Worldvision Song Contest 111 | Akjefuldin, Aenglide

by **Aenglide** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:55 pm

ÆTV and the IBA presents:

The 111st Worldvision Song Contest
Akjefuldin, Aenglide | Music: Unexplored

A very warm welcome to Akjefuldin, Aenglide for everyone!
Even as the nation enters the harsh, bittery Aenglish winter, the city's 580,000+ inhabitants will provide you with their incredibly warm northern hospitality. The stage is set in the city's Nardelisen Arena, ready to take the hosting role of one of the multiverse's biggest televised events.
All eyes are set on the city, and we promise that Akjefuldin will make the 111st Worldvision Song Contest one to remember.

During the day, the food stalls, merchandise stores and the rows of portable toilets were starting to take shape at the arena's carpark. Hundreds and thousands of people started flocking in, purchasing goods left, right and centre. The season, as well as the high latitudes of the city, meant that the sun disappeared very quickly, just after 16:00.

The Nardelisen Arena's three stands begins to fill up quickly with people under the darkness of minor lighting. The arena starts to fill up with noise and chatter as past Worldvision winning entries play on the grand sound systems, and everyone is waiting at the peak of excitement for the show to begin.
At the turn of the eighth hour, the opening act plays.

Opening Act
The City Hall of Sound - "Ride"
Tune: Shapeshifter - In Colour

The City Hall of Sound is an electronic musical act from Akjefuldin, Aenglide consisting of Arval Milne and Knus Kristavssen, with the former as the DJ, and the latter as the vocalist. Their song “Ride” was created specifically for the opening act for Worldvision 111 in their hometown, but has gained success, topping #2 on the Aenglish Musical Charts. The song relates to the ‘musical adventure’ theme of the contest.

There’s many types of songs, from old to new
From classic rock and roll, to pop too
We’ll come together now, show your hues
Let’s ride on an adventure tonight

Music is a great gift for all
It’s strength and power isn’t small
And together we can break a wall
Let all the countries unite tonight

Let’s ride on an adventure tonight, yeah
Let’s ride on an adventure tonight, tonight
Let’s ride on an adventure tonight, yeah

Cause all the nations will spark alight
Sail away with courage and might
Show everyone who’s right
Let’s sail on a journey tonight

Let the world know you’ve won
We can show the world some love
And let your journey shine

Together we can take a grand odyssey
We can all sail the seven seas
Our adventures shall never end
Let’s sail on a journey tonight

In the journey of life, we got to start
From somewhere small, but we grow up
That’s the story of love and strength
Let all the countries unite tonight

Let’s sail on a journey tonight, yeah
Let’s sail on a journey tonight, tonight
Let’s sail on a journey tonight, yeah

Cause all the nations will spark alight
Sail away with courage and might
Show everyone who’s right
Let’s sail on a journey tonight

Let the world know you’ve won
We can show the world some love
And let your journey shine
Let’s sail on a journey tonight!

With a minute left of the song, many lights and pyros flicker on and off, hyping up the arena, and strobe lights begin to light up the arena! At the end, the duo at the same time shout “ENJOY THE NIGHT AKJEFULDIN!”

The arena is darkened and quiet for approximately one minute...

Your Host
Bella Pjötrssen

The lights brighten up on to stage, and the LED wall opens up a door to welcome Bella Pjötrssen, the host. She begins to walk to the centre of the stage and says "Hello Worldvision!" The crowd erupts in large excitement. She exclaims "Are we ready?" and more cheers echo across the Nardelisen Arena.

"Thank you everyone for being here in Akjefuldin, as well as you (pointing at the cameras) watching from home! I'm super excited to be here in front of you, back in Aenglide. Worldvision has returned to the north a second time!"

"Anyway. I think it's time. Alright everybody, count down with me! One! Two! Three!"

"LET THE ONE-HUNDRED-AND-ELEVENTH WORLDVISION SONG CONTEST BEGIN!"

OOC THREAD | HOST BID | PLAYLIST

by **Aenglide** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:56 pm

01.
Furballland
Sakara Mashimori - "Fuyu no ame"
Entry | Postcard

02.
Spiritual Republic of Caryton
Helga Neroli - "Lonely Woman"
Entry | Postcard

03.
Saint Monkey
Immortal - "Going For A Dream"
Entry | Postcard

04.
Carrelie
WITHDRAWN
Entry | Postcard

05.
Missus X
Chairman Mo - "F You All!"
Entry | Postcard

06.
Terra Zealandia
Follies - "Love Undefined"
Entry | Postcard

07.
Beepee
Scarlet Feeva - "Queen of Sheba"
Entry | Postcard

08.
Northern Beepee
Camellia - "Hills"
Entry | Postcard

09.
Samudera Darussalam
Kapulaga - "Kolanos"
Entry | Postcard

10.
South Batoko
M3K - "Jol tvöya lyubavan"
Entry | Postcard

11.
Ugunnustan
Qalima Serieva - "Promise"
Entry | Postcard

12.
Maraonia
DISQUALIFIED
Entry | Postcard

13.
Adab
WITHDRAWN
Entry | Postcard

14.
Axuva
WITHDRAWN
Entry | Postcard

15.
Mother CupcakKe
Gina Zelena - "I'm Done"
Entry | Postcard

16.
StrayaRoos
Abbey Jahga - "Not Enough"
Entry | Postcard

17.
Malta Comino Gozo
Noah Pandolfino - "Dandelion"
Entry | Postcard

18.
Placely Placington
Placely Placington All-Stars - "Placely Party Rap"
Entry | Postcard

19.
Achaean Republic
Nashila Awada - "Nakba"
Entry | Postcard

20.
Great Britain and Irelandia
Johnathan Wainwright - "Me, You"
Entry | Postcard

21.
Mister X
Filius Deorum - "Feel Your Love"
Entry | Postcard

22.
Father Squidward
Cruella - Eff Argh Why (F.R.Y.)
Entry | Postcard

23.
Alezian Union
TEAM 42 - "Alika'i!"
Entry | Postcard

24.
Plangainer
Aurelia Wei - "Pameluos"
Entry | Postcard

25.
Illdonya
WENDY - "Bop!"
Entry | Postcard

26.
Brodhavan
Hilda Gridsvenodóttir - "Er detten sludunërinn?"
Entry | Postcard

27.
Waisnor
BARQUE - "Ya zhdu"
Entry | Postcard

28.
Lavonia
DISQUALIFIED
Entry | Postcard

29.
Darkmania
Moneka - "Sërin Nën"
Entry | Postcard

30.
Conburn
WITHDRAWN
Entry | Postcard

31.
Robloxian Robloxia
WITHDRAWN
Entry | Postcard

32.
Kalosia
Rian Dalesso - "Everybody's Business"
Entry | Postcard

33.
Aenglide
Arrowlanda - "Intertwine"
Entry | Postcard

34.
Hafamarimët
Žahëvana Vjobönetka -"Mïnjëjek"
Entry | Postcard

35.
Crustyland
Jeremias Hansen - "Do More Of What You Love"
Entry | Postcard

36.
Pemecutan
Bayu Cakra - "Lihat Kenyataannya"
Entry | Postcard

37.
Saviera
Lucia Dagenn - "Be the One"
Entry | Postcard

by **Furballland** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:51 pm

Tune: Lola Amour- Raining in Manila

this is Sakara Mashimori, a singer from Kishifushima City, Furballland.

Sakara Mashimori, a captivating singer hailing from Kishifushima, Furballland, was born on December 15, 1997. His melodic voice echoes through the picturesque landscapes of his hometown, inspiring himself to sing with a passion that transcends boundaries. With each note, Sakara weaves tales of emotion, leaving audiences enchanted by the soulful resonance of his music.

At the tender age of 10 in 2007, Sakara Mashimori embarked on a remarkable journey when he was sent to Japan for a singing contest audition. His youthful determination and raw talent caught the attention of judges, setting the stage for a promising musical odyssey that would unfold in the years to come.

At the age of 15 in 2012, Sakara Mashimori made a dazzling debut with his enchanting song "あなたは知っています、私は知っています (You know, I know)." The heartfelt lyrics and his soulful rendition captivated listeners, marking the beginning of his musical legacy.

On December 18, 2023, Sakara Mashimori unveiled his latest musical masterpiece, "冬の雨 (Winter Rain)." This evocative song carried the essence of the season, showcasing Sakara's growth as an artist and leaving his fans immersed in the emotive melody of the winter rain.

雪の静寂の中、思い出が残る場所で、
)In the silence of the snow, where memories remain,)

旋律が広がり、冬の雨と踊っている。
(A melody unfolds, dancing with the winter rain.)

霜の中のささやき、愛と痛みの物語、
(Whispers in the frost, tales of love and pain,)

（幻想的な冬の雨の響きの中で失われてしまう。）
((Lost within the echoes of the haunting winter rain.))

冷たい中の足跡、それぞれの歩みの物語。
(Footprints in the cold, a story in each step.)

白く薄れていく中、夢と現実が交わる場所で。
(Fading in the white, where dreams and reality met.)

氷の板に描かれた感情のキャンバス
(A canvas of emotions painted on the icy pane.)

冬の雨の下での切望の交響曲、
(A symphony of longing beneath the winter rain,)

天からの氷の涙は、さよならの響きを反映する。
(Icy tears from heaven's eye, Reflect the echoes of goodbye.)

しかし、嵐の中で、温かさを感じる。
(Yet in the storm, a warmth we gain.)

冬の雨の中の逆説。
(A paradox within the winter rain.)

雪片はささやきのように、秘密を明かす。
(Snowflakes like whispers, secrets they unfold,)

銀の織物の中で再語られる愛の物語。
(In the tapestry of silver, a love story retold.)

足跡は消えるかもしれないが、心は保持する。
(Footprints may fade, but the heart will retain,)

冬の雨の中の約束の響き。
(The echoes of a promise in the winter rain.)

雪が積もり、世界が静まると、
(As the snow settles, and the world is hushed)

冬の雨、そっと降り注ぎながら、
(Winter rain, gently falling,)

心は絡み合い、そっと呼びかける。
(Hearts entwined, softly calling.)

時の霞の中で、見つけるだろう、
(Through the mist of time, we'll find,)

凍てついたが定義された愛。
(A love that's frozen, yet defined)

冬のセレナーデ、思い出に触れる。
(A serenade of winter, in memories we're touched.)

時間の休眠中、愛は持続するだろう。
(In the hibernation of time, love will sustain,)

冬の雨によって書かれた瞬間の詩で。
(In the poetry of moments, written by the winter rain.)

寒さの中を歩く孤独な姿がある。
(A solitary figure, walking through the cold,)

まだ語られていない物語の輪郭をなぞる。
(Tracing the contours of a tale yet to be told.)

夜の静けさの中、影が衰える場所で。
(In the hush of the night, where shadows wane.)

冷静な冬の雨の中で見つかる慰め。
(A solace discovered in the calming winter rain.)

霜の中の織物で、ささやきのセレナーデ、
(In the tapestry of frost, a serenade of whispers,)

雪片が輝き、きらめく場所。
(Where every flake of snow glistens and shimmers.)

冬の雨、そっと降り注ぎながら、
(Winter rain, gently falling,)

心は絡み合い、そっと呼びかける。
(Hearts entwined, softly calling.)

時の霞の中で、見つけるだろう、
(Through the mist of time, we'll find,)

凍てついたが定義された愛。
(A love that's frozen, yet defined.)

冬のセレナーデ、思い出に触れる。
(A serenade of winter, in memories we're touched.)

(Instrumental Break)

ピアノの鍵が優雅な小雨を模倣し、
(The piano keys mimic the gentle pitter-patter,)

感情の重要な対話。
(A musical dialogue, emotions that matter.)

心の弦がリフレインと共鳴する中、
(Strings of the heart resonate with the refrain,)

冬の雨、そっと降り注ぎながら、
(Winter rain, gently falling,)

心は絡み合い、そっと呼びかける。
(Hearts entwined, softly calling.)

時の霞の中で、見つけるだろう、
(Through the mist of time, we'll find,)

凍てついたが定義された愛。
(A love that's frozen, yet defined.)

冬のセレナーデ、冬のセレナーデ、思い出に触れる。
(A serenade of winter, a serenade of winter, in memories we're touched.)

by **Spiritual Republic of Caryton** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:17 pm

2. The Spiritual Republic of Caryton
Helga Neroli - Lonely Woman
Language: English

Helga Neroli is an under-the-radar schlager artist born in Shea County a few towns away from Schuftsburg. Her song "Lonely Woman", belonging to the album "Innocent Heart", breathes new life and emotion into the static state of Carytonic Schlager. Lonely Woman serves to encourage heartbroken ladies and women in unkind relationships to leave, a taboo in the (relatively) divorce-less Caryton.

A cheating man, a tale old as time,
A tale that bleeds and aches today,
You’ve been neglected, betrayed and trampled,
He left you crying in the dark.

Helga is in the center of the stage in a sleek silver crystalline dress with a large red rose brooch and ruby necklace. Her elegant and stately poise reminisces the audience of how a fairy godmother might carry herself, the song's perspective of some wise and motherly third influence to give hope. The stage is foggy and grey, reminiscent of confusion, the cameras though are decidedly fixed on Helga as rose petals fall from the LED's behind. She begins to sing, and as she does the falling petals become awfully like teardrops against the misty grey background.

You thought he carried himself with honor,
He said that you would be eternal.
Then he didn’t want to be together:
He devastated your beautiful heart.

Helga shrugs matter of factly as she gently sways into her words, as if saying that the heartbreak was to be expected, an unchangeable variable of fate. She holds the microphone resolutely, shaking her head in disapproval as she struts forward once the percussion kicks in. The cameras capture Helga's disapproving snarl as she takes step after step in ruby red slippers towards the edge of the stage to approach the audience. The mist seems to intensify for a moment before stopping into the chorus. The LED's stop and...

Lonely woman, dry up your tears.
Lonely woman, there’s nothing to fear.
Lonely woman, it wasn’t meant to be.

Lonely woman, he did not appreciate.
Lonely woman, he chose to predate,
Lonely woman, is that a soulmate?

To draw all the attention on her, the stage goes dark and only a red spotlight shines on Helga as she sings through the first half of the chorus, her body language steadily ascending as she sways as if lifting the others up and making them hold on to her words for the transition. She takes a single twirled steps around in between verses as the LED's flash vibrant white light in the descending pattern of the instrumental's notes. Helga then sings the second half of the chorus, shaking her finger and shoulders as she step-touches, the smile on her face almost making fun of the betrayer's stupidity for hurting such a valuable partner.

Don’t open up those old love letters.
Don’t put yourself through new excuses.
Will you let that traitor entrance you?
Won’t you see that he will not change?

By now, the fog has totally cleared, the LED's showing a red and white liquid pattern like strawberries and cream behind Helga. The intimacy is real, but the woman's face is firm. Cameras pan as she sings a warning to the women to not listen to their desperate ex-lovers and fall in the trap again. As she does this, she groovily steps backwards to the center of the stage swaying her shoulders and hips as if unrestrained and totally free. The darkness is gone now.

Decisions have a lifelong impact. (Ooh…)
They are what guide all our lives. (Ah… ah…)
Looking back is for fools like him, (Ah… ah…)
For fools who had everything to lose.

Helga takes a few proud gallops to the left of the stage as she offers sound advice, extending her arms to the other side of the stage from which a confused looking man stumbles out in a drenched raincoat. His flowers are soaked and wilted, a few of the chocolates in his box are missing and a suspicious stain is on his lips. Helga, upon singing the last line of this verse, turns her head away and extends her hand. As if some invisible force threw him, the man was out of the stage and Helga moves to the center, regaining control for the chorus.

Lonely woman, dry up your tears. (Poor woman-)
Lonely woman, there’s nothing to fear. (Poor darling-)
Lonely woman, it wasn’t meant to be.

Lonely woman, you are finally free- (Free woman-)
Lonely woman, look and finally see- (Free darling-)
Lonely woman, the possibility.

From the background, three women in red and white rose petal pattern dresses sway in the corner with a brightening stage and new spotlight to highlight their presence like reliable friends. Helga trails towards the front of the stage again, shaking her head as it wasn't meant to be. Her demeanor is like a mother. The descending notes trigger a flash of passionate pink strobes from left to right, giving a comforting glow to Helga as she starts the second half of the chorus, the backup singers swaying together, unbreakable. Then, all the lights go off, with every single spotlight saturating Helga in light as she sits on the edge of the stage to frankly address the audience.

“To all of the ladies of the world,
You are precious and you are worthwhile.
If a man can’t treasure your heart,”

Spread those wings and fly free!

Helga crosses her legs and enters the spoken portion of her song. She raises the microphone as she frankly speaks to the audience, the instrumental building energy as she speaks with confidence and empowerment. The front section of the stage erupts in excited movement. The audience is dancing along by now, the Carytonic section caught by the cameras waving pink and white glowsticks alongside their national flag. Helga enters the encouraging singing line, and the audience cheers thunderously as hopeful white lights boom to life and she hops to her feet to groove back to the center for the chorus.

Lonely woman, you’ll be alright. (Free woman-)
Lonely woman, dancing in the night. (Free darling-)
Lonely woman, your future is bright.

Lonely woman, he did not appreciate. (Free woman-)
Lonely woman, he chose to predate, (Free darling-)
Lonely woman, that is not a soulmate.

Lonely woman, you are finally free.
Lonely woman, look and finally see:
Lonely woman, the possibility.

Lonely woman, you’ll be alright. (Free woman-)
Lonely woman, dancing in the night. (Free darling-)
Lonely woman, your future is bright.

Between Helga and the backup singers, their choreography is minimal- an intentional choice to highlight the importance of the lyrics. Step touches, occasional twirling, and liberal shaking of shoulders and hips in a feely groove. Helga and her friends are smiling broadly as they sing forward, the camera capturing them from the back in order to picture the dancing audience. The descending instrumental notes, this time, erupt pink confetti into the crowd. For a stanza, Helga sings alone with the LED's picturing her as she did so as if a statement of authority. The last stanza of the chorus erupts as the singing parties come to the front of the stage and extend their microphones to the crowd with the desired lyrics posted above for them to join along.

Your future is bright!
Your future is bright!

In a stunning moment of solidarity, thousands of girls sing at once, Helga is almost caught off guard. The air is electric with feeling, and Helga is pictured exhilirated and with misty eyes as she repeats the final two lines of the song. At the end, the lights flash to life once more, confetti raining this time on the stage as they hit their final poses. Cheers shake the stage as Helga and her backup singers excitedly wave as they leave.

by **Saint Monkey** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:33 am

#03 Saint Monkey:
Song Title: Going For A Dream
Artist(s) Name(s): Immortal

Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-miJQUD9l4

Information on the Band:

Immortal is the most prominent band in the Saint Monkey music scene, known for their Pop-Rock Music. They are known for achieving the most number 1s in the Saint Monkey charts, most Number 1s in Anastasia, most Streams for an album in Anastasia and the most countries visited on a single tour. SMBS announced they would be representing Saint Monkey for the first time in the WorldVision Song Contest. Immortal accepted and SMBS and Immortal agreed that they will do something out of their comfort zone; Do-Wop. They all have had practice in vocal training, so that's not the problem. However, with the band being so famous for it's rock and pop, it's a strange move that some fans will disagree with. However the band stated they will do this for the friendship of each other, and how at the start everyone wanted to be the lead singer, and today they will finally be able to. So, stepping out of their comfort zone, here is Immortal, with the song "Going for a Dream"!

A Day In Aenglilde:

Since Immortal has already been here on tour, many fans recognized them throughout the country, however there was a lot still to explore. King finally learned how to pronounce the name of the City and Country, and continues to whisper to himself before the final performance. All band members are certainly not used to the harsh Winter weather in Aenglide, especially coming from a tropical country themselves. Since they've already been around the City before, they decided to go exploring out into the Aenglishian wilderness. They visited a famous Fjord and decided to stop a do some skiing at a local Skiing site. They took many photos and had an amazing time, ÆTV interviewed them afterwards, asking them how they thought of Aengilde; "We love it! Maybe I'll have to take my kids on holiday sometime. Maybe they'll freeze though haha," King said. Kate and Nate told ÆTV that "It is such a beautiful nation! We love it so much, and our second time here is just as special!" Cal told ÆTV that; "Kate and Nate think I'm crazy but I'm getting to love some of the weird food here! Every country I go to I have to try the food, and here is no exception! Great Food Aenglide, keep it up!" After the day they felt great about where they are, and they cannot wait to perform!

The songs starts with the Band Members arguing in a recording studio. Then, it looks like they've achieved an agreement, the lights fade and the stage background shows Chimpangutan, where Immortal began. The light shines on each member one-by-one. Then the song begins:

Going for a Dream
Going for a Dream
(Doo-doo-doo-sh-boom!)

Top Hats fall from above, and lands perfectly on each member, then the background changes to a street, and they begin to walk down it. There are some backup performers on stage now and Kate begins talking to them. It looks like they've been let into do a rehearsal for a Record Label, as King is given a sheet of paper that says "You've been invited for a chance to sign up for a record label!" Then the begin to walk in tandem with the Backup performers pretending to be the sign up people for a record label, even doing Jazz hands as they sing:

Oh, Going for a dream (sh-boom)
You could achieve whatever you want (sh-boom)
And even if you want to eat croissants!
Going for a Dream, My friend!
(Hello, goodbye, sh-boom and I know you have to start a new trend)

The 4 members head to the back of the stage. Then 4 stairs appear like this staging at 1:45 and Kate takes the top step, Cal the second, King the third, and Nate sits on the bottom of the stairs. The stairs are brick stairs and the background is a recording studio. Then together, they begin to sing:

Hey my friend you are so nice, just like WV
Boom ba-dib, ba-dob ba-dooba-day

Going for a Dream
Going for a Dream, my friend (Shoo dob dob do sha-boom!)

Then a banister appears, and Kate slides down it, and King and Cal follow suite, and leave the stage. Nate stays there, and then each stair begins to disappear, and Nate falls to the ground. Then Kate returns to pick him up from the floor and King and Cal come back in a few moments later, and are dressed as businessmen for "The Record Label" as it says on their business suits (To avoid copyright). Kate and Nate appear happy and Cal and King leave the stage to get back in their first roles.

No more time to look at you
I know we stick like glue! (U-u-u-hh)
If you go out to find a dream
I would be happy, I wouldn’t scream!

Cal and King return after being pulled down from the sky by strings. When they land, Kate and Nate give them their top hats, and the form a circle and begins to spin around. They get dizzy and fall, and they form a human star.

Oh, Going for a Dream (sh-boom)
You can achieve what you want! (sh-boom)
I would be happy with you eating croissants!
Going for a Dream, My friend

(Hello, goodbye, sh-boo, we will always be friends!)

Then the stage begins to rise, and all members get up. It cuts in two, and there is Kate and Cal, and King and Nate together on each platform. Then a moment later, Akjefuldin can be seen and, the two platforms come together again. Then stairs form as they walk back down to the ground, the Backup performers now coming back in traditional Aenglidean clothing, posing as an Aenglidean, then the WorldVision logo can be seen aand the stage darkens.

Hey my friend you are so nice, just like WV
Boom ba-dib, ba-dob ba-dooba-day

Going for a Dream

Going for a Dream, My friend (Shoo dob dob do sha-boom!)

Then a light beam focuses on Kate, Then Cal, King and Nate walk into the light beam and hug Kate, and then they hold each others hands as the stage relights up again, with Saint Monkey now in the background:

I will always be here for you
You should know that is so true!
And if you’re feeling kinda blue
Hey There, We would get through!

They then make their way to the front of the stage, and the backup performers return to the stage once again, this time as judges. It looks like the FMS (Future Music Stars) a music competition in Saint Monkey. Kate begins to mime a song, as Cal, King and Nate sing in the background.

Going for a Dream (sh-boom)
I know it’s hard work but you’re the best at it (sh-boom)
And you keep persevering as you don’t know how to quit!
Going for a Dream, My friend!
(Hello, goodbye, sh-boom and friends forever!) boom sh-boom

The two judges press their stars, signifying success for Kate, she run back and the hug each other and then go right next to the crowd and lay down and sing:

Hey my friend you are so nice, just like WV
Boom ba-dib, ba-dob ba-dooba-day

Going for a Dream

Going for a Dream

(abodo badoba da….bay!)

After they finish, they get up and hold each others hand. They then step back run up and jump. Then they bow, and each member shouts; "THANK YOU SO MUCH WORLDVISION, Tákþe Aenglide, Gőd Náte!!!!"

by **Carrelie** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 12:43 pm

CASSANDRA DOYLE - "TIME"

by **SanSucres** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 12:45 pm

4) SanSucres

by **Missus X** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 3:54 pm

Chairman Mo - "F You All!"
Tune: Colin & The Cottagers feat. Mohammed Al Fayed - "We're Not Real Madrid"

Why has Missus X returned? Well, we don't know. Certainly their record of mediocrity isn't exactly something to be proud of. Nor is their habit of committing sexual crimes on stage. Happily Rick Leg is nowhere to be seen. Instead out comes an ageing, old man who clearly doesn't know where he is. And he thumps the microphone once, and begins to speak.

WorldVision can be quite fun.
Not with Missus X.

At that moment a large crowd of men, all dressed up for winter weather and clearly having escaped a fringe loony left meeting, begin shouting.

(F! You! All! F you all!)

Chairman Mo continues to speak.

For us there is no fun.
Only pain and sorrow.

One of the men then steps forward to his own microphone and starts making their own speech-rap-thing.

We're not Mister X.
We're not Britonisea.
We are bloody awful.
It's Missus X, you see.

Chairman Mo then decides to rap himself.

We're not Aenglide.
We're not the BBC.
We're Missus X!
(Chairman Mo's the singer!)

The crowd then repeat what Chairman Mo just said.

(We're not Aenglide!)
(We're not the BBC!)
(We're Missus X; Missus X!)
(Chairman Mo's the singer!)

Once more? Why not.

We're not Aenglide.
We're not the BBC.
We're Missus X!
(Chairman Mo's the singer!)

And the crowd, like sheep, repeat this.

(We're not Aenglide!)
(We're not the BBC!)
(We're Missus X; Missus X!)
(Chairman Mo's the singer!)

Time for the soloist to do his own repetition.

We're not Mister X.
We're not Britonisea.
We are bloody awful.
It's Missus X, you see.

Still repeating.

(We're not Aenglide!)
(We're not the BBC!)
(We're Missus X; Missus X!)
(Chairman Mo's the singer!)

Now for the second verse (if you can call it that).

(F! You! All! F you all!)

As the electric guitar kicks in two giant stages with electric guitarists rise up in a huge crowd of smoke, like a 2000s rock concert.

(F! You! All! F you all!)
(F! You! All! F you all!)

All the lights turn off and the camera focuses in on the nameless soloist.

Hello, Akjefuldin.
We're going to have some bombs.
And we'll drop them and we'll go
Mwahahahaha!

As they do this, some small explosions occur on stage, as though bombs are going off.

Mwahaha, mwahaha, mwahahahaha!
Mwahaha, mwahaha, mwahahahaha!

And now it's time for the chorus and, finally, some good music.

Volare,
Oh oh oh oh,
Cantare,
Oh oh oh oh
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu

Volare,
Oh oh oh oh, (Chairman Mo, I love you!)
Cantare,
Oh oh oh oh

(Hello, Akjefuldin!)
(We're going to have some bombs!)
(And we'll drop them and we'll go)
(Mwahahahaha!)

It's exploding time again.

(Mwahaha, mwahaha, mwahahahaha!)
(Mwahaha, mwahaha, mwahahahaha!)

Back to the chorus. Except this time we have two of the three refrains concurrent, so this will look a mess.

Volare,
Oh oh oh oh,
Cantare,
Oh oh oh oh

Volare, (F! You!)
Oh oh oh oh, (All! F you all!)
Cantare,
Oh oh oh oh
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassu

And now all three refrains are happening at once. So please excuse my terrible RP skills as I try to accurately convey this through brackets.

Volare, (We're not Aenglide! We're not the BBC!) (F! You!)
(We're Missus X; Missus X! Chairman Mo's the singer!) Oh oh oh oh, (All! F you all!!)
Cantare, (We're not Aenglide! We're not the BBC!) (F! You!)
(We're Missus X; Missus X! Chairman Mo's the singer!) Oh oh oh oh (All! F you all!)

Chairman Mo expresses his disgust at the song before walking off.

Bollocks.

by **Terra-Zealandia** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 4:17 pm

Country Name: Terra Zealandia
Artist Name: Follies
Song Title: Love Undefined
Languages: English

Music:
Lyrics: Rob Carson, Jay Dobbs, Sophie Hill, Elias McLean, Dave Renall
Tune: The Naked And Famous - Young Blood

Under the shadow of society
We linger rather quietly
It’s woven in like sweet velvet
But hushed up like a dirty secret

This love is truly undefined
Like a blank page without any lines
Erased from history and time
This love is truly undefined

Trapped inside of a cage
From all the hype and the rage
Waiting to be let loose and healed
Like a hologram pretending to be real
Fallen ill to the black stones
That keep me locked and all alone
Invisible to those who are well
Truth’s so warped I can’t even tell

This love is truly undefined
Like a blank page without any lines
Erased from history and time
This love is truly undefined

Feel the movements?
Arising as it quakes
Like your demons
Finding their way
Running free
In the wake of dawn
Let them run wild
Feel the movements
Can you feel the movements?
Feel the movements
Can you feel the movements?

This love is truly undefined
Like a blank page without any lines
Erased from history and time
(This love is truly undefined)
(Feel the movements)
This love is truly undefined
(Feel the movements)
Like a blank page without any lines
(Feel the movements)
Erased from history and time
(Feel the movements)
This love is truly undefined

by **The second ai hoshino** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 12:36 am

/oops i didnt know

by **Beepee** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:29 am

"QUEEN OF SHEBA"
Performed by
SCARLET FEEVA

Tune: Kader Loth - Diva

Artist Background

Scarlet Feeva is a drag queen impersonator from Beepee's second city, Golden Wattle Bay.

In the sequined world of drag bar entertainment, Feeva, is a sensational cabaret performer, and had emerged as the reigning "Queen" of the brunch. Her weekly stints at the "Heel Pay For This" Bar are now infamous as a result.of her performances.

Her hit "Queen of Sheba," has captivated audiences across Beepee and brought drag impersonation to a whole new level with her magnetic stage presence. She has become an instant hit with young and old alike.

Her meteoric rise to stardom has now seen her thrust into the spotlight, where every performance will no doubt a spectacle that leaves audiences in awe.

She has undertaken a tour of Beepee's LGBTQI+ clubs to promote the song and drum up support for the latest WorldVision contest.

Despite her instant rise to fame, behind the glamorous façade, little is know on Scarlet Feeva's private life which is a carefully guarded mystery. Online fans have speculated about the who she may be, feeding into the enigma surrounding Scarlet Feeva.

In the entertainment industry, Feeva's influence has reached beyond music. She has became a trendsetter, a symbol of independence, and an icon for those who dared to challenge the status quo. Paparazzi chased glimpses of her, attempting to capture her outside of her on stage persona.

A Day in Akjefuldin

Scarlet Feeva had a day off from rehearsing so she decided to take a tour around Akjefuldin taking in the sights and sounds of the wonderful host city.

Enjoying seamen, and seawomen, Scarlet started her journey at the Akjefuldin Heritage and Seafarers Museum. Scarlet immersed herself in the maritime history, drawing inspiration from the longboats of Aenglish Viking culture to the vessels that once sailed the Orrientalian Ocean. The museum's tales fueled her creativity as she imagined the burly vikings pillaging....

Needing a little quiet time to settle herself down after the walk around the nautical museum, scarlet walked The Akjefuldin Waterfront where boats swayed gently in the evening breeze. She found herself watching the young sailors scrubbing their yachts. She found herself having to fan herself off, not sure if it was the warm summer sun or something more base.

Finding herself hungry for something with a little bite, she began scanning the restaurants along the seafront for something tasty, before settling on some some fresh seafood.

As the sun went down, the city that's "last to sleep" came alive. As the nightclubs along the Waterfront came alive, Scarlet felt at home. As the cities young came out to party Scarlet's confidence grew as she partied with friendly locals. They took her to the local nightclubs, despite her lack of knowledge of Ænglik Sprök she had a great time.

As the sun came up, Scarlet walked back to her hotel delighted with her exploration of the city.

Performance

The stage is draped in golden voile, flowing all around the sides of the stage in the Nardelisen Arena. With the roof open for this song, the wind swirled around the the open air stadium, rippling the voile curtains. On stage a giant set of stairs leading to golden gates, is wheeled to the back of the stage. Center stage a giant golden throne is placed. The stage lights are set in gold. The opulent set design is reminiscent of an ancient, yet modern, palace. The gold accents and fabrics evoking the Queen of Sheba's* legacy would adorn the backdrop.

The postcard ends and the performance is about to begin. A swooping shot over the audience into the stage to find 6 female backing dancers dressed in gold outfits, short skirts and crop tops. They pose as if they in 'Egyptian' hieroglyphics stylings.

She-Sheba

As they sing, she-sheba the backing singers posting various positions...

The gates at the top of the stairs open revealing Scarlet. Its a majestic opening and the spotlight focuses on Scarlet as she emerges, embodying regal confidence.

Scarlet's wearing a golden jump suit paired with a golden voile cape, which she swishes behind her as she begin to stride down the stairs.

As she sings "Breaking News, I'm a Star!" Pyrotechincs light up around the side of the staircase, making sure all attention is on Scarlet.

I walk in, in spotlights
You can't handle what I bring tonight
Breaking News, I'm a star
All you can do is watch me from afar

Scarlet reaches the bottom of the stairs and promptly heads straight to the stage front and stands over those in the front standing zone. Before her the thousands of WorldVision fans, waving their flags back and forth with gusto.

Engaging the audience, Scarlet extends her hand toward the crowd during as she sings "Take my hand and come what may."

In her eyes there's the glint of a woman who knows what she wants...

Without explanation I'll turn to you and say,
"Take my hand and come what may,
Don't look back"

The chorus begins and as she sings, "I'm the Queen of Sheba," glitter cannons explode around Scarlet, showering the stage and the audience. The golden glitter shower falls all around Scarlet as the backing dancers dance around her, worshipping her like a queen.

Scarlet adores the attention, and she prances to the golden throne as she finishes the chorus.

I'm the Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
Second glances, second chances
The Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
I'm writing chapters, this story's untold
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba

Scarlet sits on the throne, and is joined by six burly, shirtless, musclemen who hoist her throne in the air and march her to the front of the stage before gently placing her down atthe front of the stage. Around her smoke machines waft a light fog along the floor of the stage.

Rising from the chair, as she sings "make you king", she gently caresses the face of one of the backing musclement before turning back to the audience.

Don't resist, as if you could
I'm the one who rules over this roost
I'm the Queen, make you King,
But dont you think that that means anything

As she sings the bridge, she coyly turns her back to the audience, this allows her to unclasp her cape. It falls to the floor, showing the backless nature of the jumpsuit, cut right down to there! Looking over her shoulder, she shoulders as she sings.

As the director focusses on the female backing dancers again 'walking like an Egyptian' on stage. One of the backing muscle men remove the cape from the stage as the others remove the throne.

Without a warning, I'll turn my back on you
I'll be gone, like someone, you once knew

The chorus comes around once again and Scarlet is in her element. The crowd in the Nardelisen Arena are living. The flags of all the nations are waving. The Beepeean superfans who have made the long journey to Aenglide are shown dressed as Queens with gold face paints. They sing along loudly, and have clearly been enjoying their time tonight. But it's not just the Beepeeans who like their enjoying the performance. Scarlet is beaming standing front and center, in the spotlight where she belongs.

I'm the Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
Second glances, second chances
The Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
I'm writing chapters, this story's untold
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba
(She-Sheba)

The final chorus and Scarlet is surrounded by all of her backing dancers. The stage is filled. Glitter and confetti still falls and twinkles around the stage from the glitter cannons earlier. The whole theme is opulence and confidence, and its coming over in bucketloads. Scarlets voice, although unlikely to ever be described as the strongest, is good enough to carry this together with her magnetic personality means the audience is solely focussed on her.

I'm the Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
Second glances, second chances
The Queen of Sheba (She-Sheba)
I'm writing chapters, this story's untold
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba
La-la-la, La-la-la-la-la, La-la, Sheba, Sheba

As her performance comes to a close, the front lights go out so Scarlet and the backing dancers are only back-lit and in silhouette. The dancers are in Egyptian style poses whilst Scarlet stands proud. The light is in golden hues. The light whisp from the fog machine and the back-light makes it look like there is a golden, almost regal, aura around Scarlet.

The crowd erupt, as they do for every performance, and the loudest cheers come from the dedicated Beepeean souls.

With her performance over, Scarlet thanks the audience and she, and her backing support, wave as they leave the stage for the next entry from their neighbours in Northern Beepee.

As she gets offstage, Scarlet passes Camellia and wishes her all the love and luck in the world.

by **Northern Beepee** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:41 am

"HILLS"
Performed by
CAMELLIA

Tune: "Ademnood" by Camille

Camellia grew up in the township of Aruyonger in Northern Beepee, finding her love for music early on. Despite Aruyonger's small size, Camellia's talent stood out, and she began performing at local events.

Camellia, an only child, grew up in a household where her parents weren't musically inclined. Despite this, her family provided a nurturing environment that encouraged her interests and passions.

Camellia felt a strong tie to her indigenous background through the stories her community shared. These stories inspired her love for music and played a big role in shaping who she is as an artist.

As she explored different music styles, blending her indigenous background with modern sounds, Camellia gained popularity beyond Aruyonger.

"Hills" is her first hit single, chosen to represent Northern Beepee at WorldVision.

"Hills"

Camellia describes "Hills" as a song about tough times and finding inner strength.

"It's like telling a story of going through hard moments, feeling not good enough, but then learning to rise above it all. In the end, it's a song about breaking free and seeing things from a better place."

Camellia says her inspiration came from personal experiences of facing challenges, self-doubt, and overcoming them. The lyrics reflect her journey of self-discovery, learning to value herself despite external criticisms and her desire to convey a message of resilience and empowerment that stem from her own growth. She hopes they lyrics will help others going through what she's gone through.

---0---

Nestled beneath the cerulean sky, red-earth roads wind through the vastness Eucalyptus trees standing tall amongst the scrub dot the landscape, holding out against the harsh sun.

Sweat beaded across Camellia's forehead.

In her rearview, her hometown slowly disappearing in the dust kicked up by the tyres.

She kept an eye on the sky, a sudden rain shower and she'd get bogged. She'd need to call for help, and they'd know what she'd done.

She was heading to the sacred site, where her ancestors has described in their storyline over generations.

The story was that two eagles met in the sky above her hometown. They fell in love. In their courtship, the pair locked their talons together, and spun through the air, tumbling towards the earth. Normally, eagles let go as they tumble closer to the earth, however in this story the two eagles loved each other so much that they did not want to let go, and the two birds fell to the ground. Their love being so strong, they hit the ground with such force, that the ground shook and rose around them, forming a circular 'nest' of hills around their bodies.

Modern scientists would, of course, say a meteorite or comet hit the land many hundreds of thousands of millenia ago creating a crater with high walls around it, but Camellia preferred the stories of her ancestors.

The short drive from her small township felt as if it dragged for hours. She watched as the raised land of the crater slowly came into view.

The sharp spires of the broken land, grew until they towered above her. She parked at the south side of the crater. The tourists mainly came form the North along the tourist route from Alice Springs. The park rangers mainly from Hermannsburg to the east. She figured, had anyone decided to camp the night, they'd be at the other side, and sure enough the car park was empty.

She didn't quite know what to do next. A knot tightened in her stomach. She felt unprepared and gripped the steering wheel for support.

She could feel the energy of this sacred place flow through her and it gave her strength.

She opened the boot of her car. She spread the white tarpaulin on the ground, using a few stones to stop the wind from picking it up. She heaved his body from the trunk. Losing her balance, the pair tumbled to the ground. His dead weight on top of her. She pushed and struggled him off. Gasping as she got out from under him.

He lay face down on the tarp. For that, she was greatful; he wouldn't be looking toward her when she did what she had to do.

She began to drag the tarp.

The light was fading, the last warmth of the day would soon be gone. In the desert it gets cold at night, she thought. She knew the exertion would keep her warm.

One hour. Two hours passed. With each heave of the deadweight, she thought her lungs would explode. But she persevered.

She dragged him to the top, overlooking the crater. Below her the steep walls of the inside of the crater. She pushed him to the edge. Then over. The sound of soil crunched. But then silence.

She looked up, an eye to the sky. The stars were out tonight.

She headed back to the car. It was quicker, downhill. Lighter.

She sat in the car.

'If his friends had come over? Where was she? At her aunty's in Petermann. She'd have to head there. She wondered if it was a solid alibi. He had got drunk, they fought, she left. He had gone for a walk. Climbed the rim. He must of lost his footing. Hit his head on the way down. She had gone to aunty's before. Her aunty would confirm, she had black eye. It wasn't the first. It would be the last.

She drove off. To Petermann.

---0---

Performance

Camellia is dressed in a delicate white satin dress with lace embroidery around the shoulders.

The stage is set in darkness as the song begins.

Camellia stands left of center stage. A single spotlight finds her, as she begins...

I did everything that I could
I tried to be something good for you
I ended up losing me to you

Her vulnerability shines through alone in the spotlight. As she sings the second verse the lights slowly brighten around her revealing a giant angular white structure, to mimic the idea of hills. Revealed at the top of the structure, is a male backing dancer dressed in dark grey baggy clothing looking down on Camellia. His positioning, at this point in the song, it to give the impression of the power Camellia feels he holds over her.

Sticks and stones never came to mind
But you cut me with words everytime
Made me feel my songs didn't rhyme

As she sings the bridge she slowly begins to make her way up the hill. He turns away from her and begins to pivot and contort in a modern interpretive dance style. She reaches for him but he does not reach back. She stands a few steps up the large structure, gazing towards him as she sings.

I felt that I was nothing, Even that was wrong
I didn't have the strength, The strength to carry on
Walking up the mountain looking back, you'd say
"I wasn't good enough for you"

As she sings the chorus the lighting across the stage is brightend still. Behind the structure we have been focussed on wr now see several similar, albeit smaller, structures. From the back of the auditorium it looks as though the stage in the Nardelisen Arena undulates and rolls like a vast landscape.

My heart stood still, upon that hill
I held my breath, you held me down
With every step, you said
"Don't go making mountains out of hills"

I took to flight, you'd clipped my wings
Almost believed I was nothing
But now I fly, I see,
You kept making mountains out of hills

As the outro to the chorus begins, the Aenglish director focusses on Camellia and her haunted face as she sings out.

Oh, oh
You kept making mountains out of hills
Oh, oh
You kept making mountains out of hills

During the next verse Camellia makes her way further up the 'hill'. She is joined at this point by her backing dancer who twists and moves about her. Hslis mobes and visceral and violent. Whilst he tries to distract her, she is becoming resolute.

She stands defiant.

It took too long for me to see,
Took me too long to build an armour,
Took me too long to believe,

As the bridge is sung, Camellia takes one further step up the hill, she for the first time is further up the hill than the dancer. She looks back at him with a lingering stare, he more focussed on his moves, does not see the look, and so the turns away facing the slope. With her attention focussed on her 'hill', the backing dancer finally notices her and he reaches out for, but she has symbolically moved on.

I felt that I was nothing, Even that was wrong
I didn't have the strength, The strength to carry on
Walking up the mountain looking back, you'd say
"I wasn't good enough for you"

As she sings the chorus, she takes another step up. He begins to move and twist down the hill, signifying the growing distance between them.

My heart stood still, upon that hill
I held my breath, you held me down
With every step, you said
"Don't go making mountains out of hills"

I took to flight, you'd clipped my wings
Almost believed I was nothing
But now I fly, I see,
You kept making mountains out of hills.

As the song continues, the backing dancer slowly moves away until he is out of view from the audiences.

Oh, oh
You kept making mountains out of hills
Oh, oh
You kept making mountains out of hills

As she continues she slowly reaches the top of the structure. Camellia sings out strongly over the crowd, her inner strength and resolve now emanating from her. She shines brilliantly under the spotlight. A confident and powerful and independent woman.

A shot of the stage form afar shows that, behind her, across the various hills on stage, slowly but assuredly other women begin to climb their own hills.

Now I fly,
Well, I try,
Your chains they still bind me
But I can see
From up here
Your mountains i'm passing
And it's only hills that I can see
You kept making mountains out of hills

The lights now slowly fade to focus on Camellia, until she is in a spotlight as the end of the song draws near. The music becomes softer as she ends the song.

My heart stood still, upon that hill
I held my breath, you held me down
With every step, you said
"Don't go making mountains out of hills"

Alone in the spotlight, the song ends. The tension releases from Camellia's shoulders as the applause from the audience fills the Arena. She waves as she and her various hills are wheeled offstage to make way for Kapulaga from Samudera Darussalam.

by **Samudera Darussalam** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:58 am

09. Samudera Darussalam

”Kolanos”

Artist Information

“….Formed in 202x after the 94^th WorldVision in Nekoni, Kapulaga is a Samuderan symphonic metal band consisting of its lead vocalist Laura Berantah and several of her fellow music associates, including her husband Putra Berantah, who plays as the band’s guitarist and unclean vocal. The band debuted in the country’s underground scene with the release of their first album Forgotten Stories, which includes a symphonic metal version of A Princess’ Tale, a song that Laura previously sung when she participated in WorldVision. The unexpected transition of Laura, who was previously known from her works as a folk musician into a rock singer through her performances with the relatively young band has generated various speculations and controversies, including that this transition is prompted by a decline of interest in folk music among the general Samuderan audience in the Mainland who becomes the largest single market for the country’s domestic music industry, although Laura herself has stated that she has been interested to try other genres of music with her band, who has since also underwent a few changes in memberships.

Kapulaga’s earlier performances have been described as “rather shaky” by critics affiliated with the respected music publication Harmonia, though others have since noted that the band has gotten better as years went by. Kapulaga, which in actuality means ‘cardamom’ in Samuderan, has since slowly climbing Samudera’s music charts, although it will take a considerable time before the band will be able to enter the top 5…”

- Cited from “Modern Music Encyclopædia of Samudera Darussalam Vol. 4”, 202x

Lead Singer

Laura Berantah, as depicted in the article containing her interview with Khabar Samudera, attending the opening of a museum in Palembang in a Samuderan folk dress.

Laura Berantah (born in 1988) is a Samuderan singer who is the main vocalist and one of the main songwriters of the symphonic metal band Kapulaga, a band that she founded with her husband in 202x. Starting her career as a folk Samuderan musician, she slowly becomes distinguishable through her works which drew inspirations from cultural traditions, exemplified by one of her most popular works "Naga Bulan (Moon Dragon)", which is a modern rendition of a popular folksong and nursery rhyme that told the folk beliefs of a powerful dragon that is causing the moon eclipse.

Growing up as a daughter of an ethnically mixed couple, she was exposed to a variety of culture, traditions, and social issues throughout her childhood that not only later serve as inspirations for her works as a folk musician, but also prompted her to be actively involved in social activism. In an commonly-cited interview with the publication Khabar Samudera, Laura said that her dad, who is an ethnic Cempakan, was the one who inspired her to actively raise social issues and give voices to those “who are seldom heard”, giving birth to works such as "Gadis Berkepang Dua (The Girl with Two Braids)", which tells the story of the discrimination faced by the Bethinan community during the 20^th century communist scares that happened after a period of political and social turbulence in Labuan and Cempaka that is known as “the Troubles”.

Her journey throughout Samudera’s musical scene and history of social activism has influenced her to diversify from folk music into other genres, including metal and rock. In another interview with Khabar Samudera, she was quoted as saying that her and the band’s decision to change their genre to metal and rock as having been inspired by the friends and acquaintances that they made in the underground music scene who often also fight for the same cause as hers. Laura is credited for having been the one to come up with the name “Kapulaga” for her band, which she said was inspired by her fascination with the spice’s versatility as an ingredient used extensively in cooking that also has medicinal properties.

She is also known as among the first of Samuderan singers to have performed abroad.

- Heavily cited and paraphrased from “Influential Samuderan Singers”, 202x

Song Background

The song’s title is derived from a regional military conflict widely known as the Kolanos Gulf War, which took place in northern Mandalanusa. Originating from tensions that rose between the people of Keise Islands with the central government of Kieraha when demands for autonomy and then, independence, from the former were denied by the latter, they quickly escalated into a military conflict that involve several neighbouring nations that eventually wrought destruction and caused fatalities across large swathes of areas, to the fear and anxiety of other countries in the region, including far away Samudera Darussalam, who feared the instability this conflict would be able to cause to the region and has since attempted to mediate both sides to quickly end the war through diplomacy.

Moved by the images of suffering civilians in the besieged Keise Islands and other areas that fell under heavy bombardment, Laura wrote and recorded the song with her band in an early attempt to raise donations for humanitarian help directed towards civilians in areas wrecked by the conflict. With the news of the war still fresh, the song quickly became popular in the country at the later stage of the conflict as suffering inflicted on civilians in northern Mandalanusa became more immense. Its popularity and the still-fresh memories of the war was probably one of the reasons why it and Kapulaga were voted to represent Samudera for this episode’s WorldVision.

As for the original purpose of the song, Kapulaga’s official website had announced in August 202x that it had managed to raise 100,630 Kupangs, or roughly equal to 226,417 NSD, to contribute to the humanitarian aid that vessels from Samudera were carrying to northern Mandalanusa.

Akjefuldin,
Aenglide

"I was roused up from the depth of sleep that I inevitably fall into during our long journey by air to Aenglide, just as the plane began its descent towards the city of Akjefuldin. Putra - sayangku - smiled gently at my dazed expression and pointed his hand towards the window. My eyes immediately widened and I instinctively let out a gasp of admiration - the view is really handsome. The city was located on a peninsula - that is known by natives as 'Norstlandet', though I only learn about it much later - and is draped across various hills, while being bordered by a great mountain range that Putra then informed me is called the 'Great Aenglish Mountains' - apparently he had been doing a little reading about Akjefuldin and Aenglide back in the Ujong-Baginda Arifin International Airport in Ujong from where we departed.

As we are still being enamored by the view of the city - second largest in the country, Putra said - my husband holds my hand and whispered softly in my left ear. I could feel a nostalgic smile in his tone and words, and it made my heart flutter slightly. "Reminds you of Ujong a little bit, right?", and as I found my eyes staring at the unmistakable distant forms of skyscrapers, I only nodded, transfixed.

At the time, the view did remind me of the great city that we called our home.

............

We have arrived in the city quite early that in fact we still have a day off to explore a little after checking in into our reserved accommodation, attending a little welcome party held by the Samuderan diplomatic representatives in Aenglide, checking the venue where the next WorldVision would be held, and doing some rehearsals. Speaking about the venue, it is an august place; Nardelisen Arena is apparently a multipurpose stadium with a retractable roof, though I've heard that they are going to turn it into an outdoor space for the upcoming music contest. Of course, that caused us to worry as we all come from warmer place in the south, and Rahmat - our keyboardist - said that we should just be wearing something more covered, or thick, just in case, although we've been given assurances that there would be a system of smart heating set in place for the event. After a couple of photo sessions in one prominent side of the venue, we were off to the heart of the city for a sightseeing.

The apparent similarities between Ujong and Akjefuldin that reminded me of the former were only bare superficial, I then found. In the area known as 'Central City', Akjefuldin has lots of Gothic-style buildings and other kinds of architecture that I think are more in line with original old Farangi¹ styles compared to the ones I've seen in the old town district in Ujong, which seem to have been redesigned in a sense to make those buildings more suitable to Samudera's warmer, more humid climate. Many of the old-looking buildings also do not look as colorful, though I suppose it's something of a normal thing here. Of course, there is also the thing about the difference in vegetation, but Samudera and Aenglide has obvious differences in climate.

In the town square area known as 'Harálditarvt', we took some photos in front of the equally grey, old-looking, Gothic-style church and the nearby clock tower to commemorate our visit, doing some silly poses in the process. To be frank, I can't help but feel like a part of an eager tourist group that I often see miling around in the old town district of Ujong, because to be honest that's what we are basically right now.

Except we don't have a guide to lead us on our excursion that is.

Hendra, our bassist, wanted to see a view of the city from above or something like that, so after asking some locals (their English - or Terranean, as we called it - dialects are remarkably distinctive, thankfully, we were able to understand each other, it seems), our group was directed to go towards a place known as the 'Akjefuldin Memorial Park Lookout', in what seems to be near the outskirts of Central City. Not going to lie, seeing that we have to climb up to reach the top, we also have to drag Rahmat to come with us. He never really likes climbing, so sometimes it makes one wonder how he can stand living in an apartment back in Ujong. However, when we finally arrived at the site, the view that we managed to see made it all worth it.

In the distance, we could make out the view of the waterfront, with its marina full of boats, and then nearby stood the city centre, an amalgamation of the new and the old. It has been apparent to me eversince we left Nardelisen to go sightseeing that Akjefuldin is a much smaller place compared to Ujong, but looking at the city from this place made it even more obvious, unless the city contains a much more wider area; I don't think that all 4 million people will be able to be contained here.

The smaller number of skyscrapers and less amount of citizens are the next differences that I've noticed between our hometown and Akjefuldin.

Putra, who I have hold hands with ever since we have arrived at the top, suddenly squeezed my hand and pointed at somewhere beyond the waterfront. The green, steep hills that I later learnt are fjords stood mightily in the distance. It's another thing about Akjefuldin that differentiate it with Ujong. Staring forward in awe, I squeezed his hand back.

The view of those fjords are so pretty and peaceful, God be praised. If only everybody can just stay side by side on equal footing like this and enjoy the beauty that Mother Earth provided us with, probably the world can be a better place."

¹'Farang' is a term used in Samudera to refer to anything related to Europe, or its NS equivalent.

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that members of the band Kapulaga are feeling nervous. Slightly. While Laura has a prior experience in this contest, the rest have not, and…well, let’s just say that WorldVision seems to be more daunting than their own performances back in Samudera. Thousands across the world are literally going to watch their performance. There is nothing much that Laura can say or do to soothe the rest of the group, as she still feels a little nervous, except that they should stay calm, focused, and remember their rehearsals that they have done both in Aenglide and back home.

After the end of the previous performance, all the lights on stage were dimmed and the stage was darkened for the moment…though they don’t really know if that is really the case, with the place being outdoor and all. Still, with swift movements, the production team moved and carried the required equipment and instruments on stage, while the band was directed onto the stage that they would be playing on. Laura, as the lead singer, stands in front of the other, and her husband Putra, who is holding his prized guitar, stands close behind her to the left in order to provide some additional vocal in some parts of the song. Hendra stands behind Laura to the right, holding his bass guitar, while Rahmat and Izzat, who play keyboard and drum, respectively, stands at the back of the group. Probably with the exception of Laura, none of them planned to move much on the stage throughout the performance.

For a short moment, it is as if the time stopped as they look around to see how each other is doing. Laura is dressed in a simple yet elegant-looking white, short-sleeved, untucked blouse with black trousers and black flat shoes, while she lets her hair loose; dark wavy hair cascading down to the upper part of her chest and back, as if complimenting the simple, generally monochrome theme of her outfit. She only donned light make-up, utilizing red lipstick and foundation to give her a somewhat natural look, as she was never a fan of heavy make-up (besides, she thought it would be weird for the theme of the song that they are going to play). Her dark brown eyes met Putra’s momentarily, before the short-haired man smiled gently and returned his gaze forward. Putra and the rest of the others also wear clothing in the same monochrome theme, consisting of most notably half-done black jackets and white t-shirts for the guitarist and bassist, and simple black, short-sleeved, unbuttoned shirt over equally short-sleeved white t-shirts for the drummer and keyboardist.

It seems like they have decided to just…finally “wing it”, not exactly following Rahmat’s suggestion to dress in something more covered or thick.

With a cue from Putra, the band then began to get ready in their position, and they started to play as the strobe lights come out in bright white and then alternating in several colors, showering the stage and nearby seats in the first illumination that they get after several passing moments the place spent in relative dark.

Instrumental

As her husband and the others played their own respective musical instruments, Laura just quietly jammed to the melody and smiled gently at the camera as it moves towards her and the band on stage. The camera zooms in on Laura’s smiling face a few seconds before it pans across to the other members of the band on the stage, showing them as the instrumental music plays for a moment, and then cuts to shoot the reaction of the audience in the stadium. Among them, some can be seen waving flags of several countries, including Samudera’s blue, black, and red. The camera then swiftly moves to show Kapulaga on stage as Laura begins to sing, while closing her eyes in a solemn expression, mic in right hand not far from her mouth.

As if on cue, the lightings also started to dim, with only a bright white light showing the lead singer on stage.

Hiding in the shadows, a little girl
From grim reaper's scythe, ever closer
Morning birds, that are usually there
Now in their place is the flaming roar

As Laura sung the previous verse with the same solemn expression, the lights started to progressively grew brighter and finally changed color to fiery orange and red right before the last line of the previous verse, in tandem with the LED screen that is suddenly aglow with bright, fiery red. The camera zoomed in onto Laura’s face, as she then opened her eyes with a haunted look in her solemn expression, and the lights on stage abruptly started to dim once again, this time along with the LED screen.

Laura then sung the next verse, her note remarkably lower than before as she put her clenched left fist on her chest, just as the something seemed to explode in the LED screen that is alight with another bright, fiery red scene in the background.

Scared, she's screaming for her dad

The camera then zooms out as Laura’s solemn and low note rose to something akin to disbelief, desperate exclamations. Her expression has also changed to match her tone, while she has moved her hand away from her chest, making a motion in the air before her as if she is conveying the feelings out of her own heart. As the last word from the verse was sung, the camera moved to show the other members of the band briefly, particularly Rahmat and Izzat in the back, before it cut to show the reactions of the audience from a certain perspective that makes it seemed like the camera is floating above their heads. The lights started to grow brighter and color to fiery orange and red once more, although this time the LED screen has dimmed to show only gentle white.

Sinking in the moments of dread
When rage wiped our mercy out
Nationalism blinded us
Humanity bleeds, see that no one cares
The living are crying for their martyrs (our martyrs)
Grieving over the fallen martyrs
Surrounded by raging fires (our martyrs)
Echoing among ruins, their cries (our martyrs)

Starting from the middle of the verse, Putra joined in to provide additional vocal at the end of some lines in the lyrics that Laura sung, while some of the lights changed color to white, providing additional visual effect on the stage. The camera moved on towards the stage to shoot the view of the band on stage just after the second line after the middle of the previous verse, zoomed in onto Laura and Putra with the latter is still playing his guitar as he provided additional vocals. The pair doesn’t change their respective expressions, with Putra’s remain neutral and Laura’s has a certain sadness in it. The camera then stays in place, providing the audience a left perspective view of Laura and Putra from the stomach up as they continued to sing until the end of the verse.

Just as after Putra finished singing the last of his part in the verse, most of the lights dimmed, including the one from the LED screen, until the stage and the area surrounding it are bathed in dim orange hue. The camera then zoomed out, showing the rest of the band as they were playing their instruments for a moment before it panned across to shoot the reaction of the audience in the stadium.

Instrumental

At some point during the instrumental part of the performance, the camera then slowly moves back to show the view on stage, where Laura can be seen bobbing her head and moving her shoulders around to the music, a smile finally gracing her lips as she looks towards the audience. She exchanged glances with Putra, who also smiles, before she walked forward, smile slowly turned into a somber one as the lights that shone upon her form started to progressively grow brighter and finally changed color to white from its previous dim orange. If one were to pay attention to the LED screen, they would notice that it has also changed to show falling ash and dust.

Closing her eyes, Laura raised the mic near her mouth and then started to sing, as the camera also zoomed in, showing the left perspective of her face.

Staring forward through dust and ash
Holding her stomach, the little girl walks
No wonder, there has been no food for days
Shot at, the ship in the horizon was

After she finished singing the second line of the verse, the camera then panned across to the other side of Laura’s face as she walked a step forward, opening her eyes as she placed her left hand on her chest, still singing to the tune their band is making. In tandem, the lights also started to progressively grew brighter and finally changed color to fiery orange and red right before the last line of the previous verse, along with the LED screen that is suddenly aglow with bright, fiery red. The camera zoomed in onto Laura’s face, as she then closed her eyes while still showing a solemn expression on her face. The camera then zoomed out a few seconds later as the lights on stage abruptly started to dim once again, this time along with the LED screen.

Laura, now shown on screen from her thighs up, then sung the next verse, her note remarkably lower than before as she clenched her left hand into a fist and then pulling it away from her chest, just as something seemed to explode (again) in the LED screen that is alight with another bright, fiery red scene in the background.

We are at war, the adults all said

The camera then zooms out once more as Laura continued on to the next verse, her solemn and low note rose to something akin to disbelief, desperate exclamations once more. Her expression has also changed to match her tone, while she has long unclenched her hand by the start of the first verse and is now making a motion in the air before her as if she is conveying the feelings out of her own heart. As the last word from the verse was sung, the camera moved above Laura’s head and spun around to shoot the other members of the band briefly, starting with Rahmat and Izzat in the back and then ending with the trio of Putra, Laura, and Hendra in the front part of the stage, although with that last perspective, the camera only managed to catch their backs, while the band continued on to play. After a few moments then the view on the screen courtesy of the recording camera changed as if the camera was lifted, showing the reactions of the audience from a certain perspective that makes it seemed like the camera is floating above their heads as it moves forward before it spun around again to shoot the view of the band on stage. The lights started to grow brighter and color to fiery orange and red once more, although this time the LED screen has dimmed to show only gentle white.

With starvation at the gate
Kept under unending blockade
Little girl hugs herself close
Her tears dried, with the dying flames
The living were crying for their martyrs
Grieving over the fallen martyrs
Before a makeshift marker, she peers
Looking for her parents' names (their names)

Still with her left hand stretched in front of her, making a motion in the air before her as if she is conveying the feelings out of her own heart, Laura continued on to sing the next line of the verse with the camera zoomed in onto her and Putra, now showing the pair from their waists up. As the song progresses into the third line in the verse, the lights started to change color to white, providing additional visual effect on the stage. Laura then brought her hand back to press her palm against her chest as she started to sing the next line, and the camera then panned across to shoot the reaction of the audience in the stadium for a few moments, before it was cut as the view of the band on stage from afar can be seen afterwards. The camera then zoomed in to the stage, before it stopped to show the view of Laura as she continued to sing with the same posture from her waist up, and then the view changed as if the camera moved to show a certain perspective on stage, now shooting the right perspective view of Laura and Putra from their chests up, with Laura serving as the focus and Putra as the background. With the last line of the verse, the focus was then changed to Putra as he provides additional vocal at the end of the line.

Instrumental

Upon reaching the instrumental part, which now signaled the end of the song, the camera then moved and zoomed out to shoot the view of the band on stage, capturing the view of the rest of the bands continued on to play their part while Laura can be seen bobbing her head and moving her shoulders around to the music, a soft smile gracing her lips as she looks towards the audience, her right hand is still holding the mic close to her mouth while the other is now clenched and pounding at the air to the music. The music progressed on for a few moments, before the camera showing the view on stage was cut and the other camera moved as if showing a certain perspective of the reaction of the audience around the stage that makes it seemed like the camera is floating above their heads. As the music ends, most of the lights dimmed, including the one from the LED screen, until the stage and the area surrounding it are bathed in dim, gentle white. The camera then moved to show the band on stage. Smiling at the audience, Laura then made a slightly bowing gesture with both of her hands pressed together with palms touching and her fingers pointing upward, with thumbs close to her chest, in a classical Samuderan gesture at the same time as the sounds of applause started to be heard. Laura made a careful note to ensure the microphone would not cause noise interference while she is doing this, before the woman quickly straighten herself and shouted out a thank you towards the audience to their cheers before the remaining lights went off, signaling the end of the performance of the Samuderan delegation in this episode’s WorldVision.

by **South Batoko** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 5:18 am

10. SOUTH BATOKO
М3К - Жол твөя любаван
Transliteration: M3K - Jol tvöya lyubavan
Translation: Mu3K - Your Way of Love
Music: Arvin Haśtan (Арвин Гаштан)
Lyrics: Arvin Haśtan (Арвин Гаштан), Darya Qit (Даря Қит), Ülbike Astanov (Үлбике Астанов)
Tune: 9MUSES - Dolls

THE ARTIST

Mu3K (read: Muthreek, Batoko name: М3К (МусиК)) is a three-member girl group consisting of Darya Qit, Samara Emenzoran and Ülbike Astanov. They debuted on 7 October, 2018 with their hit song Ақедим (Aqedim; Shoe), releasing their first album of the same name later on January 1, 2019.
Darya Qit (Batoko: Даря Қит) is a South Batoki singer, actress and model. Born on 3 August 1996, she first started acting at 11 years old with her role in the 2008 hit movie Өкё өмири Петеран (Ökyo ömiri Peteran; The Twelve Lives of Peter). She later started studying at the Buaka Institute for the Musical Arts, where she obtained a degree in contemporary song-writing and vocals.
Samara Emenzoran (Batoko: Самара Емензоран) is a South Batoki singer. Born on 13 December 1996, she was a member of the National Children's Choir of South Batoko from 2006 to 2012. She also attended the Buaka Institute for the Musical Arts and eventually got a degree in music education, a career she pursued from 2016 until 2018.
Ülbike Astanov (Batoko: Үлбике Астанов) is a South Batoki singer, rapper and actress. Born on 11 September 1997, she is most known for her role as Tara on the local Nickelodeon hit show Иден 9ᵸ (Iden togin; Floor 9). She later started delving into the local music scene, with minor successes like БУМУРЕ (BUMURE; CARE) and ҐРР (GRR).

THE PERFORMANCE
Darya, Samara and Ülbike are stood of the left, centre and right side of the stage respectively. The camera is pointed towards the sky, slowly moving downwards. As the music kicks in, with each bar, one third of the stage illuminates at a time in purple, orange and green respectively, the camera now switching between the girls each bar. After three bars, all sections illuminate and the three start walking to the front of their section, the camera showing all three of them.

[VERSE 1]
(Samara, Darya)
The camera switches to Samara, who keeps looking at and away from the camera.

Ґоворас: «Еч єст шандашү», бүжат ялан
Ґоворас: «Любєм ше твөя», қе турал тан?

The camera then moves to Darya.

Бенкүтас ми көзе да и нанда көрсетас
Ти кед, тү тожазир келас, лашно бүжас төсек да

[PRE-CHORUS 1]
(Ülbike, Darya)
The camera moves again, this time to Ülbike. She gestures with her open palm to her heart in time to the music while slightly leaning forward.

Бөагөрам
Биқ нанда жекилат сен ми

Darya walks into frame, with her hand on her head.

Қу неувидам өтирик?
Я бүжам ле ақмақик
Сеншү то сөзи ко тү шашадас

[CHORUS]
(Samara, Ülbike, Darya)
Samara also walks into frame, first pointing at the camera two times, then running her hand down the side of her body.

Биқ тү өлос сен ми (Оў)
Тү өлтирос сен ми (Оў)
Кемон, то єст ко ґоворас сен ми бүртүнде

Ülbike walks closer to the camera.

Бер то ше бүжат шүн (Оў)
Қа ми қалдөрас бир сөз сиж?
Қел жол твөя любаван кет ечу
Едетинше? Оў-оў

The camera does an aerial shot of the arena while the girls go back to their sections.

[VERSE 2]
(Darya)
Darya sings with more expressive movements now.

Бенкүтас ми көзе да и нанда көрсетас
Ти кед, тү тожазир келас, лашно бүжас төсек да

[PRE-CHORUS 2]
(Samara, Ülbike)
The camera switches to Samara. She first walks backwards and leans backwards, before quickly walking forwards again, all in time to the music.

Лај тү шөпас
Тожазир демалам цам ти

The camera switches to Ülbike, who first gestures to her head, then to her heart, before walking towards the centre. Darya also walks to the centre off-screen.

Бас мөя небүжам ми да
Бүжат қателик мөя
Зорен ко бөучинат шаненда (О-оў-о)

[CHORUS]
(Darya, Samara, Ülbike)
The camera does a closer aerial shot of the stage.

Биқ тү өлос сен ми (Оў)
Тү өлтирос сен ми (Оў)
Кемон, то єст ко ґоворас сен ми бүртүнде

Samara walks even further to the front of the stage.

Бер то ше бүжат шүн (Оў)
Қа ми қалдөрас бир сөз сиж?
Қел жол твөя любаван кет ечу…

[BRIDGE]
(Darya, Ülbike, Samara)
The camera goes close to Darya, spinning around her after some time.

Yeah! Thought this would go on for all time
But it all went awry, you left me there to die
Now I can only whine and cry
You really thought you were fly, telling all those lies
(Dara-tata-ta) You remember?
We were so high, then you fell from the sky

The camera moves rapidly to Ülbike and Samara. Ülbike is also getting close to the camera, with Samara leaning down for her high note in the backing vocals.

If there’s one thing you should know for certain now
I will never bow down to you
You need effort to keep me around (Yeah)
You were making my life so grey (Woah-oh)
But now I’m doing okay (Oh-oh)
Now that I’ve just got away (Oh)
I don’t care what you say (Ha-ah!)

[CHORUS]
(Samara, Darya, Ülbike)
The three women are now standing together.

Биқ тү өлос сен ми (Оў)
Тү өлтирос сен ми (Оў)
Кемон, то єст ко ґоворас сен ми бүртүнде
Бер то ше бүжат шүн (Оў)
Қа ми қалдөрас бир сөз сиж?
Қел жол твөя любаван кет ечу…

[CHORUS]
(Darya + Ülbike, Samara)
They walk back to their original sections, the camera zooming out into an aerial shot again.

Биқ тү өлос сен ми (Є, оў)
Тү өлтирос сен ми (Ўоў, оў)
Кемон, то єст ко ґоворас сен ми бүртүнде
Бер то ше бүжат шүн (Оў)
Қа ми қалдөрас бир сөз сиж?
Қел жол твөя любаван кет ечу
Едетинше? Оў-оў
The camera finally moves to Samara.
[box]Едетинше? Оў-оў

The audience cheers. Samara waves to the camera and says "Thank you, Akjefuldin!".

by **Ugunnustan** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 5:51 am

❁Ugunnustan❁

❁Qalima Serieva❁

❁Promise❁

❁Lyrics by❁
❁Qalima Serieva❁

❁Music by❁
❁Qalima serieva
Qodor Shadijyniov❁

❁Tune❁

❁Album Cover❁

The song slowly glides its way to its end. The subtle hum and crack that the record makes as the vinyl finishes spinning on the turn-table interspersed with the slight beeping of the alarm clock, Qalima rolls over and checks the time, shrugging off the weight of her heated blanket and the various bears dotted in and about the place. The subtle red glow coming off the display assaults her eyes until they adjust. Its is 3:43 am. Another night she's wasted laying in her bed listening to the slight crackle of her vinyl record as it races through some of her favourites. But after a while one slow piano ballad blends into the next and it leaves her wondering how much longer she is going to keep sitting here, wallowing in self pity over an ex that probably doesn’t remember her name. Qalima gets up out of her bed, pushing aside the wonderland of pillows and blankets she had built for herself and goes over to the record player, its dull crackle still ringing out across the room, she lifts the needles, and slowly lowers the record back into its case, before getting back into her bed and trying ; to little success, to fall asleep.

She wakes up sometime between 11am and 3pm, the dull light of the afternoon sun peaking through her firmly drawn curtains. In summer the relentless barrage of dry Ugunnustani heat is uncomfortable to say the least, which is why Qalima is lucky to have a job where she gets to stay inside. That job is, of course; song writing. Qalima has always loved music, and it's always been one of her major drivers since she was young. She grew up in Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo, a true city of music. Mesmerised by the pounding bass of festivals, the colour of life and the fresh sea air, the true excitement riled her up, so unsurprisingly, going from MCG to Ugunnustan was quite a culture shock. Qalima’s dad had landed a big office job in Şükoyyü. The city was massive, unlike anything she’d seen before, and Cold? That one was a big shock. When she stepped out of the airport that one evening, at 14 years old in 2010. It was a winter evening and it was -2C out, no-one had told her that deserts got cold? In 2010 Ugunnustan was a massively growing country, its economy sky-rocketing like many countries riding off a high of newly discovered oil reserves, and her dad had landed a high up job at one of these firms, meaning it was off to the cold unforgiving city. The 5 million people was without a doubt a far cry from anything she had seen back home at MCG. Considering MCG only had around 500k people, this many people in one space with incomprehensible to her, she really struggled to adjust, which is what led her to stay stuck up in her room: glued to her monitor, playing with samples and distortion, she found more comfort here than in any school playground, and it somewhat replaced what she was missing of back home.

A further 13 years later and nothing has changed, she spent a brief stint in a Malta Comino Gozoan university for music, She wanted to stay, but she got mixed up in family stuff and had to fly back to Ugunnustan only a few days after her degree, so here she still is, locked up in her room, like rapunzel, only occasionally letting down her talents to people when a record company comes knocking. She had spent most of her professional life in hiding, and she liked that of course, she could compose a song that would end up at number one, and not have to worry about the fame not letting her go outside, even if she wouldn't go outside willingly anyway, but with this song it was different. Qalima rarely opened up to people, but in 2017, when she was younger: dumber, she met someone. They met and really hit it off and Qalima fell completely head-over-heels, but a hard lesson to learn is that movies are purely that: fiction. The questions arose when she would see his phone blow up as the sun began to set, way too many friends for to be a coincidence, he would leave too hasty, miss too many calls, up until Qalima plucked up the courage to look through his messages and well, Its obvious how the rest of the story ends.

She wrote promise almost immediately after this, after another night of sitting up in bed she decided she might as well do something productive with her time, and so got to working on an assignment she had been handed by some faceless corporate identity or another, but by tye time the lyrics spilled out of her: Qalima knew this song was too personal to give away. So she just didn’t, and she sat on it for years, just waiting for the perfect moment to release the song, slowly drifting deeper and deeper into the filing cabinet of her mind, recording vocal demo after demo,
trying to get each note right, the right vibe, the right this the right that: she felt like she owed the song something or another, maybe not even release but just justice, that was of course until one of the producers got their hands on it. She had sent over the wrong file while trying to hand in a generic dance song, and the record company loved it, nagging her and nagging her to release it, but she wouldn't. She thought that was the end of it until that producer leaked it. He told the press he couldn't bear to let such a song go unplayed, and such an artist uncredited, and of course it had to be a famous producer so of course it had to blow up, of course it had to be Qodor Shadijyniov.

The alarm that fluttered through her head hit her like a freight train when she realised what had happened, and what's worse is that the song did…. Well? She didn't think it would, she didn't think she could make a song that she would even release on her own let alone a song that would chart at number 1 on release. She contacted Qodor, and ignoring how smarmy he was about the whole situation, he was her wingman now: he helped with some production and before Qalima had time to process any of what was going on: she was on a plane to Akjefuldin.

Qalima Serieva is a 27 year old singer-songwriter born in Valletta ,Malta Comino Gozo on may 4th 1996. She was born to half Malta Comino Gozan half Ugunnustani parents, and moved to the latter’s capital city Şükoyyü when she was 14 years old. She was relatively unknown for the vast majority of her career in music, starting at age 19 she began to write and compose songs for some quite large artists and record labels, while her name lurked on the credits list of various hits across the country, she never really got big until her WorldVision entry : Promise was leaked by famous Ugunnustani producer Qodor Shadijyniov.

Interview

Open a small bright room. A room well know to any Ugunnustani consumer of Worldvision, it is of course the Şükoyyü Yayın Şirketi’s Breakfast show’s main interview room, their first major interview for WorldVision was done during 110 with Amina, where she discussed her song: and ever since then they have consistently updated the nation with Worldvision news, so of course they were given the contract by YUG to interview Ugunnustans 111 entrant: Qalima Serieva. The set remains unchanged. Two pale blue sofas sit either side, The left sofa has a large grey blanket, and an assortment of decorative pillows sprawled across it, in the centre sits two figures, Surek Nurgitev, who is sitting on the left has short brown hair ,today he is wearing a sharp black suit, with a white dress shirt and a deep red tie. to his left is a second figure,Zaida Ayaneva, her long blonde hair done up tightly in twin braids that come down and rest neatly into a bun on the back of her head, pulling her already sharp features to a point .She is wearing a short black dress, with lines almost as sharp as the cat's eye eyeliner that snakes across her face. On the right sofa we find a similar sight, the blanket disregarded messily on the sofa is a deep red, and perched neatly on top of it is Qalima serieva. She is wearing high waisted Ripped blue jeans, a large levis logo embroidered into the top, this is paired with a black and white wavy cropped turtle-neck, with no arms and a long white teddy coat. She had a short chain around her neck, which matches her large hoop earrings, which sit just below her curled blonde hair.

Surek Nurgitev- Good morning Ugunnustan! This is Surek Nurgitev with Şükoyyü Yayın Şirketi’s Breakfast show! I’m here with Zaida Ayaneva. Your favourite hosts! Now I've got a very special guest , but you all know what this show is about! No more foreshadowing bring her out!

Zaida Ayaneva- That.. wasn’t in the script i was supposed to introduce her and-

Qalima Serieva- Hey guys!

Zaida Ayaneva- Hey good to have you on! How do you feel today?

Qalima Serieva- Oh brilliant! I never thought I’d be on a show this big. Honestly it’s a tad scary, but I'll make it work.

Surek Nurgitev- Welcome to the show regardless! Now obviously we are here to talk music, so how would you describe promise in one word?

Qalima Serieva- Oh ONE word? Hmm… I’d have to say upsetting: I guess, for me at least, its written at and about a hard time in my life, so it was difficult to make you know?

Zaida Ayaneva- That was not one word.

Surek Nurgitev- Don’t be horrible.

Zaida Ayaneva- I’m not! Now I have a question. If you don't mind, what is your song writing process? What tips do you have?

Qalima Serieva- Oh wow erm, Well I don’t really have the… best sleep schedule. I stay awake until stupid o’clock in the morning and sometimes I just suddenly get ideas. My main tip is to write down any idea you have, no matter how stupid. I love to listen to vinyl, it really helps me come up with ideas.

Surek Nurgitev- So what is the most recent vinyl you listened to?

Qalima Serieva- Well I just bought one I like to think you’d all be very familiar with Shafira Aloseva’s debut EP Büyütkish (Magnify) I’ve heard her newer stuff and post WorldVision stuff, but I thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of her older stuff, so that's what I did.

Zaida Ayaneva- OH MY GOD. I’ve been waiting for someone to bring that up. As her only fully Ugunnustani project and the first before she got famous I thought it was brilliant and shockingly underrated.

Surek nurgitev- Glad to see you’ve found someone else to share your odd music tastes with Zaida.

Zaida Ayaneva- I think Qalima and I are going to be great friends.

Surek Nurgitev- Ask your last question Zaida.

Zaida Ayaneva- This isn’t in the list. I'm just genuinely curious, how was MCG? I’ve wanted to go FOREVER.

Qalima Serieva- Brilliant! Oh without a doubt I adored it. The warm weather and the beautiful white sand beaches. The water was so insanely clear. Our small flat was right near the city centre, so there was so much history just on our doorstep, I’d love to get back some day so maybe when WorldVision is over we can go on a little girls trip!

Zaida Ayaneva- Oh I’d love that.

Surek Nurgitev- Right Qalima, do you want to do the outro?

Qalima Serieva- I’d love to! Thank you all for tuning in! We will get back to the music in just a second, this is my song Promise!

Akjefuldin is utterly freezing. That's the first thing Qalima notices as she steps out of the airport to board her coach. A sudden wall of biting harsh Aenglic weather hits her immediately, making her wish she wore better equipped clothes for the weather, as her cropped jacket and black jean shorts weren’t doing much to shield her from the elements. The coach was nice though, it was nice and warm, and made her feel back at home with the burning heat, which she insisted be turned to the max. (much to the dismay of the Aenglish onboard) She couldn’t help but stare out at the vast city as they made their way to the hotel, a tall modern building on the coast, and wow that coast! She’d be sure to come back when she got more of a chance, but the water was so brilliantly blue, something she would be hard-pressed to find in the densely populated north-east of Ugunnustan. The hotel itself was beautiful too, well furnished in a modern style with a large balcony that overlooked the bay, something she had become quite enamoured with as continued to stare at it while drinking her coffee. (Which she also insisted they stopped to get, jet lag really is a bitch) She resolved to visit it first thing in the morning.

So naturally that’s exactly what she did, and she found another welcome difference from back home in Ugunnustan. The drivers. Everyone was so …. Nice and respectful, people stopped to let her cross the street, and she didn’t feel like every other driver was an immediate risk to her life. Now of course this could be because Ugunnustan is well known to have some of the worst drivers in the world, who all seem to think they own the 8 lane highways that they find themselves recklessly careening across, but she’s sure it’s fine, they can just add another lane to fix it! Anyway, after her shockingly not perilous journey to the marian she strolled gleefully down the shoreline quay, taking in the various cute little coffee shops and cobblestone floors, she spots the coffee shop she got her original coffee in, so of course she pops in to say hello. Everyone here is so welcoming! And good salespeople too, because she walks out with a slice of strawberry shortcake in tow as well.

The next thing she had to do was Vlindvéj, impossible to find directions too, as she had no idea how to pronounce the damn thing, but nonetheless a fun experience. Ugunnustan is a very flat country, and while the south has a few mountain ranges, Qalima had never ventured down south, so obviously streets like this are insane to her, along with the sheer size of a mountain? Why do they need to be that big? Tad excessive if you ask her. And no, she isn’t bitter about the size and or steepness of the mountains because she stacked it on the way down, but she will say that the locals would be very happy to help if that were too hypothetically to happen to a person.

Having found out that steep slopes weren’t exactly her strong suit, in order to get the breathtaking views everyone has been raving about, she opted instead to ride the Akjefuldin Funicular, its brilliant bright red carts were almost blinding, but nothing compared the views from the window, if she wasn’t already on vocal rest, the rolling hills of lush green, and seemingly endless blue skies and seas would’ve done it for her, Aenglide is a beautiful country, and Qalima thinks, as she rocks in the funicular’s seat; that she is honoured to get to perform here.

The Nárdelisen Arena was another shock to Qalima, in a few ways, the first was quite simple, and honestly a bit of a weird culture shock, the Car park. Ugunnustan is a very car dependent nation, so seeing parking spaces be replaced by various food stalls felt like a waste to her as she entered to get ready for her performance, nonetheless she had to give the food a try. She bought a small portion of chips, and a massive Ugunnustani flag, as she’d forgotten hers back at home.

Inside the arena was a welcome respite from the cold biting weather outside, she absent mindedly listened to the guide talk about all the important stuff, although she was a tad too engrossed in ehr chips to really notice; where her dressing room was, when she was going to go up on stage and what-not, she was sure she could get the basic information from Qodor, He had come with her and was sitting in her dressing room, snugly in a chair that said he name along the back in big white letters, luckily he updated her. (Of course, without getting up out of her seat)

It was just before the performance now, and she is getting the final once over from the make-up team, who slip the vocal rest sign cleanly off her neck. Her blonde curly hair is long and trails down her back, resting just below her shoulders. She has a black cropped jumper on, it has a low v-neck, the space populated by various chains that had just piled up as various staff members came and went, its paired with a pair of ripped jean shorts, much smaller than Qalima would normally prefer to wear, but it’s what everyone said she should, and finally tall black heeled boots, that come up just above her knee, how she is supposed to walk in these she has no idea.

The lights slowly rise over the Nárdelisen Arena, the audience packed to the brim, and she keeps her eyes out for any Ugunnustani flags, luckily she notices several. The lights are dark, with smoke on the floor, the stage has a faint white tint across it, and on the large LED screen in the back we can see a light blue blank screen. The spotlight focuses on Qalima, and the camera zooms in as she begins to sing.

Done with
With your tears
And the long apology texts I'd have to write
Done with
With your sneers
and the look you gave me when you were right

In the centre of the stage there is a large grey set of stairs, they are two L-shaped stairs that meet at the top and the bottom, creating a loop. and as the pre-chorus begins the light shifts so it is now in the spotlight, and Qalima begins to walk over to it, as she gets to the line ‘You make her feel special? Well I can't relate’ she puts her foot up on the first step, with her back to the audience she puts her head over her shoulder while singing, as the music builds, clouds slowly start to work their way into the LED screen at the back, they aren’t storm clouds ; yet. They are a light-ish grey, but they start to make the light blue screen turn darker.

Pull myself up and out of this state
You make her feel special? Well I can't relate
My heart is shattered
Into all the pieces you scattered

As the chorus starts the camera switches to a much closer view, instead of the wider one we had before, it moves slowly up the stairs with Qalima, as she holds the microphone close to her lips and sings, she reaches around about the middle of the stairs, at which point she kneels down for the high note on ‘Godess’ before getting back up and turning around to face the audience. When this happens the camera zooms out and the lights come up.

After the line ‘Get me out of this hell, get me out of this hell’ The dancers come on from the wings, 4 in total, two men and two women, they are each dressed in similar casual clothing to Qalima, Both in Black tank tops and heavily ripped jeans, They stop near the bottom of the stairs and begin to dance during the break down of the chorus, Qalima walks down the stairs and joins them in the centre for the end of the chorus, the dancers begin to head up the stairs for the verse.

Gave me your promise
Turns out you're just another liar
Why can't you be honest?
Coming down to my wire, Coming down to my wire
Gave me your promise
Then left me spinning on the carousel
Thought I was your godess
Get me out of this hell, get me out of this hell

Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now

As the second verse starts, all of the dancers have made their way to the top of the stairs, and the 4 of them stand in a line and dance, 2 facing to the back, and 2 to the front, however the camera has switched to a person on the stage, they go over to Qalima, who is still standing just in front of where the stairs meet at the bottom, The camera is close to her face, and her eyes follow it closely as it inches past, she is giving it a menacing stare, one that show she is angry from the memory of what she is singing about.

He calls me up, I'm alone
Was it my fault, why did I check his phone?
Lost like a puppy, Gave me those eyes
and they sparkle in the sun when he lies

The second pre-chorus starts and Qalima begins to walk away from the central stairs, just off camera the backing dancers have followed her, and now swarm around her, however she stares directly into the camera, the microphone held tightly in her hand, The light has darkened now, in order to match with the LED display at the back, its started to turn to a navy, and more and more clouds have developed, it looks like a storm is coming.

Pull myself up and out of this state
You make her feel special? Well I can't relate
My heart is shattered
Into all the pieces you scattered

The second chorus now. The dancers break off so the camera is just on Qalima, she turns and the camera switches, following her movements, it focuses on her as she begins to make her way back over to the looping staircase, on the line ‘Why can't you be honest? The camera once again travels to a more wide angle, we get a few short shots of excited Ugunnustanis, waving their flags feverishly, and smiling at the camera once they notice that they are going to be featured. which adds to the buildup of the chorus. A deep blue light has now also been focused onto the stairs, they give off a navy glow, and the smoke has begun to crawl at the edges. Qalima arrives at the stairs and the camera returns to her, the navy blue light looking like waves on the side of her face as the camera catches her walking up the stairs, she looks more emotional now, leaning in to some of the notes. She stops half-way up the stairs to do the breakdown dance section. The dancers having formed a line at the front of the stage, they have distance between them, standing at intervals with some closer to the front of the stage than others.

Gave me your promise
Turns out you're just another liar
Why can't you be honest?
Coming down to my wire, Coming down to my wire
Gave me your promise
Then left me spinning on the carousel
Thought I was your godess
Get me out of this hell, get me out of this hell

Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now

The bridge is a highly emotional moment, Qalima gets to the top of the stairs, where she collapses onto her knees in the centre. The navy lights now encompass the whole stage, glinting off her cheeks and bright eyes. She holds her hand up to the camera, which is situated above her, as the smoke has been increased and now begins to encircle her head, it’s supposed to act as a highly emotional moment, and further build-up for the final chorus.

How could you do this to me?
You're the one to blame, You're the one to blame
The damage you caused can't you see?
I'm screaming your name
Snap me back to reality

The music slows right down, as Qalima is seen slowly coming to her senses at the top of the steps, she stands up and brushes herself off while she is singing. In the meantime the Back LED screen has begun to clear, we see some of the clouds begin to slowly drift off the screen, and the lights return to the white we saw at the beginning, The camera slowly zooms out as the spotlight comes off from Qalima, we see the dancers have now arrived on the steps. Two are near the top few steps, and two are at the bottom handful of steps. They have slowed down with their dancing, they all look at Qalima, as the focus is on her.

On the second ‘Gave me your promise’ Qalima stamps her foot, and the beat kicks back, along with the dark lighting. The clouds have returned, and are now storming. The navy lights bounce off all of the clothing, and you see Qalima back on her knees at the top of the steps. It's a highly emotional moment, and she leans over the microphone while she sings.

For the final dance segment the central attention is on Qalima as she dances for the first time in the performance, she is putting her all into it, she had to have a lot of dancing training before her performance. While she danced back in Malta Comino Gozo back while she was 8, surprisingly, almost 19 years later, she hadn’t fully retained those skills, all of that effort before the performance was worth it in the end, as she gets to end it on a high note, a declaration of independence from this Ex, and from her previous life hiding up in her flat.

With a raspy voice from putting her everything into her performance, she screams her thank yous to the ever too polite Aenglish audience, and runs off the stage feeling electric, as the stage is cleared for the next performance.

Gave me your promise
Turns out you're just another liar
Why can't you be honest?
Coming down to my wire, Coming down to my wire
Gave me your promise
Then left me spinning on the carousel
Thought I was your godess
Get me out of this hell, get me out of this hell

Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now
Uh huh Uh huh I'm my own woman now

by **Maraonia** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 8:39 am

12. Maraonia
I want to be with you
Tune:Could I have this kiss forever
Sung by
Konstantínos Antonákis
And
Marjia Savanovic
The Performance
When I first saw you my eyes lightened me
You are my love and my everything
I want to hold you, I want to be close to you
I never want to let go
You are everything to me
You are my everything
Will I love you forever?
Or will I die with you?
Will you love me forever
Will you be with me forever
Could I hold you forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Forever (forever)
I’ve been waiting for a long
Now you are here with me, you are next to me (you are next to me)
I want to hold you and touch you and kiss you
And make you want no one but me
You are my biggest star
Oh, baby, please
Will I love you forever?
Or will I die with you?
Will you love me forever
Will you be with me forever
Could I hold you forever
Could I hold you forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Forever (forever)
I don't want anything
Without you by my side
I just want the rest my life
Spent being next to you
I want to be there for me
And baby, oh, by the way (could I?)
Will I love you forever?
Or will I die with you?
Will you love me forever
Will you be with me forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Because I want to be with you forever
Forever (forever)
And ever?
Forever (could I have this kiss forever?)
(Could I have this kiss forever?)
I will always love you forever
Para siempre (I will always love you forever)
Para siempre (I will always love you forever)
Para siempre
I want to be with you forever
I want to be with you forever

Both Marjia and Konstantinos say:Thank you World!

by **Adab** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 9:35 am

13. Adab

by **Axuva** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 12:00 pm

Withdrawn

by **Mother CupcakKe** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:00 am

⚝ Mother CupcakKe ⚝
I'M DONE by Gina Zelena
15

Tune: ALIEN SUPERSTAR ~ Beyoncé

Lyrics:

Intro:

0:00 ~ 0:11
As the song begins with a recorded verse from famous Cupcakkean poem Fatal Phrases, which uses supernatural metaphors to describe how someone can have this power to make you trust them, and will then betray you. As the verse is played with the start of the song's instrumental, lights strobe in beat with the production while dancers and Gina walk on stage. The lights are an eerie purple, creating a supernatural feel, alluding to that extended metaphor within the poem of trickery and emotional entrapment through magic. Gina is wearing a metallic-black catsuit, looking like some sort of super spy, and has a head-mic on, while the dancers are all wearing smart suits and shades, matching the vibe of Gina's appearance. As the stanza continues, Gina and her dancers reach their positions on the stage. Gina stands at the centre and front of the stage, with the dancers in uniformly scattered positions behind her around the stage.

"How do we find ourselves in their palms?
They use their fatal phrases to charm,
And soon after, walk out to bewitch another,
Leaving us nothing but harm."

0:12 ~ 0:35
In sync with the bass, Gina and the dancers move with the beats as she begins to sing. The screen now looks like a pane of glass. As the verse progresses, cracks begin to appear in the glass, representing how Gina's trust was being broken by the actions of her ex. When the verse finishes, the glass shown on the screen is now very shattered and no longer transparent, just like how Gina's ex wasn't transparent to her when he cheated.

I'm moving on, I was your pawn, you strung me along
You better not dare to think you can crawl back to me
We both know what you did so don't disagree
Slept with her, and then her sister
Cry me a river, and I won't reconsider

0:35 ~ 0:52
As the pre-chorus starts, the glass shown on the screen now actually shatters and flies around, forming a glass middle finger emoji in front of a plain black background (like the glass horse Reneigh from the Renaissance album cover, I know, so creative). Gina and the dancers become more energetic as they dance during this section, creating anticipation for the chorus.

I'm done
I'm done with you
No more ambiguous statements for me to misconstrue
Yeah, you were just- average, so adieu
Happy that we are through
(Sort of glad you) crept, crept

0:52 ~ 1:07
As Gina and her backup dancers dance, the glass shards on the screen continuously move and form different symbols to match each line of lyrics. Line 1 -> A hand pointing towards the audience. Line 2 -> Two hands shaking that shatter. Line 3 -> A heart with flames forming around it, then with a 'no symbol' surrounding it. Line 4 -> A knife, representing how she was betrayed and 'stabbed in the back', making her a 'victim'. Line 5 -> The word 'You' that shatters in dust size particles. Line 6 -> Same as 3.

You ended us with one thrust
You're good at breaking trust
But my heart won't combust, ooh, honey
I'm a victim of your lust
Yes, to me, you are dust
No, my heart won't combust, ooh, honey

1:02 ~ 1:22
As Gina sings the post-chorus passionately, her backup dancers stylishly strut off the stage, as the screen just displays the letters she says, spelling 'I'M DONE', then repeating when the lyrics repeat.

Oh, I-M-D-O-N-E
No, my heart will not combust, ooh, honey
Oh, I-M-D-O-N-E
No, my heart will not combust (I'm done)

1:22 ~ 1:56
For this next verse (split into 4 parts so the RP is easier to tie to the right lyrics), Gina begins rapping (in a relatively slow pace compared to other existing rap songs) animatedly, with an incredibly obvious aura of sarcasm and contempt. As she raps, the screen displays the key words in her lines to help add emphasis to what she is saying.

You're the one who made our love start to deform
Thought you could hide in her dorm
A grown man, so immature
You 'got bored', was she the cure?
You want to return? It's my allure (I'm done)

As Gina says stop loudly and puts her hand up in the 'stop' hand symbol, the production stops for the rest of the line, before returning into the next line.

Trying to 'save us'
Stop, see her foetus?
You're the father, [Maury]
Did you forget you birthed him with Tiffany (I'm done)

The screen covers the partial lyrics with glass chains that shatter in sync with the lyrics. Throughout this long quick-pace verse, Gina makes relevant hand gestures and symbols to match her lyrics, like pointing at her face at the end of the third quarter of this verse.

Broke out the chains
Your thoughts, I can't ascertain
Is my hate starting to show?
If so, come look at my face again (I'm done)

For the ending of this verse, Gina switches back into a more powerful singing voice, with a slight growl to reinforce the aggression and anger behind the lyrics.

You are sorry, I don't care
Said you will 'always love me', my eyes flared
Thought I would come back, your logic's impaired
Get up off your knees, find a new affair

1:56 ~ 2:12
As Gina begins this chorus and begins the same dance as last time, the screen displays the same objects made of glass as before, while the dancers return while dancing wearing glass-like transparent material above a reflective silver material, looking like stylish human mirrors to reflect (haha pun im so funny) how Gina is telling her ex to look in the mirror and fully appreciate how much of a s**thead he is.

You ended us with one thrust
You're good at breaking trust
But my heart won't combust, ooh, honey
I'm a victim of your lust
Yes, to me, you are dust
No, my heart won't combust, ooh, honey

2:12 ~ 2:28
For this next post-chorus, the lights and screen slowly dim for the next three lines, as Gina sings in a spoken-word sounding way, until the venue is completely dark at the word 'built'. The dancers stand completely still during these three lines. During the last line, Gina puts heavy emphasis on the words 'fun', 'son', 'through', 'done', and the lights strobe on these words, now in deep red, as the dancers switch into powerful poses to create a menacing aura on the stage.

I can't keep saying get gone; screw you; drown in your guilt
Will never forget your actions that you had tried to outrun
Don't want to look for the ruins that remain of the home we built
Trying to have fun, hate you and your son, we're through, I'm done

2:28 ~ 2:45
Similar to the previous pre-chorus, Gina and the dancers dance the same during this bridge. However, the screen does not form into a middle finger emoji this time, but a hand that constantly waves, symbolising Gina saying goodbye for the final time: she doesn't want to see his face again or she's throwing hands. As she sings the word 'outgrew', she and all the dancers make air quotation marks during their dance to mock the actions of her ex.

I'm done
I'm done with you
Tired of watching you try repair what you 'outgrew'
Yeah, you were just- dull; boring, so adieu
Happy that we are through

2:45 ~ 3:02
During this verse, the dancers move like faulty robots as Gina angrily sings with passion, as if she is directly addressing her ex in the audience (he isn't though, he ensured Aenglide locked him out if he tried to enter the venue for... everyone's safety). As Gina sings, the screen displays a glass heart that slowly forms an uneven crack through the middle, representing how she felt as she slowly found out about all the things he had done.

We were a thing one day
You walked out that same day
Left you on my birthday
You, you came back the next day
Kicked you out 'fore you said 'Good day', just go
Just go leave to trick somebody different
And stop crying all over your trashy flowers

3:00 ~ 3:35
In this closing verse, the lights become a pleasant, non-blinding white, and multiple spotlights turn around and slowly glide around the stage and audience. At the same time, a couple of backing singers come on stage wearing the same mirror-like outfit as the dancers, and Gina holds their hands as Gina sings the verse, while the backup singers vocalise to create a heavenly layering of sound, with Gina joining the vocalisation in between lyrics when appropriate. Both the lighting and backup singers create a Heaven-like feel to represent how Gina has moved on, like how people move on to Heaven when they die. Meanwhile, the dancers slowly but passionately dance, in contrast to the more aggressive movements made throughout the rest of the song. On the last word of this verse, 'pain', Gina crescendos up to 2 octaves higher with the vocalists.

I finally met another
Been eight months, lasted longer
Happy that I have closure
My peace of mind is no longer rare
Don't try trash talk me, you don't compare
Embodiment of despair
Ain't hard to be self-aware
My closing words: you deserve all this pain

As the song ends, Gina screams the song title once more, but still in a sonically-pleasing fashion, fully letting go of her anger towards her ex, as she has become far better off now and no longer needs to think about him. As she screams this, the lights go back to how they usually are outside of performances. Once the song is fully finished, Gina ecstatically thanks the audience, who now eagerly wait for StrayaRoos's performance.

I'm done

by **StrayaRoos** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:20 am

16
StrayaRoos
Abbey Jahga - Not Enough
Music and Lyrics: Abbey Jahga
ALIKA - Lihtsalt Veab

StrayaRoos' results at WorldVision seem to have been given something called 'Crustyland Syndrome': Excellent one edition, then shite the next. But for us it's not that crazy seals or emus have taken over the country, unlike some other nations, it's mostly related to finances, as rtvS have been splashing the cash one edition, then be technically or almost bankrupt the next. Hopefully, this edition will change that. Maybe. I doubt it, but let's try anyway.
The Artist

Abbey Jahga is a 21-year-old Roosian singer-songwriter. She first rose to prominence after finishing third in Roosian Idol 2022, winning the public vote in the final, but falling flat in the judge's votes. She later represented StrayaRoos at WorldVision 109 in Mariensbourg, finishing 13th, the nation's second-best result.
Music is Abbey's way of letting her emotions loose, and themes of loneliness, anger, and fear consistently come out of this. She's previously said in interviews that her ADHD is the catalyst for the events she describes in her songs happening to her. In those interviews she also said that she wouldn't consider her ADHD a disability, but more like a strength in a way.
The Song

Not Enough, first released in November 2023, is about Abbey's struggles to find friends who weren't going to abandon her when she was acting like her actual self instead of what she was expected to be, or when there was a major stumbling block in the way. The song was written in early 2022, following Abbey's rise to fame on Roosian Idol, where after making the final, but not winning, a vast majority of the people she knew just abandoned her because apparently just falling short counts as valid reasoning just completely to abandon a friend.
Akjefuldin

The moment Abbey arrived in Akjefuldin, she instantly knew she wanted to explore the city without the presence of a bodyguard or chaperone, considering it ruined her experience last time she was participating, so, at about 8:30 the next morning, she left the hotel, and headed into the city.
While having breakfast at a little cafe near the hotel, she looked at what she could do today. Going off the brochure she was given by one of the Roosian delegation's members, there was the usual stuff by the looks of it: a Marina, a Maritime museum, and a particularly steep street, so she decided to head to the Marina for a while. After arriving there, she immediately noticed a busker who was performing some recent WorldVision entries from various nations on his guitar in front of a decently-sized crowd, She went over to the crowd to listen, and it seemed the busker recognized her, because, after he finished playing the previous song, started playing the first few notes of 'Is It Me?', and Abbey subconsiously started singing, leading to people to notice her.
Even though this wasn't ideal, to be honest, she was happy to be performing in front of people again, instead of singing to a camera, as she'd been doing since her performance in Mariensbourg two editions ago. She liked hearing the applause and cheers of the crowd, that was one of the reasons she started doing gigs in the first place. The memories of that first gig in the local pub started flooding back. At the time, she was barely 15, and was told by the publican that "The bare minimum is to perform shit covers on a broken guitar". Thankfully, she did much better than that.
Back in the present, Her impromptu performance was pretty much instantly on TikTok. Not ideal. She wanted a day without a chaperone of some sort, and she barely got to 9:30. She knew there was a 90-minute to 2-hour window until someone in her team saw the video, so, she had a walk around to see the sight and to pass the time.
The Performance

While waiting backstage, Abbey was constantly fidgeting with the microphone and just generally nervous, despite having done something like this before, there was a big difference, as unlike in Mariensbourg, The WV fans and media expected her to do well, perhaps have a crack at the top 10. But she knew that she'd probably end up devastatingly close to the juries' top 10 but flop in the televote then end up 15th or so. After a while, the wait was over, and she was on stage. it's time to do what she does best. Sing.

Abbey , who is wearing a simple costume of a crop top, shorts, and a leather jacket, with her hair styled in a long fishtail braid instead of her usual bangs, is shown lying down on the stage, while the stage floor is lit up in black, giving the illusion of her falling into the abyss.

They just gave up
Nobody even tried to help me up
Like they didn’t care at all
that I tried or anything else

Abbey starts the second verse, and sings in a deflated tone, while the stage floor starts to have white specks of light flash across it.

I thought I knew
What I could do
That I could get
To the top, but I was stopped
Before it could be real
It wasn't all a bluff
I was nearly there (ah-ah)
It wasn’t at all luck
I guess I was just not enough

Midway through the second verse, she starts to be joined by background vocalists, who start singing a backing melody of sorts.

Na na, na na, na na na na na

After the second verse, Abbey gets up from the ground and the stage floor has more white specks of light running across it. After she gets up, the camera shows just a dark stage floor, alongside the occasional speck of light. Then the camera changes: Abbey is shown taking center stage. At the start of the next verse, she takes on a more sentimental tone of voice.

All these times
I’m told ‘I’m here for you’ (ha, ah-ah-ah)
Then they just abandon me when I go down

During the verse's first part, Abbey places the microphone on a stand, and holding on to the stand, the next part of the verse is performed.

Nothing is right
When you’re in it like that
Everyone thinks I don’t care
But they can’t see
On the inside, I’m being hurt and hurt again
I guess I’m just not enough

The backing vocalists join her again

Na na, na na, na na na na na na
Na na, na na, na na na na na na

The final verse has Abbey pick up the microphone from it's stand and head towards the front of the stage, and do what she does with a large crowd like this: entertain them. To her surprise, she's being helped out by some impromptu backing vocalists in the crowd.

Why don’t they see that I do care?
While they’re turning my life into a nightmare
Even though the world spins round and round
They're never gonna stop

During the final chorus, the camera switches to a birds-eye view of Abbey, and starts to spin rapidly, before slowing down starting from the start of the final line, and ending when Abbey says the word 'stop'

Na na, na na, na na na na na na
Na na, na na, na na na na na na

Abbey finishes the song in harmony with her backing vocalists, yells a thank you to the crowd, and then swiftly exits the stage, wishing Noah Pandolfino of Malta Comino Gozo luck on her way out

We’ve got super Johnnie Jackson, He knows exactly what we need, Currie at the back, Ali in attack, Wombles gonna win the fucking league.

by **Malta Comino Gozo** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:20 am

Nation Name: Malta Comino Gozo
Official Broadcaster: MCG 1
Tune: Barns Courtney - 99
Song Title: Dandelion
Artist(s) Name(s): Noah Pandolfino
Lyrics & Music: Noah Pandolfino

WorldVision 110 in Ous Ugunnustan was a highly anticipated but also hotly contested contest, with several countries favoured to take home the win. Despite Malta Comino Gozo and Crustyland, surprisingly being heavily favoured by the bookies, Toblichebujoku and S.R Caryton were also expected to put up a good fight. However, the Alezian Union, emerged victorious, making a stunning comeback in the closing stages of the jury voting and clinching a well-deserved win helped massively by the public vote.

Unfortunately for MCG, their dreams of a win fell short as they finished in 5th place, despite the odds and local media hyping them up as the next champions. However, their performance was still very respectable. Gracious host nation Uggunustan and debutants Mother Cupcakke showed their appreciation for MCG's efforts by awarding them their twelve points, which ultimately helped them secure their tenth top 5 finish in a row.

Mother Cupcakke also put in an impressive performance, finishing in second place on their debut, a feat that cemented their place as one of the best debuts in the contest's history.

Despite this Luca Aquilina was extremely grateful. When swarmed by media after the show but not to the extreme that Amia from Alezian Union was journalists asked how he was feeling after the show. Luca beamed with pride and replied,

"I'm feeling grateful for the experience and so proud of our performance. Of course, we always aim for the top spot, but finishing in the top five is still a great achievement! I wanna send a huge congrats to Amia on an outstanding win! I also want to congratulate Mother Cupcakke on its impressive debut and thank the host nation, Ugunnustan, for its hospitality. It's been an amazing journey, and I'm looking forward to what's next for MCG."

Fast forward to WorldVision 111 and the selection of Noah Pandolfino.

In a surprising and unexpected move by the MCGBC, rising star Noah Pandolfino launched his WV entry live on the hugely popular Malta Comino Gozoan TV show "Taħdita Gżira". The selection process had been kept under wraps, and nobody knew what to expect. Fans of the show were not told prior that the entry would be revealed. The show, which boasts a viewership of around 350 to 400 thousand people, proved to be the perfect platform to unveil the exciting next MCGoan entrant.

Noah Pandolfino is a talented and promising young artist who is known for his unique style and captivating performances. His WorldVision entry, titled "Dandelion", is a fresh and innovative Indie Alternative pop anthem that will delight his fans and music lovers across the multiverse. The song is also infused with a pinch of nostalgia, which adds to its charm and appeal.

Born on November 19, 1999, in Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo, Noah Pandolfino is a Malta Comino Gozo singer who gained fame after participating in the popular singing competition “Notes”. He was a finalist in the competition, and his powerful performances and vocal range impressed both the judges and audiences alike. He finished in second place in “Notes 2022.” Noah has a unique style and is known for his ability to connect quite deeply with his audience through his music. He has since released his debut single, "Yesterday", which received overwhelming positive reviews from fans and critics.

Pandolfino's music is often described as a mix of blues, rock, and indie-pop, with influences from MCGoan artists like Pistols and Tulips and 5ive, and Elejamian band, The Lads and the Lasses, who came third for Elejamie in WorldVision 91 with “Your Song”.

Pandolfino's vocals are distinctive and soulful, with emotional rawness and intensity. His powerful and emotive voice conveys both a sense of vulnerability and strength, and he uses it to great effect in his music.

Noah first gained attention with his self-penned single "Fire," which he sang in the MCG talent show “Notes 2022," which quickly went viral online. He signed with Armada Records shortly after and released his debut EP, "Hands," later that year. The EP showcased his unique style and garnered critical acclaim, with many praising his songwriting skills and powerful vocals. It reached number one on the MCGoan charts and stayed there for two weeks, up until “Dandelion”, this so far is his only number one.

Noah's debut album, "The Allure of Youth," was released in early 2023 and received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. The album featured a mix of rock, pop, and blues influences, with standout tracks like "Midnight Serenade" and "Champion." The album peaked at Number two on the MCGoan charts. Noah’s songwriting and vocal performance on the album were praised for their emotional depth and honesty.

Like nearly all MCG WorldVision entries, “Dandelion” debuted highly at number three in the local charts before reaching number one a week later with 761,251 streams. It also reached peaked at number one on the Uggunustani charts, his first ever international number one.

Aenglide has always been a long standing ally of Malta Comino Gozo in and outside the contest so when Aenglide was announced as host of WorldVision 111 it brought a lot of happiness to the MCG delegation. This was Aenglide’s first hosting since WV98. The MCG delegation would fly via Transcon to Akjefuldin International Airport. The flight lasted around 11 hours, and the team landed in Aenglide soon after. The team disembarked the plane and were immediately met with the harsh Aenglic winter. It was around 3pm in the afternoon, and the sun was already setting. As the delegation made their way to the hotel, they were greeted by a beautiful but harsh winter wonderland.

The snow was falling heavily, blanketing the ground and trees in a thick layer of white. The air was crisp and bitterly cold, and the snowflakes sparkled in the light of the street lamps. The team had to be careful as they walked, as the snow was piled high on the sidewalks, making it slippery and difficult to walk. They had done their research, thankfully, on the climate here. This -4C weather was completely alien to most MCGoans because as snow is exceptionally rare back home. They wrapped their coats tightly around them, pulling up their hoods and scarves to shield their faces from the biting wind. Their breaths came out in visible puffs of mist, and they could feel the cold seeping through their clothes. But despite the challenging conditions, they couldn't help but marvel at the serene beauty of the winter landscape around them. The snow-covered trees and buildings looked like something out of a fairy tale, and they felt grateful for the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the five star hotel's warm and cosy lobby, grateful for the respite from the cold. Noah and his team would then spend two days exploring the beautiful city of Akjefuldin.

On his first day, the team visited the Akjefuldin Heritage and Seafarers Museum, which showcased the city's long maritime history, ranging from the longboats of the Aenglish Viking culture to the vessels used for overseas trade as Akjefuldin became an international centre for trade. Noah was amazed by the wide range of exhibits and artefacts on display. After that, the team took a ride on the Akjefuldin funicular, a rail service linking the city centre to the hilltop suburbs, taking passengers between breathtaking views of the city on bright-red painted trams.

On Noah's second day, despite the chilly weather, he and the rest of the team explored the cities picturesque vistas and walked along the famous Vlindvéj, the steepest street in all of Novapax. He also visited Harálditarvt, the town square in the heart of Akjefuldin, with Sántpjötrskirkja (Saint Peter’s Church), a gothic-styled Norse Protestant church, as well as Akjefuldin town hall and clock tower next to it. Noah then headed to the Akjefuldin Memorial Park Lookout, a lookout in Akjefuldin's garden park, which overlooked the entire city centre, the waterfront, and onto the beautiful Akjefuldin fjord, a harbour which links the city out to the sea. He was amazed by the panoramic views of the city and its snowy surroundings.

Making the most of the little time they had to be tourists, they explored the city's outstanding waterfront, where many wooden ships and longboats were docked. Noah enjoyed the many pieces of art and sculptures, as well as world-class eateries and bars. He experienced the vibrant nightlife of the waterfront, which is often rivalled by the country's capital Keterig. Overall, Noah enjoyed exploring the beautiful city and experiencing its unique culture and history. But that was only the start; soon it was time for the rehearsals where he would also meet another Malta Comino Gozoan artist, the lovely Qalima Serieva representing Ugunnustan. It was safe to say the pair bonded almost instantly on their shared heritage.

The atmosphere was electric as the audience's cheers gradually died down, their attention fixed on the darkened arena. Suddenly, the edges of the stage lit up with a bright red and white glow, signalling the beginning of the MCG entry. The hall fell silent as the camera zoomed in on the centre part of the stage, where a warm, golden light slowly emerged and illuminated the entire back LED. As the backing track started playing, the golden light spread and enveloped the entire LED screen, creating an intriguing and luminous effect. The camera then pulled back to reveal Noah, who stood at the centre of the stage, ready to take on the world.

Noah's outfit was nothing short of stylish. He wore a maroon-coloured coat resembling a robe, which he paired with a dark blue undershirt decorated with white polka dots. A dog tag and a silver heart-shaped necklace hung around his neck, complementing his outfit perfectly. Leaving the first two buttons of his shirt undone, he added a touch of boldness to his style, revealing a glimpse of his chest. The camera zoomed out further as we now see the bottom half of his outfit consisting of black jeans and brown suede boots, completing his trendy and fashionable look.

Noah’s expression is contemplative, as if he has spent countless hours pondering life's deepest mysteries. The first thing people would notice about him were his strikingly beautiful dark brown eyes which seemed to reflect the depths of his soul. They were intense but warm and held a sense of mystery and allure that captivated anyone who looked into them long enough. The dark brown colour was rich and deep, almost like the colour of freshly brewed coffee, and the way they glistened in the spotlights was nothing short of mesmerising. It was as if those eyes held a million untold stories waiting to be unravelled. His eyebrows are thick and well-sculpted, accentuating his strong, rugged facial features. His hair, also a rich shade of dark brown, is neatly slicked back with gel. To top it all off, he sports a well-groomed beard.

As Noah begins to sing, he turns to his right, and the camera lines up with him perfectly. He holds out his right hand, his left hand holding the microphone up to his mouth. The camera closes into a view of just his right hand now. Lined up perfectly with the grassy LED screen, his hand now holds a tiny CGI dandelion seed. A sudden gust captures the seed, and the camera follows it along on its journey. The dandelion seed moves through the air with a fascinating grace, as it floats on the gentle breeze, it twists and turns, its movements fluid and effortless.

As the gentle breeze caresses the fields a small and delicate seed
Takes off to embark on its journey, it’s a dandelion seed,
Carried by the gentle wind
In a blissful and carefree dance

The seed dances through the fields, performing acrobatic feats, flipping and twirling in midair. The seed appears weightless as if defying the laws of gravity. It soars high into the sky, then dips low to brush against the tips of the CGI grass. Finally, the seed settles right in front of Noah and plops down, surrounded by a sudden plop of warm golden light. The camera pulls straight upwards as visual graphics, lights and grass begin to ripple outwards from the seed (Ukraine 2016 floor vibes). Noah stares upwards at the aerial camera as it pulls upward, showing the seed taking root, its roots spreading across the stage floor under him, and a stalk growing, turning into a glorious yellow dandelion in a mesmerising array of lights and graphics.

It floats and drifts, free as a bird,
Until it finally finds its place to settle
Oh Oh!
That's when the magic happens, and the little seed begins to sprout
It grows turning into a magnificent wildflower
Oh! Oh!

We cut to a brief frontal stage shot as the lights of the stage dimmed, and the golden spotlight on Noah heightened in intensity. The steady camera would then zoom in on Noah's face, which was full of joy and happiness as he sang the prechorus.

She’s fragile but proud to stand tall,
She’s my gorgeous little Dandelion!

As the chorus kicks in with its full array of instruments, including the keyboard and drums, the stage comes to life with a beautiful display of LED visuals at the back of the stage. The visuals depict images of dandelions and other flowers blooming and swaying in the breeze, creating a magical, dream-like effect. The LED display complements the music perfectly, and the entire atmosphere becomes more intense and passionate as Noah's facial expressions convey the message of the song's lyrics.

The stage is filled with brilliant white light, illuminating the entire arena and making it feel otherworldly. Noah is not alone on stage; he is joined by his talented backing musicians. On his left, a keyboard player stands proud in his brown waistcoat and black jeans, with a ponytail and black shades. He plays the simple but melodic keyboard notes that perforate the atmosphere, his fingers gliding effortlessly over the keys, adding the catchy hook that would have people clapping along. On his right, a young female acoustic guitarist also with a ponytail and a male drummer with long bushy brown hair, they are also wearing brown waistcoats and black jeans, their heads hanging low to concentrate on playing their instruments. Each backing musician does their best to blend into the back of the stage so as not to detract attention from Noah.

We have various sweeping pedestal camera angles for each line swinging in towards the stage. Noah is playfully restless as he clutches the microphone stand. His head bops, and his body moves to the beat. As he sings “My dandy Dandelion” he raises his right hand up to the ceiling. The camera cuts to an onstage camera now as Noah sings, “Yeah my Dandelion“ You could see he was enjoying himself as he played to the camera as it approached him at an angle on his side. His infectious energy and enthusiasm are on show. This is what he lived for, performing.

As he sang the last line of the chorus, “My golden Dandelion”, the view changed to a frontal stage shot. Lined up perfectly behind Noah, a huge golden dandelion surrounded by light blue sky stands tall on the LED screen behind, swaying gently in the breeze. The way the LED screen was used meant it created the illusion of a real, almost 3D, physical giant dandelion on stage, which was truly impressive in the eyes of the TV audience and fans in the Nardelisen arena, and it added an extra layer of depth. It's no wonder that the crowd cheered loudly.

My Dandelion
My dandy Dandelion
Yeah my Dandelion
My golden Dandelion

As the chorus ends and the next verse begins, the LED effects fade into black, so all that we’re left with is Noah again bathed in a soft white spotlight. We now have a railcam shot of Noah from the stages edge.

As Noah begins singing, his expression is one of nostalgia and longing. He gazes off into the distance with a wistfulsmile on his face and then slowly turns his head towards the camera to deliver the next line. Listeners couldn’t help but also notice the tenderness of the acoustic guitar in the background. As he sings, "Lying in a field full of bright and golden dandelions", the camera switches to an overhead shot, his eyes widen and he looks up towards the ceiling as if he's picturing the memory in his mind.

We cut to an upper body shot cut off at his torso as he sings the next line. Noah's face lights up with joy and he looks directly into the camera with a big grin. He extends his right hand towards the lens and holds it there momentarily as if reaching out to the person he's singing to. The lighting on stage changes to a warm, golden hue, adding to the feeling of warmth and love in the song.

Throughout the verse, the lighting remains focused on Noah, with a soft white spotlight illuminating his upper body. His left hand holds the mic stand steady while his right hand gestures towards the camera, emphasizing the lyrics and bringing them to life. His head tilts ever so slightly, showing his emotional investment and making it clear that he was giving it his all.

Do you recall the time you captured this pure heart of mine?
Lying in a field full of bright and golden dandelions
You are my life, my baby
You are my sunshine

Just before Noah sings again, the camera pans over to the acoustic guitarist. At that moment, she briefly breaks character and looks up to meet the camera's gaze, her lips curling into a small but warm smile. The shot is fleeting, however, and she quickly averts her eyes back to her instrument, fully immersed once again in the performance. The view transitions to a railcam stage shot, providing a panoramic view of Noah from half way back into the crowd. Noah’s backing musicians can now be heard supporting his vocals.

The camera cuts to a full body shot now and Noah cranes his head up again and looks to the heavens as rose petals begin to float down onto him. We cut again to an upper body shot. He smiles, and he catches one in his right hand and holds it up, the camera zooms out as he does, his fingers holding it snuggly as he marvels at its pretty colours.

As Noah sang "So sweet!" in perfect harmony with his backing singers, the atmosphere around him suddenly transformed into a magical wonderland. A couple of friendly CGI bumblebees appear, their fuzzy and plump bodies hovering around Noah's head in a playful manner. The CGI bees looked incredibly lifelike, with their delicate wings fluttering and their black and yellow stripes glistening in the soft golden light. Noah's initial surprise quickly gave way to a warm and welcoming smile as he basked in the delightful company of his new bee friends. He even reached out his hand towards them as if hoping to touch their soft and fluffy bodies. The entire scene was enchanting and whimsical, just as the delegation had wanted, and it added a touch of cheesy magic to the already mesmerising performance. Noah had put in countless hours of rehearsing, especially for the scene where CGI bees would hover around his head.

Despite the many rehearsals, Noah had struggled with this scene so many times, messing up as he obviously couldn't see them. However, this time, he had finally managed to pull it off flawlessly! As he delivered the line “envy me,” a huge unplanned smile spread across his face, as the audience erupted into applause, recognizing that he had indeed nailed it for the live performance.

I plucked a petal to just taste and see
Ohh how sweet your love could really be
(So sweet!)
Then maybe all the bumblebees would surely envy me
Don't let this fantasy become a memory
(Keep it going)

We see Noah detaching the microphone from the microphone stand as the beat builds up. Then, we quickly switch to a railcam shot located at the edge of the stage, pointed upwards towards Noah. He struts towards the edge of the stage, gesturing his left arm up and down to hype up the audience as he does so. The crowd responds with cheers and applause, energized by Noah's contagious enthusiasm. Noah attaches his microphone to the stand at the edge of the stage just in time to spread his arms out as he finishes the prechorus. his raspy and manly vocals ringing out into the arena.

I'll be the rain that falls upon you,
Let me be your morning dew
I'll be the spring breeze
That embraces you!

As the chorus burst into life, the aerial railcam shot raced towards the stage, providing a bird's eye view of the entire setup. The stage was immediately emblazoned with a bright white light, illuminating the entire area. As the camera moved closer, we could see the white spotlights gliding over the excited audience. The view then cuts to a perspective from close to the stage, capturing Noah's energetic performance from an audience perspective. He couldn't stand still and kept bobbing his head, all the while with a broad smile on his face. With both his arms gesturing as he sang, Noah poured his heart and soul into the song, captivating the audience with his passion and energy. Every so often, the lights would glisten off the camera lens, heightening the sense of excitement.

You’re my Dandelion
My dandy Dandelion
My gorgeous gorgeous
My dandy Dandelion

With the force of a tidal wave, an outpouring of coloured LED displays and lights rushes in from three different directions, engulfing the entire stage in a mesmerising display. The dark blue shade emanating from the left side contrasts beautifully with the bright pink hue emanating from the middle, while the warm orange glow coming from the right blends seamlessly with the others. The colours converge onto Noah, highlighting his figure in a magnificent glow that seems to bring him to life. Beads of sweat start forming on his cheeks and forehead, glistening in the shimmering lights that reflect off his face, adding to the intensity of the moment as he begins to sing. All the while, white flashes from spotlights behind the stage flash and bounce off the camera as it pans left to right across the back of the front half of the audience.

We then cut to an aerial spider cam attached to the ceiling but from the stage left, which pans hovers, capturing the whole of the stage in view. During the entire pre-chorus, dandelions begin to sprout up rapidly all over the black LED screens, almost as if they are in a race to grow to their full potential. The flowers start small but quickly grow taller and wider, filling up the screens with bright yellow. With the sped-up effect, the dandelions appear to be growing at an almost supernatural speed, and soon, their heads turn to fluffy seed heads. As the camera raced out from him towards the middle of the arena before abruptly stopping, we are treated to a breathtaking view of the stage from the audience's perspective. We then cut to a close-up of Noah as he belted out the last two lines with conviction.

As he began to sing the last two lines “To you, her gentle breeze, her golden flower,”, we cut to a quick onstage camera now as Noah grabs onto the camera and does a full rotation before the camera backs away and with his back to the audience, he spins on the spot. All behind him, we see shimmering mobile phone lights and flags. Gradually, the tone of his voice started to change, hinting at a growing excitement that he could hardly contain. As he continued to sing, the pitch of his voice rose, and his words became more animated, reflecting his enthusiasm.

She dances through life with a spirit strong,
With eyes that shine, and a heart that belongs
To you, her gentle breeze, her golden flower,
In a field of green is a rare beauty to ad-ad- admire!

We cut to a 45-degree spider cam angle of the stage from halfway across the crowd. Noah closed his eyes and jumped up and down, his necklaces clanged against his chest in excitement. Suddenly, the screens exploded with a shower of delicate, fluffy spores that resembled the seeds of dandelions, while the chorus erupted in perfect harmony. In an instant, a blinding explosion of white light engulfed the entire stage, illuminating the entire arena with its powerful beams. As if in perfect synchronization, eight soft white spotlights from the top of the stage pierced through the darkness, creating a breathtaking spectacle. The camera continues to drift closer. The delightful synth from the keyboard rang out again, filling the entire arena with its melodious sound. It was a sight to behold as we could make out a large portion of the audience literally bopping along, with hundreds of flags fluttering about. The LED screens, now black, were covered in hundreds of dandelion seeds that floated across them and onto the smaller screens surrounding the stage. The seeds seemed to drift further away from their source, creating an illusion of distance. The bright lights resembled searchlights, cutting through the air and wowing the audience.

As he finishes singing “my Dandelion” the camera again pans left to right across the back of the front half of the audience. In the crowd, we can see flags waving. Noah’s outstanding vocals are then harmonised halfway through the chorus as we hear the backing musicians add an extra layer of vocals by way of “Ahhhh” in the background.

My dandy dandelion
Yeah my Dandelion
You’re my dandy Dandelion

We cut back to a stage shot where we have a full body view of Noah singing. He has unfastened the mic from the stand. At first, you might have thought it was a bit of a cliché, but in all honesty, it was a highly effective move that was perfectly tailored to Noah's personal style and stage presence. As the next part of the song kicked in, Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of sleek sunglasses matching those worn by the other musicians on stage. His vocals took on a lower, almost spoken tone, exuding a sense of effortless cool and class typical of a seasoned alternative rockstar. The camera angle shifted to a close-up shot of him as he swaggered the stairs at the bottom of the stage onto the catwalk that protruded into the audience. With his maroon-coloured coat/robe trailing behind him and his right hand stretched out, he brushed past the cheering fans, who were ecstatic to see him up close. The camera angle followed Noah's descent from above, capturing the excitement and energy of the moment. As he made his way closer to the fans, the camera zoomed in, giving viewers a clear view of his confident and charismatic demeanour. As he sings “Can shine can shine!” Two massive flashes of white light from behind him silhouette him perfectly. We have one last show from the back of the arena before we finish on a facial close-up as the lights subside and the song ends. Noah droops his head down.

And just like the dandelion, she is a sign
That in tough times, beauty
Can shine can shine!
A reminder that love, hope, and joy,
Are always present
Oh my
My dandy Dandelion!

As the arena lights flicker back on, the sound of deafening applause and cheers fills the arena. Noah stands there, his chest heaving with every breath, his face flushed with excitement. The bright lights highlight the rosy hue of his cheeks, and as he takes off his sunglasses, we can see the tears glistening in his eyes. Overwhelmed with emotion, he covers his face tightly, trying to hide his tears from the world.

At that moment, his backing musicians rush over to him, enveloping him in a warm and tight group hug. They disband and Noah's face lights up as he lets out a little laugh, wiping his cheeks clean as he shakes his head in disbelief.

It's clear that this was a moment he will never forget. The emotions that he felt at that moment were raw and intense, and they would always be etched in his memory. As he stood there, a huge smile on his face, it was impossible not to feel happy and uplifted for him. The group leave the stage as the camera cuts to one from the back of the arena. The cheers continue long after they have left. The voters now held his fate in their hands… only time would tell; had he done enough?

by **Placely Placington** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:53 pm

18 - Placely Placington

Placely Placington All-Stars - Placely Party Rap

Tune: The Blackout Crew - Bbbbounce

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid I have some bad news." Chief President Man of Placely Placington Dave McDaverson said as he called a meeting.

"Is it because we didn't win the rights to host WorldVision 111?" Television Director asked. He was surrounded by Dave the Hobo and Potassium Man. However, all three were wearing age-inappropriate outfits. Television Director was wearing a rainbow-coloured cap with a propellor on top (even if it had to be duct taped on), brown overalls and a green shirt; Dave the Hobo was dressed up as Little Lord Fauntleroy with his black sailor suit-looking outfit and a golden curls wig; and Potassium Man had a blonde pigtails wig, blue and white gingham dress, white undershirt, white socks and black Mary Jane shoes. This wasn't a statement or anything, especially in a climate like this, this is just them trying to pretend they're younger than they actually are by any means necessary even if Helen Keller would be able to spot it.

"No, it's not that." Dave McDaverson revealed that he was wearing a backwards baseball cap, a red shirt with "COOL DUDE" written on it in a graffiti font and a pair of shorts. All of which were a bit too small for him and all of which he wore on top of his normal suit that's actually just his body. He was also holding his usual gun in one hand and a skateboard in the other. Don't ask why he has the gun, just be thankful that not only is it not loaded but it's absolutely incapable of firing anything. "We have been banned from the Junior World Hit Festival. Apparently we're overage, which is a complete proposition!" Not the correct word but no one wanted to correct him. "Anyway, how old am I, TD?"

"23 minutes old, sir." Television Director dutifully replied. "Remember, earlier you sneezed so hard your skeleton came out."

"Exactly!" Dave McDaverson said as if he was unaware that Television Director pointed out a moment that made him uncool. "We're clearly under whatever arbitrary age limit they decided to put on for the World Junior Hit Festical ^[sic] so they should let us take part! Or else we'll boycott it and they'll lose so much money they'll be begging for us to come back!" Unfortunately for Dave McDaverson that was quite possibly the most idle threat in existence. It was like getting mugged by a sloth. "Anyway, let's take part in in the WorldVision Song Contest. It's where the cool kids perform. And we're cool."

And with that, they decided to send their WHF69 entry again, which meant rounding up Health Minister and Dave the Living DJ Booth. Partly because they wanted to perform it in front of a WorldVision crowd even if it meant changing a few lines to reflect the new city (just the one). And partly because I had very little time to write something original. Not only was it the usual pre-Christmas rush but I also had to contend with the WorldVision Song Contest, the IBA Sports Championships and the World Junior Hockey Championships at the same time. I'm just glad I've decided to have Elejamie skip the World Hit Festival, albeit for different reasons, or else I would've been incredibly stuck. I'm not that ashamed to admit that it was pretty much Ctrl+C Ctrl+V, with the aforementioned changes, because I just didn't have any time to do anything original and because it's Placely Placington, a nation designed to stink up the bottom of the table. Anyway, here's the Placely Party Rap. Not to be confused with the Placely Party Song which very nearly came last in WV94, which did feature rapping which probably doesn't help the confusion. Enjoy. Or not. I just wanted to rant, really.

Black/white – Dave the Living DJ Booth
Red – Dave McDaverson
Blue – Television Director
Green – Dave the Hobo
Purple – Potassium Man
Some kind of light brown – Health Minister
Turquoise – Everyone

After the postcard came to an end, we see six figures on the stage. Three of them were just standing there waiting for the song to start, one was just a head poking out of a small cardboard box, one was a ball that was hovering in place and the other was a DJ booth. Unlike the last time this song was actually sent, there was no applause. It was Placely Placington, after all. Oh and also, there was a warning in Aenglish and then in English warning people that there’ll be strobing and flashing lights, just in case anyone in the audience were prone to seizures.

A warning that was quite necessary because, after the song started and the camera cut to a close-up of Dave the Living DJ Booth spinning one of his wheels, the lights began to flash in time with the drums. At that time, there was a fade to a wide shot of the When the bass kicked in and it was turn for Dave the Living DJ Booth to beg for the cessation of his existence, the camera then slowly panned from left to right to show his bandmates standing there with serious expressions on their faces, at least if they actually had faces. Whenever Dave the Living DJ Booth “sang” his lines, the camera then cut to a slowly zooming-in shot of him before it cut back over to the panning shot.

HELP!
HELP!
WHY AM I STILL ALIVE?

Shortly after the intro was over with, the lights around the stage started to fade. The giant light ball at the rear of the stage started to pulse red, however, and there were red horizontal streaks starting to show on the LED walls around the stage. Then the sound effect played again and there were two claps, at which point the lights on either side of the stage turned on one after the other. And then it was time for Dave McDaverson to rap. The strobe walls at the rear of the stage turned on, although they strobed as a medium speed. The LED walls at the front of the stage turned white with some random black patterns that changed shape or split off from themselves, sort of like a lava lamp, although there was a brief moment where it said “DAVE MCDAVERSON” in a font that looked like the unholy love child of Papyrus and Comic Sans. Some of the lights above the stage were flashing whereas some of the others were just shining down on the stage in circular patterns. The LED screens on either side just showed what the action on stage looked like. And, finally, the lighting rigs on the audience just shone down on them, no effects or anything like that.

Oh, and Dave McDaverson also began to rap. He didn’t do any hand gestures, simply because one hand was holding a mic and the other was holding a gun that he still really shouldn’t be using even if it lacks things like a clip or a firing pin. There were even a few segments where giant holograms of himself also appeared on stage, presumably to act as backing vocalists. And, while most of the shots were of him at different angles and different distances, there were a few cuts to his bandmates trying to hype him up, presumably because he wouldn’t pressed the button to end their existence if they didn’t hype him up good enough. Standard stuff, really.

I am the one and only
My homies from Crusty to Vart knows me
If you’re scared well then don’t be
My style is only fatal to phonies
For I am Dave McD
The undisputed best MC
Your expectations, I will exceed
I’m here at the Dub-You-Vee bigging up Placely
And I rap without a hitch
Whereas your flow is so slow it resembles pitch
I’m the rapping ace
When I spit my rhymes, people come flood the place
I can’t spit my rhymes without a crowd
Even when I’m alone it’s not allowed
I rap better than any other person
I’m the one and only Dave McDaverson!

And then it was time for the lead in to the chorus. After Dave McDaverson pulled one last pose, there was a quick jet of smoke from the machines at the foot of the stage while nearly the rest of the lights above and around the stage dimmed, with one or two still remaining on just for an effect. The shot then faded into a slowly zooming in shot of Dave the Living DJ Booth screaming for help, which echoed and stretched shortly after he said it. In between each cry for help, there was a long slow-motion shot of Dave McDaverson slowly turning round and walking back to his compatriots, who were still hyping him up. It cut back and forth between the two, with Dave McDaverson even giving high fives to both Television Director and Potassium Man despite having his hands full.

After the last cry for help from Dave the Living DJ Booth, the camera cut back to Dave McDaverson slowly turning around and stepping forward. At that point, not only did he begin to rap the first two lines chorus, but all of the lights turned back on to the same way they were earlier and everything was back at normal speed. When it was Dave the Hobo’s turn to do his two lines, the camera then cut to a close-up of him with a microphone above his head, which was poking out of a cardboard box. The camera swept up diagonally to the left and zoomed out when it was time for Television Director to rap his two lines, with him doing a couple of hand movements. Then it came time for Health Minister to spit his solitary bar, at which point the camera panned over to him just hovering on the spot. It then tilted over to Potassium Man who spat his half a bar before cutting to a wide shot of the group doing the other half of the bar together.

HELP!
HELP!
HELP!
END! ME!

Party rap coming from Placely
Party rhymes coming out stately
Party rhymes gonna make thee
Raise the whole damn roof, gonna wake thee
It’s TD rapping full of gracely
Got the flow that makes yo’ praise me
Don’t know why these suckers wanna hate me
PM foes, come here, face me!

Almost immediately, we got Television Director spitting his verse, with the LED walls showing his name in the same font as he began to rap. Throughout most of the first eight bars, there was a sort of tracking shot of Television Director as he made his way to the front of the stage with a bit of swagger, except this was a full-frontal thing instead of just a long shot of him from the back. From time to time there were cuts to the rest of the Placely Placington All-Stars trying to hype him up, a couple of the shots being slow-motion again and one or two being sped up. There was also a shot of the crowd looking completely unimpressed as Television Director hypes himself up and then later on spits some empty threats against someone, not even he knows. When it got to the eighth line the lights cut out along with the music, before everything came back in time for the ninth line.

At that point, it was just a wide array of shots from different angles, positions and distances as the television-headed Placely Placingtonian carried on spitting his rhymes to the crowd. All while he started to do a bit of dancing, namely a bit of Melbourne shuffling but also just some random movements. His bandmates, meanwhile, carried on hyping him on in the background with Dave McDaverson even doing a bit of breakdancing. Which included that head spinny move. On the thirteenth line, the screen went black before a pink-filtered shot of Television Director stepping forward and moving his arm down filled up the left vertical third of the screen; this was followed by the same shot showing up in the middle but with a purple filter and the final third showing up on the right-hand side of the screen with a blue filter, all in time with him stuttering on that first syllable. At that point, the shots lined up before everything went back to normal. Towards the end of the line, the lights began to dim as Television Director finished his line and got ready for the next MC to do his bars.

TD is the best MC
The best MC that will ever be
Apart from the legend that is Dave McD
As you see – And I’m sure that you’ll agree
When it comes to bars I always succeed
When it comes to flows I’m a rapping machine
And I never run out of steam
Not bad for a guy from TV
The heavyweight champion
When I rhyme they all come clamourin’
My skill’s higher than the Grampians
And I got the smell of ambience
P-P-Placely, the home of the bravest
Selling out all the good places
Want us to stop? Come on make us!
Otherwise hope that your fate is painless

After an effect that looked like the screen was bending to the left a bit, it flung forwards and stopped when it reached Dave the Hobo, for it was time for him to spit his bars. He rested his hand on the edge of his box, his fingers on the flap, before he lifted himself up and out of him box as if he was climbing a wall. Impressive enough as is, if only because he kept falling flat on his face the first fifty-odd tries, but even more so considering that, again, his box is the size of a hatbox. Then again, it’s one of Dave the Hobo’s cardboard boxes so it’s no real surprise.

Where was I? Oh yeah, after he leapt out of his box Dave the Hobo started gabber-dancing his way down the stage while he rapped. Much like the other verses, there was the occasional cut to the rest of the group trying to hype up the rapper with hand and arm gestures but also different shots and different angles of the rapper just doing the usual hand gestures. Nothing really to talk about, other than how at the ninth line, Dave the Hobo took a step forward and the shot shrank into itself; same distance, same zoom, same angle, same everything. After that, it was just more of the same until the end of the verse.

Dave the Hobo, never super slo-mo
If you’re messing with me, yo, that’s a no-go
The man of science, the man of cardboard
Who’s turning his rhymes into an art form
I can groove and go super smooth
With the sweet flow that can make you move
I got the raps that really slaps
When I spit my rhymes the entire world claps
With help from my cardboard box
I’ve got the flow that will remove your socks
Spitting out rhymes like my mouth were Glocks
And my homies say I’m iller than any pox
‘Cos it’s true, my raps are supreme
And that is why I joined the Placely team
But even when I have to stop grooving
The hobo life will keep on moving

There was then another flash of light, another plume of smoke from the machines and then shortly afterwards Dave the Living DJ Booth made yet more pleas for help while the lights began to die down. All of which were ignored by his bandmates as Dave the Hobo made some nondescript symbol with his hands before he did a slow-motion moonwalk back to his spot. Once again, there was a bit and forth between Dave the Living DJ Booth begging for help and a wide shot of Dave the Hobo doing what he was doing while everyone else was cheering him on. This carried on until it was time for the chorus, which began when Dave McDaverson looked down and then back up at the audience again in time with the claps, which also seemed to turn the lights back on. As he and nearly everyone else began to dance on the spot, he rapped his two lines. The camera then quickly panned over to Dave the Hobo who did his two lines, then Television Director who did HIS two lines. You can pretty much guess how this goes.

HELP!
HELP!
HELP!
END! ME!

Party rap coming from Placely
Party rhymes coming out stately
Party rhymes gonna make thee
Raise the whole damn roof, gonna wake thee
It’s TD rapping full of gracely
Got the flow that makes yo’ praise me
Don’t know why these suckers wanna hate me
PM foes, come here, face me!

As the cymbals kicked in and the bass drum boomed, a row of flames shot out of the pyrotechnics and all the lights at the same time. As the camera zoomed out of the already wide shot of the stage, the LED walls showed Potassium Man’s name in the same gaudy font while Dave the Living DJ Booth’s scream echoed and reverberated. The screen also went into letterbox mode, just to make it more cinematic for some reason. When it was time for him to rap, the camera then cut to an extreme close-up of his hands coming together in slow-motion but, when he actually clapped, it was at normal speed. The camera zoomed out as he began to spit his bars, although the lights stayed dimmed and the strobe wall didn’t strobe as quickly as it did throughout the other verses. Much like the others, he was doing a small bit of dancing and also some hand and arm gestures as he rapped. Nothing too out of the ordinary, although when it came to the eighth line the screen went black and white, with a colour version of the same shot filling up the left third when Potassium Man said that last word in the line.

After that, things carried on as normal with the strobing walls starting to speed up now that the bass returned to the mix. I say “normal”, if viewers looked closely they could see some smoke coming off the top of his head. This was because he was going so hard with some more empty threats, pointless disses and bigging himself up that he was starting to sweat and the water in it was messing with the potassium in his body. As he carried on rhyming, the smoke started to get more visible until the top of his head ignited, with a small lilac flame showing up. He, of course, didn’t notice and him sweating even more probably didn’t help matters either. He carried on rapping as normal and, when it came time for the end of the verse, he leapt forward and made a “blah blah blah” gesture with his hand, all while he was crouched down a bit. To round things off, he flung his arm forwards and pointed towards the audience before he stood up and let the last person do their rhymes.

Man of K, I’m great
Causing haters dismay
Man of rhyme, got the time
Spitting lilac at the mic
Big up Dave McD
From Placely, don’t you see
Going down in history
Who’s the rhyming top G? Me!
Kalium, bury ‘em
Your flow’s like valium
You know, my super flow
Steals the show, never slow
Placely makes the finest raps
With the beats that really slaps
And we don’t make mishaps
While these wannabees only let out yaps

And for the final verse we have the Placely Placingtonian Health Minister. He didn’t do a lot of hyping due to him being a giant floating ball-shaped thing with a lot of spikes that don’t really have the same abilities that limbs do. He also doesn’t have a face so he can’t really make facial expressions to show his approval of everyone else’s raps. All he could do was just hover in place and rap into the microphone that had been haphazardly duct taped onto one of his protein spikes. Again, most of the same stuff here, just an array of shots and cuts of him just hovering in place as he spat his rhymes with the odd shot of everyone else hyping him up. There was another shot of the audience looking a bit displeased. The giant light ball at the back of the stage also turned blue and rotated round like it was a disco ball, with the lights beginning to strobe from the ninth line to the end of the song.

However, there were also a couple of moments where the camera cut to Potassium Man, whose head was now ablaze with a lilac flame. He repeatedly tried to swat it out to no avail so instead he just ran around back and forth at the back of the stage. While he fortunately did not set anything on fire, as they were either fire-resistant or had also somehow rolled their saving throws, he did appear in the background as Health Minister rapped or everyone else hyped him up. Oh well. Also, bear in mind that Health Minister is a giant, sapient COVID-19 particle as well as the closest there is to an actual villain in Placely Placington (everyone else is some shade of chaotic neutral). So, naturally, any advice given below should be ignored, any brags should not be praised and all that stuff.

No vaccine can destroy me
And there’s no machine that can screen me
Health Ministry, the job for me
I don’t think my love for my job will ever cease
Cut down trees? Oh yes please
Raising numbers a joy I receive
With the skills that are nothing to sneeze
At and the flow that makes it hard to breathe
Believe and just watch this space
Shout-out to Aenglide, we love the place
Shouting out Aen, it’s full of grace
Great land hosting, that’s raising stakes
Your speaker systems I shall infect
Your way of life I shall affect
Don’t stop me or you’ll regret
My backup plans that you cannot detect!

After that, the lights around and above the stage flashed brightly before they slowly began to fade back to how they were earlier. At that same time the smoke machines went off and fired jets of the stuff up in the air while the Placely Placington All-Stars did their last chorus. It was pretty much the same as the last two, with each person doing their 1-2 bars with the same hand and arm gestures whenever possible, with one notable difference. Potassium Man, who was by this point completely ablaze in a lilac flame was running all over the stage and trying to stop, drop and roll to put himself out, to no avail. Indeed, when it was time for him to say what he needed to say, he instead said something completely different. His oblivious and/or uncaring compatriots, however, just acted like nothing out of the ordinary was happening and rapped the other half a bar together as normal to close out the song.

Party rap coming from Placely
Party rhymes coming out stately
Party rhymes gonna make thee
Raise the whole damn roof, gonna wake thee
It’s TD rapping full of gracely
Got the flow that makes yo’ praise me
Don’t know why these suckers wanna hate me
I’m burning, oh God help me! (come here, face me!)

As the song came to an end, there was a flash of light as Dave McDaverson, Television Director and Dave the Hobo pulled a defiant pose before the light faded. Health Minister just floated in place, Dave the Living DJ Booth is an inanimate object who somehow has sentience so he just stayed where he was and Potassium Man finally stopped being on fire and almost immediately dissolved into a pile of ashes. Shortly after the song came to an end, the light came back on and there was a scant, arrhythmic applause from a few members of the audience. Again, whether they were plants, the rare Placely fans or just people trying to be polite we don’t know. Dave McDaverson then lifted up his mic and then said into it like “Mad respect to the Ak-je-something posse! Aight, thanks.” Now that the whole “how do you do, fellow kids” act was out of the way, Dave the Hobo then scraped the now officially dead Potassium Man’s ashes into his cardboard box (don't worry, he'll be recloned back to life) and the four of them headed backstage, with Television Director pushing Dave the Living DJ Booth out with the wheels that just materialised from underneath him. Next act, please.

by **Achaean Republic** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:05 pm

19| Achaean Republic
Nashila Awada- Nakba
Tune: Nancy Ajram - Aam Betghayar

My grandmother always spoke about Bethlehem. Beyt Lahim, she used to call it whenever she remembered. She always told us about the lanterns in Ramadan, the night markets filled with sweet treats that would make life much easier for breaking the iftar fast, or her primary school with those Lebanese nuns that could speak French with such dictée that she thought they were French and not Lebanese. She lived a simple life, living in harmony as a Christian next to her Muslim friends, playing and praying together, enjoying delicious meals for Eid and singing Christmas carols on their way to Mass. She was happy, even if the power used to go out at her home sometimes and she needed to help her father, a businessman at the local zouk, to gather wood for heating and cooking. But what matters is that she was happy.

But whenever I asked sití why she left Bethlehem, her smile left her face. The eyes became bloodshot, welling up in salty tears mixed with the sweat of the Achaean sun in a November evening. I was always confused if she was sweating or crying, or if she was sweating and crying. Her voice, affected by the years of tropical aridity that somewhat hardened her spirit, suddenly shattered. All the Spanish she spoke to me faded into obscurity, almost changing her tone and swinging her tongue to the palate when she switched to Arabic, what little Arabic she knew, what little Arabic she remembered, what little Arabic she taught me. There was a pain in her voice, something that I could never react to nor relate. Until now.

“Alghuzaa! Alghuzaa!” The invaders! The invaders, she told me. She yelled at it with fear and pain and fear and trembling and tears and frustration. I was a young child, barely growing through life in the outskirts of Larnaca, where all the Arabs used to hang out. Whenever sití lost herself into a trance of her own trauma, I used to cry out of fear. I feared for my own displacement. I feared for my own life.

I carry this fear within me ever since.

We had no birth certificates for sití, only old church baptismal records that scratched the Georgette Sabbag and replaced it with a Georgette Khalil. Nor we had lots of pictures—only the sepia-toned ones they took at the Catholic girls’ school she studied, where it was hard to tell who had a cross on their necks and who used a hijab. Any pictures she had were stained or hard to date. The dusty land was also briny and covered with flowers, the smell of the vendors hawking their wares at the zouks, the smells of burning black tea leaves and fresh bread baked in the morning. There was not much we could go for regarding sití’s past in Palestine, and there was much along her weariness to leave—erm, be forced out—of Bethlehem and into a plane halfway through the world, to a small island in the Caribbean, where a loving Palestinian-Achaean family adopted her and treated her as family. She never saw her father again, only communicating through letters that grew even more sporadic when she stopped writing in Arabic and switched to Spanish. (Despite being Palestinian themselves, living in such an Arab-friendly environment like the one in Larnaca, and kept some traditions alive, they actively chose not to maintain speaking Arabic.) But she always kept a lament for her homeland.

Her story was a story of displacement, of conflict and human tragedy. We carry this story within us and try our best to overcome it. But it’s hard to see that when the only focus on television involves bombing, killing, torturing, tearing. Even in my hometown, I hear people supporting this side and exiling those from the other side, even though they are all brothers and carry together the same traditions, the same foods, the same faiths, the same prospects. I always looked forward to travel to Israel and Palestine and see my homeland—I should say, my homelands—and walk where my sití first walked, understand her pain, and not repeat the mistakes of my people. But then came the pandemic, which shuttered everything and scuttled every plan I had. I was ready to go there once the world opened again…but there was conflict, once more. Could they stop the fighting!?

I was able to recover many of her letters in a small room beside her house. They were ripped and tattered, and it was hard to distinguish the faded strokes of the Arabic cursive in them. Whatever I could read, it impressed upon me the pain of the distance, the nostalgia of her secret misery. In Achaea, she grew up to be a faithful Catholic and a devoted nurse at a local dispensary (no, not one of those leafy places!). She married a successful non-Arab man (which is common in Achaea, but not many of the old guard approved) and had three children who easily adapted into the vibrant and vivacious Achaean culture. My mother, for instance, never learned much Arabic despite growing up in Larnaca. Almost nobody did after the seventies. So to live my present identity through my grandmother’s past felt foreign to me and to everyone else. It was almost forbidden.

As I was approached by AS1 to represent the nation in WorldVision, I needed to find the best song that reflected the overwhelming amount of emotions my grandmother experienced while living in the nation, all the while trying to be as nonpolitical as possible and represent the value and agency of a people that have grown accustomed to suffering that has generated an impressive amount of value towards its development. But the people are proud to move on towards creating a new future, a new form of pride.

I wore tatreez, the embroidered patterns Palestinian women weaved into their clothes for more than three thousand years. It was passed down from generation to generation, grandmother to daughter to sister to preserve their heritage and maintain their place while dealing with the trauma of displacement. There is a legacy embedded in our clothes, a point that is as black as the pain we carry inside us and as white as the hope we carry in our heart that we will return. Or they will return. I don’t know that part; it gets confusing when I try to represent a people I somewhat have an allegiance to.

There was a man with the thin, blue darbuka pounding on the hypnotic rhythms (or at least on trying to mime them). There was also another man with a flute that had to be custom-made and imported from Tunisia. And then another man with an accordion, and others with their bare hands. This was not your typical Achaean set-up—no dances, no ribald lyrics, no general irreverence. It was a tad more somber than usual, without the occasional Achaean gravitas of histrionics and melodramatics. Instead of colors, there were earthy tones present in the lights of the stage. Maybe sparks and glimmers of blacks and reds, whites and greens were dotted throughout (how were they able to make black happen?). I was standing at an old-timely microphone, and I began to sing.

Esta tierra dejó de ser mía
Es tierra como me acoge
Es ella quien traza pasos por mí
Pero es ella quien cubre mis dedos
Mas no sabe cuánto yo la extraño
Si fuera para mi pueblo
La tierra que arrebataron de mí

The viewer’s camera swooshed from the right to the left and circled around me, giving a front-row view of the place, almost causing dizziness and confusion, trying to bridge the gap between the performers, the audience, me, and the viewers at home. The idea was to provoke the displacement my sití felt as she was forced out of her childhood home, the madness, the rubble, the coarse words shouted to in her young presence. Even though she was adopted elsewhere and moved into the Caribbean…even though she grew up to become a successful baker and businesswoman…even though she loved the family she chose to make in her tropical home…she always had a longing for her home back in Bethlehem—eh, Beyt Lahim. She died never knowing if her homeland managed to survive being destroyed. (What would she have thought with all these events going on now?)

¿Cuándo? ¿Cúando he de volver?
¿Cuándo? Su rostro buscaré
¿Cuándo? Al aire volveré
¿Quién espera? ¿Quién espera?
¿Quién espera por mí?

¿Cuándo? ¿Cúando he de volver?
¿Cuándo? Su rostro buscaré
¿Cuándo? Al aire volveré
¿Quién espera? ¿Quién espera?
¿Quién espera por mí?

The cameras surrounded the stage with the continued somber and distant mood. We agreed not to show the current situation back in the land—it was important to stay neutral and focused on the plight, not worsen our political standing and endorse a particular brand. This was an intense, emotional, and heart-wrenching experience of universal displacement that everybody could relate to in some form or fashion. This is not your typical touristic foray into Beyt Lahim—this was a tragedy of confusion, a tragedy of errors that my family lived through and have yet to be compensated in some form during this mess. People take their land for granted sometimes. But land goes beyond a parcel or a titled deed—but those things sure help. So why take it away from us?

Ni los lirios del campo se olvidaron
Ni esperaron a calmar el dolor
Ni tanto, ¡cuánta distancia está aquí!
Ahora sangro el sueño de otros
Yo sangro sangre de inocentes
La tierra que arrebataron de mí

I’ve been called a terrorist, an apologist. People have ignorantly clamored to various AS1 social media channels about any potential support to Palestine. The cameras once again moved from left to right, surrounding me the way the trolls surrounded my social media with hateful and incendiary comments. It was very annoying, I admit—but I could not care any less. I had to follow the dreams of my generation, the expectations of freedom. There was a way to represent the displacement of a people without land, without mercy. I continued the somberness and sobriety in my tone in the same way Arabic speakers stand and croon to the audience—though I did it in Spanish. I could only hope that people would understand our cries for peace.

¿Cuándo? ¿Cúando he de volver?
¿Cuándo? Su rostro buscaré
¿Cuándo? Al aire volveré
¿Quién espera? ¿Quién espera?
¿Quién espera por mí?

¿Cuándo? ¿Cúando he de volver?
¿Cuándo? Su rostro buscaré
¿Cuándo? Al aire volveré
¿Quién espera? ¿Quién espera?
¿Quién espera por mí?

I’ve been called a terrorist, an apologist. People have ignorantly clamored to various AS1 social media channels about any potential support to Palestine. The cameras once again moved from left to right, surrounding me the way the trolls surrounded my social media with hateful and incendiary comments. It was very annoying, I admit—but I could not care any less. I had to follow the dreams of my generation, the expectations of freedom. There was a way to represent the displacement of a people without land, without mercy. I continued the somberness and sobriety in my tone in the same way Arabic speakers stand and croon to the audience—though I did it in Spanish. I could only hope that people would understand our cries for peace.

by **Great Britain and Irelandia** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 11:06 pm

20: GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELANDIA

while my guitar gently weeps (original tune)

Coming from Great Britain and Irelandia is the one and only Johnathan Wainwright! An amazing pianist and guitarist acclaimed as the ‘new piano man’ who has recently released a hit known as Me, You. Coming to world vision with a vision for winning!

This song is inspired by many classics! Going to a town and while my guitar gently weeps are some of the most influential in his work, due to the powerful nature of the songs.

As he comes on stage the British in the audience cheer, with the other members applauding. Many know his work and are excited to see him on stage. With a little glissando on the piano he begins.

I look at the world
I look at the land
I look at the sky
And think
You, me anybody
Why?

I want to make it up for all the mistakes
But I don’t know how or why
I want to forgive to forget
But I don’t know how or why
You, Me anybody
Why?

The audience goes wild as one of the backers on the track starts playing guitar making the guitar sing for the audience in an amazing harmony with the piano.

Anybody?
Anybody?
Oooooo
Anybody?
Anybody?
Oooooo

A mellow and beautiful instrumental in between verses gets the audience’s adrenaline pumping.

bMe, you
Oooooo
Me, you

A piano intro with depth into the chorus sets the scene

[/box]I look at the world
I look at the land
I look at the sky
And think
You, me anybody
Why?
Oh why?
You, me anybody (hold)?[/box]

Crescendo in the piano making the sound of rock, 2 minutes of this amazing music flashes by.

The piano glissando’s and ends.

Johnathan strides of the stage.

by **Mister X** » Fri Dec 22, 2023 1:10 pm

[witty banter goes here]

01 Furballland

Robert: Not a bad start, even if it was a bit 2000s house band for our liking.
Sam: The sax solo was VERY noughties. But the middle eight worked, it was a musical journey, wasn't it?
Robert: Absolutely. Not bad at all.
Sam: For sure.

02 Spiritual Republic of Caryton

Robert: This is a bit like a drunk granny deciding to do karaoke.
Sam: Yeah, although the instrumental is pretty amazing, actually, the vocals are a real letdown.
Robert: It's almost like someone went "it's not WorldVision enough" and added an ill-feating disco beat at the last moment.

03 Saint Monkey

Robert: Acapella doesn't do that well usually, does it?
Sam: No, I'm afraid not, and I don't think this will do well either.
Robert: It's a decent song but I don't think it's right for WorldVision, that's for sure.

05 Missus X

Robert: Well that was an experience.
Sam: Not a great one.

06 Terra-Zealandia

Robert: This is what we call, shall we say, "easy listening".
Sam: i.e. dull music.
Robert: Correct.
Sam: Yeah, soft rock you've all heard before. Your feet will be staying warm, Robert, because no socks are being blown off here.

07 Beepee

Robert: This is quite a good song, but you won't notice because Beepee has, once again, send a geriatric washed-up "singer" to represent them.
Sam: They did exactly that in Thatcher City, didn't they?
Robert: Yes, hence why I said "once again"...

08 Northern Beepee

Sam: Well, Robert and I don't really care for this type of music, I'm afraid, dull and slow ballading.
Robert: Yes, not much more we can really add other than "she sings a song".
Sam: There is music and she is singing, so that's all you need to know on this one.

09 Samudera Darussalam

Robert: Generic noughties rock alert! Generic noughties rock alert!
Sam: Yeah, you've heard this one before, of that I am sure.
Robert: That said... I like this!
Sam: You've been in WorldVision too long, Robert.

10 South Batoko

Robert: Not bad, but not great. They'll be reasonably happy with that.
Sam: Yeah, again, not amazing but not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Key change was a bit outdated though.
Robert: Mid-table?
Sam: Mid-table.

11 Ugunnustan

Robert: Well, if South Batoko was mid-table, this is definitely top five.
Sam: For sure, and just to say, Robert, I think that is the best song so far for good measure in there as well.
Robert: I don't disagree with you. Although we're still to come. As is Malta Comino Gozo, who always do well, and I'm sure they will tonight.

15 Mother Cupcakke

Robert: Well, this song certainly is unique.
Sam: I see what you did there.
Robert: Reminds me of Nigel Farage singing in the jungle, unfortunately.

16 Strayaroos

Robert: That chorus is, shall we say, repetitive musically.
Sam: I was expecting a better drop it has to be said.
Robert: Never mind, that'll still be top half I would have thought.
Sam: For sure.

17 Malta Comino Gozo

Robert: Well, for the first time in a long time, I didn't like a MCG entry.
Sam: They're not bad, but not amazing, and not up to their usual 10/10 standard.
Robert: Can it win? Well, anything can happen.
Sam: I think this will still do very well.

18 Placely Placington

Robert: Who knew 00s hip-hop was making a comeback?
Sam: Not if that's anything to go by. It will not catch on.

19 Achaean Republic

Robert: This sounds like the sort of thing your band would reject, Sam.
Sam: Nah, we're The Kumquats, we'll have a go at anything.
Robert: Oh, will you? That's a shame.
Sam: You seriously don't think we'd have come up with Stuck? Aching? Water Cam! ourselves, do you?
Robert: ... Fair point. That's a throwback.
Sam: What about this, then?
Robert: It's not that good, and I think I preferred Placely Placington, would you believe.

20 Great Britain and Irelandia

Robert: It's a bit tired, isn't it?
Sam: Strange lyrics too.
Robert: Well, they tried, I suppose.
Sam: Yep. At least they tried. Which is more than most WorldVision entries normally.
Robert: Did they though?

21 Mister X

Robert: Now, this is a comeback tune.
Sam: Very sexual too.
Robert: This is us at our best, I think.
Sam: Top 5?
Robert: I hope so.

22 Father Squidward

Robert: Noot noot, it's Father Squidward, and this is... a song about food.
Sam: Anyone fancy a KFC?
Robert: A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a Pizza Hut?

23 Alezian Union

Robert: This is OK. It's not amazing, but it's not bad at all.
Sam: There's a tweet here that says "this is so basic it has a pH of 15".
Robert: And no, I have no idea why they're dressed up like they're in The Matrix.
Sam: I thought they were jedi!

24 Plangainer

Robert: Not bad at all, but this is exactly the kind of song you get a lot of late in the running order every year, a dull, by-the-numbers head-nodder.
Sam: Yeah, this is the sort of thing you might sing in a pub doorway.
Robert: Mid-table?
Sam: Mid-table.

25 Illdonya

Robert: And yes, the graphics department have done their name correctly this time.
Sam: Did we ever apologise for that?
Robert: I'm not sure.
Sam: Anyway, this is a good, middle-of-the-road pop affair.

26 Brodhavan

Robert: Pretty dull again.
Sam: Yeah I don't like this, sorry.

27 Waisnor

Robert: Not bad, is it?
Sam: Yeah, not bad at all. Nice to hear a decent bassline after the last few songs.
Robert: And this wasn't fantastic, but nor was it terrible, and I suppose that's all that counts here, isn't it?
Sam: Yeah, more mid-table fare I would think.

29 Darkmania

Robert: This ballad is fairly middle-of-the-road ballad fare.
Sam: What kind of fool do they take us for? We've heard all that before.
Robert: And the staging was a real let-down.
Sam: Not their best.

32 Kalosia

Robert: Not their best, but not their worst.
Sam: Mind you I think this will do well, especially in televoting.
Robert: Yeah, I'll go along with that.
Sam: For sure.

33 Aenglide

Robert: If you think Aenglide has sent this song before, they haven't, it just sounds like it.
Sam: Correct. This sounds like what they sent to 102 in Thatcher City.
Robert: I still watch that contest sometimes, you know.

34 Hafamarimyht

Sam: Who knew Hafamarimyht could pull out a banger like that!?
Robert: I was very surprised to learn this was from them. Easily the best song they've ever had in.
Sam: Oh yes, definitely.
Robert: Top 5?
Sam: For sure.

35 Crustyland

Robert: Sorry about that. I turned away from the microphone to sneeze and it was over.
Sam: 3-1 for nul points.

36 Pemecutan

Robert: This one's OK, but I wish the rock element of it was toned down, it does sound like a mash-up of genres.
Sam: For sure, and I have to say for good measure in there as well it needed a bit less.
Robert: Absolutely.

37 Saviera

Robert: Very 80s.
Sam: Female diva screams into microphone - not sure we've had a screechy woman yet tonight so that's one for the bingo card.
Robert: Maybe Darkmania.
Sam: Well at least that was singing rather than just shouting.

Robert: And that's it! One of those will win the WorldVision Song Contest... sadly.
Sam: So, to vote...

Worldvision Song Contest 111 | Akjefuldin, Aenglide

Worldvision Song Contest 111 | Akjefuldin, Aenglide

16 | StrayaRoos | Abbey Jahga - Not Enough

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