Blog Post 2

A Message of Hope 

Introduction  

When Armenian singer Stefan took the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022, he sang an anthem to never lose hope. In his old-time western song Hope, Stefan preaches to his audience to never lose sight of hope, even when things get tough. While the lyrics of the tune provide a catchy chorus and an uplifting message. The visuals of the performance feature an American Old West theme, that is a rare sight at the Eurovision Song Contest. While Stefan’s song is a relatable piece that struggling communities can feel connected to, his unique performance helps him become a memorable act, when the audience votes for their winner.   

The Message Behind the Song 

Although the Estonian candidate Stefan could have sung in either of his native languages (Armenian and Estonian), the artist chose to sing in English. Although this may seem a strange decision considering Eurovision is considered an ideal platform to represent the culture of one’s own country, many performers choose to sing in English to show their countries cosmopolitanism. A country's ability to appear more diverse and inclusive helps them please a wider audience, while also making their song easily accessible. Stefan’s song opens with the lines “we let them tell us what to do/ why, why, why/ we live and die for worthy things/ yeah, yeah, yeah”. Although the singer/songwriter never explicitly explains what the song is about, there are several things that the Estonian singer could be relating to. After the first case of Covid-19 was documented in Tallinn, the country of Estonia went into an intense lockdown in which they “closed its borders, shuttered its schools, and banned entertainment and leisure businesses from operating” (Gessen, 2020). This decision sent the country into a panic, as many businesses shut down, leading the economy to suffer. Released in December of 2021, Stefan’s song about hope could be a message to everyone who was affected by the hands of the Covid-19 pandemic. In an interview regarding his Eurovision performance, Stefan said that he wishes for his song to be an inspiration and “it's about hope for a better future” (Good Evening Europe tv, 2022). Although Stefan released his song before the invasion of Ukraine at the hand of the Russian military, it’s speculated that Stefan chose this specific song for the contest to showcase Estonia’s solidarity with Ukraine. As a Baltic State, Estonia has supported the movement for Ukraine to be a member of the EU and NATO, while also sending them over 500-million-euro worth of aid (Republic of Estonia, 2024). Although Stefan’s song is not allowed to have any political affiliation under the Eurovision guidelines, the singer keeps his message simple, and states that “we all need more hope, and we all need to stay united and strong” (Good Evening Europe tv). Stefan’s message calls for unity among European countries, and their responsibility to look after one another. There is strength in numbers, and if other countries come to aid Ukraine in their times of hardships, they stand a better chance against Russia.  Another interpretation of the song could be that it is a homage to the history of Estonia, and their fight for independence. Due to their geographical location and small size, Estonia struggled to maintain their independence, and fought for power over their own autonomy for many decades. The song says the line “we’re taught that we are born to lose”, which could be a callback to the countless times that the country has successfully defended itself, despite their small size. Stefan’s performance of this song could play as a reminder to the people of Estonia, that despite the odds, they have held their own. This interpretation of the song heavily supports the country's values of nationalism and the national identity they have created for themselves. The last interpretation of the song Hope could be the increasing issue regarding climate change. In the past 60 years, the country of Estonia’s average temperature has increased by 1.2 degrees Celsius (Climate ADAPT, 2023). Since climate change is a global issue, the message behind this song could be relatable to people across the globe. Stefan sings the phrase “the future still remains our own” multiple times throughout the song, which could be a call to action to his audience. Although mankind has done irreversible damage to the planet over recent decades, Stefan’s song emphasizes that there is still time to change course, and that the future remains in our hands. While the execution of the song being sung in English and the positive theme of overcoming hardships widens the possible audience, the undertones of the song heavily align with the values of Estonia’s pride.   

Importance of Performance 

    While song choice is an important factor for the Eurovision Song Contest, a strong performance is what grabs the audience's attention and truly makes the act memorable. In the performances leading up to Eurovision, Stefan’s act included various visuals that revolved around the theme of the American Old West. These visuals included men riding on horses in the desert, eagles flying, and other landscape shots. Later in his performance, Stefan has two men stage a duel, that is very popular in western films. Although Stefan wanted all of this, and more, to transfer onto the Eurovision stage for his most important performance, he was forced to change his choreography. A week before the grand performance contest, news was sent that the stage mechanics that involved a “kinetic sun” would not be successful. On such short notice, Stefan explained in an interview that he was forced to change his act to adapt to the changes ( Michelle, 2022). Although the singer's performance would not include any extras on stage, he stuck with his Old Wild West theme and performed solo with illuminating visuals. When Stefan was questioned regarding his cinematic decisions for his performance, he replied that while growing up on Eurovision, he had never seen western themed performances. Being interested in the genre, Stefan thought it would be the perfect opportunity to “stand out with his performance” (Eurovisionlive, 2022). Stefan’s ability to become a unique performer amongst the other acts plays in his favor as he becomes a novelty act. The vintage film cinematography paired with the western visuals helps Stefan become memorable, which helps him gain votes in the long run. Not only will the individuality of this act make the country of Estonia stand out for this year's competition, but it will help people remember the performance in the future since western themed acts are rarely seen in the song contest. In an interview after his performance, Stefan explains that western atmosphere and cowboy theme was inspired by a specific genre called “Spaghetti western”. (Eurovisionlive, 2022). This category is a specific subgenre in film, which emphasizes American Wild West, while being filmed in Europe. Stefan shares that he has always been fond of the genre, and wanted to utilize this interest since western music was “very fresh” to the Eurovision scene (Eurovisionlive). While Stefan opens his act with warm toned lighting surrounded by desert visuals, the atmosphere changes while the song heightens and the lights around him turn blue. These visual decisions paired with the message of hope convey an uplifting and relatable message to the audience, while being memorable with its unique theme and set up. I found Stefan’s performance to be a powerful act that supports the Estonian value of unity. While his lyrics conveyed a relatable message, I found the visuals to be very pleasing, and it did a good job of capturing the audience’s attention. Although we did not get to see the performance as Stefan had envisioned it, he adapted to the stage issues, and was able to give a memorable performance. Although his final performance for Eurovision did not include the two cowboys that his previous performances had featured, Stefan took this opportunity to open the performance to the audience and had them chime into his catchy tunes. This not only helps the audience feel a personal connection to the relatable song, but helps them remember such a fun and inclusive experience.