When it
comes to a national song contest like Eurovision, there is much to be said regarding
diversity from the performances and people. Despite having made its Eurovision
Song Contest debut in 1993, Slovenia still has made an imprint showcasing the
different identities from the country that appear to be relatively positive
towards diversity. In examining the past two performances (discounting Slovenia’s
selection this year) there is a rather dramatic shift in mood or genre of music
and symbolism that Slovenia appears to try and execute. There are feminist or “radical”
identities in parts of Slovenia that are represented, as a way for the country
to voice their opinions on the ongoing universal debate for gender equality. There
is a level of appeal to an international audience as many of Slovenia’s songs
are performed in their native language or in English. However, given their
short timeline of involvement of the song contest, there is still much
potential for the country in terms of being able to express diversity by means
of performances. Overall, there is some level of diversity represented in
Slovenia’s chosen performances and performers, but there is room to showcase
more.
The song “On
My Way” from Slovenia’s 2017 submission devastatingly never made it past the semi-finals.
The singer, Omar Naber, is no stranger to the song contest, with 2017 being his
second time representing the country, his first being in 2005. However, in
between those years, Naber would find himself auditioning three more times to
represent Slovenia, only losing the spot to another performer. Ironically, for
both times Naber has represented Slovenia, the country the city the country was
set in was Kyiv, in Ukraine. As a self-described rock enthusiast, it came as a
surprise when “On My Way” was generalized as being a ballad with “Disney-like”
and musical theatre undertones.
The song
itself is a ballad sung in English, presumably about moving on in life or rising
from adversity. Whether this is a song about the relationship between the
narrator and the world or the narrator and another person, judging by its
staging, it does not appear to have any sort of ties to any situation in
Slovenia. In fact, this is a song written by Naber himself, a song that he
describes as “very intimate” and goes on to say that he wrote the song with the
attention that it “addresses people directly” and that “[people] can easily
identify with the lyrics” (Omar Naber, 2017). The use of English may be
intended to reach a wider audience, since that appears to be the case for most
performers choosing to sing in such a language. The lyrics, particularly the chorus,
is what encourages viewers into associating the song to being very “Disney-esque”
or musical theatre-like, “On my way. I’m never coming back / And I’ll pray that
I’m never gonna crack / World is calling out tonight / Telling me I’ll be
alright” (Eurovision Song Contest, 2017). The chorus alone is enough to connect
with the audience emotionally; speaking of moving on to better things is a
ritual most people can relate to. Accompanied by traditional orchestral
instruments and the occasional belting, this song tugs at the heart strings of the
public but fails to make a big enough impact to move onto the Grand Final.
The staging
itself aids the Disney-like atmosphere of the song, as Naber spends most of the
performance standing center stage, relying on lights to add a dramatic flare to
his performance. The white lights come in as individual spot lights that move circular
in unison, shifting between lighting the audience and Naber himself. It may be reflective
of one of the lines in the song, “Lights will guide you through the night”
(Eurovision Song Contest, 2017), but also accounts for establishing a magical
ambience for the song. And by ending the song with all the lights creating one
singular spotlight on the singer, it creates a silhouette of Naber in contrast
to how lit the singer was throughout the performance.
Last year’s
submission of “Hvala, ne!” sung by Lea Sirk luckily was able to succeed the
semi-finals and eventually ranked 22 in the Grand Final. “Hvala ne” means “No
thanks” in Slovenian, of which the song is sung in. A dramatic shift from a ballad
to pop song, the meaning behind “Hvala ne” has a more clear and malleable
meaning as the message itself can be applied in many social issues that calls
for fighting against discrimination. The performer herself, Lea Sirk, braves
the stage with bright pink braided hair, an off-the-shoulder mesh one piece, and
is accompanied by female backup dancers. Already the singer’s stage presence
defies a multitude of standards held against women. And though all the
performers don in black, the contrast of the glitter, the singer’s bright pink
hair, and fast pace choreography makes the song more impactful. What can be
generally seen as a general upbeat song with artistic direction with staging
and choreography, would entice the hearts of feminists with its rejection of
gender norms.
The lyrics
itself appeal to very radical and feminist ideals, “I won’t give my soul to
anyone, I’ll keep it for myself / True art cannot have a price tag / Every
single answer is already in me, I find it during my sleep” (Eurovision Song Contest,
2018). This section in the second verse can be viewed under many different
scopes. It can be viewed generally as a way of encouraging oneself of one’s own
worth. Or, if viewed under a societal lens, can be applied to the ongoing issue
in gender inequality. The singer speaks from the perspective of a woman
responding to anti-feminists that she will not give into societal expectations
of what it means to be a woman and when Sirk sings “True art cannot have a
price tag”, that can be interpreted as a response to how women are objectified
to being seen as objects rather than human beings. There is another added layer
of deeper meaning when given the fact that Sirk is a mother of two daughters
(Lea Sirk, 2018). This song may be a message Sirk wishes to send to her
daughters on the inevitable backlash they will face on their journey of womanhood
but reminds them to not back down and to stay true to themselves. The singer’s
own input on what the song means to her is a personal song relating to her own
journey. The phrase “Hvala ne” is Sirk’s way of saying “no thanks” to society’s
expectation of putting up a façade and her desire to “take [her] mask off and
show the real Lea” (LaFleur, L. 2018).
In
contrast to Naber’s decision to sing in English for “On my way”, Sirk decides
to stay true to her native language and sing in Slovenian throughout her performance.
This may be an ode to connecting the radical message with her own national
identity to her country, as a way of relaying the feminist Slovenian identity
to viewers, one that may not receive enough limelight in today’s news.
Overall,
Slovenia’s performances have shown a snippet of diversity within the country’s legion
of identities. It shows a rather progressive attitude toward diversity; a skill
Slovenia has succeeded in with these past two performances is being able to
have some sort of universal message that most anyone can relate to. Additionally,
by including female performers who defy gender norms, demonstrates a
progressive outlook on Slovenia’s part. However, there is always room for
improvement, and I believe by choosing songs with more relevance to issues in
today’s society, Slovenia will be able to make grand strides in making an
imprint on the song contest and of the world.
Word Count: 1285
References
LaFleur,
L. (2018, May 02). Lea Sirk Introduces 'Hvala, ne!' to the Rehearsal Stage. Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved from https://eurovision.tv/story/lea-sirk-introduces-slovenia-2018-on-the-rehearsal-stage
“Lea Sirk” (2018). Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved from https://eurovision.tv/participant/lea-sirk
Lea Sirk. (2018). Hvala, ne
(Slovenia). Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Lisbon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiysnSG6a3I
“Omar Naber” (2017). Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved from https://eurovision.tv/participant/omar-naber-1
Omar Naber. (2017). On My Way
(Slovenia). Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Kyiv. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=069n6EnlDt0
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