The EBU in charge of the Eurovision Song Contest confirms that it will not censor Zorra de Nebulossa, as it explained to EL PAÍS. “The EBU is aware that there are many interpretations of the title of the song that RTVE presented to represent Spain at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Taking into account its intended use in the context of the song's lyrics and message, as explained to us by RTVE, we have concluded that the song is eligible to participate in this year's competition. “The performance of the song in May, as with all acts involved, will be coordinated with the producers at a later date,” said the communications department this Monday.
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“All participating broadcasters are responsible for ensuring that all necessary measures are taken within their respective delegations and teams to protect the interests and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest and to ensure that it is not brought into disrepute in any way under any circumstances This is the part of the official regulations of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that questioned whether Zorra de Nebulossa could represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
One of the closest references is that of the 2021 winner, the Italian Zitti e buoni from Måneskin. In one part of the song the word “cazzo” (Italian: cock) appeared and had to be removed. This wasn't a problem as it wasn't a central part of the band's proposal. But in the case of this year's Spanish proposal, the concept and the word “fox” are essential, as are the musical theme and the staging. The competition's official YouTube channel only uploaded the video of Nebulossa's performance, in which she is introduced as the Spanish representative, on Monday afternoon, just a few minutes after EL PAÍS confirmed that the theme was valid.
Asked about this issue, María Eizaguirre, director of communications and participation at RTVE, explained this Sunday that the company does not have excessive concerns about possible censorship, since the word has a different official meaning. “The proposal is clear. If you look at what the word means in the Royal Spanish Language Academy dictionary, the definition is very clear. It is a song whose lyrics, in our opinion, fully comply with current regulations,” he commented in Benidorm. The difference from the Italian cazzo is that the word slut has several meanings, argued the spokesman for the public institution. But the 2023 case destroys that argument. Luke Black performed on behalf of Serbia with Samo Mi Se Spava, which included the phrase “Game over, bitch”, the last word literally meaning “slut” or “bitch”, also an animal. He deleted that word from the sentence without affecting the matter. He didn't say it on stage, but the audience said it.
The song Zorra follows the irreverent, unbiased and powerful line of some previous songs by Nebulossa, a duo founded in 2018 by the married couple Mery Bas (55 years old) and Mark Dasousa (47 years old). After their performance in the first semi-final of the Benidorm Fest, where they emerged as the winners of the evening, the group explained that the message was not only feminist; which also winks at the LGTBI+ community and all those who feel outside the norm. The goal is to give new meaning to a word that has been used to judge others. Given that one of the values on which the festival is based is to defend the values of tolerance through music, RTVE hoped to use this argument in the event that the EBU objected.
Once a country's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest has been selected, its public body – in this case RTVE – must present the proposal to the European body, including, among other things, its lyrics, a studio recording and an initial presentation of what its performance will be like. Staging. Martin Österdahl, the managing director of Eurovision, then announces whether the song complies with the regulations. When asked, RTVE does not specify when or how this process was carried out, as Zorra was appointed as the Spanish representative in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, but reiterates in response to the EBU's response that the song complies with its rules.
The censorship record at the Eurovision Song Contest was quite ambiguous. The rap band Citi Zēni had to delete two words from their song “Eat your Salad” in 2022. Specifically, it was “Pussy” (which colloquially means “pussy” and “fuck”), whereas Nina Morato fit in without one. A problem in the French proposal for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, Je suis un vrai garçon. He said: “I know I'm his love, but damn, there are days that are stressful.” In reality, it raises many more problems with the Eurovision Song Contest inserting a political message into a festival that is itself described as apolitical, an adjective that is often questioned. Banned references to Vladimir Putin resulted in the voluntary abandonment of some countries or disqualification by the EBU.
Eizaguirre emphasized on Monday morning in the Mañaneros program on La 1 that there was calm in the Spanish Eurovision delegation. “The song has a very strong message, we want it to be well understood throughout Europe. To do this, we prepare the texts in different languages, including English and even Swedish. It’s about getting the message across,” he explained.
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