Congratulations on making it to the final 5, contestants!
This may just be the hardest week yet, sorry ;) Of course - let me take this opportunity to confirm that the winner of this game will receive a gift from me. Also, let me repeat that the Sudden Death aspect of this game may not continue - we may directly eliminate someone based on submissions - so BRING YOUR A-GAME!
Theme: INTERNATIONAL
We will be asking you to send us 3 songs! That’s right, single submissions are no more - and gone as well are double submissions!
SONG #1: Any non-English song!
Will you deliver us a chart topper? An undiscovered find? A dance bop? A heart melter? In which language, besties?
Here are the languages we can understand (but you are not restricted to)
Noelle: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese VanitySmurf Blu: Spanish
SONG #2: Any foreign language cover!
Please send us a cover of any song, originally English or not, but the cover has to be in a different language of course and the cover itself can not be English! Will you send us a cover of a song you know & love? Will you lean more towards a risk & send us a cover of an international bop? REMEMBER - if you chose a song originally in Spanish, for example, - the cover can not also be in Spanish.
SONG #3: BELLA CIAO
We will be saying CIAO, BELLA/O to one of you at the end of this round, but for now let’s focus on this magnificent Italian protest song - arguably, & yes I’m fucking arguing it - the most impactful protest song in the world. Originally used to protest harsh working conditions in the fields, this song then became the anti-fascism anthem for those fighting fascists in Italy and it spread around the world. There are versions in over 50 languages, people have used this song to protest issues in their own countries and even still in Italy it’s used to protest modern issues. You’re tasked with finding any recorded version or live use of the song, whatever you feel is a good representation of it!
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Good luck FINAL 5! Please post within the next couple days :)
SONG 1: Goblin (Favorite Boys) by: A.C.E
language: Korean
Honestly never thought I'd get into KPOP but somehow I discovered this group and I have grown to love them sooooo much! They aren't the most popular KPOP groups that have blown up so kinda feel like a hidden gem which makes me love them so much more, and shocks me how they aren't as popular! Hope it's alright as well lol but there is a tiny bit of english in it but it's mostly Korean!
SONG 2: Toxic by: Britney Spears covered by: Ai Mori
Language: Russian
Okayyyy I couldn't not slip in a rock one in here! I discovered Ai as she collaborated another group that makes rock covers of popular songs and noticed she had an accent so I checked out her stuff and she does covers of songs but in Russian and she is sooooo good! So I wanted to go with this song because not only is she covering the song in a different language but she also made it her own by changing the genre.
SONG 3: Bella Ciao - Luciana Zogbi ft. Kenny Holland & Romy Wave
Language: Italian
I really love this version because this girl has a BEAUTIFUL voice and I loved that she took on this song even though she doesn't normally speak Italian. I think she does a beautiful job and that their voices are just such a lovely mix together!
1. My Boo- Touyama Mirei
If I’m completely honest, I don’t listen to international music as much. That being said I think the most important thing an international song can offer is the power to make the listener feel something. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me but this song just brings so much happiness whenever I listen to it. I may not know what she is saying but I can understand the emotions tied to the song and that’s important for me.
2. Dance Monkey (German Version) cover by Voyce
Now I actually studied German in middle and high school so I understand how rough the language sounds compared to the romantic languages. I thought it would be fun to pick a song that used German to make it sound better. The idea with a cover is to take your own spin on a song, but the good covers are the ones that are better than the original. That’s why I chose this song because I am not a big fan of the original. The cover completely changes the game for me and makes me appreciate the song more.
3. Bella Ciao
The version I chose is a little different than what I thought I was gonna submit. As you may have known, Italy got hit very hard by the coronavirus. They had to be in lockdown for a very long time, so what better way to showcase that they want freedom than to play this beautiful song which is a liberation protest song to begin with. However that’s not the version I picked here. What’s special about this recording is that it is actually German people who aren’t in lockdown, recording this to show Italy their support. That’s the most powerful part of this because this is a country who hasn’t even been affected at that time coming together to stand with Italy during these tough times. This song is powerful, and even though it may not be the cleanest recording, this shows that power.
I really don’t know what this fella is singing about (I assume the gal) but I love how relaxing and smooth this song’s beat is and how his voice compliments it so much. I honestly added it to my playlist. Despite the language barrier, it communicates to me being so infatuated with someone to the extent of giddiness.
2. Vertical Worship- Si Lo Haré (Yes I Will)
So not going to lie, I really struggled finding a song a loved.. I found two, prior to this one, but they didn’t fit the format. But, thankfully, I came across this one.. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite worship songs of devotion to God.
3. Iris, Petro, and Vesa- Bella Ciao
I must live under a rock Bc I’ve never heard this song before in my life. But these 3 definitely slayed (especially Iris)..
Iris vs Petro vs Vesa - Bella Ciao | Betejat | The Voice Kids Albania 2019
I just had to submit this because it is my favorite foreign language song of all time. I know it's super popular but for good reason. I think I first heard this through the good old tengaged song contest days and I've been jamming to this ever since. I took French in high school (aka I don't know it anymore) but I can sing the lyrics to this verbatim lmao.
Song 2 - Never Enough - Carolina Ross
Taking a song from one of my favorite musical movies that was covered in Spanish. I love this song in English and I think Carolina does an excellent job with the Spanish cover. Her voice is awesome and I just really enjoy this cover.
Song 3 - Bella Ciao by Yuna & Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
So kind of lame but I stand by it I this song makes me think of the show Money Heist now LOL. And I found this version done for Netflix Asia that I really like. Her voice is awesome in my opinion and even though it's not the most traditional it's what I vibe with so I hope you like it too!
This song is very close to my heart. It is a very good display of Vietnamese literature and culture, essentially a mix of traditional with modern electronic instruments. As to why it is close to my heart, this song came out when many of my cousins who live in Vietnam are taking their high school entry exams. This is great review material for them. A song has never been seen this way before so that is very interesting. I love the production and the energy it has.
2. Stay With Me - Jason Chen (Original by Chanyeol and Punch)
This guy is talented, his voice captures you every second of this cover and it gives a more contemporary feel to this catchy pop song. It is sensational and I love it. He plays his own instruments too so that makes him stand out from others for not using the original song's instrumental version. His other covers give me chills as well.
3. Bella Ciao - Chloé Stafler
I think of war and protest movies and there usually is one main protagonist protesting to save his own kind of some sort. I think this song has more impact as a solo performance and would be able to show the message this song wanted to deliver just as well as a group chant.
We can't agree on what to do. So. Idk. But you guys don't deserve to wait so long because we can't agree. Sooo like if either of you are fed up with the game and want to drop out let me know. If you guys WANT to go to sudden death let us know.
