It was something of a dreary, arduous week for me, work- and life-wise. All was fine, at the end of the day, but by Thursday I felt taxed and spent as if by a Republican Congress and still had a long Friday of meetings and machinations to endure.
So while contemplating my existence, scarfing down wine gums (the dinner of champions), and channel-surfing, it was a pleasant surprise indeed to stumble upon the 2nd semi-finals of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, on tape delay from Tel Aviv, airing on Omni, a Canadian TV channel devoted to multiculturalism as experienced in the Greater Toronto Area.
I settled in for the program and then made a note of the finals on Saturday night, which I ended up catching early and live on RTVE from Madrid (the pleasure and financial peril of a la carte cable offerings).
Alas, none of my favorites won this year, although I did get a couple of placings in the Top 10. I wasn't disappointed with the winner--the Netherlands! for the first time since I was 13! But never mind that--I'm now going to torment you with my favorites, much as I've been doing to myself and my Facebook friends all week.
Author's note: Updated Sunday, May 19, with commentary. Lucky you!
***
Malta!
Is this reggaeton? Is this trap EDM? Is this both or neither? I don't know, but it's obviously represents a musical trend (see "Replay" below and perhaps even "She Got Me").
No matter the genre, what I like is that it's just a very straightforward pop song--immediately hummable and singable, at least by me. I like the singer, too, 18-year old Michela Pace, who won a singing competition in Malta (Malta's Got Talent, Maltese Idol, ✠ Factor, I don't recall) et voilà, now she's on stage at the ESC.
I think she has a lovely pop voice with the most adorable little rasp or squeak--it will be interesting to see what else she can sing with it over time. I like, too, that she looks like a normal 18-year old woman: beautiful and real, not like she spent her wonder years on a Disney backlot in Orlando being groomed for show biz!
Despite the very contemporary sound and high production values, Michela and her visual representation hark back to what I imagine early Eurovision resembled, particularly from the 1960s: A fresh-faced young singer with a catchy tune, perhaps a bit of an ingenue or ever-so-slightly rough around the edges. Even the eye-popping, colorful, video and stage show, feels like a modern take on Flower Power and Rave culture.
Never mind that Michela wasn't even alive in those eras. She's got a good team that knows how to maximize her vocal and visual appeal.
Switzerland!
*Sigh* Isn't Luca Hänni just dreamy?
Seriously, he has looks and talent, a real flair for dance and acting (I love the whole "pumping heart" move near the end of the video), along with a powerful voice and an instantly addictive song.
So, yeah, he looks a bit young and innocent to be hanging out with these hoochies in the video, but he's old enough to know what he's doing, I'm sure. Apparently, prior to starting his pop career, he was a bricklayer, and I will just keep the smutty comments to myself, OK?
I've heard him compared to Justin Timberlake. I can see a slight resemblance in looks and style, but to me he feels less imitative than JT. No diss to Justin, I think he does well, and I don't fully agree with the whole "cultural appropriation" call-out of Timberlake in recent times. Yes, he can very WBS (white boy soul) but so were the Beatles and the Stones back in the day, Anglo interpreters of African-American music. It's a valid genre, although you may prefer the original to the translation.
I think Luca sits comfortably in the WBS pantheon, but he's so energetic, so spirited, that he transcends the classification, not unlike JT himself and certainly much more than JB (Justin Bieber) does.
Also, is it not amazing how Europeans, Africans, Asians, and others can not only speak in multiple languages but sing in them, too? Diction is hard, folks, even for native speakers. Imagine being from a country with four official languages and then learning English well enough to communicate and sing it in.
As a child growing up in North Carolina listening to shortwave radio and listening to ABBA records (a lifelong love inspired by the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest), all I ever dreamed of being was European and multilingual. And yet somehow I ended up semi-Canadian, bilingual (English and Spanish, not English and French), capable of quoting The Andy Griffith Show and A Tuna Christmas, and incapable of carrying a tune beyond the confines of my condo.
Life is strange, Luca is so far away, and a brick shy of alay load.
Cyprus!
I call this song "The Revenge of 'Fuego'," "Fuego" being Cyprus's entry to Eurovision in 2018, a song that came in 1st runner-up in the competition, thanks to the Vegas-or-bust performance by Greek/Albanian/TBD* star, Eleni Foureira. I think the winner, Netta's "Toy" was a standout and deserved the accolades it received, and the fact that "Fuego" came in second--a song literally and figuratively about being hot, which stands in stark contrast to Netta's ode to women's empowerment (and chicken clucking!)--is understandable. But, really, if you could have had two winners, Eleni would be right up there with Netta, at least in my humble pop-loving heart.
First, let me say that while I love "Replay," I get that it is in similar vein to "Fuego," a bit shamelessly in fact. Written by the same composer as "Fuego," it mines the same genre of, let's call it, Levantine reggaeton, that "Fuego" does, that "Chameleon" does, and to some degree, that "She Got Me" does. I think in some musical ways "Replay" improves upon "Fuego," but "Fuego" does feel more memorable in other respects. Maybe it's the lesbian leit motif in the video (by the way, how far apart are Cyprus and Lesbos?), not to mention the torching of a Mercedes or Rolls Royce that takes place near the end. No doubt a metaphor for British and German culture and power going up in flames with the rabble-rousing rise of the Mediterranean South. (Not really, but I'll be sure to use that idea in an overwrought research paper some day.)
Second, who ever thought that skullcaps and fetish wear were sexy? OK, fetish wear can be a little sexy, sure--in the parade of nations, Tamta appeared in a fuchsia mini, thigh-high PVC boots, and a crimped blonde bob, looking every bit the power pop diva (vintage Madonna but actually sexy)--but that diamond-studded belt as brassiere that she wears in the video just looks painful. And I am of the opinion that skullcaps should not be seen outside of a hospital operating room or a monastery, especially if they are fuchsia.
Having said all that, Tamta, a Greek national of Georgian heritage, has incredible stage presence. It comes across in the video, but it really comes across in her live performance. I think she does a good pop vocal turn as well, as evidenced here and in other songs of her I've listened to on Spotify.
Pop burns brightly, then quickly fades. Pop is short for "popular" but might also refer to the sound a song makes (pop!) when a hit explodes on the charts. Like fireworks, the flash is brilliant but quickly dissipates and all that's left is a residue of smoke and soot. So all this is to say we're not doing rocket surgery here (despite the appearance of a skullcap that looks like a brain worn on the outside of Tamta's head). But, dang it, I like my musical candy, and this is a darn fine example of the flash-in-the pan possibilities (and limits) of the genre.
* Check out this Wikipedia article (and take it with a grain of salt) to find out more about Eleni's heritage, real and imagined. Is she Greek? Is she Albanian? Is she part Brazilian? Is she part Italian? Who knows? But it's a little sad that Albanians are viewed so dismally in Greece that you have to hide who you are. Surely Eleni's va-va-va-voom-ness and talent should be enough to welcome her into your radios, TVs, and playlists.
Albania!
Yes, actually Albania. There is a bit too much fire and water for my taste in this video and it's questionable to take tips from your stylist who surely must have worked on the Game of Thrones set at some point, but this is Eurovision at its artiest--a popular song sung entirely in Albanian by a powerful voice that channels the Balkan/Bulgarian women's choirs that made the rounds of the hip-igentsia music scene a couple of decades ago.
I don't have much to say about this one, believe it or not, other than I love it. I might get up and dance to Michela, Luca, or Tamta, but I would sit down and listen to Jonida Maliqi anytime.
Slovenia!
This is my other arthouse favorite from this year's Eurovision--a very lowkey but rather stately pop song from are-they-a-couple-or-aren't-they performers Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl from Slovenia.
(Yes, my international character keyboard is getting a workout today.)
The song and the performers do an amazing job of presenting a mood, an aura--the fact that it's sung in Slovenian seems beside the point. This to me is one of the best parts of Eurovision--that music can be sung in languages other than English and still be appreciated.
At least up to a point--countries can now submit songs sung in their language of choice, including English. It's an English-speaking world, the lingua franca of today, and thus many countries choose to put forward songs in a language not generally spoken in their countries. So I admire that Slovenia stuck close to its roots and presented a beautiful, haunting song that evokes a mood and perhaps a culture, too.
And just imagine! They made Slovenia famous and didn't have to strip naked, simulate lesbianism, or marry a swollen orange toad in the process!
Yes, Melania, I am looking at you ....
Lithuania!
Less arthouse and more just dreamy-eyed pop from the Baltic republic of Lithuania. Good golly, this guy is beautiful and has the voice to match. Again, a rather non-traditional choice, perhaps too lowkey in this pop pyrotechnic day and age--Jurij Veklenko didn't make it past the semi-finals, unfortunately.
But what a lovely, passionate tune.
Side note: Jurij has appeared at Eurovision before, as backup singer and stage performer in Lithuania's effervescent hootenanny entry from 2015. This is an adorable little number with two compelling performers--sort of a Baltic Barbie and Ken but with heart, joy, and moving parts. You can see Jurij in the background, but what makes his performance extra special happens at about 1:35.
"One kiss!" Indeed, Jurij, that's all I'm asking for, one damn kiss.
* * *
Oh, I have more, at least three additional songs and performers that I would like to highlight. But it's a sunny, warm day in Toronto, one of the few, the proud this spring, and I have stuff to do, places to be, and stalking of Lithuanian and Swiss pop stars to do. So we'll hopefully pick up Part 2 later this week.
Dare to dream, bitches!
So while contemplating my existence, scarfing down wine gums (the dinner of champions), and channel-surfing, it was a pleasant surprise indeed to stumble upon the 2nd semi-finals of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, on tape delay from Tel Aviv, airing on Omni, a Canadian TV channel devoted to multiculturalism as experienced in the Greater Toronto Area.
I settled in for the program and then made a note of the finals on Saturday night, which I ended up catching early and live on RTVE from Madrid (the pleasure and financial peril of a la carte cable offerings).
Alas, none of my favorites won this year, although I did get a couple of placings in the Top 10. I wasn't disappointed with the winner--the Netherlands! for the first time since I was 13! But never mind that--I'm now going to torment you with my favorites, much as I've been doing to myself and my Facebook friends all week.
Author's note: Updated Sunday, May 19, with commentary. Lucky you!
***
Malta!
Is this reggaeton? Is this trap EDM? Is this both or neither? I don't know, but it's obviously represents a musical trend (see "Replay" below and perhaps even "She Got Me").
No matter the genre, what I like is that it's just a very straightforward pop song--immediately hummable and singable, at least by me. I like the singer, too, 18-year old Michela Pace, who won a singing competition in Malta (Malta's Got Talent, Maltese Idol, ✠ Factor, I don't recall) et voilà, now she's on stage at the ESC.
I think she has a lovely pop voice with the most adorable little rasp or squeak--it will be interesting to see what else she can sing with it over time. I like, too, that she looks like a normal 18-year old woman: beautiful and real, not like she spent her wonder years on a Disney backlot in Orlando being groomed for show biz!
Despite the very contemporary sound and high production values, Michela and her visual representation hark back to what I imagine early Eurovision resembled, particularly from the 1960s: A fresh-faced young singer with a catchy tune, perhaps a bit of an ingenue or ever-so-slightly rough around the edges. Even the eye-popping, colorful, video and stage show, feels like a modern take on Flower Power and Rave culture.
Never mind that Michela wasn't even alive in those eras. She's got a good team that knows how to maximize her vocal and visual appeal.
Switzerland!
*Sigh* Isn't Luca Hänni just dreamy?
Seriously, he has looks and talent, a real flair for dance and acting (I love the whole "pumping heart" move near the end of the video), along with a powerful voice and an instantly addictive song.
So, yeah, he looks a bit young and innocent to be hanging out with these hoochies in the video, but he's old enough to know what he's doing, I'm sure. Apparently, prior to starting his pop career, he was a bricklayer, and I will just keep the smutty comments to myself, OK?
I've heard him compared to Justin Timberlake. I can see a slight resemblance in looks and style, but to me he feels less imitative than JT. No diss to Justin, I think he does well, and I don't fully agree with the whole "cultural appropriation" call-out of Timberlake in recent times. Yes, he can very WBS (white boy soul) but so were the Beatles and the Stones back in the day, Anglo interpreters of African-American music. It's a valid genre, although you may prefer the original to the translation.
I think Luca sits comfortably in the WBS pantheon, but he's so energetic, so spirited, that he transcends the classification, not unlike JT himself and certainly much more than JB (Justin Bieber) does.
Also, is it not amazing how Europeans, Africans, Asians, and others can not only speak in multiple languages but sing in them, too? Diction is hard, folks, even for native speakers. Imagine being from a country with four official languages and then learning English well enough to communicate and sing it in.
As a child growing up in North Carolina listening to shortwave radio and listening to ABBA records (a lifelong love inspired by the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest), all I ever dreamed of being was European and multilingual. And yet somehow I ended up semi-Canadian, bilingual (English and Spanish, not English and French), capable of quoting The Andy Griffith Show and A Tuna Christmas, and incapable of carrying a tune beyond the confines of my condo.
Life is strange, Luca is so far away, and a brick shy of a
Cyprus!
I call this song "The Revenge of 'Fuego'," "Fuego" being Cyprus's entry to Eurovision in 2018, a song that came in 1st runner-up in the competition, thanks to the Vegas-or-bust performance by Greek/Albanian/TBD* star, Eleni Foureira. I think the winner, Netta's "Toy" was a standout and deserved the accolades it received, and the fact that "Fuego" came in second--a song literally and figuratively about being hot, which stands in stark contrast to Netta's ode to women's empowerment (and chicken clucking!)--is understandable. But, really, if you could have had two winners, Eleni would be right up there with Netta, at least in my humble pop-loving heart.
First, let me say that while I love "Replay," I get that it is in similar vein to "Fuego," a bit shamelessly in fact. Written by the same composer as "Fuego," it mines the same genre of, let's call it, Levantine reggaeton, that "Fuego" does, that "Chameleon" does, and to some degree, that "She Got Me" does. I think in some musical ways "Replay" improves upon "Fuego," but "Fuego" does feel more memorable in other respects. Maybe it's the lesbian leit motif in the video (by the way, how far apart are Cyprus and Lesbos?), not to mention the torching of a Mercedes or Rolls Royce that takes place near the end. No doubt a metaphor for British and German culture and power going up in flames with the rabble-rousing rise of the Mediterranean South. (Not really, but I'll be sure to use that idea in an overwrought research paper some day.)
Second, who ever thought that skullcaps and fetish wear were sexy? OK, fetish wear can be a little sexy, sure--in the parade of nations, Tamta appeared in a fuchsia mini, thigh-high PVC boots, and a crimped blonde bob, looking every bit the power pop diva (vintage Madonna but actually sexy)--but that diamond-studded belt as brassiere that she wears in the video just looks painful. And I am of the opinion that skullcaps should not be seen outside of a hospital operating room or a monastery, especially if they are fuchsia.
Having said all that, Tamta, a Greek national of Georgian heritage, has incredible stage presence. It comes across in the video, but it really comes across in her live performance. I think she does a good pop vocal turn as well, as evidenced here and in other songs of her I've listened to on Spotify.
Pop burns brightly, then quickly fades. Pop is short for "popular" but might also refer to the sound a song makes (pop!) when a hit explodes on the charts. Like fireworks, the flash is brilliant but quickly dissipates and all that's left is a residue of smoke and soot. So all this is to say we're not doing rocket surgery here (despite the appearance of a skullcap that looks like a brain worn on the outside of Tamta's head). But, dang it, I like my musical candy, and this is a darn fine example of the flash-in-the pan possibilities (and limits) of the genre.
* Check out this Wikipedia article (and take it with a grain of salt) to find out more about Eleni's heritage, real and imagined. Is she Greek? Is she Albanian? Is she part Brazilian? Is she part Italian? Who knows? But it's a little sad that Albanians are viewed so dismally in Greece that you have to hide who you are. Surely Eleni's va-va-va-voom-ness and talent should be enough to welcome her into your radios, TVs, and playlists.
Albania!
Yes, actually Albania. There is a bit too much fire and water for my taste in this video and it's questionable to take tips from your stylist who surely must have worked on the Game of Thrones set at some point, but this is Eurovision at its artiest--a popular song sung entirely in Albanian by a powerful voice that channels the Balkan/Bulgarian women's choirs that made the rounds of the hip-igentsia music scene a couple of decades ago.
I don't have much to say about this one, believe it or not, other than I love it. I might get up and dance to Michela, Luca, or Tamta, but I would sit down and listen to Jonida Maliqi anytime.
Slovenia!
This is my other arthouse favorite from this year's Eurovision--a very lowkey but rather stately pop song from are-they-a-couple-or-aren't-they performers Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl from Slovenia.
(Yes, my international character keyboard is getting a workout today.)
The song and the performers do an amazing job of presenting a mood, an aura--the fact that it's sung in Slovenian seems beside the point. This to me is one of the best parts of Eurovision--that music can be sung in languages other than English and still be appreciated.
At least up to a point--countries can now submit songs sung in their language of choice, including English. It's an English-speaking world, the lingua franca of today, and thus many countries choose to put forward songs in a language not generally spoken in their countries. So I admire that Slovenia stuck close to its roots and presented a beautiful, haunting song that evokes a mood and perhaps a culture, too.
And just imagine! They made Slovenia famous and didn't have to strip naked, simulate lesbianism, or marry a swollen orange toad in the process!
Yes, Melania, I am looking at you ....
Lithuania!
Less arthouse and more just dreamy-eyed pop from the Baltic republic of Lithuania. Good golly, this guy is beautiful and has the voice to match. Again, a rather non-traditional choice, perhaps too lowkey in this pop pyrotechnic day and age--Jurij Veklenko didn't make it past the semi-finals, unfortunately.
But what a lovely, passionate tune.
Side note: Jurij has appeared at Eurovision before, as backup singer and stage performer in Lithuania's effervescent hootenanny entry from 2015. This is an adorable little number with two compelling performers--sort of a Baltic Barbie and Ken but with heart, joy, and moving parts. You can see Jurij in the background, but what makes his performance extra special happens at about 1:35.
"One kiss!" Indeed, Jurij, that's all I'm asking for, one damn kiss.
* * *
Oh, I have more, at least three additional songs and performers that I would like to highlight. But it's a sunny, warm day in Toronto, one of the few, the proud this spring, and I have stuff to do, places to be, and stalking of Lithuanian and Swiss pop stars to do. So we'll hopefully pick up Part 2 later this week.
Dare to dream, bitches!
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