#i just really wanted to use these lyrics for lisbon | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thehiccupingbanana · 14 days

Text

Main Street Drive-In Theater

PAIRING/FANDOM: Patrick Jane/Teresa Lisbon (The Mentalist) GENRE: fluff WORD COUNT: 6,462 WARNINGS: emotional and mental abuse from parent, mention of a dead parent, mention of alcohol abuse, parent using child for financial gain, mention and use of a gun but it's a carnival game not a real one SUMMARY: A new drive in theater opens up in town and the gang goes one day after school. There they meet Patrick, who has a cool car, and who Lisbon had taken a liking to almost immediately. OR Inspired by the song Main Street Drive-In by The Moxies ADDITIONAL TAGS: Song: Main Street Drive-In (The Moxies), AU: Highschool, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, background van pelt/rigsby

[MAIN STREET DRIVE-IN -THE MOXIES LYRICS] [READ ON AO3]

Lisbon sits down with her friends at the lunch table on the outside patio after their Criminal Justice class lets out. She notices how much nicer it is outside now that winter and all the cold fronts have passed. When Pike sees her at the table, he smiles at her, and she gives a half smile back.

“Guys, the drive-up movie theater is opening up this weekend again, we should go!” Van Pelt says glancing at her boyfriend of four years, Rigsby to let him know it is not a question. “They are going to be playing WALL-E, and it could be fun!”

“That would be fun to go watch an old movie and just hang out!” Hightower agrees, “Cho, Pike, Lisbon? What do you think?”

“I won’t mind going, I love WALL-E.” Lisbon nods. Cho and Pike nod when they notice Hightower is still looking at them for an answer.

“Yay!” Grace cheers.

“Yo, Cho, check out this car.” Pike grabbed Cho’s attention, “This car is so cool.”

“Thanks, it’s a Citroën.” A guy looking around their age, presumably the car owner, announced walking toward the car holding a drink and popcorn.

“How did you get this car?” Cho asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

“Ehh, that’s a long story, short story is a client gave me this car as payment.” the guy chuckled, setting his drink and popcorn on the roof of the car.

“I think you just made Cho very suspicious of who you are and what you do.” Rigsby cut in, reaching out his hand for a shake, “I’m Rigsby, that’s Cho and Pike. We go by our last names because we are going to be detectives one day and we are just trying to get used to it.” Rigsby explained.

“Well, my last name is Jane if you want to call me that.” the car owner, Jane, replied.

“Rigs, do you want to find a spot somewhere, the movie is supposed to start soon…” Van Pelt ran up to them, Lisbon and Hightower right behind her, threading her left arm through one of Rigsby’s arms, “Oh, hi sorry, I’m Van Pelt.” she smiled, reaching out her right arm for a handshake that was returned by Jane.

“Hey guys this is Jane, he has this cool car. Jane, Van Pelt here is my beautiful girlfriend, and the girls are Hightower and-”

“Lisbon.” Lisbon cut off Rigsby, and held out her hand for Jane to shake, both holding on for longer than necessary. Pike shot daggers at Jane with his eyes when he saw this.

“Nice to meet you, Lisbon.” Jane smiled, “And you Rigsby and Van Pelt.”

“Nice to meet you as well Jane.” Lisbon replied, still feeling the memory of the warmth of his hand in her hand.

“Well, Van Pelt, let’s go find a spot to sit like you said.” Pike interrupted, but was looking at Lisbon.

“I’m gonna go now. See you around?” Lisbon asked Jane, turning her body towards her friends but not breaking eye contact with him.

“Yeah, go ahead. See you around.” Jane smiled watching Lisbon run back to her friends after a quick goodbye.

When Lisbon caught up to her friends, she noticed that there were some blankets laid out on the ground for them.

“So, Lisbon, Jane’s kinda cute, isn’t he?” Van Pelt knocked her shoulder with Lisbon’s playfully.

“What? I didn’t even notice.” Lisbon blushed.

“Yeah okay, if that helps you sleep better at night, Lisbon.” Hightower joked.

As the movie was going on Lisbon wasn’t really paying attention but thinking back to Jane, there was just something about him that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Once the movie was over and they got up to leave, she noticed that the blue Citroën was gone. Trying to hide her disappointment, she said bye to her friends and all went their separate ways.

~🛣️ 🎥~

Jane walks out of the tent that his father uses to give “psychic” readings to carnival visitors, defeated just wanting the day to be over. This morning he finally told his best friend Angela that he liked her more than friends and wanted to know if she wanted to go on a proper date with him that night, to which she replied that she thought of him like a brother but they could still hang out that night if he wanted. Jane just shook his head and continued talking and hanging out with her like he normally would, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart breaking in his chest. Now his dad just involved him in a con, tricking an old woman into buying a rock that would “heal” her terminal granddaughter. He hates these cons his dad involves him in and can’t wait until the day when he can finally leave the carnival and never look back. Jane stood outside the tent gently kicking around some rocks to take his mind off the horribleness of the day, wondering what it would be like to actually have a happy day and ending, not like the lies his dad tells the visitors.

“Did you hear the drive-in theater is opening back up this weekend?” Jane heard the voice of a girl at a distance.

“The one on main street? They are playing WALL-E, it’s a cute movie and I want to go just to experience the drive in.” he heard another girl's voice say.

“Me too! Ask John if he wants to go and we can go on a double date with me and Tyler.” the first girl insisted.

“I will! It will be a lot of fun.” the second one said with what sounded like a smile in her voice.

Jane thought that maybe watching a movie would end his terrible week on a good note. Although he has never seen the WALL-E movie, and doesn't know if it's a good movie, but if it can take his mind off of the week, he will watch it.

Once Jane found a good spot for his car he parked and headed to the concession stand to grab something to snack on. He decided on popcorn and a drink after seeing most people with that combination walking around.

“Yo Cho, check out this car.” Jane saw a brunette guy maybe around his age staring at his car, this not being the first time his car was admired. “This car is so cool.”

“Thanks, it’s a Citroën.” Jane smiled when he got a little closer, not sure what else he could say.

“How did you get this car?” a raven-haired guy asked with his eyes narrowed, his voice dripping in suspension.

“Ehh, that’s a long story.” Jane said not wanting to explain to complete strangers what he does on a daily basis. “The short story is a client gave me this car as payment.” Jane chuckled out the word payment, while setting down his popcorn and drink on the roof of his car.

“I think you just made Cho very suspicious of who you are and what you do.” a third guy cut in reaching out his hand for what Jane had to guess was a hand shake. “I’m Rigsby, that’s Cho and Pike. We go by our last names because we are going to be detectives one day and we are just trying to get used to it.” Rigsby explained while shaking Jane’s hand.

“Well, my last name is Jane if you want to call me that.” Jane replied.

“Rigs, do you want to find a spot somewhere, the movie is supposed to start soon…” a girl with red wavy hair ran up and threaded her left arm into Rigsby’s right arm while two other girls walked up behind her. “Oh, hi sorry, I’m Van Pelt.” she smiled, reaching out her right arm for a handshake that was returned by Jane.

“Hey guys this is Jane, he has this cool car. Jane, Van Pelt here is my beautiful girlfriend, and the girls are Hightower and-”

“Lisbon.” the most beautiful girl Jane has ever seen, said cutting off Rigsby, and holding out her hand for a shake which he took and held onto for longer than most handshakes, but he knew he wasn’t the only one holding too long. Jane noticed that the brunette guy, Pike, had a look of jealousy and envy looking at their hands.

“Nice to meet you, Lisbon.” Jane smiled, “And you Rigsby and Van Pelt.” Jane remembered other people were there, letting go of her hand.

“Nice to meet you as well Jane.” Lisbon replied, clasping her hands together in front of her.

“Well, Van Pelt, let’s go find a spot to sit like you said.” Pike interrupted the conversation, looking at Lisbon.

“I’m gonna go now. See you around?” Lisbon asked Jane, turning her body towards her friends but not breaking eye contact with him.

“Yeah, go ahead. See you around.” Jane smiled watching Lisbon run back to her friends after a quick goodbye.

‘Just earlier this week I was thinking all about Angela, but Lisbon… Wow.” Jane thought, getting into his car driver’s seat with the popcorn and his drink. Jane watched the movie considering just leaving the drive in when EVE left WALL-E, but the tears pooling in his eyes stopped him from actually leaving. When the movie was over, Jane was smiling, but he still had some tears left. As the credits were rolling, he did leave the theater, not wanting to chance seeing anyone in the state he was in.

~🛣️ 🎥~

Over the week Lisbon’s mind kept drifting off to that blue-eyed boy she met at the drive-in who introduced himself as Jane. Lisbon wanted to go to the drive-in again to see if Jane happened to be there, but both Van Pelt and Hightower were busy this weekend and couldn’t go, and Lisbon did not want to go with one of the guys, especially Pike. She eventually decided she could go by herself, she was 18 and almost out of high school, one time at a drive-in by herself isn’t going to kill her. She kept telling herself this every day up until the moment she was at the drive-in after being dropped off by Van Pelt after school on Friday. Luckily for Lisbon, she did see that blue car that made her know Jane had to be nearby. She walked up towards it and saw he was not in it or around it. Lisbon started walking to the stands in the back to sit down to watch the movie and that’s when she saw him.

“Hi Jane.” Lisbon smiled at him.

“Hi Lisbon.” Jane grinned, turning towards where Lisbon was standing, hitting his cup that was next to him and knocking it on the ground behind him. “Wow, I’ve really done it now huh? I’m sorry about this.” Jane reached behind him to pick up the now empty cup, tossing it into a nearby trash can.

“I don’t think you really care about that drink.” Lisbon joked, before asking. “Are you here by yourself?”

“Is it that obvious?” Jane gestures around him slightly.

“Would you like some company?” Lisbon asks, already shooing him more into the stands so she can sit next to him.

“Even though I made a complete fool of myself?” Jane moved over enough to give her space but still where it wouldn’t take much movement for their thighs to touch.

“Especially since you made a fool of yourself, Jane.” Lisbon never stopped smiling.

“Well, I guess I can be good company; if you’ll excuse me for dropping my drink. Would you like some popcorn?” Jane offered some popcorn her way which Lisbon accepted by taking a handful of popcorn.

“So Jane, how was your week?” Lisbon asked, trying to get to know Jane better, looking at his blue eyes.

“Well, I’m glad to be here and glad to see you here again.” Jane smiled, his gaze never leaving her. “Also, you can call me Patrick if you want, I know your friends have the thing with last names and I don’t want to intrude on that.”

“In that case, Hi Patrick, I’m Teresa.” Lisbon beamed, holding out her hand which Jane shook with a small squeeze.

“Hi Teresa.” Jane replied, causing Lisbon to feel happy inside. “Thank you for spending time with me, but if you want to go back to your friends, you can, I’m sure your boyfriend, Pike isn’t it, is waiting for you.” Jane shifted.

“Pike isn’t my boyfriend;” Lisbon chuckled, “and I came here by myself today.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I guess I misread him.” Jane replied happily with her response, “What’s his deal then?”

“No, I don’t think you misread him. He has asked me out multiple times, he’s a good guy, but not the guy.” Lisbon grabbed a few more pieces of Jane’s popcorn.

The rest of the movie Jane and Lisbon went from watching the movie to making jokes and comments to each other about the movie. When the credits were rolling Lisbon sighed, disappointed that she would now have to go home and deal with that .

“You can tell me if I am overstepping, but would you like to go get something to eat? I know a diner down the road that makes really good eggs.” Jane asked.

“You are not overstepping at all, I would love to go get something to eat with you, but I need to start heading home before it gets dark. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk home from here, and I don’t want my dad upset with me for staying out past the time I told him I would be out until.” Lisbon replied, despite what she was saying, wanted to spend the time with him.

“Okay.” Jane smiled a sad smile, “Can I drive you home so you don’t have to walk? I promise to drive the speed limit.”

“Okay, but next time I’ll buy the popcorn.” Lisbon replied, following Jane to his car.

Jane stopped and turned around facing her, “Next time?”

“Well, yeah.” Lisbon replied in a tone reflecting on that was obvious, not missing the smile on Jane’s face as she walked past him. They both got into his car and she gave him directions to her home.

Once in front of her house Lisbon unbuckled her seat belt but stayed in the seat. “I had a lot of fun this afternoon with you.”

“That’s lucky, because I had a really fun time with you as well.” Jane grinned, “I want to see you again if you would allow.”

“Of course, I do owe you popcorn after all.” Lisbon waved her hand, “What do you say about next Friday evening? The drive in?”

“It’s a date?” Jane questioned.

“It’s a date, Patrick.” Lisbon smiled, opening the passenger side door to get out of the car. “Oh, before I forget, if you want to text me before Friday, here’s my phone number.” Lisbon grabbed Jane’s hand and a pen out of her bag to write her phone number down. “I’ll catch you later.” This time Lisbon did get out of the car and walked to the door to her house when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Unknown: Just checking :) Oh, BTW this is Patrick

Lisbon looked back to see his car still parked in front of her driveway, so she waved at him, walking inside. She looked through the blinds of the windows at the front to see him driving away. She ducked her head to hide her blushing as she went upstairs to her bedroom getting ready for bed, but knowing she is not going to be going to sleep any time soon. Lisbon turned on her TV for just some mindless background noise thinking about how she just grabbed his hand and he didn’t even flinch, when her phone vibrated on her night stand.

(Patrick) Jane: Thank you for keeping me company earlier, you made the movie much better.

Me: thank you for letting me join you and steal your popcorn xD

(Patrick) Jane: You can steal my popcorn anytime you want.

Me: that sounds like a plan

(Patrick) Jane: That does sound like a great plan. Have a goodnight Teresa :D

Me: goodnight patrick :D

~🛣️ 🎥~

The next Friday when Lisbon got to the theater and she didn’t see that blue car parked anywhere, she was worried. Before leaving school for the day, Jane had texted her that he would see her soon, which Lisbon replied saying that she couldn’t wait. Now she stood there, knowing she might be a little early, but really hoping to see that car.

‘ i’m here whenever you get here. ’ Lisbon texted Jane not expecting a text back if he was driving. Lisbon went to take a seat at the stands in the back and absently scrolled through her phone until choosing to rearrange the apps on her phone to pass time. As more and more people were arriving, Lisbon started to feel more defeated, she didn’t know if this was a date or not, but it sure felt like she had gotten stood up. Lisbon checked her messages and nothing, she sighed and decided that she would watch the movie since she was there already. About ten minutes into the movie her phone vibrated with a message from Jane.

(Patrick) Jane: Hey, I’m sorry, something came up, but I am headed up there right now. Are you still there?

Lisbon contemplated if she should reply or not, upset that he wasn’t there, but relieved that he texted her back.

Me: yes, i am still here. are you okay?

(Patrick) Jane: I think I will be once I see you. Give me 10 minutes please. :)

Lisbon’s heart felt like it skipped a beat, he wanted to see her too, but he obviously isn’t okay and she is a little worried. Sure she has only known Jane for barely two weeks, but she does care about him. Lost in her thoughts she barely noticed when she got a new text message.

(Patrick) Jane: I am here in the back viewing row if you want to join me in the car.

Lisbon walked behind the stands to the car viewing row and when she spotted his car, walked over and lightly knocked on the door, while Jane was already reaching over to unlock and open the door from the inside. “Hey.” Jane whispered, as Lisbon shut the car door.

“Hey.” Lisbon whispered back.

“It’s good to see you.” Jane breathed slightly over a whisper.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Lisbon asked aloud this time.

“It was a bad day today. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but it wasn’t good.” Jane sighed.

Lisbon reached over the center console and held his hand, “You won’t bore me with any details. I care about you Jane, let me know what I can do to help.”

Jane sighed and rested his head on her shoulder, squeezing her hand a little more, “My dad is not a good person, and working with him gets harder every day. I just want to leave but I can’t leave them all, they are my family. You know?”

Lisbon shook her head, she didn’t know what he was talking about, but related to the part where he said that his dad is not a good person. “I’m not sure I understand in a whole, but my dad too, he’s not very nice.”

Jane looked up at Lisbon, not removing his head from her shoulder, “Your dad hurts you? I’m sorry Teresa. I shouldn’t be acting like this over my small problem.” Jane shook his head.

“Hey,” Lisbon grabbed Jane’s face, her hands on either cheek, “It’s fine, well it’s not fine, but it doesn’t matter what size problem you have, you can tell me and I’ll be there for you.”

Jane leaned into her touch and chuckled, “This is a lot for a first date…”

Lisbon froze for a moment. ‘ Is this still a date?’

“Oh, is this not a date? I read this all wrong.” Jane shook his head, “I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed and used your shoulder as a pillow. I am so, so, sorry Lisbon.”

“Hey,” Lisbon whispered again, causing Jane to look up at her eyes. “I just wasn’t sure if this was a date or not, but I’m happy that you thought it was. And you didn’t do anything wrong, if you want to rest your head on me again you can.” Lisbon smiled and moved her thumbs along his cheeks.

Jane chuckled again, “Maybe later, I’ll tell you the long story, but the short story is I grew up and still live with the carnival. My dad likes to use me to con innocent people, and I am sick and tired of it.” Jane put his hands over Lisbon’s hands, bringing them to rest in between the both of them.

“My dad started drinking when my mom died, and likes to yell at me and my younger brothers. So, to answer your question, my dad doesn’t hurt me, no.” Lisbon replied. “If he hurts your feelings, that’s still hurting you.” Jane replied. “Did you want to watch the movie, or do you want to go get something to eat? I still have to get you to try those eggs at the diner.” Jane asked, trying to change the subject.

“I believe I still owe you a bag of popcorn.” Lisbon smirked, accepting the change in conversation.

“How about next time you get us some popcorn?” Jane asked.

“Next time? Mr. Confident over here.” Lisbon joked.

“Well, if you want there to be a next time… My answer is yes if you want to ask me.” Jane joked with less confidence.

“Jane of course, I’ll get us popcorn next time.” Lisbon smiled, “Also, yes, let’s get something to eat, please.”

Both Lisbon and Jane buckled their seatbelts, while Jane put the car in reverse and left the drive-in to head to the diner.

“So, you and that Jane guy have had like seven dates already, is he your boyfriend now?” Van Pelt asked Lisbon, sitting down at the lunch table.

“What?! No!” Lisbon blushed, “He hasn’t asked me yet…”

“Wait, that guy with the car?” Pike interrupted, “That’s not the kind of guy you want.”

“Marcus, you don’t know what kind of guy she wants.” Van Pelt argued.

“You’ve been on seven dates, he is your boyfriend.” Cho stated.

“Plus, you told me that you hold hands and cuddle up on each other.” Van Pelt started.

“Hey! Hey! I didn’t tell you that for you to tell everyone else!” Lisbon stopped Van Pelt.

“Yep. Boyfriend.” Cho stated again, taking a bite of his apple.

Van Pelt smiled at Lisbon, “See he is your boyfriend, just admit it to yourself.”

“Well, I would like for him to be my boyfriend, but as of right now he’s just a guy I talk to. Besides, now is not the time to get serious, I’ll be leaving for college in a few months, I can’t expect anything to happen there.” Lisbon signed defeatedly.

“Why don’t you just ask him and see what he wants?” Van Pelt asked.

“Yeah, you’re right, I will do that.” Lisbon answered.

Jane and Lisbon sat at the table at the diner they had started to become regulars at. Jane was pushing his eggs back and forth, not really eating it.

“Hey, Jane, what are you thinking about?” Lisbon put her hand lightly on top of his hand that was pushing the fork.

“Just thinking.” Jane barely smiled.

“What are you thinking about?” Lisbon pushed.

Jane ran his fingers through his hair, “I- I don’t want to ruin anything, but maybe? Teresa, would you want to maybe be my girlfriend? It’s okay if you don’t-”

“Patrick.” Lisbon cut him off, “Am I not already?” Lisbon joked, echoing a joke he had made to her several weeks prior.

“Well, aren’t you Miss Confidence?” Jane completed her joke.

“Maybe a little bit.” Lisbon smiled using her fork to pick up a piece of egg off his plate and ate it. ”But yes, to answer your question. If I’m not already, I would like to be your girlfriend.”

Jane breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “That’s lucky.”

Jane made his normal drive to Lisbon’s house to drop her off after they finished their meal, but this time there was something different, a man sitting on the bench on the front porch. The sun was beginning to set so Lisbon knew she didn’t go out past her curfew. “Jane, my dad can be a lot, so if you want to drop me off and drive off-” Lisbon quickly explained unbuckling about to open the door to the car.

“Teresa. House. Now.” Lisbon’s dad suddenly appeared.

“I’ll text you.” Lisbon whispered before running up the driveway and into the house, peeking out the window blinds.

“And who are you?” Mr. Lisbon bellowed at Jane.

“My name is Patrick Jane, sir.” Jane replied weakly.

“And what are your intentions with my daughter?” Mr. Lisbon leaned down to make eye contact with Jane.

“I don’t have any plans, just to be her friend first, and love her unconditionally. See where life takes us together.” Jane smiled, slightly embarrassed.

“She’s 18, she doesn’t know what love is, she’s not allowed to have any boyfriend, she needs to take care of her brothers.” Mr. Lisbon scoffed.

“Respectfully sir, I believe that is her choice to make.” Jane contradicted.

“Lose her number, and don’t speak to her again.” Mr. Lisbon stated before walking back into the house.

“Teresa, get in here now.” Mr. Lisbon yelled up the stairs.

Lisbon quickly ran down the stairs, hearing her little brother saying ‘someone’s in trouble’, and shooting him a glare.

“You need to be here for your little brothers, not messing around with some boy you just met. Delete his number before I delete it for you. Now go back to your room, I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night.” Mr. Lisbon demanded, without getting her a chance to speak, heading to the fridge to presumably grab a new beer.

Lisbon ran upstairs and closed her door with a little too much force, cringing, hoping her dad wasn’t about to yell at her for ‘disrespecting his house’. After a couple of minutes, when her dad had not come up the stairs, she breathed out and looked at her phone, unsure of her next move. When the screen lit up with a notification, she guessed her decision was made for her.

(Patrick) Jane: I don’t think your dad likes me very much.I like you very much though.I understand if you want me to delete your number, like your dad told me to.But I don’t want to, but I will if you tell me to.

Lisbon was mad that her dad told Jane what to do, she was sad that he even considered the thought that she would stop talking to him just because her dad said so. Overall, she was happy that Jane told her he likes her a lot.

Me: i like you very much too Patrick :)

and i don’t want to stop talking to you

don’t even think that for one moment

Lisbon stopped typing for a moment considering if she really wanted to send the next text message or not.

Me: i’m sorry you had to witness his behavior

(Patrick) Jane: I’m sorry I can’t be holding you right now.Or sitting next to you, whichever you are more comfortable with.

Me: i think i would love a hug from you right now.

(Patrick) Jane: I can be back at yours in less than 20 minutes. Just tell me which window I need to climb through.

Me: haha jane

(Patrick) Jane: No, really Lisbon.

Me: i’m not going to sneak a boy into my room when my dad is already mad at me

(Patrick) Jane: Would you like to come to the carnival next Friday? I can teach you all the tricks to win. You can bring your little brothers if you want. Or your friends, I’m sure Rigsby might like to win a giant stuffy for Grace.Only if you want to though.

Me: trying to make good with my siblings and my friends to get the stamp of approval?

(Patrick) Jane: Maybe :DBut also looking for a reason to see you more.

Me: i’ll ask grace at school on monday.it’s getting late, i’m gonna go to bed, i had a fun evening, sorry it ended the way it did.

(Patrick) Jane: It’s okay, I had fun too. Have a good night, Teresa

Me: goodnight patrick

“Van Pelt, how would you and Rigsby like to go on a double date to the carnival on Friday?” Lisbon asked Van Pelt as she was pulling books from her locker.

“What’s at the carnival?” Van Pelt replied, shutting her locker door and walking to their next class.

“Jane asked me if I wanted to go, and make it a double date. He met my dad on Friday.” Lisbon finished when she saw Van Pelt raise her eyebrows at the initial statement. “How was your dad?” Van Pelt sighed, not having a good experience with Lisbon’s dad herself.

“He was probably three drinks in. He told Jane that I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend and I needed to take care of my brothers first.” Lisbon answered.

“So, everyone says he’s your boyfriend except for you.” Van Pelt paused her walking.

“For your information, Jane only asked me Friday, before he met my dad. When my dad told him that, Jane and I were only official for like 2 hours.” Lisbon defended.

Van Pelt squealed in excitement and continued walking, “I’m happy for you Teresa, I’m sure Rigsby would love to go on a double date on Friday.”

“Awesome, I will let Jane know.” Teresa smiled as they walked into their classroom.

Lisbon steps out of the back seat of Van Pelt’s car already looking for where Jane might be, sending him a quick here :) text.

“Where did Jane tell you to meet him?” Rigsby asked Lisbon, getting out of the passenger seat of the car and stretching his legs exaggeratingly, getting a small chuckle out of Van Pelt.

As if on cue, Jane was walking up to them, grabbing Lisbon’s hand when he reached her. “How are you my dear?” Jane asked, squeezing Lisbon’s hand.

“I’m good.” Lisbon blushed, from the endearment. Jane gave her a smile in return.

“Van Pelt and Rigsby! Nice to see you again. Is there anywhere special you would like to see here? I can tell you the tricks to win every one of these booths if you want.” Jane said, guiding them into the gates out of the parking lot.

“What about that balloon dart game? Why do the balloons not pop?” Van Pelt asked.

“Easy, they put a balloon inside of another before airing them up and half the darts aren’t sharp enough to pop them.” Jane replied.

“The game where you have to shoot the bottles as they move?” Rigsby piped in.

“The guns are slightly pulling to the right, so you need to shoot just before you think you should.” Jane answered.

The group continued asking questions about different booths before Rigsby decided he wanted to test Jane’s theory and see if the rifles did shoot a little to the right. Rigsby quickly found out they did, adjusted his aim a little, and ended up getting every bottle and winning a top shelf stuffy for Van Pelt, much to the booth keeper’s dismay.

Rigsby and Van Pelt decided they wanted to go into the Fun House and Lisbon would rather not do that, she would much rather just walk around through the different tents and booths, and enjoying her time with Jane.

As they were walking past one of the tents, a man’s voice interrupted their mindless chatter, “Patrick. What are you doing?”

“Dad?” Jane turned around to face the voice, “I’m hanging out with my… friend. Showing her around and-”

“Why aren’t you here making us money?” Mr. Jane questioned.

“Because I don’t want to.” The younger Jane shrugged.

“Patrick Jane, I am not going to ask you, but tell you, to get into the tent and make me money.” Mr. Jane stared at Patrick.

“No, I don’t want to be a con man for the rest of my life.” Jane said sternly.

“Is it this girl here telling you that? You don’t need a girlfriend if they are just going to tell you what you can and cannot do.” The elder Jane asked pointing towards Lisbon.

“Nobody told me to say anything. I decided I don’t want to be pushed around anymore by you, and I don’t want you making decisions for me anymore either.” Jane exclaimed before he quickly took Lisbon’s hand and ran off, hearing curses from his father, knowing tonight was not going to be fun, thinking he may just sleep in his car tonight.

Jane led them to an area behind the Ferris wheel where no patrons would go, where there was a bench and table. He slowed them down and sat down pulling Lisbon’s hand lightly to convince her to sit next to him.

“So that was my dad.” Jane chuckled full of awkwardness.

Lisbon sighed, “Our dad’s both don’t want us dating each other - nice.”

“Do we need their permission?” Jane took Lisbon’s hand.

“Nope.” Lisbon started, “There’s been something I wanted to ask you; you don’t have to say yes. And there’s never a good time to ask, but I’m running out of time.” Lisbon squeezed Jane’s hand. “Patrick Jane, would you like to go to prom with me?

Jane let out a chuckle, “That is not where I thought you were going with that, but yes. I would love to go to prom with you, when is it?”

“It’s on Saturday. Yes, this Saturday.” Lisbon replied, “I told you I was running out of time, you can still say no if-”

“I’m not going to change my mind.” Jane smiled, “Can I ask you a question too?”

“Of course, Jane, you can ask me anything.” Lisbon replied

“Can I kiss you?” Jane asked. Lisbon answered by kissing Jane, hesitantly at first, but found the rhythm of his lips shortly.

“Wow.” Jane breathed, breaking away resting his forehead on Lisbon’s forehead.

“‘Wow’, is right.” Lisbon smiled. “Should we go find Van Pelt and Rigsby?”

“Nah.” Jane put his index finger under Lisbon’s chin to lift it, while capturing her lips in his again.

After several minutes of enjoying kissing each other, Lisbon put her hands on Jane’s chest and pushed him back a little before whispering, “I think we should stop for now. I don’t want to, but I think we should.”

“I think you’re right. However,” Jane paused and gave Lisbon another light kiss, “ now we’re done.”

“When are the guys supposed to be here?” Lisbon asked Van Pelt as they were finishing up their prom makeup.

“They should be here very soon, if not right now.” Van Pelt replied. “I’m done, what about you, want to go wait in the living room for the guys?”

“Yeah. let’s go do that.” Lisbon replied, already walking out of Van Pelt’s room down the stairs that led to the living area, both seeing the guys right away.

“Wow.” Both Jane and Rigsby said at the same time.

“You look absolutely beautiful Teresa.” Jane breathed, holding out his arms to grab Lisbon’s hand and planting a light kiss on it.

“Thank you, Patrick. You look absolutely beautiful as well.” Lisbon smiled.

After complimenting each other, the four friends got into Patrick’s Citroën and headed out to the venue that was hosting the prom, and enjoyed the rest of the evening together.

~🛣️ 🎥~

“Do you want to go on a walk? One last walk around the neighborhood before you leave for college?” Jane asked Lisbon after loading the last box she had into her SUV, shutting the rear-hatch.

“Jane, I’m moving one town over, I will probably come back to see my siblings a couple of times a month. I don’t need to see everything in the neighborhood I grew up in again. Plus, I’m tired.” Lisbon sighed.

“Just a short walk?” Jane pleaded with the eyes that Lisbon couldn’t say no to.

“Fine. No more than ten minutes.” Lisbon bargained.

“Deal.” Jane smiled, grabbing Lisbon’s hand. They walked in the direction towards the end of her street for a few minutes, before turning back around. “Before we get back, I just wanted to let you know something, you are not obligated to say anything back, I just wanted to let you know… I love you, Teresa.”

“That’s lucky, cause I love you too, Patrick.” Lisbon squeezed Jane’s hand that was in her hand. “Now what do you say we get to heading over to the apartment, you can help me unpack, and I’ll drive you back home tomorrow?”

“Are you asking me to spend the night, Lisbon?” Jane cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you don't mind sleeping on couches, and I’m too tired to drive anymore after we get there today.” Lisbon poked her tongue out at Jane in a joking manner, jogging the rest of the way to her car pulling Jane with her.

“Can I ask you a crazy question?” Jane asked Lisbon while sitting on the couch in the apartment Lisbon and Van Pelt are renting during their freshman year of college.

“How crazy?” Lisbon raised her eyebrows.

“Maybe a little?” Jane questioned.

“Well, I’ll say yes, just because I’m curious about what is going on in that head of yours.” Lisbon chuckled, pointing at his forehead.

“Do you want to get married?” Jane asked, turning his full body to Lisbon, watching her cough as if she choked on air.

“Are you serious?” Lisbon squeaked between trying to catch her breath.

“Well yeah. Not now though, that would be crazy, but like some day?” Jane replied.

“Wait here for a moment.” Lisbon told Jane, avoiding the question.

' I knew it was a crazy question. I should not have said anything. She’s going to tell me to leave. ’ Jane thought.

“Here.” Lisbon started, holding out her class ring from high school, startling Jane as he didn’t know she was there. “Yes, one day in the future I will marry you.” Lisbon smiled, slipping her ring onto Jane’s pinky finger.

“Wow. Did you just give me a promise ring Lisbon?” Jane half-joked.

“Yeah. I guess I did.” Lisbon breathed, still smiling.

“I love it, and I love you, Teresa.” Jane said, leaning in to kiss Lisbon.

~~~

i had this in my drafts mostly written since oct 2022, just wrote the last scene in january of this year 🫠. if i missed any tw/cw, please let me know and i'll fix it. thanks for reading!

#i saw a poll a while ago that said that people still read fics on tumblr so #scheduling all my fics i have wrote and posted so far this year #i did this one as one post cause honestly it didn't need to be 5 chapters #jibson #Patrick jane/teresa lisbon

2 notes · View notes

ecoamerica · 23 days

Text

youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

6K notes · View notes

whenitsdarkweilluminate · 7 months

Text

Lisbon 2018 – Semi-Final 2

Host: Portugal Slogan: “All Aboard!” Participants: 43 Voting method: 12-point system (50/50 system - separated) Format: 2 Semi-Finals / Grand Final = the top 10 of semi 1 & 2 + the Big 5 + host

General Overview:

The opening sequence of SF2 is exactly the same as SF1. And once again, the show segues immediately into the host introductions without any opening performances.

The hosting team continues to provide comedic dialogue, with tonight's best joke being the “Ola” one.

The interval starts with part 2 of the ESC Encyclopedia. Then the 4 hosts dance to a medley of iconic Eurovision songs, including a “Making Your Mind Up” role reversal, and Filomena reluctantly reenacting the “Euphoria” choreo (that one was funny). Next, there's a blooper reel from filming the postcards, which is cute. Then it's part 2 of the “David Attenburger” skit (ugh). And finally, there's a short documentary explaining how Portugal's 1974 entry sparked political change in their country. I liked that they shared this piece of their history with the world.

As for the results... they're pretty chaotic here. There was very little consensus between the juries and the public. The overall winner of SF2 is Norway, despite placing 2nd with the juries and 3rd in the televote. Instead, the jury winner is Sweden and the televote champion is Denmark, which the juries didn't even rank in their top 10 (WTF?!) Besides Denmark, the public also saved Serbia and Hungary. Which means THREE of the “jury qualifiers” didn't make it. Those would be Romania, Latvia, and Malta. Not only that, Malta was DEAD LAST in the televote. Below Georgia. On the flip side, the juries saved the Netherlands at the expense of Poland.

Additionally; Azerbaijan, Romania and Russia all NQ for the first time. Which means only Ukraine and Australia (for now) remain with perfect qualification records. This is a good thing for the integrity of the contest. No country should be able to get away with sending literally anything and still qualify.

✓ Norway: Alexander Rybak - That's How You Write a Song “Fairytale” gave me goosebumps... “That's How...” is just annoying and cringe. It's basically a sequel to “Love Love Peace Peace” (since Rybak made a cameo in that), but with sincere writing instructions this time. Here, he suggests jotting your ideas down to get started. I mean, that is the hardest part. But the lyrics are too cliché to be useful: Find your rhythm! Enjoy the small things! Find your mission! Work your magic! Not to mention his 2-step guide of “Believe in it” and “Just roll with it”, which aren't really steps. It's a thin concept. So thin that the song throws in a scatting break, an obligatory violin solo, and 6 choruses to fill time. The instrumental is beyond irritating too, ESPECIALLY the recurring 'da-da-da; da-da-da; da-da-da-da-DAH!' riffs and guitar scrambles. The song begins with a brief violin. Then the guitar and drums take over, creating a funky strutting rhythm. The “get big” line also has a lunging effect. Next, the “step 1” part switches to a stop/start motor. The scatting part reduces to just claps, leading to kicking drums. The violin solo adds motor bursts for dramatic effect. The beat pauses again after the violin. And the beat intensifies towards the end. Moreover, Rybak comes off smarmy on stage. He's trying TOO hard to be a charismatic goofball. The air violin / drums / etc (with the chalky animations) are cringe too. The animated objects on screen are unnecessary in general. This is the kind of song I don't want stuck in my head. It's too jaunty and kinda disjointed?

× Romania: The Humans - Goodbye Romania's first NQ, and they've been struggling ever since, aside from WRS. Maybe “Goodbye” was too serious. In the verses, the narrator is ready to take their own life. They tried to overcome it. They kept their battles a secret. While the chorus is the voice of someone trying to stop them. Singer Cristina sounds sincere, and the song has good intentions. But this friend lacks understanding or empathy. The wording of “Why can't you...” and “...by the way is all for free” sounds frustrated, and assumes it's an easy choice to be happy, when it's not. The melody isn't that catchy either – the chorus is too wordy and the verses are too stationary. The latter uses depressive short phrases and long pauses. The staging is confusingly abstract too. There's several mannequins in white masks to represent identity loss. The performance begins with the cellist removing her mask and walking away. Then the two guitarists (with their masks on backwards) switch potions around Cristina. They touch her, they push her backwards, they put her in the middle of a guitar jam. Then she wanders around the mannequins. Then they all reach out to the cellist. The instrumental channels '90s soft rock, but it isn't anything special. The verses are a generic piano ballad, with a cello appearing midway. The chorus is very different. It kicks off with a big vocal note and a pent-up, Coldplay-like release of rock guitars (I like this part). And it waits a moment before the chorus lyrics start.

✓ Serbia: Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - Nova deca RIP Sanja. “Nova deca” is missing something though. The intro lasts nearly a minute! It begins with a traditional flute and a thump, followed by mystical, otherworldly folk chanting that carries across the land. I love the windy, stuck-in-the-moment, mountaintop atmosphere of it. But the syllables are so stretched out. Eventually, the “tribal” drums arrive to power the rest of the song. The chorus, which swoops in during this transition, switches to a male vocalist, making the contrast apparent. The drums patter in the first chorus, with a bit of flute. Then the drums speed up in the second verse, which also inserts some unexpected 2011 blunt dance synths. This allows the second chorus to glide. Later, the bridge goes into a “na na ney” bit with rubbery drums, leading to a brief beat pause. However, I find the chorus melody underwhelming. And I get sick of the persistent chanting by the end. Lyrically, “Nova deca” is about how “new children create a better world with us”. The verses ask for rest, mention regret, and wish to create a better world for the kids. While the chorus describes the effect this person has on the narrator. The stage direction is professional too, with the arm movements in the intro, the bald guy hiding behind the women, the lead singers reaching in opposite directions, the arms across the chest gesture, and the group separating upon the second chorus. There's just something about their positioning on stage.

× San Marino: Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - Who We Are This just sounds like a first draft. Jessika's message seems sincere, but the production is dated, the lyrics are generic, the mini robots are confusing, and the rap verse is corny. “UH, LISTEN UP, LISTEN UP, IT'S ME JENNY B!”; “If they dissin' you on Twitter / Don't get sad, don't be bitter!” 💀 That rap verse comes out of nowhere too. “Who We Are” is a defiant, loving yourself empowerment anthem to stand up to the bullies. Jessika mentions a bullied, lonely childhood. No one told her to be proud of her differences. So she put on a show. But now she stands tall. She uses the “we” pronoun to relate to the listener. But that “We... are who we are.... and who we are... is who we wanna be!” lyric is so empty. And the chorus is mostly cliches. The “AND WE'LL BE RISING WHEN WE FALL” hook is effective though. Musically, the song opens with downpouring dull taps. Then the first verse tries to be quirky, with air slices and glitchy echoing pops, plus broken metal ticks midway. While the pre-chorus switches to heavy strings. But the chorus feels underdeveloped. It goes for a suspended effect and a fist-raising vibe, but it's just generic pop-rock. Next, the bridge quiets to a piano. And Jenny B ad libs in the back half. On stage, there's 4 dancing robots. One of them holds a card saying “sometimes”, which later flips to “size doesn't matter”, while giving two middle fingers. Jessika is also confronted by two muscly dancers at the start (to represent the bullies?) Jessika's vocals aren't the best either.

✓ Denmark: Rasmussen - Higher Ground I can see how this stood out. “Higher Ground” is inspired by Denmark's Viking history. The stage involves 5 bearded men standing next to two large ship sails, with a blowing snow effect during the key change. And a fun marching sequence during the Icelandic chant. All that's missing is the helmets. The lyrics initially romanticize this era of leaving home to conquer distant shores. But the “Yet victory won't prevail” line shatters the fantasy. Vikings were violent. The message is that violence is not the answer (ie. take the “higher ground”). The group even waves a white flag of surrender at the end. But the song isn't taken too seriously either. The only issue I have is the low vocals. The pop chorus is catchy though. The harmonies really elevate it. They even throw in some “OH OH OH”s for good measure. Musically, the song opens with a sawing, buzzing, distortion warning. Then the verse uses this ominous ghostly background, paired with a slithering synth, then some strings. Next, the forceful stomping drums (+ “HA HA”) announce the crew's arrival during the chorus. That chorus has an adventurous sailing against the waves vibe. The stomps are weaker in the second verse then disappear. Then the beat stops before key change. And the final chorus adds victory horns. I also like the synth in the Icelandic chant. Otherwise, the way the group stands together is effective. Same with their arm gestures, the marching, and Rasmussen entering in a hazy filter.

× Russia: Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break #StandWithUkraine

Russia gives Julia a second chance after being DQ'ed in 2017... with a song destined to NQ. Was this a ploy to play the victim? My low ranking has nothing to do with the politics though... “I Won't Break” is just a bland generic ballad and Julia's vocals aren't that good. The poor thing sounds like she started learning English a week ago. She even forgets to sing at one point. And why are her eyes closed so much? The instrumental is so anonymous and indistinct as well. It kinda reminds me of Sia's “Chandelier”. The song starts with some sparse, “at peace” piano notes. Then the bucket ticking comes in. The verses have slight ice synths too. The chorus, meanwhile, sees the percussion explode, as the backing shouts “I WON'T BREA-A-A-A-AK”. But when I hear the chorus all I think is “...that's it?”. The hook and explosive percussion are so basic and “blah”. The “even in the darkness...” bit is okay though. The final chorus then adds a siren-y transition. The lyrics are a cliche word salad (“when it comes to emotions/from the deepest of oceans”!) The song is about how Julia will be emotionally strong from now on. Her sandcastle turned to stone. Her broken wings are soaring with kings and queens... sure. The staging is similar to Estonia, with some swirling colours on this volcano structure Julia sits on. The two dancers are engaging though. I like their moves on the walkway. “Flame Is Burning” was better but not by much.

✓ Moldova: DoReDoS - My Lucky Day Such inventive and brilliant staging! It's like a comedic skit. The trio each has a lookalike – in matching blue, yellow or red – standing behind a wall of split doors that are continuously opened and closed. There's cartoon-like door chases; an illusion of yellow girl being split in 3; the rear feet and front feet dancing together; the 3 heads poking above the wall; and legs walking vertically. Then at the end, the lookalikes join the others out front. The coordination is impressive. “My Lucky Day” is a love triangle involving secrets, temptation, and relationship uncertainty. But with a lighthearted tone. It's also ambiguous who's “number 1” or “number 2”. And I assume “make some music” = sex. Blue guy sings verse 1, while yellow girl and red guy cheat behind him. Then the men switch roles for verse 2. Yellow girl also jumps in for the pre-chorus, boosting the “something tells me...” hook. The “NUMBER ONE” bit sticks out too. The song itself seems less popular, but it's catchy, and the folksy horns add a Moldovan party flair. The chorus is kinda monotonous though. The song kicks off with a “heyyyy-YA!” Then a flurry of horns (with metal drums) appears before each verse/outro. The verses have a bouncy, horn hopping rhythm that never touches the ground (+ a brief fiddle). There's a launching sound before the chorus. Then the chorus adds a rattling drum. I dislike the “la da di dum da da” ending though. It's a kitschy song, but their physical acting is so funny. I prefer this to “Hey Mamma”.

✓ Netherlands: Waylon - Outlaw in 'Em Waylon of the Common Linnets returns as a solo artist. He brings another country song, but a wild one compared to the cathartic “Calm After the Storm”. The chorus is quite annoying though. I also hate the “OW!” ending. The backing dancers/musicians are overly energetic too. It looks like they're Kung-Fu Fighting at one point? They also bang their heads together with one foot on Waylon's platform. They toss their guitars. And they run and do flips at the end. The song's message is that we all have it in us to fight back. The chorus uses specific Wild West imagery - chrome pieces, blacked out denim, scarred up knuckles, bloody boots, rattlesnake venom. Plus Stone Cold and Mick Jagger references later on. It makes me think of a saloon brawl (the “lock and load” line implies pistols). The lyrics also call whisky a miracle drink. Musically, the song is driven by a country electric guitar and a foot-stomping drum beat. There's also a zigzagging guitar riff before each verse. And the guitar “locks and loads” after that lyric. The chorus is more guitar-heavy compared to the verses. The first chorus also stops the music on the last line. And the last chorus “drops down” at first. The song sounds like it's ready to get up and fight. There's an eagerness to it. But “Outlaw in 'Em” doesn't excite me much. It's not my preferred genre. I'm not that into Waylon's voice. And the song feels like a parody? Idk.

✓ Australia: Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love Australia's first time missing the top 10. Jessica brings passion and vocals to this, but the song is basic and the stage is empty. There's some pyro in the finale, but that's it. She mostly twirls her arm, shakes her hips, and points. It's lazy staging. And it's awkward when she gets the audience to sing along. This is the third Aussie entry in a row produced by DNA Songs. Their productions are kinda generic, BUT I'm a sucker for dramatic percussion. I also like the lingering “why...”s and “I know...”s. The song starts with a humming bass-line. Then, suddenly, a thunder-striking drum awakens the arena. Now the verses follow a piano note –> rattle shake pattern (with taps). There's another thunder strike. Then the percussion-heavy chorus arrives – with euphoric keyboard, surface-echoing strikes, and tambourine shakes - and heightens midway. Verse 2 adds a clappy beat midway. There's a “tribal” drum breakdown for the bridge. And the beat pauses before the last chorus. The verse lyrics are hesitant incomplete thoughts (until the 2nd half of verse 2). Jessica asks why we keep falling into destructive mindsets: the need to be somebody else, the “won't make a difference” attitude, the fighting over material trivial things. She pleads to not give up despite feeling powerless. Why? “Cuz we got love”! That's an unoriginal message for Eurovision. Still, the percussion and vocals give a determined / persistent vibe. Also of note: Jessica was an interval act in 2014 and the runner-up of Australian Idol 2006.

× Georgia: Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao - For You The last placed entry of SF2. Unsurprising, since “For You” is EXCRUIATINGLY boring. Yeah, this classical, old fashioned music/vocal style doesn't appeal to me anyways. But the melody is so slow and forgettable. The song has no energy. And the vocals are like listening to a dishwasher or something. It's white noise. The song makes me feel nothing. That fire rain finale is so undeserved. There's no chorus either. Instead, the song intensifies and releases tension a couple times, but in a tedious way? It takes so long to get there too. “For You” starts as a serene piano ballad. Then it adds in sparse metal pan ticks, followed by a rattling sound. These instrumental quirks are too subtle though. The strings come next. Then the vocals grow until the tension snaps off. After that, the song quiets to a heartbeat thump. Then it builds again into this “tribal” drum + vocal chanting bit (which is the only listenable part). Meanwhile, the 3 singers use harmonizing tricks. The lyrical message is about putting others ahead of yourself (“you only own what you share”). The band wishes for the snow to melt to warm up a cold person. They mention finding joy in other people's happiness. And advise understanding, sharing, selflessness, kindness. I assume this is their definition of love.

× Poland: Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up This begins an NQ streak for Poland lasting until “River”. I blame Gromee's snake/wavy hands during the “drop”. It looks silly. And was that motion blur necessary? The song is basically a generic 2012 David Guetta track. But it has an uplifting vibe and I like the squawky distortion “drop”. I just wish the “LIGHT ME UP, LIGHT ME UP, MY BABY” refrain and the “OH OH OH OH” build-up weren't so generic-sounding. The chorus lyrics don't say a whole lot. But it's catchy! Lukas's voice conveys innocent anticipation as well. The first verse describes his reactions after asking someone out – he feels weak, he can't breathe, the decision haunts him. While the second verse says “they” told him to leave (security? parents? friends?) He then urges this person to “light me up” (ie. ignite his full feelings). The song captures Lukas's “in the moment” thoughts. He put himself out there, now he's waiting for a response. I don't think he's pushy, just hopeful. Musically, the first verse is easygoing, with light guitar and keyboards. The chorus is a noticeable contrast to this – it increases the tempo via excited piano EDM, followed by a beat acceleration towards the “drop”. The second verse then adds bass-y dance synths. And the second chorus starts with an acoustic guitar instead. Both verses end with feedback too. There's also pyro during the “drops”. And Lukas runs to the audience at the end to hype them with “JUMP!” and “1, 2, 3, 4”.

× Malta: Christabelle - Taboo 5th with the juries… last with the public. Maybe “Taboo” had too much going on? The song sounds mechanical. Plus, the dubstep breakdown is dated, the lyrics use weird phrasing, and the chorus hook feels incomplete. Still, the dubstep adds a darker unhinged moment. And the chorus is catchy, with the “LET OUR GUARDS DOWN” shout and the “animals animals” stutter. In the song, Christabelle declares “it's time to break the taboo” on talking about mental health. If we keep it bottled up, we'll become destructive animals or criminals. She mentions enjoying the silence, feeling cold at home, insomnia, crippling demons, finding comfort in misery, and how our struggles seem foreign to others. The production is dark and complex. It opens with a metal screech. Then a throbbing bass-line drives the verse, with vocal squeals, and a clacking heartbeat drum midway. The first chorus retreats to radiating bass, followed by snaps and a clappy build-up. But the song doesn't take off just yet. The second verse adds firm drums and cold sounds, followed by metal tick shivers. Then the clappy build-up resumes, there's a beat acceleration, a glitchy rip, and finally a skating synth peak. The deranged dubstep breakdown follows this. Then the song rests, there's a glitchy vomit, and the skating synth returns. The stage is futuristic. It involves 4 LED pillars, where Christabelle stands in the middle at first. Then during the dubstep, there's a Sia video dancer. There's also strobe lights, pyro, anatomical heart and globe animations, and a screen shatter effect.

✓ Hungary: AWS - Viszlát nyár RIP Örs. “Viszlát nyár” is the kind of song you'll either love or hate. It's not often we a see SUCH a hard rock song in Eurovision. I can appreciate that on some level. AWS comes across as a genuine rock band and Örs has good stage presence. He throws raw emotion in this performance. But I just find screamo unpleasant. I can't even get through the last minute of this. The song jumps into the heavy metal electric guitars and machine-gun drums immediately. That intro makes a bold first impression. While the verses/bridge offer a respite from the song's high-adrenaline energy. Those verses/bridge sound like an empty tunnel or cave. The first one also includes echoing snowy footsteps, as more neutral drums come in midway. The heavy metal instruments then return for the chorus, where Örs switches to screaming and the stage flames go crazy. He also tears his throat apart from the end of the 2nd chorus onward. And the bridge exits the tunnel/cave via an extremely aggressive guitar, followed by a guitar respite moment and a key change. The lyrics are about Örs's dead father. I believe the verses are from the father's perspective – he's being brutally honest, he has to leave, and he says he'll live on in his son's memory if the son wishes. While the chorus is an angry FU. The dad wasn't there, it's too late now, and Örs wants back what the dad stole. The song addresses the ugly feelings of mourning a family member you had a bad relationship with.

× Latvia: Laura Rizzotto - Funny Girl Belgium/Croatia/Latvia are the lounge music NQ trio of 2018. I can see how “Funny Girl” didn't grab the public's attention. The song's pacing is a little slow. But it captures the feeling of embarrassment well. Laura made her crush laugh. She caught feelings. She felt comfortable being vulnerable. But then she saw them with another girl. Now Laura is the butt of the joke. She was “just” the funny girl and meant nothing more. The first verse keeps asking “ain't it funny”, while the second wonders if they even notice her reaction, since she's kept her feelings secret; implying this song is her confession. The bridge is pure desperation, where Laura promises she's the perfect mate. I like how the chorus has this heart-sinking feeling. This is when reality hits Laura (“you're looking at her... she's looking at you...”) Most of the song is driven by these spread-out, splashing percussion clacks. The first verse has a screech midway, followed by slicing bass thumps. The pre-chorus further adds string plucks. Meanwhile, the chorus adds cello roars between the clacks, along with muffled bits. The second verse adds metal tick rolls to the clacks and bass thumps. The bridge doesn't deviate much, but adds a light cymbal. On stage, Laura performs alone in a red dress set against red lighting, with jerky camera zooms and a neck snap. Those red lights intensify a lot. Laura has great stage presence too. She feels the song through her body movements.

✓ Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off The public rejected this jury fave! I have no issues with the song– it's catchy and breezy. My issue is Benjamin's smarmy performance. He is way too eager to please. His attempts at being charming and flirtatious do not work. The head nods, the smiles, the “HUH”s... just UGH! I like the stage design though. It involves flashing red and white (and later blue) horizontal bars of light behind Benjamin, set against a pitch black background. It creates the illusion of not being in the arena (until the contraption is shown). It's as if headlights and taillights are speeding past the city street, as Benjamin dances outside the club. His choreo seems over-rehearsed though: he gyrates his hips, motions with his arm, opens his legs, twirls and walks across. He also sounds like a dick in the lyrics. The song is simply about dancing to get over someone. Benjamin doesn't care if she disapproves or still wants him (“don't you dare wait up”!) While the second verse claims she was the problem. Still, the “dan-dan-dance you off” stutter is memorable. The “pressure” and “treasure” echoes are effective, as is the “And I” continuation. And the production is professional. It has a chill nighttime vibe. The song opens with relaxed boops, then snaps. While the chorus brings in the funky bass-line, with some clasps, and it heightens midway. The second verse then waits a little to bring back the bass and clasps. And the bridge is very Daft Punk. The beat also stops before each chorus (on the “forget ya” echo).

The Melfest 2018 runner-up, Felix Sandman's “Every Single Day”, would've been a better winner. My other faves that year were “For You”, “Shuffla” and “Last Breath”. Also of note: John Lundvik makes the final one year before his eventual win, just like Benjamin and Robin B just did.

× Montenegro: Vanja Radovanović - Inje Montenegro tries a Balkan Ballad again, since that's all they ever qualified with. But unlike “Moj svijet” and “Adio”, this one is just boring and forgettable. I tried to recall the melody and “Adio” played in my head instead 💀. The instrumental is way too serious on “Inje”. It intensifies as it progresses. But it's missing the smooth ambience and epic payoff of the Željko Joksimović entries. It needs more traditional instruments too. The song opens with a piano tickle and an ominous thud. Then the first stanza sticks to the piano. The hand drums enter next. Then the strings grow, the cymbals crash and there's a back-and-forth pounding intense harmony thing on “DO-OO-SHOO-OO-BEEEE-YAAAA”. The tension breaks, the song quiets down. Then it builds back up with strings and a snare drum, leading to sawing strings and a sneering “HA-AH-AH-AH” from the backing. Then the drums push the final chorus, the church bells ring, and the song ends with a bang. It's tiring. The title translates to “Frost”, where Vanja's relationship has frozen over. His lover's heart is a “dying ember”. It's frozen in summer when it should be warm. He trembles. The quilt can't warm him up. The days drag by. He secretly wants them back. He calls the heart a “treasured pet” (sure?) On stage, Vanja and the 4 backing singers look serious, but the staging isn't that memorable either.

✓ Slovenia: Lea Sirk - Hvala, ne! I love this quirky trap beat! The fake power failure was a really bad idea though. Especially when it happens again in the final, so you know it's fake. It's just so awkward and stops the song's momentum. But it only lasts a few seconds. “Hvala, ne!” is full of badass attitude regardless. The intro is like an accelerating ping pong ball striking a table that comes into focus; along with this strange machine noise. Then the trap beat skips along in the verses, with bass vibrations. The beat stops in the chorus, which uses a humming synth instead. Then the “Hvala, ne!” + “OH OH OH OH” “drop” returns the trap beat. While the second verse brings back the strange machine noises. The second chorus and bridge then add a beat acceleration. The power cut happens where the second “drop” is supposed to be. And the bridge is synth-ier and has a nice build-up. I believe the song is about the beauty product industry? Lea doesn't want any part of it. Her “new look” is smiles and freedom. The lyrics mention “virtual tricks”, and advise against believing offers and selling one's soul. Lea also refuses to sell-out (“true art cannot have a price tag”). But not in a pretentious way, she has fun with the song. The title translates to “No Thanks!” and Lea delivers it in a defiant way. She also asserts her name in first line. The choreo is fierce too. I like when they all lean together. And the arm thing during the intro. There's lots of flashing lights too. And Lea has good stage presence.

✓ Ukraine: Mélovin - Under the Ladder It's good, but the “OH OH OH OH OH… YEAH” hook doesn't quite do it for me. And this song relies heavily on those “OH OH OH”s. The staging is memorable though. It involves Mélovin dressed as a vampire (including eye contacts). During the opening verse, the camera shows him laying down inside a partially boarded-up coffin in red light. Then a lever slowly, creepily pushes him upright. That coffin also happens to be a grand piano, which he plays later on. At the end, the staircase goes up in flames, with more flames in the background. That image + the closing piano notes makes this the perfect semi-final closer. The lyrics are vague (“Curtains down, I'm laughing at the trial”), but “Under the Ladder” is about risking failure and facing fears to reach success. The title alludes to the famous superstition. It's all about willpower. It won't get any better! It's now or never! The decision has got to be made! The chorus captures this feeling of urgency, pressure and anxiety – it's so frantic with the slapping, running drum beat. I also like the eerie chorus transition. The song opens with a faint siren and a thump. Then the first verse uses minimal ominous sounds. The energetic chorus creates a noticeable contrast to this. While the second verse, after waiting a second, adds a smaller running beat (via a buzzy transition). The second chorus finishes on a piano riff. Then the song rests. The final chorus jumps back into it. And the piano finale is like Mélovin jumping out of his seat.

My Ranking: 01. Slovenia: Lea Sirk - Hvala, ne! ✓ 02. Latvia: Laura Rizzotto - Funny Girl 03. Moldova: DoReDoS - My Lucky Day ✓ 04. Denmark: Rasmussen - Higher Ground ✓ 05. Malta: Christabelle - Taboo 06. Ukraine: Mélovin - Under the Ladder ✓ 07. Poland: Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up 08. Australia: Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love ✓ 09. Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off ✓ 10. Serbia: Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - Nova deca ✓

11. San Marino: Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - Who We Are 12. Montenegro: Vanja Radovanović - Inje 13. Netherlands: Waylon - Outlaw in 'Em ✓ 14. Romania: The Humans - Goodbye 15. Russia: Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break 16. Hungary: AWS - Viszlát nyár ✓ 17. Norway: Alexander Rybak - That's How You Write a Song ✓ 18. Georgia: Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao - For You

0 notes

nwdsc · 2 years

Photo

(Who Are We? | Al-Qasarから)

Who Are We? by Al-Qasar

Middle Eastern psych-rock collective Al-Qasar’s debut album is an explosive mix of heavy Arabian grooves, global psychedelia and North African trance music. The band calls it "Arabian fuzz." Brazenly electric and deeply connected. Guests include Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys). ------------------ When continents collide, they make a thunderous sound. Al-Qasar create the soundtrack to that fission on their full-length debut, Who Are We? It is music for a world in flux, with its ancestors deep in the past, but something that could only have been born in the 21st century. Arabian fuzz, they term it, a vision that’s brazenly electric and deeply connected to its roots. But it had a definite starting point. “Al-Qasar was born in the Barbès neighbourhood of Paris,” explains band leader Thomas Attar Bellier. “I’ve lived in Los Angeles, Paris, New York, Lisbon… I wanted to start a project that was in tune with the daily life of people living in these international cities, something diverse, radically colourful, with a fresh, contemporary outlook on what societies really look like today”. The musicians came together, from France, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and the United States. Shows followed, first in France, then in Europe and the Middle East. They put out an EP, the widely-lauded Miraj, recorded in Cairo. In the same time frame, Attar Bellier collaborated with the likes of Emel Mathlouthi and Dina El Wedidi, two of the most exciting names in contemporary Arab music. Work on Who Are We? began in December 2020, with Attar Bellier composing eight tracks that writhe and roar in skilfully controlled chaos. Bass, drums and traditional percussion create a deep, irresistible groove for the foundation, while electric saz and guitars build a wailing wall above, with Moroccan vocalist Jaouad El Garouge’s ecstatic voice, steeped in his Gnawa upbringing, pulling inspiration from history as it strides into the future. Drawing on years of experience working in Los Angeles studios, Attar Bellier produced the album. Who Are We? translates the sound that inhabited his head into something physical that stirs spirit, heart and feet. It is relentless and insistent, like a psychedelic celebration on the dancefloor, bristling with the kind of deep energy that makes Al-Qasar sound like the world’s most dangerous wedding band. During those years spent behind the control board, Attar Bellier made some good friends in the US, and they’ve been eager to help out on the project. Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey) mixed the record, and Grammy-winner Dave Collins mastered it. The Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra was a natural addition to “Ya Malak,” his inimitable voice reciting a translation of Egyptian revolutionary poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, elevating the record’s social critique while showcasing the first-ever English recording of Negm’s work. Jello Biafra is not the only punk hero to appear on Who Are We? Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth layers textured, brooding guitar over the first two cuts, “Awtar Al Sharq” and “Awal.” The sweeping drones embrace the Moroccan bendir groove to magical results. “Lee sent me upwards of eighteen guitar tracks,” says Attar Bellier in amazement. “It was enough for an entire EP, and all so good. The hard part was deciding what not to use. Lee’s vibe just fit perfectly with what I was trying to do with the track.” Al-Qasar’s magnetic pull drew big names from other continents, too. Hend Elrawy, the acclaimed Egyptian singer whom the band met in Cairo, brings her powerful voice to “Mal Wa Jamal”, whose Arabic lyrics promote a female-centric and humbling outlook on prostitution and its consequences. Like the other songs on the album, its social consciousness is carefully veiled in images. “Hobek Tawrat,” for instance, can be taken as a love song, with its seductive, ringing opening on the electric saz that leads up to the aching voice of New York-based Sudanese innovator Alsarah (Alsarah & The Nubatones). On the surface it offers the gliding, breathless sensuality of romance. Underneath, though, its heart is spikily political as Alsarah calls out against the coup in her homeland, rising in passion with each verse – the chorus a slogan from the recent demonstrations. One of the band’s great coups is the track “Barbès Barbès,” an ode and homage to the neighbourhood in Paris where Al-Qasar first came together. The iconic Mehdi Haddab (Speed Caravan) added his oud virtuosity to the track. “Barbès is this edgy, amazing, historically Algerian, and still ungentrified part of the city” explains Attar Bellier. “To me, it is more typical of the way Paris really is than the Eiffel Tower, or than the Louvre. Real people live there, real culture happens there.” Haddab, who occasionally performs with the band, is famous for introducing the oud as a rock’n’roll instrument. “When he played on the track, it was as if he’d set it alight, it just came to life.” Who Are We? is a deep, exhilarating album. Its intensity never wavers, music that pulls from the hypnotic roots of North African trance and threads it into a fabric with the elaborate beauty of Arabic scales and the shock and thrill of rock’n’roll. It is modern folklore, a reflection of the cross-cultural society we’ve become. The continents have collided, and the result is deep magic. Who Are We? Al-Qasar ask. The answer is there on the album cover. Look in the mirror. We are you and me. We are then. We are here. We are now. And we are tomorrow. Listen. クレジット2022年9月16日リリース Thomas Attar Bellier: electric saz, guiters, keys Jaouad El Garouge: vocals, awtar, karkabou, tbila, bendir, claves, caxixi, cowbell Guillaume Théoden: bass, sub bass Nicolas Derolin: darbuka, daf, bongos, bendir, shakers, saget Paul Void: drums

#2209 #RC #WM #***

1 note · View note

matildasampaio · 2 years

Text

Wednesday, 4th of May

I haven't made much progress on my final piece but I got to do some drawing today and yesterday. I bought a new A5 sketchbook to keep as a "diary" for this project. Mostly I've been drawing in the style I feel most comfortable, doing little doodles, but I've been thinking about different elements that could be important for my project. In terms of composition, I would like my final images to be centred on a female figure, surrounded by small items with some significance to the concept of "male gaze".

I've been focusing a lot on hair and how it symbolises passage of time. I thought it was interesting, the other day I had a conversation with the owner of the café i work at, and she was telling me how she's never cut her daughters hair. Her daughter is 5 and has lovely long ginger hair, but you can see how the ends are actually her baby hair, as she's never cut it. Her hair has been with her for her whole entire life, it sounds dramatic but I do feel like hair can be really important to people. Its part of your identity, its comforting to be able to rely on it to hide certain imperfections you don't like about yourself, like having a large forehead or wide face. Hair is also strongly tied to femininity, having long hair has always been considered a "girly" thing, having short hair is "boyish" – on top of this, it carries so much embolism in different cultures.

I believe that can be something tricky to tackle when thinking of using it as a main focus of my project, because I don't want to offend anyone.

As for the other elements in these sketches, I mostly thought about things I relate to being a girl, though i think some pieces of "childhood" also slipped in there. I've always really liked drawing simple household items, like cutlery, dishes, mugs and bowls – something about how they sparkle after washing the dishes, and chores are always something I relate to girls. I always feel like chores are something women always ended up having to do, like the picture of a "house-wife" will always be there if you're a woman.

But I like that some women take comfort in that, they like to go shopping for fancy plates and tea towels with botanical patterns; so many women on tiktok share their secrets on how to get the sink shiny or glasses without water stains.

I've been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift and a lyrics really struck me: "she would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in her head.", this is from her song Champagne Problems. I feel like the use of the word "lovely" or the description of "lovely girl" is always backhanded. If someone describes something as lovely, there's always a follow up – "I'm sure she's lovely but...", I've started to notice it in so many songs and in movies and tv.

I’ve also been listening to a lot of Fiona Apple, mostly just female artist that make me think about the female condition. PJ Harvey also has some really great lyrics, particularly in her first album Dry (1992).

Of course, I can’t help but take inspiration from The Virgin Suicides (1999) but I really do feel like this work stems so much from my love of that movie. I think the visuals that I drew from (and then collected for inspiration on pinterest and instagram) were inspired by the Lisbon sisters.

I wanted to mirror them a little bit in these illustrations, a lot of quotes from that movie/book helped me understand what I was trying to communicate.

This also helped me think about my target audience. I have always been making work that’s mostly for myself, when it is for myself, it feels like it’s for my younger self. When it’s not for me, it’s for other young girls — I never make something and think “oh my dad will love this”, because its not for him.

#fmp #mine

0 notes

water-dance · 3 years

Text

dailymotion

In case anyone's missed it, here's the Metamoro reunion during Ermal's showcase at Radio Subasio. Translation under the cut.

I: We have your [Ermal’s] fans at home. There’s one more, we are moving to Rome where there’s Fabrizio. Fabrizio? Are you there?

F: Here I am

I: Fabrizio? I can’t see him and I can’t hear him. Will he be there or not? This listener, fan of Ermal Meta.

F: Just a moment…

I: [laughs]

E: Who’s that? I’ve already recognized his voice.

I: You can’t let yourself get caught like that!

E: BIZIO! Let us see you!

I: There he is, hi Fabrizio! We wanted to surprise him but he recognized you just with one word! Welcome Fabrizio.

E: As soon as I heard- He doesn’t even have to talk, I heard a “huh” and I understood.

I: You understood immediately.

E: Yeah, sure.

F: I’ve just entered the call and as soon as you said “There’s a fan from Rome”-

I: You didn’t expect it to be you?

F: I thought “what is she doing? Is she just putting it out there like that?”

I: You’re not only a friend of Ermal Meta, you’re also a fan of his, right?

F: Don’t exaggerate now. Can I ask him a question?

I: Sure you can, that’s what I wanted to ask you. Ask Ermal Meta a question.

E: Careful or I’ll beat you up.

F: A question for Ermal Meta…

I: Yes, let’s hear it.

F: But let me see him though, or I can’t do it, I see my face. Here he is. So, first of all, who does your hair?

E: First of all…?

F: Who does your hair?

E: Who does my hair? I do it myself! I pray for my hair. I pray and they do their thing.

I: Well but he’s lucky, he’s curly, no?

F: [randomly can be heard saying “my love” to Ermal for no reason]

E: He is obsessed with my hair, it’s something terrible, since the day we met [he’d say] “what about this hair?”. Just mind your own fucking business! Right?

I: Listen, is it true that at first you didn’t really like each other?

E: No, that’s not true.

I: No? I had read this, you didn’t like each other at first and then thing was born…

E: No, always [liked each other]

I: Right from the start?

E: I don’t know about him [Fabrizio], cause he’s a bit of a little shit, but I’ve always liked him.

I: Fabrizio, do you confirm that or…? Is it true for you too? Or at the start-

F: You know what, jokes aside, I think that there are, especially in this world of ours, let’s call it like that, in the entartainment, music world, there’s a lot of mistrust, especially when you don’t know each other, and also a lot of jealousies. But there are cases, like with me and Ermal, in which people smell each other and immediately recognize each other. I remember I already heard talks about Ermal, before he arrived in Sanremo with “Vietato Morire”, I already heard people talk about him because I indirectly followed him through some people we have in common. When I saw him, for the first time, appear on that stage with that song, I immediately recognized a soul similar to mine and so I wanted to get to know him in person, that year, because I was also competing with “Portami Via”, and I was the one who walked up to Ermal to compliment him, hug him and tell him “I want to be friends with you, I want to be friends because you are a person I like” and Ermal can confirm it.

E: I confirm.

F: I’m a really introverted person so I rarely make friends with people…

I: So it was something immediate, you liked each other

E: Yes, absolutely

I: There’s something more I want to ask you, I don’t know if it’s fake news, there’s many to be read, but there’s a 12th song that you did not put in your album because rumors say it should have to do with Fabrizio Moro and his movie project, is it false?

E: No, look, not his movie project. I mean, he didn’t ask me for anything so…

I: See, Fabrizio? It’s your fault. There was a chance and you didn’t ask him.

E: No, no, I mean…

I: Look, he [Fabrizio] is hiding!

F: It’s not true! It’s been 6 months of me asking him to come and watch the movie!

E: Shut up! Let me speak! He is an amazing singer-songwriter, so when an amazing singer-songwriter works on a movie, you don’t walk up to him and tell him “let’s do something together for your movie”

I: Obviously

E: He doesn’t need me, he’d do it himself. Why do I hear my echo? I’m getting confused, if I hear my own voice it’s going to be a mess.

I: You seem like the Pope.

E: But there is a song we were supposed to do together! But he does not hurry up and write his part of the lyrics! So, I mean, Fabrì! I’m getting white hair while waiting for you! I’m starting to look like you! Just some tattoos [more]…

I: So, Fabri, when are we doing this thing?

F: But if you do remember, you sent this thing to me while I was on the set…

E: [hand gesturing] I sent it during the prehistoric era.

I: You sent it when he wouldn’t answer your calls? I read on Instagram that you wrote “You don’t answer my calls!”

E: He has a problem with his phone, even when we were in Lisbon, we were there for Eurovision, if you called him, he would not answer and I’d wonder “what’s wrong with him? Why doesn’t he pick up the phone?”

I: And how do you two communicate?

E: When he feels like it, he’ll answer the phone.

I: Fine, Fabrizio, how is the movie doing?

F: We started the mixing…

E: Mixing? Is it an album?

F: Movies get mixed too…

E: The editing, you mean?

F: No, the mixing, the editing is done already.

E: The audio mixing? Ah right, right.

F: Yes, the audio. We started this week and I think that by the end of May we’ll be done with this whole project and I’ll get a break because this has been quite stressing. It started in May, last year, and we’re finishing now, so I’d like to have some time for new songs, also with Ermal’s help, I’ve already asked him.

E: And in the meantime, he’ll move houses again. He did not tell me but I’m sure he’s going to do it again.

I: No, I can’t believe it, again? Fabrizio, stop it!

E: He moves every 5 months. What’s your problem with the houses you buy bro? What’s the matter? You buy and sell, buy and sell…

I: He’s soon going to get a Guinnes World Record

E: It’s always the same [house], he buys it and sells it, buys it and sells it…

I: For real, Fabrizio, thank you! Thank you for being with us!

E: No, wait, wait! Don’t hang up on him, look at him, he’s suffering.

I: Where are you? What position is that?

E: Otherwise he might feel lonely, he’s a panda cub.

F: I’m in the house that I’ve just sold.

E: [laughing] See? I knew it!

I: I can’t believe it!

E: He does it every year! It’s incredible! He does so every year, this kid can find no rest. But it’s better like this, bro.

F: I’ll be waiting for you!

I: We’ll wait here for you too, as soon as possible

E: Let’s do this: I’ll come to you and you’ll come here, and, still, we’ll end up not seeing each other.

I: Bye Fabrizio!

F: Bye, I’ll wait for you!

E: Bye brother, love you!

F: Bye Ermal!

E: Bye!

#metamoro #ermal meta #fabrizio moro

65 notes · View notes

betweenthetimeandsound · 2 years

Text

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#19)

youtube

#19: Yianna Terzi -- Oniro Mou (Greece 2018)

“Αν θα ψάξεις το βυθό μου, ζωντανεύεις το όνειρό μου”

“If you look into my depths, you'll bring my dream to life.”

The proposed Greek national final of 2018 was a mess--the ERT wanted to showcase the Greek language and traditional elements with their songs, probably inspired by Salvador Sobral's victory. But by February, it was down to three songs, and that was narrowed down to this one when the two other record companies couldn't pay up.

Let's just say it was worth it. 😍 (Though Don't Forget the Sun, one of the candidate songs, is also worth a listen. It's more grounded production and lyrically than this one)

Listening to this song for the first time was an absolute experience for me. It felt like diving into the sea and discovering a whole world in front of you. The use of ethnic elements is there but is combined with an atmospheric sound which makes it the more magical. The verses and the chorus work well together, and the bridge towards the end really amplified the tension until it all calms down. I also love the use of the harmonies in the chorus--it basically sealed its status as my favorite.

The lyrics discuss about the personification of Greece and the Greek people talking to each other, which can be interpreted as “nationalist” or “fly on the wall“, but I found it to be quite cool. Greece wants to show her care for her people, but they seem to not listen or Greece can't do much about their situation. The Greeks do care about their mother, but too many bad things have happened to wonder if they should even come back (due to the brain drain in the 2010s). It’s because we think about our home, but cannot come up with the words to communicate it.

I was basically enraptured by this song--to the point I was unhealthily obsessed by it (the only other song I could say this about was Jay Chou's "以父之名"--In the Name of the Father). I was quite happy to see other people like it, and believed in its chances to succeed in the competition.

Unfortunately, there's one little problem with this: the staging.

Basically, it didn't convey the story within the lyrics; instead, it featured Yianna waving the infamous blue hand across and summoning light and smoke throughout. While I didn't notice much of how bad it was, Yianna also wavered in the vocals, and the big "ma yiati..." in the end was off. Like with Sennek and A Matter of Time (#88), it led to the song failing to qualify (hence why I tend to lump them together when it comes to this), which broke my heart--and I didn't watch the SF live!

(In addition, the original plan for the NF was to have a dramatic performance with a sole dancer trying to communicate with Yianna. It was scrapped when this song was selected, which I could understand because I didn't think a strong choreography was needed. I was wrong. 💔 As an apology, here's Sanja's cover from a few months ago; she sings this so well!)

It was awful, because otherwise it would be my favorite Eurovision song ever. There‘s nothing like it, and I find it hard to be touched by other songs with the contest. Oniro Mou takes me on a journey beyond music, and I can't help but be moved by it. It also got me hooked on Greek music and culture, which I didn't know much about prior to 2018 other than through ancient Greece and through their economic crisis. This song tells a story of love, but it's definitely deeper than that; and it connects quite well to me--with no connections to Greece at all.

Personal ranking: 1st/43 Actual ranking: DNQ--14th in the first semi-final in Lisbon

Final Impressions on 2018: I have some seriously mixed feelings about this year, of which this song was a huge part of it. Thanks to Salvador's win the previous year, we get a lot more genre and language diversity, of which is greatly welcomed here! Albania manages to keep their song in Albanian (#171), we get the first fully Armenian and Georgian songs, and we get a mix of traditional influences, rock, and even three-in-one songs! This mash-up in particular showcases the breadth of the songs, and most of them are good!

What rubbed me the wrong way was the results. The first semi-final was enough to ruin my perception of this year (my top five had two auto-qualifiers and three songs from there--only Toy managed to make it through). The week got better, and we got a solid final (rewatching it, I was surprised how great the last six songs were) , though that sadness lingered through. Netta ended up winning, which almost made up for it, though Toy wasn't as beloved as it was when it was first released.

#eurovision song contest #eurovision #esc250 #esc 250 #esc top 250 #esc greece #yianna terzi #gianna terzi #oniro mou #oneiro mou #esc 2018 #screams in greek #someone is writing my eurovision fan ban right this moment #i'm going to be mad if a right-wing party uses this #i'm still standing by this as one of the best eurovision entries #three minutes to eternity

2 notes · View notes

woogurl · 4 years

Text

so i decided to make a short analysis and i say short because i don’t know how short it’ll be.

this is in regards to the anon who said that kq seems to push woosan too much in choreos/taking pics together/high fives/etc.

don’t get me wrong, i’m not here to prove to you that these moments aren’t fanservice because as i mentioned before, that they often are. however, i do not think kq is always responsible for all these moments. i think they have many subtle moments that make me think otherwise.

i know when we think of fanservice moments, there’s no doubt that fake love

and this legendary, sensational ass performance tops them all.

now before we rid these moments as just fanservice, can we talk about how comfortable they are with doing this kind of stuff. yeh many group ships do fanservice, but understand that MOST do not go this far. Nor do they commit to this degree. even with korea’s culture, there are just some boundaries most of these men do not want to cross. let’s talk about a fanservice moment with nct, and use mark and johnny as an example. there’s a moment where they get very close and intimate during superhuman but they always seem very uncomfortable. at least mark does. he simply does not seem to like this type of intimacy with males. and that’s completely fine.

i also want to use nct as a whole as an example there’s many times where the company tries to get them to do fanservice but to no avail. they just laugh and joke around, and that’s because they see each other as brothers. i’m not referring to any specific ships. i simply mean in general. so the company makes them do fanservice but they’re not forced to “enjoy it or do it often”.

now let’s take a very intimate taejin moment didn’t want to do a popular ship for obvious reasons. sorry taejin shippers.

the intensity is there on tae’s side, but not jin. it just seems like he’s doing his job and giving the fans a bit of fanservice. there’s also a more intense taejin moment where there seems to be a lot of sexual tension, but i’m not convinced that there is because they’re obviously doing it for the camera. they’re both good actors so. i’m sure they could convince anyone that they have incredible chemistry and sexual tension.

but let’s be real, it’s not convincing when it’s obvious that they’re just giving their fans a show. so i can understand why people are like woosan are doing it for show. esp because unlike any other ship there’s so many woosan moments in their choreos and they just dance together so often. and i’m gonna assume the anon brought this up because there’s woosan moments in their newest song inception and fever. LET’S NOT EVEN MENTION THE LYRICS. now ateez is one of those groups who does a lot of fanservice in choreo’s in general, but they def use woosan to their advantage. why? because it’s such a popular ship, but so is seongjoong as i mentioned before. they could capitalize on seongjoong as well, but their moments are often less organic when they do do fanservice. like i said they don’t pretend to enjoy it. hongjoong is very open about his disgust with skinship. so no i don’t think kq forces woosan to pretend to enjoy it. i think they just genuinely enjoy the fanservice.

so let’s take some subtle moments during woosan choreo’s.

now, this iconic moment was during random play dance in budapest and it isn’t actually apart of any choreo, but mind you seonghwa and mingi were supposed to do a couple dance as punishment. but was like fuck fanservice. well they did give us a different type of fanservice hip thrusts. while woosan was basically like...

can u see the difference in atmosphere, like woosan didn’t have to do anything but they started dancing as if they were really at a club. san was literally eye-fucking woo and biting his lips and shit like damn. lmfao.

woo of course was like okay, that’s enough and pointed to mingi and seonghwa, u prob can’t see because it’s hard to capture but if u watch the vid u’d see woo was like. “ok, das enough, pay attention to mingi and seonghwa”. san was really feeling it tho. enfen.

next moment was during the expedition tour in lisbon. they were doing a random play dance.

first of all i didn’t even know this moment existed. someone pointed it out in a dm. @ 1:48 there was a lot of tension between woo and san. it was just a random moment during the play dance. the way they looked at each other and san flicked woo’s chin. oomph. HONGJOONG WAS NOT HAVING IT and quickly intervened. san was lowkey mad at hj.

in the end, woosan ended back up together, despite being separated.

anyway next moment during Random Dance in Milan (Magazzini Generali). they were dancing to monsta x shoot out and woo wanted him and san to do it together. so he went the opposite way of everyone else.

at this point woo and san were trying to find a way to properly interact with each other but it was so messy because everything was unplanned. they were so attentive to each other that when jongho came and asked them to do the second verse(?) move they just ignored the poor baby. ‘cause they obv had other plans.

jongho ended up doing it by himself while woosan continued with their own plans. ooOOP.

woo wanted to do another song with san, and i guess he wanted them to do the same thing i’m not sure, but san looked just as confused as well. but he did his best in doing what i guess he figured woo wanted him to do. he was up for it tho, he was like what is it? i’ll do it. xD. i know some of y’all are like btch get a youtube channel so we could see the moments better. but idk how to do utubesokey;c

woo ended up getting shy and embarrassed for some reason and san was quick to comfort him. it was super sweet.

next moment is the Random Play Dance in Berlin. Where they were both shyly dancing to twice. They didn’t know what to do, or at least was too shy to do it so san just grabbed woo and started dancing with him. It was another cute moment.

the entire time they were just planning on what they should do together, and san literally waited on woo to see what he wanted to do because woo often takes initiative in general between the two of them. they would just constantly keep touching each other and looking at each other. he was so attentive to woo that he wasn’t paying attention to yunho and seonghwa dancing so jongho and woo both had to point at them so san would turn his attention there. lol.

san’s attention was still mostly on woo because he grabbed him to dance with. what i’ve noticed during these random play dance moments during tour is that they absolutely love interacting with each other, touching and keeping their attention on each other. it would be foolish to think they’re forced to act that way 24/7 because of kq. they react this way because they’re naturally close to each other and are okay with psychically being close to one another.

next moment is the Random Play Dance in Atlanta.

yes, it does include the famous fake love woosan dance, but i still think it’s valid because as i’ve said before they’re incredibly comfortable with these types of interactions. also would like to mention how attentive san is to woo once again. for the most part his attention is mainly on woo if you pay attention to him closely.

next the Warsaw ATEEZ My Way SAN focus, san was incredibly attentive to wooyoung. san locks eyes with woo multiple times. i’m just gonna highlight obv moments.

0:45

2:12

NEXT. let met just say 181118 was a glorious fansign.

Pirate King SAN focus the moment at 1:36 during pirate king where san was like, 'c'mere' to woo.

the moment at 2:22-24 where he was trying to get woo's attention but woo's focus was elsewhere.

the moment at 2:26 he really wanted woo's attention. crjkc j fjmk. that tongue tho mingi.

he then decides to use seonghwa to make woo jealous at 2:39.

he tried to get his attention again at 2:56.

let's talk about the my way cam too, that was full of subtle woosan as well.

not subtle, but still includes moments that isn't part of the org choreo.

once again san is so attentive to woo. if i haven't said this before san is so much more transparent than woo. and u can see that during these moments especially.

san all up in my man's space. sxdrcfgvbjkl

san being relatable. He's so focused on woo that the members have to push him to the correct spot.

anywaY the point is they enjoy these kind of things because they’re naturally close and intimate irl. so it makes their interactions looks completely natural and organic. so u don’t have to worry about them being ‘forced’ to do fanservice. ‘cause what woosan has is just something u can’t compare to another ship.

#ateez #wooyoung #san #woosan

126 notes · View notes

daggerzine · 4 years

Text

Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments offers a pocketful of sunshine...

Peter Milton Walsh started his, band, The Apartments, in Brisbane, Australia in 1978. He didn’t release his debut LP until 1985 (The Evening Visits...and Stays For Years). I didn’t hear the band until 1995 when Restless Records here in the U.S. released the terrific A Life Full of Farewells (in between was 1992′s Drift). The releases have been sporadic throughout the years (and there were several years in between when Walsh did create any music at all) but each one glistens with a special kind of magic that only Walsh seems to possess. Though 2020 has been a difficult year, to say the least, one of the bright spots was the release of a new Apartments’ record In And Out of The Light released on Talitres Records (through Riley Records). The record is classic Walsh, spare, gorgeous songs written as the sun goes down (or comes up) with love or loss as its main theme (in most cases). I sent Mr. Walsh some questions and he was more than happy to open up about the record and what’s next.

Peter Milton Walsh photo by Belddyn Butcher, 2020

When did the songs start coming together for the new record?

The plan was to record the album in a couple of weeks in September 2019 in Tours, which is about 2 hours South of Paris. Antoine has a studio there. Natasha would come down from Lille, Nick from London. Then I was moving over to Berlin to mix them with Victor Van Vugt, who now has a studio there. Vic produced the evening visits… back in 1985. (He went on to work with P J Harvey, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds etc.)

But the band wanted to hear the songs before September. So I started by making a couple of demos with a guy who lives just around the corner, Darren Cross. A great musician.

Butterfly Kiss was one, Pocketful too. I sent Butterfly Kiss off to Natasha when she was in Lisbon, and she wrote back to say she’d listened to it over and over, ten times or more, walking at night by the Tagus river and that she fell in love with the song in Lisbon. I thought that was a good sign!

I found that those two songs came alive in the process of recording the demos, so then I thought I don’t want to do any more demos, I just want to make an album. Now! The process made me impatient to begin the album.

So rather than wait till September, I found a place near where I live in Sydney, and approached the producer, Tim Kevin, telling him I had a couple of songs to start the album off with but that I wanted to try to write the rest of the songs as we went along.

The earliest we could start was July, early days of Winter here, as Tim’s studio was very heavily booked.

I have been writing songs since I was 15, and I’ve never really gotten any better at it. I still don’t know what’s happening exactly. But I thought, this will make the whole set of songs very fresh, very in the moment.

This album will not be me trying to recapture the past, it will be me in the present moment, in the Winter of 2019.

I had recorded the title track of No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal like that. All we had for NSNSNM was my piano part, Eliot’s bass and Gene’s drums. The rest of it I made up in the studio. Wayne kept asking me when we would finish the vocal part, because we were running out of time, and even though I didn’t have any idea what the finished lyrics would be I kept telling him it was OK—the song would start in the rain and end in the rain and across the course of the song the guy would be changed.

I thought of the lyric like a voiceover in film noir—the guy reaches the end of the song and just knows he must change his life.

And that’s how we went with In and Out of the Light. Each time I’d finish a new song, I’d think—I’ll never write another song again. But some time would pass—we were recording very sporadically—and something else would come up. We went on like that until we hit the magic number 8, and I thought—OK, that’s 8 songs that sit together well, don’t tempt fate. Stop now, start mixing the album.

What was the recording process like, I’d read other musicians recorded parts in their own country?

I would record some guitar or piano, a vocal, arrange the song, then upload it. Natasha, Antoine and Nick would then record things they thought might work and upload them for us, then Tim and I would select what we wanted and add it. It was very easy. In many ways, we were recording in the perfect way for the COVID era—though the COVID era had not yet begun. Sometimes I’d record 1 day in a week, sometimes more. Very short days. Usually home by six. All very unusual, but that was the situation because Tim was so heavily booked.

The new record

Had you worked with produce Tim Kevin before? What did he bring to the sessions?

No. He’s got a fabulous ear, is a sensational guitar player and singer and has an epic, really impressive concentration span. Also, he was very open to the way I wanted to work—we’d had that discussion before committing to recording. So I could turn up, play him something, and ask if he saw some promise in what I had. And mostly he did.

Did you have any hesitation about releasing a record in 2020?

We finished mixing the day before lockdown hit Sydney, so that part of the timing was beautiful. Playing music, being in a band, touring, releasing records—this is a casino life anyway. If you can’t accept that things often don’t go to plan, you’re in the wrong line of work.

We had a tour planned for September/October 2020, when the album was due for release. That had to be cancelled. We then had a bigger tour planned for February/March 2021—clubs, festivals, some big shows—and had to cancel that as well. I have no idea when we’ll be able to leave Australia—yesterday, the Australian Tourism minister announced that rising COVID cases in Europe and the US mean that Australians won’t be able to visit either of these places next year, unless a vaccine was invented.

Where did the title come from, In and Out of the Light?

Possibly two things occurred to me. Firstly, that on the days that I was recording, I would disappear from the high, bright Winter daylight into the lamplit darkness of the studio and that this too—moving in and out of the light—is the pattern of existence. We are constantly changing, and the conditions of our lives do as well. No feeling is final.

For those of us who wish there were more Apartments records, why do the records come out so infrequently?

The Apartments once had a good 4 year run—drift, A Life Full Of Farewells, fête foraine and apart then, for personal reasons, I turned away from the music world, and any kind of public life that goes with it.

Will you be playing any shows (I know here some folks are beginning to do occasional backyard shows and others in other unique venues…drive in theatres, etc).

That’s a great idea.

His previous record from 2015

Who are some of your favorite current musicians/bands?

If a song has fingerpicking, a certain kind of smoke or melancholy in the voice and maybe a major 7th, I’m a fool for it and always have been, always will be. With new music, I can be as fickle as the next person and I’m not a particularly organized person—so there’s no purpose or method in how songs get to me.

It’s random, they seem to just float in. But here are some of the tracks that have seduced me recently, from my Soundcloud/Bandcamp/Spotify lists. I’m drawn to singles; if I love the album as well, that’s really magic.

Lonny—Incandescente

https://soundcloud.com/lonny-sc/incandescente

Mason Lindahl—Outside Laughing

https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/track/outside-laughing

Arlo Parks—Black Dog

https://open.spotify.com/track/1NGPZKzplieiPc5g6lAJ49?si=KYK_7EZLRkCK5PUjW0DeUA

Ruby Haunt—Avalon

https://open.spotify.com/track/5rwKSB1WtNDWOBmwxZMWrg?si=uNxxyWjGRRuvYZrk5500oA

Endless Winter—Angus Roy

https://angusroy.bandcamp.com/track/endless-winter

Harkin—Decade

https://handmirror.bandcamp.com/track/decade

www.theapartments-music.com

www.talitres.com

2 notes · View notes

houseofvans · 5 years

Photo

ART SCHOOL | INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST KATHY AGER

Originally studying graphic design and illustration, Kathy Ager left the world of ad agencies and design studios to pursue something she’d had the bug to do back in design school–painting. Making 2 to 3 paintings a year, Kathy’s art career began to take off: Her Baroque-style still lives with a modern and personal take began to get the attention of collectors and galleries alike. We’re excited to find out more about Kathy’s artistic journey, process and about her upcoming solo show this summer, opening at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City.

Take the leap!

Photography by Kea Mowat

Introduce yourself? And where you’re from or currently residing? I’m Kathy Ager, an artist and graphic designer. I’m originally from Vancouver, and just recently returned to Vancouver after living in Amsterdam (and a little bit in Barcelona and Lisbon) for the past 9 years. I originally moved to Barcelona – I’d visited a year earlier with my then-boyfriend while he was shooting with the Canadian skate team and fell in love with the mystery of the place. From there I hopped over to Amsterdam where things fell into place. Now that I have representation in LA and a lot of shows happening around North America I’m back in my hometown of Vancouver. Being back is definitely a trip! It’s a bit of a Twilight Zone experience — everything is the same yet nothing is the same.

Tell us a little about your artistic journey–from graphic designer to painter! We read that you only started painting about 3-4 years ago? How did this come about, and did you pick it up naturally or did you find you had to change your approach vs. the way you had made art prior to it as a graphic designer? I originally went to school for graphic design and illustration. I worked for many years in ad agencies and design studios both in Vancouver and Amsterdam. I’ve always hated having a boss and eventually I went freelance which was way more my style. There came a point when I was a graphic designer where I just didn’t feel like I was doing what I was supposed to do. I’d been a graphic designer for years and I still like it, but it just wasn’t enough. There was way more I wanted to say. I discovered painting back in design school and was especially encouraged by my teacher Kiff Holland. But I’d always been one to “do the right thing” and I followed the more solid path of graphic design. Finally, I found myself sick at home for the good part of a year – partially stress-induced I’m sure! That’s when I got back into painting.

It was a slow process of getting into it. I would fit it in between my freelance graphic design work, maybe making 2-3 paintings a year in my spare time. I had no agenda other than to just keep going with it.

In the fall of 2015, I went to Lisbon for a couple months just to paint. It was the first time I showed up in a new place as an artist, not a graphic designer. That was big. The response and the welcome I received there was a big thing for me. It was the third time I’d dropped myself into a new city where I didn’t know anyone or speak the language. But this place was magical. I met some amazing artists and champions of my work and it’s become a sort of second European home, including a spot at the table with Portuguese grandparents for Sunday lunch. Portugal. It’s a dream.

In the last year and a half things have really picked up in terms of interest in my paintings and the response I’ve received is mind blowing. Sometimes I wish I’d come to the art game earlier, but I’ve always been a late bloomer — I mean, I looked like I was 12 until I was 20, for god’s sake! I don’t think I was ready to say anything at a younger age.

How would you describe your work to someone who is just coming across it? I’d describe my work as Baroque-style still lives with a modern and personal take.

Why the interest in realist still lives and the way of the Dutch masters? What do you absolutely love about them, and what are some of your favorite still life paintings? I originally started with just painting cityscapes and random images I liked. Safe things that I could practice with. At some point I painted a still life image I liked and it struck me how much of a story could be told with objects and light. The first couple of still lifes I crafted myself were so personal and revealing, I was too embarrassed to show them to anyone at first (Lonely Hearts Club and Can’t Get High Enough). I’m a pretty happy person on the outside (it’s no secret that I love a good laugh), and these paintings were exposing something no one knew I had in me. But the process of crafting these messages and selecting the right combination of objects and titles gave me such a laugh and a feeling of empowerment that it felt like I was on the right path.

Who and what were some of your early artistic influences? What artists inspire you these days? I came to painting mostly unaware of other artists. I didn’t go to fine art school and had little knowledge of art history. It’s only in hindsight that I see the influence of the art that surrounded me – the Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese masters from the Golden Age. As I became more brave with the content of my paintings, I found it inspiring to discover artists like Christian Rex van Minnen and Sean Norvet who were doing things even more fucked up than I was. It was amazing!

Take us through your artistic process? What’s a typical day in the studio like? How long does it take you to complete a painting from start to finish? My process always starts with either a title or message I want to convey. I love music and books and I get a lot of ideas from lyrics and titles and beautifully written sentences. They’re these magically articulated truths and observations that just hit me so deeply. From there I usually sit on the idea for a while, working on how to solve it visually with objects I encounter. Some ideas might stew like that for up to a year. Once I have the idea set in my head, I visualize it through my own photography and also collaging from images online until it seems right. Only then do I start putting it on canvas.

I treat my painting process like a job. A day in my studio is typically 4-10 hours hunched over my easel. It’s not glamorous! My ideas come more organically, but the production process requires a lot of self discipline and stamina.

A painting takes 1-4 weeks to complete, depending on the size. But the amount of thought that went into it before that can be months.

What are your essential art tools and materials? I keep my materials minimal so far. A couple brush sizes and 5-6 colours of oil paint. I mainly like to mix my own colours from the primaries because I like to know exactly what goes in to each colour.

You’ve been preparing for an upcoming debut solo show that opens in June at Thinkspace. Tell us about the work going into the show, and what you hope folks will take away from it! This is my first solo show, so it’s going to be the first time a larger body of my still life paintings will be out in the world. Before this I’ve only had a handful of paintings in group shows. All the paintings are deeply personal, but I love crafting them in a way that’s universally appealing. I hope people will get a kick out of it as much as I have. It’s dark, but it’s also meant to be beautiful and funny and I hope that comes through.

The title of the show is Golden Age. It’s a reference to the style of paintings I’m referencing from the Dutch and Spanish Golden Age, but also a comment on our current times, my own personal experiences, and how we survive it all as sensitive beasts.

Is there a favorite piece you’ll be presenting at the show, and if you could, tell us a little about the piece and why it is so special to you? I think my favourite piece is the first one I painted for this show. It’s called The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, after the novel by Carson McCullers. Although the meaning of the painting has nothing to do with the book, I loved how perfectly this title described my feelings of loneliness and discouragement when navigating the current world of dating. One guy’s opening line to me on a dating app was “How are you enjoying this internet dumpster fire?” And he couldn’t have been more spot on, sadly. It’s a jungle out there – stay strong and bring enough snacks. The female bust in this paintings just gives me such a kick. She’s so fierce and strange. I love having her in my studio.

What are five favorite things you love painting in your still lives? Are they books, items from pop culture? Or is creating the composition of the painting more enjoyable? Books from my bookshelf, flowers (although I have a love/hate relationship with them), sneakers, the tattoos of ex lovers, and random objects belonging to lovers and friends. I’m aways telling a specific story about a person, feeling or event in my life and I love the intimacy and sort of inside joke it creates.

What has been the most challenging project or work you’ve battled through? How did you overcome those obstacles and what did you take away from it? Definitely making the work for my upcoming solo show has been the biggest challenge! I went from painting a couple paintings a year to making 12 paintings in 10 months. I’m getting through it by just doing it. There’s no easy way around it. I’ve had to learn to have a continuous stream of paintings on the go and to trust my abilities.

When you’re not painting or working on projects, how do you unwind and unplug? Music is a big thing for me. I just feel it so much. So listening to music and dancing are a big thing for me. Reading and travelling are also amazing. I’m just so curious about people and places and hearing as many experiences and adventures and ideas as possible. I’ve also been getting back into snowboarding and skateboarding after being away from the Westcoast for 9 years. Vancouver is amazing for random outdoor adventures with friends!

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps and pursue art? Just do it! There’s no way around it. Put the time and effort in every moment you can, even if there’s no one watching. It’s not glamorous. Sometimes I wonder where all the parties and rock and roll is. But if you’re putting in the time, if you’re making art for yourself and not what you think others will like, you’ll find yourself in the right place, attracting the right attention.

Also, there’s never a perfect time for anything. Most of my paintings before this year were created alone in a tiny apartment, mostly fit in between design projects. Just ignore the discomfort and keep going. Oh and don’t quit your day job until you feel you’re getting momentum. It’s like surfing – you’ll just know it when you’re catching that wave and you can pop-up. Until then enjoy the space that’s created when you’re NOT focussing on art all the time.

What’s your best Art School tip that you want to share with folks? I’ll give you some very specific painting advice as told to me by my only painting instructor, Kiff Holland. I still feel like these are responsible for my painting success: 1. Paint what you see, not what you think you see. 2. Paint dark to light. Sorry if you’re not aiming to be a realist painter and find this completely irrelevant ;)

What are your favorite style of VANS? Right now I’m liking the CHIMA PRO 2. It’s the first pair of shoes I bought specifically for skating, so it has a special place in my heart!

Anything you can share that is coming up? Other than my debut solo show in LA this summer, I have a bunch of group shows in cities including New Orleans, London and Miami. And more big things coming in 2020 which I’ll announce in the future on my instagram!

FOLLOW KATHY | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

#Art #Vans #Vans Art #Vans Girls #Kathy Ager #Art School #Painting #Studio #acrylic #Portrait #Still Life

483 notes · View notes

fy-kimjihun · 5 years

Text

In Conversation with KNK, a South Korean Idol Group

KNK, a South Korean idol group, first saw the light of day in 2016 when they debuted on the domestic market. They relatively quickly made a name for themselves with their mature and serious looks, music and gentlemen attires. In 2017, a huge crowd welcomed their performance at the Feel Korea concert in London and even then, KNK showed potential to stand the test of time as long as they kept their future performances at the same level.

After the departure of You-jin, an immense vocal talent, the group welcomed Dong-won, a rapper who added his own charm to KNK; the group now consists of him, Ji-hun, In-song, Seo-ham, and Hee-jun. After successful performances in the US, KNK are now about to embark on their 1st European Tour called Sunrise, which will include 6 cities: Berlin, Warsaw, London, Lisbon, Madrid and Paris. KNK will play the O2 Academy Islington in London on August 18th. Tickets are now available to purchase via Ticketmaster and Ticketweb.

Ahead of KNK’s European Tour Sunrise, we caught up with the group and chatted about K-pop, their newest release KNK S/S Collection and life in general.

2016 was the year you officially debuted. Prior to your debut, you obviously trained to enter music industry, but was it your dream to become a part of a boy group?

Ji-hun: Yes. I wanted to become a ballad singer when I was a student, but afterwards I became determined to be a dancer as well as a singer.

In-seong: Yes. I am so happy to make my dream come true.

Seoham: Yes. As I started practicing as a trainee, I really wanted to debut as a singer, so I practiced hard to achieve my dream.

Dong-won: As you know, I became a new member of KNK in 2019. I always had a dream in my heart of becoming a singer, since I was a student, but I didn’t have any chance to do it, so I was in fact preparing to become an actor. Fortunately, thanks to KNK members who called me to be a part of the group, I was able to make my debut as a singer.

Hee-jun: Actually, I wanted to be a football player.

Your most recent album [KNK S/S COLLECTION] was just released. What was the creative process behind it and – as your lyrics are in Korean – would you mind telling our readers which themes your songs represent the most?

Ji-hun: This time, we tried for new sounds – compared to our previous songs – and we will keep working hard to make good songs in the future.

In-seong: For our new album, we tried for a dynamic and exciting concept which is reflected in the music. When you listen to it, it’s like being in a fashion show.

Seoham: Visually, it’s a new concept that we hadn’t tried before: KNK members as fashion models. The lyrics, however, tell the story of a man in love.

Hee-jun: Also, we wanted to express love and melancholy through the colours used in the music video – like the feelings you have when someone leaves.

What were your feelings when preparing for this video (SUNSET)?

Ji-hun: In my case, when we were preparing the video for SUNSET, I just wanted to show it to our fans as soon as possible.

In-seong: I remember that although the group dance scene was very hard this time, the on-site atmosphere was really good.

Seoham: The shoot itself was very difficult because there are several scenes that include all of us dancing at the same time, but the shooting session was different from the ones we had done in the past, so it was a lot of fun.

Dong-won: The shooting of my personal scenes took longer than expected, so it was very burdensome at first, but I think I did well. I am getting used to the hard choreographies by now.

Hee-jun: It was exciting because we were able to show different styles of KNK.

Your image comes across as a very mature one, including your music. Are there any other concepts, or certain music, you would like to try out with your future releases?

Ji-hun: I love songs that feature dancing and complex choreographies; however, given the chance, I would like to sing lyrical and moody songs.

In-seong: Vampire concept!

Seoham: I would like to keep exploring trendy music styles like SUNSET since it features a new concept for KNK. Summer-like songs would be great as well!

Dong-won: If I must choose, I want to try hip-hop. Even though I’m not confident enough about my skills just yet, it would be great to try! Also, bright and refreshing music!

Hee-jun: More than trying new concepts or styles, I would like to keep promoting KNK and become the world’s favourite artists!

Is there music you like, which never fails to make you feel good? Who really inspires you as an artist?

Ji-hun: I’ve been listening to Night That Reminds of You by 20 Years of Age a lot lately.

In-seong: Since I’m a singer, I was inspired by VIXX and TVXQ.

Seoham: KARD is the best! Listening to their music gives me energy!

Dong-won: I really like rapper PH-1! He is famous not only as a rapper but as a singer as well. I’ve been listening to him a lot these days.

Hee-jun: I would say that one of the artists who inspires me the most is Coldplay.

What’s the hardest thing about being in a group? As there are five members, there are also five different personalities. How do you make it work as a team?

Ji-hun: Probably, the hardest thing about being in a group like KNK is the choreographies. As we mentioned before, they are very complex and physically demanding. Luckily, since we have very similar personalities, we can get along and overcome the tough moments.

In-seong: I think the most important aspect to consider in order to make a group like KNK work is the understanding of each other’s points of views and personalities.

Seoham: Personally I think there are no difficult moments because being together with all the other members is fun and because we support each other every single day. So, everything works just fine!

Dong-won: Since I am the new member in the group it seems natural to feel lost at times, especially among members who already have quite an impressive teamwork skill. Fortunately, the guys took good care of me as a new member, so I think I was able to get used to KNK’s pace quickly.

Hee-jun: [Referring to Dong-won’s previous answer] I think it’s because we have the same dream as KNK members.

When you are not working, what do you do to get away from it all and relax?

Ji-hun: I really like watching YouTube videos when I have some spare time. I can just spend my day with something to eat and YouTube!!!

In-seong: I usually go fishing. I like games, too!

Seoham: Rather than going out, I prefer to stay at home and have a good rest. There, I enjoy eating delicious food.

Dong-won: My favourite hobby is fishing! Since In-seong also likes it, as he mentioned previously, we go fishing together. In fact, it is not only a hobby, but a way to heal and relax.

Hee-jun: If I’m not sleeping during my free time, I try to do some activities to keep my body active. Just like football or working out.

Which would be your dream collaboration, if you could choose any singer or a group?

Ji-hun: I would love to collaborate with 20 Years of Age and sing a track like Night That Reminds of You.

In-seong: A duet with Jooheon of MONSTA X!

Seoham: KARD!!

Dong-won: I would like to collaborate with PH-1, that’s why he is on my playlist nowadays!

Hee-jun: It would be great to work with Coldplay and Camilla Cabello. I really like them!

K-Pop is huge nowadays, and with various groups (BTS, EXO, BlackPink etc.) pushing through into the foreign markets, how do you feel about your own career abroad?

Ji-hun: I’m so excited about the positioning of K-pop in foreign markets nowadays. Just like BTS, EXO and BlackPink, we want to keep working hard in order to become a popular group everywhere.

In-seong: Me too, I’m so excited. Having the opportunity to meet our Tinkerbells [KNK fandom name] when touring abroad is a great experience. We really want to meet all of our fans in Europe during the next tour.

Seoham: I’ve always wanted to visit different countries. My dream is to have as many concerts as possible and meet more fans all over the world.

Dong-won: I’m so grateful to the fans who are welcoming us from all around the world. We’re always excited when we go on tour overseas. I would like to go to even more cities and meet our fans.

Hee-jun: Since our senior colleagues [referring to more experienced K-pop acts] paved the way for us, we’ll do our best to meet fans expectations wherever we can go!

What’s next for you as a group?

Ji-hun: We will keep working hard to strengthen our music style. Personally, I would like to improve my singing skills in order to become a popular singer not only in Korea, but around the world!

Seoham: What’s ahead of us is an active promotion of our most recent single SUNSET. Also, we are preparing for our upcoming European tour which will start very soon. Right after that, we should start working on our next album.

Dong-won: What’s next for KNK? We will stick together as a group making songs that our fans will love. Many more concerts and why not – perhaps we’ll get the 1st place on one of the Korean music shows. I want to be with the other KNK members and do the music that our fans want. Also, I would love to win the first place on music shows and want to have concerts often!

In-seong: 1st place!

Hee-jun: I want to let everyone know about KNK and I hope people get impressed by our music.

[SOURCE]

#knk #keunakeun #ot5 #kim jihun #jihun #park seoham #seoham #lee dongwon #dongwon #jeong inseong #inseong #oh heejun #heejun

41 notes · View notes

nuclearblastuk · 4 years

Text

MACHINE HEAD have shared another brand new song, ‘Circle the Drain.’

Listen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To_4s0WE8vo and pick up your download here https://nuclearblast.com/mh-circlethedrain.

In March 2018, MACHINE HEAD frontman/guitarist and visionary, Robb Flynn began having ideas for a new song. Over the following 6 months, a crazy series of events would lead to what would become this new track, but not without unsuspecting detours and downright sad events as the band in its ‘then current’ form, fell apart. These two video diary clips document the ‘making of…’ ‘Circle The Drain’.

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/Cz2clO10Lcs

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/EIYTQAEEH90

Guitarist / vocalist Robb Flynn describes the song as the anti-Valentine's Day song. "The song is inspired by an acquaintance of mine who returned from Afghanistan only to have his relationship fall apart with his girl. She had messed around on him, then got paranoid about him messing around on her, and drove him crazy. We had a conversation on Valentine's Day and he said to me "they were just circling the drain”… the phrase struck me. A few days later I incorporated it into the song I’d been working on. It was a strange parallel with my life at the time, having recently had two band members quit, and even more bizarrely, two long-time couple friends of my wife and I, also divorce. It was break-up season, and it played out with friends taking sides, people not being invited to certain events anymore, social and emotional pressure, and all the typical stuff that happens when a relationship goes bad. Watching this guy pull through it, helped me pull through my own upheaval. The lyrics to 'Circle The Drain' came out of that frustrating time. It's a sad song about relationships gone bad, but accepting that it's over, and making yourself move on. I wrote it in a more metaphorical tone, as I didn’t want it to be about my life, but to be about anybody’s life who may be going through a rough time like that. It may not be a song that connects with everyone, especially those in a solid relationship, but if the day ever comes when your life goes awry, this song will be a lifeline for you, something to help pull you up out of that dark place. The irony that he and I had the original conversation on Valentine's Day, and are now releasing it on Valentine's Day isn’t lost on me, it really is the anti-Valentine's Day song.”

The song was once again produced by Robb Flynn (Machine Head’s Through The Ashes Of Empires, The Blackening, Bloodstone & Diamonds), and co-produced by Zach Ohren (All Shall Perish, Suicide Silence, Machine Head) at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland. Joel Wanasek (Attilla, Bloodline) once again handled post-production duties, while Russ Russell (At The Gates, The Wildhearts, Dimmu Borgir) over at Parlour Studios UK handled the beefy, guitar-heavy song mix. Finally the track was mastered by the same gentleman who mastered “Through The Ashes Of Empires” Greg Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering. “Circle The Drain" features the drumming of Navene Koperweis (Entheos, Whitechapel, Animals As Leaders, Animosity).

In late 2019, the band also dropped a video for the new song ‘Do Or Die’ through Imperium Recordings x Nuclear Blast. Watch and listen to that track here.

MACHINE HEAD are currently on the last few dates of the US leg of their "An Evening With" Winter 2020 tour. With increased demand for tickets, the band make a return to the UK and Europe for a second string of shows this Spring. The current tour features three hours of music spread over two sets, while celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Burn My Eyes. Part One features a battery of fan favourites from the band's vast catalogue, including "Imperium," "Halo," "Ten Ton Hammer," and "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears." This set features frontman/guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern, performing alongside new members, Vogg Kiełtyka and Matt Alston on guitar and drums, respectively. Part Two of the show features the band's classic debut album Burn My Eyes played in its entirety for the first time ever on tour. Taking the stage for this part of the set are original members and Burn My Eyes-era alumni, drummer Chris Kontos and guitarist, Logan Mader.

Tickets for the upcoming UK and EU dates are available now from https://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/machine-head-tickets. A very limited amount of VIP packages per show are also available. Click to http://machinehead.vip for details.

MACHINE HEAD ON TOUR:

APRIL 2020

Sun 19th - Spain, ZARAGOZA, Teatro de las Esquinas

Tue 21st - Spain, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Capitol

Thu 23rd - Portugal, OPORTO, Coliseu de Porto

Fri 24th - Portugal, LISBON, Coliseu de Lisboa

Sat 25th - Spain, MADRID, La Riviera

Mon 27th - Spain, MALAGA, Paris 15

Tue 28th - Spain, MURCIA, Gamma

Wed 29th - Spain, VALENCIA, Republicca

MAY

Fri 1st - Spain, BARCELONA, Razzmatazz

Sat 2nd - France, TOULOUSE, Le Bikini

Tue 5th - Germany, LUDWIGSBURG, MHP Arena

Wed 6th - Germany, WIESBADEN, Schlachthof

Fri 8th - Germany, HANNOVER, Swiss Life Hall

Sat 9th - Czech Republic, PRAGUE, Forum Karlin

Sun 10th - Slovakia, BRATISLAVA, Refinery Gallery

Tue 12th - Romania, BUCHAREST, Quantic Club

Wed 13th - Bulgaria, SOFIA, Universiada Hall

Fri 15th - Greece, THESSALONIKI, Fix Factory Of Sound

Sat 16th - Greece, ATHENS, Piraeus Academy

Wed 20th - Ukraine, KIEV, Stereoplaza

Fri 22nd - Russia, MOSCOW, Club 1930

Sat 23rd - Russia, ST PETERSBURG, A2 Green

Mon 25th - Finland, HELSINKI, The Circus

Thu 28th - Sweden, STOCKHOLM, Fryshuset Arenan

Fri 29th - Norway, OSLO, Sentrum Scene

Sat 30th - Denmark, AARHUS, Train

JUNE

Mon 1st - Germany, HAMBURG, Grosse Freiheit 36

Tue 2nd - Netherlands, UTRECHT, Tivoli Vredenburg

Wed 3rd - France, LILLE, L’Aeronef

Fri 5th - UK, LONDON, Alexandra Palace

Sat 6th - UK, BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy

For more info on MACHINE HEAD, contact [email protected] or point your mouse at www.machinehead1.com

#Machine head #Circle the Drain #Robb flynn #nuclear blast records

3 notes · View notes

shawn-does-stuff · 5 years

Text

Lisbon Q&A

Part of the Q&A -> HERE

Q: What’s your favorite sport in Portugal? A: It would be a crime if I didn’t say soccer. — Q: Are you performing “Perfectly Wrong” tonight? A: I’m not I’m sorry! — Q: What’s your favorite color? A: Blue — Q: What’s the most amazing opportunity music has given to you? A: To travel the world, play shows like in Lisbon and have people singing my songs back to me. — Q: What was your dad and your Portuguese side of the family reaction to “IMB” in Portuguese? A: My dad loved it! My whole family really loved it. — Q: You have the most beautiful smile in the entire world. A: Thank you! Now I’m insecure about my smile. (sarcastic) — When Shawn entered the Q&A today he said; “Como se estão sentindo?” (“How are you guys feeling?”) — He also said; “Eu tenho gratidão por vocês” (“I’m grateful for you guys”) — Q: If you could give us a song to keep, what would it be? A: If I could give you a song, I would give you “Never Be Alone” to keep forever! — Q: Why did you decide to sing “Fix You”? A: It is one of my favorite songs of all time and I just think it perfectly aligns musically and conceptually with “In My Blood”. — Q: Can I suggest you a song to listen? It’s “Lullaby” by Sara Mancuso. A: Thank you, I appreciate that! — Q: What do u love the most about Portugal? A: The people! You’re so timid & sweet in the kindest way! You are so unbelievably polite until you get into the arena & you become the loudest human beings on planet Earth! You guys are the loudest show I have ever experienced in my entire life. — Q: If you could make three wishes, what would they be? A: That is an extremely hard question. Can I think about that for one second? I don't want to answer with stupid answers. — Fan: So Alessia is opening, I love her... Shawn: I love her!!!! You love me more though, right? Fan: If you could choose another artist to open up for you who would it be? Shawn: I don’t know! I loved James TW, Charlie Puth and Julia Micheals were great, but Alessia Cara is incredible though! She makes it feel like she is doing her own massive tour and it is amazing...I think anyone! — Q: Will you ever perform “She'll Be The One” live again? A: Maybe, I might, not today though! — Q: Would you rather never fall on stage again or ever forget the lyrics? A: I think I would rather forget the lyrics because I think it is funny when I fall. — Q: What do you think our generation should put more effort and energy into? A: I think our generation should put more energy into themselves and not other people judging other people. I think we need to focus that energy in becoming better ourselves instead of telling people on what they should do better. But for the most part we have one of the most incredible generations, yet I am really so impressed with everything we do! — Q: What is the hardest part being a singer? A: The singing! I am not kidding! — Q: What do you like to write about in your songs? A: I love to write about love because I think that that's the easiest thing to write about. — Q: Is there anything you have learned to appreciate now that I am well known? A: I would say appreciate your time in the bathroom alone because before you know it someone has a camera out in the bathroom. — Q: How do you manage to do so many cities and meet so many people? A: You know how when you are really tired one day and 5 of your friends show up to your house and all your energy will just jump? I get to do that every day except to 15,000... does that make sense? — Q: Are you Team Damon or Team Stefan? A: I am Team Damon. — Q: Will you ever act in something? A: I will! I promise I will, and I think I am going to be filming my next movie in January...my first movie but that's not a for sure but that is my goal next year! — Q: Do you love Harry Potter? A: I do, I watch Harry Potter once a month! — Q: If you could go back to a day, which would it be? A: That's an impossible question! I think I would go back to the first time I performed on stage with Taylor Swift, that was incredible. — Shawn: “When I go on stage tonight should I say Lisbon or Lisboa?” Fans: LISBOAAAA! 🇵🇹 — Q: Would you write a song about climate change? A: That’s actually a really beautiful idea, thank you! — Q: Do you have advice for people who are not sure what they want to do with their future? A: I’m sure there’s people even in their 30s who are still trying to find it. So don’t be too hard on yourself! — Shawn said he didn’t think he would be nervous for the CK campaign, but he actually was. — Q: Is it hard for you to make friends? A: It’s not hard, I already have friends though like my friends from home I’m so close with so I don’t want any more friends but in terms of meeting people I’m not any better than anyone else is.

(Questions & answers from @SMendesQandA and @sm3thetour on Twitter)

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes the tour #tour: lisbon #q&a

59 notes · View notes

tayspurrito · 5 years

Text

Taylor Come Back To Europe Project: Portugal’s week.

Hi there!

So, as a little explanation before we start: last January I created on Twitter an account called @Europe _ Loves _ TS in order to try to get Taylor back to Europe. It works this way: each week is dedicated to one different country, this one’s being Portugal, and each day I post different stuff about the country, Taylor’s charts there, where she could play and that kind of stuff. I started posting this week because it took me quite a long to finish with all of the preparations but now it has already started, and Day 6 (a.k.a. Tumblr and sign the petition) is about posting everything done on Twitter but on Tumblr, that’s why the texts will be really little. Also, here you have the summary, in case you want to see something first:

Day 1: Where would Taylor play?

Day 2: About the city.

Day 3: Swifties day!

Day 4: Taylor and the city.

Day 5: Conclusion.

Day 6: Tumblr and signing the petition.

Day 7 (does not appear in here): New country announcement.

Here you have the petition’s link https://www.change.org/p/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-european-tour?recruiter=931350637&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition , just in case you want to help us.

And the second country of the week will be... 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗹!

Lisbon, Portugal: Altice Arena.

𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆?

Altice Arena is a versatile venue that can host events. It comprises three integrated areas and is an ideal solution for show promoters looking to rent versatile, high-quality venues to host their events.

𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆?

You can choose to rent the venue with full autonomy in the production of your event or you can count on them for all the logistics you need to guarantee the success you expect, with a capacity for 20.000 people.

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖞𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆:

-Madonna. -Beyoncé. -Adele. -Ariana Grande. -Enrique Iglesias. -Lady Gaga. -Jennifer Lopez. -Elton John. -Bruno Mars. -Bryan Adams. -Rihanna. -Robbie Williams.

𝕬𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 505,526 inhabitants. It is one of the major economic centers on the continent, and it is one of the oldest cities in the world.

𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖛𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

-The Belém Tower, one of the most famous landmarks in Lisbon and Portugal.

-D. Maria II National Theatre, one of Portugal's most prestigious venues.

-The monument to Christ the King (Cristo-Rei).

𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖛𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

-Eduardo VII Park, the second largest park in the city.

-The National Coach Museum has the largest collection of royal carriages in the world and is one of its most visited institutions.

“As for me, I encountered Taylor when I saw her guest starring in a movie in 2009 and later that year I remember watching the YBWM music video over and over again! Then I went on the journey of discovering every single song from Taylor (officially released or not) and loving all of them -specially the lyrics. I missed out on the opportunity of attending the Speak Now World Tour that happened really close on Spain. The Red Tour didn’t come as close and neither did the 1989 World Tour and the “reputation Stadium Tour” but these last two I had the possibility of traveling to other countries in Europe just to be on the happiest place on earth.”

-Ana, Portugal (@swifttchick on Twitter).

“Hello! My english is not very good, but I'll do my best. Well, one day in 2015 I was in YouTube and the 'You Belong With Me' music video appeared in my timeline and I clicked to see it. I remember that I loved the song and that it was always on repeat, I was very addicted. Some time later was the time of 'Out Of The Woods', I was very addicted too and I started to like Taylor a loooot and started to search about her life, story, career and became a fan of this incredible woman that I loveeeeee so much!! She has never come to Portugal but I have hopes that one day she will come. I would loveeeeeeee to meet her 'cause she's amazing, she only deserves good things.”

-Rubén, Portugal (@IDSB_but_DBM on Twitter).

“When I was eight years old (in 2012) I received my first little second hand phone. It was from my cousin so it had a lot of songs in it, wich was mainly the reason I used it. I used to spend days and days hearing its songs and I loved every single one of them, but there was one which kept my attention, not only because of the song itself, but because of the too small photo of a blonde girl standing while I heard "I Knew You Were Trouble". I was too young to know how to search about her, so I just kept hearing the song over and over trough the years till I finally discovered her name. I admit, at that time, I just wanted someone to stan, but looking back now that was the best thing I've ever done in fifteen years and now, I love her for so many different reasons.”

-MDA, Portugal (@MDA_TSwift on Twitter).

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

She has never played in Lisbon, nor in Portugal, although most of her albums have debuted on its charts and made really well. "reputation" debuted at #1 of Portugal Albums Top 30, and "1989" debuted at #3.

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

Actually, Taylor's discography has had a great impact on the country all through the years; it went from not appearing on the lists to "RED" debuting at #8 and now to "reputation" breaking records!

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

And, most importantly, its fan base, which has never stopped growing! In a matter of a few years its main fansite account, @taylorswiftpt on Twitter, has reached over 2,800 followers!

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Portugal is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and an amazing international fandom. It's not the biggest country on Earth, but Taylor's power has arrived there and it makes nothing but growing every day.

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Also, Lisbon is the perfect city to host the show. It has a big arena and a fandom who deserves nothing but love and recognition because they are true heroes and some of the most supportive people I have ever met.

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

To every single person who has helped with this week's challenge, thank you so so much. Even just retweeting or liking the posts, you make this so much easier and great. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Os amo.

Duh.

https://www.change.org/p/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-european-tour?recruiter=931350637&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=a8694c60-1e79-11e9-8dcf-1bb98ece69a1 (This one is the link for the petition to get Taylor to come back to Europe).

So thank you so much for reading this! If you want to take a look to the Twitter account, that’s the link https://twitter.com/Europe_Loves_TS and the account is called @Europe_Loves_TS . I would recommedn you to check it, since the stuff will be posted there before and the new country announcement is tomorrow.

Thank you so much again!!

@taylorswift @taylornation

#Taylor #Swift #Taylurking #Taylorlurking #TS7 #ME!#stream me!#one week of me!#Europe #Taylor Come Back To Europe #Taylor Swift

7 notes · View notes