In the lead-up to the Eurovision event, recent days saw performances building toward the contest at Pala Alpitour, a venue housing eighteen thousand spectators. The semi-finals and the final were scheduled to begin each evening at 21:00 local time.
Italy is not required to participate in the semi-finals since Spain gained direct entry to the final by virtue of being part of the Big Five — the group comprising the key contributors to the European Broadcasting Union, including Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain itself. Bookmakers have, so far, tipped Spain among the top five contenders alongside Ukraine, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Chanel, born in Havana, faced a challenging journey to become the artist who represents Spain. The singer, who also acts and dances, has a history of performing in numerous musicals. She entered the Benidorm Festival with a strong performance grounded in experience and professionalism, a result that helped her secure a place in the national selection amid some controversy because she was not initially the public favorite.
Having overcome a difficult start that divided opinion within Spain, the Cuban-Spanish performer now heads to Eurovision ready to unveil her full potential and explain the reasons behind her selection. The road to becoming Spain’s entry has not been without further discourse surrounding the artist’s candidacy.
There was palpable anticipation around the track titled SloMo. At one point, the song faced scrutiny over whether it violated contest rules by containing more than 35 percent of lyrics in a language other than Spanish or the official languages of Spain. The organizers reviewed the issue and gave clearance. Critics also argued that the song’s messaging could be perceived as sexualized or shallow, sparking debate about its presentation.
Yet, despite such criticisms, the song has continued to receive heavy airplay on radio and television and remains a staple in dance venues, drawing large crowds who respond to its catchy rhythm. As the melody travels through speakers and fills dance floors, many listeners wonder what SloMo truly signifies. In essence, it is an abbreviation for slow motion, reflecting the emphasis in the chorus on a deliberate, lingering tempo that the artist wanted to highlight in the Benidorm Fest performance.
SloMo lyrics:
Lyrics to Chanel’s song SloMo
Let’s go! mother come
Queen hard one is a bugatti
The world is wild about this party
If there is a problem it isn’t money
I drive all dads crazy
I’m always first, never secondary
I barely survive, doomsday
With my bang, boom
And I zoomed in, zoomed in
from miami
And don’t get confused
madam and sir
I’m always ready for fun
break hip, break heart
there is only one
no imitation
And if you still don’t believe me, then I have to show you.
take video
Watch slowly, month, month, month, month
booty hypnotic
Make you want more, more, more, more, more
I’ll take it down, lo, lo, lo, lo
You can also make this dembow if you wish.
it drives you crazy
Take a video, watch it SloMo
you love everything i have
I sweeten your face with mango juice
It shoots at you when I turn it on
I won’t stop until the end
take a sip of my coke
A little wild na-na-na
Make it go like pa-pa-pa
like pa-pa-pa-pa
And don’t get confused
madam and sir
I’m always ready for fun
break hip, break heart
there is only one
no imitation
And if you still don’t believe me, then I have to show you.
take video
Watch slowly, month, month, month, month
booty hypnotic
Make you want more, more, more, more, more
I’ll take it down, lo, lo, lo, lo
You can also make this dembow if you wish.
it drives you crazy
take video
Watch SloMo.