#40 days of eurovision

[follovver]

time for the most dramatic emo boy to ever compete

#srsly who wears black for 40 days to mourn music #eurovision 2023

[jokeroutsubs]

ENG translation: "We are advocates of the fact that it is possible to create in our language"

An interview with Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin in Slovenian magazine Reporter Magazin, originally published December 2023

Original article written by Katarina Keček for Reporter Magazin; photos by Primož Lavre and Urša Premik; English translation by @kurooscoffee and another Joker Out Subs member, proofread by IG GBoleyn123.

Also available in audio version on Spotify, read by IG GBoleyn123:

If you repost quotes from the interview, please link back to this post!

After a fantastic recent concert season with the currently most popular Slovenian music group Joker Out, who have already broken all boundaries at home, the boys are now ready to conquer the world's music stages. European first, said the band's two members, guitarist Kris Guštin and singer Bojan Cvjetićanin, modestly, when we met in their rehearsal room, "Then we'll think ahead." A few days after our conversation, Joker Out embarked on a new tour, which will include 13 European countries, including France, Belgium and Italy. Among others, they will be playing at some of the world's most iconic venues, such as the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London and the Academy 2 in Manchester. A musical success that has no comparison here.

I'm sure you have given hundreds of interviews over the years? How do you cope with them?

Kris: If the questions are good, the interview is also good.

Bojan: During Eurovision we had about 40 interviews a day. Let's say two of them were a little different in terms of questions.

What kind of questions don't you like?

Both: Where did our name come from? When was the band formed? The kind of thing that everybody can find on Google.

Eurovision was a big breakthrough for you abroad, but you also said that you would not do a competition like that again.

Kris: We didn't say that.

Bojan: We have another one in January. We're playing at a festival in the Netherlands, it's a kind of show where you present yourself. It's a competition in a sense, but it's not very specific like Eurovision.

But these music competitions can't be real competitions. They are about the taste of the listener, just as art is about the taste of the observer. How are you going to evaluate a quality, a song?

Bojan: Eurovision is a really interesting experience and has a very specific concept. It's a three-minute spectacle contest, there are tangible standards, but on the other hand there are not. This spectacle may be different from what any of us would think of as "spectacle", let's say a lot of fire, explosions, and fireworks, but if the story is properly told in the flood of all these fires and explosions, just one deep silence can make the performance spectacular. For us, the competition was more about whether or not we would make that breakthrough. A contest against ourselves.

When you were at Eurovision, did you have in mind the country you were representing, or did you, first and foremost, see yourself in this contest? As an opportunity for the group to present itself?

Bojan: It was absolutely important for us to sing in Slovenian at this festival because we are advocates and representatives of the fact that it is possible to create in our language and that it is right to create in our language. It's right to speak it and it's right for the language to develop. The younger generations of Slovenians are also gaining an appreciation for the Slovenian language and an understanding of what it can be used for. The aim was to show ourselves. In the end, it is true that a country wins, let's say Sweden won, or Finland won, but the most important thing for us was that when someone says, "Do you remember Slovenia in 2023?" that it will be a positive image and a positive memory. We managed to do that, which is a big enough victory as far as we are concerned. At the same time, we did everything we could to represent ourselves and Slovenia in the best possible way.

Despite all this, we welcomed you home with great joy, we did not blame you for your result in the competition, because we saw that you gave your all.

Bojan: I was honestly happy to see the positive reaction, even though objectively speaking we had a pretty poor placement.

Kris: After a long time, us Eurovision performers also had the same kind of support of the nation at home that our athletes have.

It's interesting that you hold on to the Slovenian language so lovingly and don't give in to the prejudices that claim that Slovenian is not a poetic and melodic language. You write songs in various languages, but mostly in Slovenian.

Bojan: For me, it is most natural to write songs in Slovenian. My thought process, during my subconscious existence, is in the Slovenian language.

Your parents are not of Slovenian nationality, they both came from Bosnia during the war in 1991, with the last Unprofor convoy. Kris's mother is also Dutch, and you both love the Slovenian language.

Kris: My mother moved to Slovenia before Slovenia joined the EU and, as she explained to me, it was very difficult for her at that time too. All the bureaucratic stuff dragged on, just like it would for someone who came from Bosnia.

Bojan: I never had any problems with my parents being from Bosnia. I was at a school where there were quite a lot of children who had parents from the former Yugoslavia and we had no problems with that. I coped with the Slovenian language quite well from a very young age. However, this does not change the fact that the living conditions of many children at our school were of a lower standard. I don't know what was going on in their homes, because I know that for many it was not so rosy at home, but we children did not feel any revolt or hatred from our classmates at that time.

Your parents are both doctors, and they have made a new home in Slovenia. Do you still go to Bosnia?

Bojan: Yes, more and more often. I feel very Slovenian, I think and speak in this language, but on the other hand I am immensely proud of my roots and I also feel Bosnian, Serbian, at my core, and it seems to me that the fans from the former Yugoslav countries have now taken us very much as their own because of that.

You had very successful concerts in Zagreb and Belgrade. Interestingly, the visitors knew all your songs by heart, and what's more, they sang them with you in Slovenian. We haven't been used to that since the days of Lačni Franz* and Videoseks.*

*(The only two groups prior to Joker Out who succeeded in ex-Yugoslavia region enough to have the audience sing their songs in Slovenian)

Kris: Isn't it interesting that we find it bizarre that Serbs are singing in Slovenian, because before it was always the other way around?

Bojan: I also never understood before that Croatians or Serbs didn't understand us. As in, is the difference in languages really so big that you don't understand us? We can understand you. The fact is that Slovenians have been in contact with the Serbo-Croatian language in one way or another since we were very young, we all go to the seaside in Croatia, and we also listen to music from those parts en masse.

But the young people of your generation speak to the locals on the Croatian coast in English because they no longer understand their language.

Both: Yes, that's also true.

How come these Balkan languages don't cause you any problems?

Bojan: It's my mother tongue anyway, so I don't have any problems.

Kris: It seems very stupid to me that Slavs should communicate in Germanic languages. Even with the Czechs at Eurovision we communicated in both languages and it worked. It seems to me very inauthentic to speak English, but on the other hand I understand, because young people in Slovenia today are surrounded by English, maybe even more than Slovenian, and it is much more natural to them than to struggle in their own language or in a language that is supposed to be related to their own. It would be interesting if "interslavic" was introduced in all countries with Slavic languages as a second or third language. This is a mixture of all the Slavic languages, which is supposedly understood by all the members of the Slavic peoples. A language that is similar in its own way to all of us.

Esperanto, invented in the late 1980s as a counterbalance to the overuse of English, was a similar project. I do not know how many people still use it today.

Kris: Introducing a new language is not the easiest cultural process.

You have a big tour coming up, actually the first tour of European capitals.

Kris: Yes, first we're going to Skopje, then Munich, The Hague, Amsterdam, Madrid and Barcelona. On the 11th of December we're going back to Slovenia for a week, when we're planning to record some more in the studio, and then we're going to do concerts until the end of the year in Slovenia, in Celje, Maribor, Novo mesto and Ljubljana.

These tours must be exhausting. Every day travelling, buses, different cities, masses of people wanting something from you.

Kris: We have six concerts coming up now.

Bojan: We've just played nine concerts in fourteen days, we were in Lithuania, Poland, Czechia and Croatia.

Do fans in other countries remember you only from Eurovision or do they know your other songs as well?

Bojan: The most fascinating thing is that they have learned all the songs from the past too. We actually managed to break that barrier with just one song, but people learned two hours of material in another language. I don't know how many hours they had to devote to it, but they did.

Are you surprised by such enthusiasm? None of you could have planned this.

Kris: We went to Eurovision with this intention, so we can't say that we were completely surprised by the success. The ultimate goal all along was to make a breakthrough abroad. But we were absolutely surprised by the scope of the response. It could have been that Carpe Diem would have been very successful abroad, but the other songs would not have caught on. But we get to the concert and there is no feeling of waiting for this greatest hit, from the first minute people are "in it" and singing.

Bojan: If we sometimes dropped a song from our repertoire that we didn't want to play in Slovenia anymore, one of them being "Proti toku" because it was totally getting on our nerves, there were revolts on the internet and people were carrying banners at concerts saying "Play Proti toku!"

Kris: When we released New Wave with Elvis Costello, we thought that foreigners would prefer to listen to the song in English, but somehow everyone demanded it in Slovenian.

Bojan: They learned the Slovenian version and that's what they want.

I could say that you are kind of the pioneers of a new wave of Slovenian music, one for which Slovenia is obviously too small. None of the previous Slovenian Eurovision representatives have impressed Europe so much.

Bojan: I really don't remember us having any artist like that before. When Sestre went to Eurovision, they rode the wave at the time too, they were doing a lot of international shows too. I mean, it was a different concept, it was a project, but it still worked. Mostly because they actually had a vision, a plan and also a background behind them, there has to be some kind of support mechanism in the process. We didn't have performers in the sense of, okay, you showed up at Eurovision, now do a one-hour concert for me. Most of the performers couldn't do that because they didn't even have enough songs.

Kris: It's not only a problem in Slovenia, you find it everywhere, even among foreign artists. The Norwegian representative was fifth in Eurovision this year, she's very popular, but she only had one song on the market after the contest was over. Now she is going to release an album, but she hasn't had enough material so far.

Have you been preparing on your own to go abroad or do you maybe have some very professional agencies behind you to promote you and push you forward?

Bojan: With the people who are with us, we are our own management. We've never had someone above us who was our boss. We have always been our own bosses. We have our own people around us, but we have reached a level of performing in Slovenia that requires you to have a big team around you. We have about 30 people accompanying us on a regular basis, including the driver. When this success story happened, this breakthrough abroad, we were able to channel our system in a new direction, to at least somehow "patch up" the line up abroad for this year.

Do you cultivate a system of democracy in the band? How do you agree on certain things? By raising your hands?

Bojan: There hasn't been a need for that so far.

Kris: Usually the majority wins, within reasonable limits, of course.

Where do you find yourself more, live performances, making music, travelling, mingling with fans?

Kris: It really depends on the time period. It has to alternate. Solely playing infinite concerts is really fun for a while, but then it becomes tiring. The number of concerts we have played now is just about on the borderline for us to go back to the studio again for some time. On the other hand, spending infinite time in the studio isn't good either. During Covid, we were locked in for two years and we were just making music the entire time, and somewhere in there we kind of lost motivation. In the studio you also realise why you love the stage.

Are you tired after concerts, after a few hours of jumping around the stage?

Kris: The concert itself tires you out much less than the travelling. If you're lucky enough to be able to afford a private bus that takes you from concert to concert, then it's a lot easier. You get into it after the concert, fall asleep, and wake up in another city. The tour that is ahead of us, however, is made up entirely of flying, and that is the worst. Hotels, rushing, packing, taxis, airports, the atmosphere in airports is really unpleasant, no one is happy there, the hours drag on... that is the harder part. The concert itself doesn't tire me out that much. Most of all, we could play two concerts in a row if the atmosphere is right.

All that requires psychological and physical fitness as well. Do you practice any sports?

Kris: I used to be a more sporty person, I regularly played tennis, but ever since Eurovision, I can't find the right time to go back to something regular. I also used to play football recreationally every week, that's gone too. When on tour, I can only afford to run or to go to the hotel gym. But I haven't gotten to the point where I could make peace with that yet.

Bojan: I currently don't exercise at all. I used to train judo for a long time, but now, unfortunately, I haven't yet forced myself to go to the gym or go running when I have a free day. I'd like to start doing that, but I'm the type of person who needs a companion to pull me along and motivate me every day. I'm most drawn to football, martial arts, or extreme sports, but now I don't dare to do anything anymore because of injuries. Lately I've been going horse riding when I'm home. I find that horses calm me down.

Do you follow politics, are you interested in what's going on in Slovenian society?

Kris: Even a year ago, I was a lot more interested than I am now. Not just because we had a different government, but because I had time to think about it. I studied international relations for a while, I'm currently doing my master's. Otherwise I'm a chemical engineering graduate who switched to another university. I used to follow Slovenian politics a lot, but now I don't know if I feel like a fully qualified citizen of Slovenia anymore, since we've spent more than half a year outside of it. When I walk through our city now, I see it with different eyes. I see it almost as if it was any other city in the world, I pay attention to things like architecture or the atmosphere people create. Before, I used to walk through Ljubljana, it was my city, but I didn't pay attention to what was around me. Now I feel like half a stranger, which is weird in a way.

Bojan: For me, Ljubljana has now become a kind of base, a safe haven. I also see it differently than before. I agree with Kris that there are plenty of things that I didn't notice at all and I only see them now. I always perceived Ljubljana in a kind of romantic way, pretty much only the centre, even though I didn't live there from a young age. Only now that we've travelled around countries like Poland, Lithuania, or Finland, I see a lot of architectural similarities, but it has started to bother me that Ljubljana is so diverse in this aspect.

Is this diversity not a good thing?

Bojan: I don't know. Ljubljana smells nice to me, when I was walking around yesterday, I felt like Ljubljana was the last stage of a place. It's hard to say that this is a city, let alone a capital city of a country. Last night I was walking around the capital city of Slovenia at half past nine, and it was literally like I was in a "zombie land". There was no one anywhere. Incredibly weird, but on the other hand, nice.

Kris: That's pretty weird.

Bojan: Everything is getting more rigid, people are locking themselves up in their homes more and more.

Where can young people of your age go out in Ljubljana?

Kris: I'm facing this problem too.

Bojan: I think that in Ljubljana, we have quite a lot of choice when it comes to the number of places meant for parties. When they are open is another problem. We have a number of high quality clubs: K4, Cirkus, Orto, Shooter... for such a small place, we have a lot of clubs. The problem for me is that Ljubljana is a completely dead city in the summer. You can't go anywhere in the summer because everything closes down except Metelkova. For a tourist who's 20 or 25 years old and comes to Ljubljana in the summer, when it's wonderful, it's the most beautiful in the summer, it's a city where they have nothing to do.

Kris: There are plenty of places to hang out, but none of them appeal to me. I used to like going to K4, not anymore now, the last club I visited was Gala hala. It was awesome there.

When you come home nowadays, do you want to go to parties, go around the town?

Bojan: No, not at all. We're not really enthused about going out. When we come back home, we find other ways to relax. When I'm home, it suits me to be able to rest. Otherwise, what I like best is going to a concert.

Kris: That's what I like best too.

The band members constantly stick together, you even go on holidays together?

Kris: We already went together, it was awesome, we function great. The only concern is that we're constantly together. It's not good to be together all the time, each of us has his own life and things to do.

But, Bojan, you even went on holiday with your parents this year? How come?

Bojan: Yes, after eight years, we went on holiday together again. I was supposed to go to Thailand with the band, after the concert in Stožice. I got tonsillitis on the day of departure, so I avoided the long journey. When I felt a little better, I went to my grandma in Banja Luka, and after that, I went on holiday with my parents for five days.

Do they look at you differently in Banja Luka than in Slovenia?

Bojan: They don't recognise me on the street there nearly as much as it happens in Slovenia, it has only happened to me a few times.

Kris: The level at which I get recognised on the street is still okay for me. Bojan is more exposed and definitely has a different perspective. Maybe the most annoying thing is that you are expected to constantly be smiling and ready to take photos. We really are like that most of the time, but there are days when you're not in the mood to socialise, but you still have a concert. Afterwards, a lot of listeners are waiting and would like to hang out with you. I'd like to tell them that I am very grateful that they're there, but that I really don't have a never-ending social battery to be able to talk to all of them.

Bojan: It is ungrateful to talk about recognisability as something negative, because it's simply a consequence of everything we have and it's an expected side product. If I'm in a public place, I know that everyone around me is listening to what I'm talking to someone about. It has become uncomfortable to talk about anything personal with anyone, because you always feel like someone is eavesdropping.

What's your favourite thing to do when you finish a gig?

Kris: The first thing I do is to take a shower. I hang out a little with the team, with the band members, sometimes we go out to take photos, but otherwise, as soon as possible I drink a glass of water and go directly to bed.

Bojan: I'm such a good boy. I always take at least one hour for taking photos with fans.

I haven't yet come across you getting caught drunk or high on various substances, which isn't rare in the music world, it's more like a rule.

Bojan: I view all these extreme excesses as filling a void. For 99 percent of these performers who are said to do this, the roots of those voids are very clear. They come from personal trauma, mostly from childhood. Thankfully all five of us in the band come from very stable and happy families, none of us lacked for anything, quite the opposite, we all had everything endlessly. We have maximum support from all the people around us. We don't feel the need to rebel against anything, because we actually have nothing to rebel against. All these bands that did a lot of drugs and alcohol actually mostly broke up very quickly.

Bojan, you appear to be very energetic on stage, you're spontaneous and charismatic, you have the public eating our of your hand. Do you unleash your alter ego on the stage? Is that a different Bojan?

Bojan: You'd have to ask the guys from the band who spend the most time with me. As far as I know from the stories from people who have known me since I was little, I have always been loud and very talkative. I always liked performing and I wouldn't say that I put on an act on stage. On stage, I let myself go to the max, I think that I really mould myself into what I think belongs on stage. It's not a different Bojan on the stage, he just does some things that belong on stage.

Kris: Bojan on stage is in a higher gear. It's the same for the whole band.

Bojan: People can feel other people. Everything that happened to us is also in large part a consequence of people actually feeling that we are the same people on stage as we are when we come off the stage. We're real here, there's no acting, we also don't think that we're any better than them. We're all friends, they're below the stage, we're on the stage, and we have fun together.

Kris: It's also true that I feel more free on stage. We're allowed more. I enjoy the fact that our concert is a sort of a valve, even though I hate that word.

Like every ordinary woman, I can't skip past your fantastic stage clothes. All my female friends want to wear them.

Bojan: I would also like to wear them in my private life, but I already have a closet full of clothes that have piled up throughout my life, and they aren't like the ones we wear at gigs. But I would like to walk out of my room every day dressed in a way that made me look like I'm in Miami in the 80s, or like a mix between a "drug dealer" and a "drug cop".

Kris: My sister has already looted my closet. I looted my dad's.

Bojan: I have looted the closets of my parents and my sister.

Kris, your dad is a famous musician. Did he help you at the start, what kind of advice does he give you?

Kris: My dad only helped me in the sense that I sometimes showed him what I had written or what we had recorded in the studio, and he gave his opinion. But that hasn't happened in a year now, ever since I moved out. Before that, he could hear me through the walls when I was playing.

Bojan: I've also become independent. Although now when we come back from a tour, I still like going back home the best.

What does independence look like?

Kris: I like it. I can't imagine going back home anymore, even though I love my family immensely. But us not living together anymore has only made our relationships better. I like having my own peace, but I also like coming back home for lunch.

BIOGRAPHY In 2017, five friends started a band called Joker Out. They had all been musically active before, but they achieved the first big success as a band as the winning group of Špil liga in Kino Šiška in Ljubljana. After this victory, the boys became sought-after on all Slovenian musical stages. They released two albums, Umazane misli in 2021 and Demoni a year later. In those two years, they also received two 'Zlata piščal' ('Golden Flute') awards, in 2020 for newcomers of the year, and again next year for artists of the year. This spring, RTV Slovenia sent Joker Out and their song Carpe Diem to Eurovision where, despite a lot of attention from fans, they ended in a modest 21st place. Despite that, European music enthusiasts have welcomed them as their own, their popularity is growing quickly. Joker Out are currently filling the biggest European concert stages, which no Slovenian musician has managed before.

If you repost quotes from the interview, please link back to this post!

#joker out #bojan cvjeticanin #bojan cvjetićanin #kris gustin #kris guštin #Spotify

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

what was the coolest/most important thing you did with the UN? :0

so my job last summer was basically to run around Geneva CH organizing and leading big groups of students learning about the UN system, how it works, what is diplomacy, what kind of organizations exist within it.

I spent about two months planning and one month literally bursting into different UN agencies, trying to get 40 college kids places on time, sweating to death in the heatwave. WHO staff are super nice and I owe them my life. WIPO took years off my life but they have a piece of the moon in their lobby which is cool. I have beef with a Permanent Mission because they went FORTY MINUTES over their speaking time despite having a moderator present.

that was all wild all the time. the #1 coolest thing I did related to the UN was volunteering at the 2022 Nansen Awards (UNHCR awards for aid to refugees). They ended up needing to fill seats and there wasn't a lot for me to do anyway, so I kind of just...attended them. Angela Merkel spoke. A Eurovision act performed. They served Sri Lankan curry after. it was fabulous and I got a certificate for it.

on a more serious note the coolest/most important thing I did was introduce a lot of university students to the concept that you don't have to major in politics or IR to be involved in the UN. the system is massive and we need people who do every sort of thing, from every country, of every race color gender ability sexuality etc etc.

also if you work in IT please please please apply to work for the UN there are so many jobs and so many web/application portals are so so broken please

- L

(It's Ask Day! Ask me anything about anything. Tag to block/follow is L Answers)

#L answers #i work for the un again now but im an intern #which is great but also means i wont get paid for the next six months which #OOF

[tmrwds]

Translation to 19.07. Eura gig stream under cut (10mins)

Banter starting from 01:40

You guy there, were you going skiiing? You have the glasses on your head, or did i see wrong? You're a good-looking crowd. (girl screaming JEREEE) what do you want? I'll give attention to you too. It's like a fucking kindergarten. Pikku Silja is there like (raises his arms) Are there underage ppl here? Hopefully not. You came with your dad's ID? Did it truly work?

You're wearing a Käärijä shirt, lovely. It's like kindergarteners, "look I have a new Gogo figurine" I don't even know what's a gogo-- Have you been eating sausage? The stall, full of sausage. How much is 3x3, sign it for me. How much is it? That doesn't make sense. I'm not going to become a teacher.

Hey, people on the back. Is there a reason you're over there and not on the front row? The man was like (nods) women. -- What do you have there? Your own [smuggled] drinks? No? Fuck, you drink a lot. Huh? For me? I don't drink. I'm an absolutist. Think about it, I've never touched that. Bess was performing today, right? Let's not tell her, but Bess was like "remember to drink water" no, just drink booze. At Käärijä's gig the rules are different, 2%/per mil at least when you're here. My show is so awful I don't want anyone to remember anything about it. Just kidding.

From 3:52 : I have this super fan here - am I allowed to tell? I will. You're not going to be offended? She has been on some 31 gigs this year. That's fucking sick, I don't understand why. But, she sent us an email, think about it, I have an email too, you don't- she sent that..what was it? That I shouldn't mock myself. Something like that. Think about it, how sympathetic. I'm mocking myself and she's like "don't do that! You're really a good, lovely person" I'm not! But I appreciate it, we talked this over with the band. Because of her, we've been going to therapy.

One thing that's fucking awesome about this place is that the internet isn't working. The guestion is, the TVs probably don't work either, so how the fuck did you watch Eurovision? How? Was there a shared TV? (points on the sky) "Oh, there's Käärijä". Do you guys even have phones?! Nokia 3510i, you look like you have that. Or do you? - You came from Tampere? You should've at least said you're from around here [Eura]. How many of you are from here? You know, one day- (dude shouts Urheilujätkä) Shut the fuck up. -when I have the money, I'll buy everyone who lives here a phone, I'll buy an internet here, some fucking tower right there. On the phone there will be apps, you can watch por-, Käärijä's instagram, it's an app too. -- Okay, let's continue, this thing doesn't make any sense.

Paidaton riehuja starts: How many will take off their shirt? -- (cute bit of the front row girls lol "It's coming off! For real? Yes, you're supposed to take it off! I didn't know that you have to take your shirt off!")

I'll do a little bit different speech because we have the superfan here. And sometimes I was like, I didn't compliment my own body. So do you know what I'll say now? Fuck, I'm in a good shape. Before the eurovision shit, I was like this (sucks belly in), but after eurovision when money started coming in… But the saddest thing is, I've drank all the money and I got nothing but the belly left. But at least I got some memory. Let's go.

After paidaton riehuja: Think about it, for the first time I saw boobs. I won't say if it was a man or woman's boobs, but I saw them anyway. And they were great!

#käärijä #videos #my translations

[verycrazycazy]

I have watched Eurovision for 40 years, never ever have I experienced this, whatever THIS is now 🤷🏻‍♀️🥴😂 what a year I’ve had since May, laughed every day thanks to you all on here, listen to Finnish music everyday, Duolingo 181 day streak, and now considering creating only fans account 😳 honestly I have never been happier 🤩

#thank you Käärijä and Häärijä for being you #💚💛 #KHäärijä #häärijä #käärijä #nothing since May has been on my 2023 bingo card #late night thoughts from me #i love this fandom

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023: #14 & #13

14. ESTONIA Alika - "Bridges" 8th place

Decade ranking: 40/116 [Above Circus Mircus, below TBA]

Tweak some bangs, Alika's Shart.

It is amazing how a few on-point tweaks can make a song significantly more appealing. I went up and down on Alika throughout the months, but a year after I've put her low on the pre-show ranking I am ready to lock in my final verdict: Bridges is kind of really good.

Ofc there were huge problems down the road cuz you know, vocal masturbation ballad in a BorisBubbles ranking, and also, clear jury carry the year after Marius Bear and Nadir Whatshisgjon, but Estonia ironed out their most glaring flaws, so what else can I ask for? I got what I wanted.

Estonia's problem for me, as I've come to realize once I started liking Alika again, was always one of aesthetics, and specifically visual aesthetics (keep that in mind when I rank Europapa low for the lack of bags-over-head (lol if I rank ESC2024 to begin with (I mean, I probably will (I am not readly to enter that discourse yet tho (regardless, that haircut is a capital offence))))). A big inherent flaw of vocal flex ballads like "Bridges" is the lack of dynamism and emotional gravitas (as the vocal technique goes against these principles - "loud" is a pitch, not an emotion) - it's a flaw that comes with the genre and that's something only charisma can fix. Pre-show Alika looked like she'd been dragged out of a river and then SHOUTED into a mic without moving, so yeah, that's where I bail. Slimane your way into someone else's simple and easily-impressed heart please, I Am Not The Demograph. (-- Alesia Michelle).

The version in Liverpool though was - by textbook definition almost - a glow-up. Alongside her Jenevelle hair, Estonia actually put Alika in a beautiful gown and made her move around. Observe:

NOW I SEE MAHSEEL BEELDING UP A WOALD OF BREEECHEEEEEEEEEES

Apparently a lot of people were mesmerized by the self-playing piano but for me the biggest factor in selling "Bridges" was just Alika herself. Props are nice embellishments but the true art of live performance is when score and vocal come together via the power of Personality. Which she finally showed in Liverpool after what felt like an eternity.

By allowing Alika to just do... idk, Alika things with her body lang, face and hands, Estonia broke the monotony of "three minutes of loudness" and made it fun, camp and digestible. If theres anything The Gays (me) like, it's a neat lady doing silly things with fierce confidence. Yasss Go Slay Queen.

Ultimately, a lot of people think Alika's top 10 is nonsense and a strike against juries and here I disagree. That a strong glow up and performance such as Alika's went unappreciated by the televote is a huge strike against the televote, not the other way around. I am happy she got her spot in the limelight, and 8th place is a good, if somewhat generous representation of what she brought. I'll never be a huge fan of the song "Bridges", but at the end of the day Alika really ate that live, and that's something worth rewarding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

13. POLAND Blanka - "Solo" 19nd place

Decade Ranking: 39/116 [Above Alika, below Stefan]

"ARIANA GRANDE IF ARIANA HAD NO TALENT" -- my immediate instinct when i first heard "Solo"

Were my instincts wrong, though? Her lack of performance skill and talent, the online response, the severed heads of Jann and Iru she keeps mounted on a pedestal in her boudoire. Blanka was the Mery Bass of 2023. She has no business being this good.

btw yes, lmao so hard that THIS ENTRY was somehow one of the more controversial ones in recent ESC. Honestly, the 13th place I'm giving here is at least half thanks to the controversy which made "Solo" feel iconic - it is exceedingly funny to me that it caused so much outrage for... existing? What did Blanka ever do? Certainly not rob better acts - Listen to Jann and listen to Iru and tell me straight-faced they were better.

BEJBA! IS KINDA KRAJZA!

As a song, "Solo" was always fun femmetrash. Ever since Eleni the majority of the Eurovision girlbops have been attempting to recreate Fuegos with varying successes - Competently staged with intricate choreographies to commemorate our inner faggotry. "Solo" represents a style of girlbop that's gone out of fashion - the "Aphrodisiac"-like basic bop by useless bitches for useless cigs. (Fuego is what gays see themselves as, Solo is what they actually are). Aphrodisiacs have become nearly extinct at Eurovision because they nearly always lose the NF nowadays. So thank you Jann for performing 'Gladiator' in Scooby-Doo vocals so that we could witness Bejba fullfill her beautiful destiny in Liverpool.

And what a destiny it was. In a way, most of the things I wrote about Alika also apply to Blanka. A few small tweaks to the performance can make the whole a lot better. Unlike Alika though, who ampted up the sophistication, Blanka went a route I respect more: She listened to fan feedback.

Slight paraphrasing:

Fans: "EWW BLANKA HAS NO TALENT, CAN'T DANCE, CAN'T SING, WON BASED ON MONEY!!!" Blanka: "... so? 🙂"

I don't know WHEN Blanka decided to be everything the fans accused her of (talentless, washed-up, plastic), amped up to comical levels, but thank fuck she did because it made her instantly epic. It is rare for a Eurovision artist to address her online haters by Now I Betta Troll'em, Troll'em, and Blanka as it turns out is masterfully skilled at trollery. She elevated it into an art.

The Cheap VFX <3

The badly performed wooden choreos <3

The Dutch angles <3

Doing the Eleftheria thing of having your backing vocalist sing over you, while you mug the camera with semi-fierce faces and placeholder hairflips.

Accused to having no performance skill or talent? Add in a cheap dance break anyway, and enjoy every second of it, live your dream while they fume on Twitter, angry that Poland qualified over Georgia.

Guess where I am, honey? 💋 I'm in the final. 💋 And I'm here to stay 💋 :dramatic cymball:

"Solo" was incompetent, plastic and a huge mess, and that was great because it was all deliberate. That made it epic. Poland really took all the negative criticism they received and yanked it up to 11 and it made the entry better. If that isn't a taunting flex in the face of toxicity, I don't know what is. Given how venomous the fandom has been since the pandemic, that is an approach to life I can totally get behind.

THE RANKING

AND WITH THAT WE MADE IT OUT OF THE MILD LIKE ZONE, HOO-fucking-RAY. Now bear in mind that the next few eliminees are very LOW lush greens and there's quite a few of those before we get to the really good stuff, but eh. Soon I'll be able to talk about the songs I loved, and that's always a treat.

#ESC 2023 #Eurovision 2023 #Liverpool 2023 #Estonia #Alika #Bridges #Poland #Solo #Blanka #BorisBubbles #Youtube

[arabela25]

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 countdown: 40 days left!

Watergun - Remo Forrer, Switzerland 🇨🇭 [x]

#eurovision #eurovision 2023 #esc #switzerland #remo forrer #switzerland '23 #esc2023countdown #he has a very nice voice and that's about the only thing I like about this

[insipid-drivel]

Hey, you. Yes, you. When was the last time you remembered to go pee? Now do me a favor on your way to the bathroom and stand on the very tips of your toes if you can, and then drop down with your full weight onto your heels.

Did it suddenly hurt somewhere in your back/abdomen on one or both sides? Congratulations! You may have a kidney infection! Get to urgent care/the ER ASAP because you need antibiotics before the infection spreads! It probably started out as a UTI or bladder infection you didn’t notice or that didn’t respond to medication the first time - superbugs are real, y’all.

No shame. Asymptomatic UTIs and bladder infections are surprisingly common and sometimes manifest with as little as an increased or decreased need to go to the bathroom. Some people get very ill with them because they have sensitivities to things like bath soap and are used to ignoring urinary pain. It happens all the time, is a major contributor to hospital/doctor bills, can be deadly, and about 40% of all AFAB people are destined to get a urinary infection of some kind in their lifetime. They’re less common in AMAB people (about 12% likelihood), but just as hazardous if left untreated. An untreated urinary infection can lead to Urosepsis, which isn’t nearly as fun as Eurovision. Urosepsis has a 30%-40% mortality rate.

For those interested, here’s how and why your piss pipes can turn dangerous: 

Kidney infections can be, and sometimes are, lethal. That UTI you had that resolved without antibiotics? Well, you got lucky, assuming you’re sure the initial infection cleared up on its own. Most kidney infections start out as urinary tract infections. It’s most usually caused by E. Coli, which is present on most surfaces, including other people’s skin. E. Coli is usually harmless unless it manages to infect, and if you notice that you get UTIs whenever you’re sexually active, a very common cause is a sensitivity to the bacteria natural to your partner’s body; you can reduce your chances of an infection by washing before sex and making sure you go pee as soon as you’re done to literally rinse out your urethra. Condoms and dental dams can also help depending upon your body chemistry, but not always. Properly using a bidet (they come in portable travel-size models now for like, $30, Americans) can also drastically help reduce your risk of an infection.

The problem is that the renal (pee) system is all connected by tubes and hoses that can be very easy for bacteria to climb. Here’s a very generic, non-gendered diagram:

(source)

Regardless of what you’ve got from a reproductive standpoint, that’s pretty much it! Same wiring and everything, save for that people who are AFAB aren’t typically born with prostates, which isn’t part of the renal system at all. People with short urethras (AFAB people, intersex, endocrine syndrome, etc) contract UTIS and bladder infections. AFAB or AFAB-similar people have a 40% likelihood of contracting a common UTI at least once in their lives. AMAB people only have about a 12% chance. The difference is so drastic because said AMAB people have pretty average external genitalia and therefore a much longer urethra than average for bacteria to try to survive colonizing. Drinking water and going to the bathroom regularly are highly effective at preventing a renal infection, because the bacteria literally has to climb its way from the urethra to the kidneys. Urinating helps to wash it out. Depending upon your immune system, it can take days or even weeks before the bacteria reaches your kidneys if that’s what’s going to happen.

Not only are kidney infections incredibly painful (There Will Be Blood), but those yellow nodules on top of the kidneys in that diagram I posted up there? Those are your adrenal glands. Where all of your adrenaline comes from. Those major veins and arteries also can give the bacteria unmitigated access to the bloodstream, which generally leads to sepsis, shock, and death. If your adrenal glands are infected, it can cause them to release dangerous amounts of adrenaline that can stress, damage, and even cause the heart to stop.

And no, cranberry juice and cranberry supplements will not cure you. If you have a full-blown infection, go to the doctor. You need a full course of antibiotics at the very least and probably urinary painkillers. AZO makes an over-the-counter brand in the US. It is non-addictive, temporarily stops the pain, but dyes your pee an electric orange color that will stain your underwear (fun fact: if you’re a swimmer or diver you can get a prescription for a version that turns your pee blue instead so nobody can see you pee in the water; my mom used it when she was a SCUBA diver). AZO is also responsible for making UTI home-test kits that you can buy on Amazon. The renal benefits of cranberries is largely a myth. The compound, which is good for a lot of other uses, is called D-Mannose, which kinda-sorta maybe can make it harder for bacteria to stick to the walls of your renal system and more easily flush out when you pee, but you do not want to play chicken with septic shock. It will kick your ass and you will die. If you’re experiencing urinary pain and/or a fever, get to the doctor.

#health psa #kidney infection #uti #renal infection #bladder infection #in summation: go to the doctor #cranberries do not help

[karisworldofwords]

Alright, incoming rant about ESC, you've been warned. See this as a continuation of the reblog I posted earlier by the way.

I feel like ever since 2018, ESC has just really taken a nose dive. This might be personal bias since 2018 was the last year Germany made it into the top ten with Michael Schulte on fourth place and ever since, we've consistently scored only last place at best, negative last at worst like it sometimes felt but I digress - my point still stands. Of course, I absolutely loved last year's ESC, especially the entries from Finland, Norway, Germany, Australia, Czechia and Slovenia, but it doesn't change the fact that Eurovision quite recently just lost its usual flair and charme to me that it had all these other years. Might be because it's getting too political, might be because songs make it into the competition that most people don't want to have there aka rigging and such, might just be a mix of both - choose whatever fits you most.

And quite honestly, I may have lied a bit when I said in the hashtags that, due to my lack of connection to this year's ESC already, I don't have as much of a hard time boycotting it because truthfully, my heart does break in various places when I know I want to watch, eat or do something that I usually enjoy, but I can't because otherwise, I'd just show my silent support and approval for something that's happening or just generally going on that I don't agree with because, well, my personal morals would like to have a word there. Think of it as me being a queer American eating at Chick-fil-A - I'd actively go against my own community by supporting this company, as it's known that they regularly donate rather large sums of money to openly homophobic and transphobic organizations. It's something along those lines.

Key words here: The Russia-Ukraine war and the Palestinian genocide. Especially the latter however.

And I wanna use this opportunity and say: If you support Isr*hell and you follow my page, please unfollow me. Block me if you must, but at least unfollow me - because I do not support genocide in any way, shape or form. And you cannot argue with me that what Isr*hell is doing isn't genocide, because going from the word's definition, it quite literally is.

Just today, I learned through that post I reposted onto my feed here that Isr*hell is still allowed to participate in ESC, despite its atrocious deeds against Palestine. Just today, I also learned through a trusted friend that the Palestinian flag isn't allowed in the venue in Malmö during the contest, whereas the Isr*helli flag is still allowed. All while Russia is still banned from said contest for reasons quite similar to what Isr*hell is currently committing. It's called ethnic cleansing, by the way, there's no use in dancing around the topic and trying to talk it prettier - "schön reden", as we Germans say.

Once I heard of these things, my decision was clear as day - and I openly admit that I didn't have a broken heart at first. That only set in later, once the realization of the actual gravity of this whole situation completely hit me, as if I just got smacked by a brick straight in the face and my glasses shattered into my opened eyes. That's what it felt like to me once everything finally set in - once I knew "Yeah, a country has fucked up again yet is still allowed to do its thing so I'll have to boycott it because I have a conscience, unlike those people".

Now think about what the EBU decided to do. When Russia first started attacking Ukraine so mercilessly, Russia was kicked from Eurovision. Unrelated to the Slavic war but when Belarus pretty much abolished freedom of speech, they were kicked as well. But now that Isr*hell is actively lynching thousands of people day by day, it's suddenly alright and they're still allowed to participate? Where does the hypocrisy stem from? The absolutely blatant double-standard? The utter definition of "Rules for thee, not for me"? My guess lies in what happened during the 40's - which might also very well be the reason why my country's government vehemently defends this straight-up murderous country whilst claiming the country these individuals (to stay at least somewhat respectful although I don't really believe they deserve it) are currently actively demolishing, pulverizing and erasing from the maps never existed in the first place and thus, it doesn't really matter. Because Isr*hell is the place where Jews were from, where they started spreading from - not like a disease of course, just generally speaking - and where their roots have always lied. Because of what happened to them back then, they're now all scared to openly say "Ayo, guys, that ain't exactly right, don'tcha think?" since it's pretty clear - at least to me - that then, these people would pull the N*zi card almost immediately and scream discrimination based on just that.

A religion's basis being somewhere specific and having had to watch that religion be almost wiped out completely due to absolute lunatics back then isn't a reason to abuse that power though and play victim whenever it feels right to them. If anything, one would think that it'd be more of a reason to look back at what happened during those times and teach the future generations "This is what happened, let's all work together and make sure we never become like them back then". But instead, they abuse their victim status of back then into today's day and age, making many Jews around the world look absolutely horrendous in the process and throwing their own people under the bus by openly doing what had once been done to them. Makes me question if it's a weird form of Stockholm Syndrome, to be honest.

And the EBU allows it. When just a year or two before, they went all strict parent on another aggressor who did quite a similar thing. Make it make sense.

Thanks for coming to my Tumblr TED talk, and sorry for the length of it - I also have no idea if all of this makes sense, I'm just really pissed about this situation at the moment and needed to vent. Feel free to add your own thoughts as well, if you'd like, I'm always open for discussions as long as they're respectful and in a dignified manner.

#esc #eurovision 2024 #eurovision song contest #eurovision #free palestine #🍉 #ebu #and again just so y'all get it #those of you who follow me who support these murderers can fuck right off #unfollow me block me what have you #just don't fucking interact with me #and don't even *try* to start an argument with me as you *will* be blocked instantly #thanks y'all

[catboy-teeth]

tag game! @capriciousfelis tagged me for music stuff! i just woke up, but here are my liked songs on spoofpy shuffled 10 times (minus artist dupes)

Sodom and Gomorrah - Dorian Electra || Obsessed w this. btw I am being soo fucking annoying about this rn, I've made dorian electras new album my whole personality for the foreseeable future, its so good

Night running - Cage The Elephant (feat. Beck?? I always forget about that) || good for wanting to run at night or for listening to a good song. vibey :)

I am all of me - Crush 40 || THIS IS THE OPENING SONG OF SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG (2005) I AM SO FUCKING SERIOUS

Oh no! - MARINA || i love her

Over My Head (Better Off Dead) - Sum 41 || pop punk permanently shaped my brain tissue when i was 11

Skeleton - The Front Bottoms || Good for when you walked around like a skeleton last night, confused and alone

Pink Bubblegum - Scene Queen || :)

1985 - Bo Burnham || warning for severe earworm. I made the mistake of having this on loop once last year and i COULD. NOT STOP singing about bo burnhams dad

Who the hell is Edgar? - Teya & Salena || (Austria's Eurovision entry 2023) oh man. The music video it will not disappoint. It's weird and super catchy and about Edgar Allan Poe and the music industry

Bastard sønn - Kaizers Orchestra || i am back with more kaizers propaganda. i got to see them live in september, they didnt play this one but i forgive them bc the show fucked

ok bye have a great day

#tag game #music #i love an excuse to talk about music #teeth.txt

[phansterdam]

end of year joy list

was tagged by @deathclassic (like 2 days ago. sorry molly!) to make a little list of things that made me happy in 2023!! it's been a pretty big year for me with some ups and downs, but definitely a lot of ups!

big things:

i wrote my bachelor's thesis and successfully graduated! it was a lot of work and quite stressful but i'm really proud of myself

i started my masters degree in multilingualism in germany! it was my first time moving out of my parents' place and it's a long way away, but i'm so fucking glad i did it as it's been amazing so far!

in germany, i fell into a wonderful friend group, which has been so good for me as i was so fucking lonely before. i haven't known them that long yet, but all of them already mean a lot to me

got a girlfriend let's goooooooo!!! getting together was a literal hallmark movie lol so yeah that's been very exciting

dan and phil cam back!!!! (also i saw wad!) yes this is under big things fucking sue me

small things:

i didn't go to a lot of concerts but the ones i did go (eurovision in concert and froukje) were sooo good!!

i went on a lot of cool trips this year: berlin with my study association, solo interrailing through germany and denmark, and antwerp with my friends!

i read 36 books, most of which i would recommend, but the best ones were mexican gothic by silvia moreno-garcia, bunny by mona awad and giovanni's room by james baldwin

i watched around 40 movies this year! i was never that much of a movie person, but i guess i am now lol. best ones (in no particular order) were nimona, both paddingtons, both knives outs, bottoms, heathers, eeaao and barbie

don't think i watched that many shows this year but i did watch both succession and breaking bad and damn that's good tv

knitted so many things. my room is overflowing with knitted things. also i learned to crochet!

not tagging anyone bc idk who hasn't done this yet or if anyone even still wants to do it now we're in january proper, but if you see this and you want to do this then i want you specifically to do it

#emily talks

[scotianostra]

On January 17th 1926 Moira Shearer, ballet dancer and film star was born in Dunfermline.

Moira was born the daughter of Harold Charles King and Margaret Crawford Reid, née Shearer She was educated at Dunfermline High School, Ndola in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) and Bearsden Academy.

She began studying dance at 10 under Russian teacher Nicholas Legat, spent a year with International Ballet then at 16 joined Saddlers Wells Company touring with them for 4 years then became Prima Ballerina at Covent Garden. She made her film debut in Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes. Moira  then returned to Saddlers Wells. In 1948 she danced 'Giselle for the first time, created the role of Cinderella in Frederick Ashton's production and made her first tour of America.

She toured as Sally Bowles in "I am a Camera" in 1955 and appeared at the Bristol Old Vic as "Major Barbara" in 1956. Although these performances were the start of her secondary career as an actress, she continued her primary career as a ballerina. She has appeared on TV as a ballerina and as an actress.

Moira was married to the journalist and writer Ludovic Kennedy, who admitted when he saw her in The Red Shoes he said that he knew instantly that she was going to be the girl he would marry. He actively sought her out and married her two years later, in February 1950 in the Chapel Royal in London's Hampton Court Palace, they had four chidren.

In 1972, Moira presented the Eurovision Song Contest when it was staged at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. I've posted a link at the bottom, the co-comemtater was the voice of the BBC broadcasts of The Edinburgh Military Tattoo for over 40 years. It's bit of a shame sMoira had the standard BBC English accent, as was the norm in those days, I much preferred the French she used in the clip!

She also wrote for The Daily Telegraph newspaper and gave talks on ballet worldwide.

Arthur Freed wanted her to play opposite Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding in 1951, but Astaire was reluctant to dance with a ballerina. Gene Kelly asked for her for the 1954 film Brigadoon. She turned it down much preferring the classical stage in those years. She went on to play "Titania" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in her Broadway debut and the title role in "Major Barbara".

The joint portrait of Moira and Ludovic, by the Israeli artist Avigdor Arikha, i part of the permanent collection of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Moira Shearer died at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, England at the age of 80, she is buried at Durisdeer Parish Churchyard, Durisdeer, Dumfries and Galloway, her husband, who passed away in 2009 is also buried there.

#scotland #scottish #balerina #ballet dancer #dancer #actress #tv host #history #Youtube

[aijamisespava]

Favorite Songs From Each Country! Part 22/37: Estonia!

Estonia is one of my favorite countries at Eurovision. Whether they send something different from the year before, or the fact they hosted the 2002 contest, or the fact that their songs fly under the radar a lot and shine at the primest moment, Estonia has proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with. I also had a comment liked by one of the National Finalists for Estonia (The Bedwetters liked my comment about my favorite Estonian entry on Instagram), and even if I rooted for one entry to win, I usually like the one they end up sending (this is the second year in a row).

Favorite Entry: I've mentioned before that 2015 is my favorite Eurovision year. Something about the songs being so stacked that year makes it so great! There were at least 30 songs that I would have wanted as the 27 Grand Finalists (joooke). Estonia was no exception to that rule with Elina Born and Stig Rästa's "Goodbye To Yesterday." It's strange considering the genre of song isn't really something I listen to a lot, but the story plays out so well, their voices blend well. And if it wasn't a duet, I doubt the song would have worked as well. 2015 was also the only Grand Final I watched (one day on Youtube), and their performance was amazing! RANK: 7th in 2015 Grand Final/PERSONAL RANK: 2nd of 40 Countries

Thoughts on 2023 Entry: Estonia did not disappoint me this year with "Bridges" by Alika. If you look at some of my earlier posts (and if you come later, some of my later posts), you'll see that I'm a sucker for a good ballad. And Alika does just that. I also noted in my "diary" when I first heard the song that the pacing of "Bridges" is magnificent. It picks up where it needs to, but not too much where it doesn't feel like a ballad. And it's slow enough to create an emotional tone without dragging the song down. It's no wonder it got the finish it did, and it was one of my mom's winners *yes, my mom's winners finished better than my top 2 (Latvia and Serbia) AND my sister's winner (Moldova)*! RANK: 8th in 2023 Grand Final/PERSONAL RANK: 20th of 37 Countries

#eurovision song contest #esc #esc 2023 #eurovision #eurovision 2023 #esc2015 #elina born & stig rästa #goodbye to yesterday #alika #bridges #Spotify

[teamrocketmemes]

[ ESC 2022 SENTENCE STARTER ] - PART 3

Lyrics chosen from all 40 of the official chosen songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Feel free to change any pronouns where necessary.

Die Together – Amanda Tenfjord

“Doesn’t seem like you’re all fine.”

“And when we cry we do it on our own.”

“It’s been a lovely year for us.”

“But if we die together now.”

“I will hold you ’til forever.”

“That’s the only way we can get out of this hell we made.”

“Take my heart, rip it out.”

“Bring it to the other side.”

Með hækkandi sól – Systur

“All but covered in deep wounds of sorrow.”

“A deep longing burns within.”

“In the twilight you can see beautiful freedom moving closer.”

“The darkest winter, waits for the sun.”

“With growing hope for brighter days.”

“The ice and shadows will give way…”

“The darkest winter, waits for spring.”

That’s Rich – Brooke

“Ain’t you gettin’ bored of your reflection.”

“I’m tired of dodging all your calls.”

“Hey stupid, that’s rich.”

“You think I dress up for you?”

“Think maybe you should please yourself.”

“I think it’s funny how you miss me.”

“You were a lazy lover.”

“You see me now, you want me.”

I.M – Michael Ben David

“Sometimes love can bring you down.”

“You can say that I’m stunning.”

“Tell me if we can take it to the floor.”

“I’m the fire, the power.”

“I’m gonna take the crown.”

“I’m shameless and I’m spotless and I’m flawless.”

“‘Cause no one brings me down.”

Brividi – Mahmood & BLANCO

“I dreamed of flying with you.”

“Sometimes I don’t know how to express myself.”

“And I’d like to love you but I’m always wrong.”

“And you, you are the opposite of an angel.”

“And you run away from here, leaving me like this.”

“And I would like to steal you a sky of pearls.”

“And I’m sorry if I fuck it all up.”

“This poison that we spit every day.”

Eat Your Salad – Citi Zēni

“Instead of meat I eat veggies and pussy.”

“I ride my bicycle to work instead of a car.”

“The karma comes for free and so does luck.”

“All the signs are there, let’s go organic.”

“Being green is sexy as fuck.”

“Forget the hot dogs ‘cause my sausage is bigger.”

“If you want your man’s dong longer than a gecko’s…”

Sentimental – Monika Liu

“At night, it’s knocking at my heart.”

“Why are you laughing like a clown??”

“Moments spinning around in my head.”

“A million roses like sentiments.”

“The restless sea is murmuring.”

“That it – he’s never coming back.”

“I remember standing in the middle of the dunes of Nida.”

I Am What I Am – Emma Muscat

“Remind me who I am.”

“Take it or leave it.”

“I’m gonna take command.”

“Bending backwards trying to fit in.”

“It’s time I shut you up.”

“I’ll make them understand.”

#★ mod james. #★ our memes. #sentence starters #rp meme #ask meme #lyric memes #musical memes

[anyways-wonderwall]

Eurovision Special!

It's my favorite time of year, Eurovision time! Every year I make a post talking about my five favorite songs from the year and generally talk about what I thought of the whole competition.

Uhh here's the thing though, this year SUCKED. Like I have been following Eurovision for six years and there has never been a more mid year in my experience. There were literally only 5 songs I liked, which while it made writing this really easy, is terrible given I usually playlist around 10 songs each year. I don't know what was happening but the countries dropped the ball on picking entries and the jury decided that only boring songs were allowed to do well. I cannot express how disappointed I was this year. (I just realized in my last post I wrote "Eurovision is getting too good, and what comes up must come down sometime" and unfortunately I was right)

Anyways, if you haven't read my last two Eurovision posts (which you can find here and here) I give each song a score from 1-10 in four categories: singer, song, catchiness, and performance. While technically a perfect score is a 40, there are available bonus points based on whether it isn't in English, it makes me laugh really hard, embodies Eurovision, etc. Each song also gets a fun little note so I can remember what it sounded like. Listen it's really hard to keep track of 37 songs.

Without further ado, here are the only good songs in Eurovision 2023:

5. Lithuania - Stay by Monika Linkytė

Score: 28/40

Notes: chutoh aahh tootoh

Final Ranking: 11th

I was really on the fence about including this one since it didn't really grab me at first, and in all honesty its not that great or unique and I kind of wrote it off as your standard Eurovision song.

But then as the days went on, I found the chorus - ‘Čiūto Tūto’ haunting me. I have never had more fun than dancing along with the chorus and there has not been a day I haven't sung this song. I'm re-listening to it now and honestly, I'm fine never listening to it again, but it has changed my life.

4. Austria - Who the Hell is Edgar? by Teya & Salena

Score: 30/40

Notes: Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe

Final Ranking: 15th

Now this is why I listen to Eurovision. I come here for camp nonsense and this year Austria delivered. A feminist song about being possessed by Edgar Allan Poe?? Perfection. The song itself is really catchy, the singers are incredibly fun and charismatic, and the music video is just such a great time. I am really sad this song didn't place higher, especially since a lot of people were praising it. You deserved more girls!

(although edgar allan poe was actually very pro-slavery so they should be canceled /j)

3. Malta - Dance (Our Own Party) by The Busker

Score: 30/40

Notes: Perfect sax part

Final Ranking: didn't make it to the grand finale >:(

As the comment suggests, the strength of this song is the killer sax riffs (riffs multiple!! they just kept delivering!). The song as a whole is a super fun time, with a fun message and a goofy music video, once again things that I look for when I listen to Eurovision songs. Plus they're from Malta! A micronation represented by people actually from there! I feel like that alone deserves bonus points (I mean Malta only has half a million people, less than Wyoming).

2. Portugal - Ai Coração by Mimicat

Score: 38/40

Notes: Cabaret flamenco

Final Ranking: 23rd

This song reminds me a lot of Fanfare Ciocarlia in the best way. Its quick, full of brass, and makes me want to dance. It's also all in Portuguese and the live performance was absolutely mesmerizing. I don't know exactly what this genre is called, but I'm such a fan. Give me fast-paced music and some brass and I'm in love.

Finland - Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä

Score: 39/40

Notes: Why did the bridge keep going

Final Ranking: 2nd

C'mon, did you really think that I would put any other song at number one? This song hooks you from the beginning, has an aggressively European synth riff, nonsense Finnish lyrics, an inexplicable heavy metal chorus, this song is absolutely wonderful and one of the best to come from Eurovision. This song clearly stands out from all the others, and is the only one that I know of that made its way into international Tiktok. I mean if my roommate knows a Eurovision song without my involvement that means that it has some cultural power.

Unfortunately, I don't think this song is perfect. The bridge kind of ruins the momentum of the song by steering it into generic pop and for some reason they keep that overtone for the rest of the song. They were so close to committing to the bit, then they weirdly tried to make it sound normal. That aside, this is clearly the best song of this year and I am convinced that they rigged it.

I think the only songs I actually liked enough to keep listening to in my daily life are the last two, which is pretty bad for a Eurovision year. I just hope they do something good next year in stupid Sweden.

(and my least favorites this year were Georgia and Greece, really bringing down the letter "G." Luckily Germany brought a great song to make up for those two.)

#eurovision #eurovision 2023 #music review #music recommendation

[danielfuckingricciardo]

Because I’m in the Eurovision mood I thought I’d share my favourite song from each country (past and present!)

1. Albania 🇦🇱

2022 - Sekret // Ronela Hajati

2. Andorra 🇦🇩

2006 - Sense Tu // Jennifer

3. Armenia 🇦🇲

2014 - Not Alone // Aram MP3

4. Australia 🇦🇺

2015 - Tonight Again // Guy Sebastian

5. Austria 🇦🇹

2014 - Rise Like a Phoenix // Conchita Wurst

(This song makes me feel emotions every time damn it!)

6. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

2021 - Mata Hari // Efendi

7. Belarus 🇧🇾

2014 - Cheesecake // Teo

(Underrated tune fr)

8. Belgium 🇧🇪

2015 - Rhythm Inside // Loïc Nottet

9. Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

2011 - Love in Rewind // Dino Merlín

10. Bulgaria 🇧🇬

2017 - Beautiful Mess // Kristian Kostov

11. Croatia 🇭🇷

2023 - Mama ŠČ! // Let 3

12. Cyprus 🇨🇾

2018 - Fuego // Eleni Foureira

13. Czechia 🇨🇿

2019 - Friend of a Friend // Lake Malawi

(Was very hard to choose between this one and Lie To Me. It’s a very close second)

14. Denmark 🇩🇰

2021 - Øve Os På Hinanden // Fyr Og Flamme

(Was robbed in the semi-finals imo)

15. Estonia 🇪🇪

2015 - Goodbye to Yesterday // Elina Born + Stig Rästa

16. Finland 🇫🇮

2022 - Jezebel // The Rasmus

(Should have done so much better imo)

17. France 🇫🇷

2016 - J’ai Cherché // Amir

18. Georgia 🇬🇪

2011 - One More Day // Eldrine

19. Germany 🇩🇪

2011 - Taken by a Stranger // Lena

(Better than Satellite for sure, but Satellite slaps too)

20. Greece 🇬🇷

2008 - Secret Combination // Kalomira

21. Hungary 🇭🇺

2018 - Viszlát Nyár // AWS

22. Iceland 🇮🇸

2020 - Think About Things // Daði og Gagnamagnið

(Basic I know but it’s just such a good tune)

23. Ireland 🇮🇪

2011 - Lipstick // Jedward

(Not sorry about this one it slaps and Jedward are my kings)

24. Israel 🇮🇱

2015 - Golden Boy // Nadav Guedj

25. Italy 🇮🇹

(Gonna have to do a top five because I have such a thing for Italy in Eurovision I can’t pick just one oop)

2017 - Occidentali’s Karma // Francesco Gabbani

2015 - Grande Amore // Il Volo

2018 - Non Mi Avette Fatto Niente // Ermal Meta + Fabrizio Moro

2021 - Zitti E Buoni // Måneskin

2019 - Soldi // Mahmood

26. Latvia 🇱🇻

2022 - Eat Your Salad // Citi Zēni

(As a vegetarian and a bisexual I approve this message)

27. Lithuania 🇱🇹

2021 - Discotheque // The Roop

28. Luxembourg 🇱🇺

1988 - Croire // Lara Fabian

29. Malta 🇲🇹

2022 - Je Me Casse // Destiny

30. Moldova 🇲🇩

(My second favourite Eurovision country so here’s a top three)

2022 - Trenulețul // Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers

2018 - My Lucky Day // DoReDos

2017 - Hey Mamma // Sunstroke Project

31. Monaco 🇲🇨

1964 - Où Sont-elles Passées? // Romuald

(When I say I have an obsession with this song I mean it. PS Monaco plz come back we miss you!!)

32. Montenegro 🇲🇪

2015 - Adio // Knez

- Ranking Morocco doesn’t really feel fair because they only participated once lol -

33. The Netherlands 🇳🇱

2016 - Slow Down // Douwe Bob

(Hehe 33 Max Verstappen number it’s fate fr)

34. North Macedonia 🇲🇰

2012 - Crno I Belo // Kaliopi

35. Norway 🇳🇴

2009 - Fairytale // Alexander Rybak

(Listen I know it’s a basic choice but this song is iconic for a reason y’know? It slaps)

36. Poland 🇵🇱

2022 - River // Ochman

(King of the vocals fr brings me to tears every time)

37. Portugal 🇵🇹

2021 - Love is On My Side // The Black Mamba

38. Romania 🇷🇴

2010 - Playing With Fire // Paula Seling + Ovi

39. Russia 🇷🇺

2016 - You are the Only One // Sergey Lazarev

(Listen I’m a Sergey Lazarev stan first and human second. Between 2016 and 2018 I almost exclusively listened to his back catalogue and nothing else)

40. San Marino 🇸🇲

(Underrated country fr no one gets them like I do so they also get a top three)

2022 - Stripper // Achille Lauro

2021 - Adrenalina // Senhit + Flo-Rida

2019 - Say Na Na Na // Serhat

41. Serbia 🇷🇸

2023 - Samo Mi Se Spava // Luke Black

- Also not counting Serbia and Montenegro because they don’t have an emoji flag and they only participated twice -

42. Slovakia 🇸🇰

2010 - Horehronie // Kristina Pelakova

43. Slovenia 🇸🇮

2023 - Carpe Diem // Joker Out

44. Spain 🇪🇸

2019 - La Venda // Miki

(When I say this song was robbed I mean it. One of the biggest injustices faced in Eurovision was Miki coming 22nd)

45. Sweden 🇸🇪

(Sweden get a top three because they’re Sweden… they always slay)

2015 - Heroes // Måns Zelmerlöw

2012 - Euphoria // Loreen

2017 - I Can’t Go On // Robin Bengtsson

46. Switzerland 🇨🇭

2021 - Tout l'Univers // Gjon’s Tears

47. Türkiye 🇹🇷

2010 - We Could Be The Same // maNga

(Türkiye come back we miss you!!)

48. Ukraine 🇺🇦

(Another slay country so here’s a top three)

2018 - Under the Ladder // MELOVIN

2007 - Dancing Lasha Tumbai // Verka Serduchka

2021 - Shum // Go_A

49. United Kingdom 🇬🇧

(In the name of patriotism, of which I have very little, let’s do a top five + an honourable mention)

2012 - Love Will Set You Free // Engelbert Humperdinck

2022 - SPACE MAN // Sam Ryder

1981 - Making Your Mind Up // Buck’s Fizz

1968 - Congratulations // Cliff Richard

1976 - Save Your Kisses for Me // Brotherhood of Man

+ my honourable mention, Freaks // Jordan Clarke which should have been our song for 2019 but the British general public have no taste. I firmly believe this is why they no longer trust us to hold a national selection anymore lol

50. Yugoslavia *insert flag here*

1989 - Rock Me // Riva

(Basic choice I know, to pick their only winning song, but it slaps)

And that’s everyone!! Feel free to judge me hard for my tastes lol 😂

#Eurovision #I did this instead of sleeping lmaoo