After an exciting evening the Spanish song for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest is now known. Three entries were competing for the win and the decision was made by a mixed system of televoting and jurors. Quédate Conmigo was the favourite from the beginning and there were no surprises in the result.
In late December it was internally decided that the well-known and established artist Pastora Soler would represent Spain at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and tonight was held the final of the Spanish selection process. The show was hosted by Anne Igartiburu from Prado del Rey in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) starting at 22:30 CET.
Three songs made it to the grand final tonight, but only one could be crowned the winner. The arrangements that were made to the songs sounded very different and better than in the demo videos uploaded a few days ago on the RTVE website and that was a pleasant surprise. It was also a great chance for Pastora to demonstrate that she possesses one of the most stunning contemporary voices in the Spanish music industry today.
The songs:
Song 1: Tu Vida Es Tu Vida (Your Life Is Your Life) composed by Max Miona, Eleonora Giudizi and Juan María Montes.
Pastora’s
vocals here move beyond simple power and bombast. She delivers the
words with feeling that truly engages the listener emotionally. She
sings emphatically that she is going to dismiss the former advice in
favour of the risks so that she can have the chance at finding happiness.
Melodically it is instantly memorable and the lyrics have a true power
to move the listener. The entire spirit of the song is encapsulated in
the chorus. She wore a bright turquoise dress and matching shoes.
Song 2: Quédate Conmigo (Stay With Me) composed by Thomas G:son, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson and Erik Bernholm.
This is a powerful song melodically and lyrically with a moving interpretive vocal performance and the indescribable feel of a classic ballad. The song starts quite slowly and keep rising more and more. There is a lot of pain laid bare in the words and Pastora’s voice, but the ultimate message is that happiness is something well worth the pain and the fight. She was able to express the feelings of the song perfectly. Her sense of drama is impeccable particularly with a stellar run that leads into the final verse. She wore a spectacular black dress with her back completely bare. This song received lots of applause and screams from the audience.
Song 3: Ahora O Nunca (Now Or Never) composed by José Abraham.
She continues to impress with her vocal skills. Ahora o Nunca is more mature lyrically than Quédate Conmigo and her singing moves to a different level of interpretive power here. The song details in words a concept that not taking chances may build a life of safety. However, it’s those risks we choose to take that are necessary for truly being happy. Her vocals have a lilting charm that subtly enriches her wonderful lyricism. This is a stellar song delivered with a near perfect performance. She wore an elegant pink gown.
The show:
Anne Igartiburu welcomed us and then the videos of three songs were showed with the phone numbers for the televoting. Then, the jury members were introduced and after that, Pastora Soler appeared on stage wearing a bright turquoise dress. She told us how was her reaction when she received the phone call to tell her that she would be the Spanish representative. She said that first of all she thought that it was a bit responsability but she was ready and very happy.
In every performance she seemed to be alone on stage. The musicians were on the back of the stage and they had little role. After each song we could see a video of the choreographers Lola Gonzalez, Javier Castillo and Bob Niko talking about the staging that they would create for each entry. We could also hear the views of the jury members and also some Eurofans took the floor. It was all praise for her.
While the jurors and the public voted, the fashion expert Rafa Muñoz, was talking about the quirky dress we have seen sometimes in the Eurovision Song Contest and he also showed some ideas for Pastora to wear in Baku. Many established artists wanted to send their advice for Pastora. Among them were David DeMaria, Raphael (1966 and 1967 Spanish representative) and David Bisbal (backing singer in 2002). The secretary of the Azeri’s embassy in Spain also wanted to suggest to Pastora what foods she should eat when visiting the country in May. We also watched some videos from her beginnings as an artist singing copla when she was a child. One of the most moving moments were lived when we heard the words of one of the men who have worked with her from the beginning and who died a few days ago. She also received lovely words from her family.
The whole show was full of talent. One of the guests was Sergio Dalma, the Spanish entrant at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest who sang a version of the Umberto Tozzi’s song Te Amo included on his new album Vía Dalma. Then he sang in a duet with Pastora another Italian hit called Yo No Te Pido La Luna.
David Bustamante who was one of the backing singers for Rosa in 2002 was the next to sing in a duet with Pastora the romantic song Bandera Blanca.
The popular singer Malú and the singer and songwriter Vanessa Martín who are Pastora’s best friends were singing with her a song composed by they three called Vamos.
The results:
The winning song was decided through a 50% combination of jury deliberation and televoting.
The three-member jury was composed by the singers and songwriters Franco de Vita and Sole Giménez and the musical producer Óscar Gómez who individually awarded the three possible entries with twelve, ten and eight points. Moreover, the song which achieved most votes from the audience by phone calls and text messages, received a total of thirty-six points, the second favourite got thirty points, and the least voted got twenty-four points.
The results were as follow:
Óscar Gómez: 12 points for Quédate Conmigo, 10 points for Tu Vida Es Tu Vida and 8 points for Ahora o Nunca.
Sole Giménez: 12 points for Quédate Conmigo, 10 points for Ahora o Nunca and 8 points for Tu Vida Es Tu Vida.
Franco de Vita: 12 points for Quédate Conmigo, 10 points for Ahora o Nunca and 8 points for Tu Vida Es Tu Vida.
Then, a notary brought the result of the televoting in a red envelope.
Televoting: 36 points for Quédate Conmigo, 30 points for Tu Vida Es Tu Vida and 24 points for Ahora o Nunca.
And the winner song which Pastora Soler will be singing at the final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku is Quédate Conmigo.
You can see the performance on RTVE’s website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F69dA2FZjlM
