally assure her that if she wanted, the offer of representing Normandy and Picardy at the next contest, the 60th anniversary edition no less, was wide open for her, and that even SRNP - who were determined to be back - would be more than happy to have her fly the flag once more. At first, Anne-Marie was certainly not sure. The whole ordeal had obviously shaken her, the fact that she had got so close and it had all come crumbling down. Perhaps it simply wasn't meant to be, this was a sign of fate. The single had still sold well in Normandy and Picardy, indeed perhaps better as awful as it seemed, so it wasn't a complete loss, so she could walk away now and not risk any more potential pain to come, given she had now become rather invested. The journey to the contest had been a wonderful experience, a mad experience, albeit cut short, but still, it could not be taken form her. And, she wasn't sure she'd have, or would be willing, to devote the time again. Writing a new song, working with the creative directors again, promoting it, promoting it, preparing for the shows, and promoting it. Yet, she also wanted to fulfil the dream, to have the full experience, to be able to share something with the entire multiverse. That spark would prove to be enough, and with some helpful cajoling from Simone, conversations with friends, and the like, she decided to take up the invitation, and take the advantage of having the best part of a year to come up with something new.

One of those friends was fellow musicians Marianne, who like Anne-Marie had also taken a break from the music industry. Both of them, having been highly popular a few years ago, had decided to take a break from the scene, but it is clear that the experience had affected Marianne more. She had actually been planning to work on Anne-Marie's collaboration album, but decided that the time was not right for her to return, but had since agreed at last to enter the Festival de la College de Cherbourg, the premier song festival in Normandy and Picardy (essentially the Normand version of Sanremo: for more, see the page for the current contest here. Her entry for the festival, "À la lueur de l'aube" (In the light of dawn) discusses her personal issues and the strange feeling of being disconnected from a musical industry in which she had been immersed from so long from a young age, and which basically constituted her life for a long period of time. In many ways, this was a common experience for two, and whilst the two had known each other before their break, they had turned to each other in order to help each other and had grown very close as friends. You may have noted a common lyrical theme between that entry and "On commencera encore le matin", and unsurprisingly this is not accidental. Both were written about the same time, as Anne-Marie and Marianne tried to decide on an entry to send to World Hit Festival. Yes, Anne-Marie managed to convince Marianne to join her on that stage as the first step to her return, just as it was going to be for Anne-Marie, around a month before the 'domestic' return at Cherbourg. They would do it together as friends, and work through it all together, Anne-Marie helping Marianne through the twists and turns. They both poured everything into the entry, and the result was "On commencera encore le matin", a song about deep, personal loss, both a loss of some object of love or desire, but also a sense of emotional loss, perhaps a loss of self due to some sort of trauma, and what might seem, or even be, hope against all hope, and trying to walk on through to the other side. It might all be in vain, nothing is certain, and perhaps in a sense the walking on is in fact a running away from the real issue, but still in some sense we have to try and make sense of it all, to find the path in the darkness. Perhaps not the happiest message, but one the two deeply felt, and the one that they channeled into their entry. In many ways, it was again a very proper, traditional Normand ballad, but for the two of them, it was obviously much more. They just had to convince everyone else that this was the case too.

A familiar setting, Simone Derrida's SRNP 3 Radio Show, served as a setting for the reveal of the song to both the Normand and Picard audience but also the rest of the multiverse too, for those who happened to listen in, and follow the contest closely enough to care. The Normands had certainly grown to care though since the country's veritable renaissance after a long time in the wilderness, so now what might have seen like a bit of annoyance for Derrida's regular listeners had become a relatively hotly anticipated event, and, as customary, the song rose up high in the Normand charts before Marianne and Anne-Marie had even stepped onto the plane heading out to Quickenden (the only airport in Britonisea to which Normandy and Picardy has any sort of connection), and well before they had stepped off the team coach and into the hotel in Aronyk. This was all to come, the whole hectic experience come at last for both of them. Things were already hectic enough in Normandy and Picardy with various interviews, the end of a concert tour for Anne-Marie, Marianne's preparations for the Festival de Cherbourg which had begun, alongside the World Hit Festival, and indeed, more so than normal, the WHF and the Festival jostled for space in the headlines; to some extent, this is a sign of just how popular the WHF has begun in the country in recent years. Both of them had temporarily had to move from Avranches (Anne-Marie living in Rouen, Marianne in Bayeux), which is quickly growing to become a new media hub, as supported by SRNP, and also home to the camp where their final preparations for the trip to Britonisea were being made. Everything was going fast, perhaps a bit too fast for Marianne, who had been out of the loop for so long. There were jitters in the Normand delegation with just days to go, as it seemed likely that Marianne might pull out for her own sake, but she knew in a way that she had to make the step one way or another, and that she was alongside Anne-Marie too...

It was hot. Very hot. Not Achaean Republic actually melting hot, but still height of summer for Normandy and Picardy hot. That was the first thing the pair, and the Normand delegation, noted as they got off their AirNormandie flight at Quickenden Airport. It felt almost like holiday weather, and thoughts were cast to how they might spend their time as though they weren't, in fact, taking part in a major international singing competition. The heat only got worse as they got stuck in traffic on the way to Aronyk, the actual host city, inside the coach that the delegation had hired, as opposed to forcing the artist to travel by train as had happened to Gerard Arduane when the contest was last in Britonisea. Evidently the budget had stretched enough this time around. For Simone Derrida, here as Head of Delegation, this was a return to Britonisea, and she definitely hoped to get to know it better than she had in Bovingdon, when the delegation had arrived very late, been bundled onto a train, and had only a few days to prepare. They were definitely much more in control of the situation this time, she felt, as she looked up at the mountains that had been promised alongside the motorway. They were very pretty, she conceeded, and she, the artists, and a couple of other delegation members were due to go hiking as a team exercise during their stay. What she was not happy about was that the mountains refused to move, or rather that they were not moving (funny how relativity works), given they were stuck in a heatbox on a Britonish motorway. At least they all had each other for company. And, she thought, she had been in much worse situations in the past. She just hoped that Anne-Marie and especially Marianne were enjoying themselves. Indeed, they were. Slowly, the fact they were finally here was dawning on them. The fact that in what would seem like the blink of an eye, after a whirlwind of rehearsals, press interviews, meeting with fans and indeed the other artists, spending some time getting to know the city (and its beaches), and everything in between, they would be stood together on stage preparing to sing for millions. Blink. And they were there...

The final preparations had been made. As they were called on and quickly rushed onto the stage, Marianne and Anne-Marie had just enough time for one more hug, for one more "Bonne chance", and then they were whisked away. They knew they had a job to do now, and they knew they could do it, but at the same time the eyes of the audience, perhaps more than anything else the millions of eyes they couldn't see, certainly set the stomach in motion, especially for Marianne. As she came up to her spot at the front of the stage, only just in time too as the postcard came to an end, her heart was absolutely pounding; this would be her first major live performance in several years. No pressure, then. It was time. The first couple of piano notes. Everything was pitch black except for one light shining across, showing part of Marianne's head, her face disappearing back into the dark just above her eyes, her hair falling back down from the darkness again, and then fading back in, and what you could see was white - indeed, the Normand delegation had discovered the black and white filter again, thought "Oooh, fancy", and decided to run with it. The camera shot, using camera 16 zoomed very close in - this may help give you an idea where Marianne is, though of course that was deliberately obscured for the time being - was such that Marianne appeared to be looking off at a slight angle away from the camera to the left of the shot, although really she was sat facing forward. For the first couple of lines, all that could be seen, as the camera very slowly zoomed out, was Marianne's face and her lips moving as she sung, wobbling at the end of every line as the nerves just threatened to take over, but not, of course, managing to. If she had been able to think at that point, she may have been celebrating getting through the first couple, and indeed everything after that definitely easier now she had taken the plunge, but really she wasn't thinking at all, just letting the words flow out, and flow they did.

As Marianne sang "J'ai compté..", the shot transitioned to a closer one from one of the steadicam operators, looking up to the front pedestal area of the catwalk from the right hand side, which is in fact where Marianne had been (and still was) sat at the top of the (very small) steps. You could now tell where on the stage she was at least, but the shot was still rather dark, with the light being provided from the very back of the stage, a series of different lights of different heights and depths, to help keep the somewhat moody vibe. You could also properly make out her outfit too, which consisted on a long-sleeved and relatively high necked black shirt, a patterned skirt, high-heeled black boots and a thick black coat with fur lining, as can be seen here (on the right). Some of what was to come next was slightly betrayed too, as behind her now the base of a streetlight - a prop borrowed from a certain winning performance, it having been found in an SRNP warehouse and put back into good use, being seen behind her, but for now the focus was on Marianne, now looking up to the camera, and simply singing and emoting, trying to channel everything into the performance.

J'me tiens en comptant les étoiles
Seule au milieu de cette nuit
Chacun comme un tache de rousseur
Et ils sont tres, trop loins aussi
J'ai compté toutes les secondes, toutes les heures pour ce qui me parait à des années
Depuis la dernière fois que je t'ai vue et n'importe quoi avait un air vrai

As the prechorus began, there was a turn upwards and fade transition into a shot of one of the trapezoidal LEDs as it slowly came to life, although life here means for the majority of the others from the four of which could be seen in the perspective of the previous shot as so (the final image here; thank you Brit) changing from showing nothing to showing a general seen of the night sky, which was still in black and white anyway (so naturally it was exaggerated to make it easier to be picked up on). The more important image though was the one that was being shown, namely the moon emerging from behind the clouds and looking down, casting yet another, eerie glow. Transition back to the stage and to the second camera now on the front pedestal bit, with the shot being provided by the other steadicam essentially perched at the edge of the greenroom (the Normand delegation hadn't quite realised the limitations of the stage until they actually got to the arena themselves). The lights that had been coming from the back had flickered away to be replaced by the light from the left hand side, i.e. so that it seemed the light was shining down on the moon. Marianne, who could now be seen be holding a book in one hand, came up to the aforementioned lampost during her travail through the night, as was being described in the lyrics, and slowly, almost listleslly, swung around it, helping add to the general tone, but also meaning she didn't use up too much energy either which she could direct elsewhere. As the verse came to an end, the camera zoomed in, slowly, on the book she held in her hands, on which the lettering, in gold if it were in colour, could just be made out reading "On commencera...", clearly the title of the song itself.

Et c'est pas pareil quand je me promène dans ces rues
Ou je pouvais entendre tes pas comme un bienvenue
Et tes larmes, et ton rire, et tout le reste
Chaque étreinte chaleureuse
Maintenant ils m’étouffent, les ténèbres et le silence
Pendant que j'essaye discuter avec l'obscurité, et
Ca me donne toutes les réponses que je ne voulais pas entendre
Et je continue à marcher
Je dois

The chorus mostly saw some broader shots as the main introduction, helping show just how stark Marianne's position was, especially given the majority of the stage was actually still shrouded in darkness. She truly was alone in the night of the soul, seemingly with nowhere to go and so sign of daylight. Thus, cameras 13-15 were put into surface, but of course not in their usual way to show off the entire stage, but to be interspersed with closer shots from the steadicam, as well as one of the crane cameras that had been brought over to provide an extra angle to play with. Really the point was to show this wider scene but then keep bringing it back to Marianne, to her performance and to her emotions, and by the juxtaposition help bring an added strength. The final shot of the chorus saw the majority of the lights almost dissolve away, as if all hope finally was fading, except for the fact that the lamppost (made to look, for the romantic imagery of it, like an old gas style one, but clearly not if only for health and safety reasons) now actually lit up, and actually lit up in colour, old and warm in tone, as Marianne came to rest beneath it once more, the light and shadow mingling once more of a hazy fade led into the verse.

Combien de temps dois-je marcher?
Jusqu'au lever du soleil?
Mais le soleil se lèvera-t-il pour nous deux un jour?
Pourquoi tu n'es pas là?
Tu ne m’entends pas?
J'suis épuisée, j'suis fatiguée
Je l'envie de laisser me tomber
Mais je sais que tu est en attente ailleurs (en attente ailleurs)
Et qu'on commencera encore le matin, sans encore de pleurs

And at last onto the main stage we go, working now with camera 2. Whilst the lamppost had perhaps promised a turn at last to colour, this was not actually going to be provided at this point. Instead the audiences across the multiverse got a black and white shot beginning pretty close up and focused on Anne-Marie as she stepped into view, but unlike with Marianne, what was going on was a lot clearer, and looked in general a bit more like the opening of Portugal ESC 2021 in how the black and white worked here, although the areas of shadow were still prominent, and a lot of the lighting was coming from behind. Further, rather than a Portuguese jazz band, what we are dealing with a Normand woman walking through assorted boxes, the sort that you would pack up stuff if you were moving house in, tables, old chairs, a painting wrapped in paper and a string nestled up, generally looking like a house in that sort of phase when you're about to leave, that moment of transition where both a deep loss but the hope to come mingle up. A less literal interpretation of the theme of the song, perhaps, but nevertheless. As she sang, Anne-Marie, who was dressed in a black leather skirt, a white thick fleeced jumper, a tweed/patterned blazer, and similar boots, as here (on the left), seemed to look around, to mess with a few of the objects, including an old doll in a box that had stopped spinning, an old family picture from within one of the boxes, and running her hand along one of the tables on which a layer of dust was visible (some of the other cameras were also being used to provide other angles and reach in closer as needed), but with no great intent or purpose, again appearing to have no real purpose as one can feel in the situations the song is evoking, almost an indifference, an attempt to disconnect to hide from the issue, though of course this also means one cannot move forward. Just before the chorus, we come to stage level itself with one of the poor steadicam operators being put hard to work, with a shot that comes from around Anne-Marie as she picked up what appeared to be a book, which now appeared in colour, the only item to do so. It was a dark navy colour, with golden lettering... you can guess where this is going.

Mes pieds sont de plus en plus minces
Le chemin devient plus étroit
Et il n’y a aucun signe de lumière
Et il n'y a aucun signe de toi

J’ai l’impression que je ne vais nulle part
J'ai l'impression de tourner en rond
Je ne vois pas où je dois aller
Je suis seule dans la nuit comme dans l'enfance
Mais je dois continuer

This provided a point of focus for the transition into the chorus again, which began with a shot from camera 3 to really show off the stage, as now the background LED panels were properly put to use. Taking advantage of the broad width of the panels but also the fact that it is panels we're talking about with different sections, certain bits now showed Marianne singing along with Anne-Marie from different angles and perspectives (and one even upside down, the flip image of the section above) and often not full images either - in a way serving almost as fragments, the blurry figments of an old memory, an old face, an old friend - alongside some sections where now the words of the song could be seen emerging and disappearing, in a sort of reverse colour scheme so that the words were black and the background white, and indeed the fading away of the lyrics was almost like ink into another liquid - a quite deliberate choice, given the book. Everything had been overthought enought for something like this, in the classic Normand way. Otherwise, everything would be as you would expect, crane cameras 6 and 7 and the further out camera 3 being used to provide a series of broader shots from further out to capture this, although obviously not too far because Marianne was still on the front stage and not meant to be seen again at this point (well, for the audiences at home anyway, she was very much there for those in the arena, but nvm), interspersed with closer shots with camera 2 (the steadicam operator now being allowed a rest), alongside 6 and 7 to help add shots from the sides and the like to break up the frontal shots, and highlight different aspects of Anne-Marie's movements, posture and general flow as she let herself express the song.

Combien de temps dois-je marcher?
Jusqu'au lever du soleil?
Mais le soleil se lèvera-t-il pour nous deux un jour?
Pourquoi tu n'es pas là?
Tu ne m’entends pas?
J'suis épuisée, j'suis fatiguée
Je l'envie de laisser me tomber
Mais je sais que tu est en attente ailleurs (en attente ailleurs)
Et qu'on commencera encore le matin, sans encore de pleurs

And so we go into the bridge, with one of the crane cameras coming down alongside Anne-Marie as she walked across the stage, looking just off into the distance beyond it and slowly reaching out her hand, slightly bent but trying to push it forward, almost pulsing to the beat of the music, if that makes any sense. Then, cut to another shot, from camera 4, as now we turn to Emma walking up along the catwalk from the front, again not quite looking out to the camera, and going at quite some pace, as if at last she has found her direction, the beacon of hope, the focus that she needs to get through to daylight. Then, we got a shot looking across the catwalk at some remove as the two come closer, closer, agonisingly close...

Et je, et je ne pense pas pouvoir marcher plus loin
Et je, et je pourrais m’allonger un moment enfin
Et esperer que le soleil se lèvera
Comme il l'habitude

And, as they finally came together, holding each other's hands, arms bent at the elbow, a burst of colour spread across the screen, at least in FX land as the black and white filter faded away, well, melted away at last, and the stadium was shown in full colour, the lights now generally a warm, almost golden colour, like the streetlamp earlier but now spread across the entirity of the venue. There were various blue highlights provided by the lighting strips around the roof-borne LED panels and along the floor too, whilst in the background LEDs, which weren't shown all that much, we could now see the two of them, in colour, singing with one another, one in front of a black background, the other white. But of course, that wasn't really shown as the focus was on the two of them on the catwalk, with various shots from all different angles. The cameras were arranged such that a proper 360 degree round shot as in the music video wasn't possible, but nevertheless, around them we went, albeit more broken up, from different depths, etc. The audience around them had been encouraged to turn on their torches on their phones or similar devices for this section, and the further up shots showing Anne-Marie and Marianne singing to each other, soaking in the incredible, unbelievable moment they shared now as two friends who had, as they as they cared at this point, conquered the world, surrounded in a sea of lights helped show the crowd had been obliging. Of course, the shots came in close and closer as the chorus came to a close.

Je continuerai à marcher
Jusqu'au lever du soleil
Parce qu'il y a une chance que le soleil se lève à nouveau
Et que tu reviennes
Et que tu m'etendes
J'suis épuisée, j'suis fatiguée
Mais j'laisserai pas me tomber
Alors, je sais que tu est en attente ailleurs (en attente ailleurs)
Et qu'on commencera encore le matin, un matin un jour

As the performance slowly came to a close, the audience unsurprisingly starting to cheer slightly early before it had actually finished, as the final few piano notes were played, Marianne fell into (or, well, onto) Anne-Marie's arms. She had finally done it, she was back, and she had performed as well as she ever had, and had done so alongside a close friend. But she was also shattered, and needed her support. The two hugged, for a moment forgetting the entirity of the world around them, before realising where they were, that another performance would be starting soon, and they needed to get off stage. They managed to sneak in a quick, exasperated "MERCI!" just before the hosts returned to the stage. The greenroom awaited, where now they could enjoy the rest of the show, and then the nervous wait from there... a drink was definitely in order.

Anders and Priya both returned to the stage clapping their hands at the Normandy and Picardy duo. They always seem to do well at the World Hit Festival, don't they?

Priya Thompson: Another wonderful performance by the Normandy and Picardy delegation! Well done!

Anders Duran: It was wonderful, indeed! Up next is Achaean Republic.

Priya Thompson: Marianna Ríos, Yandel Britto, Augusto Yací Rodríguez or DYY will be singing, "Deja" on the stage.

Anders Duran: But first, should we have a look at what tiles we can find in Aronyk?

The audience cheered as Priya and Anders chuckled at one another. We saw a glimpse of DYY getting ready before going into their postcard...

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:35 pm

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:37 pm

04
Achaean Republic
DYY - "Deja"
Language(s): Spanish, Tauí
Title Translation: Stop
Tune: DUDA BEAT & Mateus Carrilho & Jaloo – Chega
Additional Information
Lyrics: Augusto Yací Rodríguez
Music: Marianna Ríos, Yandel Britto, Augusto Yací Rodríguez
Trigramme: ACH

They met each other in the gayest way possible: At Sunday Brunch at a downtown Corola restaurant, drinking mimosas and sharing waffles mixed with poached eggs and locally sourced pique from a local pepper starch next to fried plantain and breadfruit slices.

Marianna Ríos, best known as up-and-coming pop singer Duchess Marianna, invited two men to join her at brunch. Yes, they were gay—or at least one truly was (the other she eagerly wanted to find out). No, they were not Corola locals, nor they met before this somewhat festive occasion, only sharing passing glances at one another during so-and-so musical events they were scheduled to appear in. She always hangs out near this spot in Downton Corola, next to the Plaza Mayor and the stunning old Ayuntamiento, where she used to meet her grandparents for an old-fashioned Sunday walk after Mass and lunch. Now, she still carried the memories of Old Corola in her music, combining sleek pop rhythms with classical Latin beats. But she decided to stray from that a little bit, enveloping herself in electronica and pioneering the self-titled “lacriany pop” genre—empowering feminist chants that provided clear messages on life, sex, and the unapologetic pursuit of happiness that quite doubled as gay anthems, too. But that was beside the point. She was low-key thrilled to meet new friends and musical allies.

Then came Yandel Márquez, best known as Yandel Britto, walking towards the table where Duchess was sitting at. Britto hugged and kissed Marianna since they met each other in a few Corola clubs and indie performance venues, where one would perform and the other one would watch and root for them, or other times just having a drink and enjoying the music. It was surprising, though, since Britto’s musical style was much more indie/alternative, moody and self-reflective, sometimes autobiographical, at other times obscurely philosophical. But one cannot deny the beautiful intimacy described in Britto’s music, ne that appealed the Achaean alternative music scene.

And finally, Augusto Yací Rodríguez, best known as Y-Jacie, or “The Queer Tauí” by fellow families and friends and fans. The oldest of the trio and the most experienced in international musical competitions, Y-Jacie previously competed in the World Hit Festival eight editions ago with Lluvia, an ethnopop ballad combining electronic sounds, natural resources and a vivid description of Tauí mythology. Since then, Y-Jacie has used music and identity to reinforce indigenous rights in the Achaean Republic, more so in a generation ready to embrace their native identities. Besides the Tauí, Y-Jacie also became an advocate for greater indigenous representation in Achaean society and education, empowerment and the continuous preservation of the Tauí and Taíno languages. (He was even supposed to travel to Paraguay for an eco-indigenous rights conference, but the COVID-19 situation has put a stop to his plans on further political interaction.) Out of all three singers, he had a much bigger clout, more so for his soulful composition and political commitment. He greeted Marianna and Yandel with warmth, but also with confusion. It was an awkward meeting, given that until recently, they were competitors.

Now, they had to make a song together for a festival none of them quite signed up for but still agreed with. At least Y-Jacie had an idea.

AS1’s method of selecting the entries for the WorldVision Song Contest was quite straightforward: make a national final, have people vote on it, and choose a winner by the power of sheer populism, balancing it out with the word of a few musical juries with nothing better to do on a Friday or Saturday night. It was quick, easy, lazy and a big draw for ratings. The World Hit Festival delegation, however, had a slightly more hermetic and intensive search for their selections, but since Tamar de Andrade arrived as Head of Delegation she always used the concert as a pool for festival talent pending on acceptance. This provision also led performers to be highly aware that their main focus is to win WorldVision, but they may also be tapped to enter the World Hit Festival regardless of results. This system, after all, led Itamar to break the glass ceiling and win the competition in Normandy & Picardy. Now, Marianna, Yandel and Y-Jacie had to find a way to send a song to Ayronik and bring the Achaean trophy home once again. How would they pull it off?

The trio decided to name themselves DYY (Duchess, Yandel, Y-Jacie), a one-off alterna-pop supergroup dedicated to sign a song for the competition and maybe a scheduled tour or two once the pandemic subsided in full. Under a gentleman’s agreement, the trio would split the work as equitably as possible: Duchess would compose most of the vocals; Yandel would use his studies in music theory to create the perfect tune that blended Achaean tropical sounds and electronica; and Y-Jacie would write the lyrics—and include a line or two in Tauí. From this agreement, a natural friendship would flourish, an appreciation for each other’s talents. They began developing a musical chemistry that was both sensible and eclectic as their styles, and their brunch meets throughout Corola served as inspiration for different types of music. Of course the team did enter through periods of conflict, but these were minor and quickly forgotten. But they encouraged each other and, while the arrangement lasted, decided to take a piece of each other and make it their own.

They came up with Deja (“Stop”), a tropical anthem “inviting listeners to take part in a game of seduction,” said Y-Jacie in a virtual press conference shortly before departing to Britonisea. “We aim to show a playful side of us, a more sensual side, one that’s more inviting—and funny as well,” Marianna chimed over. “We like having fun, so we pretend to make this entry very unique and colorful. We want to showcase Achaea in our performance,” explained Yandel.

From a general standpoint, Aronyk didn’t—ironically—look like other Britonish cities. Yes, it had the same curb appeal and organizational standpoint as a Bovingdon or Kyvivre or Chickenville, but it also had the characteristics of an up-and-coming boomtown that was suddenly endearing itself to the world’s many winners and losers and everywhere in between. The industrial vibe provided mixed results: Marianna loved the grunge, Yandel hated it, and Y-Jacie was dutifully concerned on the environmental impacts of the city’s explosive growth on its resources and its long-term sustainability. (He would speak about this matter to a councilmember later).

While they had some free time after practices and conferences and promotional shots for the editin, the gang stopped by one of the city’s largest stone quarries, of which important pieces of marble and quartz rocks were mined and harvested for various uses, including columns, countertops, statues and even tiles. Yes, tiles. Achaeans love tiles of all shapes and sizes, given the ease of cleanup and practicality of covering a floor filled with them with a mop and a bucket. Even those who had wooden houses sometimes opt to put tiles on the floors just to avoid being burdened with all the wood polishing needed to keep the floors shiny. It was an immersive experience, somewhat intoxicating and loud and exhilarating. Who knew watching excavators dig holes on the blemishes of the earth would be so interesting? Some of these stones would be processed and sent to the Achaean Republic, and those could be easily identified with the marks of ACH and the fueguera alongside the boxes. It wasn’t hard to sneak past them and borrow” a fallen piece or two that did not pass muster. That would’ve been a nice souveniour to take home.

In the Ayronik Arena, the crowd was anxiously waiting for the Achaean entry after the postcard was finished. There were Achaean flags waving here or there in the crowd, some other speaking Spanish and trying to make instruments with wooden mortals and pestles and plastic noisemakers and party horns. They were ready for the Acheans to serve up something funny and whimsical, or pensive and confrontational, or maybe even abstract and symbolical. Since competing in the World Hit Festival, the Achaeans have tried to engage in numerous styles and diverse performances showcasing the alternative, the experimental, the obscure, the tropical. From Narinho’s pagodeira to Nadine’s Levantine longing and Y-Jacie’s exploration of Tauí mythology, the journey the Achaeans have been through in the competition has truly stretched their skills and imagination. More so with two ground-breaking victories on their own—an article of faith, and an assertion of identity. Now, it was the time to do something playful and welcoming to their true face.

There were three boxes stacked alongside each other near the center of the stage. They looked quite similar to the ones designed for action figures or fashion dolls, only with plexiglass coverings instead of plastic trimmings. The first “box” had Yandel wearing white pants with lapel beach short sleeve Hawaiian shirts, the buttons open to expose his chiseled chest and the tattoos on his right forearm and chest. In the center, Marianna wore a sixties inspired dress with bold colors and patterns and stripes, red shoes, green stockings, a white designer shirt and knitted accessories—the textbook definition of garish tackiness. On the right, Y-Jacie had a jacket-tracksuit combo with tie dye colors and colorful patterns swirling randomly around the shirt, with a fedora as an accented monochrome.[/url] Yes, it felt like a gross violation of taste and good sense, with the delegation somewhat inclining to include warnings to photosensitive viewers who may fall ill with the explosion of color. But they pulled through, muting some performance details while slightly enhancing others. Regardless, color, garishness and tackiness was the name of the game.

When the music began, two vocalists sat atop of the boxes with colorfully matching blue and red baby doll dresses with puff sleeves and organza construction on a cloud print. It was enough to show one of the vocalists’ multiple tattoos. They were nodding their heads left and right, barely humming to the beat. They were good vocalists, said Marianna—the duo worked with her for several years, first on a freelance basis and then on a “full-time lease”, or so joked Marianna once she finally set up her band. Suddenly, Mariana appeared to “blink” even though her eyes were already open, as if she finally “woke up” from a slumber, gazing intently on the camera. Her movements were stiff and robotic much like a toy made from plastic come to life, banging on the “plastic” covering in swift rhythms. The two other singers beside her only looked at her and gazed back, not batting an eye.

Yo sabía que tus ojos me están siguiendo
Quieres leer todos mis pensamientos
Ya

Yo sabía que tus ojos me están siguiendo
Quieres leer todos mis pensamientos
Ya

Then, Marianna was finally able to wrestle herself free from the “box” and started walking towards the stage. The LEDs behind the performers started bursting into sudden expressions of color reminiscent of the sixties’ patterns. The LED floor, however, remained black, though rings of red, blue, green and a thin circumference of yellow would contrast every so often. It was psychedelic. It was psychotic. It was intoxicating. The idea of color and happiness and freedom was engaging. At the same time, the vocalists came down from the top and joined Marianna in doing a simple choreography with her hands and clunky feet.

Quién pensaba que yo me iba a enamorar
La nena noña que no queria más
Te ví sentado en la cama así
Ahora mi cuerpo no me deja en paz

Algo se enciende y me deja fuerte
Me quedo sin voz para imaginar
El corazón me dio tanta suerte
Que me convertí en un animal

For the chorus, Yandel left the boxes and started strutting down the catwalk while singing the chorus. The LED screens below him shone with different colors in every step he took. He was enjoying the beat and living his performance trying to adjust the microphone. On the other side of the stage, Y-Jacie was still locked in the step, looking for the perfect moment to exit the box. It made him feel sweaty and breathless, trying to escape the exit. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but the setup made him a bit uncomfortable. That said, the goal was to make the trio work.

Marianna’s voice and movements remained painful and seductive with her eclectic, colorful wardrobe. Unlike in the music video, she could not change as much clothes as she wanted within a reasonable amount of time-after all, she had only the bold-colored dress to carry over, playing with her fringes and drawing attention to the cheering crowd. Like the song, she was playful and feeling fabulous, a little flirty, and sensually attentive to all senses of color. The color was magical. The color was flavorful. The color was uniquely Achaean, reminiscent of the cobalt-blue adoquines that line up the streets of colonial cities, the mango-colored houses and the coconut-flavored candies that sweetened up Achaeans’ lives.

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

On Camera 10, Yandel was wryly smirking at the camera and puffing his chest. He looked attractive, yes, and gained quite some looks and admirations from the local crowd. (He likes to fool around with a few Britonish tourists every once in a while, having visited the country and showing them that famous Achaean hospitality). At the same time, he attempted to show an exaggerated sense of masculinity and virility through his janky, somewhat awkward moves, complimenting his eclectic countenance. It was all in playful fun, a complete departure from his contemplative and demure personality—that is, until a few cups of rum have runneth over.

The handheld cameras showed Yandel lightly touching Marianna’s chin while she did little kissy faces. The idea was not to be seductive; rather, she wanted to play hard-to-get and poke holes at his haughtiness. No hunter, no prey. There was no reason to hunt. Behind her, however, Camera 2 showed Y-Jacie still in his box, locked over, playfully keeling over at the actions but also looking dashing. Eagle-eyed viewers could appreciate the beads of sweat rolling over his clothes. Despite the small breathing holes, it was unbearably hot—and he really wanted to get out and breathe!

¡Ay! En el pasado no quise pensar
La pasión que en mí no quería perder
Eran escándalos vacíos
Que racasan y me dejan mal

Te ví comiendo galletas con leche
No te quería interrumpir más
Pero si sabe que tú quieres aglo
Es la hora de confesar

When the chorus returned, Y-Jacie was finally free of the sweaty box and, timed to the beat, took out a fan in his pocket and started strutting as he walked. He thworped the fan with his right hands and began fanning himself while adjusting his microphone with the right. Camera 4, set on a dolly, went beside him as he reached the center circle. He loved fans. Fans made him look fabulous. Fans made him look gay. He had a small mint collection of fans tucked away somewhere in his Zacatecas apartment, but it was hard to pick out a specific fan for the performance that was whimsically apropos and fitting for his already eclectic design choices. It was hot in the Ayronik Arena and he could feel it. But of course he had to let that slide—this wasn’t his first ring around the block.

While Y-Jacie walked towards the circle, the overhead Camera 1 had a bird’s eye view of the stage. Marianna and Yandel were singing over, one hand gently inciting Y-Jacie to pick up the pace, the other to get the party going with the crowd. Brief camera glances featured the crowd dancing and having fun with a few Achaeans sprinkled here and there waving their fueguero flags and deafening those on their surroundings. If there was something the Acheans brought to their performances, it was always energy—energy from their songs, energy from their music, energy from their culture. The sixty editions, of which the Achaean nation was a latecomer, brought them a richness that they felt was missing from the competition. Nobody could forget The Intermissión prophetic dreams or Beauchamp’s soul-crushing ballads. Or Laura Lee’s philosophical exploration of death and Narinho’s depiction of vanity. Those moments were necessary to unleash a creative spirit that has allowed the Achaean crowd to support their own acts and infuse them with the energy they needed.

The three of them finally reunited at the center—Yandel to the left, Marianna in the center, and Y-Jacie to the right—, they were ready to sing together. They were dancing in their sections of the circular stage. The LED screens below them maintained the colorful psychedelic patterns and magical experiences, a colorful aesthetic. The light looked liquid and repetitive like acid raindrops or balloons floating in the air. The LED cameras surrounding them kept floating the psychedelic colors with cheerfully saturated hues complementing those shown in their eclectic costumes. The trio was having fun with their performance indeed, even if their clothes were overwhelmingly heavy! And what about the vocalists? They were shimmying and shaking with their poufy, colorful dresses and their nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude. Their presence was a small fixture behind them, but one cannot deny the contrast of their clothes with the trio. While they looked like monochrome pastel flowers and the trio had embossed color with their dresses, they looked to harmonize with each other and the rest of the crowd. There was order in the disorder of the arena, a method to the madness that can only be experienced when five personalities interact with each other in an act of musical chemistry.

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

Yo quiero más—deja
Yo quiero más—deja
Yo quiero más—deja
Yo quiero más—deja
Deja, deja, deja
Deja, deja
Deja, deja

Then came Y-Jacie’s lines, the fewest of them but arguably the most interesting, given he repeated the use of Tauí, a “Caribbeanized” Tupi-Guaraní language that adapted to the reality of exploitation and is somewhat moribund in Western Achaea. After all, if he wrote the lyrics, wouldn’t it make sense to stretch the channel’s language restrictions and add some Tauí. He did it before eight editions ago, back in Monterra, when he was growing queasy and drowning from all the spinning on stage. Since then, he better developed his Tauí language skills and has become conversational with them enough that he is planning a new Tauí-only album. Because it is moribund, though, he always struggled to relate to his musical companions on certain terms that could not be easily translated to Spanish. But it never frustrated him—in fact, it served to motivate him to teach a little bit more about the indigenous culture that is oftentimes overlooked at in modern Achaean culture.

Che ayahu hetū
Profundamente
Déjate llevar
Mbaé he!

Che ayahu hetū
Profundamente
Déjate llevar
Mbaé he!

As the song ended, the singers yelled to the camera, “¡Aguyjé!” while hugging and kissing each other—social distancing be damned. (Never fear: all have been vaccinated before boarding the plan to Britonisea.) Camera 18 showed the crowd shouting and waving their fueguero and Britonisea flags alongside supporters from other countries competing in the Ayronik Arena. The trio waved to the crowd while the vocalists behind them blew kisses and smiled and waved and smiled some more. Yandel made ridiculous gestures to make the crowd laugh. Marianna started jumping with her big tacos, and Y-Jacie was proudly waving his rainbw-colored fan with the word “¡AGUYJÉ!” on each side. Each performer was showing their thanks to specific sections of the crowd, more so to the Achaeans clustered on the sides. They were living their diamond fantasy.

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

Deja de tanto drenaje
Entrégate a la espera
Sé que quieres algo
De la boca que en mí peca
Sí, así, papí, yo quiero más

To finalize the song, the three singers were dancing in their stretch of the stage. Camera 4 provided a wide view of the stage where all the five performer were dancing, vast stretches of psychedelic color swaddling the camera. It was an intentional attack to the senses, an invitation to live the Achaean way. Yandel was memetically fist-pumping in the air as if he were in a rave (not that he knew anything about that). Marianna was attempting to sensually strut her somewhat-expensive stuff (even though she repurposed it from a thrift stop in Corola City). Y-Jacie was playing with his fan, voguing intensely and trying to serve face-face-face with the camera, even though he was making some awkward faces. The vocalists, meanwhile, were still shimmying and shaking and inconspicuously adjusting their microphones. The goal was to have fun—winning the festival was just a bonus.

At the end of that song, the two main hosts of the competition came on hand-in-hand swaying along to the music as though it was still going on.

Anders Duran: That song really had me dancing, thank you to DYY from Achaean Republic!

Priya Thompson: Bringing the festival straight to Aronyk! I absolutely adored it. Let's move on! It's time for song number five...

Anders Duran: It's Nightom! Abbie Lindström will be performing, "Until The End" which is one of the official songs for the ABEN Delegation at the Olympic Games!

Priya Thompson: Here's hoping it grabs a couple of your votes then! Let's have a look at their postcard!

We then moved away from the hosts of the stage to see the Nightomese delegation getting ready to get on the stage.

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:37 pm

*I totally meant #KNI but that trigramme isn't going to get changed so...

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:38 pm

05
Nightom
Abbie Lindström - "Until The End"
Language(s): English
Tune: NEONI - Where We Rise
Additional Information
Lyrics: James Token, Gail Willington
Music: George Kingsley-Smith, Dorian Featherham
Trigramme: KNI
Backing Singers: Georgie Peters

Nightom returns to the World Hit Festival: Abbie Lindström will represent Nightom at the upcoming World Hit Festival with an official ABEN Union Olympics song...

Kalmarlundian-Nightomiton, Abbie Lindström will represent Nightom in Aronyk, Britonisea with her song "Until The End" as Nightom hopes for gold to get their first World Hit Festival win...

Nightom has not had the best of luck at the World Hit Festival, but they are hoping to get a better result at the diamond edition of the World Hit Festival with Abbie Lindström's "Until The End". Written by James Token, Gail Willington, George Kingsley-Smith, Dorian Featherham - the four of them had the chance to write a song that would be one of the official songs at the Olympic Games for the ABEN Delegation. At the 60th World Hit Festival, the ABEN nations will be sending in a joint delegation, with there being three songs that will receive heavy advertisement during the Games. Abbie is also set to perform her song after the Olympic Games opening ceremony on ABEN television at the After-Party. Abbie Lindström walked onto the stage with over 20,000 people sitting and standing in front of her. Fear set in, but it was a good type of fear. She was ready to wow her audience. This was going to be her first live performance of the song. The writers of the song weren't too phased about where the song was placed as it wasn't written in a competitive way with her main performance happening on the 8th August - a day after. Abbie still cared, she wanted the song to do well and whilst she wasn't going to perform the best version of the song (in terms of staging), but she will still try her hardest. She wore a dark cloak, with only her face showing. The cloak hid a battle uniform that she was wearing underneath it. The staging was dark, with her face and body illuminated amongst the darkness.

Soldiers arm your weapons, get for the war,
Judgement day is coming, there's no backing out,
There's no backing out.

The camera slowly backed out with Abbie becoming a lot smaller on the giant black abyss of the stage. You could start to see the lights from the torches of people's phones as the camera moves away. To the sound of the thundering strings instrument, there were white lighting bolts which stretched the whole length of the stage - blink and you'd miss it. "Stand strong and make us proud" as she sang those words, their camera cuts changed, getting closer and closer to her.

Our existence is threatened unless we fight back,
Don't let our foes take all,
Stand strong 'till the end, stand strong 'til the end
Stand strong and make us proud
Stand strong and make us proud

There was an aerial shot of Abbie, looking down on her being swallowed into a black hole beneath her. She continued singing outwards towards the audience before smiling sinisterly. As the a capella part came in, the lighting became a lot more dramatic, with the lights also adding to the effect too. Abbie turned her head sideways with the camera following suit. As she moved into the verse, the camera spun on its axis as Abbie returned her head to normal position. On the backing LEDs, you could see an army of people standing behind her in cloaks.

Prepare for blood, sweat and tears,
Put to bed all your fears,
Eventhough the end is near,
Stand strong 'till the end, stand strong 'til the end
Stand strong 'till the end, stand strong 'til the end
Stand strong and make us proud

As we reached the climax of the song, she took off the cloak that she was wearing along with the people in the LEDs as well. Using the latest holographic technology, it looked as though the people that were in the LEDs were coming out from the stage and running from behind her.

This journey has been long (stand strong 'til the end),
Treacherous and painful (stand strong 'til the end),
This is your time to shine,
Show no mercy now! Go and fight
Stand strong and make us proud

At the end of the stage, all of the holograms that had come out were sucked back into the LED screens before the stage returned to complete darkness. There was a pause before the audience cheered. "Thank you!" Abbie said into the microphone as she jumped into the air. "Good luck ABEN!"

The hosts came back onto the stage, standing next to one another with strong poses.

Priya Thompson: I feel so empowered after that great performance. Stand strong 'till the end Team ABEN!

Anders Duran: Now onto the next song. It's time to get the party back on - it's Antahbrantahstan!

Priya Thompson: Elodia Durán with "Miss Interpretation"!

Anders Duran: I love her surname!

As Anders joked around, we then went to the postcard of Antahbrantahstan...

by **Britonisea** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:39 pm

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:55 am

06
Antahbrantahstan
Elodia Durán - "Miss Interpretation"
Language(s): English
Tune: Mayré Martinez - La Reina De La Noche
Additional Information
Lyrics: Jen-Richard de Guzman
Music: Jen-Richard de Guzman, Harrison Morgan
Trigramme: ANT
Backing Dancers: Kai Lane, Jackson Tomlinson, Teo Langley
Backing Singer: Sofia Natalia

The stage lights up, full of imageries of a disco ball, ranging from disco balls that hangs the ceiling, to close-up imageries of disco balls strewn on the LED screens. Elodia, however, is totally nowhere to be seen, and soon after, the music starts, the electronic dance music slowly lifting up the mood, with whistling noises being heard by the audience soon after. After a few wide camera shots of the venue, revealing the brightly-lit World Hit Festival stage in their glory, A steadicam-operated camera then enters the stage floor, wherein it is revealed that the floor is covered with smokes, and in the middle of the stage, a single door stands, like an obelisk peering over the stage. Without warning, the door opens, revealing Elodia, wearing a plain black dress with high slits on her legs and cleavage area. Sensuously inviting the audience to enter her realm like a beautiful courtesan.

Elodia, obviously enthralled by the audiences "entering" her paradise of sorts, continues to do what she is best at: singing. Singing at such a register, complimented with her styling, cements her place not as an ordinary World Hit Festival participant, but rather a majestic, yet mysterious goddess or mythological being of sorts, seducing the audience to acknowledge her as "Miss Interpretation", with the cameraperson, seemingly understanding her nature, continue to shoot her in a variety of wide and close-up angles.

As i balance the scales
Of glamour, and sensuality
The world knows who i am, except you, the one who thinks
You know everything about me

I am not defined
Cannot be put in a box just like you
I’m not as bleak as night, and not as warm as day
I will show you who i really am

Soon after, Elodia sang the prechorus, belting the final note with ease, and soon after, the three Britonish backing dancers join, wearing nothing but plain black trousers. Complimenting Elodia's beautiful singing and vocal with their energetic dancing, adding an entertaining, camp edge to what is a somewhat serious performance by Elodia. However, the stage soon darkens.

I rule the days, where the sun rays caresses trees
And nights, when the dark have covered my own deeds
Today, i’ll give you a lesson ‘bout that
I'm miss interpretation
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
I am someone you wish to be
At the same time i am someone you'll hate to meet
I'm miss interpretation
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Am i someone who's wrong or right?
I'll just let your own perception decide

The stage then lights up, revealing a shoulders-up camera angle, shooting Elodia's singing. Behind her, the LED is obscured by several black, floral motif decorated hand fans. However, the sight is not permanent, as the camera then changes their angle, panning away from Elodia. With the backing dancers, now holding a hand fan, adjust their positions for the chorus.

I'm inviting you to
Where i rule over everything not known
Prepare your best outfit, call me "Her Majesty"
And enter the door into the unknown

And soon after, the audience can finally see that the LED screen changed their image to a plain, black satin fabric, with the lighting being kept to a minimum, safe for a single disco ball, which is shined by several strobelights, their glimmery reflections engulfing the stage like a moss covering a tree branch. Elodia and her dancers doesn't seem to mind however, continuing to perform for the audience with sheer energy, as if they have pushed their own self to unpredictable limits.

I rule the days, where the sun rays caresses trees
And nights, when the dark have covered my own deeds
Today, i’ll give you a lesson ‘bout that
I'm miss interpretation
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
I am someone you wish to be
At the same time i am someone you'll hate to meet
I'm miss interpretation
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Am i someone who's wrong or right?
I'll just let your own perception decide

During the bridge part, the backing dancers then dropped to the floor, laying down, touching Elodia's legs. Elodia, now trying to cement her role as "Miss Interpretation", finally pushed her voice to her limits, belting with such immense power, complimented by the voice of her unseen backing singer, Sofia. Soon after, the backing dancers stood up, and ripped off her original dress, revealing a black, onepiece swimsuit. With the backing dancers discreetly attaching gold-coloured bangles on both of her arms for a pop of colour.

While all of this is happening, the silver disco ball that hangs from the ceiling is replaced with a gold one, with the LED screens and strobelights now lighting up to the fullest, with imagery of golden disco balls pestered around the arena. Elodia and her dancers, continue to perform to their fullest, however, after the "you'll have to meet" verse, the backing dancers then formed a human stool, with two backing dancers bending their left and right leg respectively for Elodia to sit in, showcasing her extraordinary vocal prowess, including operatic-style high notes that culminates into several whistling noises, reminiscent of Mozart's "Queen of The Night" aria. Elodia and her dancers later stood up, waving their hands just as Mayre did in the video, but soon after, the song comes to an abrupt end.

I am a force that is always unstoppable
Where i rule over the unknown one
The beings that you despise, yeaaah, yeaaaaaaaah
I'm miss interpretation (Ooooooh)
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
I am someone you wish to be
At the same time i am someone you'll hate to meet
Hee oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh~
I'm miss interpretation
You might wonder, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Am i someone who's wrong or right?
I'll just let your own perception decide

Hearing the cheers of the Britonish and worldwide audience, Elodia screamed "Thank You!" to the microphone, letting herself awash in the spotlight for several seconds, before she, alonsgide the backing dancers and Sofia, her backing singer, went backstage.

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:58 am

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:01 am

07
Tödlichebujoku
Váinö & Fîz S. Magro - "Alone"
Language(s): English
Tune: SLANDER ft. Dylan Matthew (Greenice Orchestral Version) - Love Is Gone
Additional Information
Lyrics: Mottekano Fujisava, Zita Seppá
Music: Mottekano Fujisava, Fîz S. Magro
Trigramme: TBJ

Mottekano Fujisava stared once again at himself in the mirror. The glass never seemed to be clear for him, even though by all rights it should have been. He supposed that it was just like all else he'd experienced thus far. He sighed as he broke eye contact with himself, and glanced down blankly at the table, shoulders slumped. He needed to breathe, center himself, and pray that he might just make it through one more night without collapsing into a whirlwind of overthinking and stressful half-sleep. He couldn't torture himself more over things that could have been, nor things that might soon be. Everything would be okay. He would live, and the gods would guide him where he needed to go.

Everything felt like it had gone right for Motti. He was born into a loving family, grew up in a great neighborhood, had good friends, and a higher education experience that went smoothly. But still, he felt isolated. A borderline introvert, he felt attracted to social interaction yet also anxious and distant once involved, as if he was uninvited, only being tolerated, just an accessory to the group dynamic. Sometimes it was a feedback cycle. He'd let everyone do their thing together without him, and before long it seemed that they had forgotten him altogether. Feeding into his vicious cycle of self-doubt and isolation was his realization that his field of study... wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. Motti had gotten so caught up in the day-to-day assignments while in school that he didn't stop to think what exactly he was there for, what exactly he wanted to do. Once graduated, he found himself floating adrift, with no employers finding him to be their ideal candidate, and his self esteem began to plummet after months of fruitless labor. Throughout his ordeal, Motti turned to his music production hobby under the name "Váinö" as a way distill his frustration and untapped energy into something at least somewhat tangible. With each upload to the matrix, he hoped that at least someone out there could sympathize with the sound, the emotion he poured into his work. And someone did.

Motti had never imagined music to be his career. But step by step, with positive messages left by his circle of fans, and his openness about his emotional landscape and struggles, he found acceptance and support that he could never give himself, and found the drive to continue on to create. To be honest, he never really had a solid direction that he drove for, but unlike in his earlier field of study, music provided greater allowance for experimentation and exploration. One by one, requests and collaborations began to trickle in, and before long he realized that music would constitute so much more of his life than ever before. The next year proved to be a whirlwind of new experiences, it was a miracle he could keep track of anything. Touring. Working with an agent. Voice training. Negotiating with labels. Being interviewed by media. Interactions he never thought possible for himself. But still, this newfound fame and success could never heal some of the holes in his self. Alienation. The feeling of being an outsider. Even when TÖBUK asked him to represent the nation in WorldVision, he was excited, but still felt like he was off on his own. The concepts and emotions he had written into "Alone", the isolation and hints at self-destruction, still felt as relevant to him as ever; the raw experiences of asking friends for help and guidance in his moments of dark desperation only being not too long past.

His WorldVision experience.. well there were two parts to that. The thrill of performing in itself, while emotionally taxing, eventually ended up being something he realized was enjoyable, and certainly something he had never really felt previously. However, the actual end result of the competition... was a more than a bit embarrassing for the beleaguered artist, and so he turned his attention to other horizons for the next year, not releasing anything, and doing the bare minimum on social media. In a way, it was refreshing for him, but at the same time, he didn't know how he could shake this aura of failure and self-hatred, and could only throw himself into his other pursuits with greater fire and fury to bury it all. His era of silence, however, came to an end as a central composer and producer of the WHF56 Orchestral Edition, Fîz S. Magro, approached him with a rendition of his WorldVision song, one that moved Motti enough to reconsider his choices. The much more organic beginning and climax brought a new life into the piece, one that would perhaps find better success on the international stage. Motti was tempted to see this as a potential redemption, but knew deep down that this would be a last hurrah no matter what the result came to be. The farseers had not been kindly as Estegoa100 announced him as its next World Hit Festival representative, and the broadcaster itself had made clear that it did not plan to dominate the scoreboard or any such thing. Despite this incredibly ambivalent environment, Estegoa100 still gave a high degree of creative freedom and resources for this rendition of "Alone", and Motti was grateful for that opportunity.

His breath fogged up the mirror. He'll give it one last shot. If it all repeats once again, then he'll just fade back into obscurity, live a simple life in the woods with his dog and his husband, inaccessible to all but his closest friends and family. If it all goes beyond expectations, well... there might be a wild future for him yet. And so we shall see.

A single point of ice blue light appears on the background screen before giving way to a soft golden glow that washes around the stage perimeter. A single soft, cool spotlight illuminates Motti sitting down at a piano on the projecting platform, wearing a simply cut black tunic and silvery pants. Looking down, breathing slowed, he begins to play the opening notes. The camera executes a slow pass by him as he plays, with the muted light in the background out of focus. The main melody of the song comes into being as he continues amidst the silent crowd. Behind him, an animation plays of lightning arcing through a dark thundercloud, with the golden glow around the stage flicking as if it were candlelight or a hearth. With utmost concentration, Motti continues to play, occasionally wincing as the emotions hit him - the memories of fear, doubt, and self-hatred coming back to him like a cursed sense of nostalgia. But he forges onward, blinking back the tears. Pacing himself despite his racing heart, he plays it all out upon the ivory keys that glow in the spotlight, growing more animated and intense alongside the melody. Beyond him, the background screen transitions to a time-lapse of storm clouds clearing to reveal a night sky, glimmering with millions of stars and galaxies, such that it almost seems like 3D. It's now clear that the spotlight mimics the light of the moon, shining down on Motti as he plays amidst the darkness of the audience, broken only by some glow bands and sticks that are being waved around to the music.

For those who just want to dance and sing along to lyrics, this has been awfully dreary. But for others, and for Motti, there is no rush. He has pushed himself far too hard in the past, given in to a wild vortex of success and expectations, and now he is taking his time to craft and perform something he is fully proud of, something he fully enjoys as a process. As his pace slows down and quiets, almost to a silence, Motti lifts his head up to face the camera view. With a wavering voice, he finally begins to sing. As he does so, his voice strengthens, even as he turns away from the camera view to gaze off into the distance

I make mistakes
I push them all away
And fear what's left to come, oh

So I stand apart
Stay unknown
Don't step out, to
Let me go

Once upon a time, his gaze was intense, desperate, darting around, searching for help. He was tensed up, with fists clenched, choking up as he flashed back to a dark time, when his will to continue was at his lowest. But now, he is at some semblance of peace, some appearance of serenity. A calm ocean, albeit with raging currents not too far below the surface. Motti once again makes eye contact with the camera view, a look of yearning and hope that has been absent thus far. As the next stanza ends, he turns away and gazes downwards in an introspective fashion, before catching the camera view once again

I don't know how
Just to say it right
Don't walk away
Just for tonight

I'm sinking
Too far in
Keep me from overthinking

You're here now, the only one

It almost seems as if the stars of the background screen have drifted onto the stage, as faint points of light begin to glimmer around Motti. He continues to sing and play at a serene pace, staring off into the distance before turning slightly acknowledge the audience near him, a melancholy look in his eyes. At this point, the first strings of the unseen orchestra begin to play

Freefalling
Yet stalling
I'm overwhelmed with feeling

Don't let me live to die alone
Live to die alone

He locks eyes with the camera view, his voice strong and clear, as he builds toward the climax of the song. A golden glow seeps in from the edges of the camera view, but beyond that, not much is visible

Don't let me live to die alone
Live to die alone

The camera view now takes in the entire stage, as the orchestra itself is now illuminated on center stage, the night sky animation now replaced by one of a brilliant sun, with golden lights sweeping over the stage with each drumbeat. Motti pours his soul into his performance, playing and singing with a previously unseen passion and energy, falling upon the keys and belting out the lyrics amidst the sweeping lights behind and around him

I'm so weak
I can't speak
I don't know if you see me

The lights fade to darkness, with the sun animation shrinking until it becomes a point of wavering light, a distant star in the vastness of space. Motti is back to being lit in a single ray of soft light, but this time, soft golden spotlights are highlighting a violinist, to whom the camera view soon pans and zooms toward as it heads away from Motti. Suddenly, a radiant flow suffuses the entire view, fading to reveal a dramatic view of the orchestra as it begins to play the melody, with a background screen shifting to show a view from the ground toward the sky, of multitudes of shooting stars falling against the red-orange glow of dawn, ringed by the dark silhouettes of trees waving in the breeze.

Just as the audience takes this all in, the music pauses, as if to breathe for a second, and returns with a storm of drumbeats with sparks firing up from along the stage edge. The orchestra resumes, now with white-gold pyrotechnics firing from the ceiling ahead of them, echoing the shooting stars on the background screen. The camera view sweeps across the many instrumentalists, with gratuitous shots of the drummer striking a massive drum.

But soon, the orchestral climax begins to fade, and now a more electronic element begins to enter. Thin beams of intense light begin to cut across the suffuse gold glow of the stage, which fades away as the thin beams multiply and strobe with the buildup. The camera view arcs back to Motti, who with his piano begin to rise up into the air amidst the darkness and strobing beams of light. He sings once more

Don't let me live to die alone
Live to die alone

Suddenly, he and his piano separate in midair, almost like a freeze frame. In time with the music, spotlights and strobe lights blitz through the air in cycles, leaving moments of peace where Motti, his bench, and the piano are seen in completely different positions and locations. There is also some clever camera cutting, capturing different angles amidst the visual chaos in between each "freeze frame" and moment of relative silence

Don't let me live to die alone
Live to die alone

Motti is reunited with the piano in midair, as him, the piano, and the bench slowly coalesce once more and sink back down to the stage floor, illuminated by soft spotlights amidst utter darkness. He continues playing, softly lit and back on the stage floor, until the song ends, the light slowly fading out.

After some moments of darkness, the lights fade back on, and all on stage take a bow. "Thank you Aronyk, thank you Britonisea," Motti mutters into the microphone. "Hüváá üötá." He then exits the stage.

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:09 am

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:11 am

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:11 am

08
Alezian Union
Hariyana Madinayya Salem - "Change Of Heart"
Language(s): English, Arabic, Alezian
Title Transcription: -none-
Title Translation: -none-
Tune: Wany Hasrita - Canggung
Additional Information
Lyrics: Hariyana Madinayya Salem
Music: Hariyana Madinayya Salem, Ishaq Aftar Dadon
Trigramme: ALE
Backing Dancers: Muzakka Akhlafi Ancic, Arifin Roosweerter Ancic, Indrawan Sulaiman Makarina
Backing Singers: Bella Roosvijk, Eni Mafaruddina

WATCH ABA'S PROMOTION FOR THE 60TH WORLD HIT FESTIVAL HERE!

B A C K G R O U N D

World Hit Festival 59 just ended with the Alezian Union who is-and-yet-is-also-not (it's complicated but to summarize, Alezian Union is a new boy on the block but also continued where North Alezia left off) a new participant earning a respectable third place. While the majority of Alezians celebrated the top 3 result, which also marks the Alezians' continued streak of top 10 finishes, many also can't bug off their feeling of asking:

H O W

How did an artist as popular as Andi Robi Idris Novogrody failed to finally bring the trophy to Zafizamarrah? Sure the third place is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, but people expected him to win here, yet he didn't. But no worries, Robi's reputation is not too tarnished after WHF, but it becomes sort of a warning sign that if Robi can't do it, it's possible that no one else can, and it might push ABA to just give up on the World Hit Festival. And worse, ABA had announced that they're going to temporarily stop participating in the World Hit Festival after 60 unless they had to host the competition. This is in order to focus more songs to the Worldvision Song Contest, where they've been also saying that they're running out of quality songs to send

Since the turn-based system pointed to Pantabang Islands, they're expected to send an entry to both Worldvision and the World Hit Festival. In WHF, they selected Hariyana Madinayya Salem to fly the flag for the Alezian Union.

A R T I S T - I N F O

(H.M. Salem with her costume for WHF)

Hariyana Madinayyah Salem is a Pantabang Islander Composer, and Singer. She was born in Bucinnois in 18th of March 1989 as an only child to Harznaruddin Madinayyah Salem and Intaruna Madinayyah (nee Ma'aka'iuna) Salem. She was pretty known for her beautiful voice and the ability to incorporate traditional shouting to modern pop-feeling compositions.

Hariyana has been singing since she was 10, going around Northern Pantabang Islands (at that time the Southern part is still off limits due to reunification not yet happening at that time a.k.a 1999), winning local competitions, earning reputations in school as a star student even with her... Not so good academic grades in school. When she was 13, she toured NPI together with her friends (So'ai Ma'uska Dadon which is nowadays an Alezian Rapper and Drummer and Endana Sartika Salem which is nowadays a legislative member of Parliament of Bucinnois who just so happens to know how to play the Guitar.). Thanks to her tour experience, she never had anything bad stage-related. Thanks to that too, she knows the entirety of Bucinnois, Na'uspa, A'inka, Ma'urin, Es'u'su'a, Ma'i, and Epo'oan by heart. (Maybe not the entirety, just the must know parts of it)

Hariyana earned a degree of Music Composing in the Millenium (later Millenial) University of Zafizamarrah in 2013. In Zafizamarrah, she admitted that she experienced culture shock for the first time living in the biggest city in North Alezia. However, she got used to it and eventually wrote her premier song "Ca'a'pi'i'ca'ama'a'i" which is Alezian (actually it's more on Salemese Dialect) for Zafizamarrah in 2013 as well. She released it to ARICO.net (which is THE go-to social media for Alezians (still exists, and still used by almost every single Alezian)) and the song received 100 thousand listens in a week and 500 reccomendations. Due to this Hariyana earned the Alezian Internet Award for the best Alezian-made Composition Uploaded To The Internet of 2013.

After that, Hariyana composed more songs such as "Tom", "Great Things Never Lie", "Aga'ia'ma", "Algae", and many more.

S O N G - I N F O

After The Reunification Ceremony happened, Hariyana felt inspired after seeing what her neighbours down in the South are doing in order to "change" the "heart" of the Government there. And thus after she did some research, she found out that major things, in history or just life in general, happens because a change happen, mainly, a change in the core or in the heart. And when she find out that it's already a philosophy term, the song "Change Of Heart" is born.

Before Hariyana can upload the song to the internet, ABA out of the blue contacted her in an email saying that they're finding an artist and a song from Pantabang Islands to represent the newly born Alezian Union in the World Hit Festival. Suddenly, Hariyana agreed to send the song to the ABA first. Needless to say they're pretty impressed with the song and ended up selecting her for WHF. The song ended up released a week after the planned date in ARICO.net, Youtube, and Spotify at the same time and it ended with a massive blow up, earning 10 million views in total.

The song "Change of Heart" tells about the philosophy of how a change in someone's heart can create monumental change in the person. And how Change will always happen and no one can ever refuse because no matter how they run away from it, change will happen to them no matter how late they are to it.

The song teaches the listener to accept change in a healthy way, taking the good from a change and leaving the bad behind. The song also teaches the listener to accept the fact that time moves on and you can't stay in one place in time.

(After the postcard ended and the applause from the audience stopped, a backing singer who is situated in the most front side of the stage started the song with a chant in Alezian which was met with applause, moreso from the Alezians, even more from the Native Alezians who understood the sentence)

(Wa'ai Kau Pu'a'ai Ho'a'i...)

(The view quickly blurs and transitioned to Hariyana holding on to her microphone, singing, wearing her signature red hijab and long dress with pearls all over the dress. She was surrounded by three male backing dancers. A steadicam walks around the group)

Blood streams the colour dark red, Red as a bag of roses that smells elegant
Love that people thirst for, Thirst that they have longed to quench over things that they can't

(The view then changes between the two backing singers and Hariyana changing every sentence somewhat like a fight scene, with the final sentence being given to the backing singers before suddenly)

Everything in the world, They have two distant sides
The Earth and The Sky, Of Black and Of White
And of The Life and Death

(A glow encompassed the entire stage and fireworks shoots up for a few quick seconds, while the backing dancers did a backflip away from Hariyana, giving way to the steadicam to record Hariyana singing. In the quick instrumental between sentences, Hariyana did a small spin, giving her dress a bit of a swish. Hariyana then opened her left hand while holding to the microphone with the right)

A.... All of the world's secrets
It's called the Change of Heart

Whoever, ever doubted
Never had their Change of Heart

A.... All changes happened
Because of the Change Of Heart

And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart

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(Before the next verse happened, the view changes quickly to the backing singer before quickly returning to Hariyana using a blur transition)

(And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart,

Oh, it's the Change Of Heart)

(The backing dancers gather around Hariyana again while she sung.)

All your life, everywhere you go, It's always one side or the another side
All the time you have spent, it's always between one choice or the other side

Everything in the world, They have two distant sides
The Day and The Night, Of Truth and Of Lies
And of The Hate and Love

(A glow encompassed the entire stage and fireworks shoots up for a few quick seconds, while the backing dancers did a backflip away from Hariyana, giving way to the steadicam to record Hariyana singing. In the quick instrumental between sentences, Hariyana did a small spin, giving her dress a bit of a swish. Hariyana then opened her left hand while holding to the microphone with the right)

A.... All of the world's secrets
It's called the Change of Heart

Whoever, ever doubted
Never had their Change of Heart

A.... All changes happened
Because of the Change Of Heart

And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart

(At this part, Hariyana puts her left hand on her hips and right as usual, holding the microphone, as the backing dancers rushed back with a baton that emits fire around it, holding on to the baton with a glaze of fire on the tip.)

إنها مثل البراكين ('iinaha mithl albarakin)
لا يمكن التنبؤ به (la yumkin altanabuw bih)
مثل القلوب (mithl alqulub)

هل الجو حار أو بارد ، لا أحد يعلم (hal aljawu har 'aw barid , la 'ahad yaelam)
إما أن تعانق أو تقتل ('iimaa 'an tueaniq 'aw tuqtal)
مثل القلوب (mithl alqulub)

(As the Arabic part ended, and the screen went black for a few seconds, the batons were swished down, and as a single light opened for Hariyana to sing a few sentences before...)

A.... All of the world's secrets
It's called the Change of Heart

Whoever, ever doubted
Never had their Change of Heart

(A glow encompassed the entire stage and fireworks shoots up for a few quick seconds, while the backing dancers did a backflip away from Hariyana, giving way to the steadicam to record Hariyana singing. In the quick instrumental between sentences, Hariyana did a small spin, giving her dress a bit of a swish. Hariyana then opened her left hand while holding to the microphone with the right)

A.... All changes happened
Because of the Change Of Heart

And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart

إنها مثل البراكين ('iinaha mithl albarakin)
It's called the Change Of Heart

إما أن تعانق أو تقتل ('iimaa 'an tueaniq 'aw tuqtal)
It's.... called.... the Change.... Of ..... Heart

A.... All changes happened
Because of the Change Of Heart

And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart

(As the song coming to an end in a few seconds, the backing singers and dancers gather around Hariyana looking confidently at the camera as fire was shot from every single place that allows.)

(And yes, you can't change it
It's called the Change Of Heart,

Oh, it's the Change Of Heart,

Oh, it's the Change Of Heart)

(As the song ended, Hariyana pointed her finger at the camera before raising her hands celebrating her performance with the backings, after that she shouted, "YEAH! THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHUKRAN KASIIIRAAAA!!!" after which the view changes to a pack of Alezians celebrating another great entry)

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:12 am

Coming - 3rd August 2021

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:13 am

09
Monaeroglisseurest Pleindanguillese
Jean et Michelle - "I Don't Want To Know What Love Is"
Language(s): English
Tune: Monica Törnell and Lasse Holm - E' de' det här du kallar karlek
Additional Information
Lyrics: Jean, Michelle
Music: Jean, Michelle
Trigramme: MOP

Jean and Michelle, or rather Michelle and Jean, performing on MonaeroTV show "Le Chantuer" (The Singer) before their trip to Aronyk

One day, someone at Monaero TV realised they hadn't entered WHF in rather a long time. It seemed that they had simply forgotten about it, or forgotten to pay the fees, or something like that. It didn't matter. How did they come to realise this? The person in question is a massive fan of the contest, but clearly hadn't been watching closely enough to realise that Monaero weren't actually competing. Ah well, we can put that beside, though it may make you question the competence of the delegation (which is wise). In any case, this employee decided he might as well tell his higher ups, who were looking for ways to plug the schedule anyway. They talked. It sounded like a pretty good idea. It was relatively cheap - although evidently in the past they'd decided not to bother - and they could just send any old rubbish. In fact, they could send something that couldn't possibly win, but which would be fun for the older viewership that MonaeroTV could proudly call its own. So they reheated the corpse of smoe of the best songwriters of the 1980s (whether or not they were dead, tbf), and set them to the task of writing a winning song... for 1986. Thus, they could have some fun, Jean and Michelle, the artists who had been chosen - Jean was an aging popular musician who hadn't had any success for a number of years, Michelle the wife of the head of programming who had tried to have a career in the past and was now provided an opportunity. The two already new each other, so that helped. In any case, them and a bunch of dancers - only the finest Monaeroese talent could do, of course - were packed off (somewhat literally) to Britonisea. They were going to have the time of their life, relaxing on the beach, eating fine Britonish food (which was a nice change) and, you know, casually competing in a major international song contest, as you do...

My life was quiet, maybe, but it worked well for me
I didn't have a care in the whole world
But then I saw you one day, you walked into the room
And everything became one big whirl

I was being silly
And a little naive
I couldn't bear this new lover's load
I became so giddy
I felt so alive
I just wanted to burt and explode

But I don't want to know what love is
(Don't want to know what love is)
If love's what I'm feeling for you
And I don't want to be your lover
(Don't want to be your lover)
But I don't know what else to do

I felt it grow inside me, yes I felt so alive
But I've never been so lonely, all the same
I wanted to feel you with me, every hour, every day
But I dreaded the moments when you came

You're more than a handful, and perhaps even two
I'm not quite sure what I'm meant to do
Oh I got a whole lot more than I bargained for
But boy I enjoyed the encore

Yet I don't want to know what love is
(Don't want to know what love is)
If love's what I'm feeling for you
And I don't want to be your lover
(Don't want to be your lover)
But I don't know what else to do

It tears me up inside
And I think my back's packed in
I don't know what to do
But neither really do you

Still I don't want to know what love is
(Don't want to know what love is)
If love's what I'm feeling for you
And I don't want to be your lover
(Don't want to be your lover)
But I don't know what else to do

It hurts
My heart
Help me
No, that's just our loving again

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:14 am

Coming - 3rd August 2021

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:15 am

10
Llalta
Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon - "Forgive Yourself"
Language(s): English
Tune: Crowd Lu - 刻在我心底的名字 (Your Name Engraved Herein)
Additional Information
Lyrics: Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon
Music: Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon, Esther Winterbourne, John Marshall
Trigramme: LLA

The cover art for Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon's single and entry to the 60th World Hit Festival, "Forgive Yourself"

Llalta finally returns to the World Hit Festival, after an everlasting hiatus of six editions, now twenty editions since the tiny island's debut into the prestigious contest. Six editions ago, in Bovingdon, Britonisea, the LBN had confirmed their participation in the contest after a break of two editions, which had felt long at the time, with the powerful and raw ballad "Ramène-moi", written and performed by 21-year old Rivera Lewis. And there, after two nail-biting semi-finals, Llalta had managed to qualify, and eventually placed 4th out of a final of 17 (overall 33). This was yet another top-5 position for the country, and contributed to the 10th top-10 placement in a row. Yet another successful entry seemed to only further the anticipation for the next entry, especially after a WorldVision win and a mostly successful hosting. With islanders buzzing and the international crowd interested in what the island nation was to present to the world next, it seemed Llalta was to set to see the stars. However, it was that success that ended up being the LBN's Achilles heel. With the WorldVision hosting scraping the last scrap of money from their pockets, the LBN found themselves barely being able to clean their pipes monthly, let alone participate in two song contests on a regular basis. Thus, sacrifices had to be made, the first being WHF participation whilst they stabled themselves financially, much to the disappointment of the dedicated WHF fanbase of Llalta. However, though it seemed Llaltese participation in WorldVision wasn't to be halted by their financial struggles, eventually even the participations for WV became spotty, despite recent success stories such as WorldVision 87's Himiko Arden with the song "Forevermore", which placed 2nd, and WorldVision 90's Lacey (Lee Shin-Hyun) with the song "Constellations", who placed 4th, in between less successful entries as well as not entering at all. However, with both WorldVision and World Hit Festival partaking becoming few and far between, Llaltese fans began to feel the imminent feeling of not participating at all.

However, after months of silence over WHF, the LBN finally dropped plans for participation on the 8th July, leaving Llaltese fans ecstatic. Only a few days later, the artist who would represent Llalta was revealed, being an aspiring singer, Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon. Though he had sung theme songs for many Taiwanese dramas, such as "Wishbone" for the poignant 'Wishbone' and "If Tomorrow Never Came" for the powerful film 'On The Rays Of The Sun', he had never released much music beyond OSTs and theme songs. However, due to the great success of the songs he had sung, many were excited to hear the news. Behind closed doors, the LBN had desperately tried to change their direction. After the many successes and downfalls that came with mostly deep, beautiful ballads, many on the board thought that the country should move to the future: perhaps produce music that was no longer considered 'old-fashioned' or 'slow', but rather modern, powerful and catchy. Earlier in the year, the new direction was showcased with the highly successful LlaltaVision 2, which, despite ending up with a song that had not even been entered in the National Final, still managed to be fresh and modern, with much acclaim by international critics. Thus, after a successful WorldVision 90, the next step for the broadcaster was to showcase this 'new Llalta' at the 60th World Hit Festival, which would be exactly twenty editions after the country had debuted. Many on the WV/WHF board at the LBN thought it would be right to celebrate twenty editions gone with the new Llalta, to show how far the nation had come in terms of music. This mindset had also prompted the idea to send a young, rising artist who was to shine Llalta in a new light, which Zadkiel had been considered the ideal artist to fit that mould.

However, after briefing the ambitious new star, he had put forth a rather polarising vision, one that completely contrasted the 'new Llalta'. Though the LBN board had remained firm in their ideals, so had Zadkiel, who presented an early demo that he had written himself. Though many were unconvinced, one board member, Madeleine Wellwisher, saw the potential in the rough demo. After the ensuing debates, the eventual agreement was that Zadkiel was to record both the original song, and an improved version of the demo, and then the board would decide on which they preferred. Having been only ever sang to other people's songs, he knew this was his chance to become the artist that he wanted to be. He even had secretly met with acclaimed songwriter John Marshall, who had written many a successful WorldVision and World Hit Festival song among other awards, as well as WorldVision winner and World Hit Festival two-time runner-up Esther Winterbourne, who had also written the song that won WHF. The three together arranged and rewrote the song with the National Llaltese Orchestra, though kept the original lyrics for their earnestness. Presented with the two songs, the board unanimously chose his own song, despite completely contrasting with the original vision that the LBN had envisioned. Not to mention that many tears were shed in the boardroom. And on the 20th of July, the song was released.

Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon, a 23-year old singer-songwriter who will represent Llalta at the 60th World Hit Festival.

Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon was born in St.Christopher on the 20th August 1997, to two parents of Taiwanese descent, his grandparents having moved to Britonisea in the 60s, apart from one of his grandfathers who had been Llaltese himself, leading Zadkiel to be 3/4 Taiwanese and 1/4 Llaltese. Eventually, his parents had moved to Llalta shortly after their marriage and before his birth. He had been raised in a strictly Christian household, and had abided by many Taiwanese traditions that had been passed down his family. He had also learnt Mandarin, and grew up surrounded by a mix of Llaltese folk music and Taiwanese CDs brought to Llalta by his parents, who were not particularly musical themselves. At school, he had been academically proficient, but also grew a passion for music. There, he learnt the guitar, the piano and trained vocally, often connecting himself with his distant 'home' of Taiwan through music. He often stayed at school after hours to train using the instruments, his parents waiting outside the doors, silently listening to the music beyond his knowledge, before they picked him up. At 12, he had already become a frequent at St.Christopher's Academy music recitals. Despite his musicality, he had never once considered a career in music. However, at 13, his family had moved back to Taiwan for better work, leaving his life in Llalta behind for a new life. In Taiwan he had lived his teenage life as any other teenager, continuing his passion for music and his proficient studies as he did before. He would have considered his life rather average, until he had been talent-spotted at a singing recital at 16. There, he had been signed under a label, and he began singing for small-scale dramas. It wasn't much it certainly fulfilled a hole in his heart he didn't know he had. Sometimes he would toy with the idea of presenting the little melodies he had sang in his head, but had never grown the confidence to do so. Thus, he finished high school, and went on to university. Though his passion for music never died, his activity certainly slowed due to university studies, releasing less and less music year by year. Though, it had only been temporary, and with the release of his first original single "当花落 (When Flowers Fall)" in 2016, which, though failed commercially, brought him joy to create and perform like no other. It had been then that he knew music was the path for him. He still resides in Taipei, Taiwan, with his two parents and three dogs, Chewy, Kakao, and Totoro.

Released on the 20th July 2021, the song, "Forgive Yourself" is a slow, orchestral ballad which serves as a reminder that no matter our actions or mistakes, we shouldn't punish ourselves for being flawed is inescapable. That, rather than hurting yourself or trying to change yourself for being flawed, we should understand the reasons for our actions and grow as people. However, in order to grow, we must not hate ourselves or punish ourselves. Written and performed by Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon, and composed by Zadkiel, Esther Winterbourne and John Marshall, the song is 5:20, and it has a progressive structure, slowly building with every verse and chorus. Inspired by old Hollywood songs of past infused with Llaltese ballads as well as the OSTs and theme songs he often sings for Taiwanese dramas, Zadkiel spoke of the song in an LBN interview, saying:

I want the song to serve as a reminder to everyone, that we shouldn't punish ourselves for everything we do. We shouldn't try to escape ourselves for everything we do. We all do wrong in our lives: that is just part of being human. The human soul is tarnished and flawed but... I suppose that's what makes us human. You know, there are lots of things we regret, and some things we can never forget, even if the world forgets. And we cannot escape that. But we cannot carry the burden of guilt forever, because we all deserve to be loved. We cannot grow as people if we do not accept what we have done wrong in our lives. You have to forgive yourself in order to become the best you can be.

With honest lyrics, the song topped the Llaltese charts within hours of release, staying at the top since release. Furthermore, many critics have praised the lyrics and instrumentation, as well as Zadkiel's earnest delivery and pretty voice. On the other hand, some critics describe the song as yet another Llaltese ballad, slow and unmoving from start to finish. However, amongst Llaltese, the song has been extremely popular, harking back to the Llaltese music of the 60s, when Hollywood music and romantic music was the trend, the oldest of the Llaltese community warming to the nostalgic arrangement. Taiwanese fans of his have also praised the song for a nostalgic soundscape and pretty vocals. The song has already reached over 80,000 streams on Spotify, a high amount even by Llaltese World Hit Festival standards, already becoming the fourth most-streamed Llaltese WHF entry in only two weeks.

As the postcard ends, the tranquil scene of seagulls flitting upon Pegasus Rock fades away, revealing the title card. The audience erupts into cheers as the tiny island nation is next to perform, not too long before the arena soon fading into darkness and silence descends upon the rowdy crowds of the WHF arena. Eventually, there is merely the final hushed whispers of the audience, and then, nothing. Onstage, amidst the visage of black, a nervous Zadkiel readies himself, swerving slightly on the balls of his feet. This was it. A few deep breaths seemed to slow the seconds into hours, as the start never seemed to start. Not that he minded, considering his nerves. Silently mouthing a prayer, he finally heard the prompt in his in-ear piece. One last deep breath, and it was to begin.

As the music began to play, the arena could be seen once again, fading from black as camera 6 delivered a slow zoom into the centre of the stage, where Zadkiel, stood rather meekly as he faced the floor, shifting on the balls of his feet. He wears a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, the collar embellished with lace, with sleeves that billow slightly at the wrists, the shirt tucked into slim black trousers. Furthermore, he wears white socks and black leather shoes. With natural stage makeup, his hair falls around his face. Furthermore, there had been a slight blurred filter on the camera, creating a dreamy look as every frame was washed in a slight sepia tone, every light colour glowing just slightly. Upon every surface of every LED screen (from the curved screen at the back to the trapezoidal shards to the floor) it was black, disregarding lots of glittering golden stars that were scattered somewhat few and far between, but still framed Zadkiel in a warm lustre as he stood in front of the curved LED screen. The tube was not lowered for this performance, yet still portrayed the starry sky as every other LED screen. As the first notes of the song were plucked on the guitar, another shot zooming into Zadkiel was shown, this time at a more intimate head-on angle by camera 2. This time, he had slowly but surely lifted his head up, his eyes gazing at the ocean of audience that lay in front of him, reflecting the phone camera lights as they swayed from side to side like buoys upon the waves of a twilight sea. Though he had been initially astounded at the sheer size of the crowd, it had been his resolve not to back down, not to give in to his fears. Thus, as the soundscape thickened, with a volley of horns filling the arena with music, he tightly clutched the mic in front of him, raised on a stand, his eyelids fluttering as the spotlights hit his eye, bathing him in gold. With slow, intimate camera shots and a warm palette of soft greyed golds, almost sepia, the staging matched and conveyed the nostalgic, personal tone of the song. Another wide, slow pan of the stage from camera 3 was displayed, the phone lights and flags waving in unison to the rhythm of the song, as if lost in the music, much like Zadkiel. Whom of which, closed his eyes wistfully, a small glimmer of a smile upon his face he readied himself to sing the first verse of the song, nodding his head as he counted the beats until he was to sing. As the tempo began to grind to a halt, camera 7 zoomed into Zadkiel slowly, then zooming into his face before fading to black.

Once the verse had begun, the camera cut from black to Steadicam 1, which took an establishing shot of Zadkiel directly in front of him. His eyes opened, glittering in the lights as he softly sang the first lines, voice like silk. The camera shot did not change for a while, as he closed his eyes once again, letting the lyrics slip from his lips on the winds of the song. Though his body subtly swayed, his hands remained gripped upon the microphone as if it were holding him to the ground. With each painful truth, creases etched into his face, casting shadows that danced upon his smooth skin. As sang the last line, "Yourself" his eyes drifted shut as he glanced at the floor, camera 2 having panned the whole stage before fading to black. And, as the second section of the verse began, the camera lit up once more, this time starting with a zoom-in of Zadkiel, from camera 6, capturing every emotion painted upon his face. Horns began to fill the soundscape once again, and Zadkiel continued to sing every line softly. As he sang the line, "Through your fingertips", he took one hand off of the mic and spread his fingers as it moved slightly forwards. There, it caught the light, leaving small rays of shadows. However, he soon brought his hand back to the microphone as he prepared for the chorus. There was one last slow pan of camera 18, with Zadkiel's back turned towards the camera as he faced the audience. There, the full capacity of the arena could be seen, though just about, heads lit up by phone lights as they swayed. Finally, a steadicam slowly zoomed into him as the final words left his lips, the last breath being amplified around the arena.

Yesterday
It is so hard to face
Yesterday
All the mistakes you made
Yesterday
All the reasons you hate yourself
Yourself

Yesterday
You wish you could forget
Yesterday
Paint it all over again
But yesterday has slipped
Through your fingertips
Fingertips

As he began to sing the chorus, a few spotlights at the back billowed outwards, creating a sense of grandiose. Apart from that one light show however, the staging stayed the same for the first chorus. However, Zadkiel himself began to sing with a little more strength as he sang the message to the world, his body subtly shifting as he closed his eyes. One hand slipped from the microphone, grasping onto the mic stand instead before becoming free, expressing the song in the way that all singers do. Firstly, camera 6 steadily zoomed into Zadkiel, a shot of his face framed by the stars behind. Though it was so close to him, it seemed like he struggled to make eye contact with the camera, glancing away after a few seconds of eye contact. The next few shots were mostly closer and slower shots of Zadkiel via steadicams, cameras 2, 6 & 7, complimenting the more restrained and intimate instrumentation and atmosphere of the first section of the chorus. However, once the horns began to re-enter the soundscape, the shots began to grow in scale, the next shot being a pan of the stage via camera 3, the back wall of spotlights being shown as they began to brighten, glinting in the lens of the camera, sometimes obscuring Zadkiel for a split second. However, as the camera zoomed back into a close shot of Zadkiel, he sang the final line with a subtle anguish, his eyes tightly shut before opening to the spotlights, the shot fading out, transitioning to the next shot. As he began to sing the second part of the chorus, The lights brightened, in particular, the wall of spotlights behind the back LED wall. Via camera 14, a pan of the whole arena was shown, the phone lights like fireflies drowned out by the beauty of the stage. After that majestic pan, camera 7 zoomed into Zadkiel as he continued to sing with the youthful earnestness that wrote the lyrics in the first place, his voice tainted by a bittersweet optimism. As he sings, "rest a while", a faint small grows on his face, his eyes glancing upwards towards the steadicam which slowly zooms into his face, and for once, his eyes remain locked upon the camera. He then pushes his right arm forwards towards the camera, reaching out to the viewers at home. His eyes glimmer with gold, his shirt sleeves wafting in the air as his hand migrates back to his heart, where it rests for a moment. He nods his head upon singing the final line, holding the note, the camera panning until he was out of frame, before fading to the next shot.

And though you want to start again
You have one life you can't reset
And in the glimmer of an eye, it all can end
And though your tears may scar your face
It is ok to enjoy the life that you have left
No matter the blood you blame yourself for

You dream of running from the day
But in the starless night the slightest light remains
No one is perfect, yet, that is perfect enough
You don't have to punish yourself forever, rest a while
The world will always forgive you
And if not then
At least forgive yourself

The chorus lead straight into an instrumental, camera 18 taking the reins as a panorama of the whole arena is shown, the stage alight in gold glinting constantly in the lens of the camera like the moons reflecting in the sea. Onstage, Zadkiel sways to the music, lost in the song of his own design as he shuts his eyes and feels every instrument reverberating in the arena. Camera 8 then pans across the arena but from the other direction, flags and phones obscuring the Zadkiel every few moments, before the spidercam slowly glides across the arena, at first the crowd of lights being shown before the stage comes into clear view. These shots were far different from the more intimate and close shots of the previous verse and chorus, but displayed the sheer beauty of the stage and the energy of the arena, the emotional melodies of the song spilling out into the air. As Zadkiel began to sing the second verse, the spidercam had just finished it's zoom into the stage from the back, and camera 6 began to zoom into him. He turned his head towards the camera, slowly closing in, his confidence beginning to glimmer like a ray of light dispersed from the trees. Though only a small feeling, he began to feel at home upon the stage. The words left his lips with far more enunciation than before, and with more projection too. Lights at the back began to pulse softly to the introduced shaker, shining from the centre and rippling outwards, like the ebb of a pond. As a result, the stage felt a lot brighter than before, even if the lights had stayed the same, bar the lights that supported the slight percussion. After steadicam 2 slowly circled Zadkiel, now poised upright, camera 12 took a far-off shot of the stage, Zadkiel, a star in the night sky, glimmering. Then, as he sang the final line of the verse, camera 6 began to zoom in on him, his hand slipping down the microphone stand before being pulled up to where his heart is. He glances into the camera, the universe in his eyes, before closing them once more as he holds the final note of the verse, lifting both hands from the microphone as the camera fades the shot into the next shot, that being of the chorus.

Yesterday
You know it is only
Yesterday
You are not tainted by
The life that you have made
It's not too late to change
To change

As the chorus begins, the shot begins with a close-up of Zadkiel, who glances straight into the camera as he sings the first line, eyes alight with hope. Cheeks blushed with the rush of blood, as he sings the line, "want to start again", camera 3 takes a slow panorama of the whole stage, which is now illuminated in a warm gold light as a few spotlights billow outwards from the back of the stage, glinting in the camera as they shine into its lens. Furthermore, the gold lights behind the back LED wall once again flare up brighter than before, shining as the light hits the lens. The stars that twinkle upon all the LEDs also brighten a little, matching the musical flourish in the music. Not to mention that Zadkiel also sings with a little more power, emotion perhaps also, than before. The panorama of the stage captures every slow pulse of light, a radiant yet not blinding stage display that is also minimalistic, much like the song. A steadicam then takes yet another zoom-in of Zadkiel, who faces the camera as he sings with all the emotion he has to give, the glimpse of a smile shining like the spotlights that engulf him in gold. His sleeves once again flutter in the air as he sways to the slow rhythm of the song, his hands clutching tightly to the microphone. In the shot, spotlights behind can be seen once again billowing upwards and filling the arena with a dim light, swallowing his silhouette as they flare into the camera lens. However, his warm smile cannot be dimmed by brighter lights. The chorus is grandiose, being the precipice of the song as he paints each word upon the backing track, carried by his emotions, though he does not waver. As the chorus progresses, gold lights continue to billow across the four corners of the arena, as if they were searching for a star. The filter upon the camera is so that the lights blur and linger far longer than normal, hazy like a far-off memory. As he sings the second stanza of the chorus, the lights billow once again, each word sung as smooth as the last, each syllable connected like raindrops upon a cobweb. Camera 14 takes yet another panorama from the back of the arena, the Zadkiel so small yet so prominent, surrounded by a palace of golden lights. Not long after, the spidercam zooms into the mainstage once more, the audience, now washed in the burnished hues, flags indistinguishable as they are blurred by lights. Shaking his head, he sings the final few lines, a steadicam zooming into him, capturing the bitter-sweetness of accepting the past lacing his lips. As he sings the final line, "At least forgive yourself", the lights hush until they are not lit any longer, matching the gradual quiet of the instrumentation, now just Zadkiel and a single horn. His eyes shut as he sings the final word, "yourself", holding the final note into the near silent, dark arena. He softly sang the final note, as the camera that had a close-up shot of him, faded to black, leaving just the simple melody of the horn to fill the arena with song.

And though you want to start again
You have one life you can't reset
And in the glimmer of an eye, it all can end
And though your tears may scar your face
It is ok to enjoy the life that you have left
No matter the blood you blame yourself for

You dream of running from the day
But in the starless night the slightest light remains
No one is perfect, yet, that is perfect enough
You don't have to punish yourself forever, rest a while
The world will always forgive you
And if not then
At least forgive yourself

As the silence persisted for a few moments, the arena remained pitch black, until a high up panorama from camera 7 finally faded the stage into view. Onstage, Zadkiel had been lit up by a single golden spotlight, his head facing the floor as his entire front had been cast in shadows. Behind him, was a large sepia-toned moon of golden hues, surrounding him like a halo, casting gold upon the borders of his silhouette. As camera 2 took a full body shot of him, he placed his hands back upon the microphone, slowly raising his head to sing the final chorus. His eyes shimmered even through the cloak of darkness. As he began to sing acapella however, his front was lit up slightly, so that every emotion could be captured, but not too bright that it slit the quiet, hushed atmosphere. From there, he steadily lifted the microphone to his lips and brought his melody into the empty air. And then, for just a moment, time seemed to stop. The words that had so effortlessly left his lips earlier now seemed so hard to sing, almost choking. The reality that had shaped his lyrics, that had shaped him, were beginning to dawn upon him, and he could feel tears gathering at his eyes, though he was determined not to cry. Camera 10 took a close-up of his face from the side, a light behind almost obscuring his face entirely. However, from this angle, his face could be seen slightly wavering as lyrics left his lips. He had almost whispered them, the silence straying him from the high of song. However, he sang them, no matter how much effort it took, his voice slightly raw and whispered. The moment seemed to last a lifetime or two, as each word took his all from him. A steadicam took yet another close up, his eyes fixed on the camera and yet, they were looking someplace else, someplace beyond the lens of the camera. His normally warm, dark brown eyes were like a vast space, with an infinite depth to them that held no other side. As he began to sing the line, "Someday you'll smile at the life you've lived", the guitar joins the soundscape, the warm timbre comforting him immediately. Moreover, upon the pitch black LED screens, only painted by a single moon behind him, stars began to sparkle once more. However, they appeared only gradually, and unlike before, without the presence of other lights, such as the spotlights, allowing them to shine without being outshined. With camera 2 continuing to zoom into his face, his eyes finally meet the camera, and the camera alone, a slight smile painted upon his face. He stood mostly still as he softly sang the words, as if he were singing a lullaby. As the camera zoomed in, it was clear that his smile was one of happiness, yet also of sadness. Regret of his own life. As if he had wished that someone had sung this to him when he needed it most. And yet, here he was. Singing his song to those who needed it most. Perhaps, his own experience of self-hatred had weathered him into something beautiful, the song, this performance, the result of his life.

And though you want to start again
You have one life you can't reset
And in the glimmer of an eye, it all can end
Someday you'll smile at the life you've lived
But until then
The world will always forgive you
And if not then
At least forgive yourself

As he sang the final two lines, the tempo of the song began to slow, his voice near whispering the final lyrics as he felt himself choke up with tears. And yet, his earnest smile persevered as he sang the final note, lit up by a golden moon and her children, the stars, his eyes closed as the final note filled the arena with the honey of his voice. Finally, the note ended, fading into the air. The camera then faded into the next shot. As the final instrumental began to play, the spotlight faded so that he was a mere silhouette obscuring the radiant moon behind him, his head lowered as his hands slumped off the microphone and clasped together, touching his lips. As he did so, camera 7, which had been zoomed in on him, now very slowly zoomed out, letting the audience at home have plenty of time to take in the sheer beauty of the staging, the moon and the stars crowning Zadkiel's shadow as he stood upon the stage, the reality of the performance striking him like the cold hiss of the sea. Then, as soon as the performance had begun, the song came to a close, the ending shot of his silhouette amongst the moon and the stars with all the beauty and grace of a renaissance painting. And silence filled the air, only to be interrupted by the cheers of the audience as the performance came to a close. The arena lighting up to normal once more, Zadkiel stepped to the front rather shakily, tears on the brim of his eyes as he attempted to be professional. Giggling, he raised the microphone once more and said, "Thank you Aryonk! Thank you, thank you so much! Mua! I love every single one of you!" before bowing for more than a moment, lifting his head, taking in the support of the audience with a big smile. Blowing kisses to the crowd, he walked off, letting Northern Beepee take the stage.

He had done it. For himself.

The camera span around one of the second stages which had the two main hosts on it. They were clapping along with the audience...

Anders Duran: Thank you to Zadkiel! That song really touched my heart...

Priya Thompson: Yeah, I had to hold back my tears. We're halfway through the show now so let's go to the Greenroom and catch up with our very own eligible bachelor - Jake Bachelor!

The ident of the WHF60 showed up on the screen before we went to the Greenroom...

by **Britonisea** » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:16 am

BVC | 60th World Hit Festival | Aronyk, Britonisea [IC]

BVC | 60th World Hit Festival | Aronyk, Britonisea [IC]

Host Intervention + Entries of the 60th World Hit Festival

The World Hit Festival is OPEN!

01 NZSW St Martin

01 | NZSW St Martin | Vera - Laissez moi maintenant

02 | Yaakovistan | Postcard

02 | Yaakovistan | ELIAS SAILE - DOO WOP

03 | Normandy & Picardy | The Postcard

03 | Normandy & Picardy | Marianne Vidal, Anne-Marie Paquet

04 | Achaean Republic | Postcard

04 | Achaean Republic | DYY - Deja

05 | Nightom | The Postcard

05 | Nightom | Abbie Lindström - Until The End

06 | Antahbrantahstan | Postcard

06 | Antahbrantahstan | Elodia Durán - Miss Interpretation

07 | Todlichebujoku | The Postcard

07 | Todlichebujoku | Váinö & Fîz S. Magro - Alone

Break

08 | Alezian Union

08 | Alezian Union | Hariyana Madinayya Salem - Change Of He

09 | Monaero | Postcard

09 | Monaeroglisseurest Pleindanguillese | Jean et Michelle

10 | Llalta | The Postcard

10 | Llalta | Zadkiel Lapuda-Avondon - Forgive Yourself

Mini-break

Who is online