Eurovision where Chanel would be disqualified: What if ‘SloMo’ was in Galician, Basque and Catalan?

“Imo’s. The mother came, the queen, the tough one, a Bugatti. The world is going crazy about it body. If I have a problem, it’s not monetary”. The lyrics would start like this slow motion If only it were written in Spanish and Galician instead of English words. Since channel Benidorm Fest swept, with large numbers of spectators accusing the public organization of boycotting Tanxugueiras’ nomination because it was written in a common language. This leads to the question: What if the theme to represent Spain at Eurovision included any of these? If the regulations said that English could reach 35% of the lyrics, would the jury accept a song with that share of other peninsular languages?

For example, in Basque: “I drive all the kids crazy. belongatxoak. I always go first, never bigarren mailakoa. I hardly do apocalypse, doomsday with me boom boom. And I zoomed in, zoomed in Have fun”. Or in Catalan: “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t be confused. I’m always here lesta break a hip, break a heart. There is only one, no imitation. And if you still don’t believe me, I have to show you this: It’s a video, watch it in slow motion”.

Had he submitted a proposal for these features in the 60 years our country has participated in the famous contest, this discussion would hardly have surfaced. Available in English but not in Galician, Basque and Catalan. This explains why, due to the lack of opportunities, platforms have emerged that welcome songs in every language with open arms. Whichever. This is the foundation on which he stands. Liet Internationalknown as Eurovision from minority languages. The important thing here is not the words, but everything that is hidden behind them.

This event, which will celebrate the anniversary, thirteenth edition He was born in Tønder (Denmark) in 2002 to add continuity to a seasoned Frisian song festival. This is spoken on the border line between Germany and the Netherlands, but the popularity of the format was so great that it was decided to expand the range of action to the entire Old Continent. This way format Supporting linguistic diversity for 20 years. Same as the European Charter for Regional Languages.

forbidden english

There is only one rule: to show that it is not necessary to use omnipotent English to bring emotions, cultures and ways of life closer to a very large audience. The possibilities are innumerable: Vepsian, Udmurt, Welsh, Irish, Lappish, Friul, Asturian, Corsican, Mordovian, Arbereshe, Faroese, Breton, Ladino, Cornish… However, Catalan was the first winner.

Sabadell group Ointment swept with At Pere GalleryThanks to Helena Casas’ tambourine and Carles Belda’s accordion, it is a folk song that caught the attention of both the jury and the public. Now, twenty years later, Roger Argemi will try to reaffirm the duo’s glory. While she won’t be the only Spaniard likely to do so: Carolina Rubirosa will join the rendezvous with Galician under her arm. “Undoubtedly, it’s a great showcase. It requires constant work recognition, ”says she. “It allows us to share experiences and learn from the rest of the participants,” adds she.

The two terms should not be confused, because it is not about healing here. by itself folkloric tradition of a region. Instead, the goal is to spread it across more consumable genres: from pop-rock to hip-hop. In fact, this year’s offerings are heading that way.

“I was inspired by the testimony of a pilgrim whose motivation to build the Camino de Santiago moved me. Deep down, it’s a metaphor about life: I’m talking about leaning on others, healing wounds, connecting with nature…”, explains Carolina about her. or you walkThe video clip collaborated with John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird. “A few years ago we heard the news that Salvador Dalí was planning to do the Jacobin route with the founder of The Beatles. Telegrams were exchanged, but in the end it did not happen. The story seemed so relevant to us that we thought of inviting him.”

Roger’s mention comes after working with several international and national artists. named contradiction and its greatest asset is its universality. “I wanted to update Catalan music, which provides stylistic diversity and a global sound. It’s not easy because people are used to hearing these kinds of rhythms in English and it may sound strange,” he says of a melody dedicated to love. millennials. “So I try to find a nice and fresh language.”

20 years without winning the trophy

just like you the biggest brotherAt International Liet, the comments are lively, the staging is elaborated, and the voting is with the same emotion. The only difference is in the form of access: there is no national qualifying for this competition. There is no internal selection. Here, whoever wants can try to represent his own language. It is enough to send the project to the organization, and the latter decide who will compete after a negotiation adapted to a regulation. He will be 13 this year.

The ceremony is held in a different European location each time: Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Östersund (Sweden), Lorient (France), Oldenburg (Germany) or Gijón (Spain) with the five venues hosting the event. In this case, it is not necessary to win to do this. It is enough to pay special attention to it. As it happened, with the city of Asturia in 2012. “The valuation of minority languages, the fact that many of them are in serious danger of extinction, makes it a world-class spectacle,” the chronicles of the time say. “Whatever their musical style, the high level of the participants, do not participate in this festival due to the amount of cash not to introduce and place a culture, a religion in the world,” he said.

The funny thing is that both Carolina and Roger have already been selected for the 2020 edition. The bad news is that it was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic and they didn’t expect either of them to be back so soon. However, they did perform at a non-competitive gala last year, where they were able to show their own compositions. “We’re so lucky they bet on us twice,” they say in unison. Perhaps this is a sign of his possible victory. Since Pomada seized it in 2002, it has never been brought back to Spain..

Echo of Tanxugueiras

After the success of Tanxugueiras at Benidorm Fest, everything points to the participation of songs in other national languages ​​next year. “We’ll be seeing them in Catalan pretty soon,” predicts Roger, who has tried this in Chanel’s winning field. “I co-wrote and co-produced a song that was about to come in.” Talking about tragedy or heat, from Cinderland. This was posted on the web and received 56 points from a committee made up of 14 members of RTVE and three professionals from the music industry (J. Cruz, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson and Zahara). He was a backup in case any of the chosen ones declined the invitation.

“My teammates set the bar so high. The Galician is having a great moment,” continues Carolina, reflecting the interest. black throughout the region. For him, this effect will open the doors of quite a few projects in the face of the next primary elections. The real question is: will we be able to see them at Eurovision? “It’s not impossible. It’s difficult to connect the whole country, but it could happen. I’d go crazy. In any case, it has to be a hardworking and original idea,” says Roger. Carolina. This common official languages adding richness, diversity and value”.

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