WorldVision Song Contest 100 | Grand Final | Monterra KLS

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:27 pm

How many of you have been following the Games of the XVI Olympiad taking place in Prescott and Twin Cities?

We have graciously invited the two host nations, Electrum as well as Quebec and Shingoryeo, to participate in the 100th WorldVision Song Contest. In fact, this is not their first time in the contest, they used to be regulars back in the day!

Well, we have another announcement to make: The winner of tonight's contest will automatically win a ticket to perform at the Closing Ceremony of the Games in Prescott!

Which act do you want to see receive the honour? Be sure to get your phones ready and vote when lines open after all 28 entries have been performed!

Now, back to the show!

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:32 pm

22. ANTAHBRANTAHSTAN | إانتهبرنتهستن

Christina Louis - Nuisance
Tune: Edurne - Painkiller
m & l: Iqbal Hakim, Herry Sulaiman

Christina is a singer who recently won MGP Anta, being a rock-leaning singer, she never thought that she would win the MGP Anta competition (although in the past, Antahbrantahstan has sent rock songs before.) "Growing up listening to my father's rock record has made me so so excited to be singing a rock song like this. Sure it is pop-leaning, but anything will do." Christina chuckles. "I have to confess that my first exposure to anything rock-related was when my father blasted a Metallica record while my mother is away visiting her relatives. Momma was absolutely unhappy whenever he does that, but of course, he'll always find a way to influence me and make me channel my inner rockstar." She laughed. "Though during my teenage years, i was at this i-hate-rock-music-and-if-you-dare-play-it-you-die phase... My dad was scared and my momma thought i was going crazy. Puberty definitely turned me into a whole other person." She reminiscenes, taking some deep breath in-between.

"In university, my dad died, and i have to live with my momma... Sure enough, everything was very hard, and it was at this moment that i decided to take on offers to be wedding singers, club singers, and so on. The income is not very good, but it was OK enough to sustain both of us." Christina says with a slight stutter, "Flash forward to several years later, i discovered WorldVision Song Contest, my dad during his lifetime always despises them as something very kitschy and bland.. a big mass of pop trash" Christina smiles, "Until one day, i discovered that we sent something that resonates to the audience... sixaxis and that Mute song... It changed my way of thinking in how WorldVision appreciates rock songs, and i thought of giving WorldVision a try... but hey, what kind of producer will let a nobody like me sing their song?"

Christina remarked, "I actually applied to MGP Anta without a song, and from what i heard, the demo singer for this song dropped out due to creative differences. The broadcaster [RR] maybe thought that this song was too lit to be shelved, so, after waiting, they contacted me... and i was in a state of shock." She laughed. "Flash forward to today... This still feels surreal, but of course, i am more than happy to represent this splendid nation." Christina is now ready to represent Antahbrantahstan in the WorldVision Song Contest, especially since this edition is having a semifinal. "I love challenges." Christina says, "But i believe that it is necessary to challenge yourself before stepping towards a higher goal. Hopefully, i can bring the best ever result for Antahbrantahstan and make this nation proud." She concludes.

The stage is pitch black, save for several bursts of light popping from the screen (a la Chanel’s original Slo Mo performance), several seconds later, the stage now lights up. With the center of the stage having deep red laser beams shot towards the audience, forming a sunburst. In the middle of the sunburst stands Christina, smoky-eyed, wearing an unzipped, jet-black leather jacket, with accompanying leather strapless bra alongside matching leather pants and knee-high boots, surrounded by the red sunburst laser effects. Her entry making a spectacle for audiences throughout the world. Holding a microphone in her hand, and accompanied by live band. Her rough, accented voice resonates throughout the arena, lamenting about how much her partner is a difficult person to deal with.

Said you can do anything
Ain't nothing but one trick pony
You said you're an angel
You brought me closer to hell
Hey, hey, my imagination's are all ruined, ruined
I guess there's still time to run far, far
But that's okay, i wanna run before i regurgitate

Immediately after the chorus kicks, some stage flares lights up, with the laser effects gone, the LED screen now showing images of card suits rotating. Christina's jacket is gone, now letting her strapless bra and toned abs take the spotlight, much to the delight of sapphics and lesbians around the multiverse. Christina's hoarse, yet powerful voice takes the centerstage of the performance. However, during the "Hey!" parts, although not mentioned in the lyrics, the camera would shoot the backing singers at her side, before switching back to Christina, who would sometime walk around the stage.

Screw things up, that's your specialty
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
Does your brain got something faulty?
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
So hey, the greatest gift that i will always be grateful
Is for us to be apart
You're complicating things
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby

Now kneeling on the centerstage, the LED screen shuts off, now the laser forming a red-tinted conical effect around her. She seems to be very nonchalant about singing her love life to the audience, but she does not mind about manners whatsoever, for her stage is an outlet where she can express all kinds of thoughts she wanted, even the most unhinged ones. Though before she finishes singing the verses, she immediately stood up.

Yeah, this ain't gonna work out
I look forward to falling apart
I've spent all my patience
You're nothing more but a pestilence
Hey, hey, expectations are all ruined, ruined
I guess there's still time to run far, far
But that's okay, i wanna run from what i cannot tame

Utilizing the same stage effects as the first chorus. Christina feels all the energy that the audience has given to her, and would sometimes walk around the stage catwalks trying to interact with her audience, although the stage design made it impossible for her to do so. She is still very happy, however, and is immensely grateful about performing in WorldVision Song Contest. Singing with the same passionate rockstar voice that the television spectators have heard since the beginning.

Screw things up, that's your specialty
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
Does your brain got something faulty?
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
So hey, the greatest gift that i will always be grateful
Is for us to be apart
You're complicating things
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby

The bridge kicks in, accompanied by several bursts of pyrotechnics, Christina continues to sing about how it's messed up that her partner is such a nuisance that nothing of their qualities can be redeemed. Christina then belts out the high note in the bridge.

There's nothing more that i can save
Let's throw it out, it's so messed up
Or maybe this is a dream, can't be true, true, true

The final chorus enters, with the stage now engulfed in a variety of red colors, the LED screen being turned off and the stage being covered in a crossbow-shaped array of laser lights, accompanied by pyrotechnics. Christina sang her heart out in the final chorus, accompanied by her backing singers. She continues to sing with outmost intensity, to the point you can hear that at parts, her voice has become a bit hoarse, though it got masked by the sheer vocal control she got. Occasionally, the camera would show the stage in its full glory, the song reviving the audience's passion in the semifinal this song is ini (or for tasteless people, ruining the WorldVision experience). And soon after, the song ends.

Screw things up, that's your specialty
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
Does your brain got something faulty?
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby
So hey, the greatest gift that i will always be grateful
Is for us to be apart
You're complicating things
You're a nuisance, a nuisance baby

Christina laughs, very happy her performance is done as intended. She shouts, "Thank you Kalosia!!!" and storms off offstage, happily.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:33 pm

23. IZMEDU #IZM
Monika Gracin - The Promise
Tune: Christina Aguilera - Reflection (2020)

Part 1: In The Beginning

The irony about this entry is that even though she mostly sings in the first person, Monika Gracin knew that this song wasn’t speaking entirely about her.

The story behind the song isn’t necessarily about Monika herself. Indeed, she considered herself having struck relatively good fortune in comparison to many others in the Izmeduan music industry. Vodiznad-born to a musically inclined family, Monika’s fate seemed to have lied with some form of a career in the Izmeduan music industry especially as her predilection for soaring and melismatic vocals was discovered early on. Though her style of singing would be considered creative anathema in some parts of the Izmeduan scene, her vocal ability was consistently praised for her virtuosity and strength. This early identification was enough for Monika to try for the prospect of breaking into the industry via reality TV, particularly the show Istraziti Zvizdu, a long-running talent show dedicated to unearthing Izmeduan talent.

Given the amount of people that wanted in on the prospect of being a singer, Monika was one of many that participated in the show. Though she was flagged as a standout participant and as an early favorite to win her particular season, her story ended rather early in the midst of a sensational appearance in the bottom of the voting during an early week in the live rounds of the show. It was in that moment was where the seeds for Monika’s entry to the centennial edition began to be sowed, though the seeds were hardly because of Monika herself. Though she was roundly eliminated because of her limited appeal to the voting public, the story truly began when she met the person who was also at risk of elimination in that same week.

That person’s name was Roland Dimsic.

From what Monika could recount before she was voted off the show, Roland was cast as the nervous wreck of the show. However, the character that the show created out of the singer was far from an act. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling, Monika could easily recount cases of Roland’s acute anxiety to his habit of being withdrawn from the other contestants especially due to what appeared to be an ease of being socially overwhelmed rather quickly. When that barrier was put down and when Monika was able to have some sort of a conversation, beyond Roland’s silence and fear was a singer filled with an admirable and quiet conviction. Even moreso, there was a voice within Roland that begged to be let out every night, and Monika almost envied just how effortlessly powerful he was without so much as even years of grueling vocal training.

If Monika struggled to sell a song, Roland had the opposite problem. The latter had an overbearing earnestness, connecting so much to the lyrics that were so sentimental and mawkish and going so overboard to the point where it was crossing the line twice. Regardless of how corny or even insincere the message was, Monika was perpetually astounded at how her fellow contestant seemed to find a way to sell even the most overplayed of songs. Unsurprisingly, that uncanny ability followed by the unfortunate mixture of reality TV casting and reality itself confluence into something that didn’t surprise her. She was one of hundreds of thousands that witnessed Roland’s coronation into that year’s winner of Istraziti Zvizdu. Yet, in hindsight, it was only but an extended prelude into the tragedy that would herald the life of a singer she barely knew.

The story of Roland Dimsic followed an unfortunate pattern of many who won shows like Istraziti Zvizdu. Monika was only but a performer who placed 11th out of 12th in a field where her technically perfect vocals weren’t enough to garner voter attention. Such a low placing allowed her to leave the show intact, so to speak. She was able to quickly go back to her pre-show life with a marginally increased fanbase and more industry connections, which gave Monika some of the leverage she needed to position herself for WorldVision in the present day. In contrast, Roland was catapulted into a national spotlight he was not ready for, no less a life in the music industry that almost everybody in the know would dread. Not only was the attention intense, but the emphasis on long working days was also enough to doom Roland from the outset.

She had heard the stories. 14 to 16 hour working days, a PR and pop star boot camp. Just the descriptions were enough to paper over some of the grisly details, but it ultimately did not do Roland any favors. Her recollections over the rumor mill were murky at best, but she knew that it was enough to send the winner spiraling into a fairytale turned into a nightmare. What was supposed to be an album campaign from the winner ended up being shelved after countless rumors of Roland’s fracturing mental state. There was only one single released. The signs for the bombshell news were there, but it still shocked Monika to her core when she read the headlines after a slow year and a half after their season.

The very winner of that show was found dead, having taken his own life.

So much ink had been spilled about the news, but it was a painful reminder to Monika just how psychologically damaging the music industry was. That realization was a too obvious one to her, but having known the singer in their brief time together, she felt compelled to at least take a stand and investigate what had happened and what went wrong. Ultimately, the details of everything she had read and heard, from the whispers of the music industry grapevines to contracts accidentally leaked on the internet, made her question the mechanisms of which even her own limited fame was attained. Yet, what broke her heart was that nothing she could do would enact the kind of systemic change that the music industry needed.

All she could do that had even modicum of meaning was to make a commitment to keep his memory alive.

Part 2: A Long Road

It was in the wake of Roland’s death was where she could begin to understand what it meant to sell a song emotionally.

Because he had been such a quiet and withdrawn man, the details of his personal life were never truly excavated. The Izmeduan tabloids never really had an interest in juicing out the details of his life. It was within the unexpected nature of just how quickly he had gone was that reminder for Monika to understand what singing would mean at a guttural level. Not simply as a way to perfect her craft and show off to the world what she was capable of doing, but as an emotional expression that could articulate what regular conversation could not. Under that ethos, she would take on projects and singing demos as a session singer, making a modest but respectable living while being within the sphere of the Izmeduan music industry. She especially began to unconsciously select songs that expressed themes of self-expression and self-empowerment, especially as a way to stake one’s identity and a need to belong.

Funny enough, those were the same themes that her entry to Kalosia would be extolling. Her journey to stumbling upon “The Promise” was not filled with some of the same foibles, trials, and tribulations that often hit past Izmeduan entrants to the WorldVision and World Hit Festival stage. Much like Franjo Kozina, Monika wasn’t one to really write her own material nor was she particularly fond of buying into the singer-songwriter model. She was perfectly happy to sing whatever was granted to her, and it was through working on the regular as a session singer and being the voice behind a significant amount of demos was how “The Promise” entered her radar. The song had entered her life as one composed for an animated musical, being the first climactic emotional moment for the character and was meant to be the movie’s anchoring single.

“The Promise” was meant to have multiple versions. One sung by the character and another meant to be the pop release for radio airplay and general consumption. It was the latter that she was requested to sing. Though she expected to simply record the demo and be done with it, she unexpectedly found a particular resonance with the song, as if the song was speaking not just to herself, but also speaking to and for the singer she once knew. While she was recording the pop version, styled as a slower power ballad, memories of Roland’s silence and his ramblings of sincerely wanting to fulfill his dreams as a singer would fill her mind. This had completely turned Monika’s efficient process of inhabiting a character on its head, and she was forced to work through what she had largely been trying to avoid for the past couple of years. Her emotions would often get the better of her take after take.

The resulting product was a song that she was hesitant to let go of, to the point where she was hugely tempted to claim the song for herself and take a chance in being its true vocalist. Due to her non-existent artist profile, contracts ensured that a much higher profile name would take the fold and that her demo would simply be used as a template. However, Monika would let far more of her affectations in the demo than she normally would for any other, making the song ‘hers’ far beyond than what was necessary. Ultimately, good fortune would eventually befall her at the expense of the movie that it was being written for. Considering Izmeduan cinema’s sometimes limited marketing appeal coupled with the tendency for Izmeduan showbusiness to be awfully cruel, the animated movie that was attached to the song would ultimately fold just as the production was going to swing to the eleventh hour.

Lost in the shuffle was the existence of a song that was never going to be released. One of the movie’s composers had forwarded the song to “The Promise,” her commitment to the song having made it practically nigh impossible to find a suitable vocalist that would match what Monika was able to do. With the song practically in legal limbo and its parent movie no longer existing, Monika was happy to at least keep in the song in reserve, especially as no other willing vocalist had wanted to even lay claim to it. Though the song remained in lingo for a considerable amount of time, Monika couldn’t escape the desire to not just re-record the song and make it truly hers… there was also a desire to reimagine and revamp the song to something more triumphant and more in honor of Roland.

With the song now divorced from its narrative, Monika would get to work with other producers she knew of at the time to start a project that was intended to simply be for fun that began to snowball into the prospect of Monika actually making a debut on the national and eventually, international stage. Monika’s idea to make the song far more climactic and dramatic began to catch the sails of interested music industry heads and producers that saw opportunity in what Monika began to record. Ultimately, this confluence into Monika being scouted by RTI as a potential WorldVision entry, with “The Promise” being slated to perform in the 85th WorldVision Song Contest before internal politics cannibalized RTI’s operations.

The potential that those in RTI saw in the song was what kept the song alive, and that commitment to seeing the message and the song through was also what secured Monika’s commitment. The chance to perform in the 100th WorldVision Song Contest was seen as a last ditch effort to ensure that the song had a limelight while it was still relatively ripe in the consciousness of those within Izmedu. For Monika, she simply wanted to get the song out there before the opportunity was lost again. She wanted to do so in Roland’s memory, hoping that her message of promising to one’s self that their voice would be heard would resonate beyond simply herself and who the song reminded her of.

This was not an entry that she needed to sing. Nor was this a song that she needed to have for her career to continue. The exposure brought on by WorldVision was rather secondary to her.

However, what mattered to her was the message. She hoped that those in Roland’s positions, carrying dreams that risked being crushed by silences and cruel industries, would be able to take some measure of relief.

Their voices will be heard, that much Monika wanted to make sure of.

Part 3: May My Voice Be Heard

It was a surreal feeling to be performing in front of an audience again, especially an international one.

A battery of rehearsals was enough for Monika to get back into the swinging of live performance, but there was a different cadence in doing so for the sake of a song contest instead of a talent contest. Monika knew going in that not many in the audience would be invested in some sort of pre-made journey that Istraziti Zvizdu loved to construct for its participants. For that, she was glad. It was a freeing thought that allowed her to feel more comfortable as she went from strength to strength in rehearsals, allowing her to be a bit more lost in the music than being reminded of the persistent pressure to do well for the country. Indeed, thoughts of RTI’s messes and foibles faded from memory the stage hands got the entry ready. There wasn’t much to prepare except for Monika to get into position and for the graphics, scant as they were, to be queued. She would be ushered into the very center of the stage, right at the confluence of the two paths.

Monika inhaled a deep breath as seconds quickly ticked by to the beginning of the Izmeduan entry. It was heralded as the postcard zoomed by as she was recounting the lines one last time, singing the ad libs in her head and hoping that her vocals tonight would be up to task. From this moment onward, much would be left to chance and her ability to be able to sell the song. Before she knew it, stage lights would billow down to the Kalosian stage, flashing a brilliant white before settling into a pitch black darkness. She awaited the cue to begin, the anxious nerves and excitement of beginning awashing over her as she heard the soft instrumental that commenced the song. The melody was one that exuded vulnerability and for the viewers at home, this introduction was framed by a faint light that only just barely illuminated the singer. Monika’s head would be angled downwards as the camera floated closer to her, her body language exuding both the solemnity and emotional vulnerability that the song was expressing in those first few seconds. Before long, the instrumentation would quickly fade to allow Monika’s vocals to take center stage. Her eyes opened as the faint light began to intensify, catching the camera mid-way through and stopping it on its tracks.

“Hide away,”
That’s what I believed
And held so dearly
For so much of my life
Who I was
Never mattered to myself

Though her gaze held an intensity to it, each line was delivered with her trademark affectation. There was a strength that was palpable in each word, especially as she would hold a hand out in the first half of this verse. There was a light tremble to her hand and body, shaking her head at some points in reflection of the lyrics. Though she was playing to the cameras, there was a moment at the fourth line where they would begin to make a circle about her, making an early emphasis of how dark the stage still was. Only a spotlight shone on her as she quickly vocalized this first verse, her vocals intensifying especially at the fifth and sixth lines. The rotation was fairly quickly, the cameras catching the passion beginning to burn in her eyes as it seemed like the song would tease a picking up the pace. Bits of her vocal technique began to be deployed as she tried to exude a passion and determination in her eyes and body language, playing to the cameras in the lead up to the chorus.

“Stay quiet,”
I always whispered
Even if I yearned
To belong just as I am

That determination would soon give way to reflect the pain in the words she sang. The camera view would cut to one from the right side, with Monika now appearing to sing directly to the audience. Her face would clench in sorrow, eyes closed for just a brief moment as it looked like she was about to recede. She would be deliberately looking away from the cameras as she sang these lines, only allowing herself to face the audience and the world as she began to express a desire to reach out. Though there was passion in her delivery, there was now an earnest vulnerability in her expression once more. She would clutch a gentle hand to her chest for the fourth line, before letting that hand gracefully move to an expression that covered her face as the chorus ended. Monika would step forward just once in preparation for the chorus, the cameras beginning to fade to a wider view of the stage, especially emphasizing her lone presence against the darkness.

Oh, I want to be free
To feel seen, hear my plea
I will let my wings soar high
May my voice be heard

For Monika, what was on her mind were the memories of her early days of seeing so many chase for stardom in the Izmeduan music industry.

Her vocals danced around the periphery of showing a gentle sensitivity intermixed with the power she had been known for those that sought demo singers. Each line was delivered with that same passion from earlier, which the audience at home would most certainly catch especially in those much closer shots. Her movements was far more forceful, her shows of emotion far more pronounced as she moved through sorrow with a burgeoning hope of allowing her own expression and soul to be laid bare. This gradual increase of confidence that Monika was attempting to exude through just her singing alone was framed with the gradual illumination of the stage around her. Lights began to abound, allowing the audience both at home and in the venue to see the paths behind her beginning to be illuminated with gentle white lights, the camera shots occasionally being wide to emphasize the wide and grand scale of the stage. However, the focus was kept mostly on Monika’s delivery of the chorus, the scale of her vocals being kept intimate while at the same time showing the promise of something larger and grander. There were some lines where Monika looked close to letting out the full extent of her vocals. Yet, at the final line, she would hold back, cupping a fist at a higher note before letting her hand gently clasp at the microphone she was holding.

This promise
I’ve left unfulfilled
Was a vow of hope
To never lose myself
Now I swear
From my heart and soul
That I will not hide
This is the oath of my song

It was in here that Monika truly began to lose herself in the story of the song. Though the orchestra played a role in shepherding the truncated first chorus of the song, they were now playing a far greater role in the song as they began to further develop what was intended to be a mood of triumph and gaining self-confidence. Brief camera glances and shots to the orchestra pit, currently being conducted by Izmeduan composer Adam Katavic, underscored the growing intensity of the song. As this was done so, the stage would begin to be awash with more light, the darkness from the first verse and chorus being slowly replaced with the gradual appearance of the light fixtures that comprised the LED screens behind Monika. Timed to this was Monika’s greater determination in delivering the lines, in which she tried to push past the temptation to look downwards. Each move was one she made with both grace and power, Monika’s eyes gazing upwards to the cameras and the lights as she imbued each hand gesture with confidence to support her vocals and to tell the story of a woman beginning to believe in her voice. The entire time, Monika was careful to strike a balance between strength and vulnerability, navigating each word with both as much gusto and emotional sensitivity as appropriate. This second verse would go by in a relatively quick fashion, with Monika ending the last line with closed eyes and a hand held to her chest once more. A fist would be placed over where her heart would be as she began to take a step back, letting that same hand down as she vocalized a melismatic transition to the chorus. The cameras themselves would also quickly fade to a much wider view of the stage, adding a cinematic flair to the proceedings as the venue began to be awash in more light.

Oh, I want to be free
To feel seen, hear my plea
I will let my wings soar high
May my voice be heard
I won’t falter and fray
From my word, from my way
I will let my wings soar high
May my voice be heard

Now, Monika could truly let go.

As the chorus began, Monika would extend her free arm outwards to support the increased vocal power and herald a quick sea change to the mood of the song. What had been a silent vulnerability had now turned into a loud pronouncement of the transformation she hoped to undertake. Her vocals roared through the arena as she finally began to let loose the powerful, melisma-fueled vocals she was renowned for around the Izmeduan music circuit. Timed to this, the cameras would emphasize a mixture of close and wide shots, with the venue wrapped in a frenzy of lights and the pillars beginning to be used to their fullest extent. Each move that Monika made was now done with a far more forceful gait, and such a force only intensified the emotion both in her voice and expression. She would syncopate a balance of her powerful belt by ending some of the lines with a softer tone, though she never once relented. Some of the glory note moments, especially during the refrain of one of the song’s lines, would see the camera float just above her to note her powerful delivery. She nimbly navigated each line, exuding emotion but never once going over the verge of truly losing it on the stage. The second half of the chorus would see her try and balance this power with a bit more gentleness, but the song refused to let up as the end of the chorus did not allow even for a break. The orchestra behind her would begin to a light spotlight, beginning to set up the song for a more climactic chorus later.

There’s a dream I cannot leave
Behind
This hope I cannot ignore
And now I sing

The bridge to the last minute of the song saw Monika step forward, the cameras focused on as she continued to focus her gaze upwards. Though the intensity of her vocals relented just a touch, she did not return to the softer vulnerability of the first verse and chorus. The orchestra continued the song’s build towards the climactic final minute. Though the song’s pace continued to hasten, Monika went through each word with as much precision and deliberation was allowed with how fast this bridge would go. Her eyes remained closed through most of it as she would look downwards at the third line, the cameras teed up for the moment that would manifest at the final line. As soon as she began the final line, her eyes would open and lock the camera in place. Monika would arch her body just slightly back as she would end the bridge with both force and flair, her voice soaring to new heights as she ended the bridge and began the chorus by using her own vocals as the transition point. She would flourish her vocal technique, a clear effort expended on her part as her fists would clench and her body would tremble, but this was not at all the further extent she would go.

I will no longer hide
From myself and from my heart
Now I stand to face the world
This is my wish
I won’t falter and fray
From my word, from my way
I will let my wings soar high
May my voice
Be heard

There was no more holding back.

Monika launched herself into this chorus with an abandon and fire that was not seen in the previous stanzas of the song. No longer did Monika hold any inhibition as each line was filled with the kind of vocal affectations she was saving for when she truly needed to let out what each line meant to her. Her mind was cast back to the many hopeful auditionees and singers like Roland who let out their all in an attempt to have their voices be heard and for their dreams to come true. She used those experiences from years ago to especially fuel vocal acrobatics and ad libs that permeated through each line, her voice overpowering the stage and the orchestra, who would now only be framing her powerful vocals. She utilized every technique she knew from years of singing, with the memories from long ago imbibing those vocal flairs with the determination to be the voice of the very singers who have long faded from memory. Each movement she made, especially in the third, fourth, and fifth lines, was one of defiance and fearlessness. The cameras were interspersed with a mixture wide and close shots of Monika and the stage, the venue truly awash with lights that illuminated every corner of darkness. However, the attention was all purely on Monika filling the stage on her lonesome and with her voice. There was nary a graphic to carry on the story she was telling, and the cameras began to switch to more intimate and closer shots especially as Monika would continue to carry the second verse. She had lost herself so much to the song that it was to the point where there were moments during this chorus where it seemed as if she was on the verge of losing it, especially in the second half. No longer would she be playing to the cameras, her eyes sometimes closed, sometimes opened, and yet when the cameras caught her, her expression always seemed on the verge of losing control. Yet, Monika only toed that line through each tremble of her hand and each note she was navigating through. She would recollect herself at the second to last line, the cameras lining up for the shot that would constitute the song’s true glory note. Monika would get herself into the position as she began to sing ‘may my voice,’ and then arched her back as she belted out ‘be heard’ with the most powerful note she could muster. The orchestras and the lights receded as she held that note, her voice reverberating through the venue as she continued to hold it, her voice only being accompanied by the song’s percussion. As the beats would fall, that was when the venue’s lights would also flash alongside them. However, as Monika held the song’s climactic moment for as long as she humanly could, the cameras would remain close to her as the arena darkened to a nigh pitch-black darkness. The seconds would pass by, almost slowly, and soon, Monika ended the note with a clenched fist, letting it play straight through without any flourish or melismatic delivery. That fist would become a hand that she raised, her expression bearing relief as the lights upon her would darken, the crowd cheer filling the silence that would’ve normally followed. Thus, the chorus ended, leaving the arena in total darkness.

I will let my wings soar high
May my voice be heard

A soft light would illuminate Monika, the audience at the venue and at home now bearing witness to her clasping the microphone with both words. She would then softly sing the last two lines, a fragility and gentleness to her vocals accompanied by a lone piano that played the very melody of the song. She would look into the camera as she closed out the song, a look of vulnerability in her eyes and expression. She concluded the song with one last vocal flourish, taking a deep breath as the lights dimmed and the entry finally concluded.

It was not long until the arena was aglow with light once more, with Monika staggering back. She would shout a quick ‘thanks’ to the Kalosian crowd, being quickly ushered backstage as preparations for the next entry began. However, what was on her mind was the very person that she could not forget, even though she had only known of Roland even long before this entry was conceived.

She hoped that in some small way, that someone would find hope in the words she sang.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:36 pm

24. Elejamie

Los Hermanos Bailarines - Fama

Tune: The Supermen Lovers - Starlight

The last contest in Densmouth, Carrelie was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Achaean-Elejamian jazz singer Lucía Beltrán managed to crack the top five with the MH2 remix of her song Sin nombre, which managed to come in fifth place with 190 points; 99 of which came from the juries whereas the remaining 91 came from the televote. While it wasn’t really a favourite to win the competition the fact that it managed to finish as high as it did, only nine points behind Carrelie and three points ahead of Waisnor, was seen as a bit of an achievement. Even more so since the last time she was at the competition, all the way back in WV85, she just about snuck into the top ten with the jury before the televote kicked her down into twelfth place overall. On the other hand, much like the aforementioned contest, Lucía failed to get a single set of 12 points. The most she got as a 10 from the Alezian Union (who went on to receive their worst score with 97 points total) and from her other homeland of the Achaean Republic, although she would also receive an 8 from Yvesia as well as 7s from Filshia, These American States and Kalosia.

However, EB have also announced that WorldVision 100, alongside the upcoming Second Chance special edition, would still remain the country’s last contests “for the foreseeable future” despite the fact that a petition to keep the country in the contest ended up getting thousands of signatures. While they haven’t ruled out a possible return, they have also stated that it will possibly be a long time before the idea is even considered. Furthermore, Channel 3 has also declined to air the contest, ditto the regional TV stations. Regardless, they’ve also stated that they will still be involved with the International Broadcasting Alliance, whether it be sending more shows for them to consider airing to foreign countries or taking part in any competitions they might send. They have also stated that they might send an entry to the World Hit Festival at some point, although it remains unknown if it’ll remain on ETV Arts or if it’ll be moved over to one of the main channels.

Despite this, they also announced that the country will be represented at the 100th contest by Los Hermanos Bailarines, a band who were big in the 90s with the song No Coca Para Mi Por Favor and a small slew of follow-up hits but languished in semi-obscurity for the longest time until an expected resurgence in the mid-2010s brought them back into the spotlight. And, indeed, they had gone on a mini-promotional tour to promote their song Fama during the lead-up to the contest. First of all, they had made appearances on the Alezian talk show That’s Tea! as well as a spot on the Besenian morning show Ciao Besen, where they performed their entry on live TV simply to repay the favour after Jaza performed Heart to close out The Big Breakfast Show on Channel 3. Secondly, there was the Junterapten Pre-Party in Junterapten, Britonisea, an annual event where WorldVision entrants perform their entries, answer some questions and attend a party that would last from around 11:30pm-4am. Indeed, not only did they perform Fama there (sandwiched in between the Scotatrovan and Beepean entries) but they also answered a number of questions about their song, their band names, any previous WorldVision songs they liked and if they were going to attend the actual party itself, to name a few. For that last question, they did end up going but left at around 1am as it was getting late.

They would also perform a couple of concerts as well. The first was a sell-out performance at the Bay Theatre in Rowland, Titaniumland where they played Fama alongside other classics such as No Coca Para Mi Por Favor, Quiero Más, En Tiempos de Guerra, Efecto 2000 and El Mono. In fact, they played Fama again for their encore but with the main difference being that the audience were doing lead vocals and lead singer Omar Navarro Navarro was singing back-up. The second concert was a set at the Foundation Day concert in Saint Lucija, Malta Comino Gozo. There, their set was mostly the same as it was in Rowland but with a couple of songs taken out and a few more put in, namely Huevos Malvados getting its first ever live performance and a shortened version of their 1996 instrumental jam Muerte a Secuestradores to close out the show.

A screen-grab taken from the Malta Comino Gozoan Foundation Day concert, which aired live on BTV, a regional TV station for the tract of Burnett. (picture originally made by Malta Comino Gozo, TV stuff in the corners added by me)

Once they had done the necessary warm-ups and performances, it was time to travel to Monterra. A city that had hosted the contest four times in the past and, indeed, is now hosting for a record-breaking fifth time. It’s also a city that’s rather infamous amongst Elejamian WorldVision fans due to an incident that happened the last time it had hosted the contest but let’s not get into that. Anyway, the band had quite a nice time while they were out and about. Most of it was spent rehearsing for their song, not only trying to get the actual singing parts right but also trying to figure out how to choreograph it but also condense down the main elements of their live shows into 3¾ minutes. There were also a couple of quick visits to a local tailor to get their outfits for the contest made, which should hopefully drum up some business for them despite the band asking for some intentionally unstylish threads to wear for their big performance. But they still managed to fit in some sight-seeing, like a tour of the Archaeopoli ruins and a quick visit to the old town. They didn’t partake in the local cuisine much, if only because lead singer Omar Navarro Navarro, guitarist Gonzalo Navarro and drummer Deni Jamuri are all vegetarians and bassist Óscar Palacios didn’t want them to feel left out. All in all, quite a fun excursion really.

During a break, the band were asked what the song was about. While they had been asked that question at the Junterapten Pre-Party, as previously mentioned, Omar answered it again but in a little bit of detail. "It's basically about a bright-eyed person with ambitions wanting to make it big but they weren't that successful, all while a voice in their head keeps trying to warn them." And, indeed, the music video expanded on this idea with Omar portraying the character from the song (even going as far as to try and look at least 30 years younger despite it not being convincing at all), who arrives in the big city from the middle of nowhere and tries to apply for a whole load of acting and theatre gigs only to keep getting rejected. There was also a scene where he was invited to join something a bit more risque but fortunately he turned it down. Eventually, at the end of the video, he's just working in a burger joint and still acting like he's going to make it big one day. The music and the lyrics might not be as humorous as their usual fare but the video and, hopefully, the stage performance would be able to make up for it.

It probably also helped that, due to their country's top five finish last time, they had automatically qualified to the finals. Yes, they didn't need to go through the rigmarole of the semi-finals, something that had been instituted for this contest not only because of how big of an occasion it was but also due to the huge amount of nations taking part; whether or not it'll remain a permanent fixture, much like the televote, remains to be seen (although I personally have my doubts). Not only did this mean that they had more of a chance of people voting for them but it also meant that they also had the opportunity to get more points. However, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing either, as it meant that the contest had now been condensed down into the strongest entries so they had more of a chance of getting points as well. And it didn't help that they were following Izmedu, whose song is considered a favourite to win but got mixed reviews from the Elejamian press, but preceding a Malta Comino Gozo who are hoping to improve on their third place finish in Densmouth. Despite these fears, Los Hermanos Bailarines remained confident. After all, if they show any fears it could hamper their performance.

And so, after a lengthy rehearsal period filled with stunt practices and either changing or removing anything that they couldn’t pull off, coupled with the odd bit of practice to keep themselves occupied while the semi-finals were going on, Los Hermanos Bailarines take the stage to represent their country for what’ll be the last time. It could be the last time for a while, it could be the last time forever. Either way, they are hoping that, after twenty five appearances and one absence (brought on by their boycotting of the 76th contest due to the aforementioned incident) since their return in WV74, they will see the contest out with a bang. Will they be able to finally get it done? Will they come close but no cigar like a small handful? Or will they crash and/or burn like the vast majority of Elejamian entrants before them? Take it away Omar, Gonzalo, Óscar and Deni…

The single cover for Fama, intentionally designed to look washed out and hazy.

The postcard came to an end and the viewers at home were greeted with a shot where the fans watching made up the majority of it while the stage itself was in the distance, although the camera did slowly truck forward and tilt down so it could give it a better view. Not only could it now make out a number of flags and signs but it also showed what the stage was looking like. From the viewers’ left to right, there were two people standing next to each other with a microphone in front of them; one figure with a guitar right at the front; a figure behind a drum kit all the way at the back; someone with a keyboard in front of them and to their side, along with a frame on their other side; and another person with a different guitar. Despite the massive performance they were about to give as well as the circumstances, they all seemed to be fairly relaxed. After all, they had been performing together for a while and, to them, this was just like any other concert except they had to perform once. Maybe twice if they were lucky. Once the camera was close enough to the stage, the applause started to die down and the lights around the stage began to dim.

And then the song started. The camera then cut to a behind shot of Omar as he started to press a few notes on the keyboard in front of him. A few notes later, he picked up a mallet and hit the gong next to him. True to the band’s style, the gong immediately fell off the string and onto the ground just to remind the audience what they’re in for. Omar just looked down, threw his hands in the air in frustration and then ducked. A few seconds later, the camera then cut over to Deni who started to drum along to the beat. The camera then swayed to the right to show Óscar plucking his bass as he slowly moved backwards. As the camera moved back and snaked around the stage, he turned around so he was now walking forwards, but he kept playing his bass. And then, the master of pratfalls he is, he tripped and fell backwards, a look of fear on his face that was just visible to the camera. All of which segued into Gonzalo shuffling his shoulders while he played his guitar, which also coincided with the backing screen turning on and a picture of an Earth-coloured disco ball slowly got bigger until it filled up most of the screen. The camera then slowly raised and became an orbital shot of the stage which zoomed out, showing all of the instrumentalists playing their instruments, the backing dancers dancing in place and Omar crawling over to the mic stand at the front of the stage.

When he reached the mic stand, Omar slowly raised himself up so that he was essentially squatting. He quickly looked to his left, then to his right before finally standing up straight. He and his bandmates were all wearing the same outfit: A really tacky tuxedo consisting of a suit that was either a size too big or too small (or, in Omar’s case, the arms were a bit too long) but was unbuttoned either way, a frilled white shirt, an oversized black bow-tie and a pair of neat black dress shoes. The only difference was that each member was wearing a different coloured suit; Omar’s was black, Gonzalo’s was blue, Óscar’s was red and Deni’s was green. When it was time for him to sing, Omar grabbed the mic stand and tilted it to the left as if he was about to sweep it over. He sang into the microphone as he straightened it before he took it off the stand. While he sang into the microphone, he moved around the stage while he strutted his stuff before he came to a stop back where he started.

Heading into uncharted waters
It’s time for my big break
I can act and sing with the best of them
One day, I’ll make it

Then it was time for the pre-chorus. There were a few back-and-forth shots between Omar and his two backing singers. One of them was a blonde and the other a brunette but they were both wearing a matching red sparkly sleeveless midi dress, along with a pair of red stilettos where the heels themselves were only an inch off the ground. They were both also local to the area as well, which should hopefully give the song a bit of a boost with the local community. Anyway, during the first two lines, they pulled a few vogue-y poses as they sang, something that Omar was copying when it was his turn to sing except he wasn’t as graceful or stylish when he did it. Then, beginning at the third line, they turned around a little bit, moved their legs apart a couple of inches and then stuck their arm out so they could raise their index finger, moving their wrist as if they were telling something off. They did this again for the fifth line whereas during the fourth and sixth they just pointed at the crowd, lifted their arms up into the air and did a rainbow gesture with their hands stretched out flat. Omar, meanwhile, was just doing his thing where he danced a little bit with the mic stand and just wandered around the stage with the microphone in hand. There was also a bit where Gonzalo walked into the shot while he was playing his guitar but, just over a second later, he instantly noticed his mistake and walked backwards to try and get out of it.

(Vas) I can’t (a en-) wait for (-contrar-) my time (-te con)
(Un) I know (terri-) that I (-ble des-) will shine (-tino)
Hollywood will call my name (Te convertirás)
And I will call them back (como nosotras)
I have no idea what is next (Debes escapar)
It’ll be fun finding out (mientras puedas)
I can’t wait for my time (You are going to meet)
I know that I will shine (a terrible fate)
Hollywood will call my name (You will become)
I will be one of them (just like us)
I have no idea what is next (You must escape)
It’ll be fun finding out (while you still can)

Afterwards, there was a quick cut to Deni who drummed the next few beats with his hands instead of his sticks. There was a reason for that but we’ll get onto that in a bit. Anyway, when it was time for the chorus to start, there was a shot from the foot of the stage with the camera angled up. Indeed, when Omar sang the first line, there were a row of sparks shooting out from the pyrotechnics around the stage while the words “FAMA” burst out of the disco ball on the rear projector before fading out. Midway through the second line, the camera cut to a close-up of his face before cutting to a different shot of him singing. He then started to move around the stage while he sang, holding the microphone stand by the holder while he sang just so he could sway his other arm to and fro and in all different directions. In the meanwhile, the backing dancers were swaying their arms and their bodies as they sang and, whenever they appeared in the shot, Gonzalo, Óscar and Deni just played their instruments normally.

Fama (Fama)
Te vendo mi alma
Come de la palma
De tu mano
(Te poseerá)
Fama (Fama)
Mas alto que el Sol
Te daré el control
De mi vida
(Te poseerá)
Fame (Fame)
I’ll sell you my soul
Eat from the palm
Of your hand
(Will possess you)
Fame (Fame)
Higher than the Sun
I’ll give you control
Of my life
(Will possess you)

And then it was time for the next verse. Instead of concentrating on Omar singing the next verse, instead the camera cut to a full shot of Deni behind his drumkit. He pulled out a diagonal sandwich half from a box and started to eat it. It was just an ordinary cheese and tomato sandwich on white bread, nothing super fancy really. And he just took a normal-sized bite out of it, instead of anything big for comic relief or small just to sneak in a quick snack before going back to work. After he finished that bite, he was about to take another when he caught the camera out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head to look into it before quickly holding the sandwich between his teeth before going back to “drumming” with a panicked expression on his face, his movements not syncing with the actual drums. In all fairness, he had a nasty cut on his hand around the same time which made it difficult for him to hold his sticks, meaning the band had to use a drum machine for the first time in over 30 years, although fortunately it healed long before they set off to Monterra. Either way, midway through the first line, the camera returned to a close-up shot of Omar who was standing close to the microphone and shuffling on the spot while he sang into the microphone.

It’s been three months and no auditions
No phone calls and no agents
I won’t mind being used as an extra
In a bad movie

Back to the pre-chorus now. We then cut to a Dutch angled shot of Gonzalo strumming his guitar while he moved it back and forth before he rested his hand underneath the neck and spun the guitar round in a circle. Shortly after he got back to playing it, the camera cut to a close up of Omar singing before there was another cut, this time to the backing singers pointing in front of them before balling their hand up into a fist and pulling it back to their chest. From the third line onwards, the backing dancers went back to doing the same moves they did last time they got to this point while the camera mainly centred around Omar. After a sweeping shot of him, it followed him as he dragged the microphone stand around while he sang into his mic. At one point he went back to slow dancing with it and even leaned it over so the bottom of it was all the way up in the air, although he didn’t keep that pose for very long. When it was near the end of the pre-chorus he gently placed it down back where it was at the beginning and just sang normally into it, although he did dance a little bit on the spot and the camera angled itself so that the backing singers were in the shot as well.

(Te) I can’t (has en-) wait for (-contra-) my time (-do con)
(Un) I know (terri-) that I (-ble des-) will shine (-tino)
But I’m not gonna give up (Estos personas)
My time will come one day (te corromperán)
I’m not one to lay down and die (Todavía pue-)
No matter what they all say (-des liberarte)
I can’t wait for my time (You have met)
I know that I will shine (a terrible fate)
But I’m not gonna give up (These people)
My time will come one day(will corrupt you)
I’m not one to lay down and die (you can still)
No matter what they all say (free yourself)

Omar spun around on the spot and raised an arm in the air before he grabbed onto the microphone and started to sing the chorus. Once again the camera returned to the foot of the stage and showed everything at a lower angle as the row of sparks returned to set everything off. The “FAMA” returned out of the disco ball and, as the camera raised itself, Omar leaned back as he sang before he leaned forward and shook his head. After a quick cut to behind Deni, who hit one of his drums and let the stick do a flip before carrying on with his drumming (something that he tried to do during rehearsals but he kept dropping the stick, although it wouldn’t have been too out of character for the band if it happened here), Omar then put the microphone and the stand upright as the camera came for a closer look. As it slowly zoomed in on him, he turned around and sang into it. He even held it out as if he was about to ask the viewers at home to join in, although towards the end of his last line he put it down and straightened it out while the camera zoomed out and backed away from him purely to give him a small bit of room.

Fama (Fama)
Te vendo mi alma
Come de la palma
De tu mano
(Te poseerá)
Y fama (Fama)
Mas alto que el Sol
Te daré el control
De mi vida
(Te poseerá)
Fame (Fame)
I’ll sell you my soul
Eat from the palm
Of your hand
(Will possess you)
And fame (Fame)
Higher than the Sun
I’ll give you control
Of my life
(Will possess you)

It was then time for the instrumental passage. Omar quickly rushed away from the microphone and back over to the keyboard set-up he was playing earlier. At first he appeared to be playing them normally; sure there were a couple of moments where it looked like he was hitting random keys and pulling a couple of weird faces but, overall, it wasn’t too far off from how one would normally play it. And then a few moments into it he moved his right arm out of the way and lifted his right leg up so he could play the keyboard with one of his feet. He turned to his left and repeatedly pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard with his index fingers, lifting them off when he didn’t need to play them. The camera lingered on this shot, although it did rotate a little bit clockwise and then a little bit anticlockwise, until the rest of the music cut out and it was just the drums and index-finger notes. At that point the camera cut to Deni who immediately sat himself upright as he appeared to play his kickdrum, whereas Omar was hunched over the left keyboard with both of his feet on the stage. The camera went back and forth between the two every few seconds, moving closer to Deni’s upper half and Omar’s fingers respectively until the drums came to an end. When that happened, Deni was leaning forward as well but he put himself upright again. A second later, the camera then cut to an extreme close-up of Omar’s fingers playing those notes.

When it was his turn to sing, he moved away from the keyboards and ran towards the microphone before he dropped to his knees. He was fortunate enough to get a good slide going, unlike in rehearsals when he just stopped and nearly fell over. Of course, he was a little bit pained when he got up with a facial expression that read “not one of my better ideas” but it was still worth it. The camera slowly rotated around him as pulled the microphone down towards him and sang into it. He kept singing as he pulled himself up and, indeed, he just stayed in the same spot as he sang, although at different points he leaned to one side, tilted the microphone stand to one side, spun around and a whole load of other stunts as the camera mostly centred around him. There was one brief cutaway though, as it cut over to Óscar midway through the outro for a medium, Dutch angled shot of him doing a windmill with his arm before going back to plucking his bass, though the camera quickly cut back to him in the background and Omar being the main focus. When it was time to finish the song, he swivelled the microphone stand by the bottom before putting it back upright and walking away so he was standing in front of Deni and his drum kit.

Fama (Fama)
Te vendo mi alma
Come de la palma
De tu mano
(Te poseerá)
Fama (Fama)
Mas alto que el Sol
Te daré el control
De mi vida
(Te poseerá)
Y fama (Fama)
Te vendo mi alma
Come de la palma
De tu mano
(Te poseerá)
Ay, fama (Fama)
Mas alto que el Sol
Te daré el control
De mi vida
(Te poseerá)
Fame (Fame)
I’ll sell you my soul
Eat from the palm
Of your hand
(Will possess you)
Fame (Fame)
Higher than the Sun
I’ll give you control
Of my life
(Will possess you)
And fame (Fame)
I’ll sell you my soul
Eat from the palm
Of your hand
(Will possess you)
Oh, fame (Fame)
Higher than the Sun
I’ll give you control
Of my life
(Will possess you)

We now end with a picture in picture deal. The first picture, which is faded into the background, are the backing singers performing one last “Fama te poseerá” by themselves. On the first syllable they stick one arm out in front of them, on the second they did the same with the other arm, on the third they raised them both in the air with their palms stretched out and, on the fourth, they made an X symbol with their wrists before they made another rainbow symbol like they did earlier. In the main shot, Gonzalo and Óscar made their way over to Omar and stood either side of him just to get a group shot going. Indeed, Omar knelt down and made a pose like The Thinker, Gonzalo was also kneeling down but he was holding his guitar like it was a gun that he was aiming at an angle in the air instead of at anyone in particular (showing good trigger discipline there), Óscar just put his bass next to him and he sat down at an angle and Deni got up and moved his stool back just so he could rest his feet on his kit; fortunately he didn’t put any pressure on them so there was no risk of actually breaking them. The camera would then zoom out and truck backwards, which also brought the backing singers into the main shot, until the camera was far away from the stage and in the same position and angle as it was at the beginning. At this point, the Earth-like disco ball turned golden and turned into dust as if it had been Thanos snapped, whereas the lights around the stage began to dim. As did the backing screen itself when the last speck of dust on screen disappeared.

A couple of seconds later, the audience started to applaud and cheer for the entry they had just seen. There was a cut to the crowd doing exactly that, with a couple of flags being waved around and a quick shot of a sign that appeared to read “#DAZASTOPTHEWAR” as a reference to the Fatimanian declaration of war against the Philippines, although the camera then cut to a different shot almost immediately afterwards. It then returned to the stage, where Omar, Gonzalo, Óscar and Deni stood at the front of it and gave a couple of waves and a bow. Still clutching the microphone in his hand, Omar lifted it up and spoke into it. “¡Gracias Monterra! ¡Gracias!” He said, giving one last wave before going into his usual saying when it was time to end a concert, although hopefully he was hoping that he and his band would be appearing again later that night: “¡No pares de bailar!” With that out of the way, they got one last wave in before everyone disappeared backstage. Now that their song was over, it was now time to kick back, relax and wish Glen Ferguson and Kartha Gewart the best. And maybe have a few games of dominoes to pass the time too.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:38 pm

Nation Name: Malta Comino Gozo
Official Broadcaster: MCG 1
Tune: Mørland, MIIA - How to Lose Something Good
Song Title: Take It From A Man Who Knows
Artist(s) Name(s): Glen Ferguson and Kartha Gewart
Lyrics & Music: Glen Ferguson and Kartha Gewart

The rap risk was worth it with Malta Comino Gozo taking their first ever 3rd place in the contest. Even before the competition, the team knew the risks behind sending a rap song, a genre which was often lost on the Worldvision stage, but not this time! K-Lyn blew the Multiverse away, gaining two sets of 12 points from Alezian Union and These American States. It was safe to say K-Lyns career was heading for even more success after Worldvision with "
Laughing Stock" charting at Number 1 in MCG, Alezian Union and These American States and number 8 in the Plangainer charts. Welcomed home by hundreds of adorning fans K-lyn was adorned with huge cheers and flowers at the airport.

Kartha Gewart was born in Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo in 1991. From a young age, she had always had a keen interest in singing, taking part in many school musical numbers, often being the lead singer in the choir. At 16 she sang at her first national holiday celebrations singing on stage in Santa Lucija centre in front of thousands of people. It was at this celebration to mark the Foundation day of their country that Kartha was noticed by her now record label. Sorny Music. From then till now, Kartha has gained national and international fame, with her number one hit "Army" which shot to number one in the charts in more than 16 countries. She has since had numerous hits in the top ten of the charts. She has always been a solo artist but has sang with Glen before on numerous occasions and she was a backing vocalist for Glen for several months during his early years as a singer and the two remain very good friends.

Glen Ferguson was born in 1980 in Swittar Malta Comino Gozo, a tiny town located 2 miles from the capital. Ferguson started his career, as a song writer co writing with Malta Comino Gozoan producer Jay Amaro. In 2008, he released his first single "Atlantic " which made it to the number one spot on the Malta Comino Gozoan charts. It led him to be nominated "Best Newcomer" at the 2008 MCG Music Awards. Glen is also one of co founders of one of the largest rescue dog shelters in MCG founded in 2014, he has helped raise millions for stray dogs and help feed rehabilitate them, and re-home them.

The paired gained international success when the two singers sang at Worldvision 82 in Tiferet, Ertzei Kishim coming in 6th with "Serenity" and becoming the first MCG act to gain over 200 points!

17 contests later and the pair were itching to do it again! Kartha and Glen approached MCG at the same time MCG were discussing inviting the duo back! Having become of the most famous acts in MCG history, despite not winning, but because of one of the most impressive stagings in WV history, the team in MCG1 were eager to bring something incredible to the table. Presented with the brooding piece with real darkness to it, a beat-heavy ballad and an anthemic touch about it, the team were blown away! Few writers can knock out a belter of a song like Glen Ferguson, and this is a great example of that skill. The local press was full of praise and admiration saying "It starts really well and just keeps getting better. A proper singalong chorus, big production underneath it all." Performing after an impressive 3rd place achieved by K-Lyn in WV99 the duo knew what they had to do.

Ferguson wrote this about self-esteem and being worthy of the kindness of others. He explained that the sentiment can relate to a man or a woman."This song is saying that if a man/woman doesn`t treat his man/woman right, they will not put up with it and go find someone else who will. Love and respect should be mutual."

Kartha and Glen

In order to promote their song for the centenary Worldvision, the duo performed their song in front of a 6,000-strong crowd at the Santa Lucija Foundation Day Concert in MCG to celebrate their nation's 622nd birthday. Glen knew how to work for the crowd, and when joining forces with Kartha Gewart, they brought the house down. The pair took to the stage to perform the world premiere of their new duet, 'Take Tt From A Man Who Knows', in a performance that local press called 'the rebirth of music's newest power couple. The event took place on the actual beach, which comprised of a huge outdoor area with a tent-shaped stage, a VIP area on the Mezzanine floor behind the stage and multiple bars. The area was full of palm trees, fairy lights and a sunset backdrop progressing into a night of dancing under the stars; the atmosphere was electric. This was Kartha's first time performing on this stage in years, on the very stage she was discovered on back in 2007! The event would see various past MCG WV artists and also see international acts from the likes of Elejamie, Carrelie, Waisnor, Alezian Union, Beepee, returnee Titaniumland, Achaean Republic, last contest winners Britonisea, Todlichebujoku, Aenglide, Polkopia, StrayaRoos and Filshia.

The couple would then perform in Avon, Elejamie and Doportedas in Britonsiea to help promote the song. The song charted at number 1 in the official MCG charts, number 8 in the WV Hot 10 charts in Llalta, 10 in Carrelie and 16 in Besen.

Prior to the contest, MCG reached second place on the official odds of winning the 100th edition of WV.

*Thanks Besen*

Click the image above to check out Glen and Kartha competing in Sumo Wrestling in Monterra ahead of the contest.

Malta Comino Gozo had never competed in a Worldvision in Monterra before, the only time they had been here was for WHF 52. It was certainly an honour to visit the city that had hosted the contest five times before, the last time in Worldvision 75. Glen, Kartha and the rest of the team would indulge themselves in the city visiting many attractions such as the Monterra Tower. Since its opening in 1975 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kalosian republic the Monterra Tower stood as one of the tallest free-standing structures in the multiverse. It’s been attracting visitors with stunning views of the city ever since. Located close to the waterfront, the Tower acts as the central point of the city. It provides a general point of reference for those needing help with special orientation. Understanding where you are in relation to the tower makes getting around Monterra much easier. With multiple viewing platforms, you can get some pretty impressive views of Monterra at 550m above ground. Depending on the weather, you can catch a glimpse of the city in different elements. Bathed in sunshine, glimmering with night lights or shrouded in fog. Luckily for the MCG delegation, it was a bright day. Their favourite activity though despite the viewing platforms was sumo wrestling, in which they filmed an episode of "Out and About", A popular daytime TV show in Malta Comino Gozo that explores the various day-to-day activities of local celebrities.

With WV 100 heralding a considerable influx of countries, returnees as well as debuting nations, it was soon announced the implementation of two semifinals. Under the rules announced by hosts Kalosia and the Worldvision Committee, having finished 3rd in Worldvision 99, Malta Comino Gozo would automatically qualify directly to the grand final

Kartha and Glen waited backstage with members of their team. Most of them were talking amongst themselves but Kartha and Glen were intently watching the parade of nations commence. First was Saviera and their entry, Song Contest Troupe who walked down the stage with the flag of their nation. Kartha looked at Glen and gave a nervous smile. Her heart was pounding in her chest but she felt more excited than anything. This was the moment she had been waiting for for several years, and she was going to enjoy it as much as possible. Glen too stood there composed but deep down, he was nervous too. He itched his brow. Despite performing at Worldvision before it didn't stop all the nerves from getting to him a bit. Numerous countries proceeded before Alezian Union was announced. The bright yellow flag of The Alezian Union was projected onto the screens. Glen and Kartha held their breath as Malta Comino Gozo was announced next. The elated audience cheered as their nation was presented. Draped in a thin delicate white top and dress which reached her knees, Kartha walked down the stage alongside Glen who wore a fantastic dark blue suit the pair blowing kisses to the camera as it approached them. The parade for each nation was over in a matter of moments but it was best to make the most of every second. Although each participant only had a few moments of screen time, they continued following the Kalosian flag bearer carrying their flag and waved happily toward some of the members of the audience as they passed by their flag-waving proudly on the LED screen behind. Eventually, they were escorted to backstage again where they both let off some steam and jumped with elevation and hugged members of their team as other nations' performers were presented.

KEY: Glen Kartha Both

The stage is completely dark and covered in a layer of smoke. The background is also completely pitch black. The audience waits in anticipation for the act to begin, not knowing what to expect. As the song begins, the stage remains completely black. Her eyes gazed into the audience with intense concentration. She felt the camera's gaze right at her as she prepared herself to sing. As Kartha begins to sing a white light shines on her, showing her face and nothing else. Other than that there are no other lights in the arena apart from a couple of glowsticks and phones from the audience. She is pale white, almost ethereal, and the cameras zoom directly on her face as she sings. As the song carries on, a series of white lines appear and fill the screen. Gradually, as the pattern builds, more and more of Kartha becomes visible so we can now see her beautiful dress. In the back behind Kartha, Glen is hidden by the darkness and the smoke.

The only way to prove that you're a good sport is to lose, Ahh
What one loses, one loses; make no mistake about that

The camera then rotated itself slightly to Kartha's face similarly to some music videos that focused on close-ups of faces. Then the camera took a cinematic, close angle as Kartha looked towards the audience and a sea of mobile phone lights. We then cut to a bird's eye view before a body shot of Kartha. During this verse, the huge LED screen at the back shows an old retro black and white cartoon of Kartha and Glen wearing the same outfits. (It is actually them but with a very old animated filter.) The view is from a close angle and Kartha can she can be seen reaching toward Glen's chest and what looks like her breaking his heart. Glen's expression is one of heartbreak. The cartoon fades into black. The stage cam pulls back as Kartha takes a step back into the shadows at the back of the stage.

Take it from me
A woman knows what a woman can do to a man's lonely heart
It's the start and the end, if you don't stay away from me
And all the dirty games that she plays she plays

The spotlights shine lightly now on Glen. As Glen sang the first line of his verse, you could see that he lowered his eyebrows, with his voice getting slightly lower as he tensed his free hand as he sang. There was a camera shot of his clenched fist. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The stage lights now changed to a deep yellow light which made his skin glow. His voice rang out with resonance and strength. There was a slight forlorn tone to his voice and a huskiness that belied sadness and experience. He sang with his eyes half-closed as the camera angled itself to catch a closer view of him, making sure to be strategic with the views to let the lights reflect with a haunting elegance. His face shined against the myriad of deep yellow spotlights that had begun to shine against him.

"After the long days of being so alone, the pain ebbed. I thought I would feel the knives in my back forever, the long blades slicing into such sensitive flesh. There were days my brain felt electrocuted, so violently defocused and the pain, the emotional pain, was so all-encompassing I simply existed as a matter of will power. They say you come out of these things stronger, and I guess that's true, but you come out wiser too. I still have my loving heart, I am proud to say. I still have my idealism and courage. I still take forward leaps whether I can see the ground or not. But this heart, it's not for everyone, it's not for the ones who threw the knives, forgiven though they are."

Don't fall under the spell of her eyes boy
She's not looking at you
Take it from somebody who knows
Take it from a man who knows

Glen finishes his verse, the camera closing into his forlorn expression and drops his gaze and turns. Kartha re-enters a glowing spotlight shines onto her, and the lack of eye contact resonated with the lyrics it acted as a warning, it wasn't natural to avert your gaze from the one you love. A cold atmosphere develops between the pair's body language. The lyrics were referring to the breakdown of the "relationship". "There is a kind of broken person that seeks love in a relationship and then uses that person as their stress relief. They keep them close then strike out with force. It is their way of venting. And so if this happens to you if you are their "most precious" and their punching bag (verbally or physically) - get out. Get out before the breakdown comes, because recovery from such things takes a very long time." The duo then positioned themselves centre stage facing the audience as the verse ends.

It's the way she is now
She walks in and the fighting begins
If you value your heart
Take it from a...

The chorus breaks and the LED remains dark, 4 spotlights swipe upwards on the stage to some audible cheering and the camera pans around the stage from left to right. The stage is slightly brighter to distinguish the chorus from the verses but still somewhat moody. The camera fades to them as they passionately sing "Just how to have a broken heart" the pair turn towards each other to sing the line, Kartha's expression is unphased whereas Glen's is one of sadness. They begin to stretch their free arms out towards one another but sharply drop them back down as they turn to face the audience again as if the pain was too tough to talk about. Their voices compliment each other so well, and they harmonize beautifully.

Take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man... who knows...
Just how to have a broken heart
Take it from a man who knows

The lighting dims back down ever so slightly, the stage still dark and dimly lit in a golden glow as the camera focuses on Kartha. She sings with no remorse for what her character is doing. Her somewhat hypnotic soft voice captures the attention of and mesmerizes the listener.

Listen hard and listen close
I got it down to an art. Ahh

The camera pans to our right and with constant eye contact with the camera throughout, Glen sings, his voice regal with the sound of reason and nobility, his voice has a commanding, yet relaxed sound, that gives the impression of calm control.

Keep on thinking
Thinking she won't leave now.. Ahh

The chemistry now builds between the duet. They both sang their lines with conviction, towards the frontal camera before they turned to one another and locked eyes with each other. Glen's brown eyes, though downcast, shone. The stage camera now focuses on Glen. His body was hunched over slightly, and his watery eyes were slightly closed trying to hide the pain, but the way he sang the lyrics was innate. With one hand clasped on the microphone, the other reached out towards Kartha who did the same. The camera now turns on the spot towards Kartha as they sing "I'm so sorry!" her vocals every slightly overpowering Glen's.

You know the writings on the wall
That's how you lose it all
You're waiting patiently
But it don't work like that
I'm so sorry!
There's just too much going on here so... so...

The stage is suffused with a golden, undulating light. The camera is perched on the stage floor looking up towards the duo. The pair cross paths, like two feral cats meeting in an alley about to fight, their eyes locked onto one another but with a deep forlorn expression etched on both their faces. They have their backs turned to one another for a split second, as they turn towards one another the camera fades out to a boom camera which swings from left to right above the heads of the audience. In the audience, various national flags can be seen waving gently.

When did the words all start to blur?
And make the points too hard to see?
The writing on the walls
In every place, we had to be

As the chorus breaks the stage edges illuminate and fill with white which pours into the centre stage like molten lava and causes a massive burst of warm golden light from the back LED screen right on the chorus opening. The audience is cast in a gentle sunset-like light with a mix of orange and yellow hues as the camera swings towards the stage. The camera quickly cuts to the pair on stage, singing towards the camera with passion before they turn to each other for the third line as the camera fades to an above shot that comes down towards the pair standing centre stage, beneath them a bright golden light on the LED floor casting its rays. The chorus wraps up with another close-up shot of the two singing toward one another again before another fantastic shot hovering above the spectators. Leaning on her multi-octave vocal prowess, Kartha effortlessly combines her own emotional depth and substance with the sounds of their entry.

So... Take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man... who knows...
Just how to have a broken heart
Take it from a man who knows

Glen walks away downtrodden from Kartha still supporting her but now quite softly as the camera and spotlights now focus on her once more. Looking towards Glen off camera as if speaking to him Kartha sings elegantly. She turns to the camera that's steadily approaching her.

Now you... understand
I'm gonna break the rules that the girls all play by
Now you... understand
You've nothing left, as it's gone too far...

The song now becomes more subdued with only a basic synth sound now perforating the arena and the lights in the arena have turned off leaving the centre stage lit in a dim yellow. Dry ice now floats across the floor of the stage. With a Steadicam circling, Kartha follows it around. She follows it around, pivoting in her current position. She doesn't lose any eye contact with the camera. As she finishes her solo lines she pivots to her left after completing a full 2 spins towards where Glen is standing shrouded in darkness only his silhouette can be seen.

Take it from a woman... who knows...
Take it from a woman... who knows...

Glen who was cast in darkness gets a dim orange spotlight shone on him as he joins Kartha in singing the next verse, his voice tainted by a bittersweet optimism. The pair now stand back to back just to the back of the centre of the stage, the camera revolves around them before the camera pulled out ready for the big crescendo.

So take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man..
So take it from a...

The golden yellow lights envelop the stage LEDs and stage lights the second the big crescendo hits in a massive whoosh motion as white-gold pyrotechnic fire from the ceiling elegantly behind them. It was the sort of yellow that glows from a homely hearth, the sort that warms you just to see it, even before the steady flame from can bring a glow to the skin. The dry ice dissipates and we can see a broken chandelier has appeared centre stage on the floor (which was brought on by the stage hands while the dry ice was there). The duet stand on either side. The chandelier from a time of opulence and emotional indifference now sat there sadly. It epitomises stamina and fight power and is a premonition for your need to release and channel your emotions.

Now in Maltese for the first few lines, Kartha and Glen belted out the lyrics to the song with as much passion as they could muster, the camera and the stage taking centre stage for the perfect duet. Their voices echoed and reached out through the whole arena. Just like they practised in the rehearsals, Glen's voice is slightly deeper this time as he lets Kartha take on a bit more emotion in the next lines which she sings slightly higher so her voice could be heard slightly more clearly above Glens. The camera fades from the boom camera to a close-up body shot. Kartha held one hand to her chest as she arched her face upwards, looking toward Glen. Glen does the same before the pair stretch their free hands towards one another, over the chandelier, the camera fades to just their arms and hands, their hands struggling at first but then delicately touching. They take each other's hands, locking fingers while gazing deeply into each other eyes. The camera circles around the outside of them. Just before the last 2 lines which are accompanied by prerecorded vocals which echo "to have a broken heart" the pair let go and walk together slowly in front of the chandelier. The pyro curtain ends and 4 golden spotlights whoosh down onto the singers before the stage gently fades into darkness for the instrumental, just before all the light goes we see the pair embrace as the song ends and the lights fade to darkness.

Ħuha mingħand raġel... min jaf...
Ħuha mingħand raġel... min jaf...
Take it from a man... who knows...
Take it from a man... who knows...

Oh, take it from a man... who knows...
Just how to have a broken heart
Oh, take it from a man who knows..

There is a brief pause in the pair's embrace before they parted to deafening cheers from the arena, with flags and banners waving across the ecstatic crowd. They held hands and bowed, and viewers could see a slight tear in Kartha's eyes. They had done it. It was simple but effective, with no fancy staging just deep emotion attached to the story their doing was representing. "Thank you so much Monterra," they spoke softly. The pair walked away from the stage and engaged joyfully with the rest of their delegation. Elation, joy, relief, and fear hit them, this was the 100th WorldVision Song Contest after all and winning would mean so much to them and their beautiful little group of rocks in the sea.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:40 pm

Languages: English

Music: Jetlelvolka
Lyrics: Lila Knusvelde

Tune: Timoteij - Vild

Introduction

It went down slightly in Densmouth, Carrelie, the city which had hosted the 99th Worldvision Song Contest, the Worldvision before the grand centennial contest. Tönbaduos singer-songwriter Marja Bjárnidoter was sent as Aenglide’s representative, and sent her song “Þe élsk fðú?”, Aenglide’s first song in purely modern Aenglic. After an enjoyable night, Marja went on to get a respectable twelfth place, which was a good score but was the worst placement for Aenglide since Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo. However, the Aenglish public were greatly accepting of this score as they had just been coming out of a 2nd place with The Mercantiles in Beepee and of course, a literal win with Jannix & Eva Kújlora on home soil in Keterig, Aenglide. So, it did not matter where Aenglide ended up, not much to the Aenglish public anyway, as long as it wasn’t a horrific placing, and near the top. At the end of the night, Aenglide had scored a decent 157 points, which saw Aenglide and Marja Bjárnisdoter taking away a 12th place. It was not as desired, but alright none-the-less. Marja ended up being quite happy and cheerful about how her classic style disco-pop song had turned out though, and she was proud of her achievements in Worldvision. She was incredibly happy to have performed and represented her country of Aenglide.

Jetlelvolka

The girls from Jetlelvolka walking down a Kéterig street. From left to right, Anna Önaholm, Lila Knusvelde, Karla Olavssen

Jetlelvolka, which translates roughly as “Girly folk music” in Aenglic, is a ethno-inspired hyperpop supergroup from various villages and towns across the eastern Aenglish province of Adǽni-Irjaðvus. The group consists of three girls from musical backgrounds. From left to right in the above image, is shown: Anna Ônaholm, who is a self-proclaimed master of playing the flute (and any wind instrument for that matter); Lila Knusvelde, the lead singer of the group, who is also the band’s songwriter; and Karla Olavssen, background and second singer of the group. The band’s general genre and musical style is everyday girl group pop, infused with ethnic Aenglish (and sometimes Hööra) musical elements which are incorporated into their songs. Generally, they produce music in Aenglic, but for their Worldvision song, they decided to sing in English. The national broadcaster ÆTV thought that it was a good idea to send Jetlelvolka, as their music mashes local Aenglish culture with radio-produced pop music, a great blend of something unique to Aenglide while something accessible to the rest of the world.

Love In The Wind

The cover for Jetlelvolka’s 2022 single “Love In The Wind”

Love In The Wind, seen on the StrayaRoos Music Charts, taking third spot.

The I-MCG Top Ten Chart of Malta Comino Gozo, with Love In The Wind taking tenth spot.

The 2022 single “Love In The Wind” from Jetlelvolka as mentioned is one of the band’s rare English songs, and will be Aenglide’s ninth ever entry in the Worldvision Song Contest. While the song itself is rated nicely by the Aenglish public, the song has notably made itself on the StrayaRoos’ music charts, topping at third place on their charts. Also, the song has been publicised in Malta Comino Gozo as Jetlelvolka were invited to perform in the island country prior to Worldvision for their national Foundation Day alongside many other acts performing in the 100th Worldvision Song Contest. The song had also made an appearance on the Malta Comino Gozoan charts - placing tenth on their local charts along with various songs from Worldvision and World Hit Festival. The song is about a deep admiration and a connection with a lover, surrounded by beautiful nature, as told by the writer of the song, lead singer Lila Knusvelde. It’s a great reflection on the great natural beauty that Aenglide has been gifted with, from the magnificent mountains, to the picturesque northern lights, Aenglide is proud of its nature and are keen to preserve it for many generations.

Foundation Day in Malta Comino Gozo

Promotional poster for Malta Comino Gozo’s Foundation Day, which features Aenglide

Before Worldvision, a handful of musical pre-parties and performances prior to the main contest were made to celebrate the 100th Worldvision Song Contest, including Britonisea’s Junteräpten, and Malta Comino Gozo’s Foundation Day, the latter that Aenglide’s act Jetlelvolka were invited to perform at. Thanks to the newly opened direct air connection and the firmly established WMCA observer state connection between Aenglide and Malta Comino Gozo, travelling to the islands was made incredibly easy for the band. Upon arrival in Malta Comino Gozo, the band were able to make brief visits to some of the top Malta Comino Gozoan tourist sites before the performance on Foundation Day.

On the day in which Malta Comino Gozo was celebrating their foundation, Jetlelvolka was ready to perform amongst other performers in Santa Lucija who were also performing in Worldvision, along with Worldvision greats from Malta Comino Gozo such as most recent Malta Comino Gozoan winners Monsieur Disbelief, and 5ive, who had performed at the 98th Worldvision Song Contest in our very own Keterig. As Jetlelvolka was ready to perform in Santa Lucija, the location of their performance, it was known that the king of Malta Comino Gozo, William Rossi, was to be watching and listening along to the acts, so there was no time for Jetlelvolka to disappoint, and instead they wanted to perform as well as they could. In the end, it was a great performance and many locals, including some random Aenglish people within the crowd, cheered the band on, and it made for a wonderful Foundation Day for the island kingdom. Jetlelvolka had a great time in Malta Comino Gozo but it was unfortunately a short stay as they had to make their way back to Aenglide to prepare for Worldvision itself. Aenglish Worldvision fans had really hoped that this performance would give a boost to the popularity of their song.

Performance

Jetlelvolka had found themselves in the city of the 100th Worldvision Song Contest, Monterra, Kalosia. The city of Monterra is a big name in Worldvision history, as the city alone has hosted Worldvision a remarkable four times before, making the grand milestone of the Centennial Worldvision Song Contest the city’s fifth hosting. Due to the sheer number of entries participating in the centennial contest, it was decided by host broadcaster RTVK to split up the contest into two semi-finals and one grand final, with a few automatic qualifiers waiting for us in the grand final. The semi-finals system is a first in the history of the Worldvision Song Contest. Because of this, this contest would be massive for the Arenë Mediteranika, the host venue of Worldvision, as well as Worldvision fans from all across the metaverse. The night of the second semi final was going to be a big night for the band, going from a local Aenglish pop group to performing at the grand milestone for one of the metaverse’s largest events. It took a lot of courage from Jetlelvolka’s members to accept the fact that they were performing at an event this large - but they were willing to do everything they did, especially to be able to qualify to the final, and ever since Aenglide’s entry into the contest, Worldvision is something that the lead singer Lila Knusvelde has always dreamed of doing, so finally, this is her chance.

On the semi-finals night of Worldvision, Jetlelvolka and Aenglide were set to perform relatively early, in the 4th spot of the second semi-final, which was locked in between the schlager-loving nation of Beepee and a classic rock performance from Adab. Jetlelvolka had done many rehearsals and had practised their performance many times, but were nervous for the actual thing. Through their anxiousness and heavy thoughts about qualification into the grand final, they all started to remember that this is what they worked hard to perfect, and that the ending is going to be worth it, as long as they perform as best as they possibly can.

The Beepeean artist Norma Deen was let off of the stage, as the lights were turned off. The Aenglish postcard is shown to all of the arena, and while this is happening under the darkness in the arena, Jetlelvolka are called onto stage. Getting onto the stage was very easy for the band as Jetlelvolka only really had to take on their signature wooden flute, which the flute player of the group Anna Önaholm was easily carrying in her hand. Hard work had happened behind the scenes as for Jetlelvolka’s performance, the stage floor was covered in fog and mist, to give the effect that they were in the clouds. Jetlelvolka also wanted wind machines for their performance, so the Kalosian stage technicians quickly resourced two of them and placed them both in front of the stage, directed at where the members of Jetlelvolka would be standing. After all, the song isn’t called “Love In The Wind” for nothing, and they needed something to make some wind.

The members of Jetlelvolka take their positions on a stage shrouded on floor mist, in a pitch black arena. Lead singer Lila Knusvelde takes the front, and both flute player Anna Önaholm and background singer Karla Olavssen stand on either side of Lila. Once the postcard for Aenglide had concluded, the entry was introduced and this caused the stage lights to light up the arena and the members of Jetlelvolka to be revealed, with the audience heard to be cheering loudly. They were all wearing white dresses and this fashion choice would be crucial to the staging later. The music begins to play and the opening shot shows the camera pointed at Anna, playing their trustworthy flute (however this is just part of the show, the real flute sounds are pre-recorded in the backing audio). In this part, the lights are dim and only focused on her. This carries on for a few seconds until the drop hits and all of the lights rise up bright across the arena, and the camera shows all of the members of Jetlelvolka standing on the fog-covered stage. Shortly after, lead singer Lila Knusvelde begins to sing the first verse. During the first verse, the LED screen behind the band reveals various timelapses of Auroras of green, purple and pink hues light up the Aenglish night sky over snow-capped mountains. This captures the natural and wild feel of the song.

The cold breeze fills the open air, and it flows through me
Oh oh, the beauty of nature, when the trees start swaying
You’re standing over there, overlooking the hill
Gloriously elegant
I’ll stand ever so still

The chorus begins, and the audience can be heard in the background cheering. For the chorus, the quiet wind machines at the front of the stage start blowing onto the stage, and this helps the effect of the wind, which is what the song is all about. It blows around the stage fog, and it also blows and waves around the white dresses and the long, blonde hair that each of the members of Jetlelvolka have. The cameras show all of the band in one frame, and in the chorus they begin to walk forwards together, and smile at the audience.

The calming wind, it caresses my hair and lightly lays by me
Never like a storm, always gentle enough that it moves my dress
The calming wind, and you always tell me how nice I am next to you
This is truly love in the wind

The stage glows in many lovely aurora-like hues of various light greens, purples and pinks and matches the LED screen, where it is showing auroral lights. This fits very nicely with a mention of the northern lights within the lyrics of the next verse. There are even lights that start to project gradients of these colours on the white dresses. After the chorus, it goes back to a nice instrumental of the flute, and Anna is seen playing the flute but still shows a shot of the whole group and the LED screen behind them. The wind machines then lay low in the next verse.

The sun says goodbye and the stars are lit, at the end of the day
Oh oh, and the northern lights shine bright, you could watch them with me
The colours glow amazingly on a night so still
Gloriously elegant
I’ll stand ever so still

The chorus is sung for the second time. After hearing some uproaring cheers from a few audience members in the first part of the song, all three of the members of Jetlelvolka can be seen smiling, and so far they feel satisfied and happy in their performance. Much like the first chorus, the wind machines begin to come on again to blow onto the stage, moving the fog and waving the girls’ dresses and their hair. The camera captures them coming together in one frame of the stage, and they start to come together to look distantly in the crowd. The beaming lights light up the arena for the chorus.

The calming wind, it caresses my hair and lightly lays by me
Never like a storm, always gentle enough that it moves my dress
The calming wind, and you always tell me how nice I am next to you
This is truly love in the wind

Shortly after the previous chorus, a second one is sung and lyrics-wise, is exactly the same as before, just without “the calming wind”, shortened to fit with the tune. The camera then shows the girls walking away from each other, before briefly showing the audience, which is full of many flags, many colours and many people. When the audience is shown in the camera, a loud uproar is heard from them.

It caresses my hair and lightly lays by me
Never like a storm, always gentle enough that it moves my dress
The calming wind, and you always tell me how nice I am next to you
This is truly love in the wind

The song comes to a bridge part, where the lights across all of the arena are dimmed very lowly. The arena and the stage are dark at this point, but not too dark as they are still visible, with the back LED wall showing a black screen. Also, the wind machines are turned off here. This is because the bridge is where the song is sung calmly. This is except for the three girls of Jetlelvolka, who are each individually being beamed on by slightly lighter lights which are pointing at them, which are shown all in a close up, especially lead singer Lila Knusvelde. They are all shown with their heads looking at the distance while they stand on the fog which crowds the stage.

With you by my side, I know I will
Gloriously elegant
I’ll stand ever so still

The song has come to the final chorus. The lights in the arena all brighten up to make for a great ending. The LED wall shows bright northern lights, with auroral hues being projected on the stage and on the girls’ white dresses. The wind machines have turned back on to, like all of the times before, blow the stage fog around for a wind effect and moving the fog and waving the girls’ dresses and their hair. They are all shown looking at the distance before a few seconds later when all three of them look into the camera. Lead singer Lila Knusvelde even blows a kiss and winks while looking into the camera. This action gets a bit of audience reaction, which is audible.

The calming wind, it caresses my hair and lightly lays by me
Never like a storm, always gentle enough that it moves my dress
The calming wind, and you always tell me how nice I am next to you
This is truly love in the wind

To end the song off on a powerful note, Lila Knusvelde and background singer Karla Olavssen sing this part with all of the strength left in their voices. Also, the lights are made very bright as they beam all across the audience and onto the stage. When the last line is sung, the audience screams cheerfully for the band, who all are seen smiling wide in joy.

It caresses my hair and lightly lays by me
This is truly love in the wind
Yeah, this is truly love in the wind

Anna Önaholm, the flute player, plays her flute at the end of the song to conclude the song, and the music ends. The lights are brought down and dimmed. There is a great screaming cheer from the audience, and the camera shows a wide shot of the stage, which quickly becomes a shot of all the band, and then a close up of the lead singer Lila Knusvelde, who says to the audience and the people watching at home, “Thank you Kalosia!”. They all hug eachother in stage in so much shock and happiness as the performance that they had all been preparing for with many rehearsals and practices came to an end. Before the performance, lots of flowing emotions had run through the group, and them knowing that they did not need to worry about any of that was a major relief for them.

Jetlelvolka scurried off the stage as the lights became dark for the entry from Adab. When they united back together in their delegation area, they all came in for one big hug in celebration of their achievement, as they had just performed on the stage which lots of people worldwide had their eyes on. Anna even had tears weeping out of her eyes. As they sat down to watch the rest of the performances of the night however, they all had another thing come in their minds, the results that they would achieve. Well, only time can tell from here.

Qualification

This was the night of the second semi-final of the 100th Worldvision Song Contest in Monterra, Kalosia. All of the entries had been performed and it is currently around the time where the interval act is being performed. All of the international delegations in the green room in the Arenë Mediteranika were getting ready to face the big reveal of the entire night - which entries were and weren’t going to the grand final. It was a general look of nervousness as some countries would be fortunate enough to receive their ticket to the grand final, while some entries would have to say goodbye as they would be left in the semi-finals, failing to qualify.

The semi-final two interval act performer Hatsune Miku had just left the stage, and had introduced the most nail-biting part of the night - the grand reveal. All of the delegations from each participating country had scared looks on their faces, as this could determine how well the country did in the contest. The Aenglish delegation, as well as Jetlelvolka were keeping eachother tight in comfort as they were all nervous for the reveal, like everyone else was. After all, the opportunity of qualifying to the grand final was only available for eleven competing nations. In total, the semi-final had twenty-three competing entries, so statistically, just less than a 50/50 chance of qualifying. However, many fans around the metaverse had agreed that out of the two semi-finals, semi-final two was the stronger semi-final, in terms of the quality of the entries. The presenters began reading out the country names.

“Erie-Arcadia”.

“Beepee”.

Two countries had been called out. There was some heavy applause and cheering for the first two countries, but Aenglide had not been named yet. Despite only two countries having qualified so far, the girls in Jetlelvolka became increasingly more nervous and nervous the reveals went on.

“Ethane”.

“Spiritual Republic of Caryton”.
Four countries were now called out. The Aenglish delegation became increasingly more nervous, but kept their eyes peeled on the screen of the qualifying nations. Jetlelvolka were starting to become anxious.

“Togonistan”.

“Aenglide”.

There it was. Aenglide’s name being the sixth country to be called out. It lifted all of the girls from Jetlelvolka as well as the Aenglish delegation up off of their seats in the green room. They cheered incredibly loudly, and there were some reactions from the audience too when Aenglide qualified. They all got into one big group hug, as their worries instantaneously vanished, and it was only happy and exciting feelings from them.

Tweet from ÆTV, celebrating Jetlelvolka’s qualification.

Front page headline on mediaby.ae, an Aenglish media website, congratulating Jetlelvolka.

Everyone in Aenglide that night was ecstatic as soon as it was known that Jetlelvolka would be advancing forward to the final. Later, the running orders for the grand final were announced, and it was revealed that Aenglide would be performing towards the end in the 26th spot, between two friendly WMCA member nations, Malta Comino Gozo and Carrelie. Many Aenglish Worldvision fans were satisfied with the later performance placement for Jetlelvolka.

Aenglish journalists were on the scene after Worldvision, trying to find Jetlelvolka for a quickfire interview. When being asked if they were to do anything different for the grand final, whether that be staging, or very slight changes in the lyrics, Lila Knusvelde, the lead singer of Jetlelvolka had this to say.

”No, we do not plan on doing anything different for the final. It will be just like how we did tonight.”

Jetlelvolka have confirmed that the performance for the grand final will be similar to the performance in the second semi-final.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:43 pm

Isabeau

The STC wanted to go all out for Carrelie's Worldvision 100 selection. As such, they decided to scrap Melodifestival entirely in favour of something bigger, more involved, and far greater. HitFest was the order of the day, with 2 semi-finals and one grand final featuring an international televote, it would surely pick the best entry for the massive nation. Discussion flared over the months it was shown as to who would qualify and eventually who would win the contentious pre-selection, and eventually consesus came that the winner would be either island nation Arland, musical juggernaut Douria or cultural blender Dovéne.

The final was unlike any other. Dovéne was an early riser in the jury voting, but was soon unseated by Douria while Arland languished near the bottom. When the metaphorical dust settled and the final televote was read out, Douria was the clear winner. The world rejoiced with Isabeau as she came up on stage to deliver her reprise...

Jacques

Jacques was the love of her life. Never in a million years would she stop loving him, and she would want to be with him each and every day for the rest of her life. Their romance was flourishing and perfect, and Isabeau felt she would be a dunce to refuse his proposal. Soon, they were married, and soon they had welcomed a child, April. Everything was perfect, and as 2015 turned into 2016 Jacques landed a high-paying job in some big corporation. Soon enough, he was being called on business trips and the like all over the world, and while he couldn't take Isabeau or April with him he would always keep in touch.
Until that fateful Densmouth trip.

All Isabeau could do was sit and wait. Her husband wasn't returning her calls, nor responding to her texts, which gave herself and her daughter April a great amount of anxiety. She contacted the police, but they were little help for the mother and daughter. She couldn't even eat, wandering aimlessly through her Pont-Sainte-Hélène house, just waiting. But eventually, she was contacted.

Jacques was dead. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

Isabeau spent the next few days crying. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into a month. She tried to stay strong for April, but sometimes she just couldn't. She was a helpless girl in a world stacked against her so violently, and she needed a release. She tried writing, exercising, all manner of different activities, and found that everything just reminded her of him. She had almost given up when, spurred on by her now toddler daughter, she decided to try singing. She began with a near miss, but soon grew to love music. Soon enough she was rebuilding her life, brick by brick, with music. She worked with charities and volunteered in her spare time while looking after her daughter, the light of her life. And sooner enough still she had begun a Youtube channel where she would upload clips of her singing popular songs, from John Lennon's Imagine to Vian Genamman's Wo bist du, Watermann?. She still dealt with grief, the memory of Jacques still hung over her at times, but it felt more... manageable. Things were looking up for her when she penned her first song, and she soon became a rising star.

Destination Worldvision

Radio Dourie contacted her in late 2021. They were planning something big for Worldvision, and wanted her to be part of it. At first, she was hesitant - she wanted to stay with April, after all - but she eventually accepted the offer. Soon, she, her brother and April set off to Densmouth for the first semi-final of the HitFest competition. She blazed through the semi-final with what was later revealed to be a massive 41 points, and high marks from every jury. She was elated going into the final, and even more elated when it was revealed she had won.

She took up the mantle of Worldvision entrant with a certain glee. Immediately she set up a tour, going throughout Carrelie, Waisnor, Elejamie and Malta Comino Gozo to promote her Worldvision song and entry. She saw sights thought impossible to her before, met people she would remember forever, mingled with the stars. Soon, Ta chanson would breach the top 10 of many countries' charts, including her home where she fought with the Songfestival winner for the top spot (and eventually won after 2 weeks). As she travelled the world, she kept the memory of Jacques alive and dedicated each and every concert to his memory. After all, she'd be nowhere without him.

Performance

And soon she'd reach Monterra. It'd all been building up to this moment - this was it.

Expectations were high as Isabeau walked onto stage. In front of the world, hundreds of millions, if not billions of eyes were set upon her, expecting the performance of a lifetime. Isabeau was always renowned for her extravagant fashion, and while it was more toned down here it was still somewhat out there. The outfit, which was teased at the MCG Foundation Day Concert in June, consisted of countless broken glass pieces assembled into a disco ball-esque jumpsuit. Her makeup was done immaculately with fierce red and black tones, and her hair was done up in a loose bun. To the side of the stage stood 3 backing singers, each dressed in a slightly less extravagant, though still very Isabeau, jumpsuit. In the centre of the stage was a grand piano, with a man dressed in all black at its seat.

The orchestra began as Isabeau took her position, the shaded man playing a few notes on the piano...

I had always belonged in your arms
But a vile force took you away before I could see your face in my heart
And on the day when you had to pass
My heart cried its tears and I could never let your name leave my lips ever again
Oh, we were history but I never did forget
Not a million years, not in a great while
But I still couldn’t see bright until I’d see you again

As the first verse progressed, Isabeau gradually lowered herself to the floor, almost curling up in a ball with her microphone little rays of light illuminating her. After the first 'again', she lifted her head up suddenly to face the audience, which was looking on expectantly. She placed her hands on her knees, almost scraping one of them unintentionally, and began to ascend, a camera following her attentively. Going into the chorus, she leaned back on the piano, glancing at the man playing it before looking back at the audience. All light escaped from the stage, save for one spotlight above her. She sang softly.

I could never forget
Oh, I’d never forget
You knew it was only ta chanson, tes souvenirs
Now I need you again
But I can’t get you again
It’s forever and always ta chanson, tes souvenirs

Her voice began to pick up, projecting across the arena. She started sauntering over to the platform using the walkway kindly provided by the hosts, followed by the spotlight. It was his song, and Isabeau was determined to make it home. Blooming like a flower, her grace seemed unparallelled in the venue, her elegance unmatched. The screens on the floor began to show a collection of polaroids which Isabeau was carefully stepping over, leaving a trail behind her.

It was always your song, always ta chanson, çés sänge
I had prayed on my knees and I had hidden my pride
And I’d surely not live after the day that you died
But I see it all clearly now
And I’ve learned how to live and move on
Baby, baby

The camera followed her from above until she stopped on the stage. At this moment, the perspective switched to one in front of her, facing her head on as she built to the chorus. The screens in the back began to show rain, washing away the memories Isabeau was so desparately holding onto. During the last 3 lines, more spotlights began to shine onto her outfit, reflecting light all over and scattering it into the audience. Her movements became more impulsive, more sudden and enthusiastic. This performance would ultimately decide Carrelie's fate at the 100th contest, and the weight of the entire nation fell onto her shoulders as she went in for her second, more enthusiastic chorus. At its beginning, the view once again changed to a spider cam zooming into the little platform stage Isabeau found herself on.

I could never forget
but I’d never forget
You knew it was only ta chanson, tes souvenirs
I still want you again
But I can bear it again
It’s forever and always ta chanson, tes souvenirs
I forgive and remember ta chanson, tes souvenirs
And it’s all coming back, c’est ta chanson, tes souvenirs now

What followed was a brief instrumental, during which she strolled back onto the main stage and the spotlights found their way onto the piano and its player. The piano shone in the light, and the piano's varnished mahogany texture. Isabeau herself was followed by one principal golden spotlight, which did end up directing some light towards the audience. The pre-chorus that followed featured a wide array of instruments for its short length, and the conductor Véronique du Pallars dutifully swept her string, though she too undoubtedly felt the international community had its eyes on her.

There was no room for error, and Isabeau did her best to transition to the next, softer chorus smoothly. She made herself smaller, came closer to the audience, before lying on the floor as a vortex surrounded her on the screen and lights of white and gold reflected towards the seating, roof and undoubtedly the stage itself.

But every now and then I’m huddled on the floor
And I need someone to hold me now forever
But I know I’ll get up and you’re forever in my heart

I could never forget
Oh, I’d never forget
You knew it was only ta chanson, tes souvenirs
Now I need you again
But I can’t get you again
It’s forever and always ta chanson, tes souvenirs

What she sang was undoubtedly the truth - she wouldn't forget Jacques, nor his song, nor the moments they shared. She would continue loving him and dedicating records to him for the rest of her life, though this dedication gave her a sense of insecurity. It would always be his song, but how long could she go on before she had to let go? As she transitioned into the next bridge, she again began to pick both herself and her voice up, projecting across the arena. She traversed to the back of the piano as fog began to flood in, pulling out steps from under it.

It was always your song, always ta chanson, çés sänge
It had always been you, it’d been so hard to let go
To grow and accept is to so consciously know
But I see it all clearly now
And I’ve learned how to live and move on
Baby, baby, baby

In a few steps, she was up on the piano, ready to give the refrain of a lifetime. The fire was once again in her eyes, though a closer look by the camera (which soon zoomed out) revealed the effect of mascara streaming down her face. All eyes and lights were on her, and wind began to blow through the stage as Isabeau let her hair flow. It was in this moment she realised - it wasn't just his song, it was hers too. She had a critical part to play in continuing Jacques' legacy, and she would not let this go to waste. She began to belt out across the arena as the chorus came in in earnest and the back screen turned around entirely to reveal a lighting fixture centred entirely on her.

I could never forget
but I’d never forget
You knew it was only ta chanson, tes souvenirs
I still want you again
But I can bear it again
It’s forever and always ta chanson, tes souvenirs
I forgive and remember ta chanson, tes souvenirs
And it’s all coming back, c’est ta chanson, tes souvenirs now

And with the chorus over, it was time for the crucial ending. She sat down on the piano, tears streaming from her face as she was near overwhelmed with the weight, the joy, the brilliance of it all. It was their song, and she would sing it to the end. The orchestra stops, only the piano man playing now as the camera delivered a more intimate view of the performer. Her voice flowed like a soft stream, though inside she was elated. Memories of her career, though relatively short, flowed along the floor and two of the back panels as the wind ceased and lights died.

I’ll remember you now
If you remember me too
You were my life and likewise, ta chanson, tes souvenirs now.
(Ta chanson, tes souvenirs)
I could never forget
(Ta chanson, tes souvenirs)
but I’d never forget
(Ta chanson, tes souvenirs)
It’s yours

With the last line, it was over. Teary-eyed, Isabeau let the piano play her out as she almost fell onto the floor, stress defeated and a weight lifted off her shoulders. As the audience gave a roaring applause, she remembered the memories of her and Jacques, but knew that it was time to make a life for herself. He would always be looking after her from heaven, she believed, and she believed the same for her daughter, her dear pride and joy. The Carrelian delegation too joined in on the applause, the head of delegation almost crying herself from the pure emotion of it all. Before taking a short amount of time to thank Madame du Pallars and leaving the stage, she delivered a resounding...
Thank you, world!

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:48 pm

28 ★ THE HLHATA STATES
"ERA" by Juniar
Music ★ Ashimoto Tomo, Miyawaki Uboku, Bashou Matsuo
Lyrics ★ Ashimoto Tomo, Miyawaki Uboku, Ume Kotone

Tune ★ "Panorama" by Iz*One

The cover for Hlhata Statesianese group Juniar's 1st mini album, 'My New Era'. The title track, 'ERA', is The Hlhata States' song at WorldVision 100.
The group consists of members Hana (18), Sakura (20), Mio (19), Umiko (19), Nana (17), Hitomi (17), Honoka (18), Aisha (21), Yako (16), Sui-Sui (17), Xiaoling (19) and Momo (18).
★

Since their debut in WorldVision 67, The Hlhata States has competed a total of 5 times, their last participation in WorldVision 81. And not once has the nation reached beyond 20th, their best result being 21st. The nation has also placed last once, as well as 2nd last a further 2 times, due to the 'comical' nature of the entries sent, as well as the low quality due to the laughably low budget of their broadcaster, BICTH. However, almost 20 editions later, The Hlhata States returns with a new broadcaster behind them, the HSBC (Hlhata States Broadcasting Corporation), the country's state run broadcasting network. The HSBC has been praised for their high quality productions, as well as their successful push of the Hlhata Statesianese music industry in recent years, almost doubling profits since their introduction of music shows and radio, as well as financing their own label, whose artist's reign supreme over the charts with sales escalating over the 100 thousands. As a result, many brought the possibility of a WorldVision participation into question, one that was answered as the 100th edition rolled around. Early into the WorldVision season, the HSBC released their statement on Twitter, excitedly announcing the return of the nation for the Centennial edition, to prove that the nation was better than ever before, to dispel the reputation garnered by multiple failed attempts at the WorldVision Song Contest. And, on the 29th of June, the artist was finally revealed to the public, the rookie H-Pop group, Juniar, the news spreading like wildfire on social media, WorldVision all the rage in a nation not known for their WorldVision effort.

Juniar is a Hlhata Statesianese group consisting of 12 members, who debuted in Spring 2022, with the single "FULL BLOOM (咲き誇る)". Produced by famed music producer Ashimoto Tomo, the grew traction, debuting at #1 on the charts, selling over 100,000 physical copies of the CD. Since debut, the group has only grown more, already appearing as brand ambassadors for Coca Cola's Hlhata States' branch, alongside other smaller advertisement fixtures. "My New Era" was teased released as the group's first official comeback, their 1st mini album to consist of 6 tracks, including the title track "ERA", which also serves to represent The Hlhata States at the 100th WorldVision Song Contest. The group is known for their upbeat songs that combine house music with the cute bubblegum pop sounds that the Hlhata States' music industry is renowned for, "ERA" being no different. At 3:42 minutes long, the song sings of one stepping into their new era, very much representing The Hlhata States' new direction for the prestigious song contest. The mini album has sold over 300,000 physical copies as of the first semi final of WorldVision, the song also breaking the record for the most first week streams on various streaming services in The Hlhata States.

As the song begins, the stage is dark, Juniar placed centre stage as they create a tight formation, though obscured by shadows. Only the white outline from a spotlight reveals their positions. Various pieces of sped up footage are then projected on them and the LED screen, such as a colourful flower blooming or a firework exploding (each video matching the sounds and rhythms of the intro), as they perform the first part of their dance routine, creating a flower with their arms and bodies before moving outwards whilst they swirl their hands around.

As the group's leader Sakura sings the first line, the central figure in the flower formation, they are all lit up by a white spotlight, the camera zooming into Sakura as she winks into the lens. They are all styled similarly to this, with an elegant yet glitzy motif, their dresses and accessories shimmering in the multitude of lights. They each use a microphone attached to the sides of their face, allowing them to dance freely.

It’s my new era, era

The beat comes in, the girls spreading out into a new formation, 5 in the front and 7 in the back row, each in between the gaps of the front row members. They begin to dance the routine, the LED screen behind showing various clips of kaleidoscope like patterns, of refracted light shimmering. The lights pulse, and as the music stops as the introduction ends, the LED screen displays a rippled water surface, various colours spilling out in rings of light. Various spotlights shine upon Juniar, one spotlight per member, lighting their backs so that only their silhouette can be seen.

Hana, who is the farthest left on the front row, steps outwards, singing the opening lines of the verse, the LED screen behind them showcasing a rbight sun which peeks over the side of a dreamy cloudscape. She twirls before turning to her right, where a steadicam quickly moves to Aisha who is on the farthest right, however originally placed on the back row. She steps forward, a bright spotlight upon her and sings the third line, swinging her head before the camera takes a wide shot of the stage, where Juniar perform various twirls in a canon sequence, crossing sides and threading between one another.

目覚めります、光線が
私を柔らかに照らします
夢みたい、頭がクラクラします
But this is real

Mezamerimasu, kōsen ga
Watashi o yawaraka ni terashimasu
Yume mitai, atama ga kurakura shimasu
But this is real

I wake up, the rays of light
Softly illuminates me
Like a dream, my head is fluttering
But this is real

As the music speeds up, the lights billow outwards, flaring in the camera lens, and Hitomi takes centre stage, Juniar in a triangular formation as they walk forward to the beat, doing a vogue like dance movement with their hands. 2 other members beside her frame her face with their arms before moving behind her, forming wings. The camera does a 180, revealing Yako, who has turned away from the audience, a sea of lights behind her as she dances a solo segment, singing her lines as if it were as easy as breathing. The camera then turns to Honoka who walks across the stage from left to right, the girls behind her twirling to their knees as she passes them. She ends by motioning towards her smile, winking into the camera before the it spins, transitioning into the next shot.

雲を踏みますみたいな
千色が空満ちります、beautiful
色が絶対に見ないと思った
空が見たことのないsmile

Kumo o fumimasu mitaina
Chiiro ga sora michirimasu, beautiful
Iro ga zettai ni minai to omotta
Sora ga mita koto no nai smile

Like stepping on a cloud
A thousand colours fill the sky, beautiful
Colours I thought I'd never see
My smile the sky has never seen

The bridge begins with an impactful horn sound, the lights flashing with each deep 'boom'. From their knees, the girls all raise their arms up gracefully, pushing one leg to the side to balance them before they leap up to create a new formation, this time spreading into 3 rows. Mio, who sings most of the bridge however, sits centre stage, whilst the girls on her sides tilt towards their side, she faces directly forward, performing a slightly altered routine to allow her to sing more easily. The stage darkens, explosions of iridescent sparkles glittering on the LED screen like stars. As Xiaoling sings "become the real you", she points towards the camera, behind, an burst of light washing over the stage, the lights pulsing to emphasize the effect. Sakura then moves to centre stage to whisper "時代" before singing the final line of the pre-chorus. The camera pulls into a close-up of her, tilting her head slightly as she performs the signature dance move, featuring her hand circling her face elegantly before grasping forwards.

踏み出す
明日へ
夜明けに手を伸ばす、あなたはalmost there有る
生まれ変わります
Become the real you
今夜空を照らす
時代
It's my new era, era

Fumidasu
Ashita e
Yoake ni tewonobasu, anata wa almost there aru
Umarekawarimasu
Become the real you
Ima yozora o terasu
Jidai
It' s my new era, era

Take a step
To tomorrow
Reach for the dawn, you are almost there
Be reborn
Become the real you
Illuminate the sky tonight
Era
It's my new era, era

The lights burst into an explosion of pearl colours, mainly white though complimentary hints of pink and blue show up frequently. The LED screen behind features clouds of iridescence and sequences of cut jewels refracting light, sometimes using a kaleidoscope-like filter to match the energy of the song, the graphics multiplying and creating beautiful patterns in correspondence to the rhythm. Juniar perform a highly synchronised dance routine, elegantly making use of their arms and legs as they twirl and stretch their arms outwards and upwards, sometimes using their size to create a more intricate choreography. After a quick pan of the stage, the camera zooms in Hitomi, who sings the last line, again doing the signature dance move before they all move to their new positions.

我が新era今日から始まります
Nothing can stop me now、流れ星すらしない
絶対にbrighter輝きます前より
振り返りません
It's my new era, era

Waga shin era kyō kara hajimarimasu
Nothing can stop me now, nagareboshi sura shinai
Zettai ni brighter kagayakimasu mae yori
Furikaerimasen
It' s my new era, era

My new era starts today
Nothing can stop me now, not even shooting stars
I will shiner brighter than ever before
I won’t look back
It's my new era, era

With a brief dance break style section after, Juniar hop into their next position before performing the next piece of choreography, swinging their arms. The lights briefly flash black and white before billowing outwards, the LED screen showing the blooming flower motif from before. Sui-Sui takes centre stage as she sings the lines of the 2nd half of the chorus, her voice softer than the rest. She performs a slightly different routine from the rest, twirling her hands around her face elegantly before walking to the side as Aisha starts her line, "キラキラ era" pounding her heart lightly with her fist, her body moving to the beat.

Welcome to my new era
キラキラ era
私はスーパーノバ
Face my fears 仕替える
美しい人化けりますinside
’Cus it's my new, new, new, era, era

Welcome to my new era
Kirakira era
Watashi wa sūpānoba
Face my fears shikaeru
Utsukushī hito-ka kerimasu inside
’ Cus it' s my new, new, new, era, era

Welcome to my new era
My sparkling era
I am a Supernova
Face my fears to start anew
Metamorphose into someone beautiful inside
‘Cus it's my new, new, new, new, era, era

The camera swirls around, transitioning to a steadicam which is faced towards side of the stage, where the floor rises up to create an upright shard. There, the group's 2 rappers, Umiko and Nana begin to sing the rap section of the song. At first, Nana stands with her arms crossed, leant on Umiko who is leant forwards, on one knee. The lights grow darker to match the less upbeat sound of the rap, the LED stage and screen showing a darker kaleidoscope, though refractions of light still shimmer. Umiko raps first, switching places with Nana, as she raps to the camera, the section seemingly far less choreographed than the rest of the performance. After her 4 lines, Nana switches with her as the lights flash to the sparkling sound. She looks into the camera sweetly, performing a small little choreographed duet with Umiko before walking to her left, where the camera follows to transition into the 2nd part of the verse.

I know sometimes間違います
しかし、won't hurt myself
立ち上がりますとgrow up
新明日へ
二度同じ間違いをすることはありません、become the best I am

I know sometimes machigaimasu
Shikashi, won't hurt myself
Tachiagarimasu to grow up
Shin ashita e ni-do onaji machigai o suru koto wa arimasen, become the best I am

I know sometimes I make mistakes
But I won't hurt myself
I will get up and grow up
To the new tomorrow
I’ll never make the same mistake twice, become the best I am

After Nana walks off the left of the camera shot, 5 members centred by Momo begin to walk forwards to the beat, doing a routine with their arms as they do. The camera zooms into her, Momo arching her hands above her head before they slowly fall down, her eyes glittering in the multitude of lights. The LED screen behind gives the illusion of a dark white hallway, white lights flashing through windows as if passing by.

On the third line, the 5 girls in the front row part ways, moving to the side of the stage to allow the few girls behind to perform their routine. Each strike a different pose to the beat, the LED screen behind showing silhouettes of each of their poses before they all roll their heads, their hair gracefully swooping. They make one final pose before walking forwards lead by Hana to the front of the stage, rejoined by the 5 girls alongside Nana and Umiko who integrate into their formation to make a new one.

色が私の目を満ちります
Tonight願います、星と共に飛びます
これまで以上に優れています
光りますamongst the starlight

Iro ga watashi no me o michirimasu
Tonight negaimasu, boshi to tomoni tobimasu
Kore made ijō ni sugurete imasu
Hikarimasu amongst the starlight

Colours fill my eyes
Tonight I wish, I could fly with the stars
I am better than ever before
I shine amongst the starlight

As Sakura sings the pre-chorus in front, the girls on the side of the group kneel down, creating a pyramid style shape as they grow taller to emphasize Sakura. They wave their arms out as one to the beat, as if they were the feathers of a wing. The camera zooms out and upwards with each wave before panning across rapidly, capturing the sheer size of the group. Juniar disperse into a single file line, lead by Hana who stands in front of them all. She sings the line, "生まれ変わります" point at the camera which zooms in. As the music begins to build up, they slide into a diagonal line, facing right. Xiaoling, who stood back to back with Hana, twirls so that Xiaoling faces the front and Hana is back to back with her, as she sings "become the real you". She walks to the right and the group windmill onto one knee in a canon sequence behind her. The camera pans across throughout that sequence before ending up on Xialing who whispers "時代" into the camera. The steadicam turns around where Nana sings the last line, her back to the audience.

踏み出す
明日へ
夜明けに手を伸ばす、あなたはalmost there有る
生まれ変わります
Become the real you
今夜空を照らす
時代
It's my new era, era

Fumidasu
Ashita e
Yoake ni tewonobasu, anata wa almost there aru
Umarekawarimasu
Become the real you
Ima yozora o terasu
Jidai
It' s my new era, era

Take a step
To tomorrow
Reach for the dawn, you are almost there
Be reborn
Become the real you
Illuminate the sky tonight
Era
It's my new era, era

As Nana turns back around to face the audience in order to partake in the chorus choreography, a crane camera pulls away to reveal a wider shot of the stage, the LED screen returning to the kaleidoscopic graphics, the lights bursting in a rainbow of colours to the infectious beat. Juniar dance the choreography (below) in perfect sync, smiling as they do, flicking their hands as they hit every note.

On the 2nd line, Yako takes centre stage, sliding in from her back row position to walk to the front, the members sequentially joining her as they create a diamond formation. She caresses her face lightly with the back of her hand before dropping to her knee, each member slowly getting higher the further back they are as to show everyone in the formation. A crane camera moves over the heads of the front members, reaching Sui-Sui who is stood at the farthest back. She performs the signature move as she sings the line, "it's my new era, era."

我が新era今日から始まります
Nothing can stop me now、流れ星すらしない
絶対にbrighter輝きます前より
振り返りません
It's my new era, era

Waga shin era kyō kara hajimarimasu
Nothing can stop me now, nagareboshi sura shinai
Zettai ni brighter kagayakimasu mae yori
Furikaerimasen
It' s my new era, era

My new era starts today
Nothing can stop me now, not even shooting stars
I will shiner brighter than ever before
I won’t look back
It's my new era, era

The group breaks out into a 3 lines consisting of 4 at the front, 5 in the middle row and 3 at the back, each stood evenly apart so that members at the back can be seen through the gaps. They dance the same choreography as before, swinging their arms as Mio and Hitomi sing the post chorus section one after the other. The section closes with Hana singing the final line, pushing the camera so that it swings, transitioning into the next section.

welcome to my new era
グラグラ era
私はスーパーノバ
Face my fears 仕替える
美しい人化けりますinside
’Cus it's my new, new, new, era, era

Welcome to my new era
Guragura era
Watashi wa sūpānoba
Face my fears shikaeru
Utsukushī hito-ka kerimasu inside
’Cus it' s my new, new, new, era, era

Welcome to my new era
My shining era
I am a Supernova
Face my fears to start anew
Metamorphose into someone beautiful inside
‘Cus it's my new, new, new, era, era

The camera focusses on the left section of the stage, where Umiko stands in front of the left shard. On the LED screen is a sky full of stars, an aurora dancing gracefully upon the navy blue of night. She sings to the steadicam, framed by Yako and Sui-Sui who stand beside her, their arms around Umiko to highlight her. They sing the back-up vocals, the responses to Umiko's line. Then, Sakura walks in front as she sings the 2nd line, swerving her leg around her, her toe constant on the floor. Another camera focusses in on Hana as the music speeds up, the LED screen being interrupted by a sunrise which turns the sky to a bright orange. She walks forward boldly as members begin to walk into centre stage from both sides, the lights pulsing more and more rapidly as the final chorus approaches. The lights begin to strobe just as the music stops, and the camera zooms in on Juniar's visual and leader Sakura, who sings the final line, charismatically smiling into the camera, a gleam in her eye.

Are you ready for my new era?
少し怖いです
でも、have myselfさえ
大丈夫ですyeah
走りましょうinto my new era
Are you ready for the start?

Are you ready for my new era?
Sukoshi kowaidesu
Demo, have myself sae
Daijōbudesu yeah
Hashirimashou into my new era
Are you ready for the start?

Are you ready for my new era?
I'm a little scared
But as long as I have myself
I’ll be alright, yeah
Let's run into my new era
Are you ready for the start?

For the final chorus the lights go all out, a prismatic flourish of light from every angle. Juniar too, put their everything into the final 30 seconds, Hana belting a high note from the side of the group, who all perform their choreography. The LED screen displays a chaotic show of kaleidoscopic patterns of jewels and refractions of light amongst sped up footage of the blossom of flowers and like, matching the party atmosphere conveyed by the song. Whilst the camera mainly focusses on shots of the singer as well as wider shots of the group and stage, one shot pans from the audience to the stage, a flourish a sparks that ring around the stage, giving a sense of carnival. Mio sings the last line, the whole group performing the siganture move with 2 flicks of their wrists.

我が新era今日から始まります
Nothing can stop me now、流れ星すらしない
絶対にbrighter輝きます前より
振り返りません
It's my new era, era

Waga shin era kyō kara hajimarimasu
Nothing can stop me now, nagareboshi sura shinai
Zettai ni brighter kagayakimasu mae yori
Furikaerimasen
It' s my new era, era

My new era starts today
Nothing can stop me now, not even shooting stars
I will shiner brighter than ever before
I won’t look back
It's my new era, era

Mio twirls into the final moves of the song, the last section highlighted by the last push from Juniar, dancing each high energy move with all their might. A rain of sparks fall down from the back of the stage, a few pinwheels lighting into action with swirls of sparks. The music is far different from previous post-chorus sections, with a multitude of musical drops, each one paired with a powerful kick or jump from Juniar.

As the music draws to a close, the girls step forward to prepare for their ending position.

私の目を見て
Tell me what do you see? 総世界in front of me
千ー色其処ら
来て、reach for my hand
走りましょうto my new, era, ra, ra, ra

Watashi no me o mite
Tell me what do you see? Sō sekai in front of me
Sen iro sonotokoro-ra
Kite, reach for my hand
Hashirimashou to my new era, ra, ra, ra

Look into my eyes
Tell me what do you see? The whole world in front of me
A thousand colours everywhere
Come on, reach for my hand
Let's run to my new era, ra, ra, ra

Sakura sings the final "ra", Juniar each stepping with each ra into their final formation. The girls end up with a few at the front on one knee, whilst others stand behind, their hands branched out like the petals of a flower. The music ends, and the crowd cheers for the rising stars, who stand up before moving to a line. They bow, each saying various versions of thank you, some opting to say them in Japanese and English. They wave as they leave, smiling to the sea of lights.

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:49 pm

...

Multiverse, start voting now!

Pyro streams go off, and the audience cheers.

Eduárdu: In case you need a refresher, here are the 28 entries competing in the WorldVision Song Contest 100 grand final.

A recap is shown.

Naómi: Now, we have gone through 100 editions of the WorldVision Song Contest. Over the years, we have seen a whopping 2,775 entries performed, and countless more memories being made both on and off the WorldVision stage. Let's take a moment to look back on the journey we've made and reflect on the good times we've had. Please welcome Robiarto Siara.

Interval Act: Robiarto Siara sings "What a Wonderful World"
tune: What a Wonderful World — Rod Stewart

The Kalosian singer-songwriter who wrote numerous hits in the 80s, and father of Kalosian superstar Valencina Siara, stood on the satellite stage in the middle. He was surrounded by audience members who took out their phones to use as flashlights, making this performance a very intimate, twinkly one.

This particular song was chosen due to its solemn nature. The kind of song to get us spectators to slow down and have a moment to cherish all the moments and memories that have been made in the past 100 editions of the WorldVision Song Contest.

While Robiarto sang, the background LED screens showed various memorable moments from past editions of the WorldVision Song Contest. Efforts were made to ensure that every edition was represented. The main stage, although unused, was covered in fog in order to evoke a dreamy atmosphere.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day and the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of all the people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I've heard my babies cry and I watched them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever, ever know
And I think to myself, it's a wonderful world

I think to myself, what a wonderful world
What a wonderful world
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Eduárdu: We only have a couple of minutes left to vote, so in case you haven't voted already, you better get them in as soon as possible! Just in case you need it, here is the recap once again.

The recap is shown again.

Naómi: We are now in the final moments before voting closes. This is your final chance to determine who will be crowned the winner of the centennial edition of the WorldVision Song Contest.

Eduárdu: Voting lines will close in 15 seconds...

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Multiverse, stop voting now!

by **Kalosia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:51 pm

Naómi: Soon, we will find out who has won tonight's show. This means one thing: the reign of our defending champion is coming to an end!

Eduárdu: That's right. Petre Lemetre was crowned the champion of WorldVision 99 for his home country Britonisea, and tonight, he will hand over that title to the next WorldVision winner. As a send off, let's give it up for a reprise of his winning song, Disillusioned!

Interval Act: WorldVision 99 winner Petre Lemetre sings "Disillusioned"
tune: Duemila volte — Marco Mengoni
music: Guy Autriche, Tom Allen, Susan Baker, T:Rodden
lyrics: Petre Lemetre, T:Rodden

Petre Lemetre was standing in the middle of three rather large polycarbs that were white in colour. Polycarb refers to the huge plastic sheets that are semi-opaque but you can shine lights behind them which gives off a very vibrant and rich lighting effect. Each polycarb had a light that shone directly behind it, which could create some pretty powerful colours on the back of them. The three polycarbs made a square formation, with there being a space where the fourth polycarb would be (if we had one). The space was looking out towards the audience so they could see Petre when he started to perform. Petre wasn't wearing anything too drastic - in fact, he was just wearing black - a black vest alongside some trousers which didn't look too formal, but most definitely weren't inappropriate or casual wear. They were good enough so that they looked professional and slick, but loose enough so he could move up and down the stage. In the middle of the stage was a red chair which was placed on the LED floor which, by the way, shone a white light box from it. As far as the audience was concerned, Petre was basically trapped in a white box, from underneath him and all around him. As the postcard finished playing, there was a modest cheer from the Carrelian audience in the arena before the lights went dark in preparation for the Britonish performance. Britonish performances with large set pieces and props aren't uncommon with performances at the World Hit Festival and WorldVision showing Britonisea's desire to show the best of Britonish set design. Petre was excited for this moment, he took a huge deep breath as the audience quietened down and he could hear the first piano notes in his earpiece. A tiny bit of low laying fog accompanied the stage pieces to make it look even more eerie than the set already looked. This was the sort of performance that the Britons knew they could do well and so they had sat down and thought about every single shot - wondering whether it needed an effect to put a certain point across. As the music started. Petre was sitting slumped on the chair, looking upwards. There was a camera shot which was zoomed straight into the box - you almost didn't know that you were on the stage - you thought you were in some sort of uncomfortable, clinical room with this man who wasn't giving you any eye contact. As the song slowly progresses, Petre slowly lifted the microphone to his mouth, with awkward camera shots capturing this including a close up of his hand has it moves closer to his face a birds eye shot of him looking up was then used as he started to sing. The camera slowly ped downwards, this closer to Petre as he was singing upwards. He almost had no expression on his face - he was vacant. He was isolated. Inside he was nervous, he knew that hundreds of millions of people was watching his performance right now, eight million of which were Britonish fans. The cameras were live and his performance was now centre stage.

You had this plan right from the start, premeditated.
Like a moth to light, you saw me then made a beeline.
I should've seen the warning signs, all the red flags but
I craved attention, the warmth of another.

Wasn't thinking with my head, this is where it got me -
Trapped between four bright white walls,
I'm left now craving for more, for you.
I miss your voice, I miss you.
Your words, they ease my mind.

As the camera slowly moved downwards towards Petre, the lighting in the arena was very basic but quite effective. It was okay that the lighting was basic, though, it would all change when we went into the second half of the performance. When singing the word, “red”, one side of the polycarbs quickly flashed a deep red before reverting back to the white that is was before. At this point, Petre looked forwards - out towards the audience, some of whom cheering him on as this was the first time that Petre acknowledged that there were people in front of him. A camera captured his head movement, as it went from looking up to now outwards, with the cameras doing very tight shots so that the illusion of him being in a room wasn’t lost. The camera angles weren’t conventional either, with some shots showing Petre very close up - and sometimes a bit too close for comfort while other camera shots had a dutch tilt - slightly turned on its axis. Similarly to the lighting before, nothing had changed - with Petre still stuck in what seemed like a white box, which heavily contrasted with his outfit. His red chair was a focal point of the performance so far, as well, as he rocked back and forth in it - and with some of the aforementioned shots, focusing on different parts of the chair such as the neck or feet. The Briton was feeling comfortable about his performance so far. He had performed it so many times at Vha Mehlodhivestoile, but he knew that it felt different here. He didn’t feel the same response from the audience as he felt in Britonisea with reminded him that this was not just a national show - he was very much only a participant in a competition where others abroad won’t know him - unless they watched the Britonish national final - which many WorldVision fans do.

When singing the word, “red”, one side of the polycarbs quickly flashed a deep red...

We then moved on to the second half of the first verse. The music was slowly building as a drone-y sound was introduced to the backing track adding more power and excitement for what is going to happen next on the stage. Petre, for the first time during this performance, looked directly at the camera as he sang the lyric, “this is where it got me” before the cameras started glitching -flickering between that shot, a shot showing the box from up high and a few other shots that we had seen earlier during the performance. Whilst the camera cuts were glitching, Petre’s gaze remained fixed on the camera he was singing in.There was a shot from further away in the arena, but only a split second - and you could see that there was a huge white box in the middle of the abyss in which Petre Lemetre was in - with only a singular spotlight providing him company. After singing how much your words ease his mind, Petre looked outwards towards the audience, with all of the lights - slowly fading out with the light underneath him from the LED floor now shining. There was a shot that was close up to Petre before he moved on to, what you could call, the pre-chorus of the song.

Will you write to me sometime?
Will you write to me sometime?

Petre knew that the first chorus of the song was coming up and personally he loved singing the choruses before it was cathartic for him, he could release all of the emotion that he had stirred beneath the surface. He knew, however, that he had to successfully build up to the chorus, with these pre-choruses in the song providing him with a great opportunity to do that. Light from the LED kinetic sun shone behind the large polycarb which stood behind the seated man but as he went to sing this part of the song, a singular strong yellow light was reflected on the back of it, with it trailing its way from right to left behind him. With Petre asking the question for the first time, the music slightly reduced in texture - and a close up shot of his face being used here, contrasting with the next shot of the whole stage. Petre had a lost expression on his face when he asked the question for the first time, but this expression slowly turned into annoyance when he asked the second time. All shots that were used during this section were moving slightly - even only just - to keep the dynamism during the performance.

It was time to move on to the first chorus of the song and with the strong beat of the drum welcoming the chorus, there was a shot from the furthest section of the arena, moving from left to right, with the sides of the box falling down. The lights in the arena reacted to this movement, as they slowly dispersed from the stage floor outwards to the audience in gold and white. The kinetic sun behind him was white, before slowly fading out to black - with this happening over and over again during the first chorus. Petre, with this being quite a major section of the song, stood up from his seated position - throwing the red chair to one side of the stage floor. While the stage personnel quickly rushed on to get rid of the chair, there was a camera from the side of the arena which captured his movements and expressions of Petre when looking out towards the audience. He was slightly looking upwards towards - but not directly at - a light which was facing him. When singing the first part of the chorus, you could see that he took a huge breath in and was using a lot more power than he was using during the first part of the song. You could see that the man was somewhat angry, with the light that was pointing at him slowly turning from a standard white light to pink before going to red throughout the length of the chorus.

Anger filters deep through my veins,
Inside a storm is brewing.
How could I have allowed myself
To become so disillusioned?

I can see you staring right at me,
Thriving on my confusion.
But I'm enchanted by your smile,
Even if it feels wrong,
I'd trust everything you say.

There was a shot from straight-on as he sang the main words of the song, “How could I have allowed myself to become so disillusioned”, with Petre directly speaking into the cameras as he said this line. We went straight into another shot of Petre, now from the other side of the stage, with the man slightly jolting his body to the direction of the camera, bending his next slightly to the side while singing directly into the camera for the first line of the second half of the chorus. Petre quickly flicks his hair downwards towards the ground by leaning forwards before standing up once again - trailing his hand through his hair to fix it from going all over his face when singing about his confusion. Petre takes a step towards the camera as he sings about the smile, with Petre slightly smiling though it looks like he’s smiling through the pain that he was feeling. As with the start of the chorus, the LED kinetic sun was still flashing on and off, quickly flashing on before fading away over a certain amount of time over and over again, but this all stopped as Petre finally got to the final line of the chorus and as he did, he found himself to be alone on the stage once again with the only source of light being from the LED screens beneath him. The camera slowly moved outwards from this shot with some members of the audience cheering as he solemnly finishes the first third of the performance. He lowered the microphone to his waist as he stopped speaking with the light beneath him slowly fading out as well.

With the polycarbs now being placed around him, he found himself in a wall-less box (which was shown on the LED screen underneath him as it was highlighted in white only). As the lights came back on, you could see that Petre was joined on the stage by four figures around him standing on each side of the square that the man was on. He did a slow 360 (anticlockwise) around when singing the first line of the chorus with a steadicam following him in the opposite direction from the way that he turned to make it seem as though he was turning much faster than he was. When he faced the front once again, he started to run forwards towards the audience members, before the two dancers that had appeared stopping him from running outside of the boundary that he was in. One of the dancers handed him a suitcase when singing “serenity”, with Petre spinning himself back to the middle of the stage - the dancers mimicking this movement but spinning themselves back to the corners they were first in. The stage, during this point, was still quite dark - with the fog providing a bit of mystery too. A dark green/teal colour could be seen in certain crevasses on the stage which changed in intensity along with the beat of the chorus. Even though there was a lot of movement that was necessary for this performance, Petre was a pro at moving about on the stage and still sounding flawless - after all, this was his sixth Vha Mehlodhivestoile entry and so he was very much used to the theatrical side of shows such as the WorldVision Song Contest.

Let's run away together, just take a bag and leave
We'll find our final destination: serenity
Just you and I, just us two, we don't need nobody.
Don't back out on all the things that you promised me.

Is this in my head - am I the one going crazy?
I keep ringing, no answer
Wherever I go, I can't get out
I miss your voice, I miss you.
Your words, they ease my mind.

He laid the suitcase on the floor as he sang the word “promised me” very calmly but this was soon juxtaposed by the line, “Is this in my head - am I the one going cray” because he started to hold his head, manically flinging himself up and down with the dancers who were standing around him in this white box on the floor also doing very similar movements. Each dancer was doing different dances and it seemed as though they were all doing very repetitive movements too. It was another steadicam moment for the Britonish performance with the camera swooping into the stage where Petre was, circling him as he held his head in the palm of his free hand while he moved on to the next line of the verse. He make a call sign with his hand, holding it up to his ear and pretending to speak into it as he sang his song. The lights, obviously, reacted to this moment of the song, with the lights flickering crazily - adding to the level of confusion and visual dysphoria. He then turned around when he moved onto the next part of the song with the steadicam following him as he walked to the upstage end of the white box that he was trapped in. The other two dancers stopped him from moving past as he sang the word “out”. The flashing lights carried on flashing at this point as he slowly dropped to his knees, using the support of the two dancers that fell along with Petre. Petre turned his body around so he was facing downstage (the audience), captured by a camera other than the steadicam which had disappeared off the stage by now.

After singing how your words ease his mind, the flickering that became so constant during the performance quickly switched off with a spotlight focusing on Petre as he sat alone on the stage making everyone feel sorry for him. Petre’s hair was a mess by this point of the song, but it fits the style of the overall performance and only added to Petre’s portrayal of the confusion and anger that he was feeling. We then moved onto the pre-chorus of the song once again, but this time it was slightly different. Petre slightly crawled forward with a camera catching his face as he repeated the line a couple of times. What was going through Petre’s mind right now? He knew that he had reached the halfway point of the performance, and he believed that he had performed very well so far and so he wanted to keep it up. Knowing that his performance so far was going very well, spurred him on to get through the performance.

Why haven't you been in touch?
Why haven't you been in touch?

There was a shot which started off pretty close to the stage but made its way over the audience and greenroom diagonally as we moved into the second chorus of the song which was a huge build up in itself to the explosive third and final chorus that was soon coming. Petre slowly got up from his crawling position during the slight break between the pre-chorus and the chorus. There were fans which started to clear away the low laying fog that was present on the stage but it also made the stage seem a lot more cluttered than it seemed beforehand. Petre swayed alongside the beat of the song - singing into each of the cameras that was on him, a bit more like an average Britonish performance here. During the first half of the chorus, the screen behind him was still white, but had patterns and effects in front of it which added depth behind him instead of just a white screen. For this bit of the song, Petre was giving it a little bit more passion when singing his song and not holding back as much as he was during the first sing-through of the chorus. He was starting to focus more on his vocals here, providing the audience with ad-libs and trills, adding more texture to the song which was already building in texture anyway thanks to the instrumentation.

The lighting that was used during the second chorus was not too dissimilar from the first chorus, with strobe effects being used along with the beat of the song so that everything seemed streamlined and worked perfectly with one another. As for the dancers that were on either corner of the stage, they were dancing in a similar way they were dancing during the hectic section during the second verse of the song. They all stood in position. The shots made it seem as though Petre was trapped in a vacuum with everything happening outside of it hectic but everything inside the box remaining still and calm. Petre rarely moved from his standing position during the second verse, allowing the cameras and the dancers to provide that movement that song needed.

Anger filters deep through my veins,
Inside a storm is brewing.
How could I have allowed myself
To become so disillusioned?

I can see you staring right at me,
Thriving on my confusion.
But I'm enchanted by your smile,
Even if it feels wrong,
I'd trust everything you say.

Petre’s favourite bit of the performance was coming closer and closer and the excitement of this allowed him to tease the audience with the true power of his voice with vocal trills, which he made look so effortless. When starting to sing the second half of the chorus, from the line “I can see you…”, the light wall which wasn’t used during the first 2/3rds of the performance started to move downwards from the lighting rig very quickly (similar to this section of Italy 2022). This was a sight to be seen, with a shot from further back showing this moment as he continued singing through the performance. Petre could almost feel the lights hitting his back as the rig came down. Through singing the lyric, “I’m enchanted by your smile”, there was another close up of Petre Lemetre sadistically smiling at the camera while the lighting rig, in the background, came into the shot, flickering and whatnot which, in time, filled the screen with bright lights. There was then a shot using the spider camera in the middle of the arena, moving outwards over the audience at quite a quick pace.

The light wall started to move downwards from the lighting rig...

During the little interlude between the chorus and the bridge, all of the dancers and Petre started walking around in circles before the lights around them started to turn into an ocean deep blue. As they each walked around in circles, they made their way closer and closer to one another. The white LED box underneath Petre was now flickering a multitude of colours on the blue to white spectrum which was only helped by the powerful lighting rig behind the dancers. There was another long shot of the stage as a whole moving from the left to right before we went into the rather intense bridge section. As the dancers made their way closer to Petre, you could see that all of them had something shiny in their hands which were attached to a rope or wire that you could only just see if you were looking closely enough.

You had me sold on a dream spawned by lies,
Too good to be true, and I risked all just for you.
On the very first night my fate was sealed
by your Judas kiss, I wish I could hit undo.

During the bridge section, as the lights were furiously reacting to the song - the dancers started rushing to Petre. With the choice of camera shots and the number of cuts during this section, the audience at home, they were unsure of what they were doing to Petre during the performance but for those that were in the arena, they could see that whilst swaying around to the song, they started to tie each section of the rope around Petre on different parts of his body. The red chair also made a reappearance on the stage once again too. The dancers would sway from the left with Petre also swaying - very exaggeratedly - along with them.

As he sang the words “I wish I could hit undo”, all of the dancers ran away from Petre quickly. The camera shot that was used during this was a shot from very close up with it dramatically moving outwards to the furthest point away in the stage that it could. The lights that were flickering immediately stopped during the small rest in the instrumentation between the bridge and the chorus of the song - it was almost as though everyone was frozen in time which seemed surreal based on how frantic and chaotic the performance had been throughout. As we moved back into final performance of the song, a lot was happening on the stage. The LED panel that came down during the end of the second chorus slowly moved upwards once again with a mixture of shots being shown to show this. On the LED screens, you could see thunderbolts from the uppermost corners. The colours that filled the stage was golden and red - a contrast to the blue, green and white that was prominent during the earlier stages of the performance. The fans that had cleared up the fog were still on, and you could see that they were turned up as Petre’s hair was going crazy in the wind.

Meanwhile, each of the dancers held their bit of wire that was tied onto Petre and one by one, each of them started to pull on Petre. Though it seemed as though they were doing this in slow motion. Petre was slightly overexaggerating the movements of being pulled from side to side. With the dancers sprawled across the front of the stage, there were a lot of far away shots to show exactly what happens on the stage from a multitude of angles.

Anger filters deep through my veins,
Inside a storm is brewing.
How could I have allowed myself
To become so disillusioned?

I can see you staring right at me,
Thriving on my confusion.
But I'm enchanted by your smile,
Even if it feels wrong,
I'd trust everything you say.

As he sings the line, “But I’m enchanted by your smile”, he breaks free from the ropes that were holding him with the dancers all running off the stage at this point. The golden hues became stronger here as he smiled once again at the camera, holding his free hand up in the air in what was a very strong and powerful stance. A shot swooping from the water display feature captured him as it moved upwards. As he finishes off the final lines to his performance, he tiredly takes steps backwards before he sits once again on the red chair that he sat on at the start of the performance. The lights in the arena were calm and still during the final line of the performance and the outro section. A singular spotlight came back on him, with the LED floor showing a concrete floor. The polycarbs were pulled back upwards as well, recreating the look of the stage at the start of the performance. The polycarb behind him was not hauled up, however, with the LED screen showing the back of a cell. A camera slowly beckoned closer as he looked deeply into it coming closer to him, sitting slanted on the chair with his hair all over the place. He looked vacant for the first bar of the outro. It then cut to a steadicam that was on the stage again. The steadicam, which Petre didn’t look into, semi-circled around Petre, before looking towards the audience at what Petre was looking at. The dancers had reappeared on the stage, holding a large mirror. The steadicam was positioned slightly off to the side so that it wasn’t captured in the reflection but the audience could see Petre looking at himself in the mirror and during the last beat of the song, he averted his gaze to look down the camera lens through the mirror, suggesting that all of what he was singing about was in his head.

The shot then quickly cut to black before the crowd came in with a cheer. A long shot of the stage was shown as Petre thanked his audience, “Thank you, everyone! Wow, thank you so much for this experience!”. Petre had done everything that he could now.

As the dust clears, Naómi & Eduárdu are now standing on a podium onstage.

Eduárdu: Alright, now has come the moment we have all been waiting for: Who will win the WorldVision Song Contest 100?

Naómi: Before we proceed, let's check with our amazing executive supervisor, Alešandrë Kasini, to make sure that everything is good to go. Madame Kasini, are we ready to move forward?

Alešandrë: Thank you darling. I can confirm that we have received votes from all 51 countries participating in the 100th WorldVision Song Contest. Let's proceed.

Eduárdu: Very well, thank you Madame Kasini. Now let's call the first country, Malta Comino Gozo, where Ira Lesco is waiting to give out her votes. Good evening Valletta, may we have your votes please?

[OOCly, multiverse, start posting your jury votes now!]

by **Malta Comino Gozo** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:47 am

01. Malta Comino Gozo

"Good Evening Worldvision, Good even Monterra this is WHF 66 host city Valletta calling. What can we say, the show has been superb, Kalosia you should be so proud! Everyone here tonight should also be so proud of what you have done!" The crowd cheers!

"I know you are all excited to hear the first votes so let's go!"

Good luck to everyone! Thank you!"

by **Crustyland** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:00 am

02. Crustyland

Good Evening Worldvision this is Rannk! Thank you for an incredible contest! Here are votes from the jury from Cruystyland tonight!

Liam Fishwillie

12 Titaniumland
10 Beepee
8 Carrelie
7 Achaean Repblic
6 Llalta
5 Malta Comino Gozo
4 Polkopia
3 Britonisea
2 Besen
1 Todlichebujoku

by **Waisnor** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:38 am

WAISNOR IS CALLING

"Hello everybody, Evgeny Stishenok is here again, and I would like to say some words - thanks to RTVK for organising this truly exceptional WorldVision, and we are very happy to be a part of it. So now, we are going to announce jury votes from Waisnor:"

1 point - FLUSIA
2 points - SCOTATROVA
3 points - BESEN
4 points - MOORLAND
5 points - BRITONISEA
6 points - QUEBEC & SHINGORYEO
7 points - LLALTA

by **Togonistan** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:23 am

04. Togonistan

Alyn Tuvalu, winner of WV59 and host of WV61

''Good evening Monterra! Good evening world! This is Turhlark calling! Thank you for this most amazing show, it has been a spectacular 100th edition so far! Now, here are the points from the Togonistani jury!''

1p - Britonisea
2p - Tödlichebujoku
3p - Izmedu
4p - Llalta
5p - Kalosia
6p - Scotatrova
7p - Quebec & Shingoryeo

''Our 8 points go to...

''10 points go to...''

''And last, but by no means least, 12 points from Togonistan go to...''

by **Norrp** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:19 pm

5. Good evening Kalosia!

12 Erie-Arcadia of Wombats
10 Waisnor
8 Spiritual Republic of Caryton
7 Malta Comino Gozo
6 Alezian Union
5 Elejamie
4 Antahbrantahstan
3 Flusia
2 Izmedu
1 Britonisea

by **Alezian Union** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:02 pm

06. Alezian Union
Good evening, Monterra. Bucinnois calling.

Here are the results of the consideration of the Alezian jury.

12 - ERTZEI KISHIM
10 - KALOSIA
8 - IZMEDU
7 - BEEPEE
6 - BRITONISEA
5 - ANTAHBRANTAHSTAN
4 - LLALTA
3 - MALTA COMINO GOZO
2 - AENGLIDE
1 - CARRELIE

And that concluded the results of the Alezian jury, thank you for the wonderful event, Attho'i Na'a Alika'ai.

by **Flusia** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:17 pm

:::07. FLUSIA:::

“Halo, World!”

[align=Center]Miklós Sör, Flusian Radio Personality

“Thank you so much for the show, Kalosia and our fellow contestants! You’re supposed to never be able to forget a centennial, and I know I won’t forget this one anytime soon. But now, let’s get to business. *cracks knuckles* Our points.”

“Our 8 points go to…”

“Our 10 points go to…

“And last but not least, our 12 points go to…

“Congratulations to everyone who received points, and good luck to everyone in the competition! Thank you, Worldvision!”

by **Indo States** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:53 am

08. Fatimania (Indo States)
"Alló le monde (Hello World!)"

Serena Patricia Valsino-Tan, Luisitian-Fatimanian Actress-Singer, Online Personality and Internet Blogger

"Greetings and Welcome to my Online WorldVision Show and also a Television Simulcast for RTV 1, RTV2, RTV Fun and LeonMusicChannel, this is your Celebrity Sweetheart, Serena Patricia Valsino-Tan, Live from Fatima City thru Zoom, and today, we are going to Vote for the 100th WorldVision Song Contest as Fatimania or as One Country, and we are now going to our points with my Commentary."

1 Point: The Hlhata States

"Only One Point for Poor The Hlhata States Unfortunately, since his song still the Great, it's still came from a Joke Nation that we didn't wanted to bring it for WorldVision. Moving On, next Country."

2 Points: Quebec & Shingoryeo

"Two Points for Quebec & Shingoryeo, since i am a Fan of K-Pop, but still, i am not fan of this song and i am going to give this Song only 2 Points instead of a One Point, the Performance was Great and the Song was Decent, but moving on into our next Country."

3 Points: Titaniumland

"Since Elle Janiak did a Done a Decent Performance in her Entry to the WorldVision Song Contest, and since all of the song was totally Average the Greatest, i'll give her a 3 Points, and remember, did she said "I failed to score the winning goal"? Moving on."

4 Points: Caryton

"From a Country where Christianity is Predominant in the Society, but let's not talk about more Religions here, since "Shimmer Stars" makes me Joyful in her Performance, despite being a Christian Song, and i think it should be Played in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instead of a Song Contest where Atheists does exist here, but i will give it a 4 Stars, since it would be a Hit in Fatimania and it would be Mostly in Christian Churches, it's always Great from the Performance to the Song, but let's Move on."

5 Points: Waisnor

"Waisnor, one of my Favorite Countries in Eastern Europe has made a 5-Star Entry that i will Vote for now, in which, it has been performed by Virgin Marina, and it is totally my Favorite Entry in the 100th WorldVision Song Contest, in which, the Performance was totally Great, and the Song was totally Excellent. Overall, Five Points, another country.

6 Points: Eire-Arcadia

"monorails by arboretum ft. Rose Hammond is totally one of my Another Favorites, which it has been Catchy for me because of it's Catchy Song to the Catchy Performance, and i am sure this would be a Hit in Fatimania, i bet Barangay LS 97.1, The Millennial 95.9 and LeonMusicStation 93.9 would play this along with other Radio Stations around Fatimania. Move on to our Last Country before the Top 3."

7 Points: Flusia

"Nights are Long by Anya Werner is totally one of the Best Millennial Music for Fatimanians, and earlier this Morning, i just heard it playing over Merkado Supermarket in The Community Mall Katipunan, just almost near my home and it was just a Biking Distance for me to have a Grocery, and it felt kinda like a Modern English Song being Composed in the Philippines. Can't you tell Barangay LS 97.1 to play this Song as my Request, probably to Ate Stephanie (Stephanie DeLasscher) on her Program Forever Requests, thank you Kuya! Oops! i forgot to switch into the top 3! Moving on!"

THE TOP 3 PLAYLIST

"And we are now here in the Top 3 Playlist where i will now finally give the Final 3 Votes for the Countries that i Choose as Fatimania, and i will have the Full Commentary on the 3 Last Songs that i have been Picken! Start Now!"

8 Points - Polkopia

"A Another Millennial Hit for me, in which, the Performance for Polkopia is the Greatest alongside the song being Overwhelmingly The Greatest, 8 Points for Polkopia, and deserve for Polkopia for the Greatest Perfomance! Next to the Second Country!"

10 Points - Britonisea

"Wow, this is now totally the Greatest. Britonisea made a Another Millennial Hit for the Fatimanians, and i bet the Teenagers will like this so Heavily and this song will end up Played on Fatimanian Radio Stations multiple times. The Performance is the Greatest alongside with the Song being Extremely Great! Moving on to our Last Country!"

12 Points - Achean Republic

"Finally, One of my Biggest Favorites in the 100th WorldVision Song Contest, Orgulloso Estoy by La Vieja Noche, in which, this would be the hit for Fatimania's Radios if it would win this Edition of WorldVision Song Contest! Very Millennial! Very Gen Z! Very Modern for me! It would be a Foreign Smash Hit in Fatimania, and i bet there would be a Fatimanian Covers for this Song, did i wish Alicia Marie Desnilla to Cover this in Fatimanian, East Samaran Indoesh (Standard) and Siennan Indoesh? Nope, La Vieja Noche did a Great Job on their Performance, and i bet they know how to make a Fatimanian Cover for this Song though. Congratulations to Everyone who Received Points, with a Special Shoutout to La Vieja Noche, and a Very Good Luck for those who are in the Competition! Mercoî Baczoúrsza (Thank you Very Much), WorldVision!"

by **The Hlhata States** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:18 am

09 ★ THE HLHATA STATES

安宅左知子: こんばんはモンテラ！原派王国家は呼び出す！！
ショーありがとうございます！！ポインとはここ：

1 - ブリトニシー
2 - イズメヅ
3 - マルタコミノゴゾ
4 - ポルコピア
5 - ヤルタ
6 - カリトン
7 - エルツッケキシン

今、大きなポイント！

８ポイントはに行きます...

ケベックとシンゴリエ！！

１０ポイントはに行きます...

トヅリチエブジョク！！！

最後に、１２ポイントはに行きます...

ペメキュタ～ン！！！

寿！！がんばってね！！グッドナイト！！

by **Ertzei Kishim** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:14 am

Ertzei Kishim Votes

1 point - Besen
2 points - Pemecutan
3 points - Beepee
4 points - Britonisea
5 points - Titaniumland
6 points - Ethane
7 points - Scotatrova

8 points - Todlichebujoku
10 points - Kalosia
12 points - Polkopia

by **Beepee** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:30 am

Good evening Monterra. This is Melaleuca, Northern Beepee calling.

Thank you for a lovely show tonight. All the contestants were wonderful tonight and I'd love to give them all points. But I can't. So instead, here are the results of the Northern Beepeean Jury

1 point to Quebec & Shingoryeo
2 points to S.R. Caryton
3 points to Scotatrova
4 points to Tödlichebujoku
5 points to Achaean Republic
6 points to Alezian Union
7 points to Polkopia

And now for the main points...

And Finally

Congratulations and Good Night.

by **Beepee** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:38 am

Good Evening Everyone.

This is BONC Norfolk Pinewoods calling.

I want to thank you for the wonderful show tonight. It truly was a spectacular event for the 100th edition. I hope everyone at home is celebrating this great achievement.

I am pleased to present the results of the Beepeean Jury

Flusia, one point
Carrelie, two points
Pemecutan, three points
Malta Comino Gozo, four points
Togonistan, five points
Aenglide, six points
Erie Arcadia, seven points

And now here are the top points from the Beepeean jury.

And Finally

Congratulations again everyone for a wonderful show and Goodnight from Beepee

by **Adab** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 10:49 am

Adab jury voting results:

12 - Izmedu
10 - Quebec and Shingoryeo
8 - Elejamie
7 - Antahbrantahstan
6 - Todlichebujoku
5 - Moorland
4 - Scotatrova
3 - Titaniumland
2 - Erie-Arcadia
1 - Carrelie

by **Dentricia and Dovene** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:47 pm

VE VÒTES DE VE JÚRIE DÉNTROÎS

---

"Bònçés Càlosië, bònçés Mòntérë. Çe's Marianna Vaúraçés, dérècte ère Dénmoúte! Yes, bonsoir! We've had a lovely evening tonight celebrating the 100th Worldvision Song Contest with you all. Éçés ve vòtes de ve júrie Déntroîs!

En poînte - Titaniumland Péie de Tétanire
Dé poîntes - Ethane Éthànne
Tri poîntes - Moorland Péie de Mören
Çère poîntes - Malta Comino Gozo Màltë Ioménètte-Gòssë
Évoîr poîntes - Carrelie Carrélie
Siçe poîntes - Beepee Bépé
Sét poîntes - Elejamie Éjaúmë

"8 points go to..."

"10 points go to..."

"And finally, 12 points go to..."

"And those are the votes of the Dentrician national jury in Densmouth. Bonsoir Monterra!"

by **Achaean Republic** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:00 pm

¡Buenas noches, Monterra! ¡Buenas noches, Multiverso! My name is Andrea Gutiérrez, and I remember the night that I won WorldVision in Alezia. Now I get to see another winner be crowned for this very special 100th edition! The jury points from the Achaean Republic are:

1 point: Izmedu
2 points: Kalosia
3 points: Flusia
4 points: Polkopia
5 points: Britonisea
6 points: Ertzei Kishim
7 points: Scotatrova
8 points: Togonistan
10 points: Waisnor

…and our twelve points go to… TODLICHEBUJOKU!!!

Thank you so much! ¡Muchas gracias!

WorldVision Song Contest 100 | Grand Final | Monterra KLS

Hosts Intervention III

22 Antahbrantahstan

23 Izmedu

24 Elejamie

25 Malta Comino Gozo

26 Aenglide

27 Carrelie

28 The Hlhata States

NORTHERN BEEPEE VOTES

BEEPEE VOTES

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