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Nebulossa: Do you like being a slut?

Nebulossa, Spain's next representative to the Eurovision Song Contest, is cool right from the name, with that kitschy touch emphasized by the double 's', as if it came from the depths of an underground nightclub. The fact that they're not exactly kids is also cool in such a youthful scene: singer Mery Bas exudes a certain suburban elegance and producer Mark Dasousa, with his slicked-back chicken hair, so Germanic, could easily be a member of Kraftwerk be . , pioneers of techno. It remains to be seen whether a retro-style techno-pop, more whispered, without an epic chorus, will be successful at the Eurovision Song Contest, especially considering that a large part of the interest (and enthusiasm) comes from the lyrics that many of them have. The Euro fans won't understand it. You can't help but think of Fangoria, that is, Alaska and Nacho Canut: they started out in the '80s as punks like the Vulpes and now seem to be the model that Nebulossa is emulating.

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In fact, Eurovision exegetes compared Zorra by Nebulossa to I like to be a fox by the Vulpes, which was a version of I wanna be your dog, a proto-punk by Iggy Pop's Stooges (the band's own name, Vulpes, comes from the Latin Word). for foxes). And they actually have something in common: the provocative spirit and the word “bitch”.

But they start from very different positions: the Vulpes, punk girls from the most authentic era, when punk had not yet reached Inditex, self-confidently declared themselves sluts in order to shock the bourgeoisie (which they did). The lyrics of “Nebulossa”, on the other hand, are based on a suspicion: the one that leads to being called a slut: when she goes out at night, when she has fun, when she achieves her goals (“it's never because I deserve it” , the song says, “and even though I eat up the whole world / not even a second is valuable”). The lyrical voice, played by Bas, is hurt and wants to reverse the concept of this pain, give it a new meaning, free himself. “Stone me if that's all / I'm a postcard bitch.” The Vulpes preferred to touch noses without further thought.

Nebulossa at the closing gala of the Benidorm Festival.Nebulossa at the closing gala of the Benidorm Fest.Morell (EFE)

The surprising thing is that many of Zorra's critics feel that the song enhances the term (as if she actually “likes being a fox”), even though it criticizes it in a more ironic way. Deep down, Zorra says, “Don’t call me a slut.” It’s meant to sound rude, but it’s precisely this that criticizes the sexist talkativeness of those who say “slut.” I've heard that the understanding of irony is decreasing among the younger generations, but apparently also among the older ones, who screamed to the heavens for the song. Of course, the fact that the song seems like a feminist anthem contributes to the reactionary rejection (which is rampant in the vast digital realms of the professional sphere), both on the part of those who do not understand the lyrics and on the part of those who do do: It depends on what it's about.

The Vulpes scandal on RTVE, which cost Carlos Tena his job, which gave rise to columns by priests like Camilo José Cela or Paco Umbral (“the Vulpes don't seem like porn to me (…) the one that seems like porn to me.” is Bertín). Osborne,” Umbral wrote in this newspaper) and even a complaint from the Attorney General's Office, happened more than 40 years ago. It is surprising that scandals like this continue to happen in a society that has healed from terror and has not left behind four decades of national Catholicism. But if you look at it, it's okay that there is an insult, without an insult there is no transgression: the insulted harbors a sense of dignity and the perpetrator harbors a certain punk difference. Everyone wins, especially the hyper-spectacle that is the Eurovision Song Contest.

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