WorldVision Song Contest 97 | NP BEEPEE | IC

by **Beepee** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 5:00 am

Welcome!

Welcome to Beepee and to Norfolk Pinewoods. The glorious capital city of the little nation that can. Norfolk Pinewoods is small but perfectly formed, and contains all the amenities you'd need and expect. The mix of modern and traditional architecture blends into an interesting and friendly city in a human scale.

The streets are filled with the scents of baked goods, breads, pies and tarts. The sound of waiters bustling through the courtyards at the numeorus small coffee shops and restaurants. In the weeks leading up to the 97th Edition of the WorldVision Song Contest, the town has been spritzed and spruced to the max and the city is a buzz with the excitement of the hosting which will thrust the city onto the world stage.

Indeed, whilst most of population of Beepee is gathered around their television sets, or are tuning in online. Across the city, groups gather together to watch the event, in bars, with friends, or at street parties. Visitors to the city will find a warm, welcoming and friendly atmosphere and will no doubt be swept up in the excitement of WorldVision 97, just like the locals.

Beepeean Occasional News Corporation
in association with
the Beepeean Government
and the
International Broadcasting Alliance

Presents

The 97th WorldVision Song Contest

OOC Thread | The Host Bid | The Playlist

The auditorium is in darkness, only the flashing lights on beenie-boppers and the screen lights from some of the audience's mobile phones that pierce the void.

On the large screen behind the stage a large '10' appears. The audience cheers...

9...
8...

The count down continues, and the cheers of the audience grow louder as the anticipation grows. Some of the audience begin counting down shouting out the numbers as they appear on the screen.

7...
6...
5...

Backstage a group of fine Beepeean men prepare to go onto stage, and last second preparations are made.

4...
3...
2...

The audience stand, waving their flags and preparing themselves for the visual feast about to assault their senses.

1...

Welcome World!

The full auditorium lights blaze, pyrotechnics erupt from the front of the stage. The roar from the crowd fills the venue as fans clap their hands and stamp their feet. The noise is explosive.

Centre stage, in the middle of the auditorium, stands three singers as a funky disco beat begins....

Opening Act

Men-Can't-Do "We're Having Party"

"Men-Can't-Do!", a trio of luscious lovelies, are tonight's opening act. The 3 performers will be performing a specially written song by the very best of Beepeean songwriting royalty, Otto Tune. The song is a lively number and during the performance the flags of each competing nation will be brought onto stage, by a selection of male beauties, in a flag waving ceremony to introduce the competing nations.

Oooooooh!
Turn the sound up baby!
Let's start this party.
Let's start this party,
Right now!

If you're ever feeling sad and so blue,
Just think of what all this music can do.
Let's start this party.
Let's start this party,
Baby!

Mmmm... all these songwriters know just how to rhyme,
And even puppets know how to have a good time!
Let's start this party.
Let's start this party,
Right now!

We got k-pop, schlager, rhythm and blues.
We got upbeat, slow down and mid tempo.
You never know what a puppet's gonna do!

So rock me, baby, or waltz me round.
There's so much good stuff here, don't you frown.
You'll never guess who's gonna win the crown.

We're having a party,
We're having a party,
We're having a party,
We're having a party,
Woah woah woah woah woah!
A party right now.

Last time we met, Malta they scored the most,
Mmmm... And now meet here with Beepee as host.
Let's have a party.
Let's have a party,
Baby!

It doesn't matter if you're feeling real blue,
We've got lots of points to give just to you.
Let's have a party.
Let's have a party,
Right now!

We got k-pop, schlager, rhythm and blues.
We got upbeat, slow down and mid tempo.
You never know just what a puppet's gonna do!

So rock me, baby, or waltz me round.
There's so much good stuff here, don't you frown.
You'll never guess who's gonna win the crown.

We're having a party,
We're having a party,
We're having a party,
We're having a party,
Woah woah woah woah woah!
A party right now.

We're having a party, oh yeah
We're having a party, oh yeah
We're having a party, oh yeah
We're having a party,
Woah woah woah woah woah!
A pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-party right now.

Shout out to all the nations here,
From Malta to Llata, be of good cheer,
If you're worried you're gonna get nothing, no chance,
Even if you're forgotten, you still get to dance,
Dance! yeah! dance! yeah! dance! dance!
At this party tonight!

Woah woah woah woah woah!
At this party tonight!

The assembled audience bursts into rapturous applause, clearly enthusiastic and delighted to be part of the WorldVision experience.

And with that our host for this evening, Harry Balsac, comes onto stage.

]

"Good Evening World!

Welcome to the 97th Edition of the WorldVision Song Contest, coming to you live from the Waratah Theatre here in the heart of Norfolk Pinewoods, Beepee.

On behalf of the Beepeean Occasional News Corporation and the International Broadcasting Alliance, I am delighted to present this evening's festivities.

Tonight, you will be hearing performances from some of the biggest international stars all vying to win this song contest.

Shortly we will begin hearing the performances of all the competing acts. Keep a pen and paper handy so you can make a note of your favourites. Once we've heard all the competing acts, we'll turning the voting open to the international juries and the you the viewing public, but I'll explain more about that later in the show.

In the meantime, let's move swiftly on to our first entrant coming to us all the way from Vartugia.

And, with that, let the 97th WorldVision Song Contest Begin!

by **Beepee** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 5:01 am

01. VARTUGIA

Doesn't Matter Since We Will Get Last Place Anyway
"1 and Half a Minute With Torture'"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

~~02. METRAS~~

Kaspar Arnhems
"The Mountains'"
~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

03. WAISNOR

Zoya Yushkevich
"Ya dolzhna uyti"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

04. ADAB

Hanish Dagon
"Double Life”
Ident | Entry | Postcard

05. POLKOPIA

Biyanka
"What’s Wrong?"
Ident| Entry | Postcard

06. HÖÖRA

Elsena Oleviäniku
"Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

07. PLACELY PLACINGTON

Dave McDaverson
"Dave's the Best"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

08. STRAYAROOS BARRIER ISLANDS

Random Toddler
"Vote For Me!"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

09. BEEPEE

Phil Meupp
"Talk To Me"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

10. ILLDONYA

Maria Manza
"Alone"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

11. SCOTATROVA

Brianna Soliure
"Perfect"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

12. CARRELIE

Achille's Heel
"Number One"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

13. PEMECUTAN

Gung Trisna
"Satu-satunya Yang Kau Cinta"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

14. ACHAEAN REPUBLIC

Yileishka Mercado
"Chanson"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

15. ELEJAMIE

Mason and Jon Navarez
"Saudade"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

16. ANTAHBRANTAHSTAN

Darja Antonjeva
"The Artist"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

17. AENGLIDE

The Mercantiles
"Benevolent Frequencies"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

~~18. STRAYAROOS~~

Unia
"Magnificent"
~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

~~19. S.R. CARYTON~~

~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

20. BRITONISEA

Amelia Stone and Tom Bastion
"Lollipop"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

21. CAKRANEGARA

Nita Aziz & Jamal Alwi
"Hanya Karna Uang"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

22. ALEZIAN UNION

Les Bucinnoaises
"What Would You?"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

23. JOIJA

Pretty, Etheral
"Symmetry"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

~~24. ERTZEI KISHIM~~

David Abaty
"Fire In The Fight"
~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

25. CRUSTYLAND

Crustyland Choir
"Crustyland"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

26. MALTA COMINO GOZO

Fradel & Spies
"Still Standing"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

~~27. HAFAMARIMËT~~

~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

~~28. RHIM FLAVEZZTOWLAND~~

~~Ident | Entry | Postcard~~

29. KALOSIA

Alia M
"Dream On
Ident | Entry | Postcard

30. ILKSLUND

Iva Nasnac
"Give It To Me"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

31. KASANOVA-KORATICA

Spike
"Örkh"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

32. TÖDLICHEBUJOKU

Miilimasis Toivonen
"Better"
Ident | Entry | Postcard

by **Vartugia** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:47 am

01.Vartugia

Dosen't matter since we will get last place anyway - "1 and half a minute with torture"

Misscatylove - Intro

In what happens to be one of the biggest scandals in Worldvision history, Vartugia was chosen to be first. This created so many controversies, especially after announcing their song as it turned out to be 1 minute and 35 seconds of what appears to be some painful noises. Many fans have dreaded this as the worst opener in Worldvision history.

The postcard are done and on the stage we have one male singer who seems to be drunk. The stage is also full of washing machines and other things that make painful noises. He turns on the washing machines and they begin to spin. He randomly sounds some words.

WORLDVISION!

The audience is stunned and shocked as Vartugia's entry isn't shit, but mega shit. The noises become louder and louder to the point that we cant hear him shout.

Vote Vartugia!

Loud booing is heard as the man on stage just walks randomly as he came up with this stage roleplay just minutes before he was about to perform this... piece of art. Someone throws a rock and it hits one of the washing machines and it begins to shake violently.

Vartugia One!

He ran away as the washing machine that got stoned begin to catch fire. Every single back-stage crew runs towards with fire extinguishers to quell the fire as everyone is confused. After a while, the stage is cleared for a hopefully better act ~~ok everyone is better than Vartugia~~.

by **Metras** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:00 am

♦ 2. Metras ♦
♥ Kaspar Arnhems - The Mountains ♥
The Oh Hellos - Thus Always to Tyrants

by **Waisnor** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:03 am

03

WAISNOR

Zoya Yushkevich - Ya dolzhna uyti/Tune: Victoria Nadine - Strangers Again

Firstly, few words about the singer - as it's often happens with other Waisnorian representatives, she has a pretty short singing career, releasing her first single in 2020. He quickly gained some following with listeners and after number of singles she earned the place at WorldVision Song Contest, winning national selection.

Now we move on to the performance - Zoya sat on the stage, clutching her legs to her. The singer was wearing a red dress with straps that held it, red shoes and a red hair clip. Meanwhile, even more red appeared in the background - it showed a blooming rose opening its bud and making the scene even redder.

Я поняла, что к чему, пойми меня
I understood what's what, understand me

Я не могу больше так, завершена
I can't do this anymore, it's over

Наша любовь, но я не хочу жечь мосты
Our love, but I don't want to burn bridges

Хоть виноват в этом ты
Even though it's your fault

After that, Zoya slowly began to get up. When she got up to half a hundred, she began to stretch her hand to the top. Meanwhile, in the background, the camera moved away from the rose and changed its position, now showing how someone cuts the rose with scissors and it falls down.

На сердце ты оставил шрам
You left a scar on my heart

Разбил его напополам
You broke it in half

И всё-таки мне трудно отпустить
And yet it's hard for me to let go

After that, Yushekvich found with her eyes a man who was standing at the very edge of the stage and who was rather difficult to see. Meanwhile, in the background, the camera began to shoot from a completely different angle - the rose was still falling, but now other roses, also cut, were falling along with it.

Я знаю, я должна уйти
I know I must leave

За то, что ты мне сделал, сердце не стерпело
For what you did to me, my heart could not stand it

Но будто по ножам идти
But it's like walking on knives

Мне от тебя к свободе, моя душа на взводе
From you to freedom, my soul is on edge

After the chorus, this man began to come closer and closer to Zoya, but when the first two lines were sung, Yushkevich and this man turned around and approached each other in different directions. And the background was divided into two parts - on the top, cut roses fell, on the second, just petals fell.

Без твоей фальши могу я обойтись
I can do without your falseness

Из плена твоих обид спастить
Save mayself from the captivity of your grievances

На сердце ты оставил шрам
You left a scar on my heart

Разбил его напополам
You broke it in half

И всё-таки мне трудно отпустить
And yet it's hard for me to let go

Before the chorus, Zoe turned back to the man, looking at him as he just stood there, not moving. Against the background, meanwhile, the rose petals, which had already fallen to the ground, were picked up by the wind, and now the camera was filming how the petals flew to the right side of the screen, towards the standing man.

Я знаю, я должна уйти
I know I must leave

За то, что ты мне сделал, сердце не стерпело
For what you did to me, my heart could not stand it

Но будто по ножам идти
But it's like walking on knives

Мне от тебя к свободе, моя душа на взводе
From you to freedom, my soul is on edge

Before the last verse, the light began to illuminate only Zoya, against the background of the petals, half a hundred flew over the edge of the screen. But when the singer began to sing the chorus for the last time, the light returned and scattered throughout the auditorium. In the background, red fireworks began to go, and they exploded so that after that rose petals fell. The men was no longer on the stage and Zoya was walking towards the center of the stage.

Я жажду новой любви
I want new love

Но мне прощания трудны
But goodbyes are hard for me

И я бегу к свободе
And I'm running to freedom

Моя душа на взводе
My soul is on edge

Я знаю, я должна уйти
I know I must leave

За то, что ты мне сделал, сердце не стерпело
For what you did to me, my heart could not stand it

Но будто по ножам идти
But it's like walking on knives

Мне от тебя к свободе, моя душа на взводе
From you to freedom, my soul is on edge

After arriving to the center of stage and last set of fireworks blowing up directly above her, he bowed down to viewers and said: "Thank you all! I'm sending you love from Waisnor!"

by **Adab** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:08 am

4. ADAB
Hanish Dagon – "Double Life”
Tune: Rob Thomas - Lonely No More
Language: English

Hanish Dagon

Background
As usual, ABC Director-General Benji Akiya was unperturbed by Adab’s 22nd-place finish at last year’s WorldVision, believing – as always – that international exposure for Adab’s contestants was more important than their results in the contest itself. Nevertheless, to keep things fresh, Benji agreed with the ABC Board that Adab’s next WorldVision entry would feature a change in genres; preferably the song would be more upbeat and energetic-sounding than its immediate predecessor. Another decision, and one which was much harder to take, was that Adab would not participate in the 63rd World Hit Festival, not out of lack of interest, but simply because the ABC was launching several new projects and it was deemed that there was not enough time and money to adequately prepare for the WHF. For this year, Benji would focus more on WorldVision.

Adab’s contestant this edition had already made a name for himself nationally. At age 27, Hanish Dagon had released four albums, his music mostly of the pop rock and dance-pop flavor. Benji deliberately sought out a figure who had already had experience performing in concerts and thus was well-prepared to bring about an upbeat, high-octane performance on an international stage. Hanish admitted that he was “a bit stunned” when Benji contacted him and asked him to perform on WorldVision, but nevertheless was quick to accept. “I see it as something of a challenge,” Hanish said. “I know millions will be watching and I’m ready and determined to put on my best performance.”

The Performance
The choice of the Waratah Theatre as the venue had taken the Adabian delegation by a surprise; with a reported capacity of 2,700 seats, it was – as far as the Adabian delegation could remember – the smallest WorldVision venue in recent memory (although the courtyard had been set aside for a watch party) and there were concerns whether Hanish’s performance would be appropriate for a venue which prided itself in harkening back to “more civilised times of viewing high quality musical acts in comfort and luxury”. Benji at one point proposed changing their song, but Hanish refused to budge. “It’s WorldVision,” he said. “They know what to expect.”

The camera zoomed in on Hanish standing on the square at the center of the stage. Breaking the darkness, a clear white spotlight revealed itself upon him from above, and a bright red-orange color began to spread from the center all the way to the ends of the catwalks, bringing to mind the color of a fiery conflagration. As the lights across the venue gradually revealed the whole stage, the camera zoomed out allowing the audience could see four women, one standing at the far end of each catwalk. Hanish was wearing a leather jacket and dark blue jeans. Each woman was wearing a T-shirt with a different color – red, green, blue, and yellow – and dark trousers. They began walking towards the center of the stage, where once again the camera focused on Hanish, rapidly zooming in on his face, looking above as if searching for a sign from the heavens, then suddenly bringing his head down towards the audience with a look of defiance.

Now it’s clear to me
That you and I are done here
Don’t wanna hear again
Anything you have to say
‘Cause I’m tired of listening to all your lies
The door is right there
Go off, just go away

The women were now rapidly approaching the center of the stage, where Hanish remained, and as he entered the chorus, short, sharp bursts of fire suddenly shot to the ceiling with a boom, placed strategically all around the catwalks with a bit of a distance between each column of fire so as not to obstruct the audience’s view of the stage. All the women reached for Hanish, struggling to get a piece of him, but instead he ducked and weaved away from their hands, turning in a full circle as he pointed at each and every one of them, pointing out how they were all different and he was not sure which one of them was actually the girl he knew.

I’m tired of all your double life
I don’t know if it’s really you
Don’t know which one of you will come every day
I don’t know if I can trust what you say

‘Cause everything that comes from your mouth
I don’t know if it’s right or wrong
But I know I’m not the only one in your life
I’m not gonna let you string me along

Hanish found a gap between two of the women and slipped away from them, extending both his arms as he sprinted down the catwalk to bring himself closer to the audience, leading them in chants of “o-wo-o-o-wo-o-wo-o-o” as the women chased after him, several spotlights shooting down from above and following Hanish and the women around. Hanish made it all the way to the end of the catwalk, where he found himself cornered by the approaching women, seemingly without a way out. But that look of anger remained, and as the fire burned even brighter he leaned forward, bringing himself face-to-face with the women, pointing at them and eventually pushing them aside, telling them to go away.

It don’t matter now
Whatever you want to say
I have had enough of all your fairytales
I just can’t believe what a fool I am
You lie more than all the politicians
Lie to me, gaslight me, why not run for president
Just go away now

Hanish proceeded to run all the way back to the center of the stage, and from there to the other end of the catwalk straight ahead of him. The fire flickered and at one point appeared to be receding, only to return with a bang sending flames and sparks almost all the way to the ceiling. As he ran the women continued to chase after him, two of them getting ahead of the other women and almost catching up to and blocking Hanish, only for him to slip under their arms and escape. Along the way he turned to the audience, banging his chest, pointing at the sky, and making random gesticulations which came across as desperate, even frightened. Sometimes he would look at the women, trying to shoo them away.

I’m tired of all your double life
I don’t know if it’s really you
Don’t know which one of you will come every day
I don’t know if I can trust what you say

‘Cause everything that comes from your mouth
I don’t know if it’s right or wrong
But I know I’m not the only one in your life
I’m not gonna let you string me along

Now he found himself at another end of the catwalk, having sprinted virtually across the entire length of the stage. By this time, Hamish was starting to feel tired and decided to sit on the edge, his feet hanging towards the audience, the fire around him toned down somewhat to ensure his safety. The women caught up to him, but this time Hanish made no effort to escape. Still seated, he turned to address them.

Why are you even here
Now you’re just nothing to me
You’re a bubblehead who thinks you’re worth more than you really are
But I’m really the bigger fool
Fool to honestly believe in you
But now I’ve seen the light so it’s time to go off, just go away

Hanish rose to his feet. He did not try to escape, nor did the women try to touch him. Instead they faced each other in an uneasy stand-off, Hanish as defiant as ever, the women blocking his way with a stony face. Finally, frustrated at seemingly being unable to escape from the women, Hanish simply pushed them aside and walked past them back to the center of the stage. The women, as usual, followed him, but this time they, too, were only walking, and Hanish made no attempt to increase his speed.

I’m tired of all your double life
I don’t know if it’s really you
Don’t know which one of you will come every day
I don’t know if I can trust what you say

‘Cause everything that comes from your mouth
I don’t know if it’s right or wrong
But I know I’m not the only one in your life
I’m not gonna let you string me along

I’m not gonna let you string me along
I’m not gonna let you string me along
I’m not gonna let you string me along
I’m not gonna let you string me along

The music ended with Hanish and the women back at the center of the stage. The pyros gradually flickered, receded, and disappeared. As the audience cheered and clapped, Hanish and the women bowed and clapped back, shouting “Thank you!” as they made their way out of the stage.

by **Polkopia** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:22 am

Tune: Tove Lo - "How Long"

Biyela Yaroslavovna Karandašova, otherwise known by her stage name, Biyan'ka, was 26 years old at the time of winning the Landa vy Polkopiya. Her success at Polkopia's National Final comes after her nation placed 12th in the previous edition of Worldvision, the worst result Polkopia had achieved since the 71st edition of the contest. For the first time in the history of the Landa vy Polkopiya, the top 2 songs in the Grand Final finished with the same amount of points after the jury votes and televotes had been calculated. This left many wondering - how exactly does the contest settle a tiebreaker? Would the winning song be hand-picked by the Polkopian jury? Would the international jurors' votes be broken down and the song receiving the highest 10's be awarded the win? All of these options had been considered when the rules for the competition were originally written, however in order to settle a tie, the song receiving the most televotes would be granted the win. This means that, although NIKONA received the most jury points, it would be Biyan'ka who would ultimately win the competition based off of the points she had been awarded in the televote.

Upon the conclusion of Worldvision last edition, rumors circulated stating that the PNB refused to allocate additional funds toward the Polkopian entrant, Poli Vera, due to previous controversies surrounding the unapproved lyrical change of her song, and many fans took to various social media platforms to voice their disappointment with the broadcaster. The broadcaster denied these allegations, but subsequently refused to publish the figures for what the budget for the previous Worldvision Song Contest had been. Poli herself had not spoken about the incident, however many speculated that she was choosing to remain silent in order to prevent further violations of the contract she had signed with the PNB. It was because of all this drama that Biyan'ka nearly denied the opportunity at performing at Worldvision, as she believed that participating in the contest was far more stress than what it was worth.

Upon winning the Landa vy Polkopiya, artists are allowed for up to a week to make their final decision on whether or not they would accept the invitation and represent Polkopia at Worldvision. Biyan'ka used six of those days before making her final decision. Together with Ryka Sin, who co-wrote Biyan'ka's song, and whose entry "Collide" made it to the Grand Final of the 53rd Landa vy Polkopiya (Leading up to WV89), the pair decided that going to Worldvision in Beepee would benefit their careers. In addition to career development and the obvious exposure that would result from their performance on the world stage, the deciding factor on going to Worldvision was the inspiration and knowledge the two would gain from being surrounded by dozens of artists, each of who would be coming to Norfolk Pinewoods. The goal wasn't necessarily to come with the intention of winning (though that would be incredible for them) but rather learn from some of the other artists they were bound to meet on this trip. Every single delegation was sent with a particular vision in mind, and these young Polkopians could surely learn something different from everyone here.

Like every year, the PNB had the final say as to how the stage was going to be set up for the performance. Biyan'ka had a few loose ideas in mind, however she was in no position to make demands with the visition she had in mind. Besides, she wasn't any sort of mastermind when it came to setting up the stage, and the Polkopian delegation usually did a song justice. She figured that, as long as she wasn't wearing some ridiculous getup on stage and making a fool out of herself, they would do her justice. At the end of the day. she wrote this song as a personal project and she never could have imagined getting this far with her song, so the fact that she was able to showcase her art onstage was more than enough.

Once onstage, Biyan'ka took her place on the central "diamond" at the intersection of the catwalks of the stage. She positioned herself so that she was laying down in the very middle of the stage so that the LED projections would show around her. She had been instructed to lay in the same spot for the opening instrumental beats, and the camerawork would do all the rest. Meanwhile, her styling was to be simple, yet easy for her to wear while moving around stage, as the stage in Beepee was designed to allow for plenty of walkability. The PNB wanted to allow for a bit of freedom, should Biyan'ka prefer to walk around during her performance, so she was dressed in a white silk blouse, which had a deep, plunging neckline, and had excess lacy fabric near her sleeves, teetering the line between a tattered piece, and an elegant one. She wore high-waited black pants, with each pant sporting a few thin white stripes that reached from the bottom cuff to the knee, and black heels. Her long. dark hair was intentionally left messy for the sake of the performance, and she wore heavy mascara. Later in the song, this mascara was intended to run down her face in order to emulate a woman crying, but for the first part of the song, her face was left clean and polished. After laying down on the stage for quite some time, Biyan'ka felt the lights above the stage start to dim and she knew the performance was about to begin. She heard the audience cheering all around her, and it soon faded as soon as the opening instrumentals started. As soon as it started, the LED screen on the floor illuminated to a golden clock, adorned with golden sparkles. She was positioned in the very middle, almost as if her arms were to act as hands of the clock. As the opening beats grew louder and closer to one another, the sparkes around her began to spin faster and faster until they were a blur. She lifted up the microphone to her mouth, and sang. Once she began singing, the camera changed angles so that it viewed her from the perspective of the stage floor. Biyan'ka quickly turned her head and looked right into the camera as she sang, her face expressionless and her body motionless, apart from her mouth.

Opening shot of the stage as the instrumentation began to play

Tried to play the fool, that ain't me
Got you in my head, you know that.
It's midnight and I'm dreaming,
Just want you right beside me.

Biyan'ka remained on the ground, but the camera, which now look at the stage from an aerial perspective, now panned across the stage slowly. Biyan'ka stared straight up with a blank expression on her face, again not moving any part of her body except her mouth as she sang. She only made eye contact with the camera for a brief moment as it panned in her line of sight, but the camera soon moved out of it, and she continued to stare straight ahead once the camera moved. There seemed to be a bit of a blurred/vintage-esque filter on the camera too, emphasizing the mood of longing that the lyrics of Biyan'ka's song conveyed.

I'm liv-I'm living
One day at a time, without
Your touch on my neck, but I'm not
And she's so fucking pretty
How could you ever love me?

The camera moved back to a direct view over Biyan'ka. During this bit, Biyan'ka lifted her chest as if an invisible force was picking her up from her heart, and sat up. The lights turned a deep red and Biyan'ka rolled her neck around her shoulders while keeping her eyes closed. Meanwhile, the LED screen changed to display a pattern of silk bedsheets that slightly moved in an unseen breeze.

What's wrong? What's wrong?

As the first chorus began, Biyan'ka hung her head back, still sitting on the stage floor, with her eyes gently shut. She remained completely still while the camera circled around her in one 360° rotation. By the time she started singing the third line, this rotation had finished. Now, Biyan'ko stood up, but the camera switched between several different angles in a matter of seconds. First, it showed a close-up view of Biyan'ka opening her eyes, where a spark of passion seemed to flare up in her pupils. Next, the camera switched to a view from the stage floor, looking up at her as she moved her body to get up. Only a half-second later, it switched to another view where she placed her hand on her neck and ran it down to her cleavage. The next view showed her eyes shut again and her mouth slightly open. All of these camera transitions took up the entirety of the chorus. By the end of the chorus, Biyan'ka was on her feet, standing in the center of the stage.

W-What's wrong with trying to fantasize
your touch when I close my eyes,
The way you're holding me
when we're between the sheets.
W-What's wrong with wishing I was her
when you're behind closed doors.
What's wrong? What's wrong?

During the next verse of the song, Biyan'ka walked slowly around the perimeter of the central "diamond" of the stage, looking directly in front of her. She walked with a sort of stumble, but this was intentional. She wanted to mimic the mannerisms of someone who exhausted all their energy either crying, overthinking, etc. Her hair was messy, but her facial expressions still retained that same blank demeanor from before. During the second verse, she started picking up the pace a bit, now starting to walk along one of the catwalks that extended from the central diamond, even going as far as acting some of the lines out with her body. She wasn't moving quickly down the catwalk by any means, but she lost the "drunken stumble" walk she was doing before.

The words are in my head, I hear them.
But I can't touch them yet, never can.
It's midnight and I'm dreaming,
Just want you right beside me.

I'm liv-I'm living
One day at a time, without
Your touch on my neck, but I'm not
Wishing it was easy
Getting you to love me.

Biyan'ka stopped in the very center of the catwalk and slowly turned around. The camera was positioned on the floor in the central diamond and the lights dimmed where Biyan'ka stood so that only her silhouette was visible. The rest of the stage lighting returned back to that deep red color that illuminated the stage before.

What's wrong? What's wrong?

Biyan'ka flipped her hair to one side, then the other, as she sang the first word of the chorus. The camera caught both of these motions from close up, each hair flip being shot from a different angle, before the camera filmed her walking along the catwalk from a higher angle. The camera was positioned so that it almost looked as if it was a few meters above the audience, and toward center-stage as Biyan'ka walked in the same direction. At times, she would motion toward the audience, trying to keep her blank expression, but sometimes she would falter upon seeing a Polkopian flag, which she couldn't help but smile at. By the end of the chorus, she made it back to central diamond, and positioned herself at the very center.

W-What's wrong with trying to fantasize
your touch when I close my eyes,
The way you're holding me
when we're between the sheets.
W-What's wrong with wishing I was her
when you're behind closed doors.

What's wrong?
I need to know,

What's wrong with trying to fantasize
your touch when I close my eyes,

What's wrong? What's wrong?

During the song's breakdown here, Biyan'ka stood absolutely still center-stage, while the camera moved in a 360° rotation around her, focusing on her face. She maintained a blank expression and stared straight forward. What made this bit more dynamic, however, was the dramatic lighting. The lighting on-stage flickered between a deep, dark red - darker than any red lighting that had been present before, and black, which made Biyan'ka's features unseeable from the viewers until the red lights turned back on. This flickering was sometimes in a regular pattern, other times more erratic, depending on which part she was singing, but the color scheme remained the same throughout.

I should be more aware
I should know when to give up.
There's no way to repair
The empty hole burning in my chest
I never shed a tear,
But my heart still beats when you're near

As the song's instrumentation picked back up again, Biyan'ka flipped her hair to either side and smoke erupted from the perimeter of the stage. During this last chorus, Biyan'ka moved about the stage more feely, sticking out her hand and interacting with the crowd as she walked around the stage. Wind machines had been turned on during this part, and Biyan'ka made sure to walk around the spots she was "allowed" to, in order to allow for maximum optimization of the effects from the wind machines that her delegation set up for her. During some of the moments where she belted out the notes, she hunched over and allowed herself to feel more natural when singing - a stark contrast to how she was performing before, but very reassuring to the viewers that she was able to have a little bit of fun with this performance in any case.

W-What's wrong with trying to fantasize
your touch when I close my eyes,
The way you're holding me
when we're between the sheets.
W-What's wrong with wishing I was her
when you're behind closed doors.

What's wrong?
I need to know,

What's wrong with trying to fantasize
your touch when I close my eyes,

What's wrong? What's wrong?

Biyan'ka stepped backwards until she was positioned center-stage by the time the instrumentals ended, and the lights around her dimmed, save for a single red spotlight on her, signaling that the performance had ended. Once the performance was "officially" over, the lights returned back to normal and Biyan'ka blew kisses to the crowd. "Thank you!" she screamed, before exiting the stage and making way for the next performer to enter.

by **Autonomous Hoora Peoples and Provinces** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:51 pm

06. Hööra | #HOO
Elsena Oleviäniku
"Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin"
(Solemn visions of the future)
Tune: Jon Henrik Fjällgren - Norrsken
Note: Please call us "Hööra", and write "Hööra" on postcards, scoreboards etc. No need for our full name.

Elsena Oleviäniku

Elsena Oleviäniku is a female Hööra vocalist, singer, and joiker from Öölus, the largest town in the Hööra Autonomous Province, and arguably the most famous person of Hööra descent. She has been making songs exclusively in the Hööra language and centred around the Hööra culture. She is very proud to be from her ancestral genealogy, and she was very excited to hear the call when the Autonomous Province of Hööra was making its way to Worldvision.

Song

Cover for the single Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin by Elsena Oleviäniku which is signed to the Hööra song collection Höörarääskitilavläju (Hööra love songs)

The song “Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin”, which means “solemn visions of the future” in the Hööra language, is a song about the joy and sense of being a Hööra person, and to have a sense of community and hope for the future of their people group, and that people of Hööra descent will always be there for one another. It is a small community of people, after all.

Performance

Elsena was set to sing in the 6th entry of the night, right after the 5th entry from Polkopia. During this entry, she felt conflicted about singing in the Hööra language and about the Hööra culture. Conflicted in the way that yes - she felt really excited about being able to give a rhythmic presentation about the world of Hööra, and to show her language and culture to the World’s stage - but at the same time, she was anxious about how people would respond to the song, and the general liking of it. This two-sided feeling made her even more nervous but she was ready than ever. She began to believe that as long she had fun, the night would be okay! After all, a participation in Worldvision, regardless of whatever place she came, was better than not participating at all.

Đi mo ätad bjot stiëru rääskiti
I give you my great love

Mässlasi säälvaldadu kö ljatnin
A strange desire in the air

Ccäädaju gadnu il
Achieve the way of joy

Gälki dej vala savit
Tranquil like the noise of rain

Nülla dep đäägut dalvu
There is nothing I would take

Ëj, ëj, oru dääp mo vëësut
Hey, hey, make yourself here a home

Än dääp vörmo düükssu
Always present for your care

Mi leöt jääma ovtäs, ooh
We will be forever together, ooh

The parts sung here that includes “A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja, A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-öna, A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja” is a joik, and is a common yodel/call in the Hööra musical culture.

A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja
A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-öna
A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

Rääska su bölassu ljatnin
Love in the cold air

Ovtäs nüma pëërin gukin bältu, ä, ä
Together without any distant fear, ah, ah

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

Üüađit gälkilji sumo neku jämin
Sleep in peace in your dreams all the time

Ëlin bovdü miisu güosu, ä
Life will call us at dawn, ah

Vëaka jägoik büürabotina
People everywhere are welcome

Dete gëë giljik diite, ä
That is what communities are for, ah

Mi leöt jääma ovtäs, ooh
We will be forever together, ooh

A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja
A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-öna
A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja
A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-öna

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

Rääska su bölassu ljatnin
Love in the cold air

Ovtäs nüma pëërin gukin bältu, ä, ä
Together without any distant fear, ah, ah

A-a-ö-hö-a-a-ö-eja

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

Üüađit gälkilji sumo neku jämin
Sleep in peace in your dreams all the time

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

Muositu ccuövga süüma naastin
Solemn visions of the future

by **Placely Placington** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:58 pm

07 - Placely Placington

Dave McDaverson - Dave's the Best

Tune: Reginald Bosanquet - Dance With Me

Much like the person who created him and his world, Dave McDaverson was clearly running low on ideas on what to send. There was still no word back from the that melody festival show that he signed E Oe up for, Television Director finished fifth from bottom (although it could be because a song that was supposed to extol Placely's beauty instead turned into Dave enjoying himself) and nobody seemed to be up for sending a tune. So, naturally, he had to do it himself. And what better thing to do than to sing about himself again. After all, if he showed an air of smooth confidence then maybe it'd entice people to do business with Placely Placington. And it'd mean more statues of himself.

And with the contest being held in Beepee, that only meant there was one way to get there, a giant bee. Unfortunately, he boarded a giant hornet at first and then got stung repeatedly as a result of his mistake. After he was cloned back to life he boarded it again just to make sure it was the right one. It was not. Fortunately he managed to get the right one eventually and set sail for Norfolk Pinewoods, although he had to make an unexpected stop as he somehow got into a fight with a giant three-headed dragon and ended up levelling half of downtown Tokyo as a result. But hey, at least he made it there right and got ready to perform. That's something right? Let's just get to the pain, shall we.

Eventually when some people took their seats the song began. Unfortunately, when it began, we were treated to a band playing the disco equivalent of cock rock. It doesn't help that Dave was clearly on something. Maybe he took some of his secret stash before he went on stage. It certainly explains some of the lyrics.

I'm Dave, me Dave, Chief pres, pres man
And I rule Placely Placington
The place that is so damn Placely
And I'm really not corrupt
I'm not!

Chorus time. Or, rather, a bit that's kind of close to the chorus. Dave staggered around the stage while he waved the gun in his hand around. Fortunately it wasn't loaded. Unfortunately the band didn't know that and tried to duck out of his sight whenever it looked like it was aimed at them. Seriously, why does he have that gun? Comment with your answers below.

Dave's the best, the best, he is
Dave's the best, the best, he is
Dave's the best, the best, he is
Hooray for Dave
Yes, Dave's the best

At least he dropped it during the instrumental. It still didn't go off, fortunately. Ah well, it was time for another verse with Dave slowly making his way around the catwalks. All while an uninterested bassist wonders what the hell this moron's doing and why he's so satisfied with himself.

This is a song, a beat, a tune
It's all about what I can do
It's all about how great I am
And I do the best as I can

At this point it was time for another bit of a chorus. With some Test Subjects wearing some ill-fitting frocks and kicking each other between the legs to press their soprano buttons, simply because Dave wasn't able to find any Beepeeans willing to perform it. It was hard to make out what they were singing and, in all honesty, it didn't matter either. Especially since Dave himself got a bit confused at the end of the chorus. Oh well, time for some of his secret stash.

Dave
He is the best
Dave's the best
He is
He really is
Why am I speaking like this?

Dave carried on his rambling stream of conciousness as he wondered why he was singing the things he was doing. Fortunately he took it on the chin and just tried to get the crowd pumped towards the end. They remained as deflated as a ball where 99% of the ball was missing.

Dave's the best
No, wait, I'm the best OK?
Why am I speaking in third person?
No big deal
Let's all cheer for Placely Placington
And Dave

Finally he's singing something vaguely relevant to Placely Placington. Or at least it seems like he is. Naturally for a stashed-up raging egotist, it couldn't last forever and, naturally, the audience is even more uninterested in the performance than usual.

But I'm not done yet

Cheer for The Hobo, DJ, McD
All of them come from Placely
But it's me, the one and only
I get a song about me.

You can tell I'm running low on ideas by this point. At least Placely will be gone for a while soon so hopefully I can have some more ideas for them. Oh, and Dave keeps performing. And the backing singers were still warbling.

Dave's the best
I mean I am the best
Yes, that's right
I am

Unfortunately, this was the point where the audience grew tired of Dave and his antics. Having to put up with him was one thing but having him brag this clearly crossed a line. Some members of the audience got up and started to walk away. Dave didn't notice or didn't care.

I rule an entire country and I make money
Do any of you do that?
And I have some statues of my self
And they're, yes, made of gold and gems
And I have them made just for me because
Dave's the best

At this point the bassist felt relieved when he saw a huge amount of people walk up to the stage. They knew he wanted no part in this so they didn't go for him. In fact, when the music stopped, he immediately hopped off the stage and looked back at what would begin. Elsewhere, the Test Subjects eventually kicked each others' heads off by mistake and launched them into the roof somehow. And Dave's swagger (and the song) suddenly ended when he noticed the huge amount of people circling him. This would not end well. And he knew it.

This song's still going?

Bad news now
Out of ideas
I'm Dave, the best and... can I help?
Oh dear.

The yoctosecond the song ended the huge crowd of people started to pummel Dave. Whenever they hit them their firsts made that cartoony punching sound effect. Some of them stopped hitting him just to let the next crowd have their turn. Three crowds later, they left him alone and the camera revealed that Dave had been repeatedly hit very hard that he now resembled a chewed up wad of gum. And everyone cheered. As the stagehands carted him off, they got it ready for the next act. Hopefully it'll be better than this.

by **StrayaRoos Barrier Islands** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:28 pm

08-STRAYAROOS BARRIER ISLANDS

Random Toddler-Vote For Me!
Jendrik-I don’t feel hate

Just Vote for me,so i can win
otherwise the commandos will shoot
and you will die

by **Beepee** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:47 pm

9 - Beepee

9
"Talk To Me"
Performed by
Phil Meupp

Tune: Eric Philippi - "Schockverliebt"

Phil Meupp

Phil Meupp is a 26 year old singer from Norfolk Pinewoods. He has been chosen as the representative for the little nation that can at this edition of WorldVision with his song "Talk To Me", co-written with Otto Tune.

Phil grew up in the Bourke area in the centre of Norfolk Pinewoods and lived a relatively average life. He was in secondary when he first got the music bug, taking guitar and piano lessons as an early teen. Before going on to study musicology at the Beepeean Conservatorium of Music, a hotbed for Beepeean music talent.

As well as being chosen for WorldVision 97, "Talk To Me" is being released as his first single.

Norfolk Pinewoods - 22/02/2022

Following 3 previous unsuccessful bids, in 85, 89, 95. The Beepeean peoples had worried that they may never get to host the world's most popular music contest. But a well timed bid saw Beepee win the rights for this the 97th Edition.

The city of Norfolk Pinewoods is a buzz. Throughout the city banners fly from lamp-posts with the worldvision logo. Throughout the clubs, bars and venues, music of the WorldVision blades. On television, news presenters and talk shows can talk about little else.

In the weeks leading up the contest, the City of Norfolk Pinewoods Coucil had spruced up the city. Every citizen had done their part too. Every building was cleaned and repainted, tidied and maintained. Flowers had been planted in every park in a multitude of colours. Bunting of the flags of nations past and present were hung along the streets.

In the famous Patty Zeri bakery, Ms Zeri had ordered in exotic fruits and made pastries from the various countries competing.

As anticipation for the contest grew, gradually WorldVision fans from across the world came to Norfolk Pinewoods. From far flung exotic locations such as Polkopia, Elejamie, Britonisea, they came, by the planeload. The city thronged with people all enjoying the welcoming, party atmosphere.

In streets throughout the city, neighbours chatted and gossiped about the national finals, which were shown nightly on TV. They discussed the good, the bad and the downright weird.

With only a week until the contest, Phil had had about enough of the press interviews. Every morning another breakfast show, Good Morning Beepee! Or This Morning with Holly Billibongby. Every evening, another late night chat show. The same questions, the same answers. He tried to feign interest, but he could sense the pressure he was putting on himself to perform was getting to him.

On the Saturday before the contest, Phil and some of the other contestants were invited to perform at a pre-party, held in the grounds of the Waratah Theatre. Fans set on the concrete steps outside the theatre as various artists sing their favourite WorldVision and Beepeean schlager songs.

Phil performed "Talk To Me" and did an acoustic cover of early Beepeean Song "Fight For My Love". The crowd seemed to enjoy his performance - singing and clapping along. Phil enjoyed performing the song live and the concert buoyed him for the performance to come. The performance saw his song raise up the Beepeean Topplist Charts and bookmakers in Beepee reassessed their odds bumping Beepee up a couple of places.

PERFORMANCE

For this perofrmance, Phil will be joined on stage by his two backing vocalists and dancers Isaiah Topps and Andy Bottoms.

Isaiah Topps

Andy Bottoms

The trio wait backstage. Nervous. The anticipation of performing for their nation in front in their own people weighs heavy in their thoughts. They want to do well.

The song for Strayaroos Barrier Islands finishes. The audience applauds loudly for the SBI entry. Their boppy upbeat schlager will no doubt split the usual schlager voting audience, so Phil knows he needs a good performance, if he is going to wrestle any votes away from the solid SBI entry.

The stage is set in darkness, and a stage hand leads Phil, Isaiah and Andy to the centre of the stage. Then down the catwalk to the main diamond, where Phil will be performing this song.

In the middle of the stage is a small table with something on it which is obscured by a blue satin cloth.

Above him on the jumbotron style screens, the postcard for Beepee plays. A view around Phil's 'home' location of Bourke in Norfolk Pinewoods, ending with the Rainbow Crossing in the traditionally more inclusive locale.

The crowd cheers as the as the name "Beepee" is shown on the screen. Whilst Beepeeans traditionally cheer on everyone with great fervor, the partisan crowd seems to cheer even louder ad their anticipation of the home nation act is set up.

The audience settles, ready...

Out of the darkness begins the music, before Isaiah and Andy begin.

(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)

As they sing blue lights and spotlights fill the auditorium. The Beepeean director chasing a view from the rafters to begin this performance to show the full extent of the theatre and the auditorium.

On the jumbotron style screens, above the performers, the lyrics for the song are being shown, so the audience can sing along. But in this instance, following the weeks of build up, the Beepeeans within the audience are already familiar with the words so sing at full voice along with the song.

I sit by phone, waiting for you, to call me,
The phone doesn't ring, what does it mean,
For me,
Only me,

As he sings "I sit by the phone", Phil pulls off the blue satin sheet to reveal an old fashioned rotary landlines phone. He points and shrugs at it to the camera, as he sings "For me, Only me".

The camera follows him around the stage. Phil looks sheepishly down the camera, with a tease and a twinkle in his eye as he continues.

Have you nothing to say,
It's been more than three days, since we met,
I dont know what to do,
I've been waiting to hear from you

Phil's boyish good looks and self deprecating mannerisms is likely to make him a hit with the viewing public, as who doesn't like a good boy with a bit of an unpolished edge.

As the previous stanza draws to a close, The audience begins to stamp their feet in time to the beat adding extra the sound booming around the auditorium.

As the chorus begins, the Beepeean director utilises one of the many modern technological benefits that all the competitors may use. A cheap and nasty virtual background. Fortunately, for the Beepeean entrant they've had time practice. And, in an idea absolutely not stolen from the IRL music video, the at home audience will see the words "Talk To Me" pop up behind him on the screen.

Talk to me,
Tell me all the things I want to hear,
Whisper nothings softly in my ear,
Won't you talk to me, oh talk to me,
T-t-t-talk to me,
Tell me all the things I want to hear,
Whisper nothings softly in my ear,
Won't you talk to me, oh talk to me,

As he sings the chorus, Phil contiunes to look coyly down the camera. Occasionally placing his hands to his ear, following the great Beepeean tradition of using the lyrics to determine the choreography of a song. During the chorus, Isaiah and Andy sing along to add depth to Phil's vocals.

Phil has decided on a causal look for this evening's perofmance a natural cotton shirt, with navy denims and comfortable trainers. He chose the natural, off white, colour as he felt it made his tan pop on the stage and that made him feel good about himself, and really isn't that what clothes and fashion are all about. Luckily for the viewing audience, Phil is keen to show off his all over tan as unbuttoned not one, not two, but three buttons on his shirt resulting in a plunging neckline that shows some fanciful cleavage.

Isaiah and Andy are dressed in fresh crisp white v-neck t-shirt and denims.

The line isn't down, but there isn't a sound, from you,
If you've forgotten my number, call the operator,
For me,
Only me,

As he sings, "the line isn't down", Phil picks up the receiver on the telephone and shrugs into it. In a brief moment of comcial relief, before returning the receiver.

As the previous stanza is sung, the lights int the auditorium move from blue to a mixture of blue and pink colours which dapple across the stage and the audience. Once again, the director chooses a sweeping shot closing in from the long distance view.

As he sing, "For me, Only me", Phil clutches at his chest showing the anguish he is in at not having received a call from his love.

You don't need a coin, you don't need a card, to call me,
You can reverse the charge,
I want hear your voice so bad,

As he sings "you don't need a coin, you don't need a card", Phil wiggle, wiggles his index finger as to signify 'no' and he smiles down the camera as he sings "reverse the charge".

Lifted by the local Beepeean support in the audience, Phil appears confident and self-assured but not cocky or arrogant. As he continues to the next chorus, again, the director uses the wordy background to bring some visual interest into the perofrmance.

Talk to me,
Tell me all the things I want to hear,
Whisper nothings softly in my ear,
Won't you talk to me, oh talk to me,
T-t-t-talk to me,
Tell me all the things I want to hear,
Whisper nothings softly in my ear,
Won't you talk to me, oh talk to me,

Phil sings the chorus well, pleading with the audience to call him and talk to him. He makes excellent use of his eyebrows on one head shot to give puppydog eyes down the camera.

As the preceding chorus ends, the lighting in the auditorium changes from a mix of blue and pink to a more pink colour scheme, as the break begins.

As the Break is being sung, Isaiah and Andy, seemingly from thin air, produce French horns which they start to 'play', in only the way a pair of WorldVision backing singers would.

Phil claps his hands and stomps his foot in time tonthe beat encouraging the audience to do the same; and its nosurprise that the eager audience joins in. Afterall there's nothing that a Beepeean audience likes more that participation schlager.

Oh talk to me,
(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Talk to me,
(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oho-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)

Talk to me,
Tell me all the things I want to hear,
Whisper nothings softly in my ear,
Won't you talk to me, oh talk to me,

Talk to me.

Phil finishes the final verse, exhausted but ecstatic at the performance. He is bathed in pink light.

The audience cheers and applauds so loudly that the whole auditorium seems to reverberate with the noise.

Phil smiles out at the audience, pleased to have done his utmost to give Beepee a fighting chance for 22nd place (or better). He takes a brief moment soaking in the atmosphere, before bowing and waving, Thank you to the audience. Isaiah and Andy join him in thanking the audience for their support and the trio make tir way off stage.

The auditorium goes dark once again as the stage hands prepare for Maria Manza from Illdonya.

by **Illdonya** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:50 pm

10. Illdonya #ILD

Massiel — La, La, La

Maria Manza
"Alone"

Maria walks on to the stage with a long white flowing dress. She is wearing long black high heels that has white pearls at the tip of the shoe. Her hair is curled and flowing. Once Maria is in the center of the stage she starts to sing the song.

Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now?

While Maria is singing the first verse of the song, grey circles appear on the floor below her and the rest of the floor becomes white. They move slowly around the screen like leaves in a whirlpool. While she sings she brings her hands to her heart, then she moves her left hand on to her left leg while the right hand holds the mic.

I wake up in the morning just to know that I’m alone.
And I wish everyday that someone would come for me.
And now I wish for company, because I’m alone.
So that's why I want you to see me, just to say hello.

After finishing the second verse, a giant light grey circle formed below her and is causes the smaller circles to circle around it. Her majestically places the mic onto the stand and she slowly raises her hands while the chorus starts. During the chorus, the small circles circle the larger circle faster and soon the small circles change to blue.

Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now? Please
Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now?

After she finish the chorus she slowly lowers her hands and begins the fourth verse. The circles slow down and turn back into grey circles. The smaller ones are darker than the large one. She starts acting like she is gripping her heart and bends down slightly.

I wake up in the morning just to know I’m alone.
I just need someone that would like to comfort me.
And now I wish for happiness, because I’m alone.
So that's why I want you to see me, just to say hello.

She raises he hands again as the chorus starts this time that the small circles slowly alternate colors from yellow to orange. Meanwhile the big circle alternates from red and pink. Once her hands are all the way up the audience screams.

Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now? Please
Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now?

She repeats the chorus again and keeps her hands up. Many of the audience members scream "YAY".

Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now? Please
Why can’t you see me right now? I’m alone.
Why can’t you see me right now?

The circles slow down and Maria sings the final line of the song. She stomps and claps every time she says "Ayy". The circles seem to fade away once the song finishes.

Ayy! Ayy!! Ayy!!!

Once she is done singing the song, Maria screams "Thank you Beepee and thank you world!!" Then she squeals and runs off stage.

by **Scotatrova** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:51 pm

11. Scotatrova
Brianna Soliure
Perfect
Tune: Tate McRae - she's all i wanna be

As the Scotatrovian postcard ends, the camera pans into view of the stage. The lighting all around is minimal and toned down compared to other entries, with a couple overhead lights giving a calm, relaxed setting onstage. Brianna can be seen fiddling with her microphone shortly after the end of the postcard, but then puts both hands on the microphone and prepares to sing as the music starts. She wears her hair up in a ponytail, and some light blush on her face. She also has on a buttoned up puffy beige sweater, rather expensive looking. Black leggings accompany the sweater and a simple pair of black boots. (For Reference). While the beginning of the track plays, Brianna grabs onto the mic with both of her hands, standing with a very awkward, shy posture.

Always hiding in your shadow
Wanting my own voice
I’m tired of all the routines
Not that you noticed
Constantly trying to tell you
But you don’t listen
I know what you would notice
You’re not gonna like it though

I just want anything
I do to matter,
But when I do you just change
All of it around

As she continues singing, Brianna doesn't really give that much of an oompf to the performance, instead going for the toned down route of standing in place. However as the music starts to progress, she begins to give a little more to the performance. She relaxes and lets her hands free of the mic. The lights also begin to start flashing in red and white synchronously. This help cast a consistent pink hue to the stage. As she continues through the first verse, she begins to unwind more and more. When she sings the line "I know what you would notice", she starts to slowly unbutton her sweater. She also flashes a wink at the camera as she sings the following line "You're not gonna like it though"

Never had the chance to grow up
I felt like I was so tied down
Breaking under the pressure of it
How could you ever know what that’s like?
It’s time that I put myself first
Go ahead and call it an outburst
I’m tired of living up to you
And I do not wanna be
Do not wanna be perfect, perfect
I’m tired of living up to you, mm

Just because we share the same name,
Doesn’t mean I’m you
I can make something of myself
Free from your influence
Being myself is all I wanted,
But I couldn’t
Instead of venerating you,
I despise all you are, ohh

With the beginning of the chorus, Brianna finally unbuttons the rest of her sweater. You can see a red shirt underneath the sweater, but she doesn't take it off completely. She takes the mic off the stand and begins to dance all around the stage, feeling herself and immersing herself in the moment. The lights go from a slow back and forth strobe to even faster flashes inbetween, and Brianna dances in the lights as they flash back and forth. While the chorus progresses, she slowly starts making her way back to the microphone stand. Now Brianna wields a confident, independent energy that she lacked first when the performance started. She's beginning to find herself, as she's trying to reflect the lyrics. She puts the mic back into place as she continues.

I just want anything
I do to matter,
But when I do you just change
All of it around

Never had the chance to grow up
I felt like I was so tied down
Breaking under the pressure of it
How could you ever know what that’s like?
It’s time that I put myself first
Go ahead and call it an outburst
I’m tired of living up to you
And I do not wanna be
Do not wanna be perfect, perfect
I’m tired of living up to you, mm
And I do not wanna be
Do not wanna be
Do not wanna be perfect, ohh

Brianna starts to undo the ponytail in her hair, slowly undoing the hair band holding it up. She pulls her hand up as she takes it out, and her hair falls down in front of her face. A front facing view of Brianna becomes visible as she parts it away from her face, a big grin on her face while she sings. She throws the hair band out to the audience, and some scramble to catch it. She shakes her head as she puts it down and throws her hair back when she comes up. She then takes the beige sweater she has on and starts to take it off. She holds it in front of her while she performs, and then holds it up and tosses it to the side while singing "Do not wanna be perfect". Finally, she is now herself.

Never had the chance to grow up
Running around playing dress up
Breaking under the pressure of it
How could you ever know what that’s like?
It’s time that I put myself first
Go ahead and call it an outburst
I’m tired of living up to you
And I do not wanna be
Do not wanna be perfect
Do not wanna be perfect
Breaking under the pressure of it
And I do not wanna be
Do not wanna be perfect

While she finishes up the last chorus, she continues to make her way dancing around the stage. It's a bit all over the place, but Brianna doesn't seem to care. She's in an environment where she feels comfortable to express who she really is, and she channels that into her singing. She is no longer the shy, obedient girl she was when she first walked out onto the stage, and has grown to someone who can express themselves without scrutiny, if you're not counting critics and commentary that is. As the songs starts to end, Brianna makes her way back to the front of stage and starts singing directly out to the audience. She holds her free hand out to them while finishing up the song, before getting back up and the song concludes. As the audience begins to applaud, she runs her hand through her hair while telling the audience "Thank you!" and making her way off stage.

by **Carrelie** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:58 pm

12 - Carrelie
Achilles Heel - "Number One"
Composed & written by Sioned Martha Olsby & Léa du Mont
Tune: The Orion Experience - Like Sexy Dynamite

184 points - 5th place. As Carrelie's act raced up the scoreboard in Valletta, the entire nation laid in shock. Never had a Carrelian act, in all the nation's 10 editions of competition, reached such heights. Marien Lochnette returned home a legend, finally bringing Carrelie to mingle with the big leagues in Ertzei Kishim and Izmedu. Despite the massive victory on the behalf of the Carrelian people, many began to wonder if such success could ever be matched. And then came Achilles' Heel.

Achilles' Heel are a 4-piece pop rock band from the largely forgotten Isle of Cristin. Lead singer Sioned Martha Olsby, guitarists Léa du Mont & Christian Flare and drummer Isla Maximillian form the band, which often creates songs about social issues, personal qualms and relationships.
The four met at Cartersfield Comprehensive School as children, where they were part of the school choir. Ever since, their band has gained a small following, but they're about to make it big.

Sioned Martha was born the fifth daughter of nurse Llys Olsby and small-time street performer Frederik Olsby. She took to learning both English and Danish as a child, and picked up a passion for music soon after. She moved to the small town of Cartersfield at the age of 10, where she joined the school's choir and was introduced to Léa, Christian and Isla fairly quickly. The four enjoyed frequent outings and exploring their small town and its surrounding areas, though disaster struck when school ended. With university in sight, the four slowly drifted apart, until they all found themselves in Dansig.

By sheer coincidence, the four friends all found themselves attending the University of Saint Sylvester in Dansig. They quickly re-established their friendship group and began to venture back into music, and by October 2020 had created their first song. It's only been up from there!

The four are currently taking their gap year, and have gone back to visit the isle of Cristin. As a joke, Christian signed the four up for Melodifestival, and they were taken by surprise when they not only entered, but won.

The postcard ends to reveal the four all stood in the stage's centre, wearing matching thunder-strike suits in dazzling yellow and blue. Sioned Martha stands on a box, encircled by the rest of the band so that only her top half is visible to the audience. The music flares up and lights begin to switch on slowly, moving in a circular pattern around the arena in which they stand. The intro is slightly longer than your standard Carrelian entry, giving Sioned all the more time to prepare as the guitarists and drummer play at their instruments.

Oh yeah I’m so cold on the outside don’t know what to say
But ev’ry time we meet you know you gotta make way
You gotta catch up racing down the roadway
(Make way) Make way, I’m on the catwalk
I’m destined for greatness now, can’t you see, oh, see
And everybody’s gonna want a piece of me
A locket of my hair or a doll in 3D
(Make way) Make way, for my management team

None of the band members move during this first verse, instead leaving all the theatrics to the lightwork and their outfits from which the lights reflected. However, this would change with the bridge, where Sioned would begin to throw prop money from her central position, littering the stage in fake valire notes and dollar bills. In addition to this, the guitarists begin to turn, giving Sioned room to exit.

Gotta get higher, it ain’t funny
Gotta have profit, gotta make money
It’s like water, skating on the north sea
Gotta let go of all - my crazy energy

The transition to the chorus is dazzling. Sioned steps off of her box and takes it with her down one of the catwalks, as all the lights shine gold and green, centering on her outfit.

I’ve got to be a number one
To be so great, be better than everyone
My head’s been getting in a twirl
I’m gonna fade out, fade out until I’m gone

Less dazzling than the chorus transition is the transition to the next verse. The guitarists make their way along their respective catwalks towards the audience, shining in the light. The drummer, meanwhile, stays stationary in the centre.

Oh, my world is still so crazy
Scuffling and scuttering away to Plan B
Won’t you take me down but also get away from me
(So close!) So close, to getting to have me
All the little lies that I tell you all
Who’s really pulling strings behind me, me or a thrall
You see me as a friend but I still don’t want you to
(Come close) Come close, I’m taking cover

I’m in a tsunami, a swarm of fan mail
I’m not in danger, just gotta set sail
Who’s the puppet master? Pull back the curtain
Whoever it could be, it’s not me, I’m certain

I’ve got to be a number one
To be so great, be better than everyone
My head’s been getting in a twirl
I’m gonna fade out, fade out until I’m gone

This is followed by a short instrumental, during which the band members once again take centre stage. Sioned pulls ribbons out of her box, preparing them for flight.

Why don’t you want me now?
I’m feelin’ hot, but don’t see how
But it’s crazy to hear

Key change! Sioned throws the ribbons out towards the audience, with some in the front rows able to catch them. It's not like they'd need them!
The lights begin to flash on the band as they go for the big finish!

I’ve got to be a number one
To be so great, be better than everyone
My head’s been getting in a twirl
I’m gonna fade out, fade out until I’m gone
I’ve got to be a number one
To be so great, be better than everyone
My head’s been getting in a twirl
I’m gonna fade out, fade out until I’m gone

And it is done, the four band members cheer along with the audience, with the guitarists and lead singer taking bows in all directions.

"THANK YOU BEEPEE!"

by **Pemecutan** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:44 pm

13/#PCU
Gung Trisna-"Satu-satunya Yang Kau Cinta"
Title Translation: The Only One You Love
Language: Pemecutan Malay

Music: Antonius Huda
Lyric: Mila Anjani, Mitha Kemala
Tune: Rita Ora - How to be Lonely

Another top 20 placement for Pemecutan making the organizer uncertain on how to boost the country's result in the competition. After a surprise third placement at the 90th edition, Pemecutan can only placed once in the top 10. The result makes the organizer become more selective for their entry. For the 97th edition, the organizer internally select the artist that will represent Pemecutan in the competition. The organizer first selection is Mitha Kemala who had entered the competition twice.

For the 97th edition, the organizer decide to create a new song. Mitha Kemala and the power couple, Mila Anjani and Antonius Huda were being approached. As Mitha will be singing the song for the competition. Mila Anjani stated her joy to collaborated with such a young artist. The song they created tell a story of a women who once believe in her partner but gradually lose the feeling after the constant cheating. Although they are all satisfied with the song but Mitha reluctant to sing it as she think the song have to be sing by someone more older or mature than her. The organizer then try to find a replacement for her but without a clue. Mila Anjani then suggested to approached Gung Trisna to replace Mitha Kemala. Despite her controversial background, the organizer try their luck on her.

Gung Trisna

Born 34 years ago, Dayu Agung Trisna Pardewi or more known as Gung Trisna, is a well known singer and female activist of Pemecutan. She is active in voicing gender equality in the country. Her music career start when she was just 19, when she was release her first album 'Bulan Kepangan' which gained mixed reviews. She is known as a Pop Folk (a genre to address the mixed of pop song and karawitan ligature, a traditional music genre, OOCly named Pop Bali) singer at first before she expand her repertoire. In her third album, 'Gerangasem', she includes several pop ballad songs. The album become her best selling album in her career. She received 3 Chakra Music Award from the album. After releasing her sixth album, Gung Trisna decided to take a break as she focusing herself to finished her Magister degree at University of Tegeh Kori.

Gung Trisna is a controversial figure. She is known as the 'Tattooed Girl' because of her tattoos that covering her back and both arms. She stated that she like the tattoo because it makes her look sexier. She also said that she wants to change the negative stigma in the society which associated tattooed women as a naughty women. In her first released book in late 2021, 'Perempuan dan Tato' (English: Women and Tattoo), she tell the story of her own experience and several others tattooed women in the society. How they are being stigmatized and often being cat-called or harass just because of the tattoo.

Upon being selected to represent Pemecutan, Gung Trisna is quite surprise. She is not even comeback to sing yet as she is quite busy to promote her book. But with the organizer assuring, Gung Trisna finally agree. The initial practice of the song have been great. Antonius Huda is satisfied with Gung Trisna voice and her way to elaborate the song into her own. With the blessing of the lyricists and composer, the organizer confirmed Gung Trisna as the representative of Pemecutan.

Gung Trisna is preparing herself as her time to perform is getting nearer. The host then announced Pemecutan entry followed by the postcard entry being showed at the big screen. After a less than a minute postcard video viewing, the stage is left dark. The intro of the song can be heard slowly gaining the attention of the audience. The audience begin to searching where will the singer show herself. But then 4 lights from below shine to the venue roof. The audience gasp as they see Gung Trisna is hanging in the ceiling. She is seated on a bar hanging to the ceiling of the stage. The bar is lowered little by little as she start to sing the first stanza of the song. One camera captured her face expression while the other 2 give footage from different sides as can be seen by the audience from below. All these captured moments and movements are showed on the screen divided in 3 parts. The center with her closed up view. The left and right are her side view as seen from below.

The bar is almost reach the stage where several male dancers have waited for her. As she finished singing the bridge, she safely landed on the center of the plus-shaped stage with the men surrounded her.

Kau buatku selalu percaya
Bahwa hanya aku yang kau cinta
Tapi disaat kita bersama
Matamu selalu berkata beda ia ia ia ia

Kau selalu saja sempat melirik
Ketika ada wanita lainnya
Tingkahmu buatku jadi berpikir
Benarkah diriku satu-satunya yang kau cinta
You always make me believe
That I'm the only one you love
But when we're together
Your eyes always say different hey hey hey hey

You always have time to glance
When there are other women
Your behavior makes me think
Is it true that I'm the only one you love

She hop off the bar and walk to the front of the plus-shaped stage with 4 men chases her from behind. The other 2 still help to shoot up the bar before joining their friends. Now the audience can clearly see what's Gung Trisna is wearing. She looks stunning with a plain red short dress with a small belt as the accessory. The tattoo on her arms are showed to everyone viewing. The camera clearly wants to capture the shape of her tattoo although it rather difficult to do as she continue to walk as she sing the chorus. The lights are also dance with every colors. Swaying their way following the music beat. While Gung Trisna has yet to connect with the dancers as she seems to avoid them.

Katakanlah kasih yang sejujurnya
Dari hatimu yang terdalam
Benarkah aku satu-satunya wanita yang engkau cinta
Jangan kau buatku selalu meragu
Dengan segala tingkah lakumu
Yakinkan lah aku bahwa aku lah satu-satunya cintamu

(Aku lah satu-satunya yang engkau cinta)
Say the truth, love
From the bottom of your heart
Am I the only woman you love
Don't you always make me in doubt
With all your behavior
Convince me that I am your only love

(I'm the only one you love)

The music is set back again to a low tempo as she sing the second stanza. Her face expressing as she is frightened with the approaching men. One by one, the men attract Gung Trisna to dance with them. But every 2 or 3 steps, she push them away. She swirling and walking in the middle of those men. Don't want again to dance with either of them. While the men are still look intrigue and curious with her rejection. She stop the swirl and make a stand off at the center of the stage.

Kau selalu minta kesempatan
Setelah ku tahu kau mendua
Dan ketika sudah kuberikan
Kau selalu berbuat yang sama ia ia ia ia

Benarkah apa yang aku lakukan?
Selalu memberikanmu kesempatan
Tapi engkau tetap tidak berubah
Benarlah ku bukan satu-satunya yang kau cinta
You always ask for a chance
After I know you're cheating
And when I gave it
You always do the same hey hey hey hey

Is it true what I did?
To always give you a chance
But you still haven't changed
It's true, I'm not the only one you love

One by one try to dance with her again. But she manage to avoid or despise every approach while she sing the second chorus. It looks like a chase and run dance. The chaotic dance is accompanied by a lively lightings dance that following the upbeat music. In the end, all the men lay down helplessly after a constant rejection from Gung Trisna. She look up and the bar is already there between her reached.

Katakanlah kasih yang sejujurnya
Dari hatimu yang terdalam
Bukanlah aku satu-satunya wanita yang engkau cinta
Dan janganlah engkau selalu membisu
Lalu menghindar dari diriku
Ku akan berhenti menjadi satu-satunya yang engkau cinta

(Ku akan berhenti jadi yang engkau cinta)
Say the truth, love
From your deepest heart
I'm not the only woman you love
And don't you always in silence
Then (you) avoiding me
I will stop being the only one you love

(I will stop being the one you love)

Gung Trisna hop on the bar as the music gets a little slower to make a coda. She settle on the bar as it is raise higher. The men wake up again and try to reach her as the bar is getting higher and higher until it stop above their reached. Gung Trisna continue to sing the third and last chorus of the song. She give more power on her voice as she sing it with a clear articulation. She then make a waving gesture to the men as the bar is raise again when she sing the end part of the song. The lights are following her movement back to the top. The bar stop quite high followed by her singing the last sentence of the song before the men drop to the ground and the lights are turn off.

Katakanlah kasih yang sejujurnya
Dari hatimu yang terdalam
Benarkah aku satu-satunya wanita yang engkau cinta
Dan janganlah engkau selalu membisu
Lalu menghindar dari diriku
Ku akan berhenti menjadi satu-satunya yang engkau cinta
Say the truth, love
From the bottom of your heart
Am I the only woman you love
And don't you always in silence
Then (you) avoiding me
I will stop being the only one you love

Cinta......
Ku akan berhenti jadi yang engkau cinta
Berhenti.....
Berhenti.....
Ku akan berhenti jadi yang engkau cinta
Love.....
I will stop being the one you love
I'll stop.....
I'll stop.....
I will stop being the one you love

A roaring applause is heard throughout the venue. It is a positive feedback for a dramatic scene of Gung Trisna performance. The lights is turn back on and the bar is lowered again as Gung Trisna waving and giving a namaste pose as a thank you sign. After she reached the stage, the men help her out. All of them standing hand in hand and give a deep bow as the applause keep soaring. A scream can be heard which likely from Pemecutanian fans. After the third bow, Gung Trisna lift her hand high and scream, "Thank you, Norfolk Pinewoods! Suksma!"

by **Achaean Republic** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:09 pm

14| Achaean Republic
Yileishka Mercado: Chanson
Tune: Ana Mena-Música Ligera
Music & Lyrics:Augusto Yací Jiménez (Y-Jací), Cristal Oviedo, Fernando Zayas

She grew up listening to French chansons alongside the border between Metrópolis and the Federal District, the capital of the Achaean nation that switched names and allegiances faster than you could point a corrupt politician at them. From the bucolic, outgoing, extemporaneous and impulsive cacophony of music surrounding her in Achaea, she appreciated the staid, placid harmonies of French crooners in their chansons, even if she couldn’t understand the French language well. Well, until her parents got her a French language tutor who knew (and maybe dated) several chanson luminaries and corresponded to them on a first-name basis. Piaf. Gainsbourg. Clément. Fréhel. No one, not even her parents, know how he ended up in Achaea out of all places. Some say he was a double-agent Vichy collaborator/legionnaire that left France when things went south. Others say he fell in love with an Achaean—nobody could tell if it were a woman or a man, for his mannerisms were quite confusing—but he always brushed off any questions regarding his backstory. Regardless, the Frenchman introduced the young up-and-coming chanteuse the value of chanson.

Chanson led her to a path of music and poetry. The daughter of a public accountant and a public school music teacher, the young muñicista named Yileishka Mercado Mendoza (no relation to former WorldVision entrant Viviana Mercado) wanted to envelop herself in beautiful melodies and the ephemeral glances of music. She played the piano while she excelled in math and statistics, maybe even following her father’s footsteps as a public accountant by passing federal exams and acing the interviews (and maybe pulling a few strings here and there). It wouldn’t pay much, but it would be stable, rewarding work and a guarantee of a pension after 30 years of federal service. But no, she would stick to learning chansons in a language she barely understood, in a culture she barely dipped her feet in.

Chansons became her comfort when she felt afraid or sick or tired or exhausted. There was always a Piaf or a Gainsbourg lyric to comfort her when something in her life went sour, like that time her best friend died of leukemia while she was on a student exchange trip to Normandy and Picardy. Or that time she learned (through other ears, no less) that her parents would consider separating. Or that first time she lost her virginity a few months after graduating from high school—the chocolate, the candlelight, the romance of it all. There was always a chanson for every ocasión in Yileishka’s life—an old soul, perhaps.

This is what motivated her to sing Chanson, a retropop song composed by her as she was invited to compete in this edition’s WorldVision: La Nacional. After a middling place for a rebooted competition, the organizers decided to give the competition another chance and gave the opportunity to ten new singers to perform their best for the juries and the voting public. How did she manage to clinch both the televote and the jury after intense deliberations and discussions by the Achaean entertainment, was a surprise. She even thought of entering the long-running Festival de la Bahía, the country’s second-most prestigious music festival with Chanson, never knowing that she would be selected to represent the country in Beepee. It shocked her greatly—even while she was boarding the plane to Beepee!

Four women were on center stage, each of them with their backs on one side, and Yileishka standing in the middle with her microphone stand. They all had microphone stands, in fact—those big things that looked like fuzzy boomboxes and picked up the air like in the 70s. All the backup dancers used the same flower-mushroom fabrics, each tied to their specific personalities. The first vocalist, named Arelis, wore her fabrics on a fashion similar to a houndstooth tee and a miniskirt with vintage Converse All Star sneakers and a Farrah Faucett-style hair that coiffed into her shoulders to voluminous degrees. She had a tambourine in her hand, one she may have smuggled from her grandmother’s purse before she went to church. Then there was another singer with an afro (it was hard to distinguish from a distance whether or not it was her real hair) wearing a get-up similar to something Cleopatra Jones would wear in her action movies, alongside the attitude and the faux-fur coat. It looked great, regal, royal, vintage. She had a guitar in tow. Then the third singer used a jumper-style skirt with the overlaying fabrics and a white blouse as an accent, almost as if she were friends with Nancy Drew. Oddly enough, she also carried a smaller violin than usual, but she managed to have enough dexterity to play and sing at the same time. Then Yileishka was in the middle wearing her loose, dirty blonde hair tied out (she washed it two times beforehand) and wearing a sequined rose gold mini dress with adjustable band straps and matching sequined pumps. She looked elegant and vintage, almost as if she came crooning out of a Saturday night variety show back in 1975. Her makeup was minimal and effortless, just as she wanted to look in her pictures.

The Warratah Theatre was an odd choice for a WorldVision event, at least in the eyes of the Achaean delegation already used to the stadium-like atmosphere of recent events. There were always concessions over what to do with the space, the cameras, the lighting, the all-ubiquitous LED screens, the props, the positions, and the audience reactions. Now, they had to contend with a cross-shaped audience, limited lighting and not many LEDs to entertain the crowds with. How would they engage with the public? This was an interesting dilemma for the team—and, above all, Yileishka, who needed to use her stage presence, more than ever this time, to make herself known throughout the Multiverse.

Eran tantas ruinas, ¿será un corazón
Llegando a la muerte con tanto dolor?
Tantos inocentes haciendo su vida
Una realidad
Trompetas anuncian cuando tú te vas
Me hiciste perdida

One of the top cameras slowly slid down the bird’s eye view and showed a dejected, forlorn Yileishka, ruefully grabbing her microphone. Her sultry voice also captured the torn feeling of the song, the nostalgia it attempted to exploit. She raised her right hand while grabbing her microphone with the left, despite being right-handed. She swayed with her left-right movements while slightly tossing her hair. Spunky, yet dejected. Pained, but accessible. Yileishka adored exploiting those contradictions more so than she liked exploiting her good looks and soft-spoken, bubblegum voice to get people (especially men) to do her bidding. It worked well for her in high school. Maybe it could work for her while competing, too. It definitely served her as she scrounged to the top in the charts and the Achaean national final.

The lights surrounding the X-shaped stage converted into orange, rose gold, white tones in sudden succession. The singers were enjoying their moment on stage while playing their instruments as Yileishka sneakily moved past them. The cameras focused on her blonde body and her shiny dress shaking past each backup singer for what appeared to be an interesting optical illusion. Yileishka was never a dancer, and she un-proudly admitted to that. Not an issue, said the delegation—pathos, nostalgia and clever camera tricks ruled the day.

Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Lo que éramos antes
Cuerdas inquietísimas
Dejarnos en el silencio
Aunque sea otro día
Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Al nacer como infantes
Hazme olvidar un poco de quien yo soy
Y no perder la razón, yo tengo miedo

The spidercams swiped left and right as Yileishka hurried back to the front podium where she was originally singing. She continued to croon to the music, attempting to portray the same nostalgia, anomie, confusion and disdain over a long-lost love. She needed to remind herself of the chansons of years past, the ones the used to sing to herself while her face was buried on a pillow and tried to muster the courage to face her problems herself. She wasn’t crying, nope—it was the sweat pouring from her hair to her forehead and a little to her eye, the beads of sweat dripping down the bodice of her dress near her breast. It was warm, she thought, with all the lights on stage pouring down like a thousand suns and ruining her makeup. But she was used to it without lights and just a regular sun pouring down on her while in Achaea. Ah, screw that, she thought—at least it made her look sexier.

Si aún los hermanos pelean, yo no
Tantas sensaciones que se hacen malditas
Quién lo logrará
Trompetas anuncian cuando tú te vas
Tus cosas sueltas en trizas

Once again, the chorus. This time, instead of the birds-eye cameras grabbing the performers from top to bottom, a side camera captured the zoom-out image of Yileishka and her performers behind her into the overall stage, then another wide pan with the audience included. There were a couple of Achaeans scattered throughout the audience floor, ones that raised the legendary fueguero flags and had flagged masks and shawls (even though the contest occurred in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere summer), waving and rooting for their entry. Yileishka continued to look dejected, forlorn and rueful, sultry, spunky, nostalgic and dejected. She tried to remember the chansons on those vinyl discs in her tocadiscos, the ones she still kept a tight hold on whenever she went to her parents’ home in San Fernando.

Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Lo que éramos antes
Cuerdas inquietísimas
Dejarnos en el silencio
Aunque sea otro día
Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Al nacer como infantes
Hazme olvidar un poco de quien yo soy
Y no perder la razón, yo tengo miedo

For this part of the song, Yileishka went back to her podium facing the crowd. A handheld camera was circling around her, more so with the backup singers perched on their stands and instruments, as well. She endeared herself to the audience, whipped her box-blonde hair back and forth (she was originally a brunette), carried her chorded microphone (she used that instead of the wireless microphones to keep a sense of historical anachronism), and shook her shoulders back and forth. This is the same spin that happened in the music video they were trying to reference.

Then, a camera angle rapidly zoomed out and one could appreciate Yileishka’s vocal range, her head pushed back, her body arched, her dress shimmering in rose gold sparkles. The sparkles also ranged around the arena with the orange, rose gold, white, red lights surrounding the stage, the music and the cheering audience.

Chanson por tus pecados
Chanson por cada delado
Sueño que te entrometes
Y me dejas en paro
Quien anta en su pedazo
Escucha un poco de tus sueños
Y dame un abrazo
Nadie habla con detalles
Y me dejas herida
En cada diccionario
De sueños que vendías
Nadie me hacía caso
Menos los de la esquina
Los locos que no creen en nadie

Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Dame una chanson que se asemeja

Finally, the chorus. It was time to bring it home. It was time for the camera angles to show This time, instead of the birds-eye cameras grabbing the performers and Yileishka in the center. It was time to get those wide pans of the cheering Beepeean audience, the fuegueros, the masks and shawls, the overall ambience, nostalgic, human and humorously anachronistic. Yileishka continued to look dejected, forlorn and rueful, sultry, spunky, nostalgic and dejected. There weren’t any chanson she could remember, but she tried looking as if she knew what she was doing. Faking it was more than enough.

Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Lo que éramos antes
Cuerdas inquietísimas
Dejarnos en el silencio
Aunque sea otro día
Dame una chanson que se asemeja
Al nacer como infantes
Hazme olvidar un poco de quien yo soy
Y no perder la razón, yo tengo miedo

The song ended, and Yileishka and her crew hugged each other, waving their hands to the audience. “¡Gracias, Bipí! Thank you so much!” Yileishka said to the crowd who cheered on her. It was hard to say if they truly enjoyed the performance or they were doing it out of politeness. It was a tough crowd to follow, and the crowd tended to be tougher as the night wore on.

by **Elejamie** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:31 pm

15. Elejamie

Mason and Jon Navarez - Saudade

Tune: Mr.Kitty - After Dark

Left: Jon Navarez. Right: Ricardo Bittencourt, better known to you and me and Mason. Click the picture above for a slightly bigger one. Yes, I know one of them is a GTA Online character but I don’t feel like using a picture of a real life person and saddling them with a depressing backstory.

For Jon Navarez’s backstory, click here. For Mason’s backstory, click here.

Mason and Jon Navarez is, as expected, a duo made up of fellow synthwave musicians, label-mates and good friends Jonathan Armando Andrés Navarez Velasco (born July 3rd, 1993 in Rosa Aldige, NUPA) and Mason Richards (or Mason for short, born Ricardo Federico Oliveira de Santos Bittencourt on 29th March, 1994 in Edgebaston, MDLN). The two had met at a plant manufacturing power tools in Edgebaston where they were working and quickly hit it off due to a number of mutual interests, especially when it came to music. While they both had different styles when it came to music, with Mason being more fast-paced and upbeat whereas Jon preferred his music more slower and atmospheric, the duo were still able to bounce ideas off of each other when it came to making their own tunes and, in December 2016, the duo ended up signing to the Super Saturday label. Although Navarez ended up moving back to his hometown the following year, the two still kept in touch which was handy when Mason ended up having a mental breakdown during that Summer’s Super SaTourDay tour.

Although they had toyed with the idea of a proper collaboration, they didn’t get around to it until 2020. This was due to a number of reasons: Jon and his then-fiancée having a kid in 2019, a lack of ideas for songs, the odd bit of actual creative differences and them wanting to work on their own stuff. However, the coronavirus pandemic that had swept the nation around that time saw them both buckle down to try and get something worked out. They eventually came up with Toureiro, released in July that year, which was merely a collection of tunes that were mostly composed by Navarez with Mason adding a bit here and there like vocals or the odd synth line. In fact, one of them, 2AM, would end up being the Elejamian entrant to the 83rd WorldVision Song Contest where it ended up finishing 12th. The album sold fairly well, got a decent amount of streams and received a fair amount of critical praise but, overall, fans were slightly disappointed as they felt that Mason was merely a recurring guest on the project instead of a proper collaborative artist in his own right.

The duo seemed to agree and, after a while of doing their own stuff, they decided to work on another project. Simply titled TOUREIRO DOS, it saw Mason have more of a say in things and contributed more, including the song RODOVIA1984 which was his standard fast-paced synthwave mixed with Jon’s doomy atmospheric drums. However, the project was put on hold in May 2021 when Mason had to be hospitalised following an overdose that was revealed to be a suicide attempt, although fortunately he was found in time so he was able to get to the hospital and get it out of his system. After a few months to let him recover, he was back in the studio to put the finishing touches on the EP. It would eventually be released in late September that year to more positive reviews and, as a result, the duo did a series of small performances in the south-east of the country with enough time in between each show to not stress them out and a smaller crowd to avoid their concerts becoming a spreader event.

While they were on the road they came up with a few ideas for a new project. A rough draft of a beat here, some lyrical brainstorming there and the odd moment where they were talking about song titles. It may not have seemed like much at the time but, after a short break to rest and recuperate, the two would end up recording their next big project. Their first proper collaborative album. Titled Narco and released on 5th February 2022, it was an album more in Mason’s usual style where it was a concept album built around a movie he made in his head and, in this case, it was about an average criminal in a pastel-soaked wonderland who rises up the ranks to become a kingpin, only for everyone who was close to him abandon him and leave him a paranoid husk whose days are numbered. Upon release the album was hit with rave reviews and a good amount of sales and streams. Furthermore, they also submitted Saudade to EB in an attempt to grace the WorldVision stage once more in an attempt to get some international recognition for the album. While the two aren’t sure whether or not they’ve got enough in them to do another project together nor are they going to tour to support it, as Mason’s still averse to touring (and plus he's already working on a solo album of his own) and Jon’s going to take part in the 2022 Super SaTourDay, there’s no doubt that the Elejamian kings of synthwave still have plenty of gas left in the tank.

The last contest was a mild improvement. Sure it may have done as well as nearly all of the Elejamian entries in the odd numbered 80s contests, it failed to score a single twelve for the second contest in a row and it suffered from the usual second half chokejob but there were some positives. By the halfway point they were in sixth place with 49 points, they did manage to sneak a couple of eight points from StrayaRoos and the Achaean Republic, they manage to just about snatch a top five spot at one time and, ultimately, they ended up finishing in 9th place with 81 points once the juries finished giving their points. And sure the televote may have kicked them out of the top ten with a pitiful score of 78 points but they managed to finish 11th place (with a grand total of 159 points) instead of the 12th place they got the last few times that happened. So while it was a disappointment on paper, it was a minor improvement over what had happened at the contest before.

Despite all of this, Elejamian Broadcasting has announced that the country will be going on an indefinite hiatus from the WorldVision Song Contest after the 100th contest, except for a possible appearance at the special edition that’d be going on around the same time if not after. Although there hasn’t been any confirmation for why they’re taking this leave of absence, an unnamed higher-up has stated that two of the main reasons are diminishing ratings (with WV95 suffering a massive drop in viewers midway through the contest) and a growing lack of interest in taking part. There were some spikes in interest around WVs 90, 91 and 94 but the contests after saw ever-shrinking numbers of viewers. However there have been a number of petitions asking EB to change their minds or even to let Channel 3 host the contest (C3, for the record, have stated that they have no interest in airing it) but whether or not they will be successful is anyone’s guess.

Despite this, there are still a number of names who are hoping to compete in the contest. Whether it be because they were hoping a good result would convince the broadcaster to change their mind, because they still want to use the contest as a stepping stone for international greatness or because it was a way to pass the time, they were still up for participation. And, indeed, shortly after the WV97 cycle started EB announced that they’ll be bringing back a couple of old faces to represent them. Sometime after that, they revealed that they’d be represented by Ricardo Bittencourt, better known as Mason, and longtime collaborator/best friend Jon Navarez. Mason first participated in WV80 in Marina Point, Nekoni, where his song Racing For Your Love was a favourite to win only to end up finishing fourth; it had the lead at one point but eventually slipped down and dropped out of the top three due to tie-breakers. The second time he provided back-up vocals to Navarez’s own song 2AM which was the Elejamian entrant for WV83 that also featured Harumi Nakajima Hibino-Sáenz aka Lake Mizumi on vocals. That song didn’t do so well and, indeed, was the first instance of the country just about holding on to a top ten spot with the juries only for the televote to kick them out as they eventually fell down to 12th place.

However, the duo are confident that this new song of theirs, Saudade, would be enough to finally put the nation back into the top ten even if it just about sneaks in. Taking its name from the Portuguese word for “longing”, the song is the first Elejamian entry to not primarily be in English as it features an equal amount if not more Portuguese and Spanish. It also comes from a concept collaboration album the two did called Narco, which was released at the beginning of February 2022. In an interview for a WorldVision fan site, Mason not only gave a brief explainer about the album but also what the song was about and where it fitted: “The album started off as like an opera version of Scarface before it ended up becoming its own thing. Same elements, though. Pastel suits, tropical climates and a ton of crime. It’s the classic story of someone who comes from nothing, their rise into a crime kingpin, their eventual decline and their demise. This song’s from that third one, where they’ve reached the top and realised they’ve pushed everyone close to them away.”

Eventually, the duo jetted off to Norfolk Pinewoods, the capital of Beepee and the only place to have submitted a bid for the 97th WorldVision Song Contest, as well as a country that had submitted a number of bids in the past and finally got lucky. As Elejamian president Mark Costello announced at the start of February that citizens who have proof of full vaccination will be allowed to skip quarantine, the duo didn’t have to wait the mandatory week in their hotel room before they were allowed to explore the town in between rehearsals. From the galleries, most notably the F Hart Studio, to the patisseries and even the market, the duo found a number of things to do to occupy their time and endear themselves to the locals. However, they did do their own things from time to time; while Jon was busy hitting the bars and having a swell time, Ricardo was busy at the local cafés simply because the alcohol would mess with his bipolar medication.

When it came to rehearsals, however, they didn’t have much of an idea of what they could do for a performance. They didn’t have much of an idea at first and a lack of a proper back screen and the only proper screens being above the stage as well as the main stage itself didn’t really help matters much either. However, they did have a brainwave and they eventually decided to adapt the music video for the song, where Mason and Jon play a couple of ghostly figures in 80s outfits watching the trials and tribulations of a couple inside an abandoned mansion, which was demolished three days after shooting had wrapped up, who simply went about their life as if it was still occupied. They even went as far as bringing the people who played The Man and the Woman (Jorge Piñero and Miríam Terrero respectively, both of whom appear together in the telenovela Enamorada Perdida) to Norfolk Pinewoods to reprise their roles. While the two had to make a number of changes for obvious reasons, such as a number of visual effects and other such stuff that would be hard to replicate on a physical stage during a live event, they still managed to have the basics and the gist of it. And now, with all of their rehearsals done and everything they needed to do, it was their time to shine and their time to finally show that that practice had paid off. Let's join them, shall we?

The single cover. Picture originally taken by u/RiddimRyder, edits made by me.

The postcard came to an end and we got a static shot of the stage from the foot of one of the catwalks. On the central stage itself was a long white table with two chairs opposite each other and a third at the foot closest to the rear stage. There were also two figures on the two catwalks opposite each other, one male and one female. But there was also another person on the aforementioned rear stage, another male who was standing in front of a keyboard on a stand as if he was ready to play it. The camera remained in place as the lights around the stage began to dim, everyone took their places and the song began.

When it began, the shot changed to a trucking shot of the stage from the side as a VHS filter slowly appeared on screen, almost as if the camera was scrolling along to not only provide a proper establishing shot but also to try and find what they were looking for. The people at the Waratah Theatre in Norfolk Pinewoods didn’t notice anything different but the viewers at home would spot that the screen looked a bit washed out with a couple of bits of interference from time to time and a pink or cyan bloom in parts. Entirely intentional, of course, as they wanted to fit with the whole aesthetic of the song. The camera kept trucking until it reached the figure on the rear stage, who was hunched over his keyboard as he played the piano intro to the song, all while he was standing underneath a solitary half-lit light. When it got to him, it slowly zoomed in until a random point, where it cut to a close-up of his face, although it was at an angle where it was hard to fully make out all of his features and the sunglasses weren’t helping. Then, towards the end of the bit, there was another cut but this time to his hands playing the keyboard. At the end of the intro, he took his fingers off the keys and slowly brought his hands to his side.

And then the synths kicked in. The lights immediately turned on and the camera cut yet again, this time to a close shot of the person’s waist. The camera tilted up and they began to sing. Once the camera was at a good enough angle, it revealed to the people back home that this mysterious figure was Jon Navarez himself. He was wearing a light grey letterman where the sleeves, pockets, collar, buttons and even the “JN” stitched onto the right breast were white or had grey and white stripes, with a pair of white jeans, light grey and white trainers and a pair of black Wayfarer sunglasses to complete the look. As he sang the first four lines of the song, he was still hunched over the keyboard and looking down at it, either to psych himself up to perform or because, much like the character in the song, he’s feeling a bit down. When the fifth line started and he switched from his native Spanish to English, he looked up and turned towards the two other people on stage. The camera then faded into a shot of The Man who was on the left catwalk before it faded to a shot of The Woman who was on the right one. As the camera showed them, The Man looked up and gave a small smile at it whereas The Woman did a small turn, her hair fluttering a little bit, before she gave a bigger smile almost as if they were both the lead actors in a TV show opening; to carry on with the comparison, both shots were headshots (no, not that kind) so the camera didn’t provide a good view of what they were wearing. Once that was over and done with, the camera then faded back to a medium shot of Jon walking away from his keyboard as he sang. He wasn’t really doing much, just moving his arm around while he sang into his microphone. During the last line he slowly raised his arm in a way that looked like he was about to grab something before he moved it backwards in a somewhat diagonal movement to lead into the chorus.

Soy rico, famoso
Un coche lujoso
Mujeres sin apego*
Lo que se, ¡lo tengo!
But inside, I’m empty
Kill the pain, not working
The bridges? Still burning
¿Soledad? Returning

*A reference to Hispano-Elejamian personal ads where those seeking NSA relationships would write “Hombre/Mujer sin apego”.
I’m rich, famous
A luxurious car
Women without attachment*
You name it, I have it!

Loneliness? Returning

Now it was time for the chorus. At that point, another figure emerged from backstage just in time to sing it. It was Mason, who was dressed in an all-white suit with a white shirt and black shoes, along with a pair of silver-framed aviators with blue lenses to complete the look. As he sang the chorus, he walked down the rear stage past Jon before he made his way down the catwalk. He just casually walked down as he sang. No overly expressive actions, no mugging for the camera, just a simple walk down the catwalks with a concentrating expression on his face and a determined but neutral stare into the camera as he sang. At some point, he passed by the table on the main stage and walked around the chair in the way, the only time he had to stop moving in a straight line. Indeed the main stage itself appeared to look like a white shag carpet but every few seconds there was a grey wave pattern that played in a perfect loop. Once he reached where he needed to go on the furthest catwalk, he turned around and faced The Man and The Woman, who were now standing next to each other having a civil conversation as the camera slowly zoomed into them. Shortly after that, it then cut to another shot of them but this time it was closer and at a better angle. Midway through that, it then cut back to a shot of Mason, again from the front, where it looked like he was still looking at them but as a casual observer, wondering where their interactions would be going. Towards the end of the chorus, he leaned forward as if he was trying to get a better look at everything before he lowered his microphone and adjusted his sunglasses a little bit.

Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart

The cameras immediately cut back to Jon as he immediately sang the next verse. He was leaning on his keyboard slightly, taking extra special care to not accidentally press any of the keys as he looked at The Man and The Woman. Indeed, the camera immediately cuts to the two of them having a laugh and a joke around. The Man was wearing a sky blue pastel suit with an equally pastel yellow shirt underneath and a pair of blue shoes to complete the look; he originally had a black shirt in the music video instead but, for a number of reasons, he elected to use a yellow one instead. The Woman, meanwhile, was wearing a baby blue dress with a frilly baby blue bow around the waist and sleeves that go halfway between her shoulders and her elbows, as well as a pair of silver high-heels. The camera then cut back to Jon, who continued to watch with some level of interest as he sang before it cut to them dancing together. There was a bit of back and forth where, every few seconds, it’d cut from Jon watching the duo and eventually walking down the catwalk to them just having a chill time together. Mason, meanwhile, was in the background looking down at the ground, one arm slightly in the air and another down at an angle, all with the lights around him turned off as if he was a statue in storage.

The other three then sat down at the table with Jon at the foot of the table while The Man and The Woman were in the seats opposite each other. They appeared to be having a conversation about something but it was hard to make it what it was about. Although there was the odd camera cut to their faces while they were speaking, the shots mainly concentrated on Jon singing, whether it be him in the middle of them speaking all the way in the background or simply close-ups of him singing. There seemed to be a little bit of smiles and laughter as they spoke but, towards the end of the verse, it seemed to have faded away. Almost as if one of them had said something they weren’t supposed to say and, thus, caused an argument. All of this seemed a bit strange to the people watching it live in person but, for those who were watching it on a screen, they were able to follow it along OK.

Quema el dinero
Porque no lo quiero
No tiene valor
Me llena de dolor
Remembering the stories
And the good memories
I’m with you, you’re with me
I hope you’ll forgive me
Burn the money
For I do not want it
It’s worthless
It fills me with pain

Just over a second later, it was time for Mason to sing the chorus again. He stood up straight, put the microphone close to his mouth and began to sing it. In the meanwhile the argument between The Man and the Woman was slowly but surely becoming heated. It seemed like they were emphasising words purely out of anger before things slowly started to snowball. There was a quick fade to Mason, his arms somewhat crossed and his elbow resting on the back of his hand as kept singing, before it faded back to The Man and The Woman who were banging their fists on the table and were clearly upset at each other. At some point during this whole affair there was a bit of VHS noise that appeared on the middle of the screen and slowly scrolled up a little bit before disappearing, purely to capture the whole videotape aesthetic they were using for the performance. During the seventh line, there was a quick cut to Mason before an even quicker cut over to Jon. They both had a concerned expression on their faces, almost as if they didn’t want to be here or if they didn’t expect that this would happen. During the last line the camera then went to a wide shot of the whole stage with The Man standing up and immediately slamming his chair down onto the floor in anger, all while The Woman just sat there as if she was about to cry and Jon slowly got out of his seat but stood there, completely unable to process what had just occurred.

Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart

At that point the camera then cut to a wide shot of the stage, one where it was at a slight angle where the camera was facing down a little bit. On the stage, all but two of the lights started to dim. The two lights that stayed on were the ones shining on The Man and The Woman and, indeed, as they moved so did the lights. Mason just stood there in the growing darkness, his arms slowly moving around as if he was unsure what to do while Jon turned around to make it easier to get back to his keyboard. There was another bit of VHS-esque interference before the camera faded to The Man, who had reached the end of the catwalk and simply sat down. Then it faded to The Woman who was standing at the end of her catwalk and just staring at the ceiling. Then it faded back to a slow zoom-in of The Man, who had his head buried in his hands before fading into another slow zoom-in of The Woman, this time a shot of her face as it looked like she was trying not to cry. While this was going on, there was an extreme close-up on Jon’s hands as he played the keyboards that was becoming less faded until it became the next shot of the show.

As Mason started to sing the bridge the camera cut over to him and trucked along with him as he kept walking over to The Man, mainly to comfort him. Both he and the camera stopped at the end of the first line and he just stood there silently until it was time for the second to start. Midway through that, he bent down a little bit and rested a hand on The Man’s shoulder. He looked up and turned his head slightly as he wondered who it was, only to be a little bit disconcerted when he found out it was Mason, again repeating a scene from the music video. During the break in between the second and third lines, there was a quick fade into The Man’s face before it faded into a shot of Mason’s face, smiling down to let him know not to be afraid. It lingered on that shot, the wind machine slowly blew Mason’s hair back as he sang the third line, although towards the end it faded to a shot of The Woman looking down at the ground with the same facial expression she had earlier. There was another fade in, this time to a return of the extreme close-up of Jon’s hands playing his keyboard, before it returned to the side shot of Mason singing to The Man. It stayed on that shot throughout the fourth line before immediately cutting to a shot of his face at the start of the fifth line. It slowly zoomed in throughout the first half of it, cut to a closer shot of him singing halfway through the line before zooming in for the second half of the line. At the end, Mason lowered his microphone and the lights went dark again to get ready for the final chorus.

A veces pienso en el que se escapó
Cómo todo salió mal tan rápido
Intento olvidarte pero no puedo
El vacío me llana
De tantas formas siento miedo
I sometimes think about the one that got away
How it went wrong so fast
I try to forget you but I can’t
The emptiness fills me
In so many ways I feel afraid

When the stage exploded back into light, the wind machine was off and Mason’s hand was off The Man’s shoulder. In fact, Mason was already walking back to his catwalk, singing into the microphone as he followed the camera with a small spring in his step. It wasn’t for any story-based reason but rather to make the walk back a bit less boring. When he reached his spot, it cut to a different camera where it started off as a shot of him from behind before it slowly panned over to The Man. There was another cut, this time to him slowly standing up and having a look of self-reflection on his face, burying his head in his hands as he realised what he did. There was also a bit of VHS distortion for just over a second on top of this, not enough to completely ruin the picture but enough to still add to the whole aesthetic. He then stood up straight and took a deep breath before he slowly turned around, the camera turning with him to show a shot of him from the back and The Woman in the background still looking forlorn. Towards the end of the eighth line, he started to jog down the stage to meet up with her, not wanting to go too fast as it was merely a bit of dramatic effect but also because the stage in general wasn’t big enough to do a “mad dash to find her” scene like in the video.

Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart

As the chorus starts again to close off the song, we cut to the back of the rear catwalk. The whole thing was meant to look like it was happening from Mason’s point of view, as he was behind the camera and staring at the table with Jon in the far distance standing there, watching with a keen eye. The camera then panned to the left just as soon as The Man popped into view and, indeed, it followed him as he leapt onto the table, rolled over it and stumbled onto his feet so he could carry on running; the plan was for him to vault the table much like what happened towards the end of the music video but for safety reasons and the possibility of the suit getting damaged, they had to swap it out for a simple “climb and roll”. The camera then cut to a medium shot of The Woman still looking forlorn and turning around when, suddenly, she felt The Man wrap his arms around her for a hug. There was another cut, this one a bit zoomed out showing the entirety of the catwalk, albeit with them at the side so it didn’t show the wind machine in the shot as it started to blow some wind onto them, before it then cut back to the medium shot of them standing in front of each other. He looked down at her and smiled before he mouthed the words “Lo siento.”

She looked up at him and smiled back at him, just to let him know that all was forgiven. And, in an attempt to apologise for what she presumably did, she mouthed back the words “Lo siento.”

While the two were looking at each other, happily reunited, the camera then cut over to Mason who was still singing the chorus. He looked over at the camera and gave it a nod, as if he had just noticed someone and wanted to give them a cursory greeting. There was another cut, this time to Jon who was leaning on his keyboard and watching the proceedings, with a look on his face that said “I just love a good ending”. He slowly turned towards Mason, as if he caught him out of the corner of his eye, and gave him a couple of nods back before he turned back to face the couple on the catwalk. There was a brief cut back to The Man and The Woman, his face resting on the top of her head as they slowly swayed from side to side, another roll of interference as well as another bit of distortion appearing on the screen to, once again, add to the whole VHS aesthetic. Halfway through the last line of the song, the camera faded into a shot of Mason slowly looking up as he finished singing the song. As it echoed a little bit at the end, he started to look down and lower his hand before there was one last cut, this time to a wide shot of the stage. Everyone was standing still, the lights started to dim and the stage plunged into darkness. Even the main stage in the middle had all the lighting effects turned off and was just simply a black square.

Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
Eu tenho tudo o que eu quero
Todo o poder e o dinheiro
No entanto, não há satisfação
E a saudade enche meu coração
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart
I have everything that I want
All the power and the money
However, there is no satisfaction
And the longing fills my heart

Shortly after the lights faded into darkness, the audience broke out into a round of applause. Shortly after that, the lights turned back on and the viewers at home no longer had to put up with the VHS filter that was present throughout the entire performance. There was a cut to the audience as it showed them cheering for the song they had just seen, with a few waving signs or flags of their respective countries. The camera cut back to the stage, where Jon had just finished lining up and all four of them were holding hands with each other. They then did one big bow before they unlinked each others’ hands, at which point Jon said into the microphone “Gracias. Gracias y buenas noches..”

While Jon was speaking, Mason picked up the microphone he had on the floor and spoke into it as well. “Obrigado Bipi. Obrigado e boa noite.”

They then said a quick “Thank you.” at the same time and waved at the crowd before they headed backstage. Fortunately there wasn’t that much on stage and what was on there could easily be brought back by the stagehands. Furthermore, there was also an intermission which came as a bit of a relief. The duo didn’t know if it was because the next performer, Darja Antonjeva from Antahbrantahstan, was running a bit late, because the hosts needed some time to fill to get the stage ready for her performance or because it was that time of the show. All they knew is that they had put on a decent performance and they didn’t have to worry about much for now. They’d be at the mercy of the juries and the televoters soon, something they were bracing themselves for, but for now they just wanted to relax. And maybe kick up a conversation with some of the other representatives too. It was a good way to pass the time, after all.

by **Beepee** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:18 pm

Host Intervention

Harry returns to the stage at the end of the Elejamie performance.

"Thank you Elejamie, for that wonderful entry.

You know, Worldvision is filled with superfans. Just like those fans here tonight. There are fans who know how many years in a row Kalosia has entered WorldVision and know which song won the first WorldVision. They even know which nation got most points at Worldvision 85!

If you want to be a superfan too, you can go to the WorldVision Website and learn all about the history of this great contest.

If You're wanting to hear your favourite songs again after the show? You can purchase the CD or the DVD containing a recording of tonight's live show at the website and a whole lot of other merchandise too. So you can truly say that you are a WorldVision Super-Fan!

And next up we have song number 16 from Antahbrantahstan.

by **Antahbrantahstan** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:17 pm

16. ANTAHBRANTAHSTAN | إانتهبرنتهستن

Darja Antonjeva - The Artist
Tune: Molly Kate Kestner - Prom Queen
m & l: Darja Antonjeva, Anne Kurki

Darja, first competing in WorldVision 58 with her song, "Fine China", is trying again to reclaim her throne this WorldVision 97. "It was very weird, truly, back then it was a miracle for this nation to even place in the top 10, nowadays, it seems quite easy to place in the top 5" Darja laughs. "I still remember when i went home to Kuuresare after WorldVision, and everyone was welcoming me as if i'm a member of the monarchy. Everyone keeps bragging as if i'm their family member or a close friend.. I got many fan letters, many fan mails, though as far as life goes, fame was not part of my plan."

Darja explains further, "I was never keen on the thought of superstardom... i just want to keep being me, an indie songstress that just do whatever the shit she wants to do. I was very happy when the amount of fanmails decreased throughout months, even years, that means i can continue to be myself." Darja continues, "But i deeply long to compete in a stage as massive as what WorldVision have, so i thought, why not compete again? I sent forth this song into RR's dungeon, and i got selected, quite a surprise really." She says with some timid laugh.

"I based off The Artist about the sad truth happening in Antahbrantahstan and so many places around this earth: Artists tend to be degraded most of the time, although they're vital to society." Darja scoffs, "Especially during this pandemic, i heard so many stories of my fellow friends and people of social media being pushed to extreme bounds just so they can make ends meet, it's truly a sad reality."

"I dedicate this song to those people who suffered just because they're creative, and hopefully, eventhough the world might be cruel to us, hopefully we can make a mark on this planet, so when we're gone, they'll left scouring for any so-called creativity that exists." Darja concludes, somewhat sarcastically.

Darja appears on stage, with slightly wavy hair that reminds people of 50s Hollywood actresses, wearing a glamorous red dress and the complimenting red gloves reminiscent of the era. The stage is lit in a soft, red rose colour, accentuated with laser lights forming a cage on her sides. The laser device itself brought directly from Antahbrantahstan. The camera, however, simply shoots Darja on a chest-up angle, also showcasing the the antique microphone that she has, perched atop a microphone stand. Though this was just the prelude, meant to set up the stage for the next part of her song.

God bless the artist
Mad scientist
Thoughts too abstract for the masses
God bless the artist
Stepping on hard dirt
Their ideas lost among the crowds

Darja then, at that point, starts her melody, narrating the life experiences of the unnamed artists, albeit a fairly grotesque subject, Darja couldn't care less about it, liking to seriously recount this story as an example to the schlager-loving crowd in Beepee. While the camera keeps on shooting Darja on the chest-up point referenced previously, the camera would periodically shot Darja from a higher place, showing a blossoming red hibiscus on the floor LED screen, nonetheless, peculiarly the camera doesn't show a lot in regards to different pieces of the stage, liking to shoot the stage from a rather safe point, as though attempting to stay quiet about things: The chanteuse herself is presumably concealing something from the crowd, something she doesn't want the crowd to know in any case, for she just wants to keep it as a secret.

Lemme tell you something so tragic
Lemme tell you something 'bout
Up and coming artist, talents that's fantastic
Everybody thinks he's strange
Got the youngsters try to bully him
The elders try to overthrow him
Threw away insults, saying that his dreams
Is e-ve-ry-thing but valid

Immediately, a single instrumental sound is heard by the audience, something different since in the studio version, Darja filled the part with her singing, although she does not do it today in the Beepee-an stage, soon after, the stage and the accompanying light illuminations immediately turned brown, akin to a golden brown color, albeit a bit dusty. The camera then finally shows that the catwalks of the stage are filled with several antique Greek and Roman statues (though just a replica), with Darja herself being accompanied by wind machines that made parts of her dress fabric float above the floor. The camera shots would zoom out immediately from Darja as she sang her chorus (a la Cornelia Jakobs' Melodifestivalen performance), interspersed with audience shots and zoom-in angles segueing into chest-up shots. Darja's "oh-oh-oh" would later be accompanied by offstage backing vocalists accentuating her soulful singing.

God bless the artist
Mad scientist
Thoughts to abstract for the masses
God bless the artist
Stepping on hard dirt
Their ideas lost among the crowds
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh

The stage lights immediately went red again, and the staging proceeds word-by-word as the first verse, albeit with a slightly different camera angle. One thing's for sure, however, is that Darja offered a spectacular sight to the audience, whether in situ or to those who watch through their television and gadgets.

Now he has nowhere to go
He's losing his glow
'Cause his mates are on top, above the food chain
Sipping darjeeling on their chair
Yet the artist continues to brag
He's the best artist in town
Gotta make 'em fooled, even if he'll only
Dine a single piece of food

This time, the lights did not change color, and Darja sings passionately, as if she asks God for protection towards all artists in this planet, however, it is unknown whether or not God will heed her prayers, for whom They have written the artist's destiny before this world came to fruition. Soon after, a flurry of oh-oh-oh vocalizations emanate from Darja's lips, accompanied by the unseen backing singers that combined together, elevates the degree this performance is having. Darja herself soon become exhausted though, and immediately after the performance, the stage lights suddenly went dim, save for strobelights shining on Darja.

God bless the artist
Mad scientist
Thoughts too abstract for the masses
God bless the artist
Stepping on hard dirt
Their ideas lost among the crowds
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Lost among the crowds
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh

Now Darja is the sole protagonist of the event, with the instruments being kept to a bare minimum, while the strobe lights around the venue shines on her like the heavenly rays that passes through the stained glass. This time, however, the only message the audience is hearing is not a happy news, rather, she sings about the sad reality artists are facing through in this society. And immediately, she sings an unintelligible sentence to the microphone...

Now his life is still hanging on a thread
Appreciation that he'll never get
The tears that he shed, the sweat that he made
For everyone else, it has no net worth

...And the camera immediately zooms out away from her. The stage lights are immediately awash in a flurry of dusty golden lights, while the statues around the stage immediately crumbles (With the dust being vacuumed away by discreetly-placed machines). A cascade of winds immediately follows, accompanied by dried autumn leaves flying around Darja and the stage, although Darja herself is subjected to such conditions, she remained solitary, singing, almost wailing, begging the universe to save the subject she kept mentioned in the song. A solemn cacophony of wordless, soulful prayers rushing through the arena. And after she finishes her wordless vocalizations, she finally sang the final chorus, though pushing her voice to whatever limits and emotional capacities that she currently has.

As soon as it ends, the stage lights dimmed, with the situation behind Darja blurred, almost like a stark black background, save for twinkling lights from the audience's flashlight function.

Oh, ooooooh
Please save the artist
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Please save the artist
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh

God save the artist
Mad scientist
God save the artist (His ideas)
His ideas forever lost in the crowds

Darja immediately bows down, and says calmly. "Thank you, Beepee! You all rock!" before rushing backstage, in preparation for the next entry.

by **Aenglide** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:27 pm

17. Aenglide | #AED
The Mercantiles
"Benevolent Frequencies"
Tune: stellar* - Violent

Introduction

Delia Kísjvor made a great success in the previous Worldvision 96 in beautiful Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo, placing 7th out of 34 entries, with a staggering 181 points. This had been the highest placing so far for Aenglide in the Worldvision Song Contest by far, beating the previous highest which was former band ÄKE’s 18th place in Worldvision 93 in Zafizamarrah, Alezian Union. The Aenglish people, Aenglish fans - but most importantly, Aenglish artists were feeling very hopeful for future entries to do well, after a great placement, especially when they saw the name “Aenglide” on the left side of the final standings leaderboard, a quite rare event, if not the first time for Aenglide - but everyone was willing to make sure that seeing Aenglide on the left side of the leaderboard was a normal occurrence. A large call happened for an Aenglish National Final to begin, so that people could send in their entries to be able to compete to go to Worldvision - by international juries that could vote and select their favourites. Thus, Ænglidsféstival was created - being held in the VadTK Arena in Aenglide’s capital city of Kéterig. The first Ænglidsféstival was held in preparation for Worldvision 97. Six entries participated in Ænglidsféstival 97 - including Worldvision debutantes Mittelgrad. All of the competing entries did well, and were in heavy competition. Juries from eight countries had made their careful decision by giving their points to the six entries. Eight countries - a surprising turnout, indeed. But in the end, only one winner could make it to Worldvision, and it was “Benevolent Frequencies by The Mercantiles, who won the first ever Ænglidsféstival with 36 points. After winning Ænglidsféstival, it was just a matter of the time before they were sent to Norfolk Pinewoods, for Aenglide to perform their sixth entry in the Worldvision Song Contest.

The Mercantiles

The Mercantiles, with Evángeljna (singer) in front, Jan Jívnu (guitarist), and Thom (drummer) in the back, experimenting with a DJ set instead of his regular drum set, performing in their home town of Akjefuldin

The Mercantiles is a band from the western Aenglish city of Akjefuldin, where three friends that went to the same high school, reunited at the Aenglish Music Academic College in Kéterig. The friends were Evángeljna Ijnán Këënuri, Jan Jívnu, and Thom Klájman. Evángeljna is the lead singer of the band, while Jan is the electric guitarist, and Thom is at the back with a full drum kit set. Their name was quite a mystery of an etymology, but it was Jan who found a random English word that sounded long and smart, and it somehow just stuck on amongst them. While they were studying at the music academy, they were tired of studying in their boring music theory classes and decided to start a part time band. As their education reduced their time, they were creating little to no music with education. They got sick of school wasting their time and so they dropped out of school to sing songs as their career. They dragged on making a few albums but picked up little recognition, and did not expand well outside of a local band. For around ten years, funds for their band did not met adequate standards and they had to quit for some time. Until, Thom gave the members to reunite after they heard that Aenglide was making its first participation in Worldvision. They tried to find a spot with a bit of a highlight - and that is where Ænglidsféstival stepped in. Evángeljna made sure she spread her word about going to Worldvision, and she was optimistic about the band’s chances since they were giving opportunities for six different artists. She applied to ÆTV to get The Mercantiles to enter the newly-founded national final selection. All three of the members began to be self-proclaimed “worldfans”, especially Evángeljna, who had been following Worldvision since Aenglide’s debut entry, and being half-Hööra on her mother’s side, she was excited to see an entry compete in Worldvision that would be in the Hööra language and about Hööra culture. She and the rest of the band felt lucky and excited to take such a good opportunity for them and experience something that was going to be televised around Aenglide, and have viewership across all of the metaverse.

The Song

World Of Magic, The Mercantiles' 2022 album that includes the song Benevolent Frequencies, which was also released as it's own single

The song that was created by them, which is titled “Benevolent Frequencies”, is what they claimed to be similar to the “generic loving song that everybody expects”, but how they personally approach it is just a rock song talking about a general and broad relationship with a person and/or many people. The song’s lyrics was written by the singer Evángeljna, who also specialises in the songwriting for the band, and the music was composed by, well, obviously the band itself.

Ænglidsféstival

Ænglidsféstival 97 came on the one Saturday evening, and the band did not know what to expect nor what was to come for them. However, the band made sure that they were ready to do their best and tackle it like champions with positivity. They ran third in the running order of that night, after metal band Mittelgrad’s “Deserted”, and before Nora Mebéyja’s song “Emotions That She Doesn’t Feel”. During Mittelgrad’s performance, which was the second song of the night, the band was feeling slight anxiety, and they did not know how well they were going to turn out. “Would an error be caused with the performance?” and “Will we sing good enough?” were just some of the questions being asked amongst them. Especially Evángeljna, who was worried about the look on her face. Nevertheless, they made sure to remain calm while they waited to be called up onto the VadTK arena stage. As a voice from the arena’s speakers above called “The Mercantiles - Benevolent Frequencies” echoed across the stage, everyone in the band loudly inhaled and exhaled to drown their nervousness away. The fact that they would be on TV for one of their first times in their lives, being shown to people across the globe, was carrying them down. However, this was simultaneously what was lifting them up with courage to make sure they did their best. This was two minutes before their performance, and by now, they were walking up the stairs in only the slightest bit of light there was.

Their performance ended greatly and everyone was satisfied with how they performed, and the sound that they created across the arena. Evángeljna was even breaking down to tears after her performance. They were really proud of their effort and questioned themselves about their mixed emotions before they went on stage. As the next entry performed, it was conversation after conversation, after conversation amongst the band. It was a matter of time though, because at the end of the night, everyone watching from inside and outside the VadTK Arena was eagerly waiting to see the overall points. Finally, the time had come. The night felt long but it was time to reveal the points, to see who would be the winners of Ænglidsféstival 97, and to see who was going to Worldvision 97. Spokespersons from other countries all chimed in to give their points, and it was only going to be a predicting game to see the reactions from The Mercantiles. At the beginning, StrayaRoos gave them 5 points, which they were not expecting at all. Then came a standalone 3, and five 5s in a row. Since the points being given to them got slightly repetitive, they were worried that they weren’t going to win, but get a decent placing otherwise. The band chatted quietly amongst eachother, making predictions of what would happen. The final vote of the night came from Tödlichebujoku, who gave them 3 points. This gave the band a belief that they were not going to win, but they were too early to presume. All of the points were tallied up, and on the large LED screen at the back of the arena showed the final scoreboard, which showed that The Mercantiles had received 36 points in total, placing first and winning Ænglidsféstival. It was an amazingly close standing, since Jannix & Eva Kújlora came one point behind them, with 35 points. The Mercantiles actually guessed that the DJ-singer duo would win, especially when they had received four 6 points in the voting. This is what surprised them the most since they didn’t know that numerous 5 points with the occasional 3, would make them win by a single point that could have changed everything. To be fair, the band did not mind at all if one of the entries in the Aenglic language won, and they were even supporting the songs that contained Aenglic. The Mercantiles were struggling to contain themselves at the end, and were surprised for a long time that they had made such an achievement. With the shocked looks on their faces lasting about half an hour, they couldn’t believe that coming from such small roots would amount to this greatly respectable win. Their jaws ended up getting very sore from the amount of disbelief that they were creating. The final task from that point onwards however, was just taking that flight over to Beepee, where they would be meeting everybody in the great city of Norfolk Pinewoods.

Norfolk Pinewoods

The Mercantiles had travelled by plane to Norfolk Pinewoods, the capital city of Beepee. They were relatively late and time was short. There was not much free time left before the period of time where song rehearsals and interviews came. Luckily, there was about a day to look around the city. It wasn't much time like they had hoped for, but the band agreed that there was nothing that they could do, since it isn't like they could reverse time or anything. They unfortunately had to leave everything behind in Aenglide - since they could not take their instruments with them. Sure, you can take a guitar, but good luck trying to get a bulky drum set on board. It is clunky, expensive to do, and may end up broken in the process. They decided it was better if they didn't take them. Luckily enough, they were able to use a drum kit they had found at the venue for their performance.

It was night when they had arrived. They were staying with Beepee Hotels in a three-bedroom so called "finest apartment hotels". So quite well, it was enough that they needed. Nothing too fancy, just somewhere to stay, as long as they could sleep in peace. After they left their bags and everything at the hotel, they went out to walk around the central streets of Norfolk Pinewoods. On a pamphlet upon arrival to the city on the plane, lead singer Evángeljna and drummer Thom took interest in the famous Patty Zeri Bakery, located in the CBD. After a quick phone research, it is a fan favourite amongst the citizens of Norfolk Pinewoods and even people from overseas come to get a quick lunch snack to eat at the place. It was around 10:00 in the morning, the good time for brunch, and all the members of the band were quite hungry.

Those three bought a sweet, tangy tart and a savoury pie from Patty Zeri's, and did it hit the spot. It was actually a scrumptious meal for the three of them, and possibly, if not the best thing they've eaten overseas. Well, mainly because because they haven't really been overseas in a long time but regardless it was still good. To make up for the rest of the day, they then visited the F Hart Studio, which was on Kodak Street. It was another place of interest in the Norfolk Pinewoods central city. It was a quite a quick in-and-out look at the art, since none of the members really took too much interest in any art. They then saw the local market on the page, but it wasn't a saturday, sadly. Oh well, Evángeljna was still going to look at the so-called "unique shopping experiences" in the recently refurbished central city. Evángeljna isn't much of a clothes shopper that she used to be, but bought some from a local seller anyway.

Performance

And well, it was the moment that The Mercantiles were looking the most forward to. The night of Worldvision. After numerous rehearsals, performance editing and instrument hauling later, it came the night of their performance inside the Waratah Theatre. In the running order, they would be performing in the 17th spot, which was right after the entry from Antahbrantahstan. Funnily enough, the band was less nervous for their performance in Worldvision, because they already had their experience handed to them back in Aenglide during Ænglidsféstival, and knew what to do. They were standing tall and proud and ready to achieve nicely regardless of how many points they manage to accumulate at the end. As the stage and the entire arena was darkened and without lights, the instruments and equipment for the performance were all carried onto the stage by the production team, and the members of The Mercantiles were directed onto the stage that they would be playing on. As they all took their positions, they looked out onto the stage, in which they could see a lot of people with flashing lights and flags everywhere. In just brief moments before the performance, the heart was beating in all of their chests as they confronted a large thrill.

The music began to play, and the lights began to shine on the band. As the lights revealed all of the three members, it made out what they were wearing. Evángeljna was seen with messy, untidy hair, with female rockstar-type eyeliner and makeup done. She was also wearing an unbuttoned denim jean jacket with a white fire-design shirt underneath, with ripped jeans to complete her outfit. The other two, drummer Thom at the back and guitar player Jan at the side, wore seemingly coincidentally similar outfits. Just a regular buttoned black shirt and grey jeans worn on both of them. Evángeljna held the microphone firmly in her hand, Jan had his guitar around his neck and he gazed into the arena’s vast distance, ready to play. Thom behind both of them held his drumsticks in a ready manner in the air. As the first words of the song began to be sung by Evángeljna, the lights of the arena glowed significantly to direct the beginning of her vocals and the song’s lyrics.

Many of the lines and what is being said in this verse talks about the comfort about being around people that are close to you, and how fortunate people are to have relationships. Well, practically the entire song talks about that. Anyhow, the cameras mainly show Evángeljna and follows her movement across the stage, but it pans to it’s fair share of the other members of the band, or the general stage shot that includes everyone in it.

The extravagance
Of the many things we have to say
The comfort of the shining day
Makes me sway in glee
And in the shade, oh I weave astray

The line “It’s a choice that a single man never knew” means that someone who maintains zero close relations with anybody will never know what having surrounding faces is like. Anyway, the camera ratios stay relatively quite similar to the last verse, but there is more buildup to the first chorus in this verse, and the lights reflect this to become slightly brighter.

Positivity
Is the thing that keeps us aboard
Mutuality is benevolent
‘Cause its the only thing to do
It’s a choice that a single man never knew

The chorus includes a view of the crowd inside the Waratah Theatre that moves its way across the audience to show the band’s performance. Evángeljna skips around and across the stage from the left, and to the right to encapsulate the cheerful lyricism and general feel of the song.

This common ground fills me up with
Benevolent frequencies, yeah
It’s all about the joy and the ride of benevolence, yeah

The guitarist Jan and drummer Thom get more camera time during the instrumental between the chorus before, and the verse after this. Of course, when the verse comes, Evángeljna, the singer gets all the camera time.

Oh, the liveliness
I see the faces around me smiling
Living up to the benevolence
I can’t live without its light
And that’s the way that life should be

The camera begins the chorus with a pan of the entire stage, showing Evángeljna and also guitarist Jan and drummer Thom. While for the chorus the whole band gets the camera on them, each of the members get the usual close up of them performing.

This common ground fills me up with
Benevolent frequencies, yeah
It’s all about the joy and the ride of benevolence, yeah
This common ground fills me up with
Benevolent frequencies, yeah
It’s all about the joy and the ride of benevolence, oh

The song gets to a bridge part. To act for more of a dramatic scene here, Evángeljna stops and stays still during the bridge. The camera shows quite the close up of her face but since there are big gaps in the words in this part, it occasionally pans to a general wide pan of the audience in the Waratah Theatre.

Caring
Unity
I want you beside me
The ideal eternity, woah, oh oh

As this part becomes instrumental (the very longing “woah, oh oh” parts have been removed from the OOC song), the cameras only prioritise drummer Thom and electric guitarist Jan, who both are staring intently, focusing on playing their respective instruments, until Jan notices the camera points at him and he looks at the camera for a brief few seconds. In this instrumental part where Evángeljna isn’t singing obviously she only gets shown a small fraction of the time, and the audience inside the Waratah Theatre gets shown some more to make up for that time.

This common ground fills me up with
Benevolent frequencies, yeah
It’s all about the joy and the ride of benevolence, yeah
This common ground fills me up with
Benevolent frequencies, yeah
It’s all about the joy and the ride of benevolence, oh

They end the performance with the greatest ability they could. Even greater than their Ænglidsféstival 97 performance. Evángeljna ends with a large "THANK YOU!", while having a large smile on her face, jumping in excitement and waving her hands in the air to the crowd. The lighting in the arena come to a close as they conclude their entry and everyone walks off the stage. The large drum set is taken off stage with the crew members, and the stage is performed for the next entry, from StrayaRoos.

by **StrayaRoos** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:32 pm

18-StrayaRoos #STR

Unia-Magnificent
Montaigne-Technicolor

After the postcard The Arena turns Pitch Black and as the Music starts an Cloaked Figure appears as the Lights fade on

Oh,oh,oh,oh (ha,ha)
Oh,oh,oh,oh (ha,ha)
i wanna know more 'bout my mother
i wanna belong to my world
and whether that's a common goal
i'll be a magnificent girl

Everything seems frustrating
but Everything Moves on faster than anything else
and I-i-i-i Know it
we got power (Yeah)
Midnight is the hour (Yeah)
Time to take off this cloak

Unia then Throws off the Cloak to reveal a black Costume Similar to Montaigne's one IRL and starts making an clock motion with her arms

Mag-ni-i-i-ficent,Mag-ni-i-i-ficent
If we just belive this we can be magnificent
Mag-ni-i-i-ficent,Mag-ni-i-i-ficent
And if we move together we can
Ooh-ooh (hey!)

I wanna know if there's a future
that i can move towards
and yeah i promise you and all those nasty dudes
i don't need your certainty to get my pot of gold (no)

and E-e-e-everything seems frustrating
but Everything Moves on faster than anything else
and I-i-i-i Know it
we got power (Yeah)
Midnight is the hour (Yeah)
Time to take off your cloak

Mag-ni-i-i-ficent,Mag-ni-i-i-ficent
If we just belive this we can be magnificent
Mag-ni-i-i-ficent,Mag-ni-i-i-ficent
And if we move together we can Shine

Shi-i-i-ne!

The Lights then go black and an smoke machine starts to cloak her in smoke and Unia exits the stage through a trapdoor

by **Spiritual Republic of Caryton** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:01 am

19. Caryton

by **Britonisea** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 2:01 am

#20 BRITONISEA
Amelia Stone, Tom Bastion - "Lollipop"
Tune : Arthur Pirozhkov, Klava Koka- "Khochesh"
Music: Tom Bastion, DJ Tyrone Lacey // Lyrics: Tom Bastion, Amelia Stone

50 editions since Mini Surrey North won with "Centre of Attraction" and 10 editions since Britonisea's last win, the nation returns to the contest after winning the Jury vote last edition hoping to win over both the Jury and Televote this time with "Lollipop" performed by Amelia Stone and Tom Bastion...

Last edition was a hard edition to be Britonish. For the third time in ten editions, the nation placed first in the Jury vote but there were flashbacks of the 90th WorldVision Song Contest as Malta Comino Gozo was hot on the heels of the Britonish in the Jury vote. Surely this was Britonisea's for the taking, right? It was the most credible entry the nation had sent since the 90th WorldVision Song Contest, and after three editions of the nation struggling to stay in the top 10, this seemed to be a breakthrough for the country. The commentators reminded them that if Britonisea didn't win the 96th WorldVision Song Contest, we would enter Britonisea's second-longest win drought (10 editions), the longest being 16 editions. Amara was confident in her chances, at the end of the day it was a well-executed entry that had Britonisea written all over it and it was the type of songs Britonisea used to send regularly to the WorldVision Song Contest and did very well with it. Experimentation gave Britonisea no success, so the broadcaster thought it would be a good idea to stick to what the country knows best. So far, it was working, but as these televotes were coming through things were starting to get a bit tense. With Malta Comino Gozo scoring 121 points in the televote, the chances of Britonisea winning seemed less. The televote doesn't love Britonisea as much as it does Malta Comino Gozo, with Britonisea yet to win a televote at the contest and has, for the most part, been the cause of Britonisea's overall score slightly dropping overall. The Britonish team accepted that their song wasn't going to get 121 points but could they at least get 114 points to keep the lead? In short, no. The nation didn't even get enough points to stay in the top 2, with Todlichebujoku - the nation which Britonisea has a fierce rivalry as they both chase Polkopia down to become the best nation at the contest - pipping Britonisea at the post to finish second. Many Britons stopped watching the contest with mouths wide open and in silence as Malta Comino Gozo celebrated their fifth win, a feat Britonisea took 42 editions to achieve. Some Britons took to social media to complain about the voting system which seems to have disadvantaged Britonisea ever since it was introduced, with many international fans complaining at how ungrateful Britonish fans were, especially when there are nations out there who have competed for a long period of time and still have yet to score a win. The standard, however, for a country such as Britonisea is immensely high with expectations - not just nationally, but internationally - providing a lot of pressure on BITC, the Britonish broadcaster for WorldVision. The 17th place in the televote a few editions ago was seen as a national disgrace (similarly to World Hit Festival 51's placement but we won't talk about that since there's been worse results since), with Britonisea not seeing a placement that low for nearly 50 editions. BITC might have regained a few more fans with the exceptional efforts of Amara, but fans were still disgruntled that the country still finds it difficult to top the pack. Britonish WorldVision fans have become complacent, and their complacency also shows at the end of every Junior World Hit Festival. Britonisea has yet to win a Junior World Hit Festival but has placed second on two occasions and despite it being just a kid's song contest, many angry fans take to social media to legitimise the existence of Britophobia or anti-Britonish bias. BITC has had to tread on eggshells when picking the next entry at the contest and with a lot of BITC's budget going towards the BVC hit show, Vha Mehlodhivestoile which is due to start in less than a month - BITC wanted to get the Britonish entry for WorldVision 97 and 98 out of the way to support whoever would go to represent the country at the 99th (or 100th) WorldVision Song Contest. But who would that be?

ORIGINAL BITC POST;

After Britonisea returned to the podium for the first time in six editions and ahead of the 7th Vha Mehlodhivestoile in just over a month's time, Britonisea will be sending the upbeat number, "Lollipop" sung by Amelia Stone and Tom Bastion...

Britonisea won the Jury vote of the WorldVision Song Contest for the third time in 10 editions with 109 points with Amara Talin singing her song, "Found" - a dramatic ballad which had 19 nations voting for it, including 12 points from Polkopia. The televote came in, favouring Malta Comino Gozo and Todlichebujoku, pushing Britonisea down into third place with 203 points. Despite the disappointing end to the voting sequence, Britonisea still managed its fifth 200+ points total since the introduction of the televote at the 82nd WorldVision Song Contest. While the nation still has a long way to beat its record of 255 points, hopefully things are looking up for the nation as it struggled during the 90s to place in the top 5.

The 97th WorldVision Song Contest marks 10 editions since Britonisea's last win, a luxury Britons may have once taken for granted as the Brits enter it's longest win drought since the WorldVision 50s. BITC, especially after the very serious song sent in the last edition, wanted to send something a bit more upbeat and fun that would have mass appeal. They decided to go for the song, "Lollipop", a song by 31-year-old Amelia Stone and 42-year-old Tom Bastion both from the capital city, Doportedas. While both names are known in the country, the pair are an unexpected one - with Amelia being known for being a model and dancer, whereas Tom is a popular comedian and actor. The song, "Lollipop" is the nation's most risqué song to date, with the lyrics having a playful spin to them anyone can interpret them however they want!

What more do you want from me?
I've been a good girl all year.
I can taste the temptation,
Just let go and surrender.

- A glimpse of the lyrics of "Lollipop"

It was announced on the News at 6pm that the song would represent the country, with the first live performance of the song expected to happen on the Rory Irvin chatshow on BITC at 9pm - in just 20 minutes. On the Rory Irvin show, we will also learn more about how Amelia and Tom's partnership came to be. The song has already amassed 80,000 streams in only two hours on Britonisea's largest streaming service, Spotify and Nyx Inc and is expected to chart high on both streaming services tomorrow. With the charts updating tomorrow, it is unlikely we will see "Lollipop" in the top 40 this week but it is looking to debut quite high next week.

Amelia Stone and Tom Bastion were aware of one another before they initially met as both of them, as previously mentioned, are quite prominent figures in the country. It was Tom Bastion who was approached by DJ Tyrone Lacey and Tyrone came up with a very basic version of what we now know as "Lollipop" today. Tom Bastion wasn't sure what to make of the song and joked to DJ Tyrone that he should send it to the WorldVision Song Contest but Tyrone took this joke seriously. After talking Tom around to the idea, Tom helped Tyrone develop the song by giving his some pointers that helped "Lollipop" form. They started writing some lyrics to it, but they thought that the lyrics of the song was quite masculine and didn't fit the song. They thought about whether the song should be 100% female vocals or whether it should be a mixture of both. Tom said that he didn't mind sharing the spotlight with someone, in fact, he would prefer if he did. Tyrone was personal friends with Amelia Stone from a project that they worked on together years ago. Hoping that Amelia recognised him, DJ Tyrone got in touch with her and after some time, he received a response from her saying that she would be interested in the project. In Doportedas, the three of them all met over dinner and spoke about what sort of vibe they wanted to go for, for this song. The Monday afterwards, they spent a couple of days in the music studio coming up with lyrics and changing the song to make it suit both Tom and Amelia's voice. They decided that the song would be split into sections, with Tom "speaking" to Amelia and the reverse in the next verse.

Tom Bastion, 42, is one of the top comedians in the country who doesn't really have a background in music, so his adoption as the representative for Britonisea at the 97th WorldVision Song Contest may come as a surprise to avid fans of the contest. Tom Bastion started off his career in the comedy industry, specifically in television, nearly twenty years ago. A young 23 year old, fresh out of university, decided that one of the things that he enjoys the most is making people laugh and he had been commented on by many people that his humour was top notch. There was something about Tom that was special. Tom could turn any situation into something lighthearted, helped by his dazzling smile and his optimism. Tom is not just a comedian. He has also had a couple of stints as an actor too, with his main forte being soap operas, each for a couple of years for a time. It's fair to say that Tom Bastion has travelled around a bit - definitely a man about town. Tom Bastion has stepped away from the limelight slightly as he settles down with his family, but he had the opportunity to represent Britonisea at the upcoming WorldVision Song Contest and it was an offer that he simply couldn't refuse. Multiple times in his career, Tom had brought up WorldVision in his comedy. Sometimes, he would throw shade at other countries while glorifying the powerhouse that was Britonisea several editions ago. He did think that the contest was "rather unique", he said "rather" due to the existence of the World Hit Festival which isn't that much of a Festival. Representing his country on one of the largest platforms in the multiverse is something that excites the Briton. In an interview after the song reveal, he said "I just can't wait to get on that stage in Beepee and just sing my heart out. All I want to do is have a bit of fun on that stage, make people smile and make Britonisea a bit proud. I don't really have any expectations of where we will place on the night, but what I do know is that BITC have been supporting us incredibly well and I think we are going to put on a real treat for everyone to enjoy!"

Amelia Stone, 31, will be joining the comedian on the stage. Amelia Stone has been known as one of Britonisea's top models, modelling from some of Britonisea's biggest brands and also brands across the multiverse. Amelia is multifaceted as well. Not only can she model, but she is a dancer and, similarly to Tom, she can act too. Amelia, around 15-20 years ago, entered the National Ballet School, where she was taught everything from pivoting to how to stand straight which explains her perfect posture when it comes to modelling. Like many Britons, she had quite a creative upbringing. At her ballet school, which was a boarding school, they focused on more creative subjects such as music and theatre studies. In music, she was good at singing and playing the piano, and so she was able to come up with her own tunes, working with other members of her school to create a song. When it comes to performing, Amelia Stone doesn't get nervous whatsoever. She is a pro at this. Ahead of her stint at the WorldVision Song Contest, Amelia said that she is "really looking for the opportunity to travel abroad to see the fans of Britonisea and our song across the universe."

Ahead of the WorldVision Song Contest, there was insurmountable pressure towards Amelia and Tom. According to Arico.net in the Alezian Union, 19.8% of people believe that Britonisea should win the 97th WorldVision Song Contest - the highest ranking of any of the participating nations. Bookmakers from the host nation, Beepee and back at home in Britonisea have the nation as the most likely to win the contest at 5/1. There seems to be a lot of hype for "Lollipop" will the entry deliver? Let's find out...

Britonisea last performed in the 20th position 48 editions ago when the nation sent Justs Prazeres with his song, "Liberators". The song was Britonisea's attempt at winning the 49th edition to put it in good stead to bid for the 50th WorldVision Song Contest - but it turned out quite a few nations had that exact plan. Britonisea finished 6th with 96 points then and became the best performing Britonish male. Under the old system, only two Britonish male acts did better than him, but the point that is trying to be made here is that position number 20 could give Britonisea a lot of luck. 20th position most recently won at the 90th WorldVision Song Contest too, and Amelia & Tom are hoping that this position wins for what will be the sixth time in WorldVision history. After the performance from Caryton (assuming their entry is actually finished), televiewers are going to be treated to an absolute whiplash with Britonisea's song probably going against whatever Caryton stands for. BITC has already resigned to the idea of no points from our friends in Caryton but it was a risk that BITC was willing to take, especially after building up expectations thanks to the third jury win Britonisea has received in 10 editions. Amelia and Tom wanted this performance to be quite cheeky and that was also shown on the stage as well. As the song before received applause from the audience, the stage personnel rushed to get the staging ready for Britonisea and quite the staging it was! In the middle of the stage was a large turntable which was designed to be a lollipop that you could see clearly from a birdseye view. The turntable had two parts to it. There was an inner part and an outer part and both of these could move together...or they could move in opposite directions from one another. This feature would be used later on in the staging - just you wait and see! The turntable had a beanbag in the middle of it which had a picture of smarties all over it. Amelia was wearing a see-through white dress which was sure to raise some eyebrows for viewers who would be watching Amelia closely. Over her dress, she wore a small blue cropped jacket and a pair of sunglasses which she had done at the start of the song. Finally, she shared the turntable along with three men (meet Aidan, Jordan and Marcel) who all sit around her in a triangle position all wearing summery shirts, all unbuttoned and rearing to go. We knew that the Beepeean audience would be gagging for some Britonish male presence and we certainly delivered there. Tom Bastion has a suit on, and is at a bar that was brought onto the stage - the BITC team decided to set the stage real cute and pretty for this performance. As the Britonish postcard at Mardi Gras played, the pair of them got themselves ready by giving each other a little wink from the sides of the stage that they were on.

Tom was drinking his favourite drink, a double rum and coke, the bar on a high chair while Amelia's turntable started turning. As the audience came in with a roar, the Britons on the stage took a final deep breath. The song would fly by, it was Britonisea's shortest song to date with it only being 2 minutes long. The Beepeean broadcaster decided, for whatever reason, not to include proper LED back wall (we call already hear the Elejamians complaining about it being a 360-degree stage) which did make planning the performance a lot more difficult that initially planned. However, they thought that thanks to the things they brought on stage, it should make up for it. There were some lights that gave away the direction of the stage which was lit up in pinks and blues. After the audience died down, the song started. The first shot was an aerial shot looking directly down on Amelia and her boys. They were all looking up, with Amelia eventually moving her sunglasses on her forehead before singing the first line of the song...

Ooh, ahh, ooh, ahh
Give it to me, boy, no I can't wait no longer
Got me on the floor, you got me begging for more.

Oh baby, I want you to be patient,
Don't want you to be spoilt, no.
Good things comes to those who wait,
Wait for me, girl.
Baby, you know how much I need ya,
I hate how much you tease me
My mind's full of fantasies, come make them real

During the first verse of the song, as Amelia started speaking the camera that provided a birdseye view of her, slowly zooming in on her. Amelia started cheekily smiling as the camera got closer to her, winking at the camera and turning her neck occasionally to the side before looking back up at the camera with puppy eyes. As she was acting this out on the turntable, the men around her all mirrored each other by doing similar movements, facing her as she sang the lyric, "I can't wait no longer". As the camera moved closer, the whole screen was filled up with the multicolour of the turntable lollipop that they were on, which was going round and round in hypnotic fashion. The lights in the arena were focused on Amelia as she started but this would only be interrupted by the dark and alluring voice of Tom Stone. A Steadicam was brought onto the stage, coming up to Tom in dramatic fashion as he got up from his step stool and started making his way over to the turntable. Tom wanted to act like those wealthy millionaires that stereotypically dated younger people by taking the mick out of them. Thus, as he slowly walked towards Amelia, he prowled towards her in a comedic way, without taking too much attention away from the song. As the camera was focused on Tom, Amelia and the boys had all stood up. We cut to a shot that was focusing on the whole stage, with Tom now metres away from the spinning turntable. You could see how intricate the lollipop turntable was, with the middle part of it not moving. Amelia continued to sing her song, facing Tom Bastion as she sang. Similarly to the famous pose by Marilyn Monrose, wind from underneath her started blowing, with her scantily worn dress blowing slightly - enough for it to be noticeable. There was a shot from the furthest part of the stage as VR effects around the stage made the stage seem fantastical which of course fit the lyrics of the song.

(Hey!)
Can't get you out my head, you drive me insane.
Boy, I'm feeling hungry,
No, don't leave me starving.
Come, let me have a taste,
So sweet, got my sugars raised,
Take off the wrapper, let me have this lollipop.

Ah mmmm,
Give me this lolli-
Ah mmmm,
Give me this lolli-

As we saw the VR effect (which was pink clouds and stardust filling the arena), Tom Bastion stepped up onto the podium and stood in the middle which wasn't moving. During this moment, the three men - who were standing on the outside - continued to face inwards but were moving around at the same speed they were always moving. The men all shouted "Hey!", with another camera quickly zooming in from at a far point in the arena close to the action happening on the stage. As the pair of them were singing with one another, they interacted - providing each other with flirting glances that they would then exchange with the cameras which were zooming in to each other in very WorldVision fashion. The colours and lights on the non-existent back wall of the stage were still in pinks and blues. The dancers were doing a routine of movements that fit along with the beat of the song. Some of the movements were quite suggestive and at some points of the song, both Amelia and Tom could be seen singing to them also. As Amelia sang the words, "Come", she completely turned to Tom, gripping on his blazer, before slightly whining her body on him as she sang "let me have a taste". She then turned around as she sang the next line, looking over her shoulder in a presumptuous way. When they sang the words, "Take off the wrapper", the part of the lollipop turntable stopped, with all the men around Amelia and Tom jumping up into the air, whipping out a huge lollipop which each of them had stored underneath their clothing. There was a quick zoom-in as all of them licked their lollipop in a salacious way. Amelia winked before the staging completely changed.

As the sounds of the ripping brass came in, from all corners of the arena, white light started to flash above them, while the main stage was bathed in dark lighting. All of the men who were around them all started grinding with them slightly bending their knees before swaying from side to side and then all around. There were multiple shots, with quick cuts adding to the excitement and steamy nature of the performance. Some of the cues were purposefully shaking, while some camera cues were uncomfortably close on some parts of the dancers' bodies as they musically moved their bodies. Some shots cues zoomed in on Amelia and Tom Stone, with the pair of them doing a little dance with one another - Tom helped Amelia's hand in the air as she spun around, with the pair of them both swaying their shoulders along to the song - it was undeniably catchy and you were compelled to dance along even if you hated the song. Low flying fog started filling up the bottom of the stage which also added to the atmosphere around them but ultimately would make much more sense for the next part of the song.

What more do you want from me?
I've been a good girl all year.
I can taste the temptation,
Just let go and surrender.

Ooh, tu me vuelves loco
Ahh, I'm falling un poco
Yes, watch my love as it grows-
-so big your mind will blow!

As soon as the song immediately changed back to sweet and innocent, the dancers dispersed from the stage - with Tom and Amelia being left alone. The red and white lights quick disappeared, with the sweet pink and light blue reappearing as the dominant colours on the stage. Amelia placed her hand over Tom's shoulder and around his neck as she started singing. There were a couple of Steadicams that followed each other (on one side of the 180-degree rule so they never caught each other whilst in the shot, similar to what they did in Norway 2017). The picture kept on cutting between these two shots, but moved around the whole stage as Amelia starts to sweetly ask Tom what more she needed to provide to get some of his lollipop! The camera would zoom into her, with the other camera zooming out (the cameras took turns doing this) which added to the dynamism alongside them circularly moving around the pair. Tom and Amelia never looked at either the cameras or the audience - with this moment being rather intimate between them. The smoke grew a tad higher and now made its way to their knees, with the lights around the arena now fading away, with the pink and blue lights now solely focused on Amelia and Tom singing. As Tom randomly started singing in Spanish, he dramatically turned forward - with the camera once again doing some dramatic zooms on him only. During this time, Amelia walked off the podium and made her way down one of the platforms. As he sang the word "blow" - there was a quick zoom out with the graphics on the screen re-enacting the screen breaking.

Can't get you out my head, you drive me insane.
Boy, I'm feeling hungry,
No, don't leave me starving.
Come, let me have a taste,
So sweet, got my sugars raised,
Take off the wrapper, let me have this lollipop.

As the pair of them started singing the chorus once again, they were both in different locations - with Tom still standing on the lollipop turntable which was now spinning around again - both parts of it. Tom started spinning while Amelia was positioned on the catwalk, with the three dancers in a row with her (one of them was in front of her, while the other two were behind her, they were all standing slightly off to the side of one another so they weren't covering each other's faces. The dancers looked slightly different to how they looked before, with all of them wearing black suit trousers, topless and oiled but with a bow-tie around their necks. The camera would then cut between the shot which was focused on Amelia and then back to Tom repetitively whilst the pair of them sang through the final chorus of the song. As the powerful brass came back in once again, the stage returned to its red state with white flashing around them. As they did this, the men moved closer in on Amelia Stone, who along with them did some fierce and sexual dance movements, with the dark figure of Tom out of focus in the background while the four danced together. During the final couple of bars of the song, Amelia then took turns dancing with each of the dancers, with all of them flinging her about the stage, with Amelia having her chance to get down and dirty with each of them.

Ah mmmm,
Give me this lolli-
Ah mmmm,
Give me this lolli-

The final line of the song saw Amelia being lifted into the air (like she was sitting on a throne) with a lollipop in her hand. She took a lick of the lollipop as the audience came in with a huge roar - the Beepean audience loved that performance and Britons back at home loved the risque edge to it - it was something that Britonisea hadn't tried before. The three men carried Amelia off the stage with Tom Bastion standing still in the background. "THANK YOU BEEPEE!" he shouted out. How will Britonisea do in Beepee? Britons were hoping for a great result, especially after the disappointment of the 96th WorldVision Song Contest.

by **Cakranegara** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 2:16 am

#21 - CKR
CAKRANEGARA

Nita Aziz & Jamal Alwi - Hanya Karna Uang

Language: Pemecutan Malay
Title Translation: Just Because of Money
Music: Nazzar Firdan
Lyrics: Jamal Alwi

Tune: Vita Alvia ft. Mr. Nurbayan - Pisang Raja

B A C K G R O U N D

Following the hype of the international singing competition in the country for the past years, the country's national broadcaster, Cakranegara Omerup Kompanya (COK) have a plan to join in. This plan have been circulated for months but to no action until recently. Head of Development and Creative, Daud Ismail Hassan, present the proposal for the broadcaster on behalf of the country to join one of the singing competition.

We were still considering which competition to joined at the time. But as WV Committee opened their submission first then there is where we going.

Daud Ismail Hassan

The preparation to the competition is relatively fast. No national level of competition was held. COK as the organizer decided to pick the delegation internally. But the tension arise as they can't agreed on one artist. In the end, two artists are selected to become their first delegation to the 97th edition of WorldVision Song Contest. They are newcomer, Nita Aziz and the national sensation, Jamal Alwi.

A R T I S T S

Born in a beach town, Lembar, the 23 years old Nita Aziz is a newcomer in Cakranegara music industry. She has started her singing career from early age. Joined local singing competitions from town to town, she had collected several winning trophies. At the age of 19, she was recruited by a local band, Nautica, to become their co-singer. She begin to sing from cafe to cafe, at the wedding ceremony and even in school/college art festival. With the band, she is also expand her repertoire and singing in several genres.

Nita Aziz

By the age of 21, she quit the band as she was focusing on her study. She graduated from University of Ampenan majoring in Business and Economy. Then she join the country's idol-like competition, Bintang Cakra. She placed 9th. She then turn to online platform and begin releases her cover of several hit songs. Her moved was catch by talent agent. She is given a 3 albums contract with Samalas Records. Currently, she had release 1 single from her upcoming self title album. Her single is entitle, Cemburu. It received a mixed review from critics although the public like it.

35 years old singer and songwriter, Jamal Alwi was born in Batukliang, a small town in Praya Islands Province. He has learn music and singing from age 4. His main genre is Campursari, a mixture of tradisional and modern instruments. He investing much of his singing career to preserve the genre which have been neglected by the youngsters. He begin to modernized it without losing the essence of the genre. And his effort have begun to showing positive result. Being productive under Gili Records, Jamal has releases 4 albums and more than a dozens singles throughout his career. He is mentioned as one of the Campursari legend together with another 3 of his senior. He is the youngest amongst them with the other 3 has reached their 60's.

Jamal Alwi

Because of his Campursari influence, Jamal Alwi have created his own signature style. He always wear a traditional headdress in every performance combine it with modern outfits such as jeans pants or a blazer. He is also kept his long hair although it never fall below the waist.

S O N G

The song "Hanya Karna Uang" was created exclusively for the contest. Jamal Alwi who is also a songwriter is given the trust to make the song that will represent Cakranegara in their debut. With his Campursari influence, Jamal decided to create an easy listening song that can make everyone move with it. The lyrics is made a little funny with everyday words that can be understand right on. He got the inspiration for the lyrics from his close friend who is unable to marry because they doesn't have the money yet to cover all of the expenses. This normal Cakranegaran issue brought to international stage is an intriguing situation. The relatable of the issue might be a good factor for the song.

As for the composer, Jamal choose Nazzar Firdan. They have collaborated several times. Firdan known as an expert for Campursari and Koplo music, both are a well-known local music in the country. He is quite fascinated with the song which make him easier to composed it. He choose to blend the Campursari and Koplo authentic composition. The result is an up-tempo song in a generally happy tune.

On the first hearing, Jamal give a few input for a better composition. The recording went success with some of the inputs added to the finished composition. Nita is also happy with the result. The song was then introduce on an online platform. It gets a generally positive reviews. The negative comments are pointing out the use of Pemecutan Malay to write the song lyrics instead of the country's language, Sakanese. Jamal defended that the use of Pemecutan Malay language is to give more appeal towards Pemecutanian audience and also to other countries in the competition who had a similar language roots. On the other hand, the organizer is satisfied and hope for a decent placement.

P E R F O R M A N C E

At the backstage, both artists do their last preparation before heading to perform. They are waiting for the cue as their time is approaching. Nita feel nervous as this is her first international performance. And singing in a stage this big is beyond her dream. As the performer from Britonisea finished their performance, the stage change its coloring to the color of green and blue, similar with Cakranegaran flag color. The postcard is also reveal to introduce the next act which is them, Nita Aziz and Jamal Alwi.

The intro start to play and both of them come to the stage from different end and join at the center. The seruling (traditional flute made of bamboo) sound can be here from the intro which is a strong influence of Koplo genre. The lights are so vibrant with the up tempo song. It dance away giving a series of projection lights which following the tempo of the song. Both artists are also dance together with the catchy intro.

The camera then focus to Nita Aziz as she sing the first stanza of the song. She looks sexy and attractive with a revealing embroidery flowing mini dress. She shake her body as she sing and make a connection with Jamal who is also continue to dance. As she sing, they are moving towards the center of the plus shaped stage.

Jamal become the center of the attraction as the camera focused on him while he sings the second stanza. He is wearing his signature style, Sapuk or Capuk, the traditional headdress, black blazer with white shirt and Cakranegaran-pattern sarong. While dancing, he make a gesture as if he try to seduce and convince Nita just like the lyrics on his part. While Nita sometimes give a badmood expression and it is successfully capture by the camera.

Bertahun tahun kita sudah bersama
Menjalin hubungan terikat dalam cinta (Cinta)
Namun sampai kapan ku harus menunggu
Kamu akan datang untuk jadi melamarku

Sabarlah sayang aku masih usaha
Biaya menikah tak cukup kan se-dollar
Bilang bapak Ibu harap sabar dulu
Aku pasti datang untuk jadi melamarmu
We've been together for years
In a relationship bound in love (Love)
But how long do I have to wait
You will come to be proposed to me

Be patient dear I'm still trying
The cost of getting married is not a dollar, right?
Tell father and mother please be patient
I will definitely come to propose you

An intermission music is played and both artists dance to different ways. They are attracting the crowd to also dance with them. And the music is surely a good dance music. The crowd are unconsciously move or shake their body following the music. In the middle of the intermission, Nita suddenly speak in a spoiled tone.

Abang, janji ya akan ngelamar?
Pastilah sayang
My dear, promise me you will proposed?
Absolutely, dear

The crowd cheering after Jamal firm answer. They seems to understand because the translation of their speech is shown on the screen. Nita smile and continue to sing the third stanza. Jamal then continue with the fourth stanza. The lyric feels like they are talking to one another.

Ku kan menunggu akan kedatanganmu
Ku sudah tak sabar tuk jadi pasanganmu
Tak perlu yang mewah cukup sederhana
Yang penting kita resmi menikah di KUA

Baiklah sayang ku turuti maumu
Esok ku kan datang untuk melamarmu
Bilang bapak ibu berikanlah restu
Ku akan resmikan engkau jadi pasanganku

I'm waiting for your arrival
I can't wait to be your partner
It doesn't need to be fancy, just a simple one
The important thing is that we are officially married at KUA*

Alright honey, I'll follow you
Tomorrow I'll come to propose to you
Tell father and mother (to) give (their) blessing
I will officially make you my partner

* KUA = Kantor Urusan Agama or Religion Affairs Office, it's a place where people can also officially married under the civil and religion law

They then replied to one another with a long humming voices before entering the chorus. They are stand far apart and still like communicating based on their gesture. Their voice then harmonizing at the end of the chorus.

Oh.....ha.....
Oh.....ha.....

Hanya karna uang aku jadi susah
Membanting tulang tuk bisa menikah
Hanya karna uang aku jadi bimbang
Menunggu lama tuk jadi dilamar
Smoga saja semua jalan dilancarkan
Hingga kita bisa menuju pelaminan
Just because of money I'm so troubled
Working hard to get married
Just because of money I'm worried
Waiting a long time to be proposed
May all roads be smooth
Until we can go to the aisle

At the second intermission, Nita dance sideways to the center of the stage. Her booty shakes makes the crowd cheering loudly. On the other side, Jamal is also dance his way to the center of the stage. They are both holding hands as Nita repeat to sing the third stanza. Jamal continue to nod while Nita is singing her part. Jamal then follow with the fourth stanza. Using affirming tone in his voice to deliver the message of his part lyric.

Ku kan menunggu akan kedatanganmu
Ku sudah tak sabar tuk jadi pasanganmu (Oh ya?)
Tak perlu yang mewah cukup sederhana
Yang penting kita resmi menikah di KUA

Baiklah sayang ku turuti maumu
Esok ku kan datang untuk melamarmu
Bilang bapak ibu berikanlah restu
Ku akan resmikan engkau jadi pasanganku

I'm waiting for your arrival
I can't wait to be your partner (Really?)
It doesn't need to be fancy, just a simple one
The important thing is that we are officially married at KUA*

Alright honey, I'll follow you
Tomorrow I'll come to propose to you
Tell father and mother (to) give (their) blessing
I will officially make you my partner

Both singers walk closer as they sing their part on the chorus. Jamal simply hug Nita from behind and they are harmonizing their voice for the last part of the chorus. Nita make a slow booty move as the song reached the ending.

Hanya karna uang aku jadi susah
Membanting tulang tuk bisa menikah
Hanya karna uang aku jadi bimbang
Menunggu lama tuk jadi dilamar
Smoga saja semua jalan dilancarkan
Hingga kita bisa menuju pelaminan
Just because of money I'm so troubled
Working hard to get married
Just because of money I'm worried
Waiting a long time to be proposed
May all roads be smooth
Until we can go to the aisle

The crowd are cheering, whistling and clapping as the energetic performance ended. Both are controlling their breathe as they are bowing. Happy with the positive feedback. 'Thank you, Norfolk Pinewoods!' shouts Nita. 'Tampiasih!' add Jamal using Sakanese language which means Thank you.

by **Alezian Union** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:32 am

"WHAT WOULD YOU?"
Les Bucinnoaises

Music: Ella Rismerounnie Dadon, Emilie Saltanaouinez
Lyrics: Harina Andvoolden Makarina, Selene Coultier Ancic

Head of Delegation: Marie Sal'ouien Salem
(Head of The Entertainment Production Team for the
Alezian Broadcasting Authority's Bucinnois Department)

Tune: Nishiwaki Yui - Kimi Ga Iru Kara

After MARLINA finished 14th in the previous edition of Worldvision, the Alezians spectating the competition breathe a sigh of relief due to the fact that she, although failed to meet the expectation of finishing in 10th place or higher, atleast returned Alezia to the left side of the scoreboard and hopefully returning towards an upward trajectory.

However, Alezians, being Alezians, are still concerned due to them thinking that MARLINA's results is still not enough to return Alezia to its once pristine reputation. Perhaps we need another Aziz-Lutfi Garanov? Maybe we need to rock the stage again? Perhaps. And with that question, the Pantabang Islander rock band "Les Bucinnoaises" were selected by the Bucinnois Subsidiary of the Alezian Broadcasting Authority (since according to the cycle rule, it's Pantabang Islands' turn.)

Members of Les Bucinnoaises from LEFT to RIGHT:
Emilie Saltanaouinez, Ella Rismerounnie Dadon, Harina Andvoolden Makarina, Selene Coultier Ancic

Les Bucinnoaises (or also known as Les Beau), which if translated from French (one of the recognized languages of Pantabang Islands, there are proposals to add it into the official languages of Alezia, since some North Alezians also speak it) would be "The Bucinnois Women", is a rockband of four women that calls Bucinnois their home.

Les Bucinnoaises were actually formed by the members' mothers in 1996 (Danna Corvandie Saltanouinez, Marie-Saint Rismerounie Dadon, Edelwijk Andvoolden Makarina, and Annamaryam Damien-Coultier Ancic). Even from that time, the band was a hit with Alezians, selling albums and albums. However, due to issues, the band had to broke up in 2003 due to personal issues. However, in 2022, their daughters continued where they left off, regathering and retaining the 90s feel. This is why the Alezian entry might feel like it's made from the 1990s. Bands that retain some of the old legacy are common in Alezia.

EMILIE SALTANAOUIEZ (Main Vocalist) was born in Las Araminhaes, Aramna, North Alezia on 16th of November 1991 to Lavrier Saltanouinez and Danna Corvandie Saltanaouinez (nee Calvinavais). Emilie's father was a Lieutenant in the North Alezian army where he got deployed to Bucinnois in 1987 as at that time, tensions between North and South Alezia were rising at the time where Pantabang Islands sat in between them. Emilie herself was born in Aramna because her mother was staying at Aramna while Lavrier was being deployed. They went to Bucinnois shortly afterwards. Emilie hasn't released any albums solo, but she has shown her ability to sing time and time again.

ELLA RISMENOURIE DADON (Guitarist) was born in Chouvitte, 7 kilometers away from Bucinnois' main city gate on 18th of August 1994. She was born to Alban Rismerounie Dadon and Marie-Saint Rismerounie (nee Croudine) Dadon. The family has been visiting Bucinnois from time to time since Chouvitte didn't really have shopping centres at that time, and then they fell in love with the city that when they were old enough, they decided to move to the center of Bucinnois. Sure, it's just seven kilometers away, but that's the gate. The center is much more further than that. Ella has a degree on accounting, and thus lived as a day-to-day accountant, who just happens to be able to play the guitar (since her mother taught her), and has competed in various guitar-playing competition.

HARINA ANVOOLDEN MAKARINA (Drummer) was born in Liljouvelden at the Ancic part of the Pantabang Islands which was under South Alezia at the time. She was born on 29th of March 1995 to Desmund Anvoolden Makarina and Edelwijk Anvoolden (nee Wijsderek) Makarina. At the time, protests were still strong in Southern Pantabang Islands asking for reforms in South Alezia, which were met with oppression. And such, a day after Harina was born, they escaped to North Alezia through underground tunnels in order to continue protesting under the protection of North Alezia. While discrimination against South Alezians were rampant at the time (Mukhlis only released a anti-discrimination law years later and only signed by Dariq Authoriq much later), Harina was a Makarina, which also has a strong community in North Alezia. As with the others, Harina learned how to drum from her mother, and with that learned ability, earned appreciation and finally a scholarship for the University of Bucinnois' Musical Artistic Department.

SELENE COULTIER ANCIC (Pianist and Computer Musician) was born in Evenhaveld at the Ancic part of the Pantabang Islands which (as in Harina's place) was under South Alezia at the time. She was born on 16th of April 1993 to Samuel Coultier Ancic and Annamaryam Damien-Coultier (nee Damien) Ancic. Her parents were also protesters like Harina's was. And they also escaped to North Alezia, but they did it earlier. However, the Coultier Ancic family received worse levels of discrimination at the time, as the name Ancic was deemed as a "South Alezian" name, and thus must be changed. The fight to keep the name continued supported by the support of her future band mates. Eventually, Selene get to keep her name. After the case, Selene got to watch her mother play the piano and combine it with coding on the computer where both were connected to each other. Eventually, she learned how to code and eventually became a coder and a pianist at the same time.

"What Would You?" is a song about someone questioning a person important to them about whether they'll give up or try to do everything again when the world went against them. The song feels like the singers asking a question directly whether they'll sacrifice what they had for the world's good.

The lyrics were inspired from the lyrical revolution that struck North Alezia in the 1990s, hence why some of the lyrics might be "strange" for some international listeners. Another aspect of the song that came from the 1990s is the fact that old computers were being used together to create the authentic 90s feel to the music.

For the electronic feel, an electrical keyboard is connected to an ARICO T16, which at the time was one of Alezia's best computers in terms of musical generating capabilities. For the song, Selene composed some of the "techy" part of the song in her own program written in MS-DOS, then exported the results to a floppy disk.

(The GIF was still processed at the time of us screen-shooting the social media...)
(OOC: Pesky Canva did it again T_T)

The performance starts with the camera viewing the stage from far away with audiences moving their flags left and right, most were Alezian and Beepeean flags. The performance starts dark, and suddenly, the song starts as the lights on the ceiling lights on and off alternatively and as the camera zooms in slowly followed by the lights lighting up slowly.

What would you...
You'd say to you...
When the whole world goes against you
and you have had it all...

What would you do?
Would you give everything up?
Or would you get up, rub your tears, and try it all again...

As the last word was sung, a camera pointed into Selene from the back typing "ARICO/PLAY.AUDIO -crash.sound-" and pressing enter on her keyboard, which also prompted the screen to crash on the viewer, transitioning into the ceiling camera showing Emilie standing alone on the front while the other three stood on the back with their instruments.

The view shows Emilie holding on to a standing microphone while jumping along with the beat. Along this, a video on the back started to appear, which shows a video of a car driving into the distance, drawn with that old-school style.

Living in the dark,
And your life begins to crack,
And you feel like, you're gonna cry...

Running from the lies,
And you're trying to be wise,
Preventing; what would be your demise

The camera changes its view showing Emilie in close-view stop jumping, and pointing at the camera, which then moved to the three accompanying Emilie's voice, with the camera then finally facing Harina playing the drum for that moment before the chorus.

Whatcha gonna do...
When you feel that everything's over for you,
You're running out of time

Either you; stop and give up trying;
Or stand up now, and retry!

A steadicam was used to view the group doing their thing on the stage. Emilie singing, Harina drumming, Ella guitaring, and Selene playing her keyboard, both the musical one and the computer one as she exchanges between the two back and forth. The three also did some "oohs" to accompany Emilie

What would you...
You'd say to you...
When the whole world goes against you
and you have had it all...

What would you do?
Would you give everything up?
Or would you get up, rub your tears, and try it all again...

The camera then views the performance from the top, showing the audience enjoying the song as well, flying flags from all around the world, then the purple from the video spreads down to the floor, making the floor filled with gradient of purple.

What would you...
You'd say to you...
If time ends right now, and every life went against you

Don't you dare stop,
Cuz you're doing it for love,
So get up, rub your wound, and start to try it all, all again...

The camera shows Selene playing on her piano, with the computer accompanying her, and then quickly moved to Harina's few sets of drumming. After that, the team stops a bit, before then starting again with the camera back at Emilie singing and jumping at the same time.

You kept wondering,
And you kept contemplating,
What you've done, you've been sinning...

You don't have your love,
Everything's gone, no more,
Your objective, has no more sense, no more...

The camera on the ceiling views and flies around the stage from left to right on, where the group plays their instruments to their best, and then before the chorus starts again, the camera "visited" Emilie for a while, before flying again

What'cha gonna do?
Where are your feelings bringing your heart to?
Are you leaving so soon?

Wherever, the place you're going to,
Whatever you're going to do!

A steadicam was used to view the group doing their thing on the stage. Emilie singing, Harina drumming, Ella guitaring, and Selene playing her keyboard, both the musical one and the computer one as she exchanges between the two back and forth. The three also did some "oohs" to accompany Emilie

What would you...
You'd say to you...
When the whole world goes against you
and you have had it all...

What would you do?
Would you give everything up?
Or would you get up, rub your tears, and try it all again...

The camera then views the performance from the top, showing the audience enjoying the song as well, flying flags from all around the world, then the purple from the video spreads down to the floor, this time making the lights purple as it "overfills" the stage

What would you...
You'd say to you...
If time ends right now, and every life went against you

You're taking risks
And you are going all in
Just keep on, rub your tears, and just try it all, again...

Then came the time for the guitar solo, where Ella ran to the front of the stage and plays her guitar, and as this happens, fire starts coming down from the ceiling which created a fantastic audience reaction

The lights then dim for a bit and the video slows down on the background, as the view on the television screen got divided into four, the first one for Ella, the second one for the computer screen Selene was using, the third one for Selene herself, and the bottom is for Emilie herself.

Selene was typing: ARICO/PLAY.AUDIO -loop-29-, which she plays on the keyboard. Emilie walked a bit from left to right, and after she sung a bit, Ella responded by a guitar strung

Whatcha gonna do?
Whenever you felt that everyone is putting your heart at doubt?

Whatcha gonna do?
Whenever you think it's all over for your feeble heart?

Would you give yourself up;
Or do it all again, spilling every bloodline ,
For what you've had...

The light slowly lights up again, the video speeds up again, and with the drum beats from Harina filling the entire screen, the camera transitioned this time to a steadicam that rotates around the team, where Emilie (in classic Eurovision style) looks at the camera for a bit.

What would you...
You'd say to you...
When the whole world goes against you
and you have had it all...

What would you do?
Would you give everything up?
Or would you get up, rub your tears, and try it all again...

This time, the ceiling camera was used to view the group doing their thing on the stage. Emilie singing, Harina drumming, Ella guitaring, and Selene playing her keyboard, both the musical one and the computer one as she exchanges between the two back and forth. The three also did some "oohs" to accompany Emilie. And as the last sentence was sung, the camera zooms in a bit to the band, then quickly zooms out.

What would you...
You'd say to you...
Hold on to my hand, hold on,
Don't you keep giving up

What would you do?
Would you give everything up?
Or would you get up, rub your tears, and try it all, again...

The band played their instruments a bit, before the camera zooms into the team again a bit before stopping. The camera zooms in three times before the camera zooms out and faded into Ella's guitar strung and then Selene typing : "ARICO/EJECT".

The band received a massive applause from the audience, which the band responded by saying "ATTHO'I! MERCI! THANK YOU BEEPEE!" The team bowed then left with some stage crew bringing the drums, keyboard, and the computer away from the stage.

WorldVision Song Contest 97 | NP BEEPEE | IC

WorldVision Song Contest 97 | NP BEEPEE | IC

Alone

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