The 71st World Hit Festival || Seiga, Haruhata [IC]

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:14 am

~ʚїɞ~

WELCOME TO THE 71st WORLD HIT FESTIVAL!
Seiga, Haruhata!

~ʚїɞ~

ʚїɞ~ OOC THREAD- DRAFT THREAD - PLAYLIST ~ʚїɞ
DISCORD SERVER

~ʚїɞ~

19:58

For the first time in World Hit Festival history, Haruhata had won the 70th World Hit Festival within the sunny city of Corola, Achaean Republic, where Blanket made Haruhati history by taking home the trophy with her emotional H-Pop song "キスして最後にもう一度". Now, only an edition later, Haruhata returns to make history once again, hosting the prestigious contest for the first time, showcasing all the colours of Haruhata unseen before for a show the multiverse will always remember.

Welcome to Seiga (西河), Haruhata's largest city and capital city! Sitting on the delta of the Yotama River, Seiga is home to 1,140,394 people, containing 1/5th of Haruhata's total population. As a result, Seiga is Haruhata's cultural, economic and political centre, a far cry from the plains and steppe that covers the rest of Haruhata's plateaus and mountains. Whilst most of Haruhata is uninhabited fields and forest, with sparse villagers nestled between rivers and valleys, Seiga lays at the heart of Haruhata's coastline, connected to the rest of Haruhata by the Yotama River, which runs through Haruhata from the East, it's many tributaries and lakes once being the only thing that connected the nation together. Despite this, Seiga is a quiet, clean city much unlike the hustle and bustle of cities as we know. Furthermore, the city prides itself on its greenness, with connection to nature being a key part of day to day life in the city, traditional habits brought about from the people who once lived within Haruhata's pastures. Connection to one another is important too, with people looking out for one another, despite Haruhati people having the stereotype of being quiet and polite. Due to Haruhata's isolation from the rest of the world, nestled in between Ryoukoka Mountains, Haruhati are curious of the world, though tend not to venture out, preferring to keep themselves within Haruhata, a statement true to international policies as well. However, with the advent of the 71st World Hit Festival, Haruhata has been forced to open it's doors to the world; to connect with the world. People are people, no matter the home. Everyone is connected even alone.

Connection is hard to fathom, with one another, with the world, with the things around you, yet everyone is connected. Like the fluttering of a butterfly catching a breeze can turn into a typhoon, the things one does in the world can affect everyone, by virtue of existing at all. Everything is connected.

EVERYONE IS CONNECTED.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:47 am

20:00

~ʚїɞ~
HaruTV Presents...

~ʚїɞ~

OFFICIAL WORLD HIT FESTIVAL IDENT
Opéra d'un monde en union
Music ~ Floriàn Saré

International Broadcasting Alliance Ident

And now it was time for the 71st World Hit Festival to finally begin, opened by the official International Broadcasting Alliance theme, written by Carrelian composer Floriàn Saré in 1908. The theme now resides as the official theme for the accomplished alliance, the simplistic animation playing throughout the world, signifying the start of something big. The 71st World Hit Festival.

~ʚїɞ~

OPENING ACT
WORLD - Aina
Music ~ Floriàn Saré, Komi Mujikata, Aina
Lyrics ~ Komi Mujikata, Aina, Ogoe Furisaka

Ayaka Hirahara - "Jupiter"

虹ように北の空に
大雨の後
君のそばにいるよ
この世界に

同じ大青空の下
東風と踊り
誰かはいつも
のそばで、世界に

何時か私たちは
太陽を向けて
而してウニオンにこの世界はある

虹ように北の空に
大雨の後
君のそばにいるよ
この世界に

同じ大青空の下
東風と踊り
誰かはいつも
のそばで、世界に

何時か私たちは
太陽を向けて
而してウニオンにこの世界はある

未来がどうなるかは分からない

でも知る、さえこの世界は纏まっている
でも知る、さえ世界は纏まっている
鳥のすべてと歌え世界のオペラ

美しいものばかりとyou & I
多彩な世界咲く今

虹ように北の空に
大雨の後
君のそばにいるよ
この世界に
同じ大青空の下
東風と踊り
誰かはいつも
のそばで、世界に
虹ように北の空に
大雨の後
君のそばにいるよ
この世界に
同じ大青空の下
東風と踊り
誰かはいつも
のそばで、世界に

PLEASE WELCOME OUR HOSTS, SHOGO KUSUHARA and EMI UMIYAKI!!
今晩のホストを歓迎してください、藤原昭吾と宇宮磯恵美!!

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 8:03 am

~ʚїɞ~

PARADE OF NATIONS
みんなはコネクテッドありますINTRO
Music ~ Susumu Kobayashi, Mikan Hashimasa, Hibika Sashihara

ZUNTATA - "RegressiveTrip_Debug"

~ʚїɞ~

みんなはコネクテッドありますINTRO - UNLOCKED
Music ~ Susumu Kobayashi, Mikan Hashimasa, Hibika Sashihara

ZUNTATA - "RegressiveTrip_Release"

~ʚїɞ~

OPENING ACT Pt.2
羽搏きウタ - 集合的自我
Music ~ Susumu Kobayashi, Mikan Hashimasa, Hibika Sashihara

Virtual Self - "Key"

~ʚїɞ~

バタフライ効果 - 集合的自我
Music ~ Susumu Kobayashi, Mikan Hashimasa, Hibika Sashihara
Lyrics ~ Susumu Kobayashi, Mikan Hashimasa

EGOIST - "Extra Terrestrial Biological Entities"

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:52 am

~ʚїɞ~

PARTICIPATING NATIONS

01 ʚїɞ Achaean Republic
Entry ~ Votes

02 ʚїɞ Kalosia
Entry ~ Votes

03 ʚїɞ Besen
Entry ~ Votes

04 ʚїɞ Pemecutan
Entry ~ Votes

05 ʚїɞ Illdonya
Entry ~ Votes

06 ʚїɞ Elejamie
Entry ~ Votes

07 ʚїɞ Haruhata
Entry ~ Votes

08 ʚїɞ Todlichebujoku
Entry ~ Votes

LET THE 71st WORLD HIT FESTIVAL BEGIN!

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:01 am

~ʚїɞ~
01 Achaean Republic
Los Huge - "Positivo?"
Tune: The Kolors - Italodisco
Lyricists: Hugo Hernández • Composers: Hugo Hernández
Language(s): Spanish

~ʚїɞ~

Getting tested was always a hassle in Achaea. Yes, the Achaeans were proud of their world-famous public health system—in particular, the legendary sexual health clinics that advertised their services free for everyone, oftentimes running 24/7 during Carnival months—, but there was always the risk falling into complacency from the populace and the government. In recent years, the center-right government headlined by former Pentecostal reverend and now-President Carlos Núñez Alvarado has threatened to shutter clinics that offer abortion services, or scuttle funding for those providing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to at-risk sexual minorities and communities and offering those to female victims of human trafficking. There is also a marked increased in anti-LGBT legislation and business discrimination (in a Latin American country infused by machismo, no less) as feminists and the LGBTQIA+ community struggle to maintain their rights for liberation and increased social participation. One step forward, two steps back, one would say. Before, it was all about freedom; now, it’s all about maintenance.

Hugo Hernández was getting his checkups at a clinic near his hometown of Aguirre in the Valdez. A struggling artist moonlighting as a retail worker at a local electronics shop. Everybody in town knew he wanted to become a musician. Everybody in town knew he was bisexual—while some nosy bodies scoffed and shrugged their noses, others didn’t care as much…so long as he didn’t rub it in their faces. Hugo didn’t mind; he was groggy and hungry and tired of getting pinned and prodded and wanted to get something to eat before dragging his body along for drudging work. But it was time for him to do this, to get that PrEP for free before the Prophet President decided to take that away from him. Even though not many people knew nor cared about it, at least it was important to try it out.

But he could imagine the frustration and desperation of someone that had to deal with the reality of blood testing. What if he suddenly found that he was infected with chlamydia? Gonnorhea? HIV? At least the first two have medications that cure it, and the latter could be livable with the right medication—but it still was humiliating and stigmatizing, especially in parts of rural Achaea that suffered the worst of the epidemic. So such a serious subject matter became the inspiration for a song that offered a nuanced take on getting tested based on a person’s risk profile. This was born into Positivo? (“Positive?”), the new lead single for an as-of-yet unnamed album coming out in early 2024. It was important for him to reflect and represent the pressures of testing, all the while cheekily advocating for testing and treatment—but not being too preachy about it.

~ʚїɞ~

The lead singer, Hugo, had his guitar strapped on, dressed with slipper socks, a gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants. He also had a small tote bag beside him filled with tissue paper, Sudoku puzzles, and a thick blanket, because there could be long wait times at the emergency room or urgent care were possible—free healthcare services did came with the price of patience. The LED screens beside them had the boxed-in image of a generic emergency room, only with Spanish and English signs (some of them had superimposed Japanese on them, a nod to the host country’s language). These were also superimposed with images of blood vials, a red cross, a red ribbon, and images of blood platelets. IT was a very awkward, subliminal display of the incoming messages related in the song.

Behind him, the drummer, guitarist, pianist-cum-backup vocalist—all of them friends, Heriberto, Holando, and Rabín (don’t ask)—were wearing hospital gowns. They weren’t fully naked; rather, they had briefs and boxers and undershirts that underscored how many patients looked up in the country’s hospitals.

Tal vez el riesgo está en la sangre
Puede ser que ésta sea mi hora
Tanto sí, tanto no
En el silencio no hay cansancio
¿Por qué la enfermera se tarda?
Tanto sí, tanto no

The cameras reflected the madness and confusion of getting tested: the fear and loathing, the humiliation, the expectations that their life would be over if somebody discovered the risks inherent in the blood. In the next part of the song, the singer wanted to portray his impulsiveness at having a fun time. It was a bar. He was undetectable. He forgot his protection. What was his protection? A condom? PREP? Doxycycline? It wasn’t enough to tell. This turned the stage into hues of red and blue and yellow, with imprints of blood stains in the bottom of the stage. How reckless he was is not up for the question. But he did admit his recklessness and that made him relatable.

Fue otro despecho sin pensar
Yo lo conocí en un bar
Indetectable era su estar (¡indetectable!)
Dejé la protección a un lado
Era salvaje y complicado
Me volví perro y ganado (¡y ganado!)

The camera focused on the singer’s voice and rueful tone. The song compounded the form of his resignation to an uncertain fate, as if it were determined by the roll of the dice or the blood drawn by an indifferent but very talented phlebotomist with a twenty-year experience in drawing blood. The beat even dropped, its disco-like environment contrasting with the seriousness of the song. It was almost as if he were reacting about his uncertain fate! Who would know?

Mi destino está podrido, yo lo sé
No recuerdo miedo tener

The cameras on stage tilted sideways and then corrected themselves to the Multiversal viewer’s camera. If the camera angle was on the left, then Hugo and the other performers titled their heads to the right. It was a moment of deliberate confusion. The stage itself turned red with sparkly white-and-golden chiffon, as if bleeding inside a disco ball. Then, the cameras turned, and a mutli-color sparkle reflected, with streaks of red “blood” flowing like roots on branches in the bottom of the floor and spreading out into the LED screen. One of the weird and quirky choreographed dances the singers did involved tapping their feet while sticking their arms out and fists hunched, as if waiting to have blood drawn. It was successful on TikTok; why not replicate it here and see how that goes? (Whether or not TikTok got the message is another story.)

¡Ay de mí, bendito!
¿Qué pasará si soy positivo?
Me seca el cuerpo
Hasta el ombligo
Me hago una pasa, tan pensativo
Músculos en la pista
Se va el placer por una avenida
O la diarrea que causa risa
¿vale mi cara salir en primera plana
Si soy positivo?

This next part highlighted the speaker’s nervousness and paranoia. Watching the phlebotomist do her job was nerve-wracking, even repulsive if one was not careful. Is that what…contaminated…blood looks like? So red! So crimson! So filled with proteins and globules that determined one’s fate! That is why platelets were floating on screen, as if looked at by a microscope, next to LED images of machines whizzing blood and analyzing its every drop. It was fascinating, yet repulsive. It was hard to not look at the blood and imagine how much of life can be contained in it. You can hate the person, but you cannot hate the blood that is coursing through the body. That is what made all this inconvenience…quite magical.

Pone unas gotas en un frasco
Y los circula en una prueba
Tanto sí, tanto no
¿Será mi sangre una ofrenda
Para ofender al Creador?
Tanto sí, tanto no

There was more than enough blame that needed to be assigned. The cameras focused on Hugo singing, playing his guitar, moving it up and down, maintaining a rueful brow and a complex expression. It was interesting to portray someone so anxious at experiencing his passions, indulging in his confusion, taking the time to carefully analyze the blame he put on himself over the event. But there was only enough of his passions conspiring to confess his sins and amount of transgressions. But at least that made the song look good, and not chained into a point of confessional baggage. Or so he wanted.

Fue otro despecho sin pensar
Yo lo conocí en un bar
Indetectable era su estar (¡indetectable!)

Mi destino está podrido, yo lo sé
No recuerdo miedo tener

Once again, the cameras to the home Multiversal watcher tilted sideways—first to the viewer’s left, and then to the viewer’s right. It was intended that and then corrected themselves to the Multiversal viewer’s camera. The idea was to maintain the confusion inherent in the speaker’s hand, then portrayed admirably to the audience while the cameras on stage swung from left to right. Then it was possible to see the light-red streaks of blood clouding the screen, flooding the stage, and reflecting upon the audience. It was surreal, as if they were inside a blood cell. Again, one of the weird and quirky choreographed dances the singers did involve tapping their feet while sticking their arms out and fists hunched. It was invading many For You Pages across the Multiverse.

¡Ay de mí, bendito!
¿Qué pasará si soy positivo?
Me seca el cuerpo
Hasta el ombligo
Me hago una pasa, tan pensativo
Músculos en la pista
Se va el placer por una avenida
O la diarrea que causa risa
¿vale mi cara salir en primera plana
Si soy positivo?

Now this part became personal. He wrote this part of the song in memory of all the improbable dalliances he had throughout his short life. The married men he became a concubine for—even if it were a few hours. The motels he escape with girls when he had prom in high school. The inevitable fall from grace he would receive if his family knew he got…bitten. That was the slang in Achaea at the time—those who were bitten were shunned and ostracized, condemned to a life, however long it may be, of pain and suffering and judgement. Judgement for who they are. Judgment for being sick with an incurable disease. Judgment for going against law or the Lord or nature or Whoever created heaven and earth with judgment in mind. As if They had too much time to waste zapping sinners from the face of the earth whenever they merely thought of something wrong!

But the tension was too much to bear for Hugo. The lights in the stage crept down slowly and the LED lights gave off a red-white interchangeable hue. The music became soft and artificial, reminiscent of an eighties dream sequence (of course it did). But it was possible to relay the tension in Hugo’s voice. That’s the word he was looking for-tension!

(Tivo, si soy positivo…)
(Tivo, si soy posi…)

Now this part became personal. He wrote this part of the song in memory of all the improbable dalliances he had throughout his short life. The married men he became a concubine for—even if it were a few hours. The motels he escape with girls when he had prom in high school. The inevitable fall from grace he would receive if his family knew he got…bitten. That was the slang in Achaea at the time—those who were bitten were shunned and ostracized, condemned to a life, however long it may be, of pain and suffering and judgement. Judgement for who they are. Judgment for being sick with an incurable disease. Judgment for going against law or the Lord or nature or Whoever created heaven and earth with judgment in mind. As if They had too much time to waste zapping sinners from the face of the earth whenever they merely thought of something wrong!

But the tension was too much to bear for Hugo. The lights in the stage crept down slowly and the LED lights gave off a red-white interchangeable hue. The music became soft and artificial, reminiscent of an eighties dream sequence (of course it did). But it was possible to relay the tension in Hugo’s voice. That’s the word he was looking for-tension!

No sé, se lo dire a las esposas
Creo poder controlar mi alma
Revira el frasco, ¿salí positivo
O negativo?

Finally, the cameras jilted on each side instead of going to left and right. The stage transformed into a sterile lab environment intersped with blotches of blood speckled on the LED lights. (Thank God it wasn’t real blood!) There was still confusion. The cameras kept spinning beside Hugo, the players, the dancers, and the expansive Seiga stage. There were still mentions of the absurd and the surreal, what with the experience being emasculating, humiliating, illuminating, and empowering all at the same time. Taps of the feet. Cloudiness of thought. Regret and impulse. A lot was happening at once. That was the entire idea.

¡Ay de mí, bendito!
¿Qué pasará si soy positivo?
Me seca el cuerpo
Hasta el ombligo
Me hago una pasa, tan pensativo
Músculos en la pista
Se va el placer por una avenida
O la diarrea que causa risa
¿vale mi cara salir en primera plana
Si soy positivo?

The crowd applauded the Achaeans. They always seem to turn out something good—or at least manageable, despite it being unnecessarily bawdy and tawdry. “¡Gracias! Arigato!” was all Hugo could muster. They also managed to do a group hug, wave a bit to the crowd, and return backstage. All they could hope for is a chance to play again. Or at least have more sushi.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:05 am

~ʚїɞ~
02 Kalosia
Nisrena - "Kalkëvoltë"
Tune: Najoua Belyzel - Au féminin
Lyricists: Nisrina Azuri • Composers: Nisrina Azuri, Fabiu Kaľari, Ronaldo Tavares
Language(s): Kalosian

~ʚїɞ~

Following a series of wildfires that caused the nation to pull out of the 70th World Hit Festival, Kalosia is back. Radiu-Televižio Kalosia confirmed that it would return to the 71st edition of the festival in Haruhata, a newcomer nation that was previously unknown to the Kalosian public. And for certain, people are curious to find out what lays within these lands.

To Seiga, RTVK is sending Nisrena, a 28-year old singer and vocal coach from a seaside town in Altornia, Kalosia's southern province. She, in fact, names the area in her entry, which she has also co-written. Nisrena—real name Nisrina Azuri—was born to a Kalosian father and Moroccan-Kalosian mother. In an interview, Nisrena revealed that she was initially approached for the 70th World Hit Festival, however due to the withdrawal, preparations were put on hold.

The song, whose title translates to English as "Sometimes", contains themes of loss. The lyrics tell the tale of a well-respected man who apparently died at sea, leaving behind his lover. Nisrena, as the sole lyricist, reveals that the song is not about any real-life story in particular, however admits that one of her initial inspirations behind the lyrics was the implosion of the Titan submersible in June which killed 5 men, including a teenage boy who had much more to live for. In this song, Nisrena first introduces the lover, before imparting her own thoughts on loss. She expresses gratitude of having the chance to exist alongside this man at the same time, before returning to the woman and revealing that she is empowered to move on with her life, as a way to honour his memory.

Thus was the message. But with a large amount of environmental disasters these past few months, particularly those that have affected Nisrena's family and friends such as the earthquake in Morocco and flooding in Libya, and of course the Kalosian wildfires that directly affected this participation, it becomes hard to not think of people around the globe who have gone through these hardships and lost loved ones so abruptly.

Musically, it is a chanson-style pop ballad with a rather simple melody. This is not in any way derisive of the composition; if anything it complements the lyrics which describe an emotion that can happen to anybody, including common folk such as you and I. The blend of this arrangement and these lyrical themes paint a picture that portrays the vibe of village life, a throwback to simpler times. That said, there still is buildup—the very toned-down intro contrasts greatly with the full instrumental arrangement at the song's climax. The whistling present throughout the song adds a saccharine element to an otherwise melancholic melody, establishing balance. And on top of that, there is Nisrena's unique singing style, somewhat delicate and perhaps partially influenced from Arabic vocal styles, that sets the song apart from other chansons.

~ʚїɞ~

For the big night, Nisrena wore a chic white dress which was inspired by the traditional looks of Kalosian housewives in the 1950s, complete with a scarf wrapped around the head (not to be confused with a religious headscarf). She was to be joined by only one other performer on stage, a guitarist. As the postcard played, Nisrena took her place at middle of the stage, in front of a mic positioned a bit closer to the front. The guitarist sat on a chair about 5 meters to the right of Nisrena (facing the audience, at about 4 o'clock).

As the song began, viewers were presented with a close-up shot of the guitar. The camera then zoomed out to reveal Nisrena, and she began to sing.

Uv unë kazë viťinu dëlë mar
Sta unë muľerë kë speta
Un homu k’a inižiatu amarë
Ma or maj plu luj tornera

The camera changed to a mid-shot of her. In this next part, she made gestures to the sky, as she sang about asking the heavens. Her voice was wistful, and she was visibly moved by her message.

Kalkëvoltë keru ja ali ťeli:
“Perkiz voj prendete dëli boni?”
Li ǧuvani, l’inošenti
Kadë anu ankorë moltu leñë

Now we were treated to some distant shots of the stage, angled in a way that allowed us to look at the bigger picture, without creating the impression of an underpopulated stage. Now we are able to see that the delegation had opted for imagery of the Kalosian countryside for the stage graphics. The floor depicted a meadowy terrain, and far back you could see a hilly landscape, with views of the sea hiding behind.

E diranu la žentë la
Era lë meľor u Altornia
E kestu ja skrivere ma
Es klusë ǧa, la storia

We now got another closer look at Nisrena, this time from side angles. At this point she was not as stiff as she was earlier, although not exactly flowy either.

Kalkëvoltë penšu ja dëla lunë
Kë torna suprë noš oñë notë
Anki se në videmu
Semprë lej garda noš

There was a quick musical break at this point of the song, at which a fade-to-black transition was introduced. Afterwards, we got a front close-up shot of Nisrena, looking directly into the camera. It was a spidercam, and slowly zoomed out as she sang.

Per a un žorn’
Tuto poš’rebë
Eserë andatu
Uv un instantu

The camera started moving faster as she cried out the final line of the bridge:

Kë brevë es kestë vitë!

As the spidercam moved up and away, we could see on the floor screen that a burst of flowers started blooming, starting from below Nisrena's feet. As she continued to sustain the final note of the previous line, this quickly spread, first to the entire stage floor, and then to the background screens. Soon, the LEDs only showed flowers of all kinds, intended to reflect the legacy that a single person can leave behind. When you plant seeds and allow them to nurture, in the right conditions they will bloom. And you never know, a whole garden of flowers can spring forth from the ground where you lay.

Now, a steadicam operator approaches the performers from the back of the stage, first circling around the guitarist before moving on to Nisrena, closing up on them both. As the music here is a bit calm, so is Nisrena.

San moltu gratu per viverë
Rakontarë la leǧendë di luj
Un homu kë dorma or al ťelu
Ma u siu logu, la žentë soña

The camera switches to some more side angles. As the music picks up in pace, so does Nisrena—she has started saying around a bit.

Kalkëvoltë gardu ja ali flori
Kë stanu krešendu dëla terë
Anki se lë ťelu sta
Planǧandu per un koru pežatu

Now as we approach the end of the song, we get a front angle close up of Nisrena as she sings the final lines of the song.

Uv unë kazë viťinu dëlë mar
Sta unë muľerë k’es rënašuto

As the music continues, she takes a few steps past her mic stand, does a brief, simple dance, before taking a curtsy-bow (think ESC 2009 France). And at that, the song comes to an end.

The Haruhata audience cheers for Nisrena, who can only smile, satisfied at her down-to-earth performance. She gestures towards her guitarist, who takes a bow, and then curtsies the audience again, waving at them as she begins to make her way backstage.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:10 am

~ʚїɞ~
03 Besen
TF3SH - "I WANT"
Tune: IVE - I AM
Lyricists: Nami MDL• Composers: Nami MDL
Language(s): English

~ʚїɞ~

~ʚїɞ~

Want a new fast car
Want my hair in the wind
You'll be driving, I'll be ridin' mmm
Want a diamond ring
Don't wanna get married
I just like the way.. it shines ah yeah

Just swipe your card...
You've got enough on there right?
Just give it up...
Thought you were really into me?

First class flight, wherever I choose
Cus he loves me and thats what I know is true
I don't lift a finger cus I don't want to
I'm his sugar BABE!

I'LL BUY
Whatever I want cus it comes for free
With a face like this, then a want becomes a need
Life of luxury here in my beach house view
So that is what I WANT

Look at me, look at you, look at me again
Don't wanna lose me you gotta pay up
I'm not cheap, I come with a fee
Do you get it ah ah ah
Not mean it's just reality...
Don't you agree..
Look at you now! Look at you now!
You're my buyer!

Just swipe your card...
You've got enough on there right?
Just give it up...
Thought you were really into me?

First class flight, wherever I choose
Cus he loves me and thats what I know is true
I don't lift a finger cus I don't want to
I'm his sugar BABE!

I'LL BUY
Whatever I want cus it comes for free
With a face like this, then a want becomes a need
Life of luxury here in my beach house view
So that is what I WANT

On the count of three...
I'll point to what I want...
And then you'll get out your card, put it in then, you'll put those four numbers
1! 2! 3!
1! 2! 3!
PAY UP!

First class flight, wherever I choose
Cus he loves me and thats what I know is true
I don't lift a finger cus I don't want to
I'm his sugar BABE!
I'LL BUY
Whatever I want cus it comes for free
With a face like this, then a want becomes a need
Life of luxury here in my beach house view
So that is what I WANT

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:13 am

~ʚїɞ~
04 Pemecutan
Yulita - "Masih Cinta"
Tune: Libianca - People
Lyricists: Agus Rahadi, Putra Sanjaya, Yulita Ariawan • Composers: Gede Sanjaya Dwipa, Illebaye Ofori
Language(s): Pemecutan Malay

~ʚїɞ~

It has been a bumpy road for Pemecutan in World Hit Festival. After the terrible result in the 69th decision, the nation was vanished from the 70th edition. Actually, UBC was planned for Pemecutan participation in the 70th edition. They have had chosen their artist and asked renowned singer-songwriter, Mila Anjani to head their delegation. Unfortunately, the sudden pull out of host Normandy and Picardy left the contest in disarray until the new overseer replan the contest and held it in Achaean Republic, the overseer origin country. However, as the new batch of the contest being rolled out, there was no sign from UBC to immediately renew their participation pledge. And until the last day of sign up, no action was taken by the broadcaster. This situation rise a question amongst the fans of what really happened inside UBC.

Several days after the 70th WHF sign up closed, news spread from reliable sources that Mila Anjani was walkout from her duty as head delegation. Her decision was based on schedule conflicts of the new 70th WHF time schedule. Her departure made UBC officials seeks her replacement in a short time. Something that was confirmed difficult by the officials. The news and response from UBC didn't satisfy the die-hard contest's fans. They pushed for a complete explanation. Selected artist, Yulita then come forward to tell the mass about what really happened from her side. "The truth is, UBC seems to be giving up at the time. After Mrs. Anjani walkout from her duty, the officials didn't even contact me for once. It makes me feels like a fool because all of the uncertainty. I was this close from walking out just like Mrs. Anjani did," she said in a televised interview. The interview went viral and UBC official have to step forward to calm the masses. They stated that Yulita's comment was not 100% true. They said that the broadcaster made a thorough plan for the 70th WHF until it was completely in shamble after Mila Anjani walkout. "We need to replan everything from scratch, and it was not easy. I, on behalf of UBC apologized to Yulita for the feeling that was created based on our negligence and bad communication." The issue however doesn't stop there. A video footage was leaked about the situation inside UBC's meeting room which intended that the broadcaster failed to secure sponsorship after their constant failing in the contest. The video went viral while UBC didn't make any comment.

Despite the video still in circulation, UBC is stick to their plan to enter the nation in the 71st WHF. The spokesperson announced Yulita to be the artist that will representing the nation in a move to redeem their negligence towards her. During a promotional interview, Yulita said that she was almost turndown the offer. She afraid something similar might happened again. But her friends and family encourage her to accept the offer. On the other hand, the head of delegation is given to Deswita Mahayuni. Deswita is a known talent agent. She has works with several big recording companies in Pemecutan including Mandala Records and GMC (Giri Music Corporation).

Born 21 years ago, Yulita's grandparents was an immigrant from Cakranegara. They moved to Pemecutan during Cakranegara Civil War when her mother was only 4 years old. They stayed at Cengkilung. Fascinated with the new place and their language, her mother enrolled at Ubung Arts Institute majoring in Pemecutan Literature. There she met her husband who was majoring in Traditional Dance. They married in her husband hometown, Tampakgangsul and Yulita was born 2 years after they were married. Raise in a small town, Yulita was influenced by traditional music such as karawitan and keroncong. She joined her community's (Banjar) Sekaa Santhi (traditional choir group). Despite her music background, Yulita enrolled in Social Science Faculty of Satria National University majoring in Sociology. In her college years, she had a chance to travel to several places around the region to know better about native Mandalanusa people. In her interview, she said that her visit to Ziwana and Leihitu are her best experience. Graduated from college, she surprises her family by entering a national song competition, Bintang Radio dan Televisi (Radio and Television Star or BRTV). She made her way to top 10 before being eliminated.

Yulita

After BRTV, she was signed to local record label, Pancaswara Records. She released 3 singles under the label. The latest is 'Masih Cinta' which is selected as Pemecutan entry to 70th WHF. However, as uncertainty build up over the country's participation, Yulita almost pulling up her participation. Thankfully, UBC's officials persuade her to be the country's entry at the upcoming edition of WHF. After much consideration, Yulita finally agree. With her agreement, UBC started to promote her song throughout the country and to the online media. The promotion brought back the song into the top 10 of Chakra Music Chart, Pemecutan official music chart. The song was previously peak at 2nd after its initial release.

In the promotional interview, Yulita explain about the song. It is inspired by her own experience.

I can still remember how my mother always complaint about my father. About my father's attitude. His sudden angers to every little thing. How he didn't care about the family. Yes, my mother is the one who support the family. Even though both of my parents were working but my father rarely give his money to mom.

She said that this song is dedicated to her mother. For her strength in handling her father's attitude throughout her live until she died 2 years ago. She looks at her mother as a role model although she still hopes that her mother ends the marriage while she can. "She's suffering too long," Yulita said. While for the music, she wants to add a little touch of Afrobeats which she learns for the first time when she visits Ziwana. She captivated with the genre, and she think it would be a great addition to the song. The producer of the song then contacted their agent in Ziwana. And Ziwani composer, Illebaye Ofori was contacted to compose the song. Ofori flew to Pemecutan to compose the song in collaboration with Gede Sanjaya Dwipa who give his R&B touch. The producer praise Yulita's creativity. This is the first Pemecutanian song who is influence by Ziwani's music. The uniqueness of the song that drew attention to it when it first released. Critics also praised about the creativity of the composition and the deep meaning behind its lyrics. The song open at 6th in Chakra Music Chart and still at the top 20 after more than 5 weeks in the chart. It's highest position was at 3rd.

~ʚїɞ~

The hype is built up at the backstage as Yulita prepare for her performance. It is her first performance in such a huge performance. The head of the delegate, Deswita Mahayuni, give her a little encouragement by whispering to her ear. Yulita smile sweetly as she hears what's her mentor said to her. She believes that she is ready after the encouragement. The postcard of Pemecutan is displayed on the big screen. A cue for Yulita who is ready at the backstage. The lights on the stage are still blacken after the postcard is removed from the big screen. Yulita is humming softly as a single drop light shine on her. The intro of the song also started accompanying her soft voices. The audience can see her elegant copper sequin dress. Her hair is simply left flowing with a little pamper to make it more voluminous. The intimate atmosphere is added by a drizzle background played in the big screen. Yulita make a connectioni with the standing microphone in front of her as she sings the first stanza of the song. Her sad face is captured by the camera and displayed to the big screen with the drizzle filtered into it. She often closes her eyes when she sings the lyrics of the first stanza as she tries to be one with the song. The camera slowly zooming out so the audience can see her top half before she entering the pre-chorus part. Yulita drop her hands lower on the microphone stand. She makes a gesture of pointing out to the air several times when she mentions the words engkau or dirimu as if someone is in front of her. Then she shakes off her head lightly when she sings the tanpa cinta part.

Oh....From head to toe, you criticize it, oh yeah...

Aku yang lemah, tak berdaya dan tak guna
Itu katamu, itu pikirmu
Aku membosankan dan sudah tak menggairahkan
Itu pikirmu, itu katamu

Siapakah engkau saat ini?
Seakan ku tak mengenal dirimu yang sekarang
Engkau tlah banyak berubah
Penuh dengan amarah tanpa cinta, tanpa cinta

She reach out to the empty air as she reaches the chorus precisely at the word kau. Her palm is open wide then she grasps her fingers into some kind of a fist. She then brings her fist toward her chest as she sings the cinta padaku part. The fist is still there as she continue to sing the second line of the chorus. She lightly lowered her body slightly when she sings the last part of the second line of the chorus.

Apa kau masih cinta, cinta, cinta kepadaku, cinta padaku?
Apa kau masih cinta, cinta, cinta padaku, cinta padaku?

The camera brings out her close-up view as she sings the second stanza. Her eyes look fierier as she sings the lyrics word by word as if she feels that way. She opens up both her hands and closed her chest when she sings the last line of the second stanza. This is a gesture of the pain that she feels just like in the lyrics. Her voice strengthens as she sings the second pre-chorus as she is pressing the phrase, ku akan tetap. Then her voice back to normal as she continues to sing the second pre-chorus. She placed her right hand on her left chest, and she lift her head a little with a closing eye, she sings the last line of the second pre-chorus.

Aku terima semua kata kasarmu
Walaupun sakit, walaupun perih
Aku terdiam saat kau mulai main tangan
Walaupun perih, walaupun sakit

Ku akan tetap, ku akan tetap pertahankan semua
Dengan harap kau kan kembali...seperti dulu
Ku yakin masih ada setitik cinta itu

She grab her microphone stand and sing the chorus wholeheartedly. It seems that she's already blend in with the song. And the camera candidly captures her expression here and there which viewed her deep emotion to the song.

Benar kau masih cinta, cinta, cinta kepadaku, cinta padaku?
Benar kau masih cinta, cinta, cinta padaku, cinta padaku?

Another light is lightened, and it is viewing the backing singers who's singing the outro of the song. Yulita then enter into the mash up in the second line as their voices combine into a lovely symphony. She gives highlight to some lines here and there as they continue to sing. The outro is actually a mixed up of the first and second stanza of the song. The camera itself capture both Yulita and back singers interchangeably. The light on Yulita is turn off when she finished to sing the last line of the second outro. The camera then shifts to the back singers who still singing a few lines as the closer of the song. And the light on them is turn off too when she finished to sing. Then the camera turns to the big screen when it is still displaying the falling drizzle.

Aku yang lemah, tak berdaya dan tak guna
Itu katamu, itu pikirmu
Aku terdiam saat kau mulai (main tangan)*
Walaupun perih, walaupun sakit

Aku terima semua kata kasarmu
Walaupun sakit, walaupun perih
Aku membosankan dan sudah tak menggairahkan
Itu pikirmu, itu katamu

(Ku akan tetap bertahan untukmu, sayang
Hingga ku mati)

A few seconds after the music ended, the lights on the stage are turn back on. Yulita is seen smiling widely after she successfully perform the song for the audience. She walks to the front of the stage and bow down as the audiences are clapping to her performance. "Thank you, Seiga! Suksma!" she shouts before giving another bow. She is then escorted to the back of the stage. At the backstage, she exhales loudly to let out the nervousness that she carries throughout her performance. "You did great," praise Deswita as she brings her to the dressing room.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:22 am

~ʚїɞ~
05 Illdonya
LIBELLA - "Perfection"
Tune: (G)I-DLE - I DO (skip the first 50 seconds)
Lyricists: Kenneth Sanwings, Glen Verdona, Jiang Suo-yang • Composers: Jiang Suo-yang
Language(s): English

~ʚїɞ~

LIBELLA is a Illdonyan group that has rose to popularity in the past two years. LIBELLA consists of 5 members, Ye Hua-Ming (Hua-Ming), Jiang Suo-yang (Suo-yang), Ming-Ni, Yu-ji, Mi-yang. Hua-Ming, Suo-yang and Yu-ji are from Illdonya but Ming-Ni is Thai and Mi-Yang is Korean. Under the Illdonyan Label company Sphere Entertainment. LIBELLA, originally set to be a rising K-Pop group, decided to move to Illdonya as their popularity was spiking there. Trained under the K-Pop trainee system, the 5 members give spectacular shows and stunning performances.

LIBELLA's newest song, Perfection, according to Suo-yang, is about the outrageous standards that we hold up to ourselves, as well as to other people. "It was meant to be an allusion to Social Media as well" Suo-yang states in an interview with IGBA-news.

~ʚїɞ~

The 5 members stand on the stage. The lights behind them shine brightly, showing only their silhouettes.

Ooh-ooh-ooh
My brain is not working with my heart
I don’t know if I can do my part
Then I blame myself, it’s my fault
Ooh-ooh-ooh

My mind is in pieces all day
So now I can’t really think so straight
Painful, useless, scattered, help me
I don’t know if I can make it
I’m all broken right from the start.

I just don't know where to go
‘Cause I don’t know how to grow
I can never,
See the perfection
Be the perfection
Know the perfection
I just don’t know where to go
I don’t know how to show
They think I’m perfect although
I can never
See the perfection
Feel the perfection
I’m not perfection
I’m not perfection

Painful that I cannot be taught
My brain is scattered, I’m not that smart
I don’t know but I may restart.
Mmm-mmm-mmm

My mind is in pieces all day
So now I can’t really think so straight
Painful, useless, scattered, help me
I don’t know if I can make it
I’m all broken right from the start.

I just don't know where to go
‘Cause I don’t know how to grow
I can never,
See the perfection
Be the perfection
Know the perfection
I just don’t know where to go
I don’t know how to show
They think I’m perfect although
I can never
See the perfection
Feel the perfection
I’m not perfection
I’m not perfection

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:26 am

~ʚїɞ~
06 Elejamie
Fata Morgana - "When Can We See Each Other Again?"
Tune: Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing "My Way"?
Lyricists: Yoneten Maenolin, Patricio Esposito • Composers: Yoneten Maenolin, Patricio Esposito, Soraya Esposito
Language(s): English

~ʚїɞ~

Left: Yoni Maenilon (vocals, occasional production). Right: Patricio Esposito (production, occasional backing vocals)

Yoneten “Yoni” Maenilon was born in Portham, Rosetta, on 7th May 1992. The only child of Setaeveni and Elan (née Donovan) Maenilon, a fisherman and a stay-at-home mother respectively, Yoni was originally planning on following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a fisherman. However, he always had an interest in singing and would often join in whenever he was on his father’s ship or in the church choir. In his early teens, he decided to take on singing as a career. He formed a band with a few mates but, other than a few jam sessions at school, they never got anywhere and essentially dissolved. He did perform as a backup vocalist at a number of gigs in the Portham and Rosetta areas, which paid well and showed off his vocal prowess but were sporadic enough to not make it a feasible career unless he went on tour. And while he was originally going to take part in the first series of The X Factor back in 2015, he decided against it at the last minute. He remained quiet about it until 2021 when he revealed that it was because he didn’t want to be locked in a contract and made to sing the same boring pop songs; more on that irony later.

Patricio José Maria Esposito de Argüello, or just Patricio Esposito for short, was born in Edgebaston, Midland, on 13th October 1993. The fourth of five children, as well as the only male, he was born in a musical family, as his father Esteban served as a session keyboardist for a number of bands in the 70s and 80s, his mother Rafaela is part of a flamenco ensemble where she was not only a dancer but also a palmista and occasional castanet player, his aunt Luisa Esposito was a one-hit-wonder back in the early 1990s with Tus Ojos (which she performed just as Luisa) and both he and his older twin sister Soraya were both piano prodigies ever since they were young, winning a couple of national competitions (and even an international one in 2005). At the age of 15, he and a couple of his friends were involved in a serious car accident; although none of them were killed and the two friends managed to get away with light injuries, Patricio was injured quite badly and would develop epilepsy as a result, although fortunately he has it under control thanks to medication. At the age of 18, he along with Soraya and a mutual friend would form the Christian music group La Gran Comisión, which combined traditional Catholic hymns, performed in both Latin and Spanish, with modern electronic music. Despite the group’s popularity and a number of concerts, the band never recorded any studio material (their sole album, Pues Ha Resucitado, was released in early 2019 after a long search for any recorded material and consists solely of live recordings, though according to Patricio some recorded live material is still lost) and would break up after a couple of months.

In 2016, Yoni started to date Patricio’s older sister Mercedes after meeting her through a dating site. They hit it off and, eventually, Yoni would later move to Edgebaston to be able to spend more time with her, as well as to try and find some work. There, he met Patricio and the two would quickly hit it off due to their mutual love of electronic music, namely the group Monochrome Haze. Although Yoni and Mercedes would eventually grow apart and then break up, he still managed to remain friends with Patricio and, a couple of weeks after the breakup, the two decided to form a band. After a couple of name changes, they decided to go with “Fata Morgana”, having read it in a news article. After scraping together enough money from a number of jobs to afford enough for studio time, the duo would crank out their debut EP Sundog in 2017, which not only proved to be an underground hit but would also attract the attention of their idols, who’d not only remix a couple of tracks (namely the title track, which would become their first top ten hit, peaking at #5 in the charts) but would also help co-produce their first album Corona. Released in early 2018, the album provided them with a couple more top ten hits including their first #1 I Can Feel Everything Around Me. They’ve also announced that a second album is in the works, with the possibility of this song being on it depending on how well it does.

As a result of the group’s massive popularity they were asked to represent the country at the 75th WorldVision Song Contest in the Kalosian capital of Monterra. While Elejamie were normally seen as a middle-of-the-road country at the contest, sending songs that were OK at best and meh at worst, their song Angel (I Can Feel You Now) turned out to be quite a surprise hit and a shock win wasn’t necessarily out of the question. Not bad for a country that had never finished higher than 12th place before the contest. And, indeed, it did manage to impress some jury members. It received 12s from Mister X, Darkmania, Nekoni and Saviera and managed a 10 from Ceyesca. It also received a ton of 3s, the odd 1 and a 7 every now and then. At half-time it was in second with 65 points and at the end of the contest it had managed to receive 123 points which would’ve guaranteed them the win over Polkopia thanks to tie-breakers.

Would’ve. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Vartugian and Savieran juries had completely sent the wrong votes and thus the totals had to be amended before the end of the show. As a result, Elejamie had to be docked a point which ended up giving Polkopia the win. Incensed by this, Yoni and Patricio stormed out of the arena, fans booed the winning entry (and let their feelings known in the comment section) and ETV boycotted the following edition in protest. The incident would be known as the “Monterra Screwjob” even if the situation was more like Bottlegate rather than the Montreal Screwjob and, even though she didn’t really do anything other than be the Polkopian entrant for that contest, Anna Viktoreevna will remain as popular in Elejamie as Shawn Michaels is in Canada. Either way, the two were disheartened and demotivated by the whole incident and so, after they finished their album Green Flash, they disbanded; they tried remaining friends but ultimately their hearts weren’t in it and they decided to go their separate ways. It didn’t help that Elejamie would come close to winning the contest twice more (at WV77 and WV94) before having to settle for second place thanks to two more last minute defeats, although at least they were because the other person got a huge amount of points as opposed to any jury screw-ups.

It also didn’t help that Patricio held a grudge with the contest, demanding that he remained uncredited for assisting with the WV82 entry Since I Lost Him and reluctantly being roped into collaborating with Aribella for the WV89 entry I’ve Been Waiting (which ended up flopping). While he remained a reliable producer both behind the desk and in making music for other people to sing over, he had flown under the radar and essentially let his wife Carrie Mulhavey be the major breadwinner with her modelling career. On the other hand, Yoni had made peace with the contest by co-writing Shireen’s WV79 entry BE A STAR and co-hosting the 90th WorldVision Song Contest alongside Saturgay Evening host Nick J. Holland and television presenter Andrea Pérez. He also had a moderately successful solo career with his self-titled debut album getting a decent reception both commercially and critically, although due to the pandemic he couldn’t exactly tour to promote it. He had a second album, I Am, which didn’t do so well with either but it still had its fans.

However, despite being somewhat successful, Yoni wasn’t exactly happy. He still did a good job with the recording and he still had his fans but he didn’t exactly enjoy the work he was doing. He felt his songs were dime-a-dozen and that he’d probably fall off the radar soon. After rejecting a contract extension with his label, he fell into a deep depression where he had considered ending things before instead deciding to make a very important phone call. After getting back in touch with Patricio’s twin sister Soraya, who put him on the phone, the two began talking and eventually decided to reform Fata Morgana. A couple of months later they not only made it public but they also announced they were working on a new album. Called A Brand New Dawn, it is due for release in September 2023 although its first single “When Can We See Each Other Again?” was a month prior.

The lead up to the 70th World Hit Festival was, to put it bluntly, not really a good time. While the actual contest was quite a fun affair that I’ll talk about later, getting there was fraught with a number of issues. For a start, the original hosts Caen pulled out of hosting, forcing an alternative to be found. Britonisea and Scotatrova, who not only finished second and third respectively at the 69th edition but were also the joint hosts, declined the opportunity to host it again. Fortunately, the fourth-finishing Achaean Republic stepped in and announced they were hosting for the second time in three contests. Quite handy too because incoming Overseer Tamar de Andrade also hails from there. Which lead into the second problem when the outgoing Christine Périault suddenly went off the radar thus forcing Ms. de Andrade to handle the whole thing solo. Throw in the endless delays that would’ve made No Time To Die seem like it was released when it should’ve been and a mass downsizing of countries (from 22 in the last one to EIGHT in this one; it would’ve been nine had the Teesdexxian broadcaster not withdrawn due to time constraints) and overall you’ve got one hell of a troubled production.

Despite all of these issues, the platinum contest actually went off without a hitch. Corola proved that they were more than able to accommodate the contest, the postcards were still able to show the city’s beauty and each of the artists being out and about, Tamar de Andrade did an excellent job overseeing the contest and the rather rambunctious Manamma was on her best behaviour while she co-hosted the whole thing. Furthermore four countries did make a return to the contest: Malta Comino Gozo, Carrelie, Luhansk and, of course, Elejamie. There were also two people who competed back in WHF69, one being the hosts and the other being Beepee, but there were also two debutants in Ealdracaland and Haruhata. A few past winners even showed up at the contest to sing a couple of their winning entries, including Itamar, who won it for Achaea back in WHF59. There wasn’t an awards thing, though, meaning that the WHF trophy was the only thing up for grabs.

Enough of that, what did Elejamie do? They sent Lisa Park and Her Gang, the world-renowned jazz band who finished second at the 94th WorldVision Song Contest (and, indeed, won the televote at that contest) with the song Love in the Afternoon. However, rather than resend that and hope enough people still liked it they went with an entirely new composition, Bitan. Taken from the Korean word for heartbreak (비탄) and inspired by an event in guitarist Marko Casablancas’ life, it was essentially a six minute long jazz-rock song about Lisa finding out about her lover having an affair. And it did fairly well in the voting, as it not only got points from every country bar its own but it never got anything lower than a three (which came courtesy of Malta Comino Gozo and the Achaean Republic). However, the downside was that it got a load of four points from all but one of the remaining nations with its only five coming courtesy of Haruhata. In fact, not only did Haruhata end up winning the contest (albeit by only four points) but they also nearly got a clean sweep, getting fives from all but one country; Beepee gave them one point with its five going to the Achaean Republic. It may seem disappointing but the song was incredibly well-received and ended up peaking at 5th on the Elejamian charts so it wasn’t all bad.

As a result, the CRTS went on a bit of a search to find their next entrant for the 71st World Hit Festival. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long as shortly before the 70th edition was about to finally air Fata Morgana had announced that they were reforming. The duo, consisting of lead singer Yoneten “Yoni” Maenolin and producer Patricio Esposito, had originally broken up not long after the 75th WorldVision Song Contest after their controversial second place finish. Why was it controversial? Because it turned out that two juries had gotten their votes absolutely wrong and it wasn’t spotted until towards the end, which meant that a few countries had to have their votes recalculated. And that included Elejamie, who had to be docked a point from their 123-point finish. Normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing but they would’ve otherwise tied with Polkopia but won on tie-breakers as more nations had voted for FM (and also they had more sets of 12s, four vs three, if you wanted to do it a la 1991). Long story short, a good amount of fans were pissed off, Elejamie boycotted the following contest in disgust of what had happened and a demotivated Yoni and Patricio finished the album they were working on before deciding to call it quits.

The two had different career paths after their split. Patricio decided to stay out of the limelight and instead he concentrated on being a producer, in both the Steve Albini sense and the Calvin Harris sense, as well as a stay at home dad while his wife Carrie Mulhavey went about with her modelling career. However, his antipathy towards the WorldVision never went away and there were two moments where it came to a head; the first was at WV82 where Since I Lost Him (which was mostly composed by his twin sister Soraya) finished fifth and he went on a rant about the quality of the contest even if he did praise the winning entry, and the second was when he was cajoled into taking part in WV89 and his song I’ve Been Waiting ended up flopping thus causing him to wonder why he even bothered in the first place (although, to be fair, it was an odd-numbered contest in the 80s so a flop was pretty much inevitable). Yoni, on the other hand, was a bit more neutral-leaning-positive towards the contest, as he co-wrote the Elejamian entry for WV79 which ended up finishing 7th and was a co-host for WV90 where Elejamie ended up coming 5th. Besides, he just concentrated on his solo career which, while somewhat different to his work with Fata Morgana, proved just to be as successful if not more.

So why did they reunite? Because Yoni was feeling immensely dissatisfied with his solo career, especially as he felt like he didn’t have any control, and yearned for the creativity he had back when he collaborated with Patricio. So the two got back in touch (via Soraya), met up and had a long conversation where they talked about the possibility of a reunion. Patricio was on board, they got to work on some new songs and, three days before WHF70, they fully announced that they had gotten back together and had been working on some new songs. It was essentially a no-brainer for the CRTS who, the day after WHF70, got in contact with the boys and asked them if they wanted to represent the country in Haruhata. Patricio immediately said yes whereas Yoni took a little bit more time before also saying he was up for it.

It probably helped that they had a song in mind that they were going to use. Out of all the songs they had recorded for their upcoming album A Brand New Dawn, which was released in September, they decided to go with “When Can We See Each Other Again?”, as they both felt that not only was it their greatest chance at success but they also felt that it was going to be the big song from the album. When they were asked what the song was about, Yoni explained that it was simply a quick rundown of why the band broke up, what he (and to an extent Patricio) did during their break, how they reunited and how they’re feeling now. And, barring another “screw you” sort of ending to the competition they’re competing in that ends up demotivating them, it seems like these two will be together for quite a long time.

Before they were to jet off to the contest, they decided to go on a small mini-tour much like Lisa Park and Her Gang. While they performed at a few spots in their home country, they did perform abroad in a few countries. The first was Kalosia, where the whole incident that lead to the duo breaking up happened. This was partially because they wanted to apologise to the Kalosian people for their behaviour when they had been screwed out of that potential victory and partially because they wanted to show that they had no beef with the country itself. After that was a trip to A familys nation [sic], where they performed a few dates there and even did a show in front of their queen. And the third was a small gig in Haruhata before the big show itself. Nothing super special really.

In fact, they had an alright time in Seiga while they were at it. There was the obvious problem of them having to either walk from A to B or to use the metro due to a complete and surprising lack of cars in the city, but they didn’t mind that much. Walking was good exercise, after all. They didn’t really see or do much outside of rehearsals but they still managed to kill time, like the two making their own travel vlog, them trying out different types of Haruhati cuisine, trying to find a blue hedgehog and checking out the local music scenes to see if there was anything worth taking home or checking out if they didn’t have any physical releases. All in all, Yoni and Patricio had quite a decent time. Didn’t do a whole lot but what they did was time well spent.

And now they’re in front of a crowd of up to 15,000 people. The bar is relatively high for them, although there was a bit of leeway. They’ve rehearsed to the best of their abilities, Yoni’s memorised all of the lyrics, their backing singers have memorised what they need to sing and everyone was waiting for it to be their turn. Will Fata Morgana do just as well as Lisa Park and Her Gang did in Corola? Will they do one better and give Elejamie its second World Hit Festival victory? Will they not do as well but still place fairly well? Or will this too end in disaster. Only one way to find out, really.

~ʚїɞ~

The postcard came to an end and we cut to an establishing shot of the stage, just above the audience and looking down but not a proper overhead shot since faces and directions could still be made out. Right front and centre there was one figure standing completely still and alone whereas right at the back there was another person surrounded by a corner of instruments. They were, of course, our artists just waiting for the song to actually, finally start. However, as the camera slowly panned to the right, the camera also revealed that there were a couple of other people to act as backing singers. There were at the back and a bit hard to make out but they were still just about visible. The camera eventually stopped moving, the audience died down and the lights began to dim. It was now showtime.

As the song started, the shot lingered on that before fading into a close-up of Patricio’s hands playing a keyboard. The stage was still mostly dark, with the only lights coming from the sequencers on the desk to his left and a dim floodlight shining down on him. Just before it was time for Yoni to sing, the camera cut over to him. When he did actually sing, a light shone down at the exact same time he lifted his head up and sang into the microphone. He was wearing a dishevelled black suit (with a white shirt) that was very creased and seemed to have been slept in for a few hours at least once, with a messy pocket square and his black bow tie completely undone and draped around his neck. He was also a bit scruffy, with his hair being a bit of a mess, a bit of stubble showing and it seemed like he hadn’t showered for the past couple of days. This was completely intentional, as he wanted to go for a “down and out” look. As for how he sang the song throughout the verse? He stood up straight and kept a neutral expression on his face, although he slowly moved towards the camera as he gave a quick rundown of the Screwjob, which is what caused the band to break up in the first place. At the end of the verse, Yoni lifted up his left arm and had it in a way that his elbow was bent and he was pointing up at the ceiling, with the other lights not only turning on but also flashing brightly as they did so.

How, we went from sure shot at fame to walking out in shame
In a contest for pop tunes
They forgot how to count to a certain amount
And with that we had been screwed
And so we bidded each other adieu

At that point, the camera moved backwards and started to boom upwards before it rolled forwards into an overhead shot. After lingering on that shot for a few seconds, it cut back to a wide shot of the stage just as Yoni was about to sing again, this time about what they’ve been doing since the break-up. The lights flashed again as the screens on and around the stage started to turn on; the walkway, the rear wall, the floor itself, all of them were now on. They didn’t really show much, just thick lines coloured in varying shades of blue on a black background, running from the foot of the stage to the back at different speeds like they were on a series of conveyor belts. Yoni, meanwhile, just danced around on the spot. For the second line, he just rocked his body back and forth to emphasise the last three words, holding his hand out with his palm facing the ceiling as he sang the last word of the line. He then started to bogle for the third and fourth verses, although he came to a stop partway through the fifth line, where he pretended he was holding a huge wad of money before throwing it over his shoulder.

Now, we’ve grown so far apart we don’t know where to start
And it feels like “Who are you?”
While he’s living his own life with his kids and his wife
I’m singing some soulless tunes
At least the money will help me get through

After that, we cut to a close-up of Patricio’s fingers as he played the lead-up to the chorus. When it was time for him to sing, there was a wide shot of Yoni standing on the stage just standing there as he sang. He was bobbing his head back and forth as he sang, as well as moving his shoulders back and forth. Partway through the second line, we then cut to the backing singers who were off to the side. One of them was Aurora Cassidy, the WHF66 winning entrant who had been called in as a favour. She was wearing a white dress that was also a bit creased along with some white shoes, with a bit of eyeliner that was still neat. The other person was Franco Cauchi, the half MCGan male singer for the band The Lads and the Lasses that had come third for Elejamie in WV91. He was also dressed in a dishevelled black suit with a white shirt and matching shoes, much like Yoni, but he wasn’t wearing any sort of tie. The camera cut back to Yoni and centred around him for the next few lines. In fact, at the start of the fifth line he started to do what he was doing but he walked down to the lower stage and then started to move in a small circle as he did it, though towards the end he walked back to the upper stage. At the eighth line, he just stood still with his legs apart, his arm by his side and his palm facing the audience.

While this was going on, the rear wall changed to show pictures and videos of Patricio’s music career, minus his time in Fata Morgana. The same pictures and videos from the music video, in fact. From home recordings of him practising the piano to concerts of him and his twin sister Soraya playing concertos together. There was a picture of him at an international piano competition before it segued into some black and white pictures of his first band La Gran Comisión. After that, there were a few pictures of him posing in front of a camera as well as a picture of him at his wedding. This was capped off with a couple of pictures of him working as a record producer, either in his home studio or in an actual proper studio; they faded into each other before the last one faded into the same display the rear wall was playing earlier.

When can we see each other again?
When can we recapture the magic we had?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time
When can we talk to each other again?
Will we ever make more songs with each other?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time

During the instrumental lead-in to the next verse, the stage and surrounding screens (except the ones showing the actual stage for those who couldn’t see that well) went black and all the surrounding light sources turned off just to make sure it was dark. The lights above and below the stage flashed one after the other, going slowly enough to hopefully not trigger any seizures in people. When that was over, the lights and the screens came back on with the stage and rear wall showing the same pattern that it did earlier. At the same time, Yoni began to sing a verse about how his solo career may have been successful and gotten him places but it was actually unfulfilling and led him to have a bit of a breakdown that could’ve gone further had he not talked to someone. He started things off by resting his hand on his chest when he sang the first word before he moved onto the lower stage once more with a bit of swagger in his step. Unfortunately, when it came to the second line, he slowed down and just looked at the floor to symbolise how lonely he was during that time. He then tossed the microphone from his right hand into his left before he started to sing the third line, where he leaned forward before swiping the air in front of his left arm and pointed at the crowd until his arm was behind his back. At the end of the fourth line, there was a close-up of his face before the camera then cut to medium shot, where he leaned back a little bit during the first half of the fifth line before he pretended to pick up a phone and held it to his ear as he sang the second half of the line.

Me, a man who follows the trends and surrounded by friends
But I really feel alone
Do I choose to meet my fate where I exsanguinate
In the comforts of my home?
I don’t kick back but I pick up the phone

We then cut over to a shot of Patricio playing the lead-up to the chorus again, except this time his whole body was in the shot and it was clear to make out what he was wearing. He also had a dishevelled black suit with a white shirt and black dress shoes on, except he was wearing a very loosened black necktie; so loose that a good yank or two would probably untie the whole thing. He too also looked a bit scruffy with his hair being a mess, him sleeping in his suit once and also refraining from showering for a bit as a bit of method acting, much to the disapproval of his wife Carrie in the lead-up to the contest. As he leaned over and sang into the microphone to also provide backing vocals, the shot slowly faded into one of Yoni singing where it started above his head before it tilted down and then zoomed out into a medium shot. There he did a slow fist pump before pointing right at the crowd and then pulling his arm close to his body. While he danced on the spot for a little bit, there was a frontal shot of Aurora and Franco singing back-up, one that lasted throughout the third line before it cut to Yoni standing in a random pose as he sung the fourth line. He then wandered around the stage for the second half of the chorus, moving his shoulders and his head back and forth and having a bit of a spring in his step. Nothing else to mention except, when it came to the last line he moved to the middle of the stage while everything but the lights above and below the stage either dimmed or turned off.

The rear wall also decided to show clips and footage, except this time it was of Yoni’s early career. It started off with him singing as part of school performances or talent shows before it segued into him as a back-up singer for various other people. There were then a few pictures of him just posing or having his photo taken with fans. After that, there were some clips of him performing on stage or on TV as part of his solo career. After one last picture of him just relaxing in his house, the rear wall just faded into a black screen.

When can we see each other again?
When can we recapture the magic we had?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time
When can we talk to each other again?
Will we ever make more songs with each other?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time

We now get to the bridge and cut to a shot of Patricio playing his keyboard. The shot then faded to a close-up of Yoni standing still and singing about how the two reunited and reformed the band; although the original shot was still there it was just very faint. The two shots faded in and out of each other throughout the first two lines before it eventually faded in to the one of Yoni singing with no trace of Patricio playing. When he started to sing the third line, the camera changed to a ¾ shot of him bending down and leaning forward a little bit. The lights also started to flash one after the other and, much like they did earlier, the flashes were slow enough to not trigger any seizures in people especially if they were photosensitive. For the fourth line, we then cut back to a close-up of his face as he simply sang into the mic, giving a simple nod partway through the line before he looked down at the floor at the end.

A chance reunion at a café
He doesn’t seem to have aged a day
He’s eager to play
I’m guessing we’re here to stay

After that, it was an instrumental break. The lights carried on flashing and, while they went a bit faster, it was still slow enough to avoid causing seizures. The backing screens and the stage floor showed the same patterns it did earlier except there were also some dark blue pulsating circles that popped up every now and then. And, while the backing singers just danced in place and Patricio just played his instruments whenever the cameras just cut over to them, Yoni just danced about the stage. Most of it was just him simply strutting his stuff, bobbing his head back and forth, waving his shoulders back and forth one after the other, that sort of stuff. There was also a bit of moonwalking and, at one point, he jumped in the air with his leg out before he landed, almost as if he was doing a bit of ballet. This saw his undone bow tie nearly fall off his shoulders but, while the camera was concentrating on the audience, he used that time to straighten it out and to get it back to how it was.

Eventually, we get to the last verse where Yoni sings about how good it feels to have reunited with Patricio and how they’re working on some new stuff together. As he sang the first word, he leaned back and pointed up diagonally. He then stepped onto the catwalk and moved about, also with a bit of spring in his step. As he sang the rest of that first line, he held the microphone upside down as he sang into it and held an outstretched hand close to his ear, as if he was actually in the studio recording some vocals. He dropped it for the second line but, when it came to the last two words of it, there was a close-up of his face as he put his foot down and turned his head to face the camera. The camera returned to how it was for the third line but, for the fourth we cut over to a shot from the middle of the stage. As he got off the platform, Yoni pointed at the camera with a smile. At that point the cameraman turned around and rushed up to Patricio in a sort of tracking shot. Patricio then began to chime in with some backing vocals for the fifth line before the cameraman pointed the camera down for the build-up to the last chorus.

There’s only one place we could go, we’re back in the studio
And working on a new track
It’s been such a long time but we’re both feeling fine
No need to pick up the slack
And I’ll tell you, it feels good to be back

Once Patricio had finished with the lead-up to the chorus, we cut to a wide shot of the stage as a shower of sparks rains down from the top. Yoni did another fist pump except this time his arm was more vertical. He then wriggled his arm as he pointed at the audience before he brought it back to him. After a Dutch angled shot of Franco and Aurora for the third line, the camera then returned to a side shot of Yoni looking down a bit as he sang the fourth, though he looked up when he had finished the line. The camera then returned to a long medium shot of him just moving around the stage shaking his upper half from side to side, with the camera following him as he moved. When it came to the last line, there was a close-up of his face slowly looking up at the ceiling.

As for what the backing screens showed during this bit? Simply clips and images of Yoni and Patricio together as Fata Morgana. Rehearsal clips, promotional pictures, behind the scenes stuff where there were goofing around and a picture or two of them posing with fans. There were a few clips taken from live performances, including their WV75 performance and their guest spot on the LGBT-themed variety show Saturgay Evening even though both Yoni and Patricio are straight. There were also a few clips taken from interviews and a couple of them were from different countries, given that the idents weren’t for any domestic channels or any captions in any of Elejamie’s national or regional languages. There were even a couple of clips from concerts they had done post-reformation, including the very last one where Yoni takes a selfie with Patricio and the crowd in the background behind them.

When can we see each other again?
When can we recapture the magic we had?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time
When can we talk to each other again?
Will we ever make more songs with each other?
When can we see each other again?
It’s been a long time

The shower of sparks turned off and Yoni started to shuffle from side to side, shaking his upper half again as the song drew to a close. After a little while he started walking backwards until he was where the upper stage met the lower stage, although fortunately he was moving his head back and forth and his eyes were open so he could see where he was going. When he got there, he closed his eyes, lifted his head up and raised his arms to point at the ceiling before he sat down on the step, hunched over a little bit. He also turned the microphone off, put it down next to him and sat with his head in one of his hands and his other hand on his knee. At that point, the stage, the rear wall and any screens that weren’t showing the action on stage itself dimmed before they all turned off. The lights above and below the stage itself also went back to that slowly flashing pattern that it did earlier. When the drums cut out, the camera cut to a close-up of Yoni’s face before it slowly zoomed out into a wide shot of the stage. As the song faded out, the light patterns got slower and slower until it got to the point where each light stayed off for good when it was turned off. The song continued for a few more seconds once it was completely dark until it too faded completely out to signify the end of the song.

Almost immediately, the audience began to applaud. The lights came back on and Yoni picked up the microphone so he could turn it back on. He stood at the foot of the lower stage where he was joined by Patricio. They did a couple of bows towards the audience before Yoni held the microphone up to his mouth so he could speak into it. “Thank you Seiga! ¡Gracias! Fenci!”

He then held it in front of Patricio’s mouth so he could speak into it just in case he wanted to say something. And not only did he have something to say but he also said it in Japanese, as he had an alright knowledge of the language over the years and wanted to show it off. “Arigatō. Shō o o tanoshimi kudasai.” (「ありがとう。ショーをお楽しみください」; "Thank you. Enjoy the show.")

After one last bow, the duo waved as they headed off and went backstage so the next act could come on and get ready to perform. The two sat down at their table and just started to relax. They felt like they had put on a good performance and they were pleased with the song itself. But would the juries be any kind to them? They didn’t know but, just as long as there weren’t any serious mistakes, they wouldn’t mind having to wait to find out. Besides, Yoni could use the time looking for a free bar if there is one (even if it is to get something non-alcoholic) and Patricio could go outside and have a quick smoke at some point. All in all, a decent way to kill the time between then and the voting stage, really.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:31 am

~ʚїɞ~
07 Haruhata
Lareve - "Me, Myself and I"
Tune: LOONA/ODD EYE CIRCLE - Sweet Crazy Love
Lyricists: 桑原美紀(Miki Matsuhara), 鞠本健成 (Kenshige Marimoto), STARDUST • Composers: 桑原美紀(Miki Matsuhara), 鞠本健成 (Kenshige Marimoto), STARDUST, Sashihara:9Lives, Jonas Brandy
Language(s): Japanese, English

~ʚїɞ~

The cover art for the Limited Edition CD+DVD and Digital versions of the single "Me, Myself and I", by Haruhati idol trio Lareve. Lareve consists of singers Hana Hibino (一花雲雀田), Momoko Miyake (宮家宇宙子), Ririka Kasaya (華笠屋).

A mere edition ago, at the 70th World Hit Festival in Corola, Achaean Republic, Haruhata debuted at the prestigious contest. A first for the insular nation, Haruhata shared its rich musical culture with the multiverse alongside 7 other nations. Blanket's dreamy electronic/H-Pop inspired song "キスして最後にもう一度" was Haruhata's debut entry, represented by Haruhata's largest broadcaster HaruTV. Though expectations were low, even minimal perhaps due to Haruhata's lack of knowledge surrounding the worldwide pop scene, Haruhata soon became one of the favourites to win the whole thing, alongside World Hit Festival veterans Elejamie and the Achaean Republic. On the night, Blanket's emotional vocal performance alongside a dazzling stage of dystopian and cyberpunk inspired scenery blew the world away, earning a mammoth 33 points from the international juries and televotes, receiving a point from every single nation. History was made, in the World Hit Festival as well as in Haruhata, who's eyes had now been opened to the world of international music, something considered a niche, hard to access interest by many. Not to mention a newfound interest in the contest itself, an even deeper iceberg for many Haruhati. However, the small nation had achieved what many had not, winning on debut, with a large margin to match.

Given their debut win, hype was through the roof throughout Haruhata. The World Hit Festival plastered upon every news channel and paper, every social media post and video. This was only further spearheaded by the success of Blanket's song, which became a huge hit following her win in the contest. Originally peaking at #4 on the Calico Charts, the single "キスして最後にもう一度" rocketed to #1 after the contest, remaining on top for 6 weeks. It's international success faired just as well, topping the Spotify charts around the world following the victory. The contest also opened doors for other artists in the Haruhati music industry, with musical legends such as Aina, Nijinban44 and KBTY (Kibō To Yume) expanding their reaches abroad for the first time. The World Hit Festival turned out to be exactly what the industry needed, resuscitating a slowly plummeting industry.

What HaruTV would do next was another issue however. Would the able to host? What would they follow up their winner with? What was the next step? All kinds of questions floated around their normally lax boardrooms, never having as much responsibility as now. To the surprise of the Haruhati fans, decisions were quickly decided. Hosting would be done by Haruhata and they would be returning to defend their title, the second statement being not so concrete giving the expenses of hosting. Behind the scenes the hosting seemed to going smoothly. HaruTV's graphic designers, who had once resigned themselves to creating the same old designs for the same old dramas finally got to show off their talents, stretched to the extreme as HaruTV tried to push the contest far beyond what it had seen before, graphically and show wise. Early on, Mikan Hashimasa, HaruTV's most respected musical director and composer was chosen to lead the musical department of the show. Her experience in science fiction was certainly an asset to Haruhata's unique hosting, featuring a y2k, cyberpunk inspired design and soundscape that would lead the viewer into a similar experience of Haruhata's winning entry, though tweaked to be mainstream as not to alienate the World Hit Festival fans. Despite never having a run an event as big as the World Hit Festival, HaruTV took it within their stride, researching heavily as to match the quality and procedures of previous shows. As productive as the actual hosting itself was going however, the entry proved to be difficult once again.

How to follow up a winning entry was a difficult prospect. Whether to attempt to win again or send something cushy as not to win again; or perhaps disregard the concept of winning entirely and send something from the heart. HaruTV were in a pickle! Relying on their previous method was time consuming and not cost efficient, especially considering the price tag of the hosting. Thus, HaruTV were forced to graft and research themselves, rifting through numerous small labels and entertainment companies for a flicker of potential. However, it was only when a younger member of the delegation came forward that the entry was finally picked. Being a fan of idol trio Lareve, he proposed that their internet presence and popularity amongst the younger generation would be perfect for the more liberal multiverse, who Haruhati often perceive as rather, progressive per say, at least compared to Haruhata. Though it took a lot of convincing, backed into a corner the delegation eventually gave in, contacting the small entertainment company. Whilst they were hesitant, following in the footsteps of a World Hit Festival win would prove too great a treasure for STARDUST to decline. Coinciding the contest with their next single release, Lareve were told early on about their involvement in the contest, the three more than happy to oblige.

Lareve
ラレーブ

Lareve (ラレーブ) is a Haruhati girl group, a trio consisting of vocalists Hana Hibino (一花雲雀田), Momoko Miyake (宮家宇宙子), Ririka Kasaya (華笠屋). Under STARDUST Entertainment, the group debuted in 2018 after training together for over 5 years. Named after the french word for dream, rêve, the group was debuted with little to no promotion on June 7th 2018 with their debut single "Dreamy Whisper". Though their debut single only peaked at #42 on the Calico Top 100 Singles Chart with 1,739 physical copies sold in the first week, as well as subsequent releases having low sales, such as "Paradise" and "赤いリンゴ" selling only 3,421 and 4,011 physical singles in the first week respectively, the group managed to amass a small yet extremely dedicated following. As a result, in 2019, their 3rd single "赤いリンゴ" became viral after their fans were able to create a meme stemming from the song. The group became viral numerous times from then on, from funny moments from group members and songs, to Momoko being mentioned by the President of Haruhata in a speech. As a result, despite failing to break into the mainstream pop market, Lareve were able to become extremely prominent in online spaces. In this limbo between mainstream success and commercial failure does Lareve thrive in, almost just as famous for the determination and dedication of their fans, known as Lavels (ラベール).

They have also become extremely famous in the Haruhati LGBTQ+ scene due to their internet virality. Numerous polls have found Lareve to have an overwhelming majority of female, specifically Lesbian, fans, a far cry from the usual male dominated fanbases of Haruhati idol groups. Lareve is just one of few modern Haruhati idol groups that target the young female audience, following in the footsteps of the original womanizer girl group, KBTY (Kibō To Yume). As to appeal to the female market, Lareve perform highly syncronised dance routines with complex steps, their musical style encompassing many genres such as house, R&B and dance-pop to create a mature, yet strong sound. Lareve's strong image creates a role model for young girls, their style edgy and personalities differing from the usual cute and happy nature of female Haruhati idols. Furthermore, Lareve explore lyrical themes of forbidden love, self-love and self-image, once again differing from the usual idol lyrics of first loves and crushes.

As of the 71st World Hit Festival Grand Final, Lareve have sold over 200,000 physical singles and albums since debut, their highest selling release their debut and most recent studio album "A Midnight Summer's Dream", released in 2022, featuring their first 6 singles as well as 6 new tracks.

"Me, Myself and I"
"ミー、マイセルフアンドアイ"

[Limited Edition (Group Jacket) - CD+DVD]
¥2,600

[Regular Edition (Hana+Ririka Jacket) - CD]
¥1,600

[Regular Edition (Ririka+Momoka Jacket) - CD]
¥1,600

[Regular Edition (Momoka+Hana Jacket) - CD]
¥1,600
"Me, Myself and I" is an uptemp dance-pop song by Haruhati idol trio Lareve, written and composed by Miki Matsuhara, Kenshige Marimoto, STARDUST, Sashihara:9Lives and Jonas Brandy, and is Lareve's 8th single. The song is about someone finally leaving an abusive relationship, emerging as a "new star". Paired with a funky beat and synths, the song celebrates the new world without that abusive partner, realising that the only person they truly need is themselves, and that the colours they had been searching for were always tucked away inside. The song also features a semantic field of space, inspired by Lareve's usual theming of space within their concepts, outfits and previous lyrics and songs.

The song was especially written for Lareve by STARDUST Entertainment CEO and founder Hoshino Kabaki, who has been involved in every Lavere single thus far, alongside frequent Lareve contributors Kenshige Marimoto and Miki Matsuhara, whose expertise in dance-pop has lead to many chart topping hits elsewhere. Like any other Lareve song, "Me, Myself & I" was written especially for Lareve, with their vocal strengths in mind. Despite this however, the song was never intended to be performed at the World Hit Festival - rather it was stumbled upon by a Lareve fan and member of the HaruTV delegation who had been pushing to see Lareve represent Haruhata since the start. Their cult status and LGBTQ+ icon status in Haruhata would only further help the cause for the group to represent Haruhata. Eventually, HaruTV gave in, convinced by the group's fame amongst the youth of the nation, hoping that the group would appeal to the youngsters of the multiverse also. After listening to a demo of "Me, Myself & I", HaruTV ordered the song to be polished ready for the World Hit Festival, leading to the final product having a shorter runtime than the original, as well as better production overall.

The song is 3m28s long, featuring elements of R&B, dance-pop and disco/funk, creating a classy H-Pop song that makes good use of the group's more empowering, elegant image. Upon the announcement of the song for the World Hit Festival, the song was released digitally on the 6th of September 2023, with the CD single being released on the 12th. There are 4 versions of the CD single, with 1 first press limited edition CD+DVD as well as 3 CD only singles featuring a jacket of 2 members. Whilst every version contains the single "Me, Myself & I" as well as it's instrumental, alongside the coupling song C'est La Vie, each version has a different 3rd track. Whilst the limited edition features 夜中ドライブ (Yonaka Doraibu: Midnight Drive), the 3 other versions feature 3 different duets depending on the member jacket version. The single reached 55,000 physical sales in it's first week, a record number for Lareve, debuting at #1 on the Calico Top 100 Singles Chart. Not only is the single their first #1, the single has also received critical acclaim by music critics, often harsh when reviewing idol music.

Track Listing
CD [Limited Edition (Group Jacket)]
01. Me, Myself and I
02. C'est La Vie
03. 夜中ドライブ
04. Me, Myself and I (Instrumental)

DVD [Limited Edition (Group Jacket)]
01. Me, Myself and I MUSIC VIDEO - Extended Cut
02. Me, Myself and I MUSIC VIDEO Making Video

CD [Regular Edition (Hana+Ririka Jacket)]
01. Me, Myself and I
02. C'est La Vie
03. 2魚尾 (Hana & Ririka)
04. Me, Myself and I (Instrumental)

CD [Regular Edition (Ririka+Momoka Jacket)]
01. Me, Myself and I
02. C'est La Vie
03. Rosy Rosy Rosy (Ririka & Momoka)
04. Me, Myself and I (Instrumental)

CD [Regular Edition (Momoka+Hana Jacket)]
01. Me, Myself and I
02. C'est La Vie
03. ギラギラ (Momoka & Hana)
04. Me, Myself and I (Instrumental)

Performed by Lareve
Music by Miki Matsuhara, Kenshige Marimoto, STARDUST
Lyrics by Miki Matsuhara, Kenshige Marimoto, STARDUST, Sashihara:9Lives, Jonas Brandy
Produced by Miki Matsuhara

Recorded & Produced at Akase Studios A,
Seiga, Seiga Province, Haruhata

℗ 2023 STARDUST

~ʚїɞ~

The postcard ends and the arena fades to black. Even the visual cues can't dim the loud, ever-present cheers of the Haruhati crowd however, excited to finally see themselves on the World Hit Festival stage - in person, in their homeland. In the shadows of the stage, Lareve take their places, swarmed by the loud cheers from the crowd. Even as they try to concentrate, they are thrown off by the sheer amount of noise, unheard in their career of despite their many successes. They remain professional however. As idols, every stage is as important as the last, no matter the audience size, songs or stadium. Giving 100% was all that mattered, every time. Despite this, the members knew deep down they would give a little more than 100% this time round.

As the cheers finally quiet down, the music begins. The arena is filled with the violins that play at the intro of the song, met with an explosive response from the crowd, who had only just quietened down from their first tirade. With each violin melody, a plume of a sparkling, nebulous cloud erupts from the bottom of the stage on the LED screen, first left, then right, then centre, each plume in a different colour, matching Lareve's representative colours of blue, lilac and pink. In front of each plume of smoke, a member of Lareve is revealed, though not entirely, appearing as silhouettes, confidently standing with their left hands on their hips. With each reveal of the member, the camera zooms in from the back of the arena and into their silhouette, each reveal sending the crowd into a frenzy. On the fourth violin part, the spotlights that ring the circumference of the stage billow upwards, facing towards Lareve. Finally, they are revealed entirely, the camera zooming out to take in the grand reveal, the crowd somehow cheering even louder than before, the members smiling as they are able to hear the soaring shouts of the audience. All three are dressed in similar ensembles of black and white, with woven bracelets of their representative colours.

As Hana begins to speak the opening lines, winking into the steadicam that follows her as she walks up the long stage. She has a smooth charisma about her, able to pull anyone in with the tilt of her head or the twinkle of her eye. As she makes her way up the stage, the other two members follow, creating a triad formation as they confidently walk to the front. They eventually centre stage, the camera still continuing to zoom out from the back of the stage. Upon the LED screens, the nebulous plumes have spread to create a scene of nebulas upon the black abyss of space, creating an elegant scene for the girls to dance within. Then, as the clapping beat is introduced to the soundscape, a few dim white lights flash to the rhythm. As they sing "me, myself and I", each member falls into a different pose for each word, the camera focussing on a different member as they pose, the shot then fading to black as the music descends into silence.

じゃあねー
Baby you know
It's me, myself and I

The first verse begins and the stage flashes subtly, reintroducing the music with a small bang. Upon the LED screens, a kaleidoscopic filter has been applied to the previous nebulous pattern to create a sparkling, geometric and classy backdrop. After a camera shot pans the stage to take in the intergalactic staging, the camera is mostly relegated to steadicam for the first verse, allowing Lareve's intricate choreography to be captured, as well as capturing their individual charms, their voices gliding from one part to another, effortlessly transitioning from one member to another as if they were one. Onstage, they are joined by six other dancers, wearing similar ensembles to Lareve but in pure black, two per member as they sing their parts into the camera, flanked by their pairs of dancers. At first, the members cross one another, allowing the camera to transition between members between their lines. The lights are flashy yet allow many a shadow to paint the stage in indigo, as not to make the classy performance tacky. The members are almost flirtateous towards the camera at first, guiding the camera to follow their movements before being whisked away by another member, creating a hypnotic sequence of shots.

あなたといればeveryday同じだ
私の人生はあなたを回る
あなたはblack holeだmy光を奪う
Event horizonから逃れなかった

For the pre-chorus of the song, the girls regroup at the centre of the stage together, the dancers grouping behind them. The LED displays the nebulous clouds being pulled into the centre of the stage, into a singularity positioned under the members of Lareve. Due to the more intimate nature of the section, the girls perform more flowy dance moves, a sombre look upon their faces as they sing of their relationship. However, as they sing supernova, the slide outwards from the formation, a confidence now returning to their bodies. They slowly and sensually walk to the front of the stage as the lights being to ripple to the rhythm of the clapping, Momoka pushing her hair back as she sings her line into the camera. To match their move, the singularity sends out a shockwave of lilac and blue across the stage, now rippling outwards in regular occurrences to the rhythm. Furthermore, smoke begins to pour onto the stage, lit up green to replicate a nebula in which the members walk confidently through. Hana then finishes the final line, taking centre stage as she walks towards the front of the stage, reaching forward before thrusting her arm into the arm, twirling her wrist like the twinkle of a star. Pulling her hand down, she smiles to the camera, her eyes twinkling in the blue, pink and white spotlights, hints of golden lighting up the gaps of light.

しかしもうリミトだ
私を壊した
壊したlike supernova
Misty glowネビュラから変えた
New starは生まれる

The chorus begins with the spotlights billowing outwards, matching the sudden burst of energy. The arena is washed in hues of indigo, blue, pink and purple, with golden highlights scattered throughout the colourscape. The expansive array of LED screens display a supernova of a similar colour palette emanating across every surface, originating from where Lareve were dancing prior to the chorus. A spectacle of nebulous sparkles billowing across every screen surrounds Lareve as they dance with more energy, the choreography kicked up a notch to match the flourish of music. Their choreography is sharp and bold, showing off their newfound confidence as they proclaim their love for themselves. For the chorus, unlike before, all the members sing together, using their face mics as to allow them movement of their arms. For the chorus, the crowd bursts into applause, the infectious dance-pop beat resonating throughout the Yatsuki-kan. Allowing one another to shine, they change dance formations regularly, moving in one cohesive unit, just like the hypnotic display of lights that surround them.

The second half of the chorus begins with a moment of silence, emphasized by a flash of white light throughout the arena, followed by the lights returning to their usual chorus-display of billowing outwards across the arena in a flourish of colourful lights. In the centre of the group, Ririka jumps into a spin, greeted by the applause of the audience, cheering at even the slightest thing that Lareve perform. They turn to walk back to the centre of the stage, the camera facing them with the crowd behind them, a sea of lights and brightly coloured flags waving.

今日から
I'll love love love myself instead
絶対に自分に言う「愛してる」
あなたがラストチャンス燃やした
今this time I'll focus on me, myself and

I, I, I'm the only (one for me)
僕は要らないanyone
It's me, myself and I

The second verse opens with a clapping beat, accentuated by a sporadic flash of white lights to every beat. The verse opens with a brief rapping section from Momoka, veiled by a thin layer of fog to add a mysterious atmosphere, her enigmatic gaze into the camera enthralling the viewer into her deep black eyes. As Hana takes over the short rap, the camera rapidly pans to her, also veiled by the fog as the lights darken to emphasize the mysterious atmosphere, her eyes twinkling in the spotlight as if her eyes held a sky of stars. Unlike Momoka's enigmatic gaze, Hana looked into the lens with a confident sensuality, as if teasing the viewer. Though it is hard to see, upon the LEDs is displayed a deep indigo haze interlaced with a volley of twinkling stars, one every so often piercing the fog upon the stage and flaring in the lens of the camera. On the second part of the verse, the camera pans to Ririka, who appears to be behind the two, further back on the stage. The LEDs switch to a brighter nebula pattern, the kaleidoscopic filter placed on the LEDs once again, pulsing and moving to the rhythm. Flanked by two dancers, she performs a simplified version of the choreography that the dancers are performing, their arm movements facing inwards as to frame her with their bodies.

忘れたlife was like
世界の真の色を見る
暗が怖くなくなった
あっという間に

Like rogue star夜が僕のもの
my life照らす、だけmy life照らす

The second pre-chorus follows a similar pattern to the first, the LEDs displaying ripples of colour and sparkles being pulled into a singularity beneath where Lareve are dancing. The fog has cleared by this point, replaced by Lareve and their six dancers, all in a triad formation. After performing a few moves in a canon, utilising their synchronisation to create dynamic movements, they form a line behind Hana, swirling their hands around her in a specific movement as to look like one cohesive unit. Meanwhile, bathed in indigo and gold lights, Hana sings into the camera, smirking as she begins to take one confident step, then two towards the front. Once again, upon the LEDs ripples begin to emanate from the singularity, though this time the spotlights also begin to billow outwards one by one, like the steadily unfurling petals of chrysanthemum. As she sings the final line, Hana steps forward where a bouquet of spotlights flourish outwards, blossoming into the arena, washing it in light, visually building up to the second chorus as the lights accelerate in their flashing.

Don't you know今までで最高だ
私を壊した
でも戻ってきたlike comet
Misty glowネビュラから変えた
New starは生まれる

The second chorus follows many of the conventions of the first: one example being the supernova upon every LED panel emanating outwards to create a dynamic, vivid display of colours across the arena. The dancers splay out from behind Hana and the rest of Lareve in one fancy, elegant movement, like the bloom of a firework across the stage. They then form another triadic formation, using their numbers to creating interesting levels and shapes, the dancers often dancing in staggered timings to add visual difference between each of the dancers and Lareve. This chorus is mainly centred by Ririka, the vocalist of the group, thought she shows off her sharp moves, just as good as the dancers behind her. A grin upon her face, she twirls by herself, the dancers swerving around to accentuate Ririka's twirling, the lights embracing her with a small flash of light, just before she lands on both her feet. The camera shifts between wide panoramas of the stage, displaying the eclectic yet dazzling light display and close-up shots, allowing Lareve to display their personalities to the viewer, showcasing their individual performance styles into the lens of the camera, usually done by steadicam.

And as the chorus, the second half follows the same steps as the first chorus, opening with a flash of a white light to fill the short silence that sits between both parts of the chorus. Whilst the other two members retreat out of view, the camera follows Hana who sings the second section of the chorus, slowly making her way to the back of the stage. Though Ririka and Momoka's positions onstage are being hidden by clever camera angles, a mix of shots between the dancers and Hana, who sings passionately into the camera, yet not letting it distract her from hitting every beat with her short section of solo choreography, featuring a side kick into some clean-cut hand movements which focus on the elegance of her body and the twirl of her wrist.

今日から
I'll love love love myself instead
絶対に自分に言う「愛してる」
あなたがラストチャンス燃やした
今this time I'll focus on me, myself and

I, I, I'm the only (one for me)
僕は要らないanyone
It's me, myself and I

As the bridge begins, a birds eye view of the stage slowly turns around the centre of the stage, where all three girls of Lareve are lying, facing the centre, which displays a large black hole between them upon the LED screen. As the vocal lines are juggled between Lareve, golden lights are projected upon whereabout their hearts are, pulsing to the beat. These golden projections then flood the stage around them with gold, eventually becoming a river of gold that meanders towards the centre of the stage, meeting to transform the black hole into a golden star. As they sing, the girls' faces are completive yet satisfied, small smiles growing upon their faces to reflect the joy of finding love within oneself. A steadicam circles the three girls, still on the floor, a downward angled camera still retaining the illusion that they are surrounding this black hole. As they sing the line "Follow my brand new star", a chaotic array of lights begin to slowly flash in any order, steadily growing more luminescent as the song builds up to its final chorus. Lareve then sit up, now sat on the floor except for Ririka who stands up as she sings her line, pointing upwards, her eyes tracing her arm as it faces the sky. The other two follow suit staring upwards. The camera then zooms out, where the golden star once seen shimmering upon the stage, rises up from the floor and into the sky, to where Lareve's eyes are drawn towards. A camera from the ceiling then moves towards Lareve, sat in a circle centre stage. This shot allows the whole stage to be seen, the arena washed in a deep indigo light with hints of golden lights like fireflies in the night mottled across the LED screens and spotlights, flickering up and down like lanterns, creating a magical, fairy-tale like atmosphere.

心の奥底に光を
見つけた遂に
Follow my brand new star
過去を落とす
眩しい何かへ化けろ
何かwithout you

As Ririka sings the final high note with the instrumental silenced, the holographic sun then bursts into a dazzling firework of golden shimmers, setting the whole stage alight with pink, purple, blue and gold for the final chorus. At first, the entire soundscape is not yet introduced, Lareve not performing intricate choreography as they make their way to the front of the stage, clapping to the beat as they laughing and skip with one another. Upon the stage that surrounds the main stage, the six dancers quickly run to surround the main stage, eventually ending up splayed in front of Lareve. As the lights billow outwards, the LED screen at first displays a supernova with the kaleidoscopic effect as the chorus builds up. As Lareve sing the line "愛してる", the main beat is reintroduced, met with a flourish of spotlights flashing, a stream of sparks raining down from the back of the stage to give the chorus a sense of finality. The LED screen displays the kaleidoscopic effect shattering, shards refracting rainbows emanating from the back of the stage, the supernova now firmly a gold colour as it spreads across the stage, seemingly at a faster rate than before. As the screens and panels display the movement of space in all it's glory, Lareve's choregraphy is far less intensive than before, focussing on stage presence and the staging itself as they perform a simple few steps mostly using their arms, the dancers in front following suit. Overall, the final chorus leaves the impression of a galactic ball, classy, sophisticated yet bold and fun.

Following the first part of the chorus, fountains of sparks emphasize the welcome of the second half of the chorus, Lareve performing a brand new set of choreography to the rhythm of the melody, the crowd roaring with approval as Hana winks into the camera one last time. As the girls sing/speak their solo lines, the camera, now used to taking wide shots of the stage for the grandeur of the chorus, now zoom into each girl one by one, to capture their facial expressions as they sing/speak each line. Before the music begins to wind down however, Lareve perform their last section of challenging choreography to the line, "涙なしだけshining light" twirling their hands around themselves before twirling in sequence. The instrumental then begins to thin, the girls now coming together, not focussing so much on perfecting their dance moves but having fun and ending the song wth vocals as strong as they begun. They also begin to move back to the centre of the stage, walking backwards as not to miss the lens of the camera.

今日から
I'll love love love myself instead
絶対に自分に言う「愛してる」
あなたがラストチャンス燃やした
I'm new, no you, me, myself and

I, I, I'm the only
Now I only need myself
涙なしだけshining light
It's me, myself and I(指切りnow I trust myself)

I, I, I'm the only (one for me)
Can't you see? Now I'm free
これからlove myself
Always me, myself and I

As they sing the final section of the song, billows of fog begin to spill onto the stage, enveloping them in deep layers of lights and clouds, like a nebula. Enjoying the company of one another, they connect their pinkies, singing side by side as the song draws to a close. The camera shots also begin to close back in once again, capturing the unique charms of each member. The lights begin to draw into the spot they stand on, the LEDs displaying the singularity pulling in every source of light and colour upon the LED screens until there is none left, except the spotlights in which Lareve stand upon. Smiling carelessly, they look into each others eyes and laugh.

I, I, I'm the only (one for me)
僕は要らないanyone
It's me, myself and I

Yeah
It's me, myself and I

As Hana sings the final "It's me, myself and I", the instrumental grows thinner and thinner, Lareve growing more casual as they stand shoulder to shoulder, clinging gleefully to one another. The camera takes a close-up of Hana as the last note leaves her lips, playfully tilting her head and winking towards the camera, much to the delight of the audience. As the song ends, the lights finally gather into Lareve, now hugging one another for their final pose, the rest of the arena left in pitch black. As soon as any slither of silence is heard, the Haruhati crowd erupt in cheers, celebrating their second entry ever, the girls having performed to the best of their abilities, their intricate moves and strong voices resonating with the Haruhati crowd, many of whom had never heard of Lareve. However, after that night, everyone would. "ありがとうございますうううう！！！Ah-" Momoka manages to spit out before being engulfed by a group hug by the whole group.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:38 am

~ʚїɞ~
08 Tödlichebujoku
Vana Mo - "Home"
Tune: AGA - MIZU
Lyricists: Vanamo, ir cit. • Composers: Vanamo, ir cit.
Language(s): English, Taploukki

~ʚїɞ~

It was always a bit strange, to set foot in a new country. Vanamo wasn't herself a stranger to the experience, having previously performed in the World Hit Festival in St. Christopher, Llalta, and in the WorldVision Song Contest in Marina Point, Nekoni. But still, the novelty was always there, and the air in Seiga was positively electric with the sonic thrum of fast-paced activity. She wandered down an arcade, gazing into the various shops on one side even as rain pattered down beyond the shelter of the arches. There was an exciting variety to the shops Vanamo peered into - she had never really seen Haruhatan fashion, and she admired a lovely red traditionally styled overcoat, her knuckles pressed against the glass as she appreciated the intricate pattern in the fabric. Moving on, she came across a cozy little pet shop, where cute little hedgehogs and echidnas vied for her attention in their enclosures even as hamsters and ferrets dozed in their bedding. She'd never imagined these spiny creatures to be so energetic, as they bopped their tiny noses at little golden rings that had been hung in their habitats for enrichment. Perhaps these were some special local variety. But there was no special name to be found, and Vanamo simply did not feel like engaging in human interaction (or to nurture another living being when she was as busy as she was) so she continued on her walk. In a nearby electronics shop she found herself dazzled by an immense array of blinking and flashing gadgets and gizmos. She'd never seen a digital pet toy combined with a portable music player, but that was what the trinket called Eggman claimed to have masterfully combined in one ovate device that opened up to reveal the pet interaction screen. It was certainly alluring, and the Tödlichebujoki singer slipped through the door to snatch one up, the tinkle of a bell ringing as she did so. Looking around, she didn't see anyone tending the counter, but in fact, a self-serve register that had been retrofitted there for customers to purchase with. Such trust! She picked up an Eggman, in a lustrous red - the designers of Haruhata clearly know how to make that color pop - and toyed with it. It snapped open and close with pleasing tactile sensations, and Vanamo was sufficiently impressed with the product (apparently made by 佳霏 KAHI) to move for a purchase. It took her some time to understand the interactive console of the self-checkout, very different from the interfaces she frequented back home, but eventually made the payment and stepped back outside. The humidity hit her like stepping into fog, but it was somehow refreshing, a reminder that everything goes on, even when one is preoccupied in a microcosm of thought.

It was, of course, a bit odd finally being out representing the nation on her own instead of doing so as a part of Sasechaya., that project she had been a part of for so long, she pondered as she leaned on a railing and idly watched a busy intersection. But all good things come to an end, and those involved found themselves interested in an array of new ideas, pulling them all into a number of different directions. Of course, the demise of one thing is the genesis of another, and thus, Vanamo's solo career came into being. She had not been on her own for too long before the call came out from TÖBUK and Estegoa100, and after answering and being accepted into the 4th edition of Starfall, she joined what the execs considered to be a dream cast of performers and entries with the potential to take the world by storm. Though she was considered more of a domestic favorite, Vanamo found herself rocketing through the PULSAR semi-final and easily reaching the upper echelons of the COLLISION grand final. After jockeying with Delilah Summergrave's thunderous "Ravenous Heart" and PAYLUNIKKA's dance banger "Finally", Vanamo eventually could not out run the latter, and squeezed into a solid second place with the prize of being the nation's next World Hit Festival entrant. Spirits were high in the nation regarding its impending results in the coming WorldVision, with whispers of a possible 9th win waiting in the wings. Overly optimistic predictions aside, most were very comfortable with assuming a podium or near-podium finish, what with the ongoing trend for Starfall winners to continually rise in results. But, even when you do all you can in your power to ensure the coin lands heads up, sometimes you still get tails. And poor PAYLUNIKKA went tails up in WorldVision 108, being trapped that night with a shocking 7th place, the worst that a Starfall winner had done thus far. In the greater scheme of things, it was not a bad result, but after all that expense and time spent on ensuring the best result possible, it was a catastrophic letdown, only barely above the nation's average of 8th place over its entire WorldVision history.

Vanamo grimaced as she remembered that fact, particularly in the light of her group Sasechaya. being a regular in the mediocre middle of the results and continually being referenced as robbed and underappreciated talent among fellow Tödlichebujokis and some international fans. With PAYLUNIKKA's choke in WorldVision, Vanamo had to wonder. Was she really in gear for this game? The nation's hopes for redemption now weighed heavily upon her, and it would be up to the grace of the powers above, or their equivalents in this lush land of Haruhata. She sighed. It would be a tough road to tread, even if she did well among the 7 competitors at this World Hit Festival, she would very likely find herself thrown into the unforgiving and chaotic mix of the WorldVision to come.

A break in the blanket of rain clouds beckoned to her. It was early evening, and a little star was just barely visible through the glow of sunset and the bright city lights of Seiga. Saturn? Venus? Vanamo had never been terribly good with outworld astronomy, but she did hope and pray it was a good omen.

~ʚїɞ~

Perhaps the slightest hint of midnight blue is visible in the darkness of the stage. Some faint starry effect lights begin to shine from the back, broadening just a little bit to create a just barely noticeable suffuse glow, serving as a backdrop to Vanamo's silhouette. She is perched atop a soft cloud suspended a good distance above the stage floor, the cloud being backlit by an icy white spotlight that causes it to glow with diffuse light like a nebula in deep space. With wavering rays of light radiating from all around her, she begins to sing. Haunting piano notes play as the camera view takes her in, a close view with her back to the audience, but with her head turned just slightly, before coasting outward, all the while her voice ethereal and dreamy

Ihmettelen, yos itkisin,
Elunginen, anyoonin üli
Kuulisitko küüneleeni,
Putoavan táhtipölüyá?
Ooh...

Her cloud drifts down to the ground, and Vanamo steps out, clad in a slim velvety black outfit studded with rhinestones like constellations in the night. Her face, too, is decorated with glimmering white crystals, and her hair is done up in a tight bun that is held in place by a collection of polished wedge-shaped platinum hairpieces in the formation of an ancient cuneiform glyph for "star". The camera lens has a filter applied to it that exaggerates points of lights into 8-rayed stars, creating a softly dazzling effect as light glints off the hairpieces and crystals. Vanamo thrusts herself forward from the cloud, an arm outstretched toward the camera view, but opalescent chains hold her back from leaving the grounded cloud entirely. She regards them in despair, before turning back to the camera view in resigned defeat, and behind her, the background of darkness and starry points begins to give way to light

Your eyes, they spark, with crystal light
My heart burst forth, yet bridled by ice
Those diamond chains, I sought to break
But brittle bones, remind me of age

Gathering her spirits back up she gestures around her, the screens around her, almost surrounding her intimately, show street scenes from various nations, along with scenes of nature and famous attractions. She looks enchanted with the deluge of sensations, distracted from her imprisonment, before turning back to the camera, which by now has no fancy lenses to distort the image. The lights and imagery just barely thrum and pulse to the rhythm of the beat, like a heartbeat, as Vanamo turns her attention upward, with the screens becoming dominated by views of the night sky from the level of the ground - ringed by the tops of trees and buildings

Foreign lands, they tempt with their sights
Heartache serves to warm my distant plight
Reaching toward our past in endless sky
Will we ascend when we die?

She collapses to the ground, now with only a single light shining upon her face as all the screens around her and on the floor create the sensation of her tumbling through outer space, with stars whirling all around her. She gazes outwardly, unfocused, as if dissociated from her reality, astrally projecting across the dimensions of space and time to her past on a world so deeply embedded in her memory that she could never extricate it from her psyche. Her body lies limp, completely beholden to the imagined vagaries of physics as stars and galaxies freewheel all around her in a chaos spin that would leave a more attentive viewer nauseous. Luckily, all focus is concentrated on her face, coasting in from various approaches as she sings, her mind lost in another world entirely

So long without you
Our souls attract though heavens tear apart
Now I plunge into
Into the velvet of the vast unknown
Return home

Her eyes closed in deep contemplation, she executes a series of "dance" moves on the floor - perhaps more like artistic writhing specifically timed to the music, that would make Noa Kirel quiver in her designer boots - as she continues to careen through space. Soon, of course, the episode ends and Vanamo rises and opens her eyes to gaze back up and out. Around her, the lights are warm and the screens depict pastoral scenes of streaming sunlight and receding clouds, to which she reacts with surprise and disbelief, along with a glimmer of tentative hope. It feels like it's been so long

The storm clouds break, to welcome sun
These shackles yield, to what I've become

She finds her pearly fetters easily removed, and casts them down while she rises up, eyeing the area around her with caution, and finding a conveniently located area of pure black glossy stage to gaze into her reflection with, and ponder her journey in life. Of course, she has little time to actually do so, before striding forward out to the entrance of the center stage tunnel thingy and into the open air, where a silver vintage style microphone stand awaits. Near the edge of the stage, she wafts a bit of glittering silvery powder into the air, watching it form a shimmering cloud as it descends. Behind and around her, we once again witness a view of stars reeling about, but this time at a slower pace and more controlled, and white spotlights rove and flash around Vanamo as she sings the chorus

Stardust sprang us into new life
Moonlight pulled us through the coldest night
Reaching toward our past in endless sky
Will we ascend when we die?

Fog creeps along the stage floor around her, and wafts slowly from the edges of the stage tunnel formation behind her, with various lights in the far back shimmering and glimmering through the mist. With a sated, and blissful smile she continues, whirling herself about and creating vortices of mist behind her as she does so. She is unafraid of death and mortality, for she knows that there is always more to come. For now, she bathes in her sensation of liberation, free to embrace adventure and exploration through the planes of existence

So long without you
Our souls attract though heavens tear apart
Now I plunge into
Into the velvet of the vast unknown
Return home

She dances, in a very restrained yet soulful manner, with a twirl around the microphone stand, much like her dancing earlier but translated to a vertical position. The camera view starts up from the stage floor where it is wreathed in mist, before slowly rising up her legs, and arcing upward as it ascends her body, which is in continuous motion, light gleaming and flickering from the various starlike crystals embedded along her outfit and in concert with the polished platinum hairpieces up at the very top of her form

Nousim táhdistá
Ya táhtiin me putoam taas
Nousim táhdistá

You could get lost in the microcosm of movement, the interplay of light and shadow, crystal and fabric, body and accessory, that dominates the ever-dynamic view as Vanamo works her body and voice to the music. She is no longer simply a singer in the room. Perhaps she is ascended, as the sigil formed by her shining hairpiece not only signifies a star but additionally a divinity, a goddess freed from her terrestrial prison to hold court once more in the heavens above. Her audience is in all directions, being every resident of every star in the universe around her, watching in rapt attention as she wields her power and commands the physics in her presence. Almost supernatural, she is yet still so very real

Nousim táhdistá
Ya táhtiin me putoam taas
Now I plunge into
Into the velvet of the vast unknown
Return home

The bit of floor upon which she stands begins to rise and slant forward over the edge of the stage, pouring a curtain of mist all the while, so it seems like she is rising on an arching waterfall of cloud that glints and flares with lightning and electric fire. The ambient lighting and screens fade into darkness, with just starry lights in the far back behind, the glowing mist all around, and a single spotlight on Vanamo as she rises once more into the heavens, an arm outstretched to finally reunite with the one she had left behind so long ago. A dreamy expression encompasses her face as she peers out into the far beyond, at something that could not be quantified within the mere confines of the space in which she stood

Ihmettelen, yos itkisin,
Elunginen, anyoonin üli
Kuulisitko küüneleeni,
Putoavan táhtipölüyá?

Kuin sunkumsi, houkuttaa'aina
Niin saivalam, palaavat kotiin

The glow suffusing the mist fades out, first from the stage, then slowly from the base of the extended platform upwards to the top. As that portion fades into darkness, so too does the light on Vanamo, who closes her eyes in a peaceful rapture, now with both arms outstretched as if to welcome an impending embrace. Of course, we do not simply see the embrace, for all we mortals can view is the ultimate embrace of darkness that envelops the final tableau, the final shape that comprises many a destiny in this existence we share

"Thank you, kiitos, arigato all," she murmured into the microphone, before conducting a bow. Being the closing act of the night, the air was thick with heat and humidity, not to mention the weight of expectation, and Vanamo was eager to flee to the cool drafts she could find in certain areas backstage. The show's Haruhatan producers had been so kind to grace her with such a place on the running order, and she desperately hoped that she had made the most of it. Perhaps she'd have a word with Tütti Rautio soon, the singer who'd been in a very similar position as Vanamo not so long ago, albeit with less of a impetus to find success. Still, a kind word goes a long way to settle fractious nerves, and Vanamo was in dire need of some settling and soothing tonight.

~ʚїɞ~

by **Haruhata** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:40 am

~ʚїɞ~

As the cheers die down for the night's final performance from Todlichebujoku, Vana Mo's "Home" proving to be popular amongst the Haruhati crowd, the cameras take wide panoramas of the stage as it resets to its usual generic "Everyone Is Connected" graphics. Just as the cheers die down however, Shogo Kusuhara and Emi Umiyaki make their way down to the front of the stage, curtains of golden spotlights announcing their arrival as the arena is washed in gold and emerald green. The camera zooms back into them, who smile congenially at the expanse of crowd that lay before them.

Shogo Kusuhara
"すごいねーありがとうございます, Vana Mo for her amazing performance of her song - 'Home'!"

Upon the mention of the song, the crowd burst into cheers once more, though Shogo gestures for them to calm down quickly enough, as if toying with the audience.

Emi Umiyaki
"Todlichebujoku's performance means that all 8 nations have performed their entries. Now, it's the part we have all been waiting for-"

Shogo Kusuhara
"The votes!"

As Shogo raises his arms excitedly, gesturing for the crowd to cheer, shockwaves of chants and clapping ripples throughout the arena at the mere suggestion of votes. Seeing his gesture worked, he laughs to himself proudly, Emi patting him on the back gently for his gusto, like a mother entertaining a rambunctious child.

Emi Umiyaki
"Now, viewers from the 8 competing nations may vote for their favourite act via landline, mobile phone, text or through the official World Hit Festival app. The numbers necessary for voting through telephone will appear below, whilst voting through the app only requires a download. Voters under-18 must obtain permission from the bill payer before voting. Please do not vote for your own country as your vote will not count and you may still be charged."

The crowd give her a mild applause for marathoning a whole speech in English, despite the crowd having little clue of what she just said. By her blank expression and eyes glued to her cue card, one might suggest she does not know either. Either way, she elegantly sighs a breath of relief and her placid smile returns instantly, a glint in her eye as she turns to Shogo to read the Japanese version, his voice far more harsh than hers.

Shogo Kusuhara
"今、好きな歌をワールドヒトフェスティヴァルの８国から視聴者は投票します事によって有線電話とかセルフォンとかテキストとか正式なアプリのワールドヒトフェスティヴァル。あなた方はフォンナンバーが下見えます。１８歳未満の方はビルパイヤーの許可尋ねますください。あなた方の国を投票しない何故ならばあなた方の投票が妥当居ませんそしてあなた方は尚払いますかも。"

Emi Umiyaki
"Thank you Shogo. Finally, now's the time... are you ready!"

Shogo Kusuhara
"I'm ready."

Emi Umiyaki
"みんなさんは準備はできたか？"

The crowd roar as Emi looks pleased with herself, able to rouse the audience just as much as her far more outgoing co-host. Then, a countdown of bedazzled numbers plasters every screen on the stage, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

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

Emi Umiyaki & Shogo Kusuhara
"VOTING IS NOW OPEN!
今投票は始まります！！"

The stage is engulfed by a flash of brilliant gold, green and blue lights, finally celebrating the opening of the votes, the crowd cheering loudly.

VOTING IS NOW OPEN!

~ʚїɞ~

VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

You have until Tuesday, September 26th at12:00 AM BST. 頑張って!

TO VOTE: Please send a TG to Haruhata or Discord DM to Llalta with a full ranking of all participating entries (excluding yourself, of course). You will also send an image of a spokesperson with a short bit of dialogue for the five points. You can use the following as a template:

Code: Select all: [b]Nation:[/b] [b]Picture of Spokesperson:[/b] (please make it as big as possible, preferably portrait) [b]Name IC of Spokesperson:[/b] [b]RP:[/b] [b]Ranking:[/b] 1- (FAVOURITE 5 POINTS) 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- (LEAST FAVORITE)

The 71st World Hit Festival || Seiga, Haruhata [IC]

The 71st World Hit Festival || Seiga, Haruhata [IC]

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