Precisely on the 20th anniversary of the memorable Europe’s living a celebration, performed by Rosa from Spain, RTVE returns to Eurovision stronger than ever. All this thanks to the resurrection of a format like the Benidorm Festival to choose the Spanish representative in the European song contest.
If in 2022 Chanel swept the Latin rhythms of “SloMo” and its “hypnotic” choreography, this 2023 Blanca Paloma kicks off with “Eaea”: a “root” proposal that fuses flamenco and electronics, wrapped in the fringes of a elegant, minimalist and suggestive scenery.
Benidorm, sun and beach
The Benidorm Fest, with its obvious nod to sun and beach tourism, a cliché of the country abroad, is the incomparable setting to promote these proposals. Its target audience is mainly European, coming from countries for which the Levantine coast is usually a holiday destination.
Therefore, it is an unmistakable packaging to sell your product. The city’s skyline, present in the visual identity of the festival, becomes a reminder that enlivens a certain “Spain brand”, since the Spanish proposal for Eurovision comes from this decoration.
In addition, by being linked to a city, the festival materializes, becomes real, thus urging the viewer to fantasize and even make a pilgrimage to that place, giving it an entity.
But the Benidorm Fest is not as genuine as it seems. It was inspired by the Italian Sanremo Festival, founded in 1951 and which, in turn, would lead to the creation of Eurovision in 1956.
Indeed, retromania is a symptom of our time, which we experienced in 2020 when the confinement motivated revivals of all kinds. Thus, thanks to the network, any past, at any time, can be activated and shared, extracting from it whatever can be used in the present.
Alfred García’s staging for this edition, set in Benidorm in 1962, is a good example of this. Also Xeinn’s last year, which evoked the pop of the 80s.
Self-parody? Tribute? The fact is that the festival, after translating its label into English, is back with us. A “touch of glitter (purpurina)”, as Vicco sang, and… voilà.
From controversy to success
The pageant’s excellent ratings have not been without controversy, as was the case with Chanel’s victory. Her song would fit into the realm of urban Latin music, with many knockouts marked by her tempo and illustrated with sensual choreography, light effects, and carefree lyrics in Spanglish.
But curiously, since it did not seem Spanish enough, some final arrangements were added to the theme, such as the sound of a bugle and the waving of a fan at the climax of the performance, that is, at the bridge of the song.
The ad hoc attempt to “Spanishize” part of the performance by the Cuban-Catalan singer is not so bizarre: it responds to how Latin and flamenco coexist interchangeably in the collective imagination of the international public.
Some hits by Madonna, Geri Halliwell and even David Bisbal prove it. To what extent do cultural appropriation and syncretism cover up a colonial overtone?
After achieving third place in Eurovision, something unusual for RTVE, Chanel was received at Barajas as a true heroine, also being congratulated by the King and Queen of Spain. A very particular call to national identity.
This year, Blanca Paloma (who, in fact, has already sung before their majesties) follows in her wake, who would also participate in that first edition, making her hallmark clear: predominance of vocal interpretation, instrumentation that combines folk melodies with electronic arrangements, sets that combine color schemes and minimalist props.
Flamenco, Lorca and Carmen
On this occasion, “Eaea” is presented as a lullaby that, with its continuous changes of rhythm, leaves the viewer more absorbed than asleep, subverting its mission.
The allusion to his Sevillian grandmother in a bulería that lyrically refers to Lorca’s lullabies and a kind of folkloric «Hijo de la luna» increases the drama. The lyrics tell the story of a mother who wants to watch over her son from the moon every night of her life, every night “except one”: that is, the death of the offspring.
On the other hand, the name of the singer, authentic, refers to Andalusia as a synecdoche of the Spanish. The one that is most prepared is her characterization, inspired by the myth of Carmen, the Spanish femme fatale, with passion red present in makeup and costumes.
The scene, performed by the company La dalia negra, manages to make an impact from the beginning, which starts with an “olé” by the choir and the silhouette of the singer intoning the initial notes. The close-ups and overhead shots predominate, although without losing the overall shots, which immerse the viewer in a peculiar atmosphere. The sinuous lights are filtered by a circular structure made up of fringes that symbolize the shawl of her grandmother… who was precisely called Carmen.
The singer, with a degree in Fine Arts, has left her mark on a refined proposal, supported by a team made up of, among others, José Pablo Polo, composer, sound artist and music producer, and Álvaro Tato, writer, actor and playwright.
For RTVE, it is the first time in a long time that so many professionals from the so-called erudite culture take part in a mass show that for years was branded as kitsch, hilarious and even in bad taste.
Indeed, both the performance and the recently released video clip of “Eaea” and the arrangements that are to come invite us to think that it will be a very special number.
A moment from the start of Blanca Paloma’s performance in the Benidorm Fest final.
RTVE
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In addition, the “Spain brand” has been reinterpreted, but not from the distance of the stereotype, as in the case of Aritz Arén’s candidate, “Flamenco”, but from the artist’s own history. All this without impostures, although being aware that the contest encourages the clichés of the participants. Just because countries participate in it, identifying themselves through songs, that must be evident.
In short, perhaps this is an opportunity to take advantage of this unusual showcase and for professionals in the artistic field to contribute to creating suggestive and avant-garde imaginaries on public television, beyond the mainstream currents that we are so used to consuming.
This reconciliation, however, does not make it obvious that it is a television contest whose rules have been subscribed. Let’s get into the game… and see what happens.
This article has been published in ‘The conversation‘.
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