Hey there. Here we go with the last installment (as of this year) of the story of Spain in Eurovision. But don't worry, there are more countries and there will be more years.
The usual glossary for people who are not up to speed on what Eurovision is:
- Eurovision:
The Gay Olympics An international music contest in which most countries in Europe and some not in Europe take part. - EBU: European Broadcasting Union, an international body made by many national broadcasters that organizes Eurovision and sets its rules.
- TVE - Radiotelevisión Española, the Spanish national broadcasters that represents Spain at Eurovision.
- Juries: Panels of alleged music experts who vote, both in Eurovision and in national finals.
- Televote: Vote by the public, usually done by phone/SMS and in some cases by internet, both in Eurovision and in national finals.
- National final: A televised show in which a national broadcaster selects their representative, usually with vote by the public.
- Internal selection: When a national broadcaster doesn't hold a national final, an instead appoints an artist to represent them.
So, by the end of my last post the Spanish fandom was in shambles after t
he rather suspect choice of Manel Navarro by choosing juries that were openly partial to him led to trending hashtags asking people to resign, actual resignations, a last place in Eurovision, physical altercations, viral meme videos mocking the artist and not one, but two congressional investigations. As in, led by the actual Spanish Congress.
After that, TVE was in kind of a lose-lose position. The credibility of national finals was very low, but at the same time if they tried to make an internal selection, there would be doubts that they were doing it based on artistic merit instead of commercial interests.
So, TVE decided to go for a third option: they brought back Operación Triunfo.
Operación Triunfo, OT from now on, was one of the earliest singing reality TV shows and one of the most influential programs in Spanish TV. It led to a big craze when the winner of the first season was chosen to represent Spain in 2002 and a
huge disappointment that still colors the perception of Eurovision by the Spanish public nowadays. After several seasons with diminishing success, the last full season aired in 2009 and another one was cut short in 2011 after only five weeks.
In late 2017, however, TVE decided they might try their luck at it again, and a new season premiered in October 2017.
2018: Show, don't tell Now, while it was announced that it would be used to choose the Eurovision contestant, OT was a TV show in its own right, with its own prizes and goals and (most importantly) its own fandom. It managed to draw a following comparable to the first mythical seasons, but now with social media to amplify everything. And if you're visiting this sub, you probably know what that means.
Two of the early frontrunners were Alfred García and Amaia Romero, respectively 19 and 18 years old, who quickly found out they had a lot of chemistry and, being isolated, available, young and horny, began a relationship that was very well received by the public. One of the hight poinst of the entire season whas in the third gala when they performed
City of Stars and were disgustingly adorable and awkward doing it and people ate. It. Up.
The season went on and on and more contestants were culled and some moment along the way it was announced that one week before the season finale, the top five contestants would take part in a special gala to select the representative to Eurovision. Meanwhile, Alfred and Amaia (Nicknamed "Almaia" by their shippers) continued being
impossibly cute together, performing really well and gathering a large following, and when the moment came they were amongst the finalists.
That's not to say they were the only ones with fans: Every single contestant had a large following and there were heated rivalries between the fandoms, with two big prizes at the end: Going to Eurovision and winning the season. And while Alfred and Amaia were amongst the frontrunners, it wasn't really a guarantee that they would win either.
Each of the five contestants was given a song to perform individually:
Now lets meet their competition:
- Ana Guerra with El Remedio, a tropical-influenced piece that let her showcase her sexy side.
- Aitana, probably THE other frontrunner of the season, with Arde, a dramatic ballad about losing the past.
- And finally Miriam with Lejos De Tu Piel, a strong-woman-going-my-own-way ballad.
Now, there was a problem here: In all reality shows and SPECIALLY the ones that are shot in real time and get feedback from the public, the producers are very interested in crafting narratives to make the show succeed. This is an inevitability of reality TV and nothing can be one to avoid it.
And in this particular case, one of the biggest narratives was Alfred and Amaia. Their relationship was part of they show and if they could capitalize on it, they would. And more in general, if they went to Eurovision as a couple, this would also increase ratings for Eurovision. So it would be great if they had a way to make them perform together.
On the other hand, if only they two got a duet there would be an instant firestorm of favoritism accusations and they would be very deserved, so they decided that the only solution was to give everyone duets.
Alfred and Amaia got
Tu Canción, a love song that was very much trying to capture the magic of City of Stars and pretty much composed to rile up their shippers.
Aitana and Ana Guerra got
Lo Malo, an urban-trap song. If you compare with their individual songs you see this wasn't that much a good fit for them. Ana had a knack for folk songs and Aitana's specialty were songs where she could showcase emotion.
And that leaves Miriam alone, so they brought back the last eliminated contestant, Agoney. Now, Agoney was probably the only contestant with a narrative that could rival Almaia. Openly gay, the protagonist of
the first gay kiss in the history of OT, and had mentioned multiple times having the dream to go to Eurovision. Considering that a large share of Eurovision fans are precisely gay dudes, he (just like Almaia) brought something to the table that no one else could bring.
So he wasn't given a song of his own. He was only brought here to perform with Miriam and they were given the song
Magia. I love it, but it wasn't a good fit for either of them.
(There was also
Camina, a group performance of all five of them of a song originally composed by and for all the contestants at the beginning of the show. This was a bad idea and we have all collectivelly agreed that it never happened. Please forget that you read this paragraph)
And then Spain found that they had unexpectedly struck gold.
You see: Lo Malo was not a good fit for Aitana and Ana. They didn't like it.
Their teachers had to confront them for saying on camera that they didn't like it.. But the public LOVED IT. Two weeks after its release it had been played over four million times in music platforms and was #1 in nearly all of them and even reached the top 10 in most viral songs worldwide.
(
Here are their faces when they found out)
The weeks between the release of the songs and the national final saw A LOT of heated debate. In one hand you had the fans of each artist that wanted their fave in Eurovision and didn't care about the song or results, divided in factions around their respective faves. In the other hand, you had the Eurovision fans who wanted the best song in Eurovision and didn't care about all the backstories, shipping and faves.
And then the fandoms began strategizing. In the national final there would be a preliminar round in which the three most voted songs would pass to the final round, so any singer with more than one song in the final round would have their vote split and their chances lessened, and the fandoms knew it. Also, they would have to do two separate performances, while a singer that had only one song in the last round could focus exclusively on that performance.
For fans of Alfred and Amaia this was an easy choice: There was a large overlap between them and most of them were also shippers, so they all decided to drop support for their individual songs and go for the duet. (And indeed, their individual songs got 2 of the 3 bottom spots in the first round along with the group performance).
Anyone else had it more difficult: Fans of Miriam didn't know whether to support her individual song that was a good fit for her, or to join forces with fans of Agoney with a song that didn't suit either of them. And fans of Ana and Aitana were stuck between a rock and a hard place, with individual songs that were great for the artists, and a bop that had very high chances to go to Eurovision but that the artists hated.
At the end, strategy prevailed: the three songs in the final round were the duet of Alfred and Amaia, Lo Malo, and Aitana's individual song Arde, and after the second round of voting Alfred and Amaia won.
Most Eurovision fans were pretty skeptical. Alfred and Amaia had had months to create a chemistry for the Spanish public, but in Eurovision they would get three minutes to do the same with Europe and they were not sure it would work. Even the ones that liked them knew it wouldn't be the same. On the other hand, there was a lot of disappointment about losing Lo Malo, which was more instantly catchy and in general was perceived to have a better shot at Eurovision.
One week later, the OT finale took place and Amaia won, with Aitana taking second place. Alfred was fifth overall. Then they took on a promotional tour for OT with all the other contestants (because TV doesn't wait) while they prepared their Eurovision performance.
Interlude: Alfred goes into politics. I don't know if politics counts as a hobby, but here it goes anyway. You see: Alfred is from Catalonia, a region of Spain with a strong separatist movement. Catalan independence is a very touchy subject in Spanish politcs and has a lot of detractors in the rest of Spain.
In late April, less than a month before Eurovision happened, a social media post showed him gifting Amaia a book titled "España de Mierda" (Translates as "Spain, Country of Shit"), a satyrical book penned by a Catalan separatist songwriter. Fans picked up on this and raised a media storm, newspapers ran exposés of anything Alfred had done in his life related to Catalan inependentism, the book sold out, he was forced to apologize and remove some of his social media posts, and there was even a petition to remove him as the Spanish representative (nevermind that so late in the game, only a major force event like disease or death would justify changing the singer).
Amaia then trolled all the media saying that the book was definitely something she would be taking with her to Eurovision as a good luck charm.
At the end nothing came out of this, but it certainly didn't help his image.
So what happened? During the weeks before Eurovision there were rumors that Alfred and Amaia would break up, that the stress of tours and promotional events and the competition would make them break up, that... you know, the usual gossip. But they were still going solid when they went to Eurovision in May,
and then proved the skeptics right by giving a lackluster performance and placing 23rd of 26 countries in the final..
There were (again) calls for the
Spanish higher-ups to quit their positions, articles calling them shitty singers, renewed condemnations of Alfred's association with independentism... you know, the usual.
Alfred and Amaia broke up half a year later and
Amaia disavowed her song saying that it didn't represent her and she hadn't been able to be herself in all that time..
As for where are they now, all the contestants in the final still have rather solid careers (including Agoney), with Aitana eventually coming out on top as the only one reaching the peak of the singles and album charts in her solo career and having more followers than Alfred and Amaia combined.
The true winner of the season, however, is someone we haven't even mentioned yet. Mimí, the first eliminated contestant (or third, there were a couple dudes that didn't make it past the first gala... it's complicated) in mid 2018 rebranded herself as Lola Índigo and dropped
Yo Ya No Quiero Ná which became one of the biggest hits of the year in Spain and went triple platinum. She won the Newcomer of the Year award by Los 40 in Spain and the Best Spanish Act in the MTV Awards, and basically established herself as one of the leading artists in the Spanish music scene.
2019: Let's lower the stakes! Despite the lower placing, for TVE using OT was a successful strategy: They got high viewership, lots of media focus in Eurovision and a lot less controversy than other years, so they decided that it may be good to give it another try the next year, and in late 2018 they announced that there would be another season of OT and it would be used to pick the 2019 Eurovision representative.
This season had lower ratings that the previous one (it was usually the #2 or #3 most viewed show, while Almaia's season topped the ratings in all the second half of its run). It probably also had a lot of drama between the fans of each artist, but to be honest I didn't know about it because I didn't follow it. Sorry, I'm not an OT fan.The only drama I got word of was when the contestants were unhappy that they couldn't go to bed early so they mounted a strike and then
got a big admonishment by their teachers, while the public called them entitled and bratty.
For Eurovision, an online submission phase left TVE with over a thousand songs, from which seventeen songs were given to contestants to record, and then three songs qualified by popular vote and seven more were selected by a jury to participate in the national final
But this time there was something different: Nearly none of the contestants wanted to go.
You see, Eurovision 2019 would take place in Tel Aviv, Israel. And for some geopolitical reasons Israel is a very divisive and controversial country.
And we are going to leave it at that. So, most of the contestants were not so keen to go there and have it associated with the start of their careers.
In addition, TVE decided that the gala to select the representative for Eurovision would take place one month after the finale, when all the results were out and there was nothing left to do, making Eurovision a consolation price that most of them didn't even want. So basically, they wanted to lower the stakes as much as they could.
While they couldn't reject going to Eurovision because they had signed up for it, and they couldn't openly ask their fans not to vote for them, a lot of the contestants were hinting in social media that they weren't really enthusiastic about that, and of course the fans noticed it.
There was A LOT of division in the fandom. OT fans saw it as mostly an aftershow for OT which, in their minds, was what truly mattered, and for them there was no point in making artists go to Eurovision, which was a dumb circus anyway. Eurovision fans, on the other hand, thought that rejecting that commitment was a show of unprofessionalism and that the contestants were rejecting an even bigger opportunity for exposure than OT would ever be and that it was a really stupid and ungrateful thing to do.
The couple months before the national final went by with all this debate. It didn't help that María, who got one of the favorite songs to go to Eurovision, was probably one of the most unenthusiastic about the whole thing.
At the finale things were... weird. Here's the season winner, Famous (and yes, that's his name),
who could barely pretend that he wanted to be there, and frontrunner María giving us an overdose of
just being there because she had to and not naving the energy the song required.
(Some fans proposed taking this song, giving it to Lola Índigo and sending her to Eurovision, but of course, it didn't happen)
So at the end it wouldn't be a surprised that this went to one of the contestants who actually wanted to do it: the season sixth placer Miki Núñez. He was one of two contestants with two songs in the national final: La Venda, a catchy song about
breaking free from your preconceptions and Nadie Se Salva, an even catchier song about
the inevitability of death sung in duet with Natalia Lacunza (who was the only other contestant with two songs in the final, and they were the only ones with a non-solo song)
While Nadie Se Salva was very well received, they had very different vibes in it, almost clashing instead of adding to each other, and it only took third place in the gala. María with Muérdeme was second, and Miki won with La Venda.
The season ran in general much more smoothly than other years. Miki was hard-working, took the contest seriously, had a lot of natural charm and
looked amazing with his clothes off. What's not to love here?
There was still some residual drama from last year when Amaia refused to appear at any act to past the torch to Miki, which was seen as rather unprofessional. Alfred was there, though, and you could see that he wasn't happy with his ex's attitude.
TVE for once took things seriously. They brought as their staging director Fokas Evangelinos, a Greek expert that has done some of the most iconic eurovision stagings of the past decade and a half, including the
2005 winner, the 2008
winner and
runner up, the
2013 runner up and the
2016 third place and basically had never had any of his staged acts place outside the top 10.
Even if fans were rather skeptic about
the final version of the song, that was a bit more tropical and less ska-influenced and felt less spontaneous and fresh, in general there was some cautious optimism about the entry. For once, at least things were getting done on time and with the needed work behind. Unlike cases like Barei, it was guaranteed that Fokas would make sure that the staging would get to the host country. Unlike cases like Manel, there wasn't really a big controversy surrounding the artist. And the song was getting a reasonably good reception by critics, fans and betting portals.
Well, the results didn't follow. Miki placed only one position higher than Almaia, getting 22nd place and becoming the first act staged by Fokas that didn't reach the top 10.
In hindsight, most of the problem was the way the staging was conceived: Miki's biggest asset were his charm and personality, but he was given
an act so choreographed that he didn't have an opportunity to show it and there were so many things happening onstage that they got in the way of each other.
Edit: Thanks to
CherryTheBerry123 for reminding me of one of the best moments here:
all the other contestants raising from their seats to do a conga line while Miki performed. So basically, Spain overcorrected their lack of work of the past years, precisely the year they shouldn't have to. And also he was closing the show when most of the audience was already a bit jaded and after one of the most
memorable performances of the night, so he had an uphill battle.
So... there was disappointment at the results, but in general there was a feeling that Spain may be heading on the right direction. For the first time ever there had been the work behind the entry, even if the approach hadn't been the right one. But still, it's not like people were happy.
As of where are they now, the contestants had about a year to start their careers before the pandemic began, which put them at some of a disadvantage. Famous and had a song that did rather well on the internet but failed to reach the charts, Natalia had a top five single, and in general Miki has had the best career overall, proving that yes, maybe Eurovision was indeed the bigger prize of OT.
2020: Let's take a safe bet. There was another season of OT in late 2020, but the ratings and results were very much subpar and TVE didn't feel that much enthusiasm for it. Instead, for the first time since 2015, they went for an internal selection and picked a singer named Blas Cantó.
The reactions was something like... indifferent optimism.
See, Blas had been a member of Auryn, probably the most successful Spanisy boy band ever, and they had been the runner ups to represent Spain in Eurovision in 2011, and then he went solo in 2016 and released a number 1 album, won the 2017 edition of Your Face Sounds Familiar, and overall he is a very experienced singer and a talented vocalist. On the other hand, he was seen as rather uninspiring. He doesn't have the biggest personality, and while he has fans, he wasn't seen as someone who could really entice Europe.
But on the other hand, he was one of the highest profile representatives and if he was willing to take the risk of Eurovision it could be expected that he would put in the work and knowledge to make things right. So he was a safe bet, but maybe too safe.
His song,
Universo, caused basically the same reactions. It was good, it showcased his voice, but it was too safe.
We will never know how things would go, though. After coronavirus began spreading in Europe, in March the contest was cancelled for the first time in six and a half decades. As you can imagine, none of us were happy, but we understood why it happened.
There was still a chance for extra drama, though. As part of the quarantine TVE hosted an online Eurovision party in which Blas didn't perform (allegedly, because he was suffering anxiety due to quarantine), and fans went wild on him so badly that he had to close his twitter for a while.
Anyway, he was announced as the Spanish representative for 2021 with a song still to be announced. They're actually planning a national final with two songs from which the public will vote their favorite.
Epilogue: Miki goes into politics What, did you think we were done?
NO.
In the last days of December of 2020 Miki was again the focus of some political controversy when he criticized Vox, a Spanish far-right party, and their stance in multiculturalism, LGBT rights and social issues in general, and said that he didn't want anyone that supported Vox to also support him.
Some politicians from Vox responded criticizing Miki and his placement in Eurovision, to which
others responded that Miki got more points in Eurovision that Vox got seats in the Spanish parliament (which was true). Vox countered that there were more points to get in Eurovision that parliamentary seats (also true) and for a while there were elected representatives arguing in official government accounts, on paid time, about the intricacies of the Eurovision voting system.
Which seems like a perfect way to close the year, if you ask me. It's not like they had bigger issues to be working on...
Anyway, this is all about Spain in Eurovision... for now. But don't worry, there are many other countries, and although I've followed their drama much less closely than Spain there is still a lot to write about.
Have a nice day and stay safe everyone!
Release Date: June 12, 2020
Apple Music|
Spotify ---
Hi everyone,
So I originally was not on the list to do an album write up (since I did not volunteer because I was lazy and didn't want to put the effort into doing a write up again like last year). However, after looking at the album list and seeing that Ungodly Hour, aka my 4th favorite album of the year by one of popheads new fan favorites, Chloe x Halle, was not there, I decided to ask the AOTY host and take it upon myself to do a write up for one of best albums of the year, and soon to be main pop girls (I am manifesting!).
Who are Chloe x Halle ? Chloe and Halle Bailey are a sibling duo out of Georgia, USA, with Chloe being the older sibling (age 22) and Halle being the younger one (age 20). They first gained recognition through their Youtube Channel, where their covers of major pop songs (
Rolling in the Deep,
Wrecking Ball,
Roar and
Royals to name a few) shot them into the spotlight and were even crowned winners of Radio Disney's The Next Big Thing. Eventually they caught the attention of Beyonce (yes Beyonce) after they covered
Pretty Hurts at the ages of 15 and 13 (imagine having this much talent at those ages..cannot relate), who signed them to her label Parkwood Entertainment.
Following their signing to Parkwood, they released their first EP Sugar Symphony followed by their mixtape The Two of Us. They started gaining more attention through their various performances including the 2016 BET Awards, the White House Easter Egg Roll and the 2017 NFL Draft. In 2017, they joined the cast of the tv show Grow-ish where they eventually became series regulars. Although this is the start of their acting careers, Halle's career is about to get even bigger as she was cast as Ariel in the Little Mermaid in 2019, which led to some controversy where people were angry that a black women couldn't play a fictional cartoon creature because the colour of her skin didn't match and she doesn't have red hair. As a side bar, after hearing her voice for the first time I think she is great casting as Ariel and her voice is perfectly suited for Ariel's songs and she is not too old or young as well.
In 2018, they finally released their debut album, The Kids are Alright. It was well received and earned them two Grammy nominations as well; Best Urban Contemporary and Best New Artist. With all the songs written by the duo and a lot of the songs produced by Chloe (along with some help from collaborators for a few tracks) this album show how capable and talented they are, and the musical diversity and potential they have.
The Journey to Ungodly Hour On April 17, 2020 the duo released Catch Up featuring Swae Lee and Mike Will Made-It. However the debut single from the album was Do It which was released on May 14 followed by Forgive Me which was released the next day. When the album was finally released on June 12, it received critical acclaim and charted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. From there, they continued to received a ton of praise through the various performances they did, a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B album, and also making
multiple year end lists for 2020.
The first time I learned about Chloe x Halle was not too long ago at the Super Bowl LII where they
performed America the Beautiful. I was blown away by their vocals and harmonizing, and was also shocked to learn how old they were (and that they were younger than me!). I remember that Twitter was praising them so much and deservedly they received a lot of attention for that. For some reason I did not end up checking out their music after that, and I only came back around to them the day their album debuted, as I heard from friends and Twitter once again that it was excellent. And wow it definitely was. Ungodly Hour is a cohesive, fun and artistically impressive project.
Track by Track Review
Intro / Forgive Me Don't ever ask for permission, Ask for forgiveness The album kicks off with probably my favorite track(s); a hauntingly angelic Intro track which goes into Forgive Me. Forgive Me is a uptempo song with that infuses trap elements with Chloe x Halle's R&B vocals. The song is about moving on from a boy who has done them wrong and moving onto better things instead. They have wasted time on him and his lie and have cut him off to they can move on with their life. One reason I love this song is that the lyrics in combination the production and vocals are so intense and dramatic, creating an amazing build up throughout the song. Another thing I love is how well suited Chloe and Halle's vocals are to the parts they sing. Chloe has a much lower register compared to Halle and I think this song really plays into their vocal difference so well. Anyway, this song was addicting for me as it was a bop but such a unique one that no other artist could pull off.
Baby Girl So don't you forget about The little girl that you met now The one that's in your spirit She's still got your back, yeah Baby Girl is a song about love and taking control of your world even when times are tough, even when you have seen shit and when you are feeling down. It is a song of encouragement and empowerment from the perspective being a girl, and channeling the spirit of your younger self to make it through whatever hard situation you are in. While I do enjoy this song a lot and the message it sends, there are much stronger tracks on this album which makes this end up being a filler track (if you had to pick filler on this album which is a big stretch as this album is super cohesive and I don't think anything could have been cut).
Do It I'm just with the crew, We ain't out here looking for boo' Cause some nights be better with you, It's a homies-only kind of mood Do It is the most successful song from this album and essentially the lead single (Catch Up does not feel like the lead single I'm sorry). A major bop that is so catchy, this song is about just going out with your girls and just having a good time aka the perfect song to play while getting ready before you go out. This is probably their most "radio friendly" song but even with that, this song is very much them with their little harmonic sections and vocal overlays thrown into the song.
Do It also got a remix as well featuring Doja Cat, City Girls and Mulatto which also is super fun, although by this point I had listened to the original a lot so I preferred that.
Tipsy You're strumming on my heartstrings, don't be dumb If you love your little life, then don't fuck up Tipsy is a carefree fun bop about
killing boys who break your heart breaking it off guys who don't treat you right even if your are intoxicatedly in love with them. There is a feeling of scorn here as they make threats to the guy they are seeing, warning him not to mess up or he's gone from their life. The whole song basically plays on a metaphor of being drunk in love and when you are tipsy you can being having a great time but also act impulsively at any moment. This song is like a teeter-totter, flipping back and forth between being in love with your boo and hoping for this best, but one misstep will flip you to the other side and you could end up dead in the ground.
This song is definitely a top 3 song from the album for me. I love the exaggerated style of the song, and how it is littered with threats. Chloe x Halle also sound like they are having so much fun on the song and are playful yet not to be messed with in the song.
Ungodly Hour When you don't have to think about it Love me at the ungodly hour Produced by Disclosure, this song is a self love anthem and choosing to not to fully commit unless the other person's heart is fully in it as well. The girls lament about how although they are smitten and enjoy being with their lover, they need to work on themselves first before they can love them at the 'ungodly hour', a time where insecurities are exposed and you are the most vulnerable. Chloe x Halle yearn for more from their lover, and their hesitation has left them in the cold, waiting for them to fully be in it before they can come over again.
This song is definitely one of the best tracks on the album and I would love the duo to continue to work with producers like Disclosure. Disclosure really elevates the song with their pulsing and smooth production. What they did on the song really compliments the melodies and harmonies that the girls have on the song and the elevates the song into a moody and spacey bop.
Busy Boy That's why I don't play with you, I spend a little time, don't stay with you, I tell you what you wanna hear all the time Just because you're so damn fine This song is about having a little fling with a man who fools around, but never fully committing into a relationship as he is not worth the time. I love how they call him out here and the cheekiest of the song, especially the chorus. The two of them really let loose on here and have lots of fun with the song. The man in this song and also in a lot of the other songs on the album is rumoured to be the girls Grow-ish co-star Diggy Simmons, who Chloe apparently had a relationship with (which neither confirmed but it's very likely they did), and as the song suggests was a busy boy indeed.
As Chloe once said in an interview: "What I love about creating music is that we can kind of just put our experiences in the music, and that’s how we share our personal lives."
Catch Up I'm quick to move on, don't get it confused I have a future with shit to lose The one song with some features on the album (Swae-Lee and Mike Will Made-It), this song was actually the lead single as I mentioned earlier. It's a fine song and it continues with the theme of having a fling with a guy who isn't fully committed. Chloe and Halle's melodies are super interesting here and I do like Swae Lee's presence as a male voice although I think they could have done the song without him as well. Although not a favorite song on here, this song does make me want to see the girls work with other male hip hop artists and I think they could collab well with melodic artists such as Roddy Ricch or Travis Scott.
Overwhelmed Holdin' my breath 'til my face turns blue, Head under waterBreathe deeply, they said An interlude essentially, this song is Chloe x Halle flexing their harmonizing abilities while singing about being overwhelmed and stressed and trying to cope with it. I don't have much to say about this other than it is gorgeous and very relatable.
Lonely It don't have to be lonely being alone One of my personal favourites, Lonely is a song about embracing being by yourself, whether it's being single or if your friends are out and about. This song, although not intentionally, is a COVID pandemic anthem in my mind. In times where it is hard to go out and see family and friends or have close relationships you have to learn to be okay with being by yourself and finding peace with that. Even if there wasn't a global pandemic going on, I think the message still applies greatly in life. Some of us yearn so hard to be surrounded by people 24/7 or be in a relationship instead of being single and through this song, Chloe x Halle encourage us to learn more about ourselves when we are by ourselves, rather that seeking validation and constant contact from others. I know I keep saying this (and I will keep saying it forever) but their harmonies are amazing here and I think this is lyrically one of their strongest songs, which is why I think its one of their best tracks here.
Don't Make it Harder On Me Don't make it harder on me I told you not to love me And now you're growing on me One of, if not the best track for harmonies on this album, this song is an exuberant proclamation where the girls beg a guy to stop being sweet and nice and tempting them to go back to the guy. They have moved on from this guy and are just friends with him but there is still something in their hearts that draws them back to him and makes it hard to feel 100% moved on. I love the stripped back production with guitars and drums and how it builds into the chorus. Chloe and Halle's voices sound heavenly and this is definitely some of the best vocals they have on the album.
Wonder What She Thinks of Me So tell me, tell me, baby I know this is crazy You've done this before, so who are you to judge me? Me? Probably the most haunting song on the album, this is a mid-temp song where Chloe and Halle reflect on being the other women in relationship. They yearn to be with this guy however they also ponder what the actual girlfriend thinks of them as she definitely knows the man is cheating on her with someone else. But they don't care, they love the guy and would continue being the other women, This is definitely the most risque song they have done but I love how they were bold enough to write this song from the 'mistress' perspective, as it's something that's not done too often. The stripped back production is super effective and the ramping up of the intensity of the song in the chorus is a great stylistic choice as well to emphasize the predicament they are in.
ROYL Won't you live tonight? (For the rest of your life) Could be paradise (Never know 'til you try) The album closes with this triumphant track about Chloe x Halle wanting the person they are interested in to be with them for the night and to give things a shot. This I think is a perfect closer, and it wraps up the narrative that has been set up throughout the entire album of dealing with an on and off relationship the confusing feelings that have been exhibited throughout. This song is another one of my favorites from the album and I love the plucky production interwoven with with the trap beat. This is one of those songs I feel like you could shout from a rooftop and I love how the girls switch back and forth between talk-singing and giving it all with their vocals.
Notable Performances
Chloe x Halle in this era are know for being performers, and executing looks and visuals while giving out of this world vocals. Here are some of the highlights from this era that should definitely be checked out:
Final Thoughts Ungodly Hour is a slick and tight project with themes of female empowerment, love, breaking hearts, getting heartbroken, not taking shit from men who are playing games with your heart and loving yourself first when you need to.
Chloe x Halle have really showcased their abilities and maturity through this album through their knack for melodies, harmonies, vocals and ability to write and also produce their own music. Beyonce knew exactly what they were capable of when they were signed to her label, and all the potential they have to become big stars. Although I would say this album is a breakout for them and has definitely garnered them a larger fanbase through places like popheads and word of mouth, I think in the next couple years they will become massive stars.
Questions for Discussion:
- What are your favorite songs from the album?
- What direction do you see Chloe x Halle going in for their next project? Do you ever think we will see solo projects from them?
- In an interview recently, Chloe said she would love to work with Bree Runway (will PHCJ win? Stay tuned). What artists would you like to see them collaborate with?
- Do you think they will be able to spawn a top 10 hit? Or do you see them continuing with being more low key and having critical success over commercial?
(Reposting here because WSB is going hard in the paint when it comes to moderating posts right now)
RING RING 📞📞
Pick up goddamn it. It’s general cheese here. 👋
Yeah what’s up bitches you may probably remember me from the
NOK discussion post I made yesterday Anyways, there’s a lot of talk that posts like my last post is stock manipulation. Anyways I’m not a financial advisor, I JUST REALLY LIKE THE FUCKING STOCK. And of course, I said that I’d post a DD/Discussion thread today. And it’s going to be a long ass read so buckle the fuck up and put some eye drops in your eyes because here we go. 🥴🚀🔥🔥
—If you are a pussyfooting paper handed bitch then you should probably stop reading at this point—
We are at war.
Here’s the map You see that shit? Make sure you look at the times of arrival. We are prepped and ready for deployment with AMC and BB. We might be 10 minutes late to the game in comparison, but we’ll get there and we’ll get the job done and we will fuck shit up. Not only that but fucking BlackRock inc is the largest share holder of Nokia at 5.6% and they bought a shit ton more shares a couple days ago. If that’s not a big fucking sign then I don’t know what the hell is. ALSO, if that’s not enough for you, ERIC just beat the the ever living shit out of it’s earnings. ERIC also produces 5G tech like NOK and in the US NOK is practically the only one in the 5G game. They’re one of, if not, the best company to invest in for data transfer systems. You know how you’re reading this, right? You also know how you jack off to porn every night? That’s data transfer.
I’m also seeing a lot of you doubting the ever living fuck out of NOK. How about we look at the facts, punks? Last Wednesday the stock hit a record volume of shares traded at 1 BILLION. You need to understand that the moon is fucking possible with this stock. It may not be Monday but it WILL come in the next two weeks. Mark my fucking words. Save the post.
“Oh General Cheese, I’m so scared there’s so much old money in this stock just begging to bring the price down.” 😱😱😱😰😰😰
Yes, but what is an enemy without bullets? 🔫 What’s a few couple billionaires to a superstar group of smooth brained retards in the millions with dreams of grandeur? 🚀🚀🚀What’s an enemy to people who don’t even know what they’re doing? 🥴💫Chaos brings fear. Billionaires hate chaos except when they jack off to their own market manipulation sitting in their luxury condos having fucking grapes fed to them by their own children.
Gear up boys. Earnings will be the most important day this stock will have ever seen for the past couple decades. That’s when the most shots will be fired. Fuck the short ladders, fuck the sellers. It’s their fault they hate money. As for all of us, we are in it for the long term play. I don’t pretend that this is the next GME because it isn’t. But, this stock deserves to show the world its true value. And it’s hella far from what it is by tenfold.
And the bet is still on. If if this fucking stock hits $50 by EOY I will literally eat my own shit in the most crowded park in LA. I will literally buy a fucking gold plate from Dubai or where ever you fucking get those things and sterling silver cutlery. That’s how fucking serious and retarded I am.
Anyways. This is the move.
No attack on any enemy is done with a single weapon and only one strategic play. It is carried out through a series of cascading effects and in this case, Wall Street, Robinhood, Melvin, etc. is the enemy. A ton of retards buying and holding BANG stocks is the ultimate goal. Everyone is expecting GME. Everyone is cheering on GME. Everyone is sucking off GME. In a battle you create a diversion so that reinforcements can come in from the sides and decimate the enemy. This is what we call a “flank”. AMC and BB are ready to attack from the left. I NEED TO KNOW WHETHER YOU FUCKING NOKle HEADS ARE READY TO ATTACK FROM THE RIGHT.
Well? Are you? Hold your positions. Grab your fucking cash because that is a weapon and you buy.
“But general 😰🥵😱 how the hell are we supposed to get NOK when RH is blocking our engagement on the enemy?”
Okay you shellshocked paper handed bitch, this is how we do it.
How do gaslit whores try and make money on tinder?
CASHAPP.
Who doesn’t set a limit on how many NOK shares you can buy?
Coincidentally, CASHAPP.
And how do we get past the defenses while we venture into the jaws of death on Monday?
This is the run down.
Look at your PRICE BY VOLUME CHART on your trading app or whatever the fuck your broker uses and you BUY AT THE ASKING PRICE. For every time you buy NOK at the asking price rather then being a pussyfoot and buying and market price, this is like a grenade to the walls that a stock can generate in terms of its price. RH has it if you have hold but who the fuck uses that? I’m just using that as an example.
So, in conclusion, hold the ever living shit out of NOK, hold the line, and ENGAGE. 🪄🚀💫🌙 🔫🔫🔫
Use Cashapp to get shares, or whatever brokerage you can use to get some. Cashapp is just for the wagecucks. And if you don’t have any money because you’re a wagecuck, you’re going to at least have a pistol going in. (you need weapons for a battle you retard) then use the official NOK password ( BKXDNGQ ) when you sign up and get like 2 shares or something. That’s the only way that I can personally help you in these dark times.
But the light at the end of the tunnel won’t be too far away, retards.
But you have to hold.
You have to believe.
And if that’s not enough for you, here’s a list of reasons to buy the shit out of NOK
- Most essential 5G patents in the world
- Fastest 5G speeds recorded
- Controls over 27% of the 4/5G market
- First company contracted to set up internet on the moon (NASA)
- Will receive MULTI-BILLION dollar settlements from ongoing litigations with Mercedes Benz and Lenovo
- Technology provider and main collaborator of the National Security Center of Excellence 5G Cybersecurity Project (Federal 5G project)
- Selected to be the main collaborator of the Hexa 6G European Union Project
- Has pending Department of Defense contracts yet to awarded
- Just sealed a contract with TMOBILE for US 5G roll out.
- Has and will take market share from Huawei, already has secured multi-year deals with important Chinese companies
- Blackrock increased their position to 333,000,000 shares during 2020, an increase of 21 million shares held from the year before (7% increase)
- May also be getting back into the phone business as they are manufacturing phones in India
- Vanguard Capital owns 160,000,000 shares and is continuously buying
- Google Cloud announced a partnership with $NOK to Accelerate Cloud-Native 5G Readiness for Communications Providers
NOK FOR LYFE 💫💫🚀🚀🔥🔥
Edit: WSB mods are trying to keep my silver, sexy, well spoken tongue out of their sub. Maybe I’m too powerful. I never linked a knockoff sub so they can fuck themselves. Just the mods.
https://imgur.com/gallery/yf1xniy Signed,
General Cheese.
The old one was archived, so here's a fresh one so the questions/answers can continue.
WHAT’S A FIGHTSTICK?
It’s a controller reminiscent of the controls used in an arcade cabinet, generally featuring a joystick and multiple buttons. Most can be played on a lap, while some are heavy and large enough to warrant a table or platform underneath them. Using one over a standard handheld or console controller won’t magically up your game and they are largely preference. They are most commonly used for fighting games, shmups, run ‘n guns, and classic arcade titles. At their simplest, a fightstick requires an enclosure (usually made of wood, acrylic, or metal), buttons, a joystick, a PCB, and a wiring harness to connect everything. Additionally, all-button fightsticks that don’t utilize joysticks are becoming more commonplace on the scene.
WHICH STOCK FIGHTSTICK IS BEST?
This is largely a matter of taste and budget. Here are just a few options to get you thinking.
ENTRY LEVEL: Qanba Drone and Mayflash F500
If you go much cheaper than these options, you may sacrifice quality and durability. DO NOT GO CHEAPER THAN THESE OPTIONS.
SOLID LEVEL: Hori Real Arcade Pro N/4/V, Razer Panthera, Qanba Obsidian, Qanba Pearl, Hori Fighting Edge, Mad Catz TES+ (and Razer Atrox for Xbox One players)
SOLID BUT $$$ LEVEL: Qanba Dragon, Victrix Pro 5, etokki Omni
At the end of the day, go with what feels right and fits your budget. There are lots of awesome sticks out there. If you
really can't make up your mind, go with an Obsidian (or even better, a Pearl, since the only difference is color and a noir button layout). Really though, if you're still that on the fence, then you can also consider building your own. They come together fairly easily these days and it's super fun (though they will usually run at a higher price point than a stock stick unless you can easily get or make a suitable enclosure). Just more food for thought.
For more in-depth reviews:
Jeux Arcades,
ConsumerExpert,
Tom’s Guide,
PCMag,
bestarcadesticks,
thearcadestick WHERE CAN I BUY NEW, STOCK FIGHTSTICKS?
Price the sticks accordingly across the following websites. Most will be fairly comparable with one another, but occasionally one of the sites may have a deal going on.
Arcade Shock Focus Attack Paradise Arcade Hitbox (for specialty, all-button controllers)
Mixbox (for specialty, keyboard-esque controllers)
etokki Qanba IST Mall (South Korea) IST Mall QOO10 Store OzStick (Australia) Amazon eBay Newegg [If you’re a retailer and want to be added here, please DM me.]
WHERE CAN I BUY CUSTOM FIGHTSTICKS?
If you’re in the market for a full custom, consider one of the following vendors. They each have a unique flair and flavor with their sticks, but you can generally expect to pay more for a custom one-off model from one of these guys than you can just buying an over-the-counter affair.
All Fight Sticks Buttercade Eternal Rival Fightstick Guy Foe Hammer JonyFraze and JxK Designs Junk Food Custom Arcades Marvelous Customs Otherside Arcade Hero (wood cases)
Retro Stockpile TorresWorkShop TR Fight Stick 2nd Impact (out of Brazil)
arcadepc.mx (out of Mexico)
Wallcade (out of Spain)
Blunderbuss Designs One Zero (out of UK)
Modding in UK:
LionoBO0o [If you’re an active custom builder and want to be added here, please DM me.]
ART & TEMPLATES
Focus Attack's art and plex templates Arcade Shock's Color program Tek Innovation’s PSD files Free Fight Stick Art subreddit DIY Custom Fightstick Art Tips and Tricks Slagcoin's Joystick and Panel Layouts PERSONALIZED ARTWORK
If you'd like to support the FGC art scene, here's a list of active artists who can give your stick a facelift for some reasonable fees. Check out their portfolios, commission one you like, print it up, and swap out that stock template with some personalized artwork all your own.
_Exitbag Arcadia Customs AustinSV Bearwitt CKNG Custom Stick Art DeathZeroZX Entember's Art Shop Ethnic Toast EvermoreStandard FSG and Clay Patterson Glorious StickART heyjay art hugs_n_giggles Ilan Tesone JxK Designs Manga_Panel_Vic Neat Fiction Squanuu (portfolio) Sudsack [If you’re an active artist and want to be added here, please DM me.]
CUSTOMIZING FIGHTSTICK HARDWARE AND DIY
Obviously many players enjoy customizing their sticks. Everything from lever, to the button type, to the tension in the lever, to the enclosure itself can be changed to better fit the style of the user. If you’re making your own from scratch, here are some things to keep in mind.
COMMON ISSUES:
- Make sure you buy the correct button size. Most buttons on the top face of fightsticks are 30 mm. If you have smaller hands or want that Hitbox vibe, then 24 mm might be appropriate, but most of the time, people go with 30 mm. Auxiliary buttons (home, share, PS, etc.) are generally where you find 24 mm. All buttons have a unique feel, but some common brands include Sanwa, Seimitsu, Crown/Samducksa, Hayabusa, and GamerFinger. Here's a helpful page about button and joysticks: Joystick and Button attributes
- When you’re ordering your buttons, you’ll also notice that there are generally both snap-in and screw-in button types. Most of the time, it won’t matter which you choose; however, as a general rule of thumb, if the top face of your enclosure is on the thicker side, go with screw-in buttons.
- Make sure your layout lines up with your art. Some printing shops won’t print art with existing licensed characters, so you may have to visit more than one if you’re trying to get it done locally.
- You’ll need to keep in mind the games you’d like to play and on which platforms they are found. In my mind, PS4 and PC have more and better fighting game exclusives (though KI on XBone was great), so those platforms would probably be the best bet if you’re just getting into the fighting game genre. Regardless, look to see which consoles the stick actually supports when you’re buying. If you’re building your own, then make sure the PCB you choose is compatible with your console/PC. The PCB most common to this generation of custom sticks are the Brook brand PCBs.
- Most stock retail sticks come with Sanwa parts (besides Hori which comes with Hayabusa).
- American style parts will most likely not fit a Japanese stick due to height.
- Korean levers with collars won't fit a traditional Japanese stick due to the size of the joystick hole.
LINKS/YOUTUBE
Core-A Gaming Scanline City NihongoGamer Alex Nostalgix HurtboxTV JasensCustoms JoyStickNY WoolieVersus (Scrubguides: Arcade Sticks 101 video) JonyFraze Mr. Sujano Hit Box DISCORD
Our vision is to continue to grow and be a hub for fighting game controller tech as well as a safe space for trades and sales, something like the spiritual successor of SRK’s Tech Talk and Trading Outlet. Discord folks are happy to talk shop or to help you find another outlet beyond eBay to buy and sell your fightstick.
If you haven’t joined the Discord, consider stopping by to see what it’s all about:
*And this should go without saying, but sales conducted through there are at YOUR OWN RISK (always do your own homework), but in general, most people are trustworthy and there’s been very few instances of people being burned. Please no price flaming and remember that it’s always a good idea to pay with the PayPal Goods and Services option so you are covered if the deal falls through. Any questions, ask one of the Discord mods. Also, if buying and selling fightsticks is your primary interest, consider visiting
Fightsticksforsale since that is their main area.
OTHER / FLUFF / SUPERFLUOUS NONSENSE
For 2021, we created a brand spankin' new, friendly,
inclusive dojo for those like-minded fightstick enthusiasts to sport the “rFightsticks” tag under their names. If you play SFV, feel free to join, and if you’d like me to add similar rFightsticks-themed dojos/groups for different games to our FAQ, you are welcome to create and I can update a master list accordingly in the FAQ. To join for SFV, you need to sync your account on Shadaloo C.R.I. and then simply search for the dojo under my Fighter ID (Hush_My_Sweet) or the
dojo ID itself (rFightsticks).
There's also a "Fightstick of the Month" series by Mr. Sujano where he combs through the posts on this sub to pick out top contenders. In addition, we have an annual series of awards to go alongside his
"Best Fightsticks of the Year" video where an awesome panel of FGC people choose winners for a number of different categories. Please don't be shy; consider posting your builds to show them off to this community and get noticed. The community here definitely appreciates cool fightstick work.
_____
If you have any other links or information that you think might belong here in this welcome FAQ, post here or DM me so I can update accordingly (and huge thanks to hugs_n_giggles for helping with this one). If you have any minor questions that don't deserve their own threads, then reply here and the community will usually have an answer for you. Minor questions are also perfect for the Discord. *
If no one responds to your question here, feel free to create a thread to get it some more visibility. He won MVP of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, CD of the Year, and more at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2011, he won Lyricist of the Year again and also took home the award for Best Live Performer. The 16th annual BET Awards show aired live Sunday night from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The BET Awards celebrated not only its 20th anniversary, BET Awards 2020: See who won at the BET Awards News. by: CNN Wire. Posted: Jun 29, 2020 / 07:00 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 29, 2020 / 05:58 The 2020 BET Awards, honouring the best in music, movies, TV and more, happened virtually this year -- but the stars still won big! Sunday's awards show was hosted by comedian and actress Amanda This year, the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards will air on October 27 at 9/8c. As we countdown the highly-anticipated virtual event, we’ve decided to take a walk down memory lane to see some of our History maker: Sha Sha wins BET award. By newsday. - June 29, 2020. SOUTH AFRICA-based Zimbabwean amapiano star, Charmaine Shamiso Mapambiro, popularly known as Sha Sha in the showbiz industry has... The BET Awards, which honor Black excellence in entertainment and sports, were presented Sunday. BET Awards 2020: See who won at the BET Awards By Lisa Respers France, CNN; BET Awards 2020: See who won at the BET Awards. By Lisa Respers France, CNN. Updated 1337 GMT (2137 HKT) June 29, 2020. Megan Thee Stallion, shown here at a performance in February, won the first...
GRAMMYs 2020 RECAP: The Winners, The Surprises, and What You Didn't See On TV!#GRAMMYsET Live Is Here and Streaming 24/7: https://www.etonline.com/et-live-st... Oscars 2020 RECAP: All The Winners & The Biggest Moments of The Night!ET Live Is Here and Streaming 24/7: https://www.etonline.com/et-live-streaming-247-how-... Lizzo turns the crowd up in her first ever BET Awards performance! #Lizzo #BETAwards #BETAwards2019SUBSCRIBE to #BET NOW! http://bit.ly/1U0v9xGDownload th... Awards season kicked off Sunday night with the 2020 Golden Globes, the 77th version of the annual TV-and-movies award ceremony.From Billy Porter's all-white ... Top 5 Nominated and Most Won African Musicians At BET Awards 2020 WHO WINS IT PLEASE LIKE THE VIDEO & SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE NEWS.THANKS
