53rd World Hit Festival | DRAFT THREAD | OPEN AGAIN!

by **Britonisea** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:00 pm

WELCOME TO THE 53RD WORLD HIT FESTIVAL DRAFT THREAD
Bovingdon, Britonisea

WHF NETWORK - NSWIKI PAGE - OOC THREAD - IC THREAD

THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE
These dates are only provisional and are subject to change;

Sign Ups for the 53rd World Hit Festival Close - 2nd August 2020, 20:00 BST
Draft Thread Closes, 24 hours to make last changes - 9th August 2020, 20:00 BST
The Official Live Draw - 9th August 2019 21:00 BST
Running Order Released - 9th August 2019 23:45 BST
Voting lines Opens, the IC Thread is Available - 11 August 2020, 00:00 BST
The Official Listen-Along (Europe & Americas) - 11 August 2020, 21:00 BST
Voting Lines Closes - 17th August 2020, 07:00 BST (or when I wake up on the 17th tbh)
Results Day 1 - 18th August 2020 Phase 1
Results Day 2 - 19th August 2020, 21:00 GMT Phase 1
Results Day 3 - 20th August 2020 Phase 1
Results Day 4 - 21st January 2020, 21:00 GMT Phase 2
Results Day 5 - 22nd August 2020, 21:00 GMT Phase 2

As a large number of nations have signed up to the Festival (more than WHF40, and nearly the amount as WHF50, I'm going to reveal this schedule so you all know what's going to happen if the time comes. I will announce whether the Semis will go ahead only if we receive 26 entries (not including the host).

Draft Thread Closes, 24 hours to make last changes - 9th August 2020, 20:00 BST
The Semi-Final Allocation Draw - 9th August 2019 20:30 BST
Running Orders Released - 9th August 2019 23:45 BST
Voting lines Opens, the IC Thread is Available - 11 August 2020, 00:00 BST
The Official Listen-Along of Semi 1 & 2 (Europe & Americas) - 11 August 2020, 20:00 BST (there will be a ten minute break between the two Semi-Finals and of course intermissions during the show - so grab a snack, and come right back!)
Voting Lines Closes - 17th August 2020, 07:00 BST (or whenever I am awake, which will probably be at 12PM)
Semi-Final 1 Qualifiers & Final Allocation Draw - 18th August 2020, 20:00 BST
Semi-Final 2 Qualifiers & Final Allocation Draw - 20th August 2020, 20:00 BST
Grand Final Running Order Released - 20th August 2020, 22:00 BST (or up to an hour later)
Voting & Draft Thread Re-opens - 21st August 2020, 12:00 BST
Voting & Draft Thread Closes - 22nd August 2020, 12:00 BST Subject to change
The Official Celebratory Listen-Along of Grand Final + 1/2 Results - 22nd August 2020, 20:00 BST (decision to have the final listen-along after the voting closes because it'll be celebratory instead + we're running on a tighter schedule so to be indundated with new votes right before the GF listenalong isn't great for me as host! Though this is Subject to change because something may happen on the day of the 22nd. If said thing does happen, I won't be available during the day, so the GF Listenalong will be on the 21st August with the results coming all on the Sunday)
Winner Known By: 23rd August 2020, 23:59 BST (I might just reveal all the votes after the Celebratory Listen-Along).

The final week will be jam-packed if Semis do happen, and so I will be working on things ahead of time (as I will know who qualifies when the last vores come in on the 17th) so I do see the 21st August as well as a rest day for not just me but all of us so would rather have the listenalong right before the votes - it'll be live the real thing!
The World Hit Actual Festival Roleplay: It is my plan to have the World Hit Actual Festival Roleplay w/c 10th August 2020, but if Semis go ahead, I think it'll be much more fun to have it on the week of that.
Winner's Press Conference: After the winner is revealed on the Saturday or Sunday, depending on whether is online or not, I am happy to conduct a Winner's Press Conference

COMPLETING YOUR ENTRY

As written by Kalosia for WHF26: The host (Britonisea) reserves the right to make alterations to your RP when copying it over to the IC thread. However, these alterations will be limited to cleaning up the formatting as well as adding (not deleting) RP regarding the situation in the arena (i.e. how the audience reacted). Substantial/major alterations will not be made without written permission, and any further changes to an entry within the IC thread will only be done upon written request by the user behind it, and with host discretion. This also includes audience reactions at the end of the entry...

Helping Your Host: I am most probably going to use my own formatting for everybody's entry, to make it look uniform, which has been done in other editions, my previous edition of hosting included. I would appreciate if you could keep your formatting of your entry very simple (just text and the 'BOX' tag would be fantastic, no need for colours, bold, italics and underlining - unless they are keys or backing singers etc). You can align everything to the centre if you want to keep in neat, but it would help me very much to keep it quite minimalist. If you don't though, I'll get over it but don't blame me if your postcard comes out blurry xx

PLEASE LEAVE TRANSLATIONS AT THE END OF YOUR POST UNDER A SINGLE SPOILERS. It incredibly slows down the process of making all entries uniform. It really does.

WIP Entries: It would also help a lot if you put a "WIP" or Work In Progress sign somewhere obvious, preferably in the subject or at the top of your post if you don't want me to notice that as finished. All completed entries will be considered final when the Voting Lines open. In the case there are s*mi fin@ls, you can make edits to your entries, but this will be touched on if that time comes (which it might not).

What is a Complete Entry?: A complete entry, by technical definition, is an entry on the draft thread with a usable tune and a complete set of lyrics (all stanzas, verses, and etc. covered). Which means, I can transfer a post with just pure lyrics onto the IC thread and mark it as a complete entry. However, I encourage all nations to put in RP to your entries. It makes the entry look far more complete than just lyrics on the page, and while it won't guarantee higher points, it will signal to the WHF community that you are putting in effort than just beyond lyrics. Many people grade RP so really go for it, for me! There will be RP bonuses from me and my THREE nations competing which will be discussed in the next post.

Headers: While you're free to use whatever header you see fit, you might miss some information that will be needed when transferring your entry over to the OOC thread. This edition, I'm asking for loads of information. It's up to you how in depth you want to go with it, but of course, if you do decide to go for it, I will be very happy to sling you a couple of bonus points. The Official Template for the Header is below and this is the format that I will use regardless of whatever header you use so, um, you might as well use it!

Feel free to change the colour of the number/nation (ie 14 in the example) to a colour your nation identifies with. If you're unfun or don't use dancers/backing singer, please write N/A or leave it blank and I will get rid of it when moving it to the IC thread.

OFFICIAL HEADER:

Code: Select all: [align=center][blocktext][box][size=250][b]XX[/b][/size] [size=200][color=gold][b]NATION_NAME[/b][/color] [color=#0070b8][b]ARTIST_NAME - "SONG_TITLE"[/b][/color][/size] [b]Language(s):[/b] LANGUAGE_HERE [b]Title Transcription:[/b] TRANSCRIPTION_HERE [b]Title Translation:[/b] TITLE_IN_ENGLISH_HERE [b]Tune:[/b] [url=YOUTUBE_LINK]RL_ARTIST - RL_TUNE[/url][hr][/hr][color=#858282][b][u]Entry Specifics[/u][/b] [b]Trigramme:[/b] YOUR_3_LETTER_TRIGRAMME_HERE [b]Lyrics:[/b] LYRICISTS_HERE [b]Music:[/b] MUSICIANS_HERE [b]Backing Dancers:[/b] DANCERS_HERE (Feel free to use the ones provided on the OP for no extra cost!) [b]Backing Singers:[/b] SINGERS_HERE (Feel free to use the ones provided on the OP for no extra cost!)[/box][/color][/blocktext][/align]

I will reach out to people who have expressed interest in participating at the World Hit Festival by sending them a DM closer to the deadline if they didn't post. It might be a great idea to post on the Draft Thread with your header so you remember to fill out your entry. You have more than two weeks to do so (thanks to the two day reverse schedule I have given you guys - this actually might be a thing going forward so we have three weekends to complete entries). The deadline is the 9th August 2020, 20:00 BST - please join me on the discord channel for the live draw to find out where your nation will perform.

The next post will outline some specifics about the stage and RP opportunities you can add into your entry to flesh it out. Please do have fun and unleash your creativity, I love reading through it all!

by **Britonisea** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:00 pm

Here are some of the things that can help you write your entry. I personally will be giving out RP bonuses to those who include details outlined here on or the Welcome Pack because it shows real interest and engagement into the preparation that goes into World Hit Festival 53 and I really appreciate that.

Journey to Bovingdon

As outlined in the Welcome Pack, your artist will need to arrive to a major city before taking either a train or a WHF designated coach to Bovingdon. It is BVC's recommendation to go to one of Doportedas' main airports (either Aeroporte International - the largest in the country) where you will have fast access to coaches leaving for Bovingdon right outside - but will have to take public transport (monorail or City Train service, but it's only a couple of stops and won't take more than 30 minutes) through Doportedas to a main central station with the easiest to get to being New Cross Station for National Circular Route¹. For easier travel if you get car sick or prefer taking the train, Olympic Airport which is located in Aysledwire, Doportedas is right across the way, through a small lovely park, from another main central station literally called Aysledwire Station. The National Circular Route does stop here before going past New Cross/Kingsland and heading to Bovingdon.

If you don't mind a longer a train route and would like to spend considerably less on train tickets, feel free to swerve the capital and head to Kyvivre International (which is familiar to many of you who have participated at WHF27 or 47) and New Britannual Airport in Tonesk where you can join the Circular Route. Both destinations will take you an 1hr30 to 2hrs by train. There are no WHF designated coach services from these locations - those are just limited to Doportedas.

¹ The National Circular Route is a trainline which goes in a circle around major Britonish destinations. There is a route that goes from the Doportedas to the East, going past Bovingdon. It will take 30-45 minutes once we've left the last station within the capital. Coaches will take up to double the time, 1hr to 1hr30 depending on traffic.

The Stage

Okay, well I would like to make this very clear. The stage as a whole is called The Vortex, but in order to make it easy for you when you're RPing, we are going to refer to the stage simple as the stage. The stage has different sections on it; The Main/Centre Stage(which is 10m in circumference), The Catwalks (there are three, with the first one going out into the audience which you will see in some of the pictures which are provided below), The Eye which is located in the Vortex, it is an additional LED circular screen which can come down at a 45 degree tilt - perfect for those who want intimacy. (Check out Feker Libi below)to see this in action and finally, the central piece of this stage, The Vortex, which is a large object with large LED panes together which makes it look like its namesake. The vortex can be lowered and raised during a performance (think like the stage in Tel Aviv 2019), and is great to use during performances. The vortex can also be turned sideways too, but you'll have to check out the videos below to gain full sense of that. The vortex can be switched off for a performance if you don't want it on, but without instruction, the vortex will fit in with the theme of the backing LED. The stage is apparently 360 - since that's what we're calling it these days, but I must stress (as I did in my WV bid), that there is an LED backdrop. The stage is rather high and so if you wanted to make an intimate setting with LED in the background, you can do that - you can make it seem like the LED background is right on stage with you if you want. If you check out the YouTube videos, you'll be able to see that the audience behind won't be an issue. They'll get a stern talking to, don't worry. Those who are behind the stage will not be permitted to bring flags or obstruct the view of the camera so you don't need to worry about them. I have also provided links to YouTube clips of the stage below the official pack so feel free to check those out.

You can find more details about the stage here in the OFFICIAL WELCOME PACK
"My Last Breath" performance in Bovingdon
"Feker Libi" performance, using The Eye in B.A.F Bovingdon
"Kemama" performance, using The Eye as a LED "sky" almost...
"The Best In Me" performance using The Vortex lowered. He chose to have the Vortex quite spaces out, as you can see. During the performance, it lifts.

Please remember that due to the size of B.A.F Bovingdon, while there are shots that are as far back as a standard arena, there are only a few rows of audience on either side of the stage. For reference of what it looks like, check out a clip from Malta's 2014 hosting of Eurovision, where you can see the exact set up of how it is in Bovingdon. You can see that there is a sizeable audience (the TV cameras make it look huge) - those right by the stage will be standing while those behind will be sitting which doesn't look too add. There will be a bigger dip between the standing area (Golden Circle) and the stage which means flags won't obstruct as much as it did here in Malta. As there will be people in the Golden Circle on either side of the performers + people sitting (I think its four rows on each side of over 200 people), if you wanted your performer to sing to the left or right, it does still make sense for them too. We have also kitted each side of the arena with lights to make it look as large as a proper arena we would've otherwise been in had it not been for the virus that shan't be named. You can also use the clip above as a source of what camera shots are available, but if you want to go into more detail, feel free to check the OFFICIAL WELCOME PACK which has all the details of what cameras there are and where they are.

This is probably our most expensive and intricate stage yet so please go crazy with it. The stage comes with all the usual stuff, such as pyrotechnics, fog machines and of course the holographic package.

If you're still lost for ideas and want to know more about what the stage looks like, please do check the real Amir Cohen's playlist of the ESC 2020 entries and gain some inspiration from there!

RP Opportunites (Backing Singers/Dancers)

So apart from adding in the stuff from above, there will be even more opportunities to really get your teeth into the World Hit Festival. As the COVID situation is going on and now due to the fact Bovingdon '53 is more of a Festival (thus plush-lush hotels are a bit more of a rareity, you're offered nice lodges/appartments though unless you really want to pay more for a hotel experience around Bovingdon but these lodges/appartments have been made with social distancing in mind), we do still urge your delegation to be as small as possible, but won't necessarily refuse a larger delegation if the members are needed.

BVC are going to provide some in-house dancers that will be performing not only in the Opening and Interval Acts, but they will also be signed to dance with whichever delegation wants them. All delegations have a right to request backing dancers or singers, and each dancer/singer will be given a slot of time to work with you. They're completely paid by BVC, very handsomely, and are dancers that appear in many of BVC's shows, most recently at the Brito Day Concert on the 27th July 2020. A payment can be made to give you more time to work with the backing singers or dancers if you feel as though your alloted time is not enough.

Below, you can find the backing dancers and the name of the singers. Please include the names in your header if you'd like to use them. I won't get offended if you don't ;-;

BACKING DANCERS

From left to right you have Keisha Cole who is the lead dancer here in Bovingdon. She has a great history of dancing in shows just like the World Hit Festival and because of this, she is the one who will be leading her troupe of girls. She can also sing if you want her to sing and dance at the same tie. The second picture is Millie Banques (no relation to Kelsey Banques) will also be joining us here at the World Hit Festival. She has appeared on television shows too. Similarly to Keisha, she does sing as well as dance. Georgina Forest will be noticeable to those who watch Vha Mehlodhivestoile both in the country and outside of it as she was a backing dancer at the last edition of the national final and so has a lot of experience of performing in back-to-back shows.. Abigail Lai is another one of our dancers who has a background in musical theatre. She can sing as well as dance, a requirement for those who do musical theatre. Finally, there is Samantha Foster who has performed in Vha Mehlodhivestoile as well back in 2016 during the first show. Samantha will be a great addition to any performance due to the extensiveness of her job at Vha Mehlodhivestoile.

From left to right, we have dancer Kai Lane who is another regular on the BVC circuit. You will see Kai in our different shows both as a singer and a dancer - he’s multi-faceted! Next up is Jackson Tomlinson who comes from a musical background also. You can bet that he will provide you with the best vocals while also being your dream dancer. The leader of the troupe is Teo Langley who is one of the most popular and noticeable faces, always in the background. Teo has performed in many different music videos, including that of our World Hit Festival winner, Meghan Jorgensen’s “Waiting For You”. Matthew Anderson is the fourth one along who comes from a break dancing background before only recently started performing on television. He is one of the new stars on the rise on the more mature scene. Finally, there’s Jordan Younes-Smith who was a dancer at the most recent Vha Mehlodhivestoile and so knows exactly what he’s doing here in Bovingdon.

All dancers can dance whatever genre/style you want them to. You can also use the dancers alongside your own dancers; that's totally fine!

BACKING SINGERS

Female Singers: Our female singers include those who participated at Vha Mehlodhivestoile including, Sarah Pingett (for Katie Reece-Boyst), Perri-Anne Drews (for KAYEY, Aaliyah Banques (for Kelsey Banques) and Zoe Wilkinson, who sent a song to VM2019 and 2020.

Male Singers: Our male singers include those who participated at Vha Mehlodhivestoile including, Jordan Johansen (for Justs Prazeres), Liam Jishak who was a DTF in VM2018 and two more male singers, Jayden Samuels and George Hayes-Springwood.

These lot are free too!

Right, I hope you enjoy Bovingdon - I don't think I can give you any more information, but if you think of something, please do ask on the OOC Thread!

WORLD! START POSTING NOW!

by **Izmedu** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:26 pm

XX
IZMEDU
Eva Sutalo- "Acceptance"
Language(s): English
Tune: Jessie J - Who You Are
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: IZM
Lyrics: Eva Sutalo
Music: Eva Sutalo
Backing Singers: Anita Arbanas, Irena Vuksan, Aaliyah Banques

"It's okay not to be okay." - Jessie J, Who You Are

How can one song stand the test of time and leave such a profound impact for three singers? The song, throughout the years, became nearly an institution for those who felt lost in their personal lives. Those who face the constant cycle of hurt, overthinking, torment, anxiety, and faced those feelings over and over and over again. The song was a step towards healing, acknowledging that those feelings of hurt don't ever fade even if life seems to be reaching its highest highs. For the person that wrote this song, a person who kept coming back to it over and over again in her darket moments, she wondered why she kept sinking to those low days again. She kept asking herself... 'I thought I was past this? It's been almost 8 years and I still feel the same way...' No matter how much self-validation Eva Sutalo tried to carry with herself, when those down days threaten to erode her sense of emotional rationality... There she was, the same 24 year old woman with pen and paper in hand, too frustrated to write on her laptop to write 'Acceptance.' No matter how much she aged and matured, the days of being reminded of that past haunted her.

Throughout the years, the song Eva wrote took on a life on its own. A reasonable pop hit became the silent anthem of those who felt they were in a similar position as her. The broken souls that found one moment of connection. It may not have been a cry for help, but it was a sign that someone had listened and understood their struggle. A song that validated their feelings of hurt and pain, even when the pain seemed to be coming from an irrational place. The song ran the gamut of tribute videos, poems inspired by the song, passionate posts written between friends and in blogs. However, the song was largely kept under the radar, simply becoming another song in the catalogue of many Izmeduan songs that largely fished in the same themes. Yet still... there was something about that specific Eva Sutalo song that made it be a fixture not just to fans, but to aspiring singers as well. It especially appeared in famed, perhaps even viral, moments in Izmeduan talent shows where some contestants would use the song either in their auditions or live show performances. Eva remembers two singers in particular whose stories with the song she was forever astounded by.

She only hoped for the song to reach to someone and comfort them. But what Eva was always surprised by is the depth and profoundity of its impact, hitting them even harder than she ever intended.

"She did not deserve to be in the bottom two this week. Singing for her life for the second week in a row, it's Irena Vuksan."

This wasn't her first time in the bottom two of the X Factor's live shows. But being in it multiple times never decreased the anxiety, nerves, and stakes of having to sing one's own selected song without much backup. X Factor Izmedu was notorious for micromanaging the contestants' last details and song selections, to the point where the show was arguably casting the next pop star instead of finding it. However, there were aspects to the show where contestants were allowed more freedom in choosing what they wanted to sing. One avenue for that freedom? The choice of what to sing for the bottom two sing-off. For Irena's chaotic run on the show, she knew what kinds of songs helped her voice overcome her weaknesses and strange public image. Emotionally sung, direct ballads that she knew she could relate to and 'own.'

Irena Vuksan was a singer on the older side, aged 32 by the time she was competing in her series of the X Factor. Her path to music was a touch more unconventional compared to most Izmeduan singers, considering she only had a passing interest in becoming a pop star. What she wanted to do was two things: be a regular performer anyway and failing that, solely using her voice to record albums of her own choosing. She wasn't particularly interested in maintaining a strictly controlled public image or even developing her own brand, akin to Izmeduan pop divas such as Dijana Jurina. In essence, she simply wanted to sing. Part of it was innate, Irena always saw herself more of as a performer and entertainer rather than as an artist. Second, Irena was well aware that her age meant that trying to score a record deal was nigh impossible unless she had some awe-inspiring material, one thing she definitely did not have when she was exploring audition opportunities for Izmeduan reality singing shows. Timing was what led her to the X Factor, considering she had finished off another brief tour performing cabaret shows in Vodiznad and had missed the audition cutoff for Istraziti Zvizdu. She assembled an eclectic set of songs, hoping that someone in the production team would have interest in what she had to offer. Considering just how versatile her singing palette was, Irena didn't have any qualms about the way the show would often have arcs in mind for their contestants should they be deemed suitable to continue forth during the series.

Lucky for Irena, her powerful vocals and willingness to try anything, as well as being on the slightly older side, had meant that there was high interest from the judges and the production. Her audition framed her as a slightly kooky cabaret singer with an astonishingly powerful voice and performance style. She was encouraged to exaggerate her more quirky aspects, playing the part of a somewhat clueless 32 year old who was somewhat naive of stardom but had a raw talent. Indeed, the way she played 'herself' on X Factor on the pre-live show rounds made her out to be someone who wasn't really taking the show seriously. That aspect showed during the boot camp and judges' houses rounds, where the VT packages were edited cleverly to show her making it over singers who had a greater sense of what the X Factor was about. Her song choices seemed to be almost out of left field despite some stunning vocals and technically impeccable performances. In comparison, she was defeating singets that had a greater emotional connectivity and a rawer 'package' that looked like prime X Factor material. She went from being a quirky cabaret singer to slowly becoming the show's unintentional villain of the series.

Irena was almost like teflon as she sailed past the judges' houses and to the live shows. The way she was cast had meant that Irena didn't carry a lot of public favor with her persona. She was considered a favorite to be an early eliminee, a perfectly competent singer that simply didn't have the clout or the hype to make it to the business end of the show. Despite carrying such a reputation, this didn't stop Irena's determination to do well. In fact, she channeled her energy into giving what the producers and judges wanted. If they wanted kooky, high-budget performances, Irena would give them the energy for as long as the Izmeduan public allowed her to. Her live show performances in the voting rounds mostly consistent of upbeat songs with some incredibly surreal staging aesthetics and choices. These staging choices should've been enough to sink any singer who was not used to performing with so many things around them. However, Irena handled the production like a pro. But was it enough for the public votes to find favor for her?

It wasn't. Irena was on the show for four weeks of the live shows, missing on the quarter-finals. For three of those four weeks, Irena was often a bottom two casualty, surviving for her first two appearances in there before being felled by a deadlock decision from the judges in the fourth week. Despite the strongly divisive reactions she received, some to the point where the commentary got needlessly nasty, Irena did her best to keep her head up and enjoy the moment for what it was: an opportunity to sing her heart out in national TV. However, it was her performances in the bottom two was what Irena enjoyed the most. She may have enjoyed playing the part of a cabaret singer, but being able to pick her own songs in a bid to survive to the next week was what made it so thrilling. She could sing her heart out and sing with her emotions on her sleeve with a purpose.

For her final appearance in the bottom two in the show's fourth week, Irena chose one song she'd been hiding as the ace in her sleeve for the whole series. It was Eva Sutalo's Acceptance. While Irena's version of the song may not have gotten viral or even attracted a lot of attention, at the time, it was widely considered her best and most direct performance in the show. And for good reason, Irena felt a deep emotional connection with the song in a way that she never quite mustered with the other songs she sang for the show. Despite the chipper persona Irena put on for the X Factor, there were only the barest hints of her self-doubt, insecurity, and as well as an awareness that she was being demonized. She simply pretended that things were okay. In reality, Irena knew things were far from being okay. She used performances as a temporary therapy, but to actually sing the words she only ever thought in private was a surreal moment. To see the pain in her eyes and her voice was surreal to the point where it was unbelievable. At least for those following the series, Irena Vuksan never sang like that.

Irena, facing the pressure of the cameras and the deliberation of the judges, gave it her all for those two minutes and thirty seconds. "Acceptance" was a song in sitting in her pocket for what felt like an eternity and to be able to sing it in her bottom two appearance was itself the honor. Despite the judges ceding that performance was the clear best in the sing-off, the decision went to deadlock regardless. When it came time for the week's public vote to be revealed, Irena was not surprised that she'd come last.

Despite her chaotic run, she was grateful to have ended her time on the show with that song.

She may no longer be in people's minds, but the journey is what she wouldn't forget.

There was a lot to answer for when it came to this song. There always was.

No matter how many smash hits Eva made or how far her sound would keep progressing, "Acceptance" was like the ghost that would never stop haunting her. It turned from being a common fixture in her encores whenever she would do her concerts to being a renewed cultural force. It was the one song of hers that a countless number of Izmeduans would turn to for emotional support, especially in light of singers covering the song over and over again. Eva felt that the line of thinking she had for this specific song was cliche, but she really didn't expect it to be the one thing that would actually eclipse her career as a whole. Eva hoped that she wasn't some sort of strange one-hit wonder, but the song she was bringing to Bovingdon went beyond just being a hit. It was a cultural force that would ebb and flow throughout the years, its popularity reigniting in times where she least expected it. She could either be in the middle of an album era or be on a hiatus, and the song would once again appear in the news feeds. At those moments, that was when Eva reckoned that the song she wrote wasn't really quite 'hers' anymore. As much as the song meant so much to her personally, there was something liberating about seeing it inspire other people, and seeing those songs hit them harder than it ever did hers made the process of songwriting feel a bit more than just being an abstract 'thing' she did. Songwriting was real. Songwriting had impact.

Eva originally wrote "Acceptance" as one of her first songs once she made the transition from being a traveling and gigging singer to one now represented by a major label. At the time, the journey to being able to record and release music was one marked with many setbacks and precarious living situations. Though it was now a somewhat distant memory, Eva still distinctly remembered what was at stake in getting that contract. Gigging for Izmeduan bars was barely enough to pay rent. Despite frugal living, Eva constantly found herself at odds with the practicality of pursuing a music career in Izmedu while eschewing a day job. She wanted to put her all into her craft and her performance development. However, without a safety net or a development deal behind her, Eva mostly was on her own during her pre-label career. Despite impressing local audiences and outfits with her direct vocal style and fiery personality, she was also trying to market herself to a genre that tends to be overrepresented with people that come from development deals instead of having impressive gigging histories. She was, first and foremost, going to be a pop star. Sure, she was going to be a pop star from the singer-songwriter vein, but Izmeduan pop was one where connections and deals mattered. Eva... didn't have those connections. It took years and years of performing and literal begging for someone to give her a chance to let her foot through the door.

Yet, even getting a label deal never really quite gave her the relief that she sought. Eva knew that the music industry was always going to be tough to crack. The Izmeduan music industry has always been noted for its almost borderline inhumane treatment of its stars, regardless of the genre. A high price was always paid not just for entry, but also for staying relevant and viable. Eva felt she moved a village just to get in, but what she found was another mountain that she felt she couldn't ever scale. Getting the deal wasn't the healing force that would mend the wounds of realizing she overworked herself just to get to her position. The accomplishment was a burst of euphoria, fading as fast as it appeared. Eva was still... Eva. That fact both frustrated and liberated her. She was still the same Eva who was looking for validation whenever she would shyly ask the audience if they liked what they were hearing in those Vodiznad bars she used to frequent. This went beyond accepting herself for who she was or trying to find some sort of identity. Eva knew what she wanted to be, but... was she ready to accept the conditions and consequences of what that entailed? Did she have the strength to enter an industry that would eventually try to displace her when the inevitable happened? She loved the highs, but could she take the lows?

Writing "Acceptance" was not her answer to those questions. Instead, the song she remembered writing in almost 40 minutes was an attempt to jot down the emotions surrounding those painful contemplations. No matter how many emotional revelations she went through, many highs of realizing she could do this, and the many lows that eventually came... "Acceptance" was her way of saying that she also had to accept that they would never end. Even as Eva fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams, the journey that was life didn't end there. Now, she faced a fight that spanned longer than fulfilling some sort of long-held checklist. She now had a career not just to grow and maintain, but a career to protect and preserve. She had an audience and she needed a vision. Those additional responsibilities almost made Eva lose focus as to why she even pursued this career in the first place. However, the song that she was taking to the World Hit Festival was the one thing that helped center her as she thought about what to do to make her first moves as a new artist.

Eva would keep "Acceptance" on reserve for her earliest years. She was hesitant to release it as a single, seeing as her reputation was of one that dabbled in both dance bops and pop rock fare. Ballads were rare for someone like her, no less one that featured the kind of emotionally direct vocal style that would only be seen in select few songs. When Eva began to create the concept for her first album, she realized that the song she wrote could be best placed as a hidden gem in the album. It made sense, her first album was all about staking an identity for herself, and the whole project was appropriately self-titled. Though she put her all in recording her demos and master versions of the song, Eva was somewhat deflated that her label didn't think much of the song in terms of potential impact. It was definitely not going to be a single. For that... Eva was both hurt and yet relieved. It could still be her little secret to the fans that would go through each track on the album.

At the album's release, the song did gain some moderate traction. Some critics and fans hailed it as a standout ballad from the album, being one of its most emotionally impactful on her self-titled project. Of course, the consensus surrounding it was that its placement as a deep cut was warranted. Outside of Eva Sutalo fans, the song itself wasn't really that well-known when Eva began to go from strength to strength. In the Izmeduan popular consciousness, only Eva's high-impact, more upbeat songs lit up the charts. It was through those songs that Eva became a viable pop star and put her on the map on many music critic lists as a 'one to watch' artist. Her album became a larger-than-expected success. Three platinum singles, a 4x platinum album, and becoming a genuine contender for album of the years nods. Eva's start to her career couldn't have been any better. This success didn't exactly sustain itself in the years following her self-titled effort, however.

Follow-up singles and albums were more modest efforts. While Eva did participate in some high-profile collaborations, Eva was mostly content to reside in the middle tier of pop stars that would be reliable, radio-friendly voices. She wanted to avoid the higher echelons of pop stardom where she knew that labels would place almost unhuman pressure for them to perform, both in terms of touring and sales. It was Eva's descent into a lower level of popularity was where "Acceptance" would begin to find its second life beyond being a popular album cut. As Eva was in the midst of promoting her second album, Anita Arbanas' cover of the song became a viral sensation. While Eva took the time to reach out to Anita, finding that much of her story resonated with hers, Eva also knew that the way "Acceptance" was being exchanged culturally made it a much larger force than she ever envisioned. That was where Eva realized that the song had become bigger than her career. Anita made that song hers, performing as if she were the one that written it. The kind of performance and reception that Anita earned through one of Eva's songs was what made Eva realize the reality of songwriting's impact.

Eva feared her songs would be too anonymous, almost too lost to the void of trying to appeal to as many people as possible for anyone put their own spin on it. Seeing Anita's cover eclipse her original version in popularity was what cemented to Eva that she was doing something right with "Acceptance" specifically. That maybe there is her in her songwriting that still resonated in a timeless way. This process again continued after Irena's powerful version while trying to sing for her continued stay in Izmedu's version of the X Factor. The song was now larger-than-life, going beyond just its isolated story where Eva was frustrated at not just who she was, but the very direction of the life that she was taking. Eva could only hope, but never expected her music to have the power to not just heal, but the power to empower others to be able to find their own voices.

It was those two stories in particular was what inspired Eva to break her long silence in the industry and submit it for World Hit Festival consideration. In fact, it was thanks to the more lax music rules of RTI's WHF team that Eva's song was allowed to go through the selection committee in the first place. Eva pitched her song with those two stories in mind, but was thinking that the song's age likely put it out of contention. She knew better than anyone that the Izmedu's pop sector always tried to look for fresh sounds and new ways of making pop that tried not to retread what came before. Yet, she didn't realize that she unintentionally met RTI's WHF team right where they are, having desired to just send something direct, honest, and emotional. Being chosen to represent Izmedu in Bovingdon was itself a victory for Eva.

She was finally able to meet the two women that she inspired. Even if her star may have faded, to meet the people that were moved enough to sing her song was itself a surreal blessing. Eva, Anita, and Irena would travel to Britonisea together, agreeing to sing the song alongside her as background singers, alongside Britonisea's very own Aaliyah Banques. Despite Eva's media shy nature (preferring to let Anita and Irena experience how it was like to be the WHF contestants), she reveled not just in the travel or visiting Britonisea... She tried to take in the journey that the song led her through. It was not just her journey alone, she was also taking Anita and Irena along for the ride. Being selected for the World Hit Festival was not at all some sort of endgoal or a final fulfillment that would encapsulate her career. Eva, after all, knows that life will go on after everything is said and done.

But for once, she was excited for the things that could potentially come after. For now, she wanted to savor the moment of performing.

To accept things as they are... And to accept what things will become.

Eva swore she sang this song a million times already. This wasn’t even accounting for rewriting and remastering the song specifically for its World Hit Festival appearance. There were the times where she would either relegate ‘Acceptance’ as a special encore or as the designated ballad in her first tour. It was one of those songs where the meaning and the sentiment of it changes depending on when she was performing. Of course, wasn’t that all songs she ever wrote to an extent? It turned from a song to go through, a song that always messed her emotions, and to one that gave her the kind of strength she needed to get through the many hurdles that was her music career. Rehearsing the song in Bovingdon gave the song a new life that increased its dimensionality. There was performing independent of the people its inspired. However, having Anita, Irena, and Aaliyah with her was… the kind of ‘something else’ that always inspired that awe in her voice. Bovingdon began to feel more and more like home the more she stayed and the more and more she rehearsed. When it came time for the actual performance… The nerves were there, sure. But when were they not? Eva closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt the lights in the B.A.F. Bovingdon around her billow down, the kind of classic Izmeduan flash of light that always heralded an entry from her country.

This was not the end. This was another stop in her journey, in a road that was not just one of a hopeful victory… But a road to the rest of her life and the lives of the people she held close to her.

As soon as the guitar-led of the song began to permeate around the arena, Eva knew that was all it took to get her into the kind of emotional zone that always struck at her core whenever she would perform the song more recently. She closed her eyes as she could feel the B.A.F. Bovingdon’s many cameras train their gazes at her, the viewers at home getting a silhouetted view of the singer herself. The camera view was close, accentuating the soft chords that were playing as her face was visibly downward. A soft spotlight would begin to illuminate Eva as she would vocalize, her voice gently rising through the dwindling crowd cheer. She used those vocalizations to steady herself as her eyes caught the camera that was showing her to the millions that would be watching. Her expression was one of uncertainty, with eyes that held an untold story that begged to be let out. Eva looked lost and exhausted as she gazed directly at the camera once the view was right in front of her. Around her, the vortex began to gradually illuminate in a cascade of white and gold lights that would remain dim throughout the introduction. The glow from those dimmed lights created an almost subtly haunting atmosphere, evoking the image of Eva standing through a faded afterglow. The camera would inch just a little bit closer to her in time for the first verse to appear, landing almost close to her face as if the view was an intimate music video.

I stare at the long cold road ahead of me
Ran away from everything I loved
I try and try to be met with tears
I can't keep hiding from what I've denied
No, no, no, no, no...

Eva kept her vocals steady as she began the first verse as a way to keep her emotions at bay. The way she sang was indicative of the direct vocal style that she was so famous back at home for. Her voice and expression plainly displayed the kind of exhausted pain that she felt when she was writing this song for the first time. Her expression grew from one of loss to one where she was almost begging for a release. She would sing these lines directly to the camera, wanting to reach the viewers at home. She took each line one by one, leaving a deliberate half-second pause between them and not wanting to risk the words getting bungled or even misheard. Eva would occasionally close her eyes as a way to keep steadying herself, knowing that if she let her mind and emotions wander around another way, she probably wouldn’t even make it past the first verse. Her hands were trembling slightly as she gripped the microphone with both of her free hands, only letting go of one as she approached the ending of the first verse. She went from a cautioned delivery to one that began to slowly began to ramp up to an emotional torque. On the fourth and final line, she ramped up the intensity of her vocals. She began to step forward as the camera would finally change angles, shifting to a slightly wider view of the stage even though the focus still remained on Eva. Her eyes would close slightly as she belted out the ‘nos,’ it marking the transition from the first verse to the song’s chorus.

I know we're broken, trying to find our way
Our hearts are still bleeding, our anger's still seething
It's okay to still be hurting
It's not easy to face a new day
This pain isn't stopping, but you're never alone
Our scars are still healing

The chorus saw Eva at her most passionate during the entry so far. Her vocals soared with both emotion and clarity, hitting those highs that were her trademark back home. The style of her tone was still direct, but the way she sang the chorus was certainly faster and more powerful in raw volume. Eva allowed the kind of emotion that stirred in her whenever she would sing this song into her performance. It was a risk, and she knew that trying to do so would probably have a higher chance of her losing it by the very end. However, she sang these lyrics with a fragile strength, redirecting those emotional energies as a message she wanted to pass on to those who were watching her in the venue or back at home. The camera would subtly change angles at each line but made sure to keep the focus squarely on Eva as she sang. The camera would sometimes change to an angle that would situate Eva’s expressions and vocal delivery against the audience, particularly using camera 10 to great effect. However, these shots from Eva against the audience or her against the blank LED screen were blank. The effects were once again kept minimal, with the vortex and the venue as a whole still only providing a basic light backdrop instead of anything elaborate. The focus was all kept on Eva as the lights complimented her singing. As the song moved to the latter half of the chorus, Eva would calm down her vocals slightly. The camera would once more return to the intimate angle in front of her face that marked most of the first verse. She sang the last two lines directly to that camera, a hopeful glint in her eyes. As she finished that final line, she would take a slight step back and close her eyes, looking upwards to the ceiling.

Still fighting, still breathing, still going
Still fighting, still breathing, still going
Still fighting, still breathing, still going
Still fighting, still breathing, still going

This part of the song would see the backup singers carry the song in her stead. Though Eva mouthed these lyrics as the spotlight on her would dim. A trace of a smile could be seen in her face as she could hear the combined voices of Anita, Irena, and Aaliyah singing these lines in the background. Midway through this interlude, Eva would add in her own vocalizations, a series of ‘nos.’ She would then nod her head downwards once more, mentally preparing for the second verse of the song. Behind Eva, the dominant LED screens would begin to display the lyrics in a handwritten font, deliberately colored in a gray-ish font to initially obscure them. The cameras remained focused on Eva as it would slowly rotate around more throughout this interval, mouthing these phrases as if it were a mantra she was using to get herself through the moment. One camera angle would seamlessly fade into the next, looking as if the angles passed through on the same camera. Camera 2 would be used this time, creating a close shot of Eva’s side profile against the larger audience. Her eyes would be closed as the song gradually transitioned into its second verse, with the spotlight faintly illuminating her once more as she got ready. With a deep breath, she began to sing once more…

I ask myself, do I belong here?
I'm afraid of the person I've become
I cry for help and nobody's there
I keep running but my mind screams no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, yeah

The second verse returned back to that direct, one line at a time delivery that marked the first verse. Eva sang towards the audience, the camera remaining elusive as her eyes were trained towards a ‘someone’ who may or may not have responded. Exhaustion and resignation crept into her voice, suggesting that she was singing thoughts that she’s had in her mind for quite some time. However, Eva was far more willing to let the emotions flow through her performance than trying to keep them at bay. The line between producing that emotion for the performance and the very real feelings behind this song blurred as she took a step forward after that first line. She would shake her head slightly at the second, an apparent disbelief at her thoughts and actively trying to address them in real time. The camera views, instead of being close, were wider. The first line pulled away from the side profile to emphasize how Eva was mostly standing alone on stage. Amir Cohen’s stage threatened to nearly swallow her presence hole, with only the haunting afterglow of the stage and her spotlight still illuminating Eva and her surroundings. At verse’s latter half, the camera views shift to much closer ones, catching her in a moment of another catharsis. A direct vocal style turned once more into a passionate belting, one she utilized to great effect at the verse’s fourth line. As she passionately sang that first line, she could feel her body keel forward slightly, her eyes catching the camera in a slight moment of desperation. She would hold one hand forward, balling it into a trembling fist as she capped off the chorus with those emotional vocalizations of ‘nos.’ She was cutting it close, but Eva knew to hold it together just in time for the chorus, stepping once more into the center as the camera angles changed once more to wider views of the stage.

I know we're broken, trying to find our way
Our hearts are still bleeding, our anger's still seething
It's okay to still be hurting
It's not easy to face a new day
This pain isn't stopping, but you're never alone
Never forget we're still healing

It was in the chorus where the B.A.F. Bovingdon truly came to life in terms of stage effects. Eva delivered this chorus with even more passion and intensity than the previous, playing to and focusing on the camera in lines where she knew it’d be close to her. However, she focused most of her energies in singing right to the audience, especially as the cameras took much wider and aerial views to survey what was happening in the stage itself. The stage glows were much brighter, almost illuminating the entire vortex in a sea of white and gold lights. Behind Eva, the LED screens would once more be showing the lyrics. This time, the font size and the colors were much more readable, with the camera sometimes showing them in full view. A special effect was added midway through the chorus where those handwritten lyrics were interposed against occasional close views of Eva singing the chorus. ‘It’s okay to still be hurting,’ was one particular line that got a spotlight. For viewers at home, the handwritten line would glow in white accents as Eva sang that lyric, looking as if she were performing a lyric video live on stage, writing the very song as she was singing it. It also befit the increased passion in her deliver, her hands still trembling and balled up in a fist. The action was done both as a show of emotion but also as a technique to keep her vocals and breathing steady, with Eva taking care never to veer off so far into the emotions she was feeling to the point where she risked going flat or sharp in a pivotal note. For ‘it’s not easy to face a new day,’ the handwritten effects interposed on the camera views were more subtle, letting Eva’s vocals take the stage. She pushed her vocals higher and harder, to the point where she knew she was hitting the higher limit of her vocal range seeing as she was performing some of her tics to ensure that her voice would safely go into a register she was more comfortable with. These effects would cease for the chorus’ final lines, Eva paring her down vocals in preparation for the bridge. There wasn’t going to much of a chance to rest after this chorus. Eva took a step back once more as the cameras trained their full focus on her.

They say 'stand tall,' 'live on,' 'don't fade'
I want to believe in them
Live strong, be strong, with love, with hope
Now I say, I believe
I believe...

Immediately after the chorus’ final line, Eva would go straight into the bridge. The backup singers would sing the first few words of the line as Eva was taking a breath, before Eva would quickly get into the action. Her vocals were rapid, singing each quotation as a mantra that she was at first testing. Her vocals were at first deeper, giving her voice a chance to rest after the chorus. Indeed, the first two lines of this bridge were primarily carried by Anita, Irena, and Aaliyah. She utilized the energy of hearing their voices combined to draw into a strength that she hoped was enough to get her through the last parts of the song. It was enough mojo to push through the bridge, with her vocals intensifying at the third line. The camera would remain close to her, her face and expression once more being framed and lit up by the vortex of lights. Even if she was still alone, the world around her was giving Eva a reason to still smile and hold on. The uncertainty of the first line was quickly blossoming into a confidence she believed in by the third line. Words that could’ve been hokey she was now holding onto for dear life, taking them on as statements she hoped to believe in again. Her vocals once more soared higher, especially with those vocals being utilized to great effect for the third line. She belted out ‘now I say, I believe,’ while looking upwards into a golden light. She held out ‘I believe’ for as feasibly long as she could without cutting into the other parts of the song. She held one hand to her chest, arching her back slightly to help sustain the power she needed. The camera would move just slightly backwards as it once more faded into a somewhat close focus on her, with camera 1 doing a lot of the heavy lifting here as the bridge ended and went into its instrumental interlude. She would sing ‘I believe’ again; she did so with a softer tone and a quiet confidence in her voice.

The instrumental interlude was calm as Eva stared into the camera. Exhaustion turned into a fragile hope into her eyes, with her wanting to believe again that there was still a reason to soldier on and take life as is. The interlude started off with a dramatic series of piano chords and an orchestral backing that was clearly building towards a climax. She would close her eyes with a grin, a smile that held both sorrow and joy. Once the song’s beat and guitar-led parts hit the instrumental, Eva could feel a gust of wind flow through her. Her hair visibly billowed through the wind as she smiled. There was a tremble in that expression, coming from a mixture of exhaustion, relief, and the very emotions she was trying to keep at bay. That fragile smile was presented to the audience at the pivotal moment, before cutting a way to wider views of the B.A.F. Bovingdon’s vortex stage. The interlude’s latter half would see a light show of gold and white dotting the vortex itself, shining to its brightest extent that was planned for the song. Even if Eva remained alone on the stage, she took in the brightness instead of being lost in relative darkness. This interlude could not last forever and Eva knew that the final chorus was at hand. The camera would cut to a close view of her again, especially once she sang the refrain of ‘nos’ that would lead directly to the final chorus of the song and also the final moments of the song itself.

I know we're broken, trying to find our way
Our hearts are still bleeding, our anger's still seething
It's okay to still be hurting
It's not easy to face a new day
This pain isn't stopping, but you're never alone
Our scars are still healing

For this final chorus, Eva gave it her all as much as she could. She knew that her voice was coming close to be straining, but she now sang these lines with a defiance and an acceptance, that she was on the process of accepting these words as a reality again. The music swelled to its highest heights, the guitar led and orchestral production adding slight flourishes in the background. Around Eva, the wind would flow around dramatically, with Eva’s hair and her outfit blowing around dramatically. The effect didn’t hinder her in the slightest. Instead, it served to only make her movements free and liberated as she closed out the song. The camera views were wide for this final chorus, with generous aerial shots that emphasized just how alive the stage was. Even if Eva still remained alone, she basked in the glorious golden and white lights that were engulfing the Vortex. As the chorus approached its end, the camera would return once more to those intimate camera views that started off the song. It was a fitting bookend as Eva softened her vocals for the final two lines of the song. She was visibly breathing after the final line, stepping back with a relieved smile on her face. The last word on this song was a vocalized ‘yeah’ that echoed throughout the B.A.F. Bovingdon, an echo that coincided with the venue being darkened.

To say that the performance was a rush was an understatement.

Eva instinctively put her hand over her mouth to help steady herself. When she felt free to put away the persona of performance self, the overwhelming emotions she (mostly) kept at bay for the entire performance broke the floodgates. Trying to keep a poker face certainly wasn’t helped by the crowd cheer, one that moved her to the point where she literally felt her throat constrict. She was certainly not going to be able to vocalize her thanks. The closest she could get to a heartfelt thanks was blowing kisses to the crowd, one she did with tears streaking down her eyes.

Emotionally, she was a wreck. This was going to be a lot to answer for, once again. Could she have been better able to hold it another day? Of course, she was a professional singer after all. But there was always something about this experience that broke the barrier of professionalism and confronted her humanity right at the venue where she always least expected it. She could save those barriers for later. When she was backstage, all she could feel was the embrace of the background singers.

This was another step in her journey complete. No matter what happens, Eva was ready for the next step.

Always.

by **Estana and Thaos** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:28 pm

XX
Estana and Thaos
Élea - "Meaning of Life"
Language(s): English
Tune: Emma - "Circle of Light"
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: EST
Lyrics: Élea Floresa
Music: Migo Carmbino and Madame V
Backing Dancers: Kai Lane, Jackson Tomlinson, Matthew Anderson and Tio Marchesa
Backing Singers: Aaliyah Banques and Dina Labaja

Èlea was born on Christmas day of 1995, and from that day on, her parents knew she was destined for something bigger than the four walls that surrounded them at Saint Irisa Hospital in the capital of the small island Thaos, Arjenio. It was a cold day, and as they left the hospital the next day, the frost covered them in bitterness and it hurt them just a little bit. Leo and Norma looked down at their daughter, and immediately, their body was lit up with warmth, and the soft smile of their baby daughter placed itself deep into the depths of their hearts and they realised that there was something special about her. This comforting quality followed her all throughout her life, and it led her into incredible places and helped her achieve many things she dreamt of as a little girl growing up in her small town. She excelled in school and then pursued her dream of studying and writing music, which she did in her small apartment near her then university, in Greia. She sat in that room for days and the days swiftly turned into nights and before she knew it, her whole life was flashing before her as she flicked between the pages and pages of her stories. Èlea had known since she was very young that she would have to find an output for negativity in her life quickly, as although she had a blessing, where she could heal someone's pain and worry, she in her own life often felt a sense of emptiness and she knew there was a growing drought of love and a lack of compassion from those around her, to what was going on in her life at the time. This dramatic decrease in her mental capacity to keep it all inside, had left her in a similar doctor's office to where her mother would come and check whether her baby girl was growing inside her as normal. She was diagnosed with depression aged just 16, and it had begun to haunt her and often still does throughout her teenage years, and her transition into adulthood. When she heard the words come out of the doctor's mouth, she had almost wanted to cry, but she of course, knew what was happening inside her brain, and she knew, being the empath and the intelligent young woman that she was, that these things were starting to take ahold of her life.

And so, she turned to her little pink notebook, where she wrote poems, she wrote soft love poems and then on some days she would sit and write gritty, dark, biographical novels in those pages, detailing what she was going through, projecting all of it in the lines of the book, so she wouldn't have to acknoloedge her pain so much, and to feel like there was nothing she could do about it. Little did she know, these pages would be the start of her songwriting process, and it would launch her into a world where she had never even thought about being in. Deep down, all throughout her days at Uni, and her beginnings in her career as a songwriter, she knew that eventually it would be healed, the cancer of dread and of sadness, would all drift away as she aged. Of course, and as anyone who has suffered with mental illness will know, it isn't that easy. And the curse of pain that had been stained on her from such a young age would be following her into her coffin, and it would take immense self-discovery and passion and hope to drag her out of the mud and back into the sunlight, or in her case, back into the comforting snowlands of the mountainous land up in the northern areas of Thaos. There she would buy her first property, a small cabin, and as she would sit, and her notebooks had multiplied into dozens, she would listen to the humming collisions of the wind and the tiny sparkles of snow growing into avalanches outside of her window. With a pen in her hand, a coat on indoors, and a cup of coffee on her table, she felt as though there was nothing else in the entire world that could bring her this sort of happiness and thus, her journey of writing her World Hit Festival had begun.

The cabin which birthed "Meaning of Life"

When she had left university, she was in desperate need of financing her life, and she figured the best way to do this would be to follow her actual talent and her actual passions and pursue a career in songwriting, and as long as she would never be in the spotlight and her demons would never make their way into the ears of the world, who would see her face accompanying her voice and her music, it would be completely fine. Èlea could sing well though and she knew this - her parents knew it - and anyone who really knew the real Élea had heard her voice in all it's glory, as she would settle down after the weekend on a monday morning, and she would get out of the shower and almost run straight back to her pages, and she would be airing out her feelings for the entire town to hear. That was the real her - confident but still uneasy sometimes about the reality of the world and how it might treat her if she decided to be centre stage for the first time in her life. She had been writing a lot of songs and a lot of poems or sonnets, all about her downwards spiral and how she would try and pick herself back up and would be shot back down by the gun inside her brain, just as she thinks she might be happy for once. "Meaning of Life" comes from a place of reflection, and really is a different tone and a different style for Èlea, exploring the sides of her that really do seek the joy of life and the acceptance that not everything will be okay all the time, and sometimes it takes the suffering of someone for them to rise out of the ashes as a stronger person. The song was written over two months, up in the hills, as usual, and she took a long time trying not to sound like a preacher, and trying to be someone of reassurance. This time had frustrated her to her bones, as she had always felt that she would know how to express compassion and warmth in a way like no other. But, it would soon become clear and be a learning process for her, that the reason that the song would take so long to write, is because it really is her story, and it should be flawed in the same way that any regular person would be, and perfection stems out of someone taking the leap and testing their own limits, and souring as a result of it.

As it was finished, it was obvious in those final words, that this would be the song that she would finally have the confidence to share with the entire world, and in her head she took this literally, and had begun to search online for a way to get into a studio and lay down a recording of the track, with hopes that she would be able to release it independently and see where it would go from there. She had stumbled across an ad, where the Estanian broadcaster, SEB, was looking for submissions for a new talent to represent Estana and Thaos at the upcoming World Hit Festival in Bovingdon. At first, she had to look up what a lot of the ad meant, as she had never even heard of the Festival until that day. She had seen how they made it seem like it would make you into a star and that the entire world would soon be in love with you, on their knees, and worshipping you like you were a genius. It took a while and a lot of apprehension before she finally gave in, and decided to try and submit "Meaning of Life", before the deadline would come and go and the opportunity would be wasted. If she was really going to do this though, she would need the help of a producer, preferably someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to the style of music that she was going for, and not overproduce her to hell, and she would end up sounding like an autotuned mess who had stumbled onto the track. At her core, she wanted people to know that the words that she would sing really came from her and she wrote every line of it. So, she journeyed out into the city where should practically accidentally stumble into the small Karbea Road Studio, which from the outside, looked a bit like an abandoned crackhouse. Once she got inside though, she was greeted by the lady at the tiny reception desk towards the front of the building, and she nervously tried to navigate around a way to ask if she would be able to use the sole studio in the establishment, which was swiftly turned into a business negotiation about how much money she was willing to pay to use it. Eventually they settled on a fee of 50 Risas, and that would be for just two hours in there. Reluctantly, she paid the lady, but deep down she wanted to run like a maniac into the studio to the left of her, which she could see through the small transparent window, and she awkwardly strolled through the door, and almost gasped at the size of everything, from the hundreds of buttons and switches and computer-things on the mixing desk, and she looked into the main recording room in shock and in happiness. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to work anything in the entire room, and soon enough the panic would set in, and a feeling of dismay would wipe across her body. Now, fortunately for her, the one and only Migo Carmbino would be walking past, and would look into the window, and see her in the corner of the room, starting to hyperventilate about what to do. He softly opened the door, and comforted her in a way that genuinely touched her, and eventually after everything was explained and she had shown him the pages of writings, that would soon make up her very own song, he agreed to cancel one of his meetings, to help Èlea complete her vision. In the booth, she blew him away with her first few interpretations of the song. Migo had a feeling and knew from his own experiences within the Worldvision bubble, that a song like hers could be seriously elevated by some sweeping production. He had already gone out to the reception area by this point, and had booked the studio for the entire day, and they would be working on "Meaning of Life" until the late hours of the evening. It would be finished, and Èlea and Migo shared a warm embrace, as they had both exhausted themselves using their talents of song. Although, during the addition of a seemingly uncharacteristic beat, she had protested that that type of sound was not her, but as he assured her it would work, she trusted him, and the end product just about brought a tear to her eye.

Èlea in the studio

And so, it had come time to submit the song the following day, with a sigh of relief, and a hint of optimism that things were about to get crazy in Èlea's life. Inside of her heart, she hoped and prayed that her song would be the one that the professionals would feel is the song, for Estana and for Thaos at the World Hit Festival. And the days went by slowly, almost painful for her as she awaited an email that could possibly launch her into a deep misery or could change her life for the better so that she would never ever feel like she once did, hopeless and isolated from the rest of the planet, like somebody who was different and couldn't be accepted into society like a normal human bein- She opened her emails quickly as she had heard the now dangerously familiar chime of her notifications, and scrolled rapidly to the top, and nearly fell to the floor, when she had seen that it had came from SEB. With a little hesitation, she clicked on the email, and read each word slowly, so that she would never forget the moment, and by the time that they had written to expect a call because she was in, she had worn out her muscles from tension as she held her laptop close to her. After, she poured herself a glass of wine, and opened up her music app, and played her song back to herself again, this time feeling like she really had created something amazing, that would make the world love her, and make her parents book tickets to the front row of the now drawing closer enormous event that waited for her, at the airport in Kyvivre - where she would then take a long road-trip into Bovingdon. That same day, her anxiety kicked in and she wondered what she would wear, how she would act, if she could even sing in front of that many people without breaking down into tears out of fear. But it would soon be worked out, as the team behind Dina Labaja and many of the Besenian entries of the past came together like a super-squad to get her ready for the big day. First, she met with the World Hit maker Madame V, who has had a hand in producing many of Besen's entries, including the group FAITH's song, which Èlea personally had admired. Together, they put together the final touches to the song, and swiftly made it so that any minor issues or things that they could tweak were ironed out soon enough. She then met with the team at SEB, who presented her many different options for how they were going to stage "Meaning of Life" in Bovingdon, and how Èlea would suit to each of their concepts. Kia Jones had approached the team at SEB with an idea that would be very expensive, but would be the best bet for them if they wanted to go on and do well at the upcoming competition that August. Much to the surprise of Èlea herself she had taken to this plan well, and figured if she was gonna go big with this song, it might as well be shown in everything around her, and if she was to trip up or do something wrong, at least she would go out with a bang. She received a lot of support from the professionals though, and Dina Labaja would eventually join her as a backing singer - alongside the amazing Aaliyah Banques, who has experience with a winning act, and has been a backing for several others.

It all felt a little overwhelming at first, especially as she first entered Bovingdon, and passed by on the road, the sign which welcomed her to the city. The surroundings were not something that she would have expected from a hosting city of a big event like this, but she liked this, and quickly became comfortable with her environment. She enjoyed how the locals would be so welcoming, and the advertising of WHF53 sprawled across buses, and the streets of people would point and chat about how amazing it was that it was in their city. She spent quite a bit of time actually taking in the city actually, and tried to indulge herself in as many local customs as possible, whilst trying to visit the most famous landmarks and quirks at the same time. By the time she made it to the first stage of rehearsals and she would see the stage in all it's glory for the first time, she felt almost exhausted already, but she knew that this was more of a her thing, more of a natural reaction to something new appearing in front of her, something so great and crazy. The team took her to the first soundcheck of the day, where she would lay down her vocals, alongside her two backing singers, so that the producers and sound engineers would know how it should sound on the big night - which reassured her nerves massively. Then it was onto one of the final fittings just so that her team would know that everything is in order. She walked into the room, and saw the glistening sequins across the hood of her outfit, which draped down into a long-baggy, almost elderly looking type attire. It finished with a long curved outreach at the bottom of the sillouhette, and underneath, it would be easy to reveal the under-layer. Beneath the loose front part, her stylist pulled out a gorgeous light blue, nearly transparent short dress, which looked a little tight at first glance, but they had known that it was meant to hug her body nicely, and feel completely juxtaposed to the first garment. Her first impressions to the whole thing together was frustration, not that she didn't plan to have the dress be part of her staging, but because she was so scared that she would mess up. Slipping it on felt amazing though, and it was something that Èlea had never had the experience of doing, especially something as high couture as this.

And so, she continued on throughout the short amount of time she would have left to experience Britonisea, before she would have a tight schedule of stage rehearsals, which frankly she was dreading. Before she knew it though, it was right there and she heard a knock on the door of the hotel she was staying at - it was from Madame V, who had unusually joined her team in Bovingdon, she doesn't normally do this, considering she's just the producer, but she had told Èlea that she had something special, and was desperate to see her perform "Meaning of Life" in person. The two of them went to breakfast together that day, and took a long walk through the now crowded streets, and down the long roads, as they twisted around at the ends, and there would be a roundabout heading to the east right across from them. Èlea sighed, longing to go home so that she wouldn't have to face a breakdown at the upcoming first rehearsal that day. Madame V started to point at a young street singer behind them, he was a young man. They walked over and heard him, he had a voice like a beautiful bird, flourishing with every note. It nearly brought a tear to her eye, but she realised something in that moment - that this is what she is here for. Not for the big production or the flashing lights or the publicity, but for music first. She is a songwriter first and for all, and she will always be that way. And so, with a new found smile on her face, they made their way to B.A.F Bovingdon, where they would pass through the entrance, and find their way past the main central area outside of the actual arena, and backstage where they would start to prepare for her first rehearsal. For this one, they would focus on ironing out any issues that Èlea might have in terms of blocking, and where to catch the camera in certain moments of her performance. For instance, they had planned for a lot of movement around Èlea, and to make this less distracting for her on the actual night, they needed to have the small cues down before they could actually start to implement the complicated staging ideas that they had submitted to the Britonish broadcaster and had communicated with the team in Bovingdon.

It went well for her, and she actually had a lot of fun, enjoying her first ever moment in the spotlight, feeling the heat of spotlights all around her, and trying to focus on her voice, but getting a little distracted by the couple of journalists scattered around the seating to the left and right of her. At first, she felt like running off and stopping everything, but by her third or fourth run-through, it actually felt flattering, as she could see them chattering between each other, sharing exchanges of happiness and excitement. SEB always wanted to stretch their capabilities with this performance, and they did so this time, spending so much money, on the technical effects that were going to take place throughout the performance, around Èlea.

First rehearsals at B.A.F Bovingdon

Everything was actually going smoothly, which SEB and her group on ground found relieving, wondering if they would even be able to get Èlea on the stage at the beginning of their journey to World Hit Festival. Second rehearsals came and went, which everyone also felt went well, so they moved onto the press side of things - talking to journalists, and Èlea saw this as an opportunity for people to understand what exactly this song means to her; that it's not just a dance track, it actually is supposed to make you think about things. At night, she would think to herself that with a title like "Meaning of Life", there must be some recognition that the song has deeper connotations than it's surface - which she did not want to come across as preachy or know-it-all in a way. Days went by and the worry had gone by then, and it was more a feeling of exhaustion after the strict routine of get up, go to eat, rehearsals, settle down for the evening and then go to bed and try and go to sleep without thinking about other people's interpretations of her. To take her mind off of the more negative sides of her trip, the team and Èlea had gone out into the city centre to have a look for some accessories and so for the upcoming opening ceremony, and the events that would soon follow that, before it would be time for her to go and kill it on the stage - that's what the people around her would tell her anyway, as not to give away the stressfulness that a red carpet and several press encounters after that might do to her.

But it had come time for her to strip away any more thoughts, except that sacred piece of paper that had her final notes from the stage director, and she sat and looked at the paper all day, trying to memorise the words off by heart, so if she slipped up on something it would kick in in her head that that was what she was supposed to do. It was here - the day of her performance in front of the world. She had just finished her jury show performance the night prior, and she felt a rush like no other when she did that, with the crowds of people cheering for her, and the backstage staff being kind and helping her to her spot and such. This would be different though, with millions of people tuning in later on, this felt like her make-or-break moment, and if she was going to fuck up, then her entire life would be ruined, she would never work again and maybe even never sing again. The pain of that anxiety stung like nothing else. But, she soon would stop thinking about that as she got rushed around backstage, with her stage dress and makeup done, getting prepared to walk onto stage that night for the Parade of Nations ceremony, which had basically become a custom at this point, what with the amount of times that she had practised it. By that point, she was fairly sick of hearing "ESTANA AND THAOS!" in a deep voice everyday. It was fun though, the roars of celebration as each nation 'paraded' through up onto the stage and then valiantly stumbled through the audience, as people would offer out their hands for a touch of their favourite artists of the night. Maybe no one would want to touch her hand... What if she fell and the people laughed at her? This was the time. Madame V encouraged her onto the stage as she hesitantly tried to put on a fake smile for the audience. Her nation's name would echo throughout B.A.F and she strolled gently across the stage before making her way down to the front of it, and blowing a kiss at the camera and beginning to walk down the front walkway. That was what they told her to do, right? She was overwhelmed with people reaching out for her, but it felt good, and she almost fell out of her own mind in that moment, taking a moment to acknowledge everyone around her in the crowd. Not long though before she was rushed off down the same way she was going by a staff member, as she was taking up too much time, before the next artist would try and get past her, and so on. She hadn't really had the time to speak with any of the other artists in the competition, out of fear that she would psyche herself out, out of shire fright that she wasn't good enough to be on the stage with these talented individuals. She held her nose throughout the awkward parts though, and managed to sneak a conversation with the Besenian act before rushing over to her place in the green room beside Madame V and the rest of her team. They sat through the show, politely reacting to each of the acts until it was time for her to be on the stage soon, and before she knew it she was right at the back of the stage like just before, and her postcard was blaring out of the speakers, and the audience began to cheer, as the set-pieces were being placed onto the stage quickly by a group of about ten. This was all a bit crazy and although that's probably a good thing, it doesn't take away from her own fright. But, fuck it. This is her moment, and she better bring it or be sent packing. Take a deep breathe, and enter. The lights dimmed and the end of the postcard marked the familiar wind instrumentation and she was centre stage, prepared and hungry.

The lights fade into black as the Estanian postcard ends, and as the ariel shot of the venue is shown on the screens, the lights come back up again. Showered in a bright white, Èlea stands in the centre of the stage, on the floor with her legs crossed. She wears a beautiful, almost angelic flowy white dress. As the light around her rises up and lifts off her as the main focus, she sings, still nervous and hesitant. At first, the words don’t even seem to come out, but she tells herself again in her head, that this is all that she has ever wanted and to mess this up now would be the worst thing she could ever possibly do. And it does become easier - her soft, rounded vocal echoes around the arena, through her microphone, which she had opted to have at her mouth instead of holding it in hand. So, as the arrangement progresses, she feels the music through her hands, on “my own design”, she grips her dress in the middle.

I have been down before
Got shot in the heart, by my own design
I thought that it would be fine
To live in my mind, and try not to die
Now friend, I want you to know
I wanna be there, for you when you cry
I’ve learned so many things, all in my time

The music shifts straight into the pre-chorus after this, and she remembers to rise up from the floor, where the camera captures her through a shifting closeup angle moving from left to right. She nervously stares into the camera, as she had been told to do, and tries to shake off her anxiety in the moment. During the chorus though, she feels comfortable, around her the familiar colours of snowy white, and light blue in the sky. Around her the LED shifts and it appears to represent the colours and shapes of a snowstorm, slowly at first, and then crazily spinning with flakes of white on the screen as the instrumental chorus kicks into focus. The camera, with every smack of the beat, shifts to a different cut. And, Èlea carefully keeps up with the choreography that she had been practising, using a different formation with her body, as the drums crash at every other beat, in rhythm with the camera cuts.

Do you know what’s the meaning of life
Will it stand through the test of time
I think I know what’s the meaning of life
It’s to stand in the wings of the tide
I will show you the meaning of life
Do you know, the meaning of life
I think I know what’s the meaning of life

Now, in the second chorus, the nerves from the beginning seem to shift into oblivion as her focus stabilizes, and she moves to the left side of the stage, where her two backing dancers allow her to lean on them each one at a time. Their bodies weave in between each other for a while, and the lights around them, turn gently into an ocean blue shade. As she sings “It’s tough”, she turns to the camera as it slowly spins around her in a 360 motion, and she follows it all the way around until it comes back around to the centre of the stage, and Èlea hurries back into the middle.

If they think that you can be tamed
Then just let them know, you would never try
It’s tough along a road, when everything is lost
Do you know what’s the meaning of life

She collapses back onto the ground, and then lovingly looks back up directly into the lens, which was now in front of her. It began to shift backwards away from her, as the pre-hook progressed. And now, as the drop crashes back into prominence, the vortex above her began to slowly move itself downwards, and closer to Èlea in the centre. On it’s large LED screen, it displayed an aesthetically pleasing image of a night sky, in the gorgeous colour palette of light purple, the dark blue in the sky and the shining white light of the moon. And then, as the chorus began to end again, the lights shifted so that all the projectors moved into a spotlight position and aimed towards her in the same place, and the focus of the camera moved upwards in it’s position so that the main focus of the frame was to capture Èlea with the huge screen behind her, just a little above.

Will it stand through the test of time
I think I know what’s the meaning of life
It’s to stand in the wings of the tide
I will show you the meaning of life
I will show you the meaning of life
I will show you the meaning of life

The backing vocalists off of the stage aid her as she nervously tries to handle the softer melody of the bridge, and around her it almost feels like the whole world has come to a halt, and she tries to keep up with all the words in the bridge. The instrumentation is lower in volume and her voice shines through more than ever in the song. So, as everything on the stage freezes, and the lights around her move slower than she can handle, she remembers the feeling of writing the song - where she would take days to write single words, and how it really feels like that right now. But then, the breakthrough moments flashed before her in her head, and in her heart a sudden flash of adrenaline, and she delivers a standout high note, on “inside”, leading herself into the final chorus.

I think I’ve had an epiphany
Whenever I’m lost
I will look to the meaning of life
I think I’ve had an epiphany
Whenever I’m lost
I will look to the meaning of life
Let me show you who I am inside...

The instrumentation of the drop in the chorus, mixes with Èlea’s vocals in the chorus, and the chaos just quite works. Around her and atop of her, the rain effects fall down, and with a smile on her face for the first time in the performance, the water drips off of her, and it hugs around her body, revealing a little bit of transparency around her figure. This specific moment of confidence shines through for her, and she looks around, pretty much ignoring the camera which now is frantically changing frames, through cuts and spinning. She gazes out into the crowds upon crowds of people, who are smiling up at her as she sings, and the cheers that follow, as she lets the backing vocalists carry a few lines, to take into account the craziness of the moment, and enjoy this. This type of thing might never ever happen again - or it might, and she had done herself proud, and defied her expectations of herself yet again.

Do you know what’s the meaning of life
Will it stand through the test of time
I think I know what’s the meaning of life
It’s to stand in the wings of the tide
Do you know what’s the meaning of life
Will it stand through the test of time
Can we try and follow the lights
We will stand through the test of time
I have shown you the meaning of life...

As the rain stops falling, and the final instrumentation comes to a soft halt, and the mad cheers throughout the arena kick in, Èlea is taken aback. Her heart tells her to let it out with her tears, but she remembers that her mother and father are probably watching her right through those camera lens right now. So, she gives a small grin, and simply leaves the stage. Backstage, she falls to the ground, not sure what type of feeling is jolting through her body. She actually did it.

by **Nightom** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:09 pm

XX
Nightom
Charlie Brookes- "In or Out"
Language(s): English
Tune: Darin - Astronaut
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: KNI
Lyrics: Charlie Brookes
Music: Zade Wilkenbothle, Jordan Pickleheart, Zeke Osterike
Backing Dancers: Kai Lane
Backing Singers: Liam Jishak, George Hayes-Springwood

In or Out: Charlie Brookes gives you final choice - do you want to be in with him or out? Hopefully, after his performance, you'll be in!

Nightom returns to the World Hit Festival live from Bovingdon with the nation's 11th entry, "In or Out" sung by Charlie Brookes. He will be hoping to score Nightom their best result since Matinée Schylestreake back at the 31st World Hit Festival...

The last time that Nightom participated at the World Hit Festival was at the 50th edition that was held in Izmedu. Depending on how you look at it, Nightom did have some success at the World Hit Festival - but some Nightomese fans of the Festival thought that Nightom's performance simply wasn't good enough. Initially, GAELE ft Zorsia was supported to represent Nightom with the song, "Just Can't Be Ya", but as it became clearer that there were going to be Semi-Finals, there was a lot of pressure on the Nightomese broadcaster to change the song. The pressure became so much that KVC decided, in fact, to drop GAELE and Zorsia much to their dissatisfaction and replace them. They took to twitter to complain about the Nightomese treatment of their World Hit Festival acts, but the pair revealed a lot of criticism back, with many fans arguing that their song wasn't World Hit Festival standard and wasn't going to trouble anyone on the scoreboard. Nightom's broadcaster refused to comment, instead announcing who would represent the country of 17 million instead and that person was Alex Xavier with his song "Falling" which performed 3rd in the Semi-Final, right before Besen. Alex at the time was a 26-year-old man from the capital of the country, Knightinghamshire who was written off by some people after they heard his World Hit Festival song. When comparing it to the other ABEN nations, they thought that Nightom was most definitely the weakest of the trio. Though, they did admit that this was a much bigger improvement that "the nonsense" Nightom was prepared to send. The song was one of the shortest, if not the actual shortest entry of the Grand Final of World Hit Festival as Nightom easily made it out of the Semis. It was later revealed that Nightom came 6th place with 16 points - a whole 5 points clear from relegation. In the Grand Final, Nightom didn't seem to receive many results as all, with the nation coming at the bottom of the pack, placing last place with 9 points - the only nation to receive single digit points. While many held Nightom getting to the final a success, many thought that this only meant more people saw Nightom come last place at the Grand Final which wasn't a good look for the nation.

Nightom ended up withdrawing from the 51st and 52nd World Hit Festival, before they decided to return for the 53rd World Hit Festival - held in Britonisea's Bovingdon. It was announced Sunday 19th July that Nightom would be represented by Charlie Brookes who will sing his song, "In or Out" which is him essentially singing to his partner about whether he still wants to be with him or not. It's the first act from Nightom singing about his same sex partner, which has taken a lot longer than it should have taken some people have said. For the performance, Charlie Brookes will be lending the help of Karl Lund-Gualtier, a Britonish stage designer who has helped many former Britonish performances that have gone on to be quite successful. Charlie said that he is very excited to represent Nightom and he hopes that his song will appeal to the mass market despite its niche lyrics in some places.

It was time for Nightom's golden star to perform on the stage. After the postcard began to play in B.A.F Bovingdon, the audience came in with a huge roar for Britonisea's North-Eastern neighbours before settling down, watching Charlie running around with (whoever they received in their postcard). Charlie wasn't wearing anything too fancy, opting for a white shirt and dark coloured jeans with a chain by the side. His extra white shoes complimented the theme that he was going for as well, minimilism done well. Charlie felt quite nervous before going onto the stage despite being pretty chill about it in the running up to it. He wasn't sure whether people would vote for his song, or think that the message behind it wasn't too much for certain audiences. On the stage, though, he wanted to created a dreamy, almost ethereal ambiance on the stage, which suits the instrumentation pretty well. With the audience clapping as the postcard ended, Charlie Brookes finally got himself into position; one side of the stage - which was smaller than usual Britonish standard. Though, this didn't stop the Nightomese delegation from wanting to go for it stagingwise. Nightom decided to use The Eye, lowering it down so that it was directly above Charlie and Kai Lane, a Britonish dancer that would accompany him on the stage, re-enacting the story that Charlie was singing about.

The Nightomese name flashed up on the LED screens around the arena as the lights went down on the stage. The backing singers got themselves ready backstage before Charlie took one more deep breath. There was a sound in B.A.F Bovingdon as it silenced the audience from making further sound. There was a split second of complete silence before the song from Nightom began. On the stage, the main colour was a purple-light blue colour scheme, with The Eye showing a picture of a night sky of which the first camera was pointing towards. As the cute instrumentals started, the camera slowly moved down and eventually Charlie was in the shot smiling away before placing the microphone over his mouth and started singing.

As he had begun singing, the camera slowly moved out from his face and as he sang the words, "I noticed you", he pointed his hand towards the camera then toward the other side of the stage, guiding to lens to focus on where the Britonish dancer was, as Kai Lane looked up with his hand behind his neck. The audience cheered as a new character was introduced onto the stage. As Kai smiled, the same camera panned back to Charlie as he continued singing out into the audience. With a shot now further away, showing the space between the pair of them, the colour of the stage progresed into a slightly darker blue, with the night sky above them perhaps being much more visible than it was before. During the song, Charlie gently swayed his head from side to side, closing his eyes sometimes to try to find, deep down, the emotions he had once felt that inspired the lyrics in this song.

Remember the first time -
That you noticed me and I noticed you and
Oh time stopped between us, no, never had I felt that before
I wasn't sure that your...feelings were mutual, but there was
A sign that made me know that you were mine

(Are you) in with me or are you out?
(Join me) 'Cuz I want you here, no doubt

There was another close-up shot of him as he sang the lyrics "that you were mine", with him placing his hand on his chest, cheekily smiling as he said these lyrics. As we moved onto the pre-chorus of the song, the camera quickly cut to the dancer as the backing singers could be heard for the first time. I would cut back to a now walking Charlie who went to the centre of the main stage, with a moving shot capturing this. The shot to a close up of Charlie, trailing up the side of his body for the same time as the shot on the dancer, as the backing singers came in. Though as Charlie started to sing again, the shot cut back to the dancer as he walked in a similar fashion to Charlie did. The dancer smiled back at Charlie, seemingly looking at the man is the same boyish, shy way that he did when he was first introduced onto the stage. As he finished singing the lyric, "no doubt" the camera shoot zoomed into The Eye which still showed the starry sky, before the camera dipped to black.

With the chorus coming in, there was a wide shot of the stage with both of the men standing side-on with the audience, but facing one another. Charlie switched the microphone now to his left hand so the audience didn't see it as an obstruction and as he did this, the strobe lights which circled the The Eye "lifted" up, shining out from where the pair were, out into the audience and up towards the rigs at the top of the make-shift arena. Charlie, with his free arm, widened it out as he said the first two lines in the same position. The dancer slightly lifted up the back of his foot, still acting shy at Charlie serenading him. As he sang the words, "I pull you in", he did a gestured with his hand (kind of like grabbing his shirt) with the two of them moving closer together suddenly, though as Charlie sang "then you push out", both him and the dancer pivoted, now facing between us. There was a shot that joined Charlie from the position that he was, now facing back-to-back with the dancer on the line "There's one question that I have to ask".

You’re close to me yet you’re so far,
Why can’t I close the space between us?
I pull you in, then you push out,
There’s one question that I have to ask,
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?

As he sang the first of the line which makes up the name of the song, the brightness of the lights behind him started to dim, and the dancer walked off into the distance with the audience being able to see this out of focus over Charlie's shoulder, unbeknownst to him. He continued singing "Boy, are you in or out?" the few times that he did, with him now swaying with a bit more vigour towards the camera. Charlie looked as though he was slightly getting happy before he turned around, probably expecting for the dancer to still be behind him. But during the small interlude into the next verse of the song, Charlie turned around to see Kai, the dancer, now walking off into the distance down one side of the catwalk which went out into the audience.

During the quiet second, you could hear the audience slightly cheer for Charlie, with some members even "awing" for him as a disappointed expression on his face grew. Though as the music of the second verse continued, Charlie placed the microphone back up to his mouth before beginning to walk in the same direction as Kai, with the camera around the circumference of the stage following his movement across. As he began to move, The Eye started to move up into The Vortex before you weren't able to see it any longer. The colours on the stage changed as well, with one side of the stage remaining as the purple-bluish theme, which on the other side was an orange-reddish theme. As Charlie got to the line where he sang "You are hot", Charlie stopped to face the orange-reddish lights, with his skin bathed in the light, before he turned to face the blue light for the line, "then you're cold". He continued to walk towards the dancer, genuinely speaking to him as though the dancer was the man in question...

Tell me the problem,
One minute you are hot, then you're cold
Do you want me? 'Cuz it's no from what I can see.
Give me a reason so I can put my mind at ease,
Should we move slower? I'll do anything you want.

(Are you) in with me or are you out?
(Join me) 'Cuz I want you here, no doubt

As Charlie reached the line, "so I can put my mind at ease", he stopped for a second, gently tapping the side of his head, and crouching over to show his frustration with the dancer. Using the same him, he held his hand out in a "stop" sign as he sang the next line, before putting his hand into a fist and pulling his hand towards his body. Eventually, by the time it was the pre-chorus once again, Charlie had reached the end of the catwalk where the dancer was stood with a look of doubt on his face. There was a low angle shot, which then progressed into an eyeline shot, with Charlie placing his hand over the shoulder of the dancer. The backing singers came in once again, but this time Charlie sang his part with a bit much gusto, perhaps a bit more desperately than he did the first time, hoping that he would receive a much more positive response from the dancer than he did before.

As the chorus came back in once again, the blue/orange colour themes slowly went away, with the whole stage now turning into a dark, sunset colour with the stars now reappearing on the LED screens and the screens on the Vortex above them. As he sang the lyrics, "You're close to me yet you're so far", Charlie slowly pulled spun the dancer around, before the two were now circling one another, never losing eye contact with one another, making what was happening on the stage look like a realistic 'argument' between a couple. The pair did the same movements as they did the first time around when Charlie sang the line, "I pull you in, then you push out", but instead of walking away at the end of the chorus, the two walked towards each other, laying their foreheads against each other, with an extreme close up of their lips touching either of the microphone as Charlie sang the refrain.

You’re close to me yet you’re so far,
Why can’t I close the space between us?
I pull you in, then you push out,
There’s one question that I have to ask,
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?
Boy, are you in or out?

The Nightomese continued repeating the lyrics, with the camera slowly zooming out and moving across the audience that was in B.A.F Bovingdon. There was a wide shot of the whole of the arena, with the stage glistening in the back and the pair being lit up in spotlights in front of the setting sun behind them. As Charlie continued to repeat the lyrics that he was singing, the pair started to now move further and further away, though never losing eye contact with one another until the bridge section.

As the male backing singers had now walked out onto the main stage, there was a camera shot of the end of the catwalk where Charlie Brookes and Kai Lane were with the backing singers out of focus but clearly visible in the back. They looked as though they were holding luminescent glow sticks of some sort, but it would become clearer at the end of the song. As we moved to the section where you could hear only the backing singers, Charlie and Kai had a little dance sequence next to each other, stomping their feet from one side to another (most definitely caught by the camera), moving their body along with the side they were stomping on along with the lyrics "I'm on eggshells". The pair then quickly switched sides, with Kai slightly now moving back to let Charlie slightly in front of him. With Charlie slightly in front of Kai, but off to the side (say Charlie was maybe 30-40cms in front of him but 1m ahead) at the lyrics "Tell me now, dear, am I wasting time".

Got my head spinning, I can’t think straight,
And I hate the man I’ve become,
I’m on eggshells with the one I love.
Tell me now, dear, am I wasting time?
Or am I just blind to the signs?
I’ll let you go if you don’t want me...

As they reached the end of the bridge, Charlie quickly turned around so that his back towards the audience, with one of the cameras on a crane circling its side around Charlie and Kai who were now facing each other with close proximity. Charlie placed his hand on the neck of Kai as he sang the final lyrics of the bridge. Though there was another round of the explosive chorus, with the pair now running back to the main stage where they could join the rest of the dancers.

During the final chorus of the song, it had now reached 'night-time' on the stage, with loads of different colour lasers from random sections of the stage now pointing out over the audience. There was an establishing shot of the whole arena as we could see a bunch of men dancing on the middle of the stage from afar, holding glow sticks which accompanied a few standing 6ft ones on the stage. There was a closer shot, moving from one side of the arena to the other side, now showing clearer the fact that whilst all of the men were dancing with each other, Charlie and Kai, particularly, were dancing together. Charlie seemed to be the happiest he was now, here on the stage.

You’re close to me yet you’re so far,
Why can’t I close the space between us?
I pull you in, then you push out,
There’s one question that I have to ask,
So are you in or out?
So are you in or out?
So are you in or out?
So are you in or out?

For the final "So are in you in or out", there was a shot which was focused on them, with the backing singers out of focus but still dancing. Kai the dancer and Charlie were just facing one another as they came closer and closer to one another, but as Charlie sang the last "So are you in or out", there was a huge bang similar to Blue - I Can at the end of the performance. The duo turned around towards the audience with a strong pose along with the singers behind them. The audience came in with a huge cheer.

Kai Lane unexpectedly gave Charlie a friendly kiss on the cheek, which made the audience slighted louder, but made Charlie very red and embarrassed. Kai had worked exclusively with Charlie over the past few weeks and so felt as though he was a good friend to the Nightomese. "Thank you, everyone, thank you all! I love you!". Kai Lane slightly stepped to the side and lowered his head towards Charlie as a sign of respect, before there was a long shot and we moved to the next proceedings...

by **Estogium** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:17 pm

XX
Estogium
Adelene Rayas - "Pantomime (You and I)"
Language(s): English
Tune: SKAAR - Five Times
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: RWH
Lyrics: Daria Bruce, Talia Rose-Kingly, Jacob Sullyman
Music: Daria Bruce, Talia Rose-Kingly, Jacob Sullyman
Backing Dancers: Kiesha Cole, Georgina Forest, Abigail Lai, Teo Langley
Backing Singers: Zoe Wilkinson

Adelene Rayas: Adelene Rayas will be competing in the World Hit Festival after Estogium's 3rd place last edition. Adelene will be singing the song "Pantomime (You and I)"

Last edition was watched by a sizeable portions of Estogians, with many popping in to see youthful singer-dancer Anton Eitan from Sedderton perform his song, "Shot" in the Grand Final. It wasn't clear where Anton would place in the end as many thought that some of Estogium's past entrants - including everyone's favourite Elias Nordin - was better. The Head of Delegation, Kevin Dean-Upperton said that he thinks that this song could do well as it appeals to the younger market of the World Hit Festival, who can be often ignored due to the World Hit Festival's traditional ways. Anton performed 17th in the Grand Final, where he performed his pop banger with some style which in the end helped Estogium's stabilising results better again. Estogium only won a single top placement in Phase I and finished at the bottom of the left hand side (12th place). Many Estogians were sure that this edition was going to be yet another disappointment for their country going into Phase II, but as nations were called out, they noticed that Estogium wasn't being mentioned, meaning that their nation scored higher than those that were being called out. It wasn't until the last nation did the Estoge hear their country's name as it was revealed that Estogium won Phase II - but by how many points? It was revealed that Estogium received 31 points - eight points more than 2nd place's Phase II points which was 23 which by World Hit Festival standards is a runaway victory. Though, because Estogium didn't receive enough 5 points in Phase 2, they unfortunately didn't receive enough points to win overall, settling for third place with 36 points behind the current hosts and Normandy & Picardy.

Anton went on to receive a lot of praise on his arrival back home, appearing on many talk shows to speak about his World Hit Festival appearance. He had restored hope for a nation who has been very fickle with their results at the World Hit Festival over the past 20 editions - despite hosting at the 49th World Hit Festival. For the Head of Delegation, he received a lot of praise at his place of work, but it was back to work for him. He wanted to choose internally a female singer since one hasn't represented Estogium since World Hit Festival 48 when the nation finished 2nd. The name Adelene Rayas came up, a 33 year-old from The Estograd with her song, "Pantomime". Since World Hit Festival 48, Estogium has received a top 3 placement three times, once in the Semi-Finals. Can Adelene keep up the good record for Estogium or will she fail to make an impact on the scoreboard? Let's find out...

Adelene was called by the stage personnel to get ready for her performance. The stage personnel usually goes to the delegation quite sometime before they perform on the stage and place them in a room where they can get ready to go onto the stage. They will get the chance to have a touch up (makeup, both men and women, is usually done in full after the final rehearsal with a touch up before they go onto the stage). They also get five to ten minutes in a room where they able to warm their vocal cords up. Adelene along with fellow singer Zoe Wilkinson from Britonisea did a couple of vocal warm ups together, before Adelene commented how nervous show was about performing on the stage. While there was only 3.5k in the B.A.F Bovingdon, as Adelene came from the outdoors Festival Area, she knew that thousands more, ten thousands more, were watching her from outdoors in the open and then millions on the television - and that's just limited to her homeland of Estogium. Nevertheless, Zoe Wilkinson gave her an embrace before giving her advice about how to deal with nerves as at the end of the day, Zoe herself performed in front of huge audiences too. Eventually someone else knocked on the door and said "It's time to get ready to go on the stage Ms Rayas, your performance is T-5 minutes." Adelene squeezed the hands of Zoe before taking a deep breath. She started to get herself ready.

Adelene wasn't going for anything too fancy to wear on the stage, opting for a flowery dress that she felt comfortable in. She had her nails long and painted white, along with comfortable shoes; feminine but sophisticated and most certainly not pointy high heels - which were banned from being worn on the stage anyway. As she walked onto the stage, her group of girls followed her on the stage, all wearing similar clothes to hers but in different colours to keep the eyes of those watching on the main girl, Adelene. Along with the dancers, the Britonish stage personnel decided to bring onto the stage a staircase of some sort - it was quite a steep staircase, but it would be used during the performance, especially at the beginning. As the postcard came to an end, there was huge applause for the western neighbours of the host country, Britonisea.

All-female dancers, Abigail, Keisha and Georgina were sitting on the staircase in different positions, with Adelene in the centre, higher than the rest of them. As the music came in, camera 3 was poised directly in front of Adelene, slowly zooming in over the Golden Circle and making its way to her with her girls. The LED screens behind her showed a garden, in keeping with the style of her dress. The LED floor was a moving picture of grass as well to make the whole scene look like a garden. As she started singing, the camera had reached closer to the stage where it was the only thing that you could see (past the audience)...

You told me to give you another chance,
To let you prove I meant something to you.
Told me I'm your world, why you lying?
Sobbing and weeping, d'ya want an Oscar?

You're deluded, do you think I could trust you after this?
There ain't no chance is hell.
Pack up your suitcase.
What would you say, now, if the shoe was on the other foot,
Know you'd be ghostin',
So go run back to her...

As the music slightly changed at "You're deluded", there was another shot using camera 2 which circled around the stage, watching what was happening on the stage. The dancers around Adelene were slightly moving their bodies every couple of beats in a very slow and majestic way, keeping their eyes in front towards the audience. Adelene slightly lowered her back as she was sitting, being doing more hand gestures as she was singing, showing her frustration at who she was singing to. For the first time during the performance, you were able to hear backing singer Zoe Wilkinson as well, who provided some backing at the end of a few sentences which really helped build up the song.

As we moved to the chorus of the song, the Estogian delegation thought that we should use the spidercam which zipped from the furthest point at the back of the B.A.F Bovingdon, over the tiered audience right at the back and over the main bulk of people. As the chorus hit, Adelene stood up and sang, with you being able to notice her small figure standing tall on the stage. She slightly bent her knees and turned sideways by a small fraction as she belted out the first bit of the chorus. She quickly turned her body back around as she sang the lyrics and title of the song "Get me out this pantomime".

For you this is the end, no more you and I,
Can’t go on any longer, don’t wanna pretend no,
Get me out this pantomime.
More fool me if I let you back in my life,
I’ll turn away and you won’t, you won’t see me no more -
Get me out this pantomime.

As Adelene sang the lyrics, "if I let you back", she decided to point to her heart before pointing at the camera which moved up the side of her body before stopping at her finger pointing back at the lens. Adelene continued singing her song with the dancers below her all taking a more upright seat where they were sitting. The lights in the arena circled around the arena, with the cameras helping add to the theme that Adelene wanted to go for.

As we move onto the next verse of the song, we can see that Adelene starts to walk down the steps of the large prop that she was in. Britonish dancer, Teo Langley walked onto the stage with applause being heard slightly as Adelene started singing the verse. Teo the dancer walked up to one of the dancers already on the stage, walking to Keisha Cole. As Adelene took steps down the stairs, she was watching the interaction between Teo and Keisha, with the pair of them dancing together. As Adelene sang the lyrics, "Weak to temptation, your fatal flaw", she decided to point at the pair dancing together with a look of disgust on her face.

Not even surprised, you're just like this,
Weak to temptation, your fatal flaw.
I should've seen this coming from a mile off,
Never was a good judge of character.
There's no more you and I...

After she sang the lyrics, "I should've seen...", Teo decided to walk to the other side of the stage to meet another dancer, Abigail Lai before Teo and Abigail started dancing in a similar way Teo did with the dancer before. Camera 6's crane shot circled over the audience to Teo and Abigail before zooming into the pair of them dancing. Before it did this though, we could see Adelene staring at the pair of them, with Adelene looking as though she was singing to a brick wall. There was a spotlight on the two dancing, further putting the pair in the limelight - drawing focus to the deceit the dancer was doing.

It was time for the chorus once again, with Adelene taking a step from the main stage to the small ridges around the circumference of the main stage (which would usually be used to walk to a catwalk). There were hydro fans blowing, with Adelene's hair blowing in the wind. Her dress was slightly blowing upwards, but not enough for it to be inappropriate by any means - she looked very elegant. You could see in the back the four dancers all dancing, with two on one side and the other two on the other side.

For you this is the end, no more you and I,
Can’t go on any longer, don’t wanna pretend no,
Get me out this pantomime.
More fool me if I let you back in my life,
I’ll turn away and you won’t, you won’t see me no more -
Get me out this pantomime.

Oooooo, oooooooo
ooooooo, there's no more you and I
Oooooo, oooooooo
ooooooo, there's no more you and I

As she sang the last section of the chorus, she pointed once again out to the audience before we went into the post-chorus section before the bridge. There was a further away shot of the whole arena before we swept from one side of the stage to the other. The dancer then came up to Adelene as she sang the bridge.

You're deluded, do you think I could trust you after this?
There ain't no chance is hell - pack up your suitcase.
What would you say, now, if the shoe was on the other foot,
Know you'd be ghostin',
There's no more you and I!

For you this is the end, no more you and I,
Can’t go on any longer, don’t wanna pretend no,
Get me out this pantomime.
More fool me if I let you back in my life,
I’ll turn away and you won’t, you won’t see me no more -
Get me out this pantomime.

At the end of the song, the lights went down and there was an applause in the B.A.F Bovingdon. "Thank you everyone, Merci" she said before walking off the stage.

by **Britonisea** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:24 pm

XX
Britonisea
Andres Cesare - "Rewind"
Language(s): English
Tune: Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: BRI
Lyrics: Andres Cesare, Jessy Crest
Music: Andres Cesare, Phillip Galkin, Henry Basildon
Backing Singers: Aaliyah Banques, Zoe Wilkinson, Perri-Anne Drews, Jordan Johansen
Backing Dancers: Georgina Forest

Rewind: Andres Cesare will represent Britonisea at the 53rd World Hit Festival with his song, "Rewind" which explores loss...

Britonisea returns for the 17th consecutive time to participate in the nation's seventh hosting - this time in the town of Bovingdon. Andres Cesare will represent us with his song, "Rewind"...

Last edition was a whirlwind for the nation as the broadcaster was pressured into bettering its result at the 51st World Hit Festival in Todlichebujoku. While Shards of Diamonds received a lot of criticism online for their performance at the 51st World Hit Festival, the broadcaster made several attempts to stop the hate against them, but thought that the best solution was to divert attention from Shards of Diamonds to the new act of the World Hit Festival, who BVC was sure was going to do much better for the nation and thus A Hit For The World was created, taking the cues from the name of the World Hit Festival, making a new reveal show that a few million households watched. It was in that show that it was revealed the ELIANA would be Britonish representative with her song, "Tongue-Tied" with many falling in love with the song after the first time that they heard it. BVC received the response that they wanted, with many thinking that since the Festival would be held in Kalosia and the fact that Britonisea had won the past three even-numbered editions, winning at the 52nd World Hit Festival was a definite. BVC was hoping that ELIANA would make some waves on the scoreboard and it looked like she would. Meanwhile, the backlash Shards of Diamonds had slowly gone away and eventually, they weren't spoken about.

In Monterra for the 52nd World Hit Festival, ELIANA arrived and had to self-isolate along with her team. This gave ELIANA a lot of time to prepare for her performance and work with the right people to make sure that her performance was perfect for the night. The Britonish have been known to have some good staging - perhaps something that wasn't as good for the 51st World Hit Festival. Though, without dwelling on that result too much, those who were working on this entry wanted to make sure that there was a memorable element in the performance which linked to the lyrics, but also made you remember it - essentially the money shot. ELIANA had an idea for the end part, using sparkles to make it look as though she was in another world. With Britonisea set to perform in the first half of the show, the Britonish team thought that this would be quite difficult to do. Though, they had suggested an alternative to her suggestion with the use of holograms in their performance. ELIANA was interested, it was the first time that she had the chance to use with holograms but the Team at BVC told her that she needed to act as though it was there because she wouldn't notice anything. By the time it was the rehearsals, ELIANA performed her song and did what was planned before replaying it. Undoubtedly for the team and ELIANA, it's the final chorus and outroduction which make the song complete and as ELIANA saw her on the stage with the holograms (which was her dancing with a figure made out of these sparkles during the last chorus before the stars drifted off into the air leaving her alone in the darkness), she started to feel teary. She felt a deep emotional connection with the staging and she knew that she could go very far with this song.

As so it was the now the Grand Final of the World Hit Festival 52 and with Britonisea being big favourites to take the crown for the fourth time in 7 editions, ELIANA felt as though she had a lot to live up to but she was more than excited to get out there and show everybody what she was made of. Britonisea was performing 6th on the night out of 24 nations, which is a rather early slot for the nation, but a half (The First) which the nation is more than used to. After performing her song, her only job to do now was to watch the other performances and wait for the votes to come in - and they did. Fromulya, Northwest Kalactin and perhaps most shockingly Mister X gave Britonisea five points (and Malta Comino Gozo before they didn't, but we won't talk about that) with the nation drawing with Izmedu, Normandy & Picardy, Mercedini and North Alezia for first place. As Phase II came along, points were flying everywhere, except for ABEN. It came down to the last two Phase II vote reveal - Britonisea versus Estogium. Normandy & Picardy was currently leading the table with 37 points, but Britonisea needed the same amount of points or more to take the victory from them - it was inevitable. Britonisea was announced as the second placer in Phase 2, with the nation scoring 38 points in total. It was now time for the votes from Estogium - which ABEN nation was going to win? Estogium received a huge 31 points in Phase II, but it wasn't enough to overtake Britonisea, thus giving our country its seventh win at a World Hit Festival. There was celebration across the country, but people were wondering whether the nation would host, given BVC were quick to give it up last edition. The answer was yes, but this time we'd be going to a town instead of a city, and that was Bovingdon.

With the Team at BVC now split into two, one group joined the much larger framework behind the 53rd World Hit Festival, while the others continued as normal, finding the next Britonish representative. It wasn't a hard decision for the team as they saw the name Andres Cesare appear as a list of potentials that they could go for. Andres had submitted a song for the Britonish selection in the past with his demo track being kept since before the Shards of Diamonds. The Team was very happy with Andres' song, especially since the song was something that Britonisea hadn't sent for a long time - if at all. To them, the song was a very heartfelt one and they thought that they could pull it off without doing much on the stage. Eventually, they gave Andres a call and the work began with him.

Andres Cesare will represent Britonisea on home soil with his song, "Rewind" which addresses the feeling of loss. "Rewind" becomes the 33rd song to represent Britonisea at the World Hit Festival at the nation's seventh hosting.

Andres, a 24-year old, who hails from Doportedas is flying the flag for Britonisea in Bovingdon. He will take the short journey from his home in Pondsend, Doportedas City to the countryside town of Bovingdon where the 53rd World Hit Festival will be taking place. Andres says that when deciding whether to submit a song to the World Hit Festival, he looked at the Britonish male soloists at the World Hit Festival for inspiration. Britonish men at the Festival are very successful, especially the most recent occasions when Britonisea sent solo males.

Most recently, Michael Turner represented Britonisea at the 49th World Hit Festival with "Unguided", where he came 2nd - only missing out on a single point. The two times before World Hit Festival 49 Britonisea sent solo males to the World Hit Festival, they both won the Festival (Vhe Qi and Dean Boyst) and so he is hoping that the luck of the Britonish men will work with him going into the 53rd World Hit Festival.

His song is about losing someone, though it's not clear how Andres has lost that person. He says that while the story is personal to him, he believes that the ambiguity of the song means that more people can relate to it and mould it into their meanings of the song.

We will find out on the 9th August wherein the Grand Final Andres Cesare will perform, but until then, stream his song!

Head of Delegation, Tom Stardust, didn't write this song but he and his expert panel chose it as he thought that the song was in his words, "beautiful and needed to be heard, especially at a home World Hit Festival!". Tom hopes for a fantastic result in Bovingdon.

The demo version of the song Andres did with his friend Henry Basildon who was a talented musician. Andres could sing and he could write lyrics, but he didn't know how to do much more than read notes on a stave. Basildon and Cesare were asked to come into one of the many BVC Headquarters to begin working on the song, which involved Andres having to sing it multiple times until it was perfect. The Team had very high standards - Phillip Galkin and Jessy Crest wanted to make sure that the song was absolutely perfect before they even considered a music video and staging ideas. Though working with Andres was quite easy for the Team with Britonisea actually being one of the first countries to confirm their artist, and out of ABEN, most definitely being the first to reveal their artist and song. Andres wasn't too interested in making a music video for his song, but the Team insisted that one was made even if it was quite lowkey and so, shot very quickly before the release, the BVC team decided to make a video filmed at the top of the highest point in Doportedas as the sun was setting which fit in pretty well with the song.

It was then time for him to prepare for his trip to Bovingdon. Unlike many nations having to travel into Doportedas to get to Bovingdon, Andres' of course was already in the city. He was asked to meet at Centreon Station, which was his closest main station. He took a train from Centreon to Kingsland which is where he was able to take a train to Bovingdon - the NCR. He seemed to enjoy his trip to Bovingdon, though did hate the COVID-19 testing. He fully immersed himself ready for a spectacular performance on home soil. He hoped that he delivered as much as those before him did.

It was time for Andres Cesare to perform on the World Hit Festival stage and as he was fetched to perform, there was a sudden adrenaline rush for him - he felt ready to perform his song. The song to him was very heartfelt and meant a lot to him and so to be allowed to finally show his song to the millions of people watching, it was an honour. Andres' outfit wasn't too fancy. They - the Team at BVC - wanted him to appear cool, but at the same time, they wanted Andres to somewhat look quite smart. Thus, they decided to go for a leather material jacket with a pair of slacks, a white shirt and a black tie - which did suit him rather well. He liked the outfit as well and he made sure that it fit in the right places, no wrinkles before he proceeded to walk to the stage where over 3,000 fans were waiting for him to perform.

During the postcard (or the introduction video), Andres got himself ready on the stage. He was by himself, alone. The stage floor wasn't large, with most of the space being extended out onto the catwalks which went past the Golden Circle. On the stage were some props such as a band set up, suggesting he was performing on a stage, with his bandmates abandoning him. This wasn't lit behind him, however. The team wanted to keep the staging very simple despite spending a lot of money to build a stage with a lot of technological advancements - except for the first section. As the postcard finished, the audience came in with huge applause for the home entry. After a while, there was some silence before the music started to come in. The female backing singers, Aaliyah Banques, Zoe Wilkinson, Perri-Anne Drews could be heard as the music slowly started gaining dynamics.

As you could hear the backing singers, there was the use of camera 13 which showed the whole of B.A.F Bovingdon with Andres in the middle of the dark stage, crouching over. As the music started, it left people wondering what was happening on the stage as BVC decided to linger on this camera shot for the first 15 seconds of the song, with the camera slowly moving from the left of the arena to the right. As we move to the 16th second, the shot cut to camera 1, which showed an aerial picture of Andres from inside The Vortex. Andres was able to use this camera due to the broadcaster not opting to use The Eye during the performance. The ariel shot of Andres slowly moved closer and closer to him and about ten seconds he started looking at himself, you could see that the LED floor was made to be a seashore, with Andres crouching over and looking at himself in the water. This was pre-recorded and edited to make it look as though it looked realistic and live with Andres wearing exactly what he was going to wear for the performance for continuity sake. The camera continued to get closer and closer to him, even as he started singing the song...

I wish I was a time traveller,
I wish I could hold your hand.
Wish I had more days with you to cherish,
Alas, I’m just an ordinary man.

As Andres sang the lyrics of his song, in his mind, he was looking deeply into the LED floor, looking at him singing into - what at the time was - a camera. When Andres recorded this section before he practised on the stage, he remembered how empty he was feeling at the time and the audience, if they were watching Andres' reflection on the LED floor, they can tell that he wasn't singing with any emotion. As Andres started singing, the nerves started to kick in as he remembered what this song was about. He continued to look at himself on the LED floor, trying to make himself feel calmer but looking at himself sing the song. Looking intently at his lips, he mouthed and sung each lyric with power and emotion he couldn't bare himself to have when he first recorded it. There was a slightly distorted effect, an echoic effect done to the microphone to make it seem much eerier which fit in with the haunting sound of the guitar which carried the melody of the song. As he sang the lyrics, "Alas, I'm just an ordinary man" he reached out to his reflection before it disappeared on the stage floor. He placed his hand on the stage floor before slightly raising his head to look out towards the audience.

As he raised his head, the lights which were around the circumference of the main stage lit up in dark blue which you could see behind him as the shots kept on fading between camera 2 and 3, as the team at BVC wanted to have shots with him in this position with the audience in front of him, but also some shots where you couldn't see them. You could hear a few people cheering as he looked up with this being the first time that he, himself, interacted with the cameras or the audience in front of him. Along with the lights behind him, you could also see the broken band set pieces behind him as one could start to make assumptions as to what happened to him before this performance in a fictional world. As Andres introduced the word, "sun", some of the blue lights behind him slowly moved to a tint of orange, with the colours representing the Britonish flag - a sign of patriotism from the broadcaster which seems to be standard in most Britonish World Hit Festival performances nowadays.

I don’t want the sun to set,
No, I don’t want your warmth to fade.
Life as I know it won’t exist if I’m left without you.

There was a closer shot of him using camera 4 which was zoomed in to have the shot focus on Andres a tight close-up shot of his face as he stood up from his crouched position. Andres met his eyeline to the camera as the shot changed. He started to sing the word, "Life..." the colours used behind him slowly moved to a dim and boring white colour. Andres continued singing straight into the camera, with his eyebrows slightly lowered and his hand moving along with the 3/4 time signature of the song. He was getting prepared for the first of his choruses, and as he reached the end of the last line of the verse, the camera dipped to black as he took a deep breath in.

As he raised his volume and pitch whilst the stage was still dark with, the team decided that using camera 12 would be a great idea, with it showing B.A.F Bovingdon from the furthest point at the back, slowly zooming into Andres, but as the camera got closer and closer to him, it seemed to pick up some speed. Though as the music rolled in when he sang the end of the line, there was another shot showing the whole of the stage once again. This was significant as there was the use of more intense strobe lights coming from behind him, with blue and white lights appearing from behind him. It's important to note that the LED screen hadn't been used and so the only source of light behind Andres (apart from the strobe lights) were those who were in the audience with their mobile phone torches which the Team had allowed the fans there to do - they thought it would add to the overall atmosphere of the performance. With the powerful strobes lighting up the stage, Andres continued singing into the mic, continuing to move his hand along with the beat of the music and however he saw fit. As he sang the lyric, "see your smile once again", he slightly smiled himself...

I wish I could push rewind, I’d put my life on the line,
Just to see your smile once again.
And I thought that ignorance was bliss, but then reality hit.
Nothing but guilt is left in my heart.

He continued singing as the camera shots did some of the work as he stood in the middle of the stage. You could really hear the powerful voices of the backing singers, especially Aaliyah Banques - a WorldVision winner backing singer and Zoe Wilkinson - who's had her fair share of televised arena performances. The lights were slowly making their way around the arena, but indeed it wasn't too showy as the Team wanted to create a certain feel for the performance. It was now time to move onto the next section of the performance, the next verse. The female backing singers had stopped singing by this point as Jordan Johansen, a Brito-Ekozian singer, who was singing the harmony which added a bit more oomph to the performance.

As we roll onto the first verse with Jordan Johansen providing an extra voice, a ballerina appears on the stage right at the end of the catwalk with the camera cutting to a shot of her pivoting very quickly. Apparently the dancer Georgina Forest had ballerina lessons when she was younger meaning she was much more than happy to be a part of the home nation's performance. As the camera shot cut to Georgina the Ballerina, you could hear the audience cheering loudly, with this slightly giving encouragement to Andres, who slightly smiled to himself - but this wasn't caught on the camera. There was a spotlight on the ballerina, with crane camera number five capturing this moment, showing Andres in the background blurred throughout the next verse.

There’s nothing I could do to help you,
I couldn’t repay my debts.
You told me that I mustn’t fret,
Kissed my cheek, never saw you again.

The next verse was quite a short one. As Andres sang the lyrics "You told me...", there was a shot of the ballerina looking into one side of the screen with Andres looking at the other with the two shorts merging into one in the middle - it was almost as if they were having a dialogue with one another, but Georgina the Ballerina wasn't responding. Andres, here, looked a bit more like he was trying to receive some understanding from the dancer, but alas, he was only speaking to a brick wall and she no longer exists - it's all in his head. Andres continues to look broodingly into the camera during the last few lines of the verse before we move into the chorus.

As we reached the last chorus of the haunting song, Georgina the Ballerina slowly made her way to Andres with crane camera number 6 moving over the heads of the audience members as her ballerina dress turned into a long veil which was following her in a long trail - this was added to her when the camera wasn't on her. It was a beautiful shot as it almost looked like a wedding dress, with the lights on the stage adding to this theme; bright white lights. As Georgina walked closer to Andres, there was a shot which cut to him, with him looking at Georgina with a smile on his face, it was almost as if his dream came true. Andres walked up to where Georgina would be, over the dip between the main stage and outer stage walkway section.

I wish I could push rewind, I’d put my life on the line,
Just to see your smile once again.
And I thought that ignorance was bliss, but then reality hit.
Yes, I admit, I ignored your cries.

Though as Andres sang the word, "but then reality hit." Georgina reached Andres' but as he reached out his hand for her, Georgina continued to walk, though this time away from him down the other catwalk. There was a shot which trailed up Andres' body from the long trail that was following Georgina up to his face. He looked heartbroken as he admits, "I ignored your cries". Andres begins to walk in the other direction down the other catwalk, with the final shot, camera 8, lingering on the stage, watching the pair of them walk off the stage. The shot slowly starts to become distorted before eventually fading to black. The audience could be heard cheering from when Andres' stopped singing.

As the music stopped, there was a huge wave of applause as Andres says off the stage into his microphone, "Remercio Teis, everyone! Thank you so much." We then moved onto the next proceedings...

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 2:54 pm

XX
Normandy and Picardy
Gerard Arduane - "Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets"
Language(s): Normand*
Title Translation: I am left amongst the reflections
Tune: Michele Bravi - La vita breve dei coriandoli
*Mostly based on some online resources I could find for the Norman patois plus a few little tweaks here and there of my own
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: NPR
Lyrics: Gerard Arduane
Music: Gerard Arduane, Jean-Pierre Gaulfier
Backing Singers: Jayden Samuels, George Hayes-Springwood

Gerard in the promotional video for his entry, "Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets"

It had been a very nailbiting show, going down to the very wire. Then it was announced, they hadn't done enough. Heartbreak. A pill made even more bitter by the fact that the gap between first and second place was but one point. This was the closest the country had come in a very long time. Of course, you might make the reasonable point here that they should focus on the fact they came second in a very competitive field, had one of their best results in a very long time, and were continuing the country's seeming rebirth at the contest, as far as recent results suggested. Indeed, there was plenty of celebrating, but it must be said that for many people across Normandy and Picardy, this celebration was tinged with a bittersweet feeling, a slight tugging weight bringing everything down. Heaven forbid the country ever win (not literally of course, it would be quite nice), who knows how the people would react then! One of the people who had been watching was a certain Gerard Arduane, sat in his apartment in Rouen, who had been excitedly watching the contest like everyone else. Yet again, not many people can say they have actually gone to the contest itself, but Gerard definitely could. It felt like a world away for him however, a distant memory...

This should be no surprise, given it was at that time around 11 years since he had first set foot on the WHF stage in Polumisec, Izmedu, finishing 4th representing his country with the song "No Tears", not long after his 24th birthday and following a series of hits in the Normand charts. 4th is certainly no result to be sniffed at, but in the months and then years following the contest, Gerard could not help but feel bitter. Not towards the contest, no! He continued to love the contest and the whole other world he had been in during his time competing there. It was at home, however, where the problems came. For whatever reason, his career slowly but surely began to dry up; drop by drop, he was being left behind by an industry that no longer seemed to care about him and what he wanted to say. And so, he turned his back on his country too. He was still, luckily for him, well off enough that he could go travelling around the world, rather than turning to the usual traps and vices that ensnare the soul in such a state, but as he spent more and more time away, time and a lack of income took its toll on both him and his wallet, unsurprisingly. Eventually, he realised he would have to return, and try somehow to rebuild the life he had tried to run away from. He couldn't ignore the problems that had been piling up any longer, but he didn't even know where to start.

And thus, Gerard went from being an emerging star, darling balladier of the Normand music industry, and even touted to win Artist of the Year, to being a music teacher at it must be said one of the better private schools in Rouen, a comfortable enough job with a good enough salary, and a firm enough basis from which Gerard could hope to try and rebuild his life, one piece at a time. In a way, his life was infinitely more fulfilling that it had been before. No longer was he constrained by what his label said, nor was he mobbed by the media every day. He was back to being an ordinary person, he could just go on his way. But he did also miss that world of glitz and glamour, and he especially pondered on the mad circus that is the World Hit Festival. Of course, it was useless him pondering these things, but he did anyway. He began to write again. Not music, oh no; he had made that his job now, that was work for the spoilt children he was teaching to go and do on mother and father's money, if they so wished. For Gerard, his tool would simply be pen and paper.

So, he began to write a sort of poetic memoir, one deeply without chronology and all the usual trappings, but full of little reflections on his life, on his journey to and from stardom, and on accepting his place in life, his own personal catharsis. He also took the time to return to his roots, to use that time-worn phrase, deciding to write only in the traditional Normand language, rather than the Metro French often used, or even English, a language in which he was fluent in and the language his WHF entry had been in, it should be noted. This, in a way, became a way for him to make sense of his life, even in the rather chaotic form of his work which perhaps was reflective of that life itself. Little was he to know this would propel him back to new heights. Gerard had accidentally left a lot of his paperwork at the school at which he taught one night, and this work happened to be chanced upon by one of the other teachers, who, not being able to help himself, started to read. Then, he read it to others. By the time Gerard returned to work the next morning, he was being hailed, by admittedly a very small but, this being a posh private school, a very well connected and in the right places influential audience. Soon, he was being hailed as the future of Normand language poetry and, one thing leading to another, he eventually ended up being interviewed on TV as part of SRNP's cultural programming. This programming is run by none other than the head of the Normand WHF delegation itself, Simone Derrida.

And thus, a stroke of luck had brought Gerard, by the time of the last contest which he watched alongside a small group of friends he had made since his return, back to albeit a different form of reknown, certainly not the sort of his early days but perhaps a better form, although that will depend on the person really. He had also, even if he did not know it yet, come one step closer to returning back to WHF once more. But what was going on in the world of Simone Derrida and the Normand delegation. Well, the below should show you they originally had different plans...

The initial tweet made from the official SRNP Twitter account announcing the act originally intended to represent the country in Bovingdon

As the above makes clear, Gerard was definitely not SRNP's first choice, and instead Simone Derrida had decided that the act they would send to WHF in Bovingdon would be Yves de Beauvais, in a stage in his career perhaps equivalent to that that Gerard was at when he went to WHF himself; young, and rising up the charts. Managing to bag Yves was itself a massive coup, but also perhaps a surprising change in strategy which involved Simone reaching out to her contacts in the more mainstream industry, rather than using her own personal connections to artists, or going for the slightly more alternative. This, in effect, had been an all out effort, win or die trying type effort, partly pushed upon Simone by the broadcaster itself, who, alongside the government, were keen to bring the contest back to the country, even as Simone had been wishing to simply represent what she saw as "the best of Normand and Picard culture and arts". However, in essence she had slightly had her way in the choice of song. It has been the smash hit of the summer in Normandy and Picardy, breaking record sales left, right and centre, <<Chez Les Chtis>> The song, with the offical English title for the contest "Come to Our Place", might sound a bit odd, especially to those who don't know what a Chti is. Luckily, we're here to tell you. "Chti" is a word which began life, and sometimes is still used, as a derogatory term for Picards; the term references the Picard dialect prononuciation of "C'est moi" ("Ch'ti mi") has in the last 20 years been reclaimed by especially young Picards and become a part of their identity, and in his song Yves is inviting people to visit the Picard's place to have a party. So, still very much on the cultural side, even if the lyrics were a tad more raunchy than had been expected.

Yves had definitely made it clear that he was up to the challenge. The news was revealed in a specially produced televised show, hosted by Simone Derrida herself, and broadcast on SRNP1 and SRNP Actus, which saw the first confirmation of both the artist and the song, and an interview with both previous Normand entrant and 2nd placer Hélène Pêcheur, who voiced her support for the entry and who it was also revealed was to be involved in the staging. Asked about what representing the Republics at WHF meant to him, Yves responded "Obviously, this is such a massive thing, such a big contest, so the pressure really is on... I love performing, and to get to do it to such a large audience is such a great opportunity, and I just know I'm going to love the whole experience." Everything was set, and the broadcaster was fully behind their act, believing that they could finally clinch the trophy and bring the contest back to Normandy and Picardy. However, this was not to be. Tragedy struck. Yves was involved in a car accident on the way to training, beginning to prepare for the competition in Bovingdon. Whilst ultimately he would be fine, he was injured pretty badly, bad enough that he would have to pull out of the competition.

This of course left Simone and SRNP with a bit of a problem. They had lost their act, with little time to work, and so Simone was forced to try and find someone to fill the gap. You can see where we are going here, I imagine. Simone at first actually approached previous Normand entrant Jean-Pierre Gaulfier, part of the team who delivered 4th place for Derrida's first ever entry as HoD, asking if he would like to return to the contest again. In response, she was told that it was far too soon for him to come back as a performer, but that he would be willing to help write a new entry, if his services were needed. So that still left the mystery over who the singer would be. There was a list of possibilities that seemed to strech on into infinity, but very little time indeed for a decision to be made. Derrida and Gaulfier finally agreed to make the decision over a meal and a good quantity of wine, talking through the potential options that stood out...

Gerard was stunned when he checked his email when he arrived for work, still teaching in the same private school despite his poetic success - he had to have a more stable income and a setting to produce new experiences, he reckoned, plus he actually enjoyed teaching, even if his particular students were a nightmare - and even more stunned when he actually opened the email. It had been a very long time since he had properly performed singing in public, apart from in a series of school productions. A nagging doubt crept in. Am I good enough for this? Can I really go back and do it again? But this was his golden ticket, his chance to go on the mad ride once more, and perhaps, he dared to dream, perhaps even revive his career, as thoughts of teaching all suddenly washed away, the routines he had settled into dissolving into nothingness. He could not help but agree to do it; this would be his chance to shine, but this time with something much more close and deep to him than his previous entry. This was not, in his mind, no matter how much other people thought, about winning. He simply wanted to go back, to feel it all again, and to present his craft, what felt more like a true representation of himself, to the world. And so, he worked with Jean-Pierre, setting some of the words from one of his more personal poems from his first collection to a delicately done ballad, back in the style he knew so well but with a greater sense of fragility, and ultimately, to put it in his own words, "a sense of real emotion, unlike some of my earlier stuff".

From that point on, he got caught in the whirlwind that is preparing for WHF, going from interview to interview. He probably had a less busy schedule than Yves would have had, given his entry did not exactly require full choreography to quite the same extent, but of course his entry was quite last minute, and came as a real surprise to well, everyone, from the people who remembered him to those who didn't. Some questioned why SRNP had put their faith in him; "Why send a has-been, someone who has been and failed before?", and, the world being the rotten place it is today, Gerard had to face these doubters head on. Luckily for him, though, the song has for the most part been met positively, and has tentatively climbed its way up the charts, and is almost certain to clinch number one, if only after his trip to Bovingdon itself. And that trip was looming ever more presently in his mind, coming closer and closer in that way that things do, where they seem so far away and then suddenly they're coming towards you like a race car down the home straight. Before he even really knew what was going on he had been whisked away on a flight on N&P's best well known (and rated both worst and best) budget (and non-budget) airline, Aéro.np, flying direct to Kyvivre International, which they went to certainly not for convenience given the longer train ride and the like, but simply because it was cheaper, and following the money blown on their original plans, the delegation had been forced to scrimp a bit.

Gerard didn't particularly mind that, given he quite enjoyed a good train ride or two. They gave him time to think, to gaze out as the world goes by, and to see more of the place that he would for the shortest blur of a time he would be calling a home away from home. He had actually hoped to spend some time in Kyvivre when the delegation landed, but that wasn't going to happen; the delegation was already slightly behind on time and were running on a very tight schedule as it was, and so he was effectively bundled onto the next train on the circular line heading towards Bovingdon, the host city. So much for the theme regarding roads and what not, but there would be time enough for that, and he was certain he would see some when they filmed the last minute emergency postcard for the country; they're hardly a rare find in Britonisea, or indeed anywhere, for that matter. There was another reason they had to get to Bovingdon so quickly, and that was because Simone Derrida, head of delegation, was due to interview him for her SRNP Radio 3 show; it had been temporarily taken over by presenter Jules Lalique whilst she was away on her duties as HoD, but was to carry out this interview, which would also be broadcast on the special RadioFIT channel created for the contest (FIT = Festival International des Tubes, the Normand name for the contest). No one in the rather small delegation, numbering 7 people in total (slightly higher than last contest in Kalosia but not much more), and they felt more like doing it in one of the admittedly unsual COVID-aware lodges that the Britonish broadcaster had kindly set up - they weren't going to pay to take up hotel space, especially at the exorbitant hotel costs that had accompanied the contest in Bovingdon - than in the centre of Kyvivre or on the train.

Gerard's first day in Britonisea certainly was turning out to be a mad one, even more so than his time all those years back in Polumisec; he certainly hadn't be held to this sort of timeline in a long time, and the Normand government had requested them leave as late as possible, for some reason believing it would make them less likely to catch COVID, even though everyone knew the delegation would have to quarantine once they returned from Britonisea; Normandy and Picardy has up until this point managed to survive without a single case, but they are aware that could change at any time. Of course, these were all questions for a different time for Gerard and gang, who were busy applying themselves to the issues at hand. After a roughly two hour train ride, slightly longer than most of the team had hoped but which suited Gerard down to the ground, the issue at hand was the aforementioned interview. All the usual questions were asked. Here's a snippet of the various things Gerard said during the interview, for your amusement I suppose (although be honest, how many of you are still reading at this point? Why are you still reading at this point?):

It's great to be back here, in this crazy old bubble once again. So much has changed, the contest has gone so far since I took part, and yet in many ways the energy, the energy is still the same as ever, and it is rather infectious I must say, I mean, that's why you're [you = Derrida in this case, and perhaps you, the competitors, if you so wish] hooked too... It is a privilege for me to return, and bring an entry in my own language, the first entry in the Normand language. As you [this you is definitely Simone] said, we were due to have our first Picard entry, and I do hope we see some Picard at the contest in future, all parts of our great country should be represented, definitely, and you're doing a great job of that. But I don't speak Picard, and I can only present what I am, sing in the language that I know... Of course it's not just the words, as I definitely know, it's the feeling, the emotions, it's that moment where you really reach into someone's heart, and I hope we can create that. We have a small but great team working on this, and I just hope that there are people out there who appreciate what we have done...

Training. Rehearsals on the big stage, "The Vortex" as the hosts had taken to calling it. More interviews. Performances (within COVID regulations, of course). The next few days before the show itself went nowhere and everywhere, every moment lasting an eternity and being fleeting, flying through Gerard's fingers even as he held onto every opportunity that presented itself. The Normand team were busy making sure everything was perfect, making sure that Gerard would have his time. He was there to enjoy himself and to show himself to the world, sure, but they could sense he had another goal, even if he couldn't, or wouldn't, articulate it. Clearly, the idea of redemption had at least latched hold of his subconscious; this was his chance to really make himself again, but on his own terms, not those of the industry that had so cruelly abandoned him 12 years beforehand. This was his moment. And they were determined everything would go as well as possible for him, and he of course was determined that he would do his best to represent his country, and enjoy the new lease of life. The big night. The stage. Walking on, the flag behind him. Cheering crowds. And then, time moving inexorably forward, each second hanging with great importance yet passing with extraordinary speed, it was finally his time. The enormity of what he was doing suddenly dawned on him, just as it had done all that time ago. It was time...

He was absolutely exhausted after the semi-final performance. Shattered. He just needed to sit down in the greenroom and take stock. He had also been very happy with his performance; practically everything had gone right. It would be difficult to do that all again on the Saturday, if indeed he was to make it, the issue of which suddenly popped into Gerard's mind. He tried to distract himself, but it was at that point that the expectations of the audience back in Rouen, back in Normandy and Picardy, suddenly became focused. What had he got himself into? But this was only part of the disorientating experience to come, watching the rest of the acts come on and perform - he particularly enjoyed the Achaean entry, amongst others - but refusing to drink, unlike the rest of the delegation who were very much taking advantage of Britonish hospitality. This enjoyment, however, for Gerard and the whole delegation, became increasingly punctuated with anxiety. Normandy and Picardy had definitely been stung by the semi finals before, having failed to qualify the first time they had to compete in one and, although they had since managed to qualify since, that worry remained them. How could they enjoy it with that in the back of their minds? Surely they would enjoy the saturday show more, whether they were there or not, because at least that would be one weight lifted.

The qualifier reveal suddenly jumped up on them, somehow catching them unawares even though the night had been inexorably leading towards this point. Music started. There would be only 8 spots, and every fibre in Gerard's body was praying Normandy and Picardy would take one of them. The first country, the first syllable. Nor- Had it come already, had he been so very quickly put out of his misery? No, it was to be the song that perforned before, North Alezia. A good song, Gerard thought. But then his mind returned once more to the more immediate issue at hand. Especially having flown so close with the first announcement - even though he knew ultimately the order didn't matter, as long as you were one of those eight, and especially a sharing of syllables didn't matter - Gerard grew even more nervous. The next country to be announced. Nor- The delegation went mad. Even before the rest of the name was announced they realised it was them. They had done it, they had made the final once more! Gerard broke down into tears, hugging Simone tightly as he let everything sink in. Or well, he would have, but he was quickly whisked along by the contest staff, who of course had a job to do. It was all mad, unbelievable. Minutes felt like hours, but the hours also passed in what felt like seconds. The draw. A quick night's sleep. Talks with the Normand media. Talks with the delegation. Watching the second semi. The final dress rehearsal. The parade of nations as part of the opening ceremony, the Normand flag being shown behind him, reminding him ultimately what he was in Bovingdon to do, as much as it was for him a deeply personal experience, yet one he was sharing with the thousands of eyes in that old air force hangar building, and the millions watching from all over the multiverse. He waved, gave a quick, barely audible "Bonjour!", as he performed his part in the parade. And then, once again, it was time, time to represent his country and do everyone back home, and most importantly himself, proud...

His heart was again pounding madly, perhaps even more so than on the Tuesday. Definitely unlike the last time, all those years ago. He cast his mind back for a moment before returning to the task at hand, which once again was performing the opening lines of the song a capella, certainly not an easy task in front of so many viewers, and something that could easily go wrong. It was certainly a brave choice, one that he had been very unsure about when he had been working with J.P.-Gaulfier working on the song in the studio back in Rouen, but which ultimately he had been convinced to do, fitting with the themes of the songs and helping to highlight a sense of fragility. Naturally, opening yourself to that sort of fragility isn't the sort of thing you gladly do, but Gerard could draw on the words, and from his life, to help fuel the moment. In any case, it was time for him to stop simply thinking and actually do the bloody singing, much as it is time for me to finally get around to describing such, and the staging arrangements too. The various elements of the vortex and the lattice-LED light bit (which I'll call the lattice from now on) had been ever so slightly lowered down, and the central small LED screen was angled ever so slightly forward of a position in which its full screen could be seen from the front, just so that it seemed to be looking down on Gerard, for reasons which will be detailed later. Gerard was to be found in the middle platform of the stage (the section surrounded by the in stage lighting rig) where he would remain, pretty much, for the entirity of the song, whilst the two backing singers that the Britonish broadcaster had very kindly allowed the Normand delegation to use, which definitely solved problems for the broadcaster regarding COVID restrictions and the like, were placed at the far back of the two back catwalks of the stage, such that they would mostly be out of sight for the entire song; sad for them, I guess.

Now, to get to the performance of the song. The final few murmurs from the crowd melted away into the air of the aeroplane manufacturing plant (which I will term 'the plant' from now on) in which the contest had found itself. Not the sort of place Gerard had ever really played before. Not that that really mattered to him in this moment. Instead, he was busy sitting in a large pool of water which had been placed in the platform in the middle, very thin height wise and with a thin layer of water. The platform came with a system that ensured that said water could move around a bit, but not too much, only like waves rippling slightly rather than the sea during a thunderstorm. Perhaps picture a nice pond in a park, with the wind moving the surface of the water slightly. That type of thing. Gerard, wearing a rather loose, plain navy blue shirt, and a relatively tight pair of trousers in a very dark red, and going barefoot, was sat resting on his feet, his legs bent and drawn close to his body, and coccyx/lower back. He sat there in the few moments as the audience waited, many people around the multiverse expecting the music to kick in at any moment, whilst those fans of the contest who follow it closely, and thus the majority of the people in the plant, knew that that was not be forthcoming. A horizontal line of lights, one of the group that lay between each of the large background LED panels, all shone together, facing towards Gerard in the water. This formed a sort of beam of light, albeit a faint one, just enough to show Gerard and the slowly moving water beneath (and around) him. The first camera view was from a slightly off angle, working on an alignment looking at the stage from the audience, such that the majority of one side of his face (and body), and a slight part of the other, somewhat more shadowy, could be seen. Gerard had had his face looking downwards, but as he began to sing looked up to the camera, enough of a distance away to show all of him lightly touched by the white beam, and he began to sing his a capella opening. His voice quivered slightly, a mixture of nerves and acting, although Gerard couldn't really feel the difference, as the camera slowly zoomed in towards him.

Ej assiéthe ichi seu
Ej levaï mes uurs as nuaées tchi passent 'vaunt
En temps s'envoler laîssissaunt
Penseyes ecourent coume vagues a mes pyids

Not much changed as the piano came in and the verse continued. The camera feed, having come very close to Gerard indeed, slowly moved around from left to right, moving around slowly. Gerard slowly followed the camera around with his head, the light slowly almost carressing him, and playing amongst the ripples of water. The whole thing was quite well executed, yet for all that, as well as through the words that almost seemed to be forcing themselves out, there was a general melancholic feeling. As the song swelled into life, the strings coming in and provided a sudden gutpunch to the song, the camera shot moved again to show the stage more generally. The slight lighting from behind faded away, but this is where the central LED of the vortex came into play, more about which in the next RP paragraph below.

Exçaès plein de netaunte
Châtchune goute eyt eun moument increiyable
Is èrpétent tes mots silentes
Ej syis debout a gourd

As promised, here's more about that whole LED screen being used as a glorified light thing mentioned above. It seemed to slowly flicker into life, again being mostly white in colour, although this light also seemed to have a slightly goldish hue to it, it wasn't quite as pure as the original light had been. Again, it wasn't a full, hard light as it were, but again was rather slight, although it became more and more intense and the song cranked up into gear, a wave of emotion hitting the plant and screens across the multiverse. Gerard slowly moved up onto his feet, not simply by getting up but rather he seemed to struggle, his body moving around and contorting as he made his way up, and placed his mic in the conveniently placed mic stand which had been very quickly placed whilst the cameras were focusing elsewhere. As the song finally burst out into the first chorus, the big vortex-LED light was joined by the ring of lights around the central audience pit section, which took on a slightly blue colour. The majority of the camera cuts were on stage level, close to Gerard as he sung, his hands hovering above his microphone, as he tried desparately to control himself and keep on going.

Et ej peus veir
Eun mireus tchi mouont al pire de mei
En etaunt coupi per châtchun éclatine
Eune galerie veude et eune querre épotine
Les morcés delquile entieres na s'sount jammais

Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets
De milles de contes tchi k'a te vivins et sount passi
De lermes et de risaées tchi dispethaîtent
A l'infini

With the 'a l'infini' of the chorus, all the lights in the stadium seemed to ebb away, once again drenching the plant in a thick sea of darkness, all the life suddenly seeming to empty away. Then, with the sudden piano chord that opened the next verse, a group of spotlights from the lighting rig surrounding the central vortex LED screen all shone down on Gerard, and unlike the other lights before that had flickered in or the like, these lights properly suddenly appeared quite intensely. There was also a very quick transition from a wider shot, to allow these lights coming to life to be shown, and a very close shot of Gerard himself, who almost seemed to shake somewhat, every little movement delicately done as he carried on singing. There were cut shots to both the left and right as he kept looking forwards, before the camera view settled on him once again.

Ej continnue d'essayer
De tendre am man a ches p'tits moments
Tchi puraent tra mes deigts freids
En me dégannaunt vers el bord

Not much actually changed as the song carried on; simplicity was the word for the Normand team behind the staging, both to let the song speak for itself, but also for the atmosphere, the moment. Really, the only major difference between the last chorus and this one was the greater ambient lighting, making use of the edge lighting strips along the stage, and the rings of lighting rigs around the central platform of the stage and the audience area, which helped provide a gentle, deep bluey glow to act along the white lighting from elsewhere. Sorry there's not much more to say really, beyond the focus in this second chorus was very much on Gerard, with lots of close cuts showing the emotion etched into his face, dancing about as he stood, one hand hovering above the microphone, the other barely touching the stand, moving slowly as he did in general as he allowed the song, the moment, the entire experience flow through him.

Et ej peus veir
Châtchune illusion tchi ke m'encruchae
Châtchune ravagine dont ej deis émoqui
Mais ej na veur pas encore me levaï
Et savei que ej syis seu ichi

Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets
De milles de contes tchi k'a te vivins et sount passi
De lermes et de risaées tchi dispethaîtent
A l'infini

As the chorus ended, the image being broadcast out into the multiverse became somewhat blurry for a moment, before refocusing to show that the view had changed to look behind and above Gerard to show the small central screen of the vortex in focus, which for this section was made to look like an old projector screen, with a light from beneath even (very) faintly shining upon it, as was shown as the camera view turned towards it (it started looking down slightly before turning to fully show the screen). Before the contest, Gerard and Simone had got together members of various different communities within Normandy and Picardy, both Normand and Picard (represented by Gerard, speaking first in French and providing the final words in Picard, meaning that despite the fact that Yves de Beauvais had to pull out, the contest still recieved its first ever line of Picard, even if just part of a little montage and as part of a wider song mostly sung in Normand) but from other migrant and diaspora groups, with footage filmed in black and white in an old studio, with the person sitting on a chair looking towards the camera. The footage was deliberately made to look old-timey, with mocked up tape 'damage' and the like. Whilst the flow of speech was rather haphazard, much like the collection of lives being shown and their different memories and experiences which all come together to show the story of the modern country that is Normandy and Picardy, as also serving to show difference and how perhaps we might never truly understand someone else's experience, nor even be able to piece together many of our own, below are a series of examples of the various bits of speech given in Spanish, Kalosian, Britonish and Picard.

Yo quiero regresar
Ja pošu viderë lo tuto
Uies, remembero
Éj sins sitant in vivant

Following that section, and with the backing vocals opening the 'bridge', the small background screen thing flickered out. There was a switch to a wider, further out shot of the entire stage showing this happening, before a ring of lights shown down from the central light rig at top shone down in a circle around the stage, before quickly tightening in and turning around, such that they seemed to form a 'light cage' around him. Then, a switch to a closer shot, slowly turning and panning to one side as he sang the bridge, every last sinew of his being fighting to keep going (he felt absolutely exhausted despite the fact he actually had very little to do physically in this performance, as it were) and put every ounce of emotion he could find into it. He knew it would be over soon, so he would savour the moment, but of course he had to keep playing the part, he had his job to do, to add to the intimate moment the Normand team had been hoping to create. It all could still go wrong, a sudden pang of worry informed Gerard, but yet he kept going. He was nearly home and somewhat dry.

Hâot-bouot ou compte, ej i bésouen
Del temps pour réfléchi et essayer
De rassembler lent'ment tertoutes les morcés
Et fabriquer quique seit de mes memoires

The sudden beginning of the final chorus was also captured by a sudden cut to a wide shot of the stage from towards the back of the audience standing in the plant, in order to show the fact that for the first time throughout the perform, the large background LED screens were actually being used. Suddenly flickering into life, they showed similar black and white style footage to what had been shown during the instrumental section, but more of them moving around, smiling and laughing, and the like, and without any audio, such that they formed an almost ghostly background. Due to the seperation because of the columns of lighting between the LED panels - which where being used to provide a general ambient background lighting, with a slight golden touch to the light streaming out from them - the images seemed to be cut up into slices, which of course, as the Normand delegation had realised, almost reflected the message of the song itself, and could be thought of as the shards of the broken mirror, or whatever image you want to use of various memories referenced in the lyrics. This was a deliberate choice, given the use of the lattice, again being used only now, to show similar, albeit different, black and white clips, with different bits of video as you go around, overlapping with one another and being cut up by the lattice structure. Beyond that, ambient lighting was also provided by the two rings of lighting around the inside of the stage and the audience rig, which faded on and off.

Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets
De milles de contes tchi k'a te vivins et sount passi
De lermes et de risaées tchi dispethaîtent
A l'infini

With the final 'a l'infini', the Normand delegation actually surprised everyone by not just having everything fade to black, a technique that they are normally extremely fond of. No, they had finally realised that this was not the only way to bring closure to a song, not that closure of course would have been required for this song. Instead, the inner ring lights and the lights between the LED panels, which did fade back into darkness, all turned and converged on Gerard, and the camera cut to show him looking towards the camera, as he began to let out just a little smile, full of bittersweet feeling. And then, it was all over. Adrenalin coursed through his veins. He had done it. He had got through the performance. Relief. "Merchi Bovingdon!" he shouted over the top of his breath as he tried to actually just remember what he was doing. After a few seconds, he finally seemed to realise that he had to get off stage. As the show carried on and the audience's applause began to die down, he left the stage. Now, the hard part, the waiting, began...

by **Beepee** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:24 pm

XX
BEEPEE
BRITNEY C - "SING ALONG WITH ME"
Language(s): English
Tune: LIDIJA BAČIĆ - TEK JE POČELO
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: BPE
Lyrics: Otto Tune
Music: Otto Tune
Backing Singers: Otto Tune, Hannah Conda, Honey McComb, Beau Jobs, Harry Balzac

Beepee, the plucky and doggedly determined nation, often embarrasses itself at the World Hit Festival.

Beepee's first foray in WHF was at the 50th Edition, held at Vodiznad, Izmedu. "Inside Me" was performed by Eileen Dover, and finished last in the first semifinal with a single solitary point (from this cycles wonderful host Britonisea).

Despite this disappointing start, Beepeeans were not disheartened and vowed to improve. Entering WHF 51 at Sinnlichšukai, Todlichebujoku , with "Love Me" performed by Betty Wont. The song, which was the first song performed on the evening, finished fifth overall.

Beepee then entered for the third occasion at WHF 52, held in beautiful Monterra, Kalosia. Mike Oxlong performed the song "Little Bird", which finished 14th, with a total of 11 points. The emotional song was recently discovered to have been written about the passing of an Elejamie feline.

Although other nations often bristle at the musical choices, Beepeeans take the competition most seriously. It's clear that most Beepeeans are generally just pleased to be allowed to enter.

This cycle, Beepee will be represented by Britney C.

Britney Coast, who goes by the stage name Britney C, was born on 4 August 1985 in Mela Leuca, Northern Beepee.

Britney C rose to fame in 2005 after finishing as runner-up on the second season of B Factor. Later in 2010, she released her debut album, an album of pirate shanties, "Songs from the C", which enjoyed moderate success.

In 2015, she released her second album, "From C to Shining C", a tribute to the great artists of Caryton

In 2017, she was nominated as one of Beepee's Most Vivacious Lovelies in and internet poll of under 18s.

Ms Fanny Golightly, and the internal selection team, made the choice of this cycles entrant, choosing "Sing With Me".

Single Cover

The song "Sing With Me" was written by Beepeean lyricist
Otto Tune.

In describing the song, Otto describes the song as "a modern take on a retro song, harking back to the golden days that Beepeeans love so much."

In describing the process behind the writing, Otto stated:

"I couldn't pass the chance to pay homage to our wonderful hosts this year: Bovingdon, Britonisea, and the theme of this year "Road to Victory".

"I hope that the whole multiverse loves these uplifting lyrics and understands the love which the whole of Beepee has for the multiverse."

Despite Beepee being declared CoVID free, all Beepeeans are cognisant of the ongoing pandemic. As such, Ms Fanny Golightly, as Head of Delegation, determined that a small but compact delegation would be sufficient and Beepee could cope without the need for Britonisea assistance in backing artists.

Ms Fanny Golightly determined, given her heavy pregnancy, determined that the Beepeean delegation should avoid flying, instead chartering a Beepeean Ferry for the small delegation. The Ferry ride took two weeks to cross towards the west coast of Britonisea and was generally uneventful.

Arriving at Doportedas, Doportedas Island, the team completed a mandatory 14 day quarantine period in a delightful hotel, before boarding the 9:36am National Circle Train. Providing the delegation with spectacular views of Doportedas Island and its stunning and dramatic coastline. The Delegation marvelled as the train travelled through Kingsland. It was glorious to see the splendiferous wonders of Brionisea on the 40 min train journey.

On arrival in Bovingdon, the team settled into their accomodation and dutifully read the welcome pack.

The days leading up to the festival were filled with rehearsals and excitement. Britney and her backing artists were delighted to explore the joys of Bovingdon, particularly the streetsigns. Fanny Golightly however, huffed and puffed her way around the town being '13' months pregnant.

On the night, Britney C will be joined on stage by 5 backing singers...

1. Otto Tune
And (from right to left)
2. Hannah Conda
3. Honey McComb
4. Beau Jobs
5. Harry Balzac

And despite some nerves excitement grew as the performance was about to begin.

Once again, and as is customary, Beepee televisual viewers are entertained by the eloquent ramblings of Hugh Jakeman.

"Let me tell you how much I enjoyed that... I'm already on my second bottle of Sav Blanc."

"What-o! Looking at the running order apparently we are next."
"
Now I'm very excited about this song, it's taking us back to what I love most about Beepeean entries - tunes that no-one care for, with lyrics written by a teething toddler. You may say I'm being harsh... but this new song sounds like its 40 years old and that's an excellent vintage if you ask me."

"Burtney is singing for us this year. My she's a pert lovely with trousers so tight you can see what she ate for breakfast."

The postcard ends and a brief shot of the audience comes on screen.

Hugh continues:

"It appears those chaps have forgotten to bring their wives with them to the show tonight... I do hope the present Mrs Jakeman isn't receiving any unwanted attention! She's somewhere in that throng."

"Now here comes Burtney...let's cheer her on in word and gesture!"...

Off screen.... Britney stands left-of-centre stage. Conda, McComb, Jobs and Balzac stand at microphone stands on the right of stage.

The camera focuses on Otto Tune who is standing on the catwalk which extends into the audience.

The music begins....

Otto Tune, looks down Camera 5 and with his quirky charm begins to whistle. The more eagle-eyed of the televisual audience will note that Otto is clearly miming the whistle to the backing track, however his inimitable charm will win over even the harshest of critics.

The director cuts to camera 8 providing a full stage view and a gentle fog covers the stage.

The Vortex, treated as an LED Screen, begins in deep greys and blacks, occasionally a flash of lightning will crack across the screen.

The director cuts to Camera 2 which swings round the stage to focus on Britney, who is wearing a revealing high cut crop top in grey camouflage, extremely tight fitting black lycra legging-trousers, and golden high heels, lifts her microphone and begins.

Hey!
It's such a cold and rainy day,
But everything's gonna be okay,
You don't have to fear,
I'll make the dark clouds disappear.

As she sings the first verse, the LED thunderstorm begins to roll on by and a clear blue sky begins to form on the vortex screen. The symbolism is enhanced by an off stage wind machine blowing the low fog off stage and providing Britney with some movement in her hair.

She smiles warmly down the camera, not too desperately, to encourage the at home audience to feel warm and secure in her words.

As the second verse begins, the Director cuts to the spider camera which begins at the rear of the hall and flying over the assembled audience, waving the flags of the many nations.

Hey!
Watch the flags flowing as they wave,
Happy people everywhere,
Even if your sad and blue,
I'll bring sunshine in to your room.

Midway through the second verse, the director cuts to the steadicam which has rushed on stage. From the side, Britney walks towards the camera holding her free arm out to the side as she sings "sunshine", as the word leaves her lips the vortex LED image morphs to show a warm yellow sun float across the blue sky (by this point the storm has vanished completely).

The chorus begins and Britney's vocals are enhanced by the backing troupe. The Director cuts the view ceiling camera, and the floor LED shows the smiling pre- recorded and disembodied head of Britney who winks up at the camera. It's a little strange but not unpleasant.

Sing along with me, I am Britney C,
Coming to you live, from here in Britonisea,
We are all as one, here in Bovingdon,
On a 'road to victory',
Sing it back to me.

As Britney sings "Britonisea" and "Bovingdon" the audience clearly responds to the names, and the vocal noise in is clearly audible to the at home audience. Midway through the first part of this chorus the Camera 3 and shows the backing artists shuffling from one foot to another in time and Britney walking to the front of the main stage. The Vortex LED changes to show a variety of bright colours in geometric shapes moving across the rear of the stage in cheerful and colourful gaiety.

As she begins the second part of the chorus, Britney (buoyed by the audience's reaction to the place names), waves her arms up and down encouraging the audience to participate.

Sing along with me, I am from Beepee,
Singing songs of joy, helping you feel free,
Throw away your cares, dance like no-one's there,
We're in this together, in it forever!

As she sings "I am from Beepee", Britney reactfully clutches as her chest, in an unexpected wave of patriotism, before opening her arms to the audience as if to embrace them all from the stage. As the chorus continues, Britney makes her way to the catwalk that extends to the audience.

The director cuts back camera 5 showing to Otto at the end of the catwalk, who once again begins to mime whistle.

As the whilsting ends, Britney has reached Otto and she throws her arm around his shoulder and looking at Otto she sings...

Hey!
When the world it feels too much,
You don't have to feel the crush,
Let me carry some of the weight,
And tomorrow'll be a brighter day.

The pair sway throughout the verse, and at the end, Britney unhinges herself from Otto and turns to Camera 5 singing directly to it.

Sing along with me, I am Britney C,
Coming to you live, from here in Britonisea,
We are all as one, here in Bovingdon,
On a 'road to victory',
Sing it back to me.

Offscreen a steadicam has made it's way to just behind Otto and Britney. As the pair turn, the director cuts to the steadicam. Britney takes Otto's hand and the pair begin walking back to the stage singing to camera.

Sing along with me, I am from Beepee,
Singing songs of joy, helping you feel free,
Throw away your cares, dance like no-one's there,
We're in this together, in it forever!

The pair reach the main stage as the chorus ends, and the director once again cuts to the ceiling cam focusing on the prerecorded head of Britney shining from the floor LED, which sings...

Ooooh oooh oh oh ooh oh oh

Otto warbles.

The director cuts to camera 8, showing the whole stage, then quickly flicks between cameras 2 and 3, which are swinging in different directions, as the final chorus continues. This quick cutting technique provides the at home audience with visual interest, and allows them to see the chorus words which are now projected on the vortex LED to allow the in hall audience to 'sing along' for the final chorus.

At this point, Britney, Otto and the backing artists have formed a line across the front of the main stage and are smiling at waving at the audience encouraging public participation.

Sing along with me, I am from Beepee,
Singing songs of joy, helping you feel free,
Throw away your cares, dance like no-one's there,
We're in this together, in it forever!

The televisual audience will catch some of the audience singing along with Britney.

As the final chorus ends, Otto whistles his final tune and fireworks erupt from the front of the stage.

The performers line up closer before, in unison respectfully bowing and waving at the audience... Britney thanks the audience, and they all rush off stage pleased with their performance.

For televisual viewers back in Beepee, the irreverent and (possibly) irrelevant Hugh Jakeman returns to the airwaves...

"Some would say that was unnecessary, I wouldnt disagree but I finished off my third bottle during that performance."

"Don't ask me what was happening now, I was too distracted by the trousers."

Off stage, Ms Fanny Golightly began to moan.... as her waters broke...

by **Achaean Republic** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:45 pm

XX
ACHAEAN REPUBLIC
THE INTERMISSIÓN - "QUÉDATE"
Language(s): SPANISH
Title Translation: STAY
Tune: La Oreja de Van Gogh - Abrázame
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: ACH
Lyrics: Marianne Rivera
Music: David Cortijo, Marianne Rivera, Thomas C. Greene, Jessica Cortijo

From left to right: David Cortijo, Marianne Rivera, and Thomas C. Greene

She had that dream again. It was a dry, dusty road heading near the famous caves at La Cañada. A man was walking beside her, wearing a bone-white tunic and sandals made of leather and coconut. There was a faint trail of blood behind him, one that grew larger and larger as they walked towards the caves. She remembered the deep holes in his hands, the prickly wounds in his chest, the damp smell of iron and sweat and water and flesh discharging from his body. But it never smelled as his skin was putrefying or his veins were rotting in and of themselves—no! It was him and her, walking together through the dusty road, over a cave shaped like a pentagon and a very heavy rock sliding behind him as he walked inside it.

Every time she had that recurring dream, she bolted from the bed and cried herself in her knees, all the while her husband slowly comforted and prayed with and for her. She never understood why she kept reliving that horrible dream. Not even her husband, tender and understanding as he is, could explain the psychological processes that enabled her to witness such a dream. There was the Bible, yes, but even the Word could only take her so far. She needed to know more, as this dream was driving her desperate. She asked God for questions, but the only answer she heard from Him was silence, a silence that was very well killing her hope. Not because she was losing her faith in God; rather, she was trying to strengthen it in every other way.

Her husband resolved that, as a form of therapy and communion with God, she should write down her dream and look for patterns, thoughts, sensations, experiences, something that would lend her an idea over what could her subconscious be pouring out that she may be neglecting to confront in her waking hours. He didn’t understand much about dreams, but he did understand that God sometimes speaks through dreams to reveal hidden truths that people cannot understand while awake. After all, things were going good in their lives—however, something else needed to change, and maybe the answers need to come from above.

Marianne Rivera is a musician from the city of La Cañada, Corola State’s second-largest city after Corola City proper. She met youth pastor Thomas C. Greene via a youth outreach group from Pasadena, California that helped out when Hurricane Earl ravaged much of the Achaean countryside. They helped serve the impoverished citizens of the country and quickly fell in love at the same time: Thomas with Marianne’s raw and tender voice, and Marianne with Thomas’ blue eyes and surfer vibe. He discovered her passion for music when she sang at her local church and he decided to make fellowship there—in part for the worship, in part to practice his Spanish skills, and in part to stay close to Marianne.

They married and decided to form a small, chill rock band with Marianne’s cousins, David and Jessica Cortijo, calling themselves The Intermissión because the name sounded cool. It was a typical garage band where the quartet would pump out popular songs in the Corola indie circuit such as Dinamita (“Dynamite”), Televisoras Incandescentes (“Incandescent Televisions”) and their mainstream charter hit, Quiero Ser Como Un Planeta (“I Want To Be Like a Planet”), which garnered them a nomination at the Achaean Music Awards’ Best Alternative/Indie Rock Song. At the same time, they would moonlight in their local church’s worship team back at La Cañada, and have been known to pend contemporary worship songs like Enciende Mi Corazón (“Fire Up My Heart”) and Salmo 25 (“Psalm 25”), sung in many churches across the Spanish-speaking world.

A few years after The Intermissión was formed, Jessica Cortijo left the band to pursue her studies in nursing, and both Thomas and Marianne decided to take a break to nurse their newborn twins, Joseph Manuel and Andrew Josías Greene Rivera. But despite the newfound maternity getting in the way of their nascent musical career, Marianne never forgot that dream, that man, those caves she used to go a lot during school field trips, the blood, the sweat, the pierced skin and the half-broken navel. She prayed and fasted and asked so many questions about why God, of all Beings in the universe, had to torment her with such a recurring, haunting, maddening dream.

She decided to write about it in a poem for her and just for her. Even though she accidentally left it in the desk near the study, where the group would pray and write some songs for their next albums. Thomas ”accidentally” read a draft of her poem and was moved to tears by his wife’s unspoken turmoil. He was only trying to cheer her up, to understand her emotions, to empathize and find a rational explanation to her pain. He looked to the Bible, in the Book of Luke, on the way to Emmaus where the Nazarene was hidden in plain sight, in His glorified body, hiding in plain sight from two of His former disciples, begging Him to stay. The night was growing colder, bolder, and they needed to find Him somewhere to stay.

Where would He stay if nobody ever listened? And would he listen to Marianne when she asked Thomas to stay a bit longer?

The song, titled Quédate (“Stay”), quickly hit the Achaean Alternative/Rock charts as soon as it landed on the radio, the song being crafted, produced and mixed in less than a week and under quarantine conditions that converted the Cortijo’s bathroom into a recording studio filled with egg carton acoustic sounds and a half-drum that was spliced to double the feature. A young violinist from South Corola was hired to play the strings. It was a hectic week that began in reluctance and disappointment over Marianne’s secret being exposed, but it resonated with the millions of Achaeans who suddenly were confined to their homes in a bid to stave off the pandemic. This brought the attention of Tamar de Andrade and the Achaean World Hit Festival delegation, who wanted to experiment with pop/rock after their ninth place in Kalosia. She heard them on the radio while ironing her clothes and had the raw, infectious melody stuck in her head. This led her to call her people in La Cañada. In a couple of Zoom calls, contract negotiations, and impromptu prayer sessions, La Intermissión was on its way to fulfill its quarantine stipulations and perform in Britonisea.

While it wasn’t Thomas and Marianne’s first time in Britonisea (they used to occasionally sing in many churches throughout the country), it was the first time for Marianne’s mother, Doña Miriam Cortijo, who was part-time babysitter and part-time doting grandmother for her twin bundles of joy. David, Marianne’s cousin, of course tagged along to keep the band running, as well as his sister Jessica who came as a secondary songwriter and wanted to provide moral support. It was, in fact, a much-pared down delegation for the Achaean Republic—half consisting of The Intermissión and their immediate family members, half bigwigs and reporters and Tamar de Andrade, the country’s head of delegation.

Getting out of Corola to Bovingdon would prove itself quite complicated in the coronavirus era. In addition, even if the Achaean Republic had a reciprocal air bridge treaty with Britonisea, they still had to get tested for both COVID-19 and CHV-24 (a retrovirus unique in the tropical region) just to comply with Achaean law and the delegation’s peace of mind. From Corola International Airport (which, contrary to popular belief, is not located in Corola City but rather the dormitory town of La Izquierda), they would fly to Doportedas’ Aeroporte International and take a train to Bodington, much to David’s chagrin who very much looked forward to drive on the famed Britonish motorways again. However, the journey would prove to be long, leisurely and relaxing—and for the Marianne and Thomas, very romantic.

Once they arrived to their lodgings in Bovingdon, they decided to don their masks and get a feel for the city. Unlike Achaea’s intense and chaotic eternal summer, Bovingdon looked like an orderly and organized city, if somewhat grey and drizzling. While Doña Miriam enjoyed a spot of tea in the beach and watched her two grandchildren and David had a joyride shifting gears through the Bovingdon highways, Thomas and Marianne had a nice stroll through the city’s high street and bought some clothes they couldn’t easily find in Achaea and dined at the city’s specialty spaghetti Bolognese restaurant.

The next day, the delegation donned their specialty masks and zipped to the festival site near the B.A.F. Bovingdon. They marveled at the unique carnival atmosphere that permeated throughout the complex—more like what Thomas is used to while growing up in America and not much the everything-goes atmosphere of real Carnival, one they refused to participate out of respect for their convictions.

The hustle and bustle of the World Hit Festival was something they heard of from previous performers and delegations, but they never expected that they’d be subject to immense pressure and scrutiny from the Multiverse’s accredited media in such a short amount of time! Rehearsals, press conference, second rehearsal, another press conference, social media posts, fan blogs, dress rehearsal…It was a hectic schedule that barely left the band time to enjoy regular Britonish culture and (ironically for Marianne) practice her English, despite Thomas being much more fluent by virtue of being an American. Otherwise, the group began to grow in confidence and boldness as they spent more time in Bovingdon. They were able to piece together more circumstances of the dream, the reason for the song, their faith, and the importance of representing Achaea in the competition. A few signatures here and there, a visit to a church or two where they met fellow Britonish friends for quick, fulfilling moments of fellowship.

The group was ecstatic! For the first time in history, the Achaean Republic managed to qualify to Saturday’s grand final! Their social media accounts, both corporate and personal, blew up with congratulatory messages and videos and rapid-fire TikTok covers and embroidered masks with the band’s name and encouraging Bible verses and then some and then a bit more. The Intermissión quickly became a global trending topic on Achaean Twitter, and every major national news outlet was clamoring for their attention. Oddsmakers were betting big on the country bringing the country’s very first victory and the honor of hosting the contest, one that AS1 was slightly dreading at the sight of evaporating money from their pandemic-striken coffers, yet were willing to make the investment if only that guaranteed them a good price. For the next twenty or so hours, the Quédate once again topped the charts as a mixture of optimism and trepidation left the socially distanced yet gregarious nation with nation struggling with the thin line between hope and despair.

Marianne wanted to spend most of her time with her twins and her mother, whom she regretted not spending as much time as she thought she could afford when in the festival bubble. She also regretted making her mom, Doña Miriam, work so hard in taking care of them. Maybe she should’ve left the kids with her sister in Corola. But that was an issue she’d deal with later—not that Doña Miriam minds, since she became quite the third-age influencer with her pithy aphorisms and constant wine-drinking on her social media accounts. Even so, enjoying the ephemeral, vapid experience of fame was important, but God was even more important. Even though she struggled to pray and read the Bible amidst the rush of content, rehearsals, press conferences, fan blogs, meet-and-greets and even some offers from lad mags in the ABEN, she could never forget the reason she made music.

Thomas wanted some time alone. Much as he enjoyed spending time with his wife and his best friend, his beautiful children and the hustle and bustle of the competition, Thomas still felt the pang of homesickness. Not of Achaea, that wasn’t alone. Britonisea reminded him so much of Pasadena without the in-your-face bushy flowers, the annoying jock Rose Bowl players (he was a linebacker in college, so he knows what he’s talking about), the semi-dry Mediterranean climate contrasting with the humid Achaean heat, and the low-key seriousness of the Britonish in tacitly displaying their wealth. But in between supporting his wife’s dreams, his church’s vision, and the general attitudes imposed on a Christian male—or so he thinks. He’s been too busy breaking that mold since moving to Achaea that he feels there’s not so much to break anymore. But he still needs solace, a piece to his own thoughts. Whether he wins or loses, he would definitely hitch a trip back home, and maybe bring a pastel or two so his stuffy parents can taste them.

David always had a blasé, devil-may-care attitude about things. That was his brand. After all, he became quite the accidental heartthrob when the band started, his casual indifference and sporty threads gaining him many secret crushes by accident. He teased Marianne a lot while performing, but it was all in good fun. He secretly enjoyed a few sips of beer with his non-church friends when he had the chance, though rumors tell that Thomas also enjoyed treating himself every now and then. He even thought of leaving the band and making his own thing. But not anymore: In secret and in confidence, he cared about The Intermissión and his family’s success. They started this project together, and they were read to end it together. It was tough watching Marianne and Thomas secretly suffer his sister’s departure, even though she was following her dreams. He low-key tried to convince Jessica to join, only to meet with scoffs at the money she was making with a stable job. But he knew she wanted the risk, the adventure, the fun of performing with her family. Maybe he could try to convince her to join again…

As the Achaean postcard is finished, the shot from the spider cam features a waving crowd in the B.A.F. Bovingdon, in particular highlighting the Achaean flags scattered throughout the crowd. It’s unclear whether or not the few Achaeans that came to Bovingdon took advantage of the air bridge to Britonisea or they were scattered already in the ABEN nations—but they were there, cheering on and supporting their nation as usual. The vortex below them briefly highlights the red-blue-green colors of the Achaean flag and, for a brief moment, the performers are centered on the stage.
Camera 3 circles around the stage and shows Marianne sitting near the ledge of the first catwalk, her feet almost hanging in the air. She is wearing a loose, crinkle white dress and has red Converse All-Star sneakers she bought at a local Bovingdon boutique shoe store. (She was to wear a pair of white flip-flops but changed at the last minute when she feared the sandals would get stuck on the creases between the stage. It does, however, show Marianne’s intricate butterfly ankle tattoo, for those eagle-eyed viewers at home. Her hair is looking ruffled and messy, half-partitioned with bangs on her forehead. She is also holding a microphone to her hands beside her chest.

Marianne begins to sing, but it’s perceivable from both her tone and countenance that she appears broken—tired and broken. Much like her recurring dreams, the demeanor she shows is puzzling and not whimsical, as if she is trying to figure out who is the person she is singing about, and the intricacies of alliteration and allusion could not even begin to cover the mystery surrounding him. And it was a he. As she sings, the lights surrounding the stage and the LED lines in the catwalk grow in a faint light-yellow tone, as if evoking the arid terrain in her dream. Even then, it was hard for Marianne to hide the slight contempt she felt with the faint memories of her dream—the blood-soaked tunic, the trail of blood, the fear she felt when she noticed the rusted holes in the palms of his hands, the long hair, the stones near the cave. Why now, out of all the moments, she needed to remember when she could just sing!?

Sé de algún particular
Que fue un profeta al despertar
Había hecho tantos hechos

Tenía gracia sobre mí
Y no se hablaba hasta el fín
¡cuán integro y derecho!

The new Camera 3 angle captures Marianne taking her feet of the ledge of the catwalk and sticking her legs while crouching. She tries to rest her arms and head near her knees while looking at the camera. For a moment, Marianne wants to hide in her little cocoon, her fetal position, and maybe even forget about singing at all. She wants some safety, some comfort, more so when the lights are slightly burning her. She touches her face, then her neck. There is something that looks soft but remorseful in her countenance as she relays the story.

A slight holographic mist permeates the Vortex, one that is briefly depicted in Camera 10 overlooking the audience and the performers to which, faintly, Marianne is peered backside to the end of the stage. The holographic mist covers the band’s feet, especially those in the dark center: Thomas on the left with the electric guitar, David with some drums, and Jessica playing the piano on the right for the first time in years. A young violinist called Amina Castro is playing the cello, an instrument that provides a poignant delicacy to the song.

Mas, cuán cruel fue el despojar
Un poco de su humanidad
En sangre, carne y hueso

Esta historia tan feliz
Terminó en triste frenesí
La vida fue un silencio

Marianne inconspicuously stands up. At the first strings of the electric guitar, a wide pan of the stage shows an impressive array of split-second light shows surrounding the vortex and the LED screen. Every time Marianne sings a verse, the light show surrounding it grows brighter. The LED lights make the vortex appear as it is swirling in counterclockwise motion. The lights inside the main stage grow into each other. The lights outside the stage move outwards. And, for a brief moment, the holographic “mist” disappears, giving way to an Eye transformed into a Sun shining brightly with all its imperfections. Of course, the LED panels behind it turn to a hot, arid day—itself slowly dimming as the day goes by.

Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche
Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche

Camera 8 shows the fully lightened stage as Marianne lifts up her dress and darts to the center. Another quick cut to Camera 1 has Marianne and the performers’ heads up in the air and Marianne breathlessly moving towards the center. Her hair is being buffeted by the wind. Her shoelaces are slowly untying themselves. The beat of the drums grows intense. Another Steadicam follows her to the center, to a cued area where she is supposed to drop to her knees and look towards the blinding holographic lights.

However, she accidentally trips while getting into the Vortex. It wasn’t intentional—she just tripped on the small ledge of the circular LED stage. No bruises or nothing. It was uncomfortable, however, and a bit embarrassing as well. But she made it work. Camera 2 showed her slowly crawling on her knees towards the cued spot near the ledge of the Vortex with her hair messed up, her constitution broken, and her hands beating toward her chest as if she were mourning something that was never truly lost.

The Steadicam circles around her perimeter. She gazes at the camera and tries to gently guide it with the hand as she is bent on her knees, looking at the piece of LED floor that slowly transformed into a creek to the peak right before her bent knees. Behind her, a small LED creek was flowing through the matrix, to which the cameraman was determined to chase. At the same time, the creek began to show speckles of blood. The holographic mist returns and surrounds the LED stage, making the arena look like a desert oasis. Behind them, the sun is slowly dimming over its spots, while the LED background also follows the direction of the Sun’s rays.

Tanto parecido a él
Con pelo largo, lleno de fe
Tan joven y tan tierno

Y esas venas correrán
Sangre y vinagre, agua y cristal
Y esas heridas luego

Who was she singing to? What is she singing about? Why was she adamant on this dream? These were the many unexplained answers that swirled around her head as she sang. The words of her pastor rang true a few prayers before the group left for Britonisea: “You don’t need to know why the dream happened to you. You only need to know it happened.” It was hard to regain control of her thoughts by losing them, for they would run her ragged and senseless. It was pointless to keep questioning the reasons and futile courses of action of something bound to surpass any human understanding. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding…” That was only comfort. But that was the comfort she needed to sing about.

It was hard for Marianne to concentrate on singing as the flurry of anxious thoughts kept barraging her brain, but it was more than needed to at least distract her from the endless quest for perfection the delegation and the highly critical—and perhaps vitriolic—Britonish audience looked for in a music performance. Camera 3 would focus on Marianne’s body posture. Camera 8 would quickly expose the Achaean stage performance into a paradigm of slowly dimming twilight—the Sun would slowly transform into a moon, and the holographic mist would grow thicker and heavier, heavy enough that would slightly darken the stage as it slowly descended into the night.

¿Has estudiado el pesar
De mi frustrada realidad,
Las piedras en el suelo?

¡Qué pobres fuimos, y padeció
Y aún así arde el corazón
Cuando brillan tus luceros!

Camera 1 shows aerial shots of The Vortex spinning around with the once-dimmed lights growing stronger and bolder as the stage turns to night. In this aerial shot, Marianne is walking back and forth the “road” marked by the LED floor and the sun behind her that was quickly transforming into a moon. For many viewers at home, the slowly-spinning camera angle was a tad queasy and confusing—but those are the emotions experienced by the poetic speaker of the horrors she has seen. It is disorienting, discombobulating, disquieting. It is confusing and unimaginable.

But what about the other performers? Camera 3 surrounds the stage and pans out on the rest of the band. Jessica on one side, keying away at his piano. Thomas in the other, rocking out in his electric guitar, focused and concentrated on hitting the right notes despite the playback in his ear. David banging his drums, trying to not break the drums as it happened in the past. Marianne in front, singing to the cameras, playfully and heartachingly interacting with the audience both in B.A.F. Bovingdon and as well as home. Which bears asking the question: Will they understand what she’s singing about?

The Achaeans have always been stubbornly adamant about performing their entries in Spanish, especially for the World Hit Festival. It was a tricky balancing act for both AS1, the country’s contest franchise holder, to engage the audience in a particularly foreign, yet divisively appealing language. Despite constant griping from the stuffy Britonish and the explicitly intense Achaeans, there was a vitriolic friendship that extends to musical tastes. The Achaeans enjoy the Britonish hit-making machine and low-key wanted their music to be as popular and successful as theirs is in these multiversal singing competitions. The Britonish low-key enjoyed the organized, bucolic chaos of Achaean culture—even if they somewhat resented the woeful lack of air conditioning in the islands. The band loved visiting the ABEN nations and enjoyed playing at their churches and visiting their decadent high streets. It’s obvious that, despite all the vitriol, both the Britonish and the Achaeans care for each other and, for a man like Thomas who felt quite at home in the intense joie de vivre of Achaean society, three thousand miles away from Pasadena, Britonisea was a reminder of his small-town roots.

But it was not time to reminisce yet. They had a performance to show, a trophy to win.

Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche
Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche

Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche
Ven, quédate; ven, quédate
Te esconderás en la noche

Suddenly, Camera 8 moves from the back of the arena, where the whizzing and waving flags of the audience at B.A.F. Bovingdon were waving and cheering for their entry—more so the lucky Achaeans that either traveled to Britonisea or lived in the country and snagged a few tickets—and zipped to the front of the open stage, now illuminated by an Eye that became a bright moon, and a stage that glistened under the cold night. The panels behind the vortex show the whispering wind, the crunching leaves, the lonely road. Under the performers’ feet, the LED stage would show a vapid reflection of the moon against an open road, the one that Marianne was walking upon while singing.

Camera 1 would capture a brief angle of the road behind the performers and the backside of trailing, faint lights within the Vortex. A brief change to Camera 1, the faint trail of blood from before was growing stronger and stronger. As if the river was turning to blood. As if deep dark wine was spilled onto the water. As if the sacrifices were darkening the road Marianne was walking on. Whomever the speaker was singing to, the desire to feel comforted would grow and grow. It was all that dream as she saw that man with the bloodied vestments walking towards the cave behind her. What was so important that she needed that person to stay with him? What were the unspeakable forces that ragged her for protection?

A cowboy shot of Marianne’s waist shows a picture of her tired eyes. Those were the eyes of a woman that couldn’t sleep but not for the reasons you’d think. Thomas on her side, she could open his heart to him and talk about everything she wanted. But not about the dream—no, it was too painful, even to sing it. But instead of tears, all you could see in her face was tiredness. Almost as if the prayerless morning and rudderless evenings in worship were only enough of a routine to perhaps keep her emotions at bay. But would it last? And why was she singing about it like a dirty little secret? Was she that afraid that a little dream without an answer would undermine her relationship with God?

No camino sin ti, aún te puedo anhelar
No me dejes en vilo, llega la oscuridad
Me escucharás por fín y tal vez algo más
Mis ojos ya cansados, no te vayas jamás

In a flash, the spider cam slowly retreats from the stage. The Eye, showing a full moon, slowly retreats as well. The lights surrounding The Vortex also dim down and flash in quite erratic patterns. On the massive LED panels behind the dye, as well as the LED stage surrounding The Vortex, mirroring patterns of atmospheric lightning can be seen. The thunder could be heard a second or two thereafter as the camera also turns to the aerial view provided by Camera 1. In this image, everything fades to black, bar the thunder and the small speckles of light on the Vortex. The lightning only illuminates the sight of Jessica playing the piano slowly, silently and intently as she used to when she was in the band. (Hmm, maybe she’ll join in again when she grows tired of nursing.) Each piano key translated to the sound of roaring thunder. A thunder that would be projected on both screens. For a moment, the faint cheers of the audience at B.A.F. Bovingdon could be heard. They could be heard more and more, until they felt silent.

In a moment, the whole arena turned its lights on and the band was waving to the crowd and throwing air kisses and air hearts to the people. Marianne shouted to the crowd, “¡Gracias! ¡Muchas gracias! ¡Dios los bendiga!” (“Thank you! Thank you so much! May God bless you!”) Thomas would give her a hug and say in his typical SoCal surfer-dude accent, “Thank you, Bovingdon! You guys rock!” before leaving the stage. Maybe they’ll get a chance to touch the stage again.

by **Scotatrova** » Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:43 pm

XX
Scotatrova
Carina Maroto - "Ezotréna"
Language(s): Scotatrovian
Title Translation: Foreigner
Tune: India Martinez - La Gitana
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: SCT
Lyrics: Carina Maroto
Music: Carina Maroto, Aaron Rasgado, Juan Rubio
Backing Dancers: Rebeca Tamayo, Veronica Guillen, Sofia Pomar, Fatima Tenorio

Despite not participating in the World Hit Festival officially since WHF48, it is still aired in Scotatrova alongside the WorldVision Song Contest, however less people tune in to view WHF as compared to WV. SSTR is hoping to change that by cementing Scotatrova's role as an active participant in both WorldVision and the World Hit Festival. With the next contest held in Bovingdon, Britonisea, SSTR began the search for its WHF artist. This would eventually lead them to Carina Maroto. Carina Maroto is a Scotatrovian lothero and pop singer. Daughter of a Cadecian gypsy immigrant family, Carina's grandfather taught her to play the guitar and sing. Her first contact with lothero was through the dance classes she received at the age of 8 and dropped out of school at 16 to pursue the family business of being a farmhand. Her first performance was in 2014 on the television program "Veth múzic" where she was one of the finalists. In 2015, as a result of her participation in the show, she received an invitation to perform at a lothero academy in Freita. Late 2015 would see Carina sign a contract with the record label Le Suth, with which she released her debut album, "Emor Xigana" in 2016 which fuses lothero elements. She would then go on to have a very commercially successful career, with multiple hit singles and 3 albums. Not too long before it was announced she would be representing Scotatrova at the World Hit Festival, she hinted on social media about being excited to share more details about her new "secret project". Eventually it was revealed that Carina Maroto would represent Scotatrova with her song titled "Ezotréna", which translates to Foreigner in English. The song details her experiences as a gypsy, called "Xiganes/Xiganas" in Scotatrovian, and how despite being Scotatrovian, she is treated differently compared to non-gypsies. She sings about how her people are her pride, and that she renounces those that made her feel different because of her culture. As Scotatrova's first entry in WHF since WHF48, Carina expressed how nervous she was to have this honor, but hopefully her song can touch those who also experienced something similar to her.

The song begins with Carina's hums in the first few seconds, with her and her backup dancers kneeling on the stage. Carina is in the center, while the four dancers are positioned behind her. Carina is wearing this beautiful, black top with a red skirt, traditional lothero clothing. The dancers behind her are also wearing similar outfits, albeit in different monotone colors. The stage is bathed in red light with a blue undertone as Carina is looking down at the floor. She then locks eyes with the camera when she begins to sing.

Toth le sond que vivet axtia ía tudevía me garthe, par quoth?
Ie sendi léudo eu míe familia, ai oltre paiese
Siopha lúo que, siopha lúo que, ei sendire sol, siopha lúo que, siopha lúo que
Canthar gomego, míe familia
Fiom un benála harmona

As she starts the opening of the song, Carina keeps her gaze with the camera. The dancers do the same, closely following the same actions as Carina. She keeps her hands on her knees while she moves her shoulders back and forth as she sings. Carina and her dancers then move forward as they each are in a crouching position on their hands. Still not breaking focus from the camera, Carina rolls over onto her back and brings her knees up from the floor. The dancers follow the movement as Carina then gets back on her knees and grabs her dress. She twirls it and wraps herself in it as she leans to the side. By this time, the stage is an even coat of red and blue light, with the red clearly being more intense in saturation. Carina then begins to start making gestures with her arms in classical lothero fashion. Her dancers can be seen clapping their hands as she does so.

Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Comon poíx gemar lúo istrane
Qüenia nel siopha núele eu axo
Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Mur somo lúo misemo que tú
Me gemás ezotréna, ie nel so ezotréna

Ie sioph güe so athór, athór
Nel poíx diçirme que non, que non
Qüenia perthta tue taquava, -quava
Ía prentate eu oltres, oltres

As the chorus starts, Carina and her dancers stand up. They begin to walk forward a bit while holding their dresses in one hand. Carina takes the center of the group as she twirls her dress around and it ruffles in a flurry of bright red. The dancers then go back to clapping their hands as Carina begins to dance in a traditional lothero way. At the front of the stage, Carina's body is positioned to the left, but she has her head turned to keep contact with the camera as she continues to dance. She bends her knees slightly as she starts scooting up closer to the front of the stage, all while twirling her hands in a circular motion. The dancers keep their postions and are still clapping, and Carina finishes off the dance by putting her hand out in front of her and begins stepping back.

Non moiç eu agueza xuegas
T'emá míe xiganes ía xiganas
Diças que nel et meichór que
Nuose ía tudevía
Noz gemás ezotrénas, ie nel so ezotréna

Ezotréna
Me gemás ezotréna
Me gemás ezotréna
Canthar gomego, míe familia
Fiom un benála harmona

As Carina sings the line "Non moiç eu agueza xuegas", she has her finger out in front of her and moves it back and forth. She smiles as she does so and then flips her head to the side. Her hair flows over her shoulder effortlessly along with her dress with the help of the wind effects onstage. Keeping pace with the song, Carina shakes her hips back and forth with the dancers. They all had expressions of joy and enjoyment as they did so, and for Carina it was second nature for her. Years and years of practicing the art of lothero all came down to this moment, and she pulled off every move effortlessly.

Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Comon poíx gemar lúo istrane
Qüenia nel siopha núele eu axo
Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Mur somo lúo misemo que tú
Me gemás ezotréna?

Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Comon poíx gemar lúo istrane
Qüenia nel siopha núele eu axo
Míe taquava ía oneix
Ilos sune míe munde
Mur somo lúo misemo que tú
Me gemás ezotréna?

The dancers all hold their dresses to the side as they walk in a circle around Carina. She nods as she dances in place, herself wrapped in the fabric of her skirt. She can be seen smiling at the camera as she turns her back to it and walks away. In no time, she turns back around and starts spinning, with her skirt twirling all around her. The dancers follow suit and the camera gets an overhead shot of all the women's dresses twirling in a flurry of different colors and styles.

Míe taquava ía oneix (Míe taquava ía oneix)
Comon poíx gemar lúo istrane
Comon poíx, comon poíx
Míe taquava ía oneix (Míe taquava ía oneix)
Mur somo lúo misemo que tú
Me gemás ezotréna?

With the song at an end, Carina and her dancers all spun around one last time. As they did so, they fell back to their knees as they were at the beginning of the song. The stage then darkens for a short time before being lit once again. Carina still sits on her knees as she smiles and puts her face in her hands. She gets up and then hugs her fellow dancers, all of which had the same glowing faces of joy. "Greixas tiota! Muldes greixas!"

by **North Alezia** » Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:09 am

XX
NORTH ALEZIA
Adela Al-Maltiyyah - "مجنون"
Language(s): English, Arabic
Title Transcription: Majnun
Title Translation: Crazy
Tune: Deborah Lemoine - Solo

Entry Specifics
Trigramme:NAZ
Lyrics: Adela Al-Maltiyyah
Music: Muhammad Razaq Morinotti, Adela Al-Maltiyyah
Backing Dancers: Rita Hadid Sabani, Arif Harusayn, Hana Shimirsvana, Mizan Al-Sourire
Backing Singers: N/A

ARTIST BACKGROUND

(why many North Alezian female singers are a hijabi?: Most North Alezians are muslim, including Adela. Plus, from long long ago, hijab has been a trend on North Alezian clothing.)

Adela Al-Maltiyyah (Maltese: Adela Amila Debono) is a North Alezian singer representing the country for World Hit Festival 53. She was born in Valletta, Malta Comino Gozo on July 25th 1994 (26 years old) to Harold Rochiotti Debono (a Malta Comino Gozoan) and Hadaniyyah Musa-Qawari (a North Alezian). Adela enjoyed her life in MCG from when she was a newborn to when she was 7 until her father got transferred to North Alezia for work purposes. She continues to live in Zafizamarrah City Centre until now. Due to both countries' beautiful relations and both countries legalizing the right of dual citizenship, Adela currently holds Malta Comino Gozoan and North Alezian citizenship, with her going to Valletta to enjoy nostalgia running through the small streets that decorate Valletta.

Adela finished her tertiary education after earning a scholarship and studied Basic Musical Production in North Alezia and earning a second degree in Advanced Musical Production back in her old home of Malta Comino Gozo. Now she work as a musician creating albums both in North Alezia and Malta Comino Gozo. She was succesful in MCG, but gained more major traction in North Alezia. She released albums in Arabic (Ana Wa Anta (You and I) ), English (Call Me Adela), and Maltese (Itiru minn dar għal dar (Flying from home to home)), with additional plans to release another album in Maltese called "Jiena suċċess mondjali (I'm A World Hit)" and also her first Italian single "È piuttosto stupido essere lasciato solo, perché è un po 'spaventoso ed è buio dentro perché non riesco ancora a pagare le mie bollette, giusto?" (It's pretty dumb to be left alone, because it's a bit scary and it's dark inside because I still can't pay my bills yet, right?) with the plan to release it in English, Maltese (Huwa pjuttost stupidu biex jitħalla waħdu, għax huwa daqsxejn tal-biża 'u huwa skur ġewwa għax għadni ma nistax inħallas il-kontijiet tiegħi, hux?), and Arabic (min alghaba' 'an tutrk bimufridik , li'anaha mukhiafat bed alshay' wamuzalamat min alddakhil li'anani ma zilt la 'astatie dafe fwatyry baed , 'alays kdhlk?) versions.

Adela is currently still unmarried, but she does have fans and lovers. Adela is pretty well known for her mood swings in her songs. One day she might make happy upbeat songs, other day she would make sad depressing slow songs. Her ability to make music and sometimes remix them is pretty well known, including on your friendly ol' table of the Alezian Broadcasting Authority's Worldvision Committee. They picked Adela due to her new style and modern music, the music North Alezia needs after trying slow ballads. She did tried to enter for Malta Comino Gozo, but sadly couldn't made the deadline for MCG to pick her song. Then when she was approached by the ABA, she decided to represent her mother's country.

Due to her mixed origins, she can speak Maltese and Arabic, with the addition of your ol' friendly English and surprisingly Italian.

RP PART 1- I DECIDE!

(It was a beautiful day on your normal Alezian apartement of a normal lady, comes Adela who was enjoying the beautiful summer of July..)
Adela: *sniff* aaahh.. What a beautiful day... The birds are chirping, cars are not honking due to honking being prohibited on mornings, bicycles and people with masks walking... (we stood by for a few seconds of silence, and Adela closed her windows only keeping the blinds on) I gotta prepare for stuff.
(Adela prepared her day like usual, she woke up at 8 after prayer hours earlier, and gave herself enough nutrition to start the day. Her usual breakfast is accompanied by few videos on youtube, usually about retro video games. Her breakfast was interrupted by the notification from her email)
Adela: THE ABA?! OMG OMG OMG OMG ALEZIMANIA FINALIST LIST ARE IN!!! LET'S CHECK IF MY SONG IS IN......
(Adela checked her phone to see the list of 5 singers, with no words of "Adela Al-Maltiyyah" written on the list. She do made it to the jury rank, but sadly her song got only 18th over 100 jury selections)
Adela: awww.... I'm not in there.... Well, time to continue life... I did pretty well, though.
(Adela continued her life. She enjoyed gaming like the majority of North Alezians, washed few clothes, and such. Then her father called her to a video-call) AF: Adela's Father, AM: Adela's Mother
Adela: Oh, hello father. x'għandna? (what's up?)
AF: Sejjer tajjeb ... Kif tgħid Alezimania? (I'm well... How's Alezimania?)
Adela: Not so well... Sorry.
AF: You're doing so well, Adela. Making it to the rank is so hard! We're proud of you no matter what.
AM: Your father is right... You can do it. You did your best and you impressed us.
Adela: Thank you, I love you.
AF: Don't think we're done yet, daughter! The ABA for some reason contacted us (muffled "They should've contacted you... Why us?"...)
Adela: Wait, what? (Adela looked at her parents in focus)
AM: They're telling you to visit them due to important stuff. Hearing their voices, I don't think you're in trouble.
AF: The Debono's never ever got into any trouble, sweetheart.
AM: Remember when you got chased by packs of goose last month, and we had to pay the damages after you run over too many public facilities, including for some freaking reason, a subway train?
AF: Oh yeah. Well, Adela... What are you waiting for? The committee is waiting! GO ADELA!
AM: GO ADELA! We'll send the email from ABA into your account! Make sure to read it!
Adela: Aww.. thank you. Well, I gotta prepare. Love you!
AF+AM: Love you too, Adela! Be careful!

(The call ends, with nervous feeling whacking Adela. She read the invitation in happiness, prepared her finest clothes and went straight to the ABA. She got herself an empty parking spot. She entered the building, and after guided her way by the receptionist, she's now in front of a room called "The Worldvision and World Hit Festival Committee of North Alezia" with the Arabic translation written below it.)

Adela: Here goes nothing... *opens door*

(Inside the room there are committee members, including Imara Syafani and Rahmat Zahulafi-Yamaqzul. With them are Hayaz Hamaruddin (The current NAZ Hod), Nurqizli Hazami (Head of ABA International Affairs), Imni Muchalaim (Head of ABA Channel 3), Sana'a Muhtabani (Head of ABA Public Affairs), Khulsain Amma-Darul (Chairman of Worldvision and World Hit Festival Committee of North Alezia), and finally Hakim Iqlizam (Chairman of Organization of Worldvision and World Hit Festival North Alezian Avid Fanclub) )

Imara: Good morning, Ms. Al-Maltiyyah. You may take a seat.
Rahmat: You sound a bit formal.
Imara: (slowly) Shut up, Rahmat we're in a meeting!

(Adela found herself sitting on an empty chair away from the committee)

Hayaz: Thank you, Imara. And a thank you to you, Adela, for taking your time to meet with us here. Now. *rustles some paperwork then slide them to Adela's part of the table* We called you here due to one thing. If you will, may you please read that paper aloud?
Adela: "ABA confirmed its participation for the 53rd World Hit Festival in Bovingdon, Britonisea. For this ocassion, we decided to pick *her voice raised due to the surprise* ADELA AL MALTIYYAH to the World Hit Festival". Pardon me, Sir, Madam. But please explain this more?
Imara: Adela, your voice, your lyrics, and your music are just astounding! It's something North Alezians has rarely experimented with, yet you bravely sent it to Alezimania!
Rahmat: I agree with you, Imara. Everything, including your story and your music are just outstanding. Its expressing hard stone cautious message. That is quality, Adela. And we got a representative from avid fans here.
Hakim: The public loves you, Adela. It's a bit of a bummer from us public when we can't vote for you due to it being a jury selection. Your song is so good it sparked enough protest to let the public choose their songs for Alezimania.
Hayaz: These two, as you can see are both the debutante participants. Imara in WV82, and Rahmat in WHF52. Hakim is a good voice from North Alezian public who almost entirely loves to watch Worldvision and World Hit Festival. Hearing their opinion, its no wonder we decided to call you here. But first, would you have a small concert over there? We would like to hear your voice and how you perform.
Adela: Yes, sir. I'm going to sing my project called "Majnun". Do you have in this ocassion-
Hayaz: Microphone and a music player? We always prepared those for this room. Okay, dig in, Adela!

(Adela sung her unfinished song "Majnun", suddenly people started to talk between themselves)

Imara: This is... Beautiful! Its a matching personality of a song! This would do good.
Rahmat: I agree, there's no mixed feeling hopefully with this, so we can go with it.
Khulsain: This might be it. This might be it.

(Adela finished her song, and she got herself a standing ovation)

Hayaz: Bravo! Adela. Bravo! I though we're going to have to make a song for you, but you just made your own entry! Its hot, modern, sexy yet polite at the same time!
Khulsain: People gonna love the song you just presented to us. Such presentation shows your personality as well! Polite, yet sexy and dangerous.
Adela: Thank you, sir, mam.
Rahmat: You're the one that North Alezia might need. So, we would like you to, please turn to the next page, (Adela turned to the next page of the pile of papers) and we have a contract for the WHF. We'll hold your song and take care of contest stuff with staging also. All you gotta do is sing and perform almost twice as better as you did minutes ago. Well?

(Adela's a bit nervous. But she knew she has to do it. She wants to sing so much. She signed the paper after reading it thoroughly three times to check if ABA are trying to be sketchy towards her. But luckily nothing bad written, because they know if Adela found a sinister contract, she can report it directly to the government.)

Adela: Okay, thank you sooo much for the opportunity... I'm in! (she slided the papers back to them)
Imara: Glad you agree! We're so happy that you'll represent us here in North Alezia! Well I'll send you the link to our rehearsal schedule. Glad we can make a deal. This meeting is over, and we'll meet you tomorrow for your first rehearsal where we'll finish your song!
Adela: Thank you. (she quits the room and then...) Eeek! I can't wait to sing in front of billions! eeeek!!! aaaahhhH!!!!
Rahmat: (opens door) We can listen to your celebration from the inside, you know? I'm so happy for you, Adela! Well, I'm going off to get something to eat before the committee had their sixth meeting today. I'll see you later with my makeshift stage planning design.
Adela: Okay, then... See you too!

(Adela called her parents to inform the beautiful announcement that their daughter will represent North Alezia in an international song competition such as World Hit Festival. They sound very happy for her daughter and her mom starts giving Adela few advice on performing on stage (Adela's mother is a secretary who also works as an MC and a singer which is pretty well known in the city). Adela ends her day with a very happy dream.

(The next day, We found our Adela inside ABA ministudio 3 that was used for rehearsals. Inside we have Adela, Rahmat, and Imara sitting on a three seat table with a board that looks like the WHF Stage that BVC prepared for the contest.)

Rahmat: Okay, Adela, we'll help you throughout your performance. I guess it won't hurt to have few backings to back you out, right?
Adela: Right, so what is this?
Rahmat: This is due to my ability on building stuff out of cardboard, a replica of the stage with few mini miniatures in which we'll use to decide where you'll stand on each part of your song. A good impression especially for an upbeat song like this is soooo needed.
Imara: I agree, but I'd say this stage is a 360, right? I don't think spinning will work, but we would just not use the 360 capabilities, right?
Rahmat: Uh-uh. Okay, Adela, I'll stay here with this replica and backing dancers to decide where to put you in, while Imara will help you decide how you'll "dance" and prop stuff. She's the one, y'know?
Imara: Exactly. Come here, Adela, I'll help you.

(Adela and Imara is in one room)

Imara: Okay, if you're going to catch people's attention, you'll have to move like you're asking people's attention not desperate tho. Okay. So... Let's see...

(Rehearsals from that day went out to be like the same, where Adela dance and sing, until she felt confident enough to be accompanied by the backing dancers. It then progressed to few days before departure (by the way, the team won't have to quarantine due to time restraints, but they were told to still be careful in Bovingdon). Adela got a new set of clothes for the contest, and she performed on ZafiLand Theme Park, which is a major success)

PART 2- GOING TO BOVINGDON
Part 2 REVISED
(Eventually few days later, the day where they'll be going to Britonisea came)
Adela: Well, that's all! Like any usual North Alezian would do, I prepared everything due to me being there for a long time. But no worries, cuz I got all in and those thief won't know what they'll have for supper! Mwahahahaha..... *bell rings* Oh! Well there's Mr. Hamaruddin waiting outside.

(Adela opened her door to see Mr. Hamaruddin and Imara outside her apartement room)

Adela: Imara, what're you doing here?
Imara: Ah, sorry for the unexpected visit. I'm just here to congratulate you and bringing you to the airport!
Hayaz: She's right, only she knows your house, Adela. Come on, we'll bring your bag in.
Adela: Oh, okay then.

(The three get into a car with a driver in, and they went to the airport, again with massive celebration looking at another Song Contest singer. Will we win this time, they wonder. They got to the airport, and met with four Alezian backing dancers when they are murmuring "A Britonish Adventure?" "EEEEK I CAN'T WAIT!" or some sort. They all went to the check in counter while Imara stayed behind waving at the delegation. The delegation waited for the call, until Airezia AIZ-1933 to Doportedas was announced. The delegation entered the gate and finally entered the plane. Adela saw plane seats with a sign with "For World Hit Festival 53 Delegation" on it. They sat on the special reserved seats, with Adela reading a book for the remainder of the flight. While the flight was on progress to arrive at Doportedas, Hayaz called Adela softly to talk about something.)
Hayaz: Adela, you’re free?
Adela: I’m free, Mr. Hamaruddin. What’s up?
Hayaz: I’m just asking, what will you do if you won?
Adela: Hmm… Personally, I want to have a winner reprise at the Zafi airport’s terminal
Hayaz: Other than that?
Adela: If I can’t do that, I want to reprise the song at the Glasseum.
Hayaz: Glasseum? Okay.
Adela: Wait… Why did you ask?
Hayaz: Read this DM to ABANorthAlezia from an unknown fan, please.
Adela: “Even if Adela lost, we still want her to sing in front of us directly. Some of us can’t go to Bovingdon due to the risks. Thus, can we please ask you guys to make an Adela Al-Maltiyyah tour?” Whoa. A tour? I never really went on a tour before.
Hayaz: Well, people wanted you… You can put cities you want to visit at least around 4 months after you’re home. Make sure you include all regions, okay? No region will be left out!
Adela: Thank you! Well, I want… Zafi, Tel Hadiv, Pyalivostok, Basna, Aramna, Bristol, Isbaqa…. Done.
Hayaz: Great. We’ll discuss more of this tour after this Festival.
Adela: Thank you for giving me a tour chance, sir.
Hayaz: Your very welcome, Adela.
[/spoiler][/box]

RP Part 3- WE'RE IN BOVINGDON BABEHZ!

(Hours later, the plane safely landed in Doportedas. (I heard that there are no airports in Bovingdon. They all completed their passport stuff, and...)
Hayaz: Phew... What a flight we had. Now we gotta go to the train station to Bovingdon...
Adela: WHAT?! Aghiaghaigauighu HAHAHAHAHA JETLAGGED HAHAHAHA! LETSAGO! (Adela shaked her head for a while for fresh mind) Okay. I'm fine. Let's go to the train station!
(The team continues their trip to the train station. They got onto a train and they continued their journey to Bovingdon. Adela look pretty happy although jetlagged looking at the cows. They look cute she thought. Hours later, they arrived at Bovingdon looking at the commotion, although might not crowded due to COVID-19 precautions)
Adela: Well, what do we do now?
Hayaz: Hmm… Good question, it’s written here that we have to do…. Wanna guess?
(Backers and Adela played a game of guessing. Seconds later….)
Hana: Quarantine.
Hayaz: Ding ding gold star for Hana Shimirsvana. Yes. We’re told to do quarantine here before stepping on to the stage. Okay, so… let’s go to our hut, and we’ll discuss stuff again.
(They walked to the hut, and they were never seen again… until 10 days later. But while in quarantine, they’re filling their quarantine with positive activities such as singing practice, dance practice (only limited because huts might be small), and hundreds of UNO games. They also had meetings, including this one.)
Hayaz: Okay, team. Apparently, it’s been decided that we’ll have semifinals.
Adela: I’ve already heard about that.
Hayaz: And, with that happening, you must act extra careful, you can’t make any mistake whatsoever in this…
Adela: I know… That’s why I practiced right? I know to act carefully on stage.
Hayaz: Okay, this also applies to you backers okay?
Mizan: Yessir! We’ll act according to plan.
Hayaz: Good. Time for dessert! I brought pudding!
Adela: Thank you, sir! Dig in!
(Days later… rehearsals later… they finally able to walk out of their assigned rooms)
Adela: Ah… sweet farm air. And look at that! This is MASSIVE!
Hayaz: Really beautiful production, old man-wise. I mean, if we won-
Everyone: Amen.
Hayaz: Amen. Well, If we won… actually… we might not host if we won.
Adela: What do you mean, sir?
Hayaz: Do you remember Worldvision 84?
Adela: Ah, I read it on the news, it was said that we’re bidding, right?
Hayaz: Correct. If we won, we won’t have enough money to host another event. And, we’re not experienced enough to work on the World Hit Festival, which is somewhat harder to manage. But if the ABA pushed hard enough, maybe we can host it to this scale, or maybe bigger. I heard that Worldvision 84 will include the entire city in one act, thus making it expensive.
Adela: Ah. Exactly… But I’m pretty fine with that.
Hayaz: Don’t worry, we’ll find a way for you to sing in home ground, okay?
Adela: Okay. Thank you, appreciate it.
Hayaz: Cool! Now, shall we go and eat somewhere?
Rita: Oh, yesss I’m pretty hungry!
(Days passed, and the day for Adela to perform came.)
Adela: Wow, those artists are cool!
Rita: Not as cool as Adela Amila Debono.
Adela: Wait, please explain in a 2000 word explanative text on why the heck you know my Maltese name?
Rita: Ermmm….
Adela: You looked at my phone, right? That’s fine. I want to reveal my Maltese name to you guys later… Well, it’s our turn! Let’s do the chant!
(SHA-MAL, SHA-MAL, SHA-MAL!)
Adela: Okay guys, let’s get up there! Let’s do our best so we can beat this Semi up!

PART 4- SEMIFINALS GALORE
(

Adela performed Majnun in front of many people in the audience, perhaps even more people watching from their homes)
Alif: Phew! What a show we had there... With a performance as hardcore as that, maybe we'll earn better than 6th, maybe even win!
Mizan: Hopefully... And also, look at the ladies, they seem to have a lotta fun!
Adela: OMG! I PERFORMED! EEEEEEEEEE!
Hana: Haha, So happy for you, girl! Thank you for giving the chance for us to perform...
Rita: That was very tiring! But really really worth it.
Adela: All we have to do now, is to wait and watch others perform.
(performers came and went, some created laughs, some created tears, it's just many.)
Adela: The qualifiers are going to be announced! I can't wait!
Mizan: They're counting the scores right now. And there comes the host!
(The host starts to announce the first country to qualify. And the first country to be announced is....)
"NORTH ALEZIA"
(Suddenly, the North Alezian delegation celebrates their qualified lady. And those that watched the show in the country, celebrated knowing the fact that they won't have to cry all day long due to their top lady not qualifying. In Zafinese apartement windows, people flew North Alezian flags, not as a sign of total victory, but as sign of preparation. Adela and her backers stands up, and while the camera points at her, the team waves their North Alezian flags like crazy, with Mizan holding it upside down.)
Adela: We qualified! YAAS!
Mizan: That means we'll be in this green room again!
Hana: Good job, ms. Debono!
Adela: Thank you.
(The semifinal came to an end, and Adela is back in her accomodation, earning messages of congratulations from people she knows best. She might hasn't even won or earn her top 10 yet, but it's already beautiful enough not to see North Alezia staying inside and not throwing themselves in the grand final battleground)
Adela: I still can't believe that we qualified... I really thought that was it and I'll be sitting here. PHEW! Well, time to enjoy stuff and maybe practice a little bit. I really want to do well for the country.

PART 5- FINAL FIGHT!

(The stage are pitch black with Adela standing on the center of the stage facing against the audience. Her backing dancers are stationed at the North, South, West, and East of Adela. When the music starts, few lights emits the colour purple. The viewers get to see Adela start from CAMERA 6. Every chant of Majnun, Adela and the backers start to move artistically, although not moving to other sides of the stage.

مجنون.....مجنون......مجنون......مجنون
(Majnun... Majnun.... Majnun... Majnun...)

(Adela jumpspins as well with her backers to the front so the viewers can see them. The view moves to CAMERA ST1 where two people working the camera walks backwards, follows Adela and her team walking to the catwalk that goes to the audience. While walking, Adela also sung her first verse, moving her hands like she's about to punch someone elegantly especially on the last sentence. A light shines over Adela again, with a color of purple)

Beware, you just woke up a beast
And now you're literally on top of her elegant feast,
Run now, with your teeny tiny feet,
Before I can make, your face so beat.

(The camera moves to CAMERA 1, showing aerial shots of Adela and her dancers shaping a lotus or any kind of flower of your visual opinion.)

I told you many times,
You don't mess with my heart
But since you can't use your minds,
I'll beat you to a tart

(The camera again, changes to CAMERA SP, where viewers get to see Adela and her dancers getting smaller and smaller. Dark atmosphere with accents of purple lights bathed Adela and her dancers. Eventually on the second part of the reff, we got CAMERA 3 giving the viewers the shot of Adela's face singing on the third part of the reff until the last part of the reff)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
وكل ذلك خطأك (wakulu dhlk khata'ak)
انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
من الأفضل أن تركض (min alafdl 'an tarkud)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
لقد آذيتني أولاً (laqad adhituni awlaan)
لا تجدني (la tajduni)
أو سأنهيك (Aw sa'anhika)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

(After that reff, The view moves to CAMERA 4 which Adela stared at and pointed her finger at. Her dancers, crouched facing the same direction as well. The dancers moved their hands artistically)

Told you, you never mess with me
But you obviously can't hear me with your empty brain
Told you, but you won't listen
Thus now you're entering my danger zone in ten seconds

(Then, the camera is back to CAMERA ST1 where again, the camera crew walked backwards again, with Adela once again, walking forward to meet with the standing audience once again)

You really creep me out,
Now three steps, please scram out
If you don't want to get out,
Pray to God for mercy.

(The viewer got to see a shining light that turns the screen white, and got transitioned to CAMERA SP, where viewers get to see Adela and her dancers getting smaller and smaller. We got to see them dance more violently artistic this time. Dark atmosphere again with accents of purple lights with it getting lighter and lighter bathed Adela and her dancers. Eventually on the second part of the reff, we got CAMERA 3 giving the viewers the shot of Adela's face singing on the third part of the reff until the last part of the reff)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
وكل ذلك خطأك (wakulu dhlk khata'ak)
انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
من الأفضل أن تركض (min alafdl 'an tarkud)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
لقد آذيتني أولاً (laqad adhituni awlaan)
لا تجدني (la tajduni)
أو سأنهيك (Aw sa'anhika)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

(The camera moves to CAMERA 1Adela slides her leg that she faced the back of the stage. Due to the darkness and the fact that there's only one spotlight to point at Adela, her dancers rolled a few steps back in order to give Adela the spotlight.)

(backing: Majnun several times)

(Mizan and Arif (the 2 male backing dancers) crouched down to give Adela their shoulders to sit on. Adela sat at the "chair" that Mizan and Arif made, sitting elegantly while the male dancers stands up to raise Adela's body up. After Adela was succesfully raised with the chairs, Mizan and Arif keeps her balance, and two remaining female backing dancers jumped in for the part)

I don't care how much you plead to me
With fake tears or fake letters asking return
You should know, cuz I've told you
You should never mess with my little feelings cause
cause انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)

(Adela jumped (yes jumped) from her "chair" while the camera transitioned to CAMERA 3. While she sung the reff, the camera follows her walking elegantly, this time without her backing dancers and her walking to the left side of the catwalk if seen from the front of the stage. Adela walked like there's no tomorrow with her hand moving elegantly, again.)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
وكل ذلك خطأك (wakulu dhlk khata'ak)
انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
من الأفضل أن تركض (min alafdl 'an tarkud)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
لقد آذيتني أولاً (laqad adhituni awlaan)
لا تجدني (la tajduni)
أو سأنهيك (Aw sa'anhika)

انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)
يمكن أن تخفي (ymkn 'an tukhfi)
يمكن أن تبكي (ymkn' an tubki)
و انا لست (w 'iinaa lastu)

(Adela walks back to the main section of the stage, followed by her backing dancers walking behind her, this time by CAMERA ST2 which the camera crew walked backwards to follow the performer's pace)

cause انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)

(When she almost arrived at the central stage, she spins, and falls down like there's no tomorrow with her backers backing her up eventually, with the support she used, the backing dancers pushed her forward, and Adela points her finger at CAMERA ST1 while giving the audience last part of her song.)

cause انا مجنون (Inaa majnun)

(The spectators(this actually depends on everyone though...)threw their best applause to Adela, impressed at her polite savvy-ness. What a lady, they said. Adela stands back up, with the backers waving their hands to everyone, and Adela saying "Syuukran Kasiira, Thank you Britonisea, Thank you WORLD!!! I LOVE YOU." Then they eventually left the stage back to the green room)

TRANSLATION

by **South Alezia** » Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:23 am

XX
South Alezia
Tulsi Vasarao - "Berjalan"
Language(s): English, Indonesian
Title Transcription: n/a
Title Translation: Walking
Tune: Gita Gutawa - Parasit

Entry Specifics
Trigramme: SAZ
Lyrics: Tulsi Vasarao
Music: Tulsi Vasarao
Backing Dancers: n/a
Backing Singers: n/a

Berjalan (Tulsi Vasarao)

What a beautiful morning,
Waking up with rising sun.
Opening my phone for a mere split second
And then I go prepare myself.

Then when I'm outside,
All my feelings sulking down.
Do any of you know
Why I'm feeling down
Apparently, because of him!

Aku lelah...
Kenapa dia lagi?
Tinggalkan aku sendiri
I want to walk away!
Berjalan!

Pergi ke taman hiburan!
Duduk santai dan minum jus semangka!
Alangkah indah dunia tanpamu...
(Indah dunia tanpamu)

Pergi ke keramaian kota!
Makan-makan sambil berselfie ria
Melupa... kan ingatanku pada
Oh! Kamu Disini!

(Berjalan... Berjalan... Berjalan... Berjalan...)
Oh tinggalkan aku!
(Berjalan... Berjalan... Berjalan... Berjalan...)

We aren't in love anymore,
Yet you still come near me...
You might say it's just a coincidence
But that, I say, is too real shady.

Aku lelah...
Kamu lagi ada masalah?
Tinggalkan aku sendiri
Leave my private life!
Berjalan!

Pergi terbang ke luar negeri!
Malta, Kishim, Beepee dan Kalosia!
Achaea, Britonisea, Axuva
(Dan An-Ta-Be-Ran-Tah-Stan!)

Elejamie, Batoko, Waisnor!
Caryton, Besen, NP dan Mister X!
Izmedu, Natanya, Darkmania!
Alezia Utara!

(Sorry if your country's not in here. If I put them all, this song would be about the countries and in no way walking)
(INTERMISSION)

Pergi ke pinggiran sungai!
Melihat angsa dan dikejar angsa
Menyada...ri ada kamu disana...
Oh tinggalkan aku!

Oh tinggalkan aku!

Ke pantai nggak bisa!
Ke taman nggak bisa!
Ke mall pun gak bisa!
Ke pasar nggak bisa!
Ke sawah nggak bisa!
Ke toko pun nggak bisa!
Ke jalan nggak bisa!

Ke sana nggak bisa!
Kapal pun nggak bisa!
Kereta nggak bisa!
Mobil Van nggak bisa!
Minibus nggak bisa!
Pesawat enggak bisa!
Roket pun nggak bisa!

Oh tinggalkan aku!
ARGH.

translation coming soon lol wip

by **Northern Beepee** » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:35 am

XX
NORTHERN BEEPEE
JARLI - NGURRINGGADHI
Language(s): Beepish
Title Translation: My Camp
Tune: MITCH TAMBO - LOVE
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: NBP
Lyrics: Jarli
Music: Jarli
Backing Singers: Britonisea's Jayden Samuels and George Hayes-Springwood

Proud to represent his homeland, a land he had never left, Jarli was filled with a sense of purpose, anticipation and nervousness as he landed in Britonisea and made his way to Bovingdon. The cities were much larger here than his own small hometown.

But, despite the ongoing CoVID concerns, people seemed friendly and kind, which put Jarli to a great deal of ease. The focus of the festival was intense and Jarli was pleased to spend his nights alone in his hotel room. It suited him, and allowed him time to think and unwind from the days events.

For the event, Jarli had chosen to wear a simple outfit of navy t-shirt and black jeans. Jarli felt comfortable and the outfit matched his unassuming personality.

The stage is dark and Jarli can hear nothing but his own heartbeat. The music begins, and the rhythm seems to echo and build on his heart.

The camera (8) shows the whole stage.

The centre of the stage glows orange and yellow flickering as if a campfire, which remains for the whole performance.

Jarli walks around the 'campfire' holding his hands out over the centre of the stage.

bujari gamarruwa,
yuridyuwa, putuwa

The back LED wall begins to show waves crashing on a tree-framed shore, lit by moonlight, which will also remain for the remainder of the performance.

gana gadjal,
daringyal dyiral

Half way through the next part the camera (2) cuts to a close up of Jarli who has an intense look in his eyes as he sings ("my camp, my country").

nguringgadhi, ngnura
nula, nula, nula
nguringgadhi, ngnura
nula, nula, nula

Jarli turns to face the rear LED wall, and the camera (8) pans back to show him looking out over the water. A large ship can be seen approaching.

Birragu birragu,
garang namban

The camera (5) cuts to a full length body shot of Jarli who turns back to the audience and begins to walk across stage and the catwalk.

ngurungalugu namaringguli
Nanma nanma
ngurungalugu namaringguli
Nanma nanma

Mid-way through the following reaches the end of the catwalk, where a small pile of eucalyptus leaves is smoking. Jarli stands by the leaves.

nguringgadhi, ngnura
Wari wari
nguringgadhi, ngnura
Wari wari

As Jarli sings, the smoke nips at his eyes causing them to well with tears. His face reflects the sadness of lost lands and heritage and strength and dignity of legacy.

In an unexpected surprise, Jarli sings the final verse in English, which adds weight to his story of loss. His vocals are echoed by backing vocalists Jayden Samuels and George Hayes-Springwood.

This is my camp, my country
Go away
This is my camp, my country
Go far away

by **Pemecutan** » Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:01 am

XX
PEMECUTAN
TRISNA ARYA - "MENGAPA KAU PERGI?"
Language(s): Bahasa
Title Transcription: -
Title Translation: Why Did You Go?
Tune: Gaho - Stay Here
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: PCU
Lyrics: Trisna Arya
Music: Trisna Arya, Komang Artha Wijaya, Pande Sutha Natha
Backing Dancers: -
Backing Singers: -

Pemecutan Recording Industry Association (PRIA) have long been aimed to compete in international singing competition although several attempts to selected a delegation for the competition have been failed miserably. The last attempted was to entered WorldVision which was failing again after they missed the dateline date. Then the association averted their interest to join in this year World Hit Festival instead.

PRIA commisioner, Ngurah Indra Darmawan cooperate with Ubung Broadcasting Company (UBC) for a quick search to select the delegation for the 53rd World Hit Festival. A popularity poll was held within a week and the result select a young newcomer singer, Trisna Arya.

Born in small town of Lumintang, the 22-year old singer songwriter, Trisna Arya begin his professional career in 2018 after releasing his self title album under Mandala Records. The album gain mild success and made Trisna Arya dubbed as the promising newcomer. During the 2019 Chakra Music Awards, Trisna Arya got nominated in 2 categories, Best New Artist and Best Pop Male Singer although he didn't win any. Throughout the 2019, he took national tour to further promote his album. He was also team up with several songwriters to write theme songs for a musical television series, The Chorus which begin airing in September 2019.

Trisna Arya

The song Mengapa Kau Pergi? (Why Are You Gone?) is initially release as his first single in the upcoming album. It is tell a story of desperation and longing after losing your loved ones. He took inspiration in writing the song from his uncle who just losing his wife in a car accident.

Trisna Arya and his team arrived at Bovingdon around 3 weeks earlier than the festival night schedule. The decision was made for them to be able to performed the mandatory protocol which being applied in Britonisea following the Covid-19 pandemic spread. Even though he and his team has also brought rapid test result but they still have to follow the protocol of 14 days self isolation. It is for the safety of everyone.

After finishing their self isolation, Trisna Arya and his team begin their practice. They familiarize themselves with the stage. Practicing their performance, stage act, lighting, sound and of course selecting their wardrobe. Everything was done around 4-5 days for the maximum result. 2 days before the show night were spent for resting and city tour. It is a good way to calm yourself before the big night.

On the performance day, Trisna Arya and his team prepare themselves at the backstage of the BAF Bovingdon, the festival venue. Adjusting the wardrobe and doing their last rehearsal. He choose to wear a casual wardrobe. A plain white v-neck t-shirt covered with black-grey blazer and navy blue jeans trouser. He rolled up his blazer sleeves up to the elbow.

Trisna Arya Wardrobe During the Performance Night

Trisna Arya waiting nervously in the backstage for his time to perform. When the MC called out his name the stage goes dark. Trisna Arya prepare himself at the center stage. When the music begin to play, the spotlight lighten up the center stage and only focusing on Trisna Arya who is standing there singing the intro with a standing microphone in front of him.

Hu...u...hu...u...u...hu...u...u
Hu...u...hu...u...u...hu...u...u

Entering the verse, the camera (2) started to roll around and gives a closer look of Trisna Arya while he continuing his singing until the bridge. He keeps his movement as small as possible while the lighting still only focused on him to give more intimate vibe.

Jika waktu dapat diputar lagi
Tuk bersamamu kekasih
Bayangmu beranjak menjauh pergi
Hampa rasa hati ini

Canda tawamu terngiang di dalam angan-anganku
Serasa tak kunjung kan berlalu

Tak berdaya diri ini menggapai bayangmu
Kelu rasa lidah ini memanggil namamu
I miss you....

The downlight on the center stage started to illuminate when he begin the chorus. The radiant light only focused on the center stage. While camera (3) started to roll to give a better view of the center stage. The downlight goes off again at the end of the chorus. Leaving only the spotlight which focused on Trisna Arya.

Mengapa kau pergi...oh...
Haruskah kau pergi...oh...
Janganlah kau pergi...oh...kembali
Mimpi dan harapan tlah sirna bersama bayangmu...hhmm...

Suddenly the light on the center stage illuminate brightly as he continued with the second verse. He walk towards one of the arm stage while the light on both side of the arm stage illuminate by the time he walk through it. Camera (3) and (5) focused on his movement from the center stage until reaching at the end of the arm stage when he finished the second bridge.

Hilang sudah separuh jiwa ini
Mengapa harus terjadi
Selamanya ragamu telah berpulang
Jauh dari dunia ini

Tak ada lagi yang mengisi relung hatiku
Kering air mata ini menangis karnamu
I miss you...

The music gets more lively and vibrant when he sing the second chorus. The lights on the arm stage and center stage are also dancing along with the music flowing creating a soothing and hypnotizing vibe. Trisna Arya himself standing at the edge of the arm stage sing his heart out while communicating with the audience which gives a wave of clapping all over the hall.

Mengapa kau pergi...oh...
Haruskah kau pergi...oh...
Janganlah kau pergi...oh...kembali
Mimpi dan harapan tlah sirna bersama bayangmu

The music change drastically when he sing out the coda. While Trisna Arya move back to the center stage. The lights on both sides of the arm stage goes off each time he walkaway. Until all the lights goes off when he reach the center stage.

Takdir tlah berkata
Menjemputmu pulang
Seandainya bisa kan ku cegah
Lemah...tak mampu ku lawan semua
Ingin ku akhiri...

The spotlight lighten up little by little which focused on Trisna Arya that standing idling in the center stage while humming the last interlude part.

Hu...u...hu...u...u...hu...u...u
Hu...u...hu...u...u...hu...u...u

Suddenly all the lights at the center stage lighten up brightly when he sing the last chorus. Camera (3) stand still at the center to gives a closed up view of Trisna Arya under the illuminate stage. He sing his heart out and reached the high note perfectly. Until all of a sudden the lights goes off completely as he ended the song.

Mengapa kau pergi...iii....
Haruskah kau pergi...yeah...he...yeah...
Janganlah kau pergi...
ho...o...oh...oh...ho...o...oh...ho...

The audience claps soars throughout the hall mesmerize with the breathtaking performance. The lights on the stage goes on again. And there he is, Trisna Arya standing at the center bowing and do namaste when the MC congratulate him for his great performance. Trisna Arya then goes back to the backstage. A glimpse of gesture capture by the camera when he wiping the tears on his eye. The song sure do gives a strong impact to him.

by **Antahbrantahstan** » Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:40 am

XX
ANTAHBRANTAHSTAN
WINTERGREEN - "YOUTH (GIVE IT BACK)"
Language(s): Indonesian
Tune: Rocket Girls 101-Calorie
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: ANT
Lyrics: Jon Oksa, Yuliana Vergina Citra, Iman Muhammad
Music: Jon Oksa, Yuliana Vergina Citra, Iman Muhammad
Backing Dancers: Keisha Cole, Abigail Lai
Backing Singers: Widi Cinthiani

from left to right: Indira, Maura, Yovita

Susah jadi manusia, oh banyak cobaannya
Dituntut bisa ini, bisa itu, begitu
Tapi jika bertanya, "bagaimana caranya?"
Semuanya menjawab, "kamu pikir sendiri!"

Why? Why?
"Kamu pikir sendiri!"
Why? Why?

Semuanya ingin cepat
Tak ada istirahat
Semua ingin bekerja
Sampai ke liang lahat
Semua hanya sarapan
Gosip dan air putih
Kau tanya mengapa, "Coba pikir sendiri!"

Woo~
Kembali, kembalikanlah
Kembali, kembalikanlah
Kembali, kembalikanlah
Kembali, kembalikanlah
Kembali, kembalikan!
Semua masa mudaku

Bye, bye mainan
Digantikan kerjaan
Batas waktu menunggu
Tak ada yang membantu
Bye, bye bermanja
Kau harus serba bisa
Ingin aku berkata
"Memangnya aku dewa?"
Bye, bye resting time
Bangun tidur, bekerja
Libur tidak berguna
Esok harus bekerja!

by **Waisnor** » Sun Jul 26, 2020 9:03 am

XX
WAISNOR
THE SMORGON WIVES - ОБМАНИ, НО ОСТАНЬСЯ
Language(s): Russia
Title Transcription: Obmani, no ostan'sya
Title Translation: Lie but stay
Tune: VIA GRA - Obmani, no ostan'sya
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: WSN
Lyrics: Valentina Michurina
Music: Evgeniya Gradoboeva

"The Smorgon Wives" consists of 3 womens - Valentina Michurina, who wrote the lyrics to the song, Anfisa Velikopolskaya and Varvara Oreshkevich. Valentina is a blonde, Anfisa is a brunette, Varvara is a redhead. During the performance, all three members of the group wore the same black dresses.

The show began, and the lighting was shining on Valentine. Ice-cold human figures were shown in the background.

Верить не хочу, но я чётко слышала
I don’t want to believe, but I clearly heard

Что меня ты покидаешь, я тобой унижена
That you are leaving me, I am humiliated by you

Мне хотелось бы, чтоб это был всего лишь страшный сон
I wish it was just a bad dream

И казалось мне тогда, что наш последний мост сожжён
And it seemed to me then that our last bridge was burned

Now the lighting has switched to Anfisa, and the background has changed to a burning flame.

Долго я ждала, и ты всё же трубку взял
I waited for a long time, and you answered the phone

Ты сказал, что не вернёшься, но однако ты страдал
You said you wouldn’t come back, but still you suffered

Мы не можем больше встретиться из-за твоей родни
We can't meet again because of your relatives

Там подумали, что я задумала тебя пленить
They thought that I planned to capture you

Nobody sang for a couple of seconds, the background just turned black, complete darkness reigned. And suddenly lightning flashed on the background and clouds and lightning appeared there. The women were already standing together, the wind was blowing from the side, women sang the chorus together.

Я не буду сдаваться, буду рвать и бороться
I won't give up, I will tear and fight

Никогда моя вера в тебя не пошатнётся
My faith in you will never be shaken

Что бы со мной не стало, не упущу я шанса
Whatever happens to me, I will not miss the chance

Вновь с тобой повстречаться, обмани, но останься
To meet you again, lie, but stay

It was dark on the stage again and the women dispersed. The light began to illuminate already Varvara, who was singing a verse. In the background there was ice and flame at once from both sides.

Я ждала тебя, я надеялась на то,
I was waiting for you, I was hoping for

Что смогу прийти к тебе в твоё семейное гнездо
That I can come to you in your family nest

Что твои чувства не остыли, что жива ещё любовь
That your feelings have not cooled down, that love is still alive

Но пройти мне не давали, будто я худший из врагов
But they didn't let me pass, as if I was the worst enemy

Valentina began to sing again, again it was she who was illuminated by the light. The background remained the same.

И в один прекрасный день я снова встретила тебя
And one day I met you again

И к тебе я побежала, словно девочка, любя
And I ran to you like a girl, loving

Но сказал ты мне негромко, что больше не увидимся
But you told me quietly that you won't see you again

Но надеждою живу я и я верю в чудеса
But I live in hope and I believe in miracles

And again lightning struck, and again thunder and lightning began in the background, and again the women sang the chorus together, only now Valentina was in the center, Anfisa on the left, and Varvara on the right.

Я не буду сдаваться, буду рвать и бороться
I won't give up, I will tear and fight

Никогда моя вера в тебя не пошатнётся
My faith in you will never be shaken

Что бы со мной не стало, не упущу я шанса
Whatever happens to me, I will not miss the chance

Вновь с тобой повстречаться, обмани, но останься
To meet you again, lie, but stay

After the song ended, the women bowed to the audience and said together, "Thank you! Good luck to you!"

by **Llalta** » Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:44 pm

XX
LLALTA
Rivera Lewis - "Ramène-moi (The Crane)"
Language(s): English, French, Somne
Title Translation: "Bring Me Back"
Tune: Gjon's Tears - Babi
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: LLA
Lyrics: Rivera Lewis
Music: Rivera Lewis
Backing Dancers: None
Backing Singers: Jordan Johansen, Liam Jishak

After the greatly exciting 8th in the World Hit Festival 50, in which now WorldVision winner Esther Winterbourne performed her sentimental piano driven ballad "Yours Truly", a love letter to herself, Llalta took a hiatus of two editions after. However, during that period of time, some unseen events occurred. For example, during the 82nd WorldVision, held in the sunny sands of Tiferet, Ertzei Kishim, Esther Winterbourne returned with her song, "Fate" and won, storming both the jury vote and the newly implemented televote, leading to the highest amount of points gained in any WorldVision Song Contest ever, with 284 points. Not only that but the tiny island nation hosted their first WorldVision, in St. Christopher, with a highly successful show of 42 nations, one of the highest seen in WorldVision history. All of these WorldVision events however, did mean WHF took the backseat for the LBN, whom of which were focussed on winning and hosting. Thus, the break of two editions was implemented. And yet, behind the scenes, even through hosting, the return of Llalta to the World Hit Festival was being planned. Even before the announcement of WHF53, the LBN had already decided on an artist, the song to come after the announcement. Given the recent success in WorldVision, Llalta hoped to replicate such success in the contest that truly allowed Llalta to shown, and possibly a second victory for the small island community. However, as time went on, the goal of top 5 grew increasingly challenging and less likely as the contest approached.

For example, a lack of funding due to the heavy investment into the 83rd WorldVision in which Llalta hosted, with a lot higher of a spend for such a fledgling, relatively poor nation. After the contest, it appeared the LBN were in rather a dire state with little money and the like. Furthermore, lack of artists in Llalta meant that they grew dependent on the chosen artist, more so as the contest drew closer. If they chose to leave, Llalta wasn't able to to participate. Another issue would be finding the right song and defending Llalta's star status in the World Hit Festival. This pressure especially increased at the advent of semi finals. Llalta had a 50% qualification rate, which given that there have been two semis sound good, the increased number of participants this WHF was making this a lot more challenging. But the community of Llalta were determined to participate and qualify. After all, semis were both fun and exhilarating, and to qualify would be even better. However, the trials and tribulations of this edition still stood strong, like a near impossible wall to cross. But as said, Llalta was determined to leap over these obstacles, to reduce them to mere hurdles. The monetary issue, though scary, was soon diminished as a Llaltese fundraising event managed to fix the issue, the Llaltese community council holding various events in order to subsidise Llalta's participation in their neighbours contest. This including a charity hike around the island, a fete and even a concert with Llaltese stars such as the Evergreens, Esther Winterbourne, June Summerfields and Pingu amongst other singers, local and international. With the final fundraiser, they managed to exceed the goal by thousands of pounds, confirming Llaltese participation and hopefully the funding to create an amazing song and staging. Not to mention, the issue of dependency on one artist was affirmed by the release of the entry to the World Hit Festival, left dramatically late in order for the artist to write the best song possible. However, the semi finals were still a challenge, a challenge Llalta was willing to face.

All the loose threads were tied together however, as the artist and song were finally revealed. Rivera Lewis with his song "Ramène-moi (The Crane)", a powerful ballad, a yearning for home. Though one might see it as "yet another Llaltese ballad", the LBN truly believes it is the next generation of Llaltese entries. After being announced, the entry received positive feedback from critics, however, it was still an entry which was not confirmed to qualify. Even so, amongst the people of Llalta, the community seemed confident in Rivera Lewis and his song. But in the end, only the world could decide the fate of the entry. The LBN hope it is popular with the Britonish crowd.

Rivera Lewis, 21 year-old singer-songwriter and Llaltese entrant for the 53rd World Hit Festival in Bovingdon, Britonisea.

Llalta this edition will be represented by the Nihilitopian born Rivera Lewis, with his song, "Ramène-moi (The Crane)". The 21 year-old singer-songwriter originates from the far, far away lands of Nihilitopia. Born in the rural town of Grasi, with the name Lassanne Lacosa, Rivera Lewis grew up in a Catholic farming community, with five other siblings, Rivera being the second oldest. Always a musical student, performing in the church choir and the like from the age of five. His dad was a notable farmer, growing crops such as wheat alongside Rivera who often helped. His mother on the other hand was poorly with leprosy, and lived in a far off leper colony as a societal reject upon the island of Selene. Since his mother contracted the disease early on in Rivera's life, they were never close. Not helped by his father's complete rejection of her, not wanting to be weighed down by the societal burdens of marrying a leper. Rural life was hard in Nihilitopia, being a developing country. Droughts, power cuts and crime were common occurrences, leading to a rather challenging childhood, often having to avoid criminals and struggle through famine. In the event of a drought, often his father would leave to the nearest tap, many miles away for water. Famine in Nihilitopia was a harsher affair, many in rural areas resorting to cannibalism. In his pearl bricked house, Rivera lived a challenging yet somewhat comfortable life, even with the life threatening trials surrounding him. Even when life seemed to drag him to the darkest depths of hell, he always had music, even if his father disapproved at the idea. He remained positive however, noted as being a light where there was dark. Many in his community often spoke of how he was destined to be something in the world, whatever it may be. The responsibilities of the family were often the burden of the father and the oldest male child, Rivera's older brother who was somewhat of a rebel, often smoking and doing drugs when his father was not looking, who loathed the responsibility of family, meaning Rivera often had to fill in his place as his brother did such scandalous activities, leading to Rivera's hardworking attitude.

His life changed however in the night of September 23rd, 2013. Rivera was 14. For the first time since her contraction of leprosy in 2001, Rivera's mother returned home just for a day. He couldn't wait and yet, at the door he could barely recognise her. Wrapped in bandages, bloody and broken, the sight shook him to the core. His soul drained. She was such a tragic sight, and she was meant to be his mum. He didn't know what to think. However, as the day went on, he spoke more with her, her soft words breaking down his walls of expectation. He ended up having a wonderous day, bonding with his mum. As he slept that night however, he heard shouting from downstairs. His father shouting at his mother, holding a steak knife, telling her to never associate with them again in order to preserve his family name. Enveloped with anger and emotion, the way his dad would be so rude about and to his mum, who's heart was as pure as honey, the next moments were a mere blur to him. Ruby red liquid painted the walls of his living room. His mum, bandaged and painted with blood screaming in the corner. Her eyes shattered with fear. Rivera looked at his own hands. Blood. Shimmering. The ichor of man. He looked around. His father on the floor. A knife in his chest. No heartbeat. Dead. The world seemed to fall beneath him, tears flooding on his cheeks, wiping away the blood. In a matter of moments he had just lost everything. His dad. His rights. He was to be put in prison forever. So many emotions flooded his mind, guilt, fear, anger, pain. It was all far too much for his youthful brain. In his daze he began to run. Behind he heard his name. Was it his mum? Was it out of anger, or did she not want to lose another family member? No matter to Rivera. That night, with adrenaline in his blood, he ran somewhere. The sun rose, the blood on his face glimmering like jewels. But he couldn't stop. He could never return. His life had crumbled before him. The pain and guilt of the world grew to much. Fuelled by fear. He continued to run. The world blurred around him as he ran. He never stopped at the call of a voice, the glare of a passer-by, the wonders of the world. He only ran.

Once again night came. He'd reached a city he'd probably seen before but could not recollect the name of. Neon lights passed by like shooting stars. In the big city no one seemed to bat an eye, even to the jewels of blood embroidering his clothes and face. He climbed the arches of a bridge, carefully clambering up the red painted bridge, up the decorative spirals. The red paint was almost the same colour as blood, a sharp reminder of his actions. He reached the top. The cool winds wrapped around his body as his sat at the top of the arch. His actions had now settled in. He'd killed his dad. He ran away. What now? He couldn't return home, there'd be nothing to return home to. Police and prison would await him no matter the outcome. And even avoiding them wouldn't stop the overbearing whispers of the shadow of doubt that would never leave. Infecting his mind day by day. In fact, the seeds had already been planted, rooting in his mind. Rivera had been shattered. He couldn't live with such guilt. Or was that the whispers of guilt rooted in his mind. Maybe he was dreaming. A flock of cranes flew by, white as snow, argent as stars. Wings like the wane of a moon. Dancing with the breeze that wrapped around Rivera's hair. It was almost a peaceful sight. Slender, like strokes of paint upon the canvas of the sky. Cranes had often nested upon his roof, and he had often considered them the bird of Nihilitopia. Perhaps, as one sees the crane upon the flag of Nihilitopia as they are brought into the world, they see the crane take flight as one departs. Then he hit the water.

No greater confusion could be brought upon someone than waking up upon a foreign shore, a cold yet calm sea lapping upon your body as the clouds above you pass by. Heaven? Hell? Somewhere in between? Birds sang and the wind wept, a soundscape peaceful enough to send someone to eternal sleep. He gazed up at the sky for a while. Peace. Even in Nihilitopia, crime and fear could never allow real peace and yet: here it was. A house upon a hill. A cat rolling in a meadow of flowers. The grey, yellow clouds of Nihilitopia never spurred the imagination. They were just clouds to Rivera. And yet, all of a sudden they were painting stories. Then, out of nowhere, a distraught woman came over, yapping to some others. It all seemed to blur in the eyes of Rivera. In scenes only a blur, he was taken to a hospital he assumed, with people asking questions he couldn't understand. After all, his native tongue was Somne and French, the languages of Nihilitopia. He was rather dazed too, and soon the desperate chatter of these natives were a mere lullaby for Rivera. He woke up. A small girl sat by his bed, Rivera could only guess around 9 years-old. She looked scared, but began to speak anyway. In a simple and sometimes wrong French, the girl attempted to explain that he was on the small island of Llalta, which he'd never heard of, and that he'd woken from a six day coma. Utterly confused, he tried to explain back but clearly the girl was no French prodigy. Perhaps the best in her class, but no fluent speaker. It became apparent that, after jumping off the bridge, he somehow managed along the tides of the seas to make his way to this tiny island. The blood was washed off. He couldn't go back. He supposed he would start anew, tomorrow would be another day. His first step into the new him was a new name, introducing himself as Rivera Lewis. He didn't plan on lying forever. He also said he was from France.

Knowing he couldn't go back, he plead to stay, his prayers answered. The kind hearts of Llaltese allowed him to stay, Rivera to join St. Christopher's Academy and to assimilate into Llaltese culture. He learnt English whilst also teaching others French and the dying language of Somn, native to the rural areas of Nihilitopia. He also performed often, showing Nihilitopian music to Llalta. His life, though peaceful and near perfect, didn't feel complete. However, he could never go back. The police would be after him, and the shadow of doubt would form again. Though it may be the cowardly approach, he would rather live a lie. Besides, his mother had most likely succumbed to leprosy, his family already outcasted him. His life upon Llalta was his new life. And yet, the fragile blossoms of intrigue called him home. He missed his house, his family, his life. But the only way would be to move onto the present. The now. He had a new family, a new home. Even so, he couldn't but believe it would never replace his old home. A conflict that would plague him until the introduction of "Ramène-moi (The Crane)". He would later come out about the truth to the community of Llalta, who were sincerely touched by his bravery, who vowed to protect him if the Nihilitopian police touched Llaltese soil. His new life. Like the cranes who would soar past his windows, migrating from Nihilitopia. A bittersweet shadow of the life he left.

Now 21 years old, Rivera Lewis is a part-time singer-songwriter as well as farmer in Llalta. Described as an especially warm soul, his music is known for his soft rock, often sorrowful ballads often piano driven given that he grew up playing the piano. The subject of his songs often entail his life in Nihilitopia as well as his rather extreme experiences. He often conveys this using cold piano soundscapes as well as the use of drums, Nihilitopian and Llaltese alike. Chants are often staples in his music also. Like many other Llaltese musicians and singers he often tops the Llaltese charts with his alternative music style and emotional, raw voice. However, his first album will be released after the 53rd World Hit Festival, titled "Ramène-moi" after his World Hit Festival debut entry "Ramène-moi (The Crane)" Internationally unknown, however, Rivera hopes he changes this and hopes to be as famous as Esther Winterbourne, who he describes as his Llaltese icon, having collaborated with the celebrated singer numerous times to create his most famous songs. Similarly, Esther also considers him an icon, noting his story as truly inspiritational, her music shaped by his raw emotions that her first songs seemed to lack. His debut album, "The Crane" is set to release August 21st 2020, a self titled "album of forgiveness, forgiveness of self".

Album cover for Rivera Lewis' debut album, "Ramène-moi", to which his WHF entry is the title song of.

The song, "Ramène-moi (The Crane)" (Translated to "Bring Me Back") is a powerful ballad which yearns for home, a sorrowful, regretful yearning for the home he left. The lyrics describe an ashen crane, flying and sitting amongst the rooftops of St. Christopher outside his window. However, the ashen crane is also a symbol for Nihilitopia, the bird as stated by Rivera Lewis as, "a bird who we'd often see outside our home. In Nihilitopian myth, the crane also is a symbol of hope. It is said that if you see one, you will have a good luck. However, for me, it means something different. Not only is it a symbol of Nihilitopia and all I left, but it was the last thing I saw before I hit the water. The last impression of Nihilitopia. It reminds me of home and all that I lost. When I see them flying across the skies of St. Christopher, it's bittersweet. They're so beautiful and yet, just like me they a dripping with the blood of my regrets and pain. It reminds me of home. When I first landed on Llalta at least. Once I accepted my new face, my new life, I could appreciate it for all it was: a crane. I used to want it to fly me home where I was true. But now, I just want it to fly away, spread it's wings and fly. I want to fly with them. Fly into the heavens. They are such beautiful beings, no?" The song is riddled with symbolism, as well as taking inspiration from both Llaltese and Nihilitopian cultures especially regarding the chanting section, which to Rivera is the anger of the song, the raw emotion, whilst other parts of the song tend to stay beautiful, poetic and descriptive in comparison. The song has already stormed Llaltese charts, taking over yva's "the dreaming" with his catchy yet raw tribute to his home and memories. "The song is everything I am. It's me right now, but, as a song. It's what I've wanted to to say and will say for the next thousand years. For as long as I live." Rivera said.

The postcard ended with the audience applauding their sort of neighbours, the arena shifting to pitch black in order to prepare for the Llaltese performance. The audience silences, ready for the Llaltese act. When the music begins, the camera is zoomed into a white feather slowly drifting downwards on the LED screen, waltzing with the breeze as it falls. With this graphic, the camera is lead to a black piano played by none other than Rivera Lewis, who sits upon a black stool. He and his piano is lit up by a single bright white spotlight, casting shadows upon Rivera as he plays the opening chords in the introduction of the song. He wears a white shirt, an ash grey sweater over the top so that only the collar and cuffs of the shirts can be seen. His trousers are rather styled yet formal, a dark grey in colour. White socks and black leather shoes complete the casual yet semi-formal look. For the World Hit Festival however, it seems rather casual and personal, reflected in the generally raw feel and atmosphere of the song. It is apparent that the central LED eye surrounded by the vortex strips of the stage is lowered and angled like a backdrop for Rivera Lewis, most of the graphics being painted upon the eye. The vortex strips also are lowered to surround Rivera. As a result, the stage feels smaller and more personal, allowing the viewer to connect with Rivera as the song continues, and as he begins to sing the powerful lyrics of the song. The camera takes steady shots after the opening angles, slowly circling Rivera as he plays his piano, fading to black as each camera shot ends. There is also a filter on the camera, slightly darkening the arena and creating a more dark atmosphere. A very dim and soft vignette is also applied, bringing the focus to Rivera.

The first verse begins and Rivera begins to sing with the passion that made him a top class singer in the first place. His eyes are shut, as if he were imagining the crane outside his window, living every moment as if it were the now. His clean voice is tinged with an unnameable sorrow, like the plume of a flower. His face in the sombre lights etched with past pain. Upon the LED screen, or the eye, a crane like figure mid flight begins to form, almost in a painterly way, each stroke of argent paint creating life. Each stroke another flap of the wing until the crane begins to fly on it's own, the stroke and paint apparent. It flies upon the empty black LED eye behind Rivera, who continues to sing with his soul. His words hurt him, as if each lyric were a rose: beautiful to the ear but each word tears at his mouth like barbs, bleeding with the truth of each word. The camera angles are slow and personal, often close to Rivera capturing each emotion as they bleed out. As he sings, "The crane, strokes of argent paints, upon the canvas of sky" the camera shifts focus to the crane flying. Then, a deep grey like the argent of a gloomy day splatter on behind the crane, slowly bleeding out across the LED screen to create a backdrop for Rivera and the crane. However, it does not travel too far, not reaching the edges of the screen rather ending with the drips of paint. As he finishes singing the line, a hint of sorrow seeping from his last word, the camera shifts back it's focus to Rivera, ending the first verse with a zoom in of Rivera's face, who, consciously or not looks into the distance, yearning for his distant home. The camera follows his line of sight, slowly passing by the LED crane and then into the black abyss, the camera fading to black in order to transition into the bridge of the song. His last note lingers in the darkness, like an echo.

The crane, soaring past the glass
Beyond my reflection
The crane, strokes of argent paints
Upon the canvas of sky

Suddenly, the bright white light above Rivera is dimmed, painting Rivera in shadows, casting an heir of mystery and quiet as the song slows the pace. Other than that however, it appears as if Rivera and his piano were floating in an endless abyss. This is the first moment of the language of French being used also, a few French speakers in the crowd applauding such a revelation. His words flow and slur like a stream, the beautiful calligraphy of sound and song. Though at first the screen is pitch black, with each light and airy chord that plays, the camera turns on again, revealing Rivera in his endless abyss. With each chord also, the camera zooms in again and again. Even though the arena is dark, his face concealed with the dancing shadows, the emotion still seethes from him like a flowing river, flowing around the sound, conveying his heart and soul. The moment is quiet, personal allowing the viewer to connect with him even if they have no idea what he is singing. By the end of the first line of the bridge, the camera slowly circles Rivera and his piano as he sings, each word carefully sang with the fragility of a flower. He ends the bridge, lifting and swirling his hand gracefully upwards. A dance, a duet with the crane.

Vous réveillez, des mémoire de mes racines saignantes
Alors que tu t'assois sur mon toit

After the quiet, melodic peace of the bridge, the chorus hits, opening with a flash of lights in an argent colour, exploding upon the stage and lighting up the arena. The LED screens including the spirals of the vortex are lit up in the painted silvers of a cloudy winter sky, blemishes of paint covering the screen with texture and the raw essence of the song. Upon the eye behind Rivera however is the single ashen crane, painting the skies as it flies, the painted style working wonders against the background. With each beat of the complicated drum rhythm, the lights flash accordingly, allowing the staging and music to blend and create a cohesive experience. Not only this but the rather manic rhythm of the drums allows the lighting to fill the arena with light, as if dancing to the music itself. The strips surrounding the stage, the vortex, flashes with light too, pulsing to the rhythm. Nevertheless, the crane and Rivera do not lose themselves to the dim grey lights flashing. Painted feathers begin to fall subtly on the LED screens, adding an extra point of interest to the already powerful chorus. Upon the vortex too, feathers fall down the spiral of LED. Rivera, compared to the quiet, delicate bridge, pours his soul into each note as he sings it. His eyes seem to focus on a single point in the distance but seem lost in the music, singing to the crane, reliving the days he would sing to the crane outside his window. His voice is rough yet clear at the same time, almost angelic. It is apparent that the young star-to-be is far comfortable in his native tongue than English, even though he has lived and learnt English for the past 6-7 years. Even after moving on, his heart and soul still stays in Nihilitopia it seems. The anarchic rhythm of the drum continues to pound in the background of the song, Rivera Lewis sings and plays the piano with much more confidence, moving his body to rhythm of the song, feeling the beat as if it were inside him. Each "ramène-moi" he sings is flowing with evanescence of soul, a heartfelt yearn to return home after so long. As he sings "gravé sur mon coeur", with his free index finger he traces heart subtly on his chest. The camera throughout takes many wider, yet not grand shots of the stage, On the final "oh"s of the chorus, circling him. Speaking of which, each "oh" is sung with his raw passion, though one might say effortlessly, he still radiates the pain of singing such a challenging note. And yet, it sounds so perfect and true. The camera ends the chorus by slowly zooming out, the sky upon the eye beautifully painted behind Rivera.

Cher la grue à cendres, ailes comme le déclin d’une lune
Ramène-moi, ramène-moi
Cher la grue à cendres, gravé sur mon coeur
Ramène-moi, ramène-moi
Oh, oh

The second verse begins and, unlike the first verse, the stage LEDs including the eye depict the splattered watercolour background, now shifted from an argent, stormy grey to a light blue. Two more cranes are painted on the LED screen, formed like the first one in a triad formation. As they form, cloud like white structures begin to form upon the canvas of the sky behind the cranes. Floating aimlessly, painting stories upon the spring sky. Rivera on the other hand is bathed in two white spotlights, lighting him up fully. Shadows no longer linger with each movement as before. The dim vignette still remains as well as the filter, however less noticeable due to the slightly brighter stage. The painted style of the cranes is rather abstract, almost calligraphic, the strokes loose yet still recognisable. Unlike the first verse also, the are steady drums in the background of the soundscape, much brighter than the first verse much like the lighting, now flashing dimly to the beat of the drum. As Rivera softly sings, "the crane, washed in heaven's hues", the eye shows auroras painted and dancing around the cranes, soft yet stunning. They soon waltz away however, showing the journey of the cranes. Rivera's voice, unlike the chorus just before, has returned to it's powerful and emotional delicacy, like lace. Delicate and pretty, his voice seeps with emotion. Pent up and reserved, rather juxtaposing compared to the emotion released in the chorus prior. His brown eyes shimmer in the soft, almost pastel lights, shown in the various close ups of his face, each subtle crease of his face singing it's own song and story. Furthermore, the final shot of the verse is of the cranes. The cranes change directions, and they fly towards the eye, growing closer before turning, the colour and painted strokes of their wings close up, like a vivid flurry of paint strokes of pearls, whites, greys and blues. Behind Rivera the mottled colours of their wings paint the eye like random strokes of paints. However, the strokes of movement are soon followed by darkness, the camera zoomed out taking in the LEDs and Rivera as his final note is sung.

The crane, poised statue of silver
Unwavering through the war of waves
The crane, washed in heaven's hues
Shifting as you fly true

The bridge returns once again, Rivera's final note of the chorus lingering in the dark quiet once more. Once turned to black, the camera turns on once again at the arrival of the first magical chord. The lights attached to the strips of vortex billow upwards with a dim grey light, flaring in the camera as the lights shine into it. Unlike the camera zooming in like the first bridge, rather, the camera circles Rivera and the piano with each chord. Cast in a dim, atmospheric white light, his face is concealed in shadows as he sings softly, his voice painted in pain. The camera takes a shot from the back, the audience being able to be seen. Beyond Rivera's near silhouette, the vague shifting shadows of the audience can be seen. Holding their lights up like stars in the sky, the shot, though quick, becomes striking, as if he was singing with the backdrop of the stars. The light surrounding his silhouette, ethereal. As before, he returns to his native French. His words are soft yet warm. The memories of his former life all coming back to home for the last time, before he soars to the future. The soft moment of the bridge is personal and sentimental. On the second line of the song, the camera slowly zooms into him, and he raises his hand to the sky, the camera following the movement of his hand, which arises shakily, as if it was hard to fight the possession of song. The camera then faded to black, ready to flourish into sound and feeling at the second chorus.

Vous réveillez, des mémoire de mes racines saignantes
Alors que tu t'assois sur mon toit

As the second chorus flourishes from the silence, argent lights billow outwards and the heavy rhythm of the drums returns, filling the arena with the song's powerful beats. The camera slowly zooms out from directly front of the stage, taking in the light show as they shine, glimmering in the lens of the camera. As Rivera begins to sing, the camera focusses on him once again, whom of which continues to play the piano and sing, singing each word as if his last. The cranes on the eye behind him return once again, this time a flock of five flying upon the sky of sapphire blue, clouds passing by like trees upon a roadside. Furthermore, the painted feathers also begin to fall, drifting downwards subtly. As of the previous chorus, the lights flash to the anarchic yet rhythmic beat of the drums. As he sings the "ramène-moi", he looks upwards at the ceiling of the arena, perhaps, beyond that, to the skies. His yearning to return home, to return to the life he used to live seems to flow through the music, the drums desperate beats of the heart. The pain of wanting something you know will never own is a painful illusion, blinding even the strongest of souls. The illusion created by extreme want is an illusion fading in the eyes of Rivera. Even amongst the staging can one notice the pain beyond his eyes. The shattering apophony that causes kingdoms of illusions and dreams to crumble. The desperate yearning as a revelation dawns. Like the shattering of a glass or the cracking of a wall. The illusion of palaces, falling before Rivera's very own eyes upon that stage. Mere moments of thought that flow through the river of the song, highlighted by the subtle glance of his eye. Furthermore, when he sings "gravé sur mon coeur", his voice steaming with a subtle desperation, he clutches the sweater around his heart, scrunching the cream fabric in his smooth fists. The veins casting shadows upon the rest of the surface of his hands. The subtle movements shown in the close ups of the camera. On the final two, strong notes of the chorus, Rivera raises his free hands outwards, his once clenched fist now opened up. Like a crane, spreading it's wings to fly, the lights wrapping around it. The long notes that form the end of the chorus are tinged with the hints of sorrow. Like plumes of smoke in an atmosphere of pure. The chorus ends with Rivera thrusting his fist in the air, before lowering it, welcoming the camera as for once he gazes into the camera as it zooms in, the flash of lights and LED paintings no longer taking the stage, just Rivera and his voice. His eyes are guarded, yet shimmer with the light of hope and regret. A slight smile forming in his mouth. A grimace perhaps. His final note fills the arena with sorrow and regret.

Cher la grue à cendres, ailes comme le déclin d’une lune
Ramène-moi, ramène-moi
Cher la grue à cendres, gravé sur mon coeur
Ramène-moi, ramène-moi
Oh, oh

A section of entirely his native tongue of Somn, the language of lost in the modern times of Nihilitopia. The section is quiet and sentimental, the pure essence of heaven flowing through each word of longing and loss. The chords of the section are light and angelic also, filling the soundstage for bliss, even if just for a moment amongst the generally powerful, dark atmosphere of the rest of the song. Like a moment to breath, to recollect memories of the past. Rivera smiles a little; a smile of acceptance, as if merely reminiscing. No longer longing for the unobtainable. Just a mere memory. A dream. Upon the LED screens are the dappled splatters of paint, a sky of dreamlike beauty. Upon the painted sky lays a single crane, strokes of argent paint, soaring across the sky. He soars off of the central eye, flying around the vortex before disappearing a swirl of feathers. Though the stage is brighter than before, it doesn't feel grand or too bright. Rather, it is the whiteness of a dream, or a hazy memory. Like the pages of a story waiting to be written. Sentimental and personal, like the way you might feel reading a personal diary. The camera usage certainly supports such an atmosphere, using close ups, and Rivera's voice is as angelic and light as the piano itself, like a call from an angel above. Or the whispers of a memory. His eyes shimmer and sparkle in the white light also, the stage often shimmering also. Twinkling like stars in the lens of the camera. Upon the LED screen, all the things Rivera describes in his lyrics begin being painted upon the screen, hazily forming as if recalling a memory. First, the swirling of a vine begins intertwining and snaking across the screen, blossoming with pearls and blue flowers, flourishing as it adorns the stage, making its way across the vortex LED strips. As he sings the second line, eyes shut, lost in a blissful dream, butterflies and birds begin flying around, landing on the vines, flowers and pearls. Adding to the surreal dreamlike haze of the moment, the butterflies are coloured in bright pastel colours, the birds compiled of many strokes of pastel paints, shifting in mottled streaks. Rivera, bathed in the heavenly paintings of swirls, flowers and nature, seems stuck in a dreamlike phase, his smile warm like a soul. His words sang like a songbird. When he softly sings, "svet si langue d'amar, grous s'assan c'alar moi", he opens his eyes, which sparkle in the pastel lights and lifts the hand he isn't playing the piano with to the sky. The camera takes one final wide shot of the beautiful painting of the stage, before fading to black, marking the beginning of the final section of Rivera's song of acceptance.

Si sjar ma lasomn, s'ebriche earle lous v'ie saph'ul
Si sjar ma lasomn, sa m'jartinne di samn croiscoul
Svet si langue d'amar, grous s'assan c'alar moi

As the heavy drums begin to play, the rhythm filling the arena with the harsh thump of the drum, the lights begin to flash white in a near strobe like fashion to the rhythm of the drums, though manic at first glance, flash almost like a pulse in a set order. Through harsh flashes of light, Rivera is seen standing from the black stool and making his way to the front of the stage, moving his body to the harsh drum rhythm. The two backing singers, Jordan Johansen, Liam Jishak, revealed at the back of the stage at upstage right, begin chanting powerfully to the rhythms, giving an almost tribal atmosphere. Even though the lights flash brightly, the LED screens at first remain pitch black, the arena and audience plunged in darkness. However, as the section of the song progresses, the LED screens begin to show first, the explosion of a firework, the firework just upon the black LED screen, the footage cutting in places in order to match the anarchy of the drums. Other images include the blossom of a colourful, exotic flower as well as a Llaltese festival dancer, dressed in a kimono like garment with a bright mask of a crane, twirling, her garment flowing and billowing outwards. Red petals flurrying around her like dancers. Each scene, filled with vivid colours only lasts a short moment on the LED screen, sometimes switching from slow-motion to being sped up multiple times, creating vivid yet manic imagery. Disorientating, surreal, like a dream as the drum rhythm entails the state of dreams, panic and how easily the past and wants and desires can be distorted. Furthermore, Rivera begins to sing the "volons" along with the two backing singers who continue to chant over the drums. The camera angles throughout this section of the song are much like the shots upon the LED screen, rapid and rough. Rivera bumbles around the stage, lacking a real dancer prowess, rather awkwardly, luckily saved by the rapid camera angles and lighting. As he sings the first "la grue à cendres", he pauses for a moment, looking up to the sky, his free hand reaching up, yearning to fly. After, amongst the camera angles, more footage is shown upon the black LED screens: an aurora shifting sped up, the burning of a flame as well another series of fireworks. The vivid colour and imagery truly making the moment stand out. Finally, Rivera sings the final "volons". However, unlike the lyrics before, he sings the final syllable with the best of his abilities, singing a high note with every inch of his soul, standing still and looking up at the camera which takes a birds eye view.

Volons
Volons
Volons
La grue à cendres
Volons
Volons
Volons
Volons

He holds the note with all his might, the note higher than what most males will ever reach. As he holds the note, he slowly bends over in order to hold the note with as much power as he has. His voice flourishes with every emotion he has, his eyes shut tightly. Etched across his face are the emotions he has held in this entire song, this one note letting it all out. The camera zooms out from above him and into a more wide view of the stage. As the camera zooms out, bright white and gold lights billow outwards, the precipice of the song met with the most grand of lighting. Furthermore, upon all the LED screens, a blaze of gold paint splashes across the screens to create a sunset sky. Upon the beautiful water coloured gold sky is a flock of cranes, soaring and flying, twirling and dancing. Each feather a stroke of paint, a tint of argent and white, flurrying as they fly. A beautiful painted animation. Rivera Lewis, stood at the front of the stage continues to hold the note through it all, power and emotion radiating from like the light of the sun. Beneath his feat, the splatter of paint colours it gold, as if he were flying high in the sky, surrounded by the cranes that remind him of home. Painted feathers begins to fall too. Lights matching the rhythm of the drums pulse and flash, creating a grand finish for the Llaltese entry. As Rivera finishes his long note, his face a little red from the note, he rises up from his near crouch and spreads his free arm out to the side, as he begins to sing the final chorus.

His face, unlike before is painted with the emotions of acceptance. A full journey of the soul. His chestnut eyes shine bright in the light, twinkling with the stars of hope that fill his heart. His cheeks burn a rosy red as he sings the final chorus with everything he has, especially draining since the long note only a couple moments prior. The dark, moody filter is finally vanquished as well as the dim vignette, allowing for the true colour of the stage to shine bright. The lights continue to flash to the rhythm, beating loudly in the backdrop of the soundscape, empowering the final chorus onwards. The two back singers after their lengthy chant begins to sing backup to Rivera now also, their silhouettes hidden in the shadows. The camera takes wider shots than before, capturing the beauty of the painted backgrounds as well as Rivera himself, often taking zoom ins of the young singer, his emotions pouring out like the ichor of gods. The flock of cranes on the LED screens fly and soar, gracefully waltzing with the breeze as they swoop and sing upon golden canvas of sunset. The strokes of paint that form the cranes flourishing and dancing, like that of a expressionist painting, trapped in the moment, the paint loose and of feeling. Similar to the feelings and singing style of Rivera. Bathed in the golden lights he continues to sing with the essence of his soul, his body moving with each note he sings and each beat of the song. As he sings, "gravé sur mon coeur", his hand in a fist, his beats his heart twice and lightly, before spreading his arm outwards, like the wings of crane prepared to fly. Then, as he sings, "oh, oh", the camera circles him, one shot including the audience waving their national flags. One with a keen eye may notice a Llaltese flag in the distance, perhaps lost amongst the sea of people and flags. With each, "oh", the lights flash and billow outwards. The cranes also fly more erratically, matching the spiral of notes Rivera sings with each "oh". The waver of a soul, overcoming the truth. The shimmer of an eye who finally sees the hope.

Cher la grue à cendres, ailes comme le déclin d’une lune
Volons loin, volons loin
Cher la grue à cendres, gravé sur mon coeur
Volons loin, volons loin
Oh, oh

The final chorus dies down, the gold lighting subsiding into nothingness. The cranes soaring away in a flurry of argent tinted painted, flying to a spot of paint, eventually nothing, leaving only a couple feathers floating to the floor. Pitch black finally silences the colour of the arena, except a single dim spotlight above Rivera. His face and body partly cloaked in dancing shadows once again. Amongst the darkness, the final chords of the song are slowly played. And yet, behind Rivera upon the eye reigns a painted moon, strokes of argent and white forming the circle and craters that define that moon. One may also see a face upon the sphere's surface, a sorrowful face who yearns to come home once again. Or is it just pensive. From that moon, a black spot of paint appears, growing bigger and bigger. Soon, an ashen crane, glowing in the moon appears, soaring in the pitch black, mesmerising the audience with it's grace and beauty, like a true expression of each shifting light, each movement, and each emotion. The crane, after soaring with it's wings of a waned moon, eventually flaps it's wings heavily, ready to land upon the bottom of the LED screen. It lands, the floor of the stage rippling out giving the appearance of a body of water, the light shimmering on each ebb. The reflection of the crane also appears on the floor of the stage, dancing in the ripples. The reflection ends up next to where Rivera stands, who himself has an ebb flowing from beneath his feet, a reflection in front of him too. Due to the pitch black all around, the sequence looks as if Rivera and the crane were really out upon the sea, their reflection and the light dancing in the ebb and flow of life. The moon gains a reflection too, as well as the piano Rivera once use onstage, allowing for a beautiful scene which looks as if it could be real. It's quiet, painted and sentimental, a beautiful ending to such a harsh yet beautifully poetic journey. The soft, dark piano matching the moonlit scene between the crane and Rivera, the theme in which the song entails throughout.

Cher la grue des cendres volons un autre endroit

In the beautiful scene, the camera slowly zooms into Rivera, who sings the final line, the treasure at the end of his symphonic journey. To fly to his own heights, to new heavens, not heavens of the past. He sings the final line, his eyes sparkling with warmth gazing into the ever zooming in camera. His voice soft yet raw, roughed by the trials and tribulations of life. He smiles at the final word, ready to fly again another day. To fly with the crane that once tormented him but now to duet with such an elegant creature. Not to fly home together, but to fly into another future. To their new home. Rivera's last word, tinged with the bittersweet of tomorrow, lingers in the quiet of the arena, the camera zooming in a little more before fading to black, marking the end of his song. The arena lights up again and Rivera Lewis' emotional ballad left the Britonish crowd cheering. Never performing on such a big stage, Rivera Lewis was beyond stunned, hands on his mouth to cover the shock. Looking out and observing the whole crowd, and the sheer size of the audience he performed to, he almost forgot to bow. Once remembered however, his bow was rather shaky, as were his final words of: "Th-Th-Thank you! W-world! Cassan Svys!" He bowed again, before bumbling offstage in confusion, rather losing the plot as he excitedly finished the song. He was proud of himself. From a cowardly teen to the representative of his new home, to sing his story to the world. And yet, like the crane migrating from Nihilitopia to Llalta, his odyssey wasn't over. As his World Hit Festival trilogy ended, another story was set to begin.

by **Malta Comino Gozo** » Tue Jul 28, 2020 3:43 am

XX
Malta Comino Gozo
"Sindria Borg -Liquorice "
Language(s): English
Title Transcription:
Title Translation:
Tune:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwjwCFZpdnsHailee-Steinfeld
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: MCG
Lyrics: Bel Suit
Music: Sindria Borg
Backing Dancers: Millie Banques, Georgina Forest, Samantha Foster and Kai Lane
Backing Singers:

Background

Sindia Borg (born July 26, 1995) is an Malta Comino Gozoan, singer and songwriter. She was born in Il-Bidni. Sindria began singing professionally at the age of 14 competing in MCG's Youth Festival 2009 and winning. She has then gone on to be a successful singer throughout the country and gained a huge fan base abroad too. With two number one hit singles in the multiverse, "Peng" and "She's Mad" she is a popular name.

She premiered her now-platinum debut single, "Peng" in August 2015, WHich topped the charts for 5 weeks. She has then gone on to drop a series of standalone singles, including 2016’s “Toffee cream” and ”Famine" — which reached number 1 on the MCG Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2016 for 3 months!

Sindira and her Team would travel from Malta Comino Gozo International to Aeroporte International in Britonisea. Both countries have an air bridge due to MCG being deemed safe on the Britonisea Travel List with now COVID cases for 4 months. The team would take the monorail to Doportedas and stay the night as they arrived late into the night before heading to the Coach Station where they would take the coach to Bovingdon. Many screaming fans where waiting at the Airport for her arrival, trying to remain low key wasn't the case and Sindria spent 10 minutes signing autographs and posing with fans. The Team would arrive 12 days before the contest to prep and rehearse.

Sindria and her team where based in one the cities finest luxury hotels, The Lodge in Doportedas. On arrival they were escorted swiftly into the Hotel by their security all the while Sindria waved enthusiastically to her fans waiting to see her. Sindria unpacked some of her overnight stuff and looked out her balcony. There wasn’t a cloud in the star-speckled sky. Rows of towering skyscrapers stretched above her, their windows alight from within. A half-moon hovered at the fringes of the luminous cityscape, where the red blinking lights of distance radio towers twinkled in the night. A cotton fog coated the whole area, acting as a milky filter. The fog softened the hard lines of buildings, and diffused the orange glow of the street lamps. The city scape was a jumble of shapes, like a child had cast blocks down randomly and then swept them so close together they touched. There were rectangles, domes and prisms. There were spires, weather vanes and satellite dishes. Between the dwellings and businesses the roads were so narrow that they frequently became blocked by trucks and traffic. Sindria fell in love with the modern city immediately, the urban sprawl fascinated her.

Her and her team would then take a lovely modern Britonish coach on the 90 min ride to Bovingdon a beautiful little city located next to the Britonish South sea. Sindria and her team stepped of the coach into the fresh air and sunshine. The city air is fresh and almost sweet with a hint of the saltiness from the sea. She felt relaxed and took off her sunhat to let the breeze flow gently through her luscious brown hair. It was a fairly warm day down here in Bovingdon and for a Malta Comino Gozoan she excelled in the heat. They made their way by hired car to their Hotel located not far from the seafront, The Great Bovingdon. Her team comically hauled all her luggage into the hotel for her.

Once her and her team had settled and unpacked again Sindria stepped out onto her private balcony of this luxurious 5* hotel. Suddenly the cloud that remained rolled back and the midday sun brought the whole city, shining, into view. There was Bovingdon Town hall, standing proud with it's great chimneys still intact.Behind it, Bovingdon Park appeared as a square of dense green bushes and trees that were making a last stand, fighting back the urban spread. And all around it small apartment blocks, endless rows of quaint shops and houses, roads, railways, and bridges stretching away into the landscape. In the distance the green rolling hills and sea.

She would spend a lot of time exploring and posting hundreds if not more pics onto her social media. Sindria and Adela Al-Maltiyyah who was North Alezia's singer, also met up a lot to socialise as the pair had a lot in common. They were both from MCG and the pair both had a love for singing. As well as this she attended many press conferences and interviews.

Stage

Sindia is dressed in a black and creamy white lace sequin top with red lipstick her hair is down.Her face softened with make up and mascara. She is wearing long black boots.https://i.imgur.com/wVh3L6Z.jpg
Her backing dancers are in black lycra tops with their abdomens showing and black lycra trousers.

The stage background is a pink purple blend like this and the spotlights shining down are white bathing the stage in a crisp white. The vortex also has the same background on it and is closed and suspended just above the stage.

Sindria is stood centre stage with her 4 backing dancers two behind her to the right and two infront on the right. She is holding a microphone in her left hand.Large sweets lollipops and liquorice props are placed around the stage She has a smirk on her face. The camera angles in this part switch from various full body and facial shots of Sindria and her backing singers, the background can be seen behind her swirling away. The backing dancers sway where they are stood, lunging up and down sexually, their left hand on their hips their right hand clicking their fingers above their heads to the clicks. https://66.media.tumblr.com/23a7478ecca95de68fec40bbecd6dead/tumblr_orgy03U3qk1ql2sefo6_r1_250.gifvWhen she sings "And love me tightly " she wraps her free hand across her chest, smiling and longing towards the camera whilst doing it before putting it back down to her side.

Perfect lush cute smile
Lips appealing
Come on closer babe
And love me tightly
Squeeze me harder please love me babe
Come on closer to me babe
You're all my heart sees
Hmmmmm

Halfway through the verse the background changes to sweets (candy) falling. The vortex also has the same LED making it look like it raining sweets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1eFUMe9KR0 As the instrumental part kicks in the crane camera pans across (6) across the excited audience waving flags left to right capturing all of the the beautiful stage. Sindira walks to the edge of the stage and crouches down leaning into the screaming crowd,the camera is in crowd looking up. She gets back up and struts casually back to the centre. The camera follows.The as she sings "Luscious lips" the spotlight intensify. She gently caresses her lips as she does. As the chorus ends and the instrumental starts steam plumes shoots into the air dramatically around the edges of the stage, the crowd erupts with excitement. The white spotlights swirl around the arena. The LED background is still sweets and the neon lights around the stage pulsate quickly with pink and purple.

My body aches so much whenever I'm next to you
Love me harder boy, come, sink your teeth into
Luscious lips
Luscious lips
A lover's lips tastes like liquorice
This loves increasing sweetheart whenever I'm with you
Luscious lips
Luscious lips
A lover's lips lined with Liquorice
My loves increasing sweetheart whenever I'm next to you

Sindia is smiling with glee. The camera pulls out across the audience. Sindria and her dancers all dance the same choreography in unison like this for the instrumental.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/8b23ef149f4f3202e6aca8f21c3bb297/tumblr_orgy03U3qk1ql2sefo2_250.gifv

The background switches back to the pink purple background. The camera is a full body shot of Sindria again. She looks playfully into the camera and she runs her hand down her hip. Before it switches to an audience view. The dancers click their fingers again to the clicks before dancing off in all directions before regrouping for the chorus. Sindria stays in the centre bopping softly to the beat. The lights are powerful and bright.

Handsome soldier boy
Whisk me away
Come round and lets play
These adults games
I am your key
Taste these lips
Come on closer to me babe
You're all my heart sees
Hmmmmm
You're all my heart sees
Ohhh Yeah

Halfway through the verse the background changes to sweets (candy) falling. The vortex also has the same LED making it look like it raining sweets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1eFUMe9KR0 Sindria points into the audience with her free hand before joining in with the choreography with the dancers. The camera cuts to a overheard shot looking down (1) before switching to a 360 camera that follows the outer stage circumference. Then its switches to behind Sindria showing an aerial shot from behind and to audience. Sindria is smiling proudly with excitement.When she sings "Luscious lips " the camera cuts back to a full body shot as she runs her finger down her cheek. The backing dancers in the background can be seen positioned next to the large sweet props on stage and they pretend to lick them. As the chorus plays out the vortex slowly unfurls until its completely surrounding the stage. Lights beat and are shooting out of it across the arena.

My body aches so much whenever I'm next to you
Love me harder boy, come, sink your teeth into these
Luscious lips
Luscious lips
A lover's lips tastes like liquorice
This loves increasing whenever I'm next to you
Luscious lips
Luscious lips
A lover's lips lined with Liquorice
My loves increasing baby whenever I'm next to you

Sindria and her dancers break out into dance again as steam shoots proudly out the stage dramatically. The view is from the Spider cam on wire, which moves from close to far in arena. The audience is jumping up and down waving their flags. MCG flags can be seen swaying. The white spotlights swirl around the arena. The LED background is still sweets and the neon lights around the stage pulsate quickly with pink and purple.
Sindria fist bumps the air and then her and backing dancers all dance the same choreography in unison like this https://66.media.tumblr.com/8b23ef149f4f3202e6aca8f21c3bb297/tumblr_orgy03U3qk1ql2sefo2_250.gifv The camera pulls outwards from the stage spectacularly. The majestic vortex shimmering with purple and pink. The neon lights on the catwalks flash pink white and purple. The camera then circles the stage from behind once before cutting to a body shot of Sindria her backing dancers in the background.

You You
Whenever I'm next to you
Luscious lips
Luscious lips
A lover's lips lined with Liquorice
My loves increasing baby whenever I'm next to you
Ooh Ohh Oooh Nanana

The camera then switches to an outer stage circumference view of the stage.The dancers regroup around Sindria like at the start. As the vortex retreats. They then position themselves like at the start of the staging by clicking their fingers above their heads. The camera suspended in the air captures the whole centre stage.

Embrace me harder love me babe
Come on closer to me babe
You're all my heart sees

Sindria motions a kiss. The crow screams and explodes with claps, flags waving everywhere. Sindria jumps excitedly up and down with a thrilled look before her and the dancers group hug. She shouts "Thank you Britonisea!" Into the microphone before leaving the stage.

by **The Hlhata States** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:14 am

XX
THE HLHATA STATES
Nikola Sygrit - "Singing In The Shower"
Language(s): Rap
Tune: Demi Lovato - In The Mirror
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: HLA
Lyrics: Nikola Sygrit
Music: Kimmy Thick, Esther Winterbourne, Pingu, Uma Kompton
Backing Dancers: DANCERS_HERE (Feel free to use the ones provided on the OP for no extra cost!)
Backing Singers: SINGERS_HERE (Feel free to use the ones provided on the OP for no extra cost!)

Woah

In all the glitz and the glamour
I lost myself in all of the fame
No choice for what I do or say
Merely a puppet
Blinded by lights and money
I performed for the world but not myself
I thought I was truly happy
And yet deep down inside...

It wasn't meant to be
I never felt like I was myself,
I never felt like I was myself
I never sang what I wanted to sing
Looked how I wanted to be
'Til I was singing in the shower
'Til I was singing in the shower
'Til I was singing in the shower

Rumours spread like diseases
I stayed up drunk 'till I numbed the pain
And I'd smile another day
But the scars they'd always stay
The cameras like stalkers
My life was a film
For the press to play
My life was everything I wanted
And yet deep down inside...

It wasn't meant to be
I never felt like I was myself,
I never felt like I was myself
I never sang what I wanted to sing
Looked how I wanted to be
'Til I was singing in the shower
'Til I was singing in the shower
'Til I was singing in the shower
'Til I was singing in the shower

'Til I was singing in the shower
Woah

by **Talvezout** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:47 pm

XX
TALVEZOUT
Isadora Bachelor - "Balyem"
Language(s): Talvezian
Title Transcription: N/A
Title Translation: "We Dance"
Tune: Los Hermanos Rosario - La Candelosa
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: TVZ
Lyrics: Isadora Bachelor, Isobella Bachelor
Music: N/A
Backing Dancers: N/A
Backing Singers: N/A

Isadora stands alone on stage, by herself, all alone. The stage is lit with a single spotlight on Isadora. As she sings and performs, various multicolored silhouettes of people dancing appear all around her, in rhythm with the song.

Ooh, oo, oooh
Balyem

un ball salvatge
amb mi, estimada
passió i sensualitat
signes de força

un moviment sensual
ballem aquí aquesta nit
un ball endins
la llum de la lluna

Mou el teu cos
torce els braços
un ritme primitiu
instint de desig

d’arrels antigues
ballem aquesta nit
sense vergonya
ballem aquí aquesta nit

Ooh, ayyy

el teu cos d’acer
els meus llavis de seda
el cor ardent
la necessitat sexual

paraules pronunciades
només a la llum de la lluna
paraules prohibides
coneguda només per nosaltres

balyem, balyem
balyem, balyem
balyem, balyem

una sola fibra
dins del meu cos
tot el que necessito i desitjo

suau llum de les espelmes
estan plens de luxe
aquests ulls suaus
amb desig amagat

el ritme de la banda
mentre ballem a la nit
els passos pesats
mentre ballem a la nit

balyem, balyem
riurem, cantem
balyem, balyem
estimem, pleurem

Sensual, sensual, sensual, sensual
balyem, balyem, balyem, balyem
Sensual, sensual, sensual, sensual

ets una bomba d’amor
Uhaaaa aaayyyy

oh, les mans aspres
als meus llavis suaus
oh la seva arrel rugosa
al meu canal tou

el desig i la set
a terra aquesta nit
ballem a les fosques
només nosaltres aquesta nit

balyem, balyem, riurem, cantem
Sensual, sensual, sensual, sensual
balyem, balyem, riurem, cantem
Sensual, sensual, sensual, sensual

Oooh, ayyy!

by **Nahlcomo** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:51 pm

XX
Nahlcomo
Slaine Etritch - "Al matí o a la nit, sempre hi seré"
Language(s): Talvezian
Title Transcription: N/A
Title Translation: "Whether day or night, you are always here"
Tune: Simone de Olivera (ft. Camané) - Sol de Inverno
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: NHL
Lyrics: Slaine Etritch
Music: The Talvezian Radio & Broadcasting - Nahlcomo Broadcasting Division Orchestra
Backing Dancers: N/A
Backing Singers: N/A

Ms. Etritch would sit on a stool by herself on-stage. Various screens would be set up around her, alongside some softly burning candles. As she would sing her heart out, clips and images of her storied past - from when she was a young girl up to now - would play around her. It was to be a simple, but earnest, performance.

Al matí o a la nit, sempre hi seré
Akestes eren les paraules que em vas maleir fa anys
Ara l’espektalkle està a punt, on vaig?
Viure akí sense tu, sinó que estik sol

Kançó ke he kantat, no els podeu escoltar
Rekords ke he vist, no els podeu sentir
Per kè he de viure quan estik mort sense el teu amor?

Els petons qke vas donar, es kremen tard a la nit
L’amor ke vas donar va morir sense baralya
El meu kor no serveix de res quan bateja

A les hores més foskes, de la nit negra intens
Em desperto plorant pel teu nom
Però ningú o sentirà, ningú no em konsolarà els dolors

Els somnis que he somiat, kap a on van?
L’amor ke vam tenir, kap a on va?
En el krepuskle tranquil, qui és el guanyador i el perdedor?
Per viure una vida d’enyorança i tristesa, què faig?
Sota el sol dur, vaig a morir

Em vas dir que series akuí sempre i, tot i així, ja no hi ets
Kè faig quan em kueden els trossos trencats
Sota la lyuna venjadora moriré i moriré

Viure sense amor és a penes viure
Morí la poka morta dia a dia
Akests velys desitjos que tink ja no tindran més kompliment

I al matí, kom em desperto sense tu?
I a la nit, kom dormo sense tu?
Per què he de kantar la meva kançó si no hi ha ningú que eskolti?
Una vida plena de tristesa, enyorança i penediment, això em va kedar
I quan més et necessitava, ja no éreu akuí

by **Electrum** » Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:37 pm

XX
ELECTRUM
Carla Price - Adapt
Language(s): English
Tune: Thelma Plum - Better in Blak
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: ETM
Lyrics: Carla Price
Music: Carla Price

Carla Price walks on stage with a silver top and some jeans. In the middle of the vortex is a chair for Price to perch on. The LED screens are a mix of black and white, and the show starts with a tight shot of her face as she sings from the chair. The song is about her struggle with a not so great partner who was emotionally manipulative, and how she created a new life for herself when she left.

Ever been caught inside a lie?
Feeling worthless just to be with a guy?
Hanging on for dear life, it was just strife
You know, having not a voice
Ever been caught inside a lie?
Not being able the final goodbye?
Hanging on for dear life, it was just strife
You know, having not a voice

Price kicks aside the chair as the LED starts to light up - the light wall turns into a deep shade of red, pulsating along with the beat of the song, signifying her anger and her defiance. She moves along the audience catwalk and has her arms outstretched to the audience. She grabs a pink scarf from one of the audience members, a sign of women's empowerment.

But the world keeps moving
No one's never knew the real you
No time for deciding, stop the lying,
I'm going to speak out

Never letting you define me, darling, that's just a fact
Never letting you define me, and I'm going to adapt
If the world knew what I said, maybe you'd treat me different
But fuck that, I'm gonna adapt

After her foray in the catwork, she returns to the vortex. The track camera in the inner circle shows a 360 around Price as her arms are outstretched. This is where the song is at its most triumphant, with the LED screens now pulsating red and blue. The performance is simple as she grips her mike closely.

Ever been caught inside a lie?
When no one believed your little cry?
If you see only red flags start to pack your bags
Does it make you want to think?
Have you been caught inside a lie?
Cos it don't need a black eye!
If you see only red flags start to pack your bags
Does it make you want to think?

The LED lights below Price turn into an oceanic blue as the camera starts to focus more tightly on her. There is no need for ornamentation as she finishes her song on such a serious matter.

But the world keeps moving
No one's gonna know the real you
No time for deciding, stop the lying,
I'm going to speak out

Never letting you define me, darling, that's just a fact
That's just a fact, that's just a fact, that's just a fact, that's just a fact
Never letting you define me, and I'm going to adapt
If the world knew what I said, maybe you'd treat me different
But fuck that, I'm going to adapt

Hey! I'm going to adapt
Hey! I'm going to adapt
If the world knew what I said, maybe you'd treat me different
But fuck that (fuck that!), I'm going to adapt

by **Eraman** » Sat Aug 01, 2020 3:56 am

XX
ERAMAN
SUTRI DARA - "ERAMAN"
Language(s): English
Title Transcription: n/a
Title Translation: n/a
Tune: Sheila Majid - Sinaran
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: ERM
Lyrics: Tun Sengalang Petara
Music: Lan Wawi
Backing Dancers: None
Backing Singers: None

(VERSE)
Eraman arise as the number one
Only country not runs by a nun
Best roasted pork bun under the sun
Be grateful for we are Eraman

(PRE-CHORUS)
Citizens and ruler
Chasing off the intruder
And live forever
Under no pressure

(CHORUS)
Eraman
All arise for Eraman
Better than Pemecutan
Samudra or anyone

Eraman
Forever be number one
Bright daughters and son
Never be outdone
We are Eraman

(VERSE)
Eraman arise as the number one
Only country not runs by a nun
Best roasted pork bun under the sun
Be grateful for we are Eraman

(PRE-CHORUS)
Citizens and ruler
Chasing off the intruder
And live forever
Under no pressure

(CHORUS)
Eraman
All arise for Eraman
Better than Pemecutan
Samudra or anyone

Eraman
Forever be number one
Bright daughters and son
Never be outdone
We are Eraman

(BRIDGE)
Oh our neighbour's food
Are all bland, nowhere near good

Nasi lemak and ambuyat
Best food in the world and entire universe

(PRE-CHORUS)
Citizens and ruler
Chasing off the intruder
And live forever
Under no pressure

(CHORUS)
Eraman
All arise for Eraman
Better than Pemecutan
Samudra or anyone

Eraman
Forever be number one
Bright daughters and son
Never be outdone
We are Eraman

by **Besen** » Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:13 pm

XX
Besen
RAIVEN - "RIVER"
Language(s): English, Portuguese
Tune: Beyoncé - SPIRIT
Entry Specifics
Trigramme: BES
Lyrics: Raiven Sarael
Music: Ovie Dambochee, Angel Rilema
Backing Dancers: Matthew Anderson, Jackson Tomlinson, Lila Banba, Samina Orago
Backing Singers: Onika Laurel Abit, Keisha Cole, Marcus Iden

There she was. After what felt like a hundred rounds of the competition, Raiven Sarael was finally standing on the stage in the middle of her two competitors in the final of the Voice Besenia. It had taken her through the ride of her life, and by the end, there was almost a rush of dread, that all of it had been for nothing. She needed to win this and she knew that deep down in her soul. There had been way too many risks taken and way too many commitments that were broken off, she had left home, and she had left people that had been beside her for years, to go and audition for this. The tension music had started to annoy her almost, and the hours that the presenter would take for what could well be another name other than hers. But- Wait… did he really say Raiven? She fell to the ground instantly and the tears came down like a thousand waterfalls. Everything in her entire life had led to this point and the redemption was right here, and right now, as the arms of the entire stage wrapped around her in that very moment.

And so it began straight away, the press events, the interviews, the meetings with her new label. As much as it felt unreal and this was an amazing thing that had happened, she couldn’t help but feel like stardom and being a musician in the public light isn’t all that it is made out to be. After all, she had only wanted to sing, and being called into fittings and told how to speak and act didn’t really fit into the narrative that she had created in her own head about what it might be like to be someone with immense fame and fortune. But, as she is and has always been resilient, she gets on with it, does the TV appearances and goes.

Of course, the grand prize, as well as the signing to Starlight Records, the winner of the Voice would be going to the World Hit Festival for Besen, at the upcoming contest in Bovingdon. This was probably one of the parts of the show that Raiven loved the most, and she often fantasized about what she might be able to do on the stage, and most of all… which song would be the one to send? Well, all would soon be answered and in one of the best days of her entire life, she was able to meet with some of the most famous songwriters and producers in the whole of Besen, to craft what was supposed to be her winning song to go to the World Hit Festival. This song was “Kingdom”, and although it was one of Raiven’s favourite songs that she had ever written, something was off, and she knew this the day that the producers started to go quicker than she could handle, changing things, making the track more of a ballad. But of course, due to the fast nature of the show that she was on, tracks needed to be submitted and things needed to be finalised very quickly, and before she knew it she was on the stage at the final, performing “Kingdom”. After she won it was becoming apparent to people around her, close to her and definitely her new team, that this song wasn’t the one for her. And so, they secretly went back into the studio, to craft a brand new arrangement.

After days and days of writing and inviting producers in to help create the perfect packaged song for Raiven, they finally arrived upon her golden idea. “River”, taking the name of her big brother as the title, but referencing a river in the song as something that she would go to for refuge. It just felt right. Ovie Dambochee and Angel Rilema came into the studio that week to put the song together in terms of the production. This type of song, mid tempo and meaningful, was exactly the song that she had in her head, when she fantasized about what song she might write for the World Hit Festival. And her it was, staring her in the face.

Upon arrival in Bovingdon, after taking the coach down from Deportas, she fell quickly into the vibe of the city, and with wide eyes and a big smile stepped off, and began exploring instantly, much to the dismay of her team, who knew that there was a lot of work to be doing. But all worked out fine, and soon they were right there inside B.A.F Bovingdon. First, they layed down vocals with Raiven’s backing singers in the first rehearsal - Onika Laurel Abit, Keisha Cole and Marcus Iden - to ensure that the mix was right. Then it was time to get on the stage and give life to the ideas that Raiven and her team had been drafting up for weeks. All went well here too, not surprisingly, as she had just come from a TV show where you have to be on your mark and giving your all in every moment otherwise you will get the chop. She almost was relieved to have been on the show before she came to Bovingdon as she instantly knew how to be around the press, knew how to get a rehearsal done, how to take cues and instructions etc.

But now it was time for a bit of fun, before the real show would begin. Deep down, all that was missing was that spark of enjoyment inside her, and that came a few hours before the opening of the second semi final, where she would be performing last. She knew that this meant she would be backstage for quite a while, and would be watching all the other 15 artists smash it before her, which although worrying for her just a bit, it gave her the drive to do the best job that she has ever done in her entire life. Time flashed by as quick as the lights all around her, and soon enough it was Beepee, and she was right after. Deep breath… inhale, exhale… a hug with the team. A prayer and a secret wish that everything would be fine. And then, the postcard music of Besen and the rush of the backstage area as she would carefully make her way to very back of the stage.

Underneath the near silence of the audience, the arrival of a howling soft instrumentation sweeps across the arena, and the orange lighting glows around the stage, illuminating every corner of the surface in a golden, glistening image that continues to grow in brightness. Heard in the distance of the arrangement, the single male backing singer Marcus Iden delivers a rendition of the opening notes, in clear Portuguese tongue, the reverb on his vocal allowing the effect of distance, almost like a “calling out” cry from far away. As this part finishes, a slow but sudden flash of bright white smacks across the stage, and reduces in intensity, as Raiven appears carefully from the very back of the stage. The first close up camera shot of the performance covers her, from her head to her shoulders, as she wears fairly minimal makeup and her hair is in braids, with technicolour beads placed throughout. Her shoulders glimmer from the clashing golden lights and the glitter across her upper body, as it trails down to her long emerald gown, which starts just above her chest.

The camera slightly falls back from her for a bit, and Raiven slowly lifts her microphone to her lips, and begins to sing the first verse. Although the stage has not yet been fully discovered by the camera, around her lies a pretty empty scene, covered by the gorgeous blue flow of the LED screens, which surround her on the ground and behind her on the main LED wall. As she sings, the three backing singers imitate the surrounding coverage of a choir’s vocal, filling up the empty space in the arrangement with gentle hums and repetition of her words as they are delivered. On “comes tumbling tonight”, the camera swiftly turns around to cover the entire floor, and moves back into a stable position, as it zooms back out and follows Raiven. With her left hand, she grabs her gown and softly swishes it to the side, as she turns sideways, and behind her at this angle, the two male backing dancers can be seen, approaching up onto the stage.

As she sings “tell me” she looks up slightly, and gestures with both her hands like a prayer, and then she pushes her left arm to the camera, on “teach me to fly”. Around her, the golden lights move into a softer blue glow. The spider camera then crawls up towards the two guys Matthew and Jackson who almost like two animals, on hands and knees, make their way towards Raiven. They wear attire similar to this, where the fabric is mostly at the legs, and gives the impression of a river when swooshed around, which the men do as they arrive around Raiven. They rest their heads on each of her shoulders, and in response to this, she rests her hand on the chin of Matthew, and lifts his head up, appearing to sing to him, “guide me”.

As the chorus comes through in shining colour, the familiar gold shades come back into focus, as they spin around like fireworks, thanks to the turning projectors around Raiven on the floor. As she sings she stands firmly in the centre of the stage, with her right leg positioned out of the fabric of the dress. Her hair slightly swirls around as the wind machine blows out from the very centre behind the camera, which settles similarly in the middle of the scene. Around her, Matthew and Jackson showcase an acrobatic choreography, spinning and jumping in synchronisation with each other, one on the right side of Raiven and the other to the left. As she delivers "Here...", the camera slowly fades into black, and Raiven is seen lowering herself to the ground, and using the same formation with her hands like a prayer, looking down to the ground this time.

On the floor now, the LED has shifted into a pure river graphic, which appears to go across the ground like a river, and Raiven interacts with this, as she is positioned on a dry rock graphic. She gestures towards this, and the camera comes down to her level, just slightly above, and examines the scene around her, as Matthew and Jackson are now not seen, and instead a female figure, not apparent at first enters the stage to the right of the camera, just coming into frame. It is Samina, the female dancer for the performance, and she wears a similar dress to Raiven, but much shorter and it is quite bare in terms of glamour, more of a casual type of wear. She comes down at first to Raiven's place on the floor, and like she had done to the two guys, she lifts her head up to look at her. And the camera captures her as she mouths the words that Raiven sings to her, "finds its way to your heart".

On "my love", the two women get up from the ground and the LED shifts back into the same blue flow graphic as the beginning, at this moment, the lighting is dimmer and stabilised in a few different places around the stage. Samina joins Matthew and Jackson now, as they engage in a trio formation and begin to involve Samina in an acrobatic routine that symbolises being lifted up, and they do just that, pushing her up above them together, as they carry her out of the frame, and now Raiven interacts with the camera mainly, following it in a 360 turn before it arrives back to the centre as it had been, and the golden lights are now returning.

Now in the second chorus, the golden shades are much more prevalent and instead of just the spinning lights, the LED now transforms into a bright gold, and surrounds the stage in a glorious colour, which seems to brighten the whole stage. Raiven moves around left to right, singing out into the audience, and in the gaps between the singing, she looks out into the crowd, and takes in the moment, reaching her hands out to invite the audience to sing along. On "friend", she gestures into the camera, like she is telling the people at home she is here for them.

In the bridge, the lights dim to where it's near black, and the only thing that is purposely illuminated is a huge LED graphic of the moon in the sky, and the little stars which begin to flash into view with every word. The backing singers help her to create the atmosphere in this moment, as they fill the voids with gorgeous harmonisation with Raiven, and they sing the secondary "promise" and "for you", which comes across like there might even be a choir backstage. The three dancers on the actual stage though, they stack themselves behind her in a straight line, and as the chorus can be felt fading back into focus, the golden comes flying back, and Matthew directly behind her tugs at her gown from the back, revealing a less crowded golden dress.

This was the final refrain of the chorus and now the dancers encircle around Raiven as they appear to almost bounce around her, hyping her up. She sings out between each of them, and the golden lights come down on her body like the actual stars in the sky. The vortex at the top of the stage now can be seen lowering, where the same star and moon graphics are displayed, and the chorus comes to a middle, where they all seperate from each other, and head to the front of the stage, interacting with the audience. Throughout this, the camera cuts many times between different angles, which all are arranged to help make a story out of the whole stage. As the arrangement calms down and the chorus fades out, the lights do the same, and now the camera moves towards Raiven, it settles there for a while.

Then, the camera moves past Raiven and directs itself upwards, so the only thing that can be seen is the LED screen directly above on the Vortex. The stars in the graphic shine more brightly this time, as Raiven and the backing singers are heard softly above the music. As they sing "The light will come and sweep us away again", the camera zooms in ever so slightly, and the graphics sweep out of view in a flash of white.

As Raiven is overwhelmed, the dancers come and hug her from all around, for a while, and then they suddenly break out of the hug. They bounce back out of view, waving at the audience, thanking them for everything.

53rd World Hit Festival | DRAFT THREAD | OPEN AGAIN!

53rd World Hit Festival | DRAFT THREAD | OPEN AGAIN!

What does the stage look like? RP Bonus, you say?

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