the lyrics kinda speak for themselves, like i guess this is LESS dramatic than an abusive relationship or whateva but the song is very much so about getting over lanky situations and being ur bad bitch self at the club because fuck men!!! surviving men is enough trial for this theme i say.

"Praying", as described by Kesha in a personal essay she wrote for Lenny Letter, is all about triumphing through adversity, and finding peace in forgiving those who have hurt you.

I'd say that this song is a great representation of women breaking free from the chokehold of abusive men, and finding the inner strength to persevere and be free.

The way I see this round's selection process is using something more than a discover weekly song I just got introduced to. The song I use will mean something to me, and this song does.

To Celine, this song represents the return to her career after a 2 year absence where she focused on having her first child. She sings about the darkness in her life and outside perception of her having it all but feeling incomplete until her son came into her life. While I'm not an expecting mother, I can certainly relate to times I feel like the world is looking at me and thinking my life is amazing just because I have, say, a decent job, but I certainly don't feel validated on the inside. Listening to people make conclusions about my life if anything makes me feel worse because I feel like I don't have that, and that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. My survival story is how at times when I feel alone in these tough years, I visit my family or safely reconnect with friends and remember that's what is important to me, and not any of the anxiety or chatter I let pollute my mind about where I am in life. This song represents that journey for me.

I hate to be obvious but I had to

this is my moment, it’s my time, i’ve waited for so long

this song is about the peace and serenity of surviving turbulence within a relationship and being stronger for it.

"the one that was put out
will shine brighter, than the comets
passing over the planet
from space.
without your beauty can’t be born
the free bird of youth.

soaring over the earth
like an eagle, like an eagle.
lightening the earth
as a fire, as a fire.

the one, who has lost
will love again.
after dawn an eternal summer is coming,
night till sunrise.
you, in your soul, take care of your bird,
don’t let it crash."

outside of its lyrical content u can HEAR the euphoric gorgeous chimes and belts of her voice and the production is serene, atmospheric, as though u have just survived something traumatic. u lived it. u got through it. u survived. and look at u now. ooooOoOOooOOOOoo

also in the music video u can see polnalyubvi surviving and thriving in the wild in the same way all of u wish to survive and thrive on the boat from the bermuda triangle like michelle, myself and also jesy nelson probably. good luck to u all tho!!

Seeing so many of the songs speak of 'surviving' as in how it comes to romantic relationships, although valid and important, made me realise that was not the direction I wanted to take my entry this week. Thus I present to you a song you already know since like everyone here decided to do that anyway:



The song, as I'm sure you are aware, addresses society in a political and introspective manner, wishing to set herself free from the expectations society places upon her. The song starts off by discussing her own inner turmoil of how she is best able to represent her inner being through her music with lines such as "One day I'm wordless the next I'm a wordsmith" and "Simz the artist or Simbi the person?".

She speaks about how she works through these issues by saying
"Find a way, I'll find a way
The world's not over
I will make it, don't you cry
In God we trust"

To me, this clearly speaks to the theme of being a survivor. She's realising that despite her personal struggles, she is able to both stand firm and not lose her ground, that the world is not over and that there will be another day.

Her own personal conflicts later pan out into a wider conflict towards structural government corruption, racism and xenophobic alongside poverty. Her lyrics increase both in intensity and musicality as the strength in her voice increases, almost as if being blasted from a megaphone. This megaphone amplifies her voice in the a lyric which I feel most connects to this theme, that being:

"I’m a Black woman and I’m a proud one
We walk in blind faith not knowing the outcome
But as long as we unified then we’ve already won"

She speaks here of unity within her community alongside intersectional unity to indicate that despite not being fully certain of the circumstances that behold them in their fight for equality, that their unified strength as a community will help them to survive and win in this generational fight. A song which acts to a call to war like this one makes me feel that we are able to survive any battle we must face. Tragically, we have had to lose many impactful voices during this push for equality which has taken centuries and is nowhere close to beign over.

The music video here further illustrates the point Simbi is trying to make here, with its visuals documenting many of the direct issues which have impacted her, with the later shots and scenes showing how her perserverence provides her strength, and shows to you, Michelle, why Simz is the biggest survivor out of all the entries this week.

It’s time to find out which 5 racers will receive their spot on the boat, and which 3 racers will lipsync for the 6th and final spot.

One by one, I will reveal which racer received first, second, and so on. This will repeat until we have our bottom three racers. When your song appears, there will also be commentary from yours truly. Plus, there will be a ranking that shows how you did. (No theme marks this week)

Let’s find out where everybody placed!

NOTE: Alexeh is safe with their express pass, however they sent a song for placement. If they receive anything lower than HIGH it will count as a yellow SAFE.

The racer receiving the FIRST spot on the boat, and moving on with the race is...
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GANGHANDEDCAT!

SONG: Little Simz - ‘Introvert’

COMMENTARY: This excellence like.. Firstly the instrumentation on this song is literally to die for, and I love how the intro gets you hyped for the slay that’s about to occur. “If you can’t feel the pain, you can’t feel the opposite” the way that line HIT me.. obviously, I heard this before but I never really listened to the lyrics closely, life-changing song. AMAZING song.

SCORE: 20 (10 + 10)

The racer receiving the SECOND spot on the boat, and moving on with the race is...
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ALEXEH23!

SONG: POLNALYUBVI - ‘Кометы’

COMMENTARY: GORGEOUSSS. You’re the only person with a confirmed place on the boat yet you ate most of the other girls up? This is the kind of stuff I wanted from everybody to make my decision hard but this was at the top for me. Something I’ll definitely listen to again, that fits the theme in a gorgeous way and I was in love.

SCORE: 20 (10 + 10)

The racer receiving the THIRD spot on the boat, and moving on with the race is...
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IANFITZ0012!

SONG: Celine Dion - ‘A New Day Has Come’

COMMENTARY: I never got into Celine’s music despite her legendary status, but this was actually gorgeous to me. I LOVE the story behind this song, and I like how you chose something that relates to you and explained how it added to my enjoyment. I’m very proud.

SCORE: 19 (10 + 9)

The racer receiving the FOURTH spot on the boat, and moving on with the race is...
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PENNYTRATIONSTAN!

SONG: ROSE GRAY - ‘Save Your Tears’

COMMENTARY: I really enjoyed this take on the survivor theme, it’s not extremely on the nose like some other picks but regardless I got my life to this song, her high notes were gorg and this is something I’d listen to over and over. I’d say this fit my taste more than the theme but still good job.

SCORE: 17 (7.5 + 9.5)

The racer receiving the FIFTH spot on the boat, escaping the bottom and moving on with the race is...
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