Blog Post 2 Revision

The Eurovision Song Contest is a display of a variety of cultures through songs and performances. Countries come together every year with a range of performances that consist of a multitude of colors, symbols, and progressive technology. Each country submits a song to be displayed and performed. Russia has put forth a variety of performances with diverse genres, visual devices, and staging. Performances are an opportunity to represent a country and perhaps find a connection to its national identity. Russia has a complex national identity that is widely debated. However, I will be analyzing one of Russia’s more recent performances at Eurovision, along with its potential connection to Russia’s national identity. 

Russia’s performance in 2019 was represented by “Scream” (2019), performed by Sergey Lazarev in Israel. The song appears to consist of Lazarev’s interaction with another person, supposedly a significant other. He attempts to hide his tears until, at last, he lets them out. The performance begins with a gradual, quiet tone but picks up momentum throughout, ending with an outgoing burst of energy. Lazarev employed plenty of visual devices and symbolism. Throughout the show, there are multiple mirrors, which can represent a few things. There is a copy of Lazarev in each mirror, potentially symbolizing the multiple versions/personalities Lazarev may have. Lazarev also appears to be stuck inside the mirrors, representing the beginning of the performance’s confined emotions. The song also appeared to have a dominant blue color, represented through the mirrors, rain, and background images. The color blue itself holds a tranquil presence and carries effects that soothe and relax, similar to crying/tears (Olsen, 2021). When people are sad, it is referenced as “having the blues,” the color blue in this performance can be used to symbolize Lazarev having the blues. The background seen behind Lazarev appears to be a dark blue color, possibly representing the night sky into which he “screams.” The color blue is typically associated with a cold color referencing a low temperature, as seen with rain in the background. 

Furthermore, the song itself was a solo performance with no additional performers or dancers. There were, however, background singers that did not appear on stage. The reason for this is to emphasize the loneliness that Lazarev may feel in the song. The mirrors show multiple versions of himself. Lazarev looks around in the mirrors, only to realize it is only himself. The multiple versions of him may also represent Lazarev looking back at his past or past self. Lazarev also motions with his hands against the mirrors representing that he is stuck inside, symbolizing he may be struggling to let out his tears or emotions.

As the song progresses, the quiet tone fades away as Lazarev lets out his tears; this transition is most apparent through the change in background and vocal pitch. The background changes to lightning and rain, representing the lyrics that “Tears are not quiet things” and “Tears will fall, I hear them all” (Sergey Lazarev, 2019, Russia). As the show nears the end, the mirrors’ glass appears to break, and Lazarev seems to break out of the mirror. The breaking of the glass can represent finally getting past the inability to let out tears and letting out his emotions. Another interpretation of this act can stem from the lyrics, “Echoes, rivers of loneliness hitting the walls of my heart” (Sergey Lazarev, 2019, Russia). Where Lazarev is breaking free from the walls of his heart and leaving the loneliness, he feels behind. The breaking of glass can also represent a new beginning to an old end. The performance appears to have a gradual climb to the eventual climax of the glass shattering. However, another viewpoint could be argued that there are ups and downs in the song. The chorus where Lazarev “screams” to let out his tears can also be semi climaxes that aid in the gradual progression to the final climax. The reason for this may be that the song as a whole is relatively slow. Having a few ups and downs allow for the viewer to stay hooked and pull out emotions. As a result, the final climax has a more significant impact and appeal to the viewer. Adding on, the preview of the song before the performance was vastly different in comparison. The preview contained a different interpretation of a story of two kids and a more medieval environment. The performance, on the other hand, was a different story. These two different interpretations of the song allow the viewers to have a new experience for the performance and possibly allow for juxtaposition of the two performances.  

There were also a variety of camera angles and shots. In the performance, the camera focused on Lazarev’s face, which was used to strengthen the emotions Lazarev expressed to the viewers. The camera angles attempted to have a visually closer interaction with Lazarev, which would create a stronger emotional connection to the song for the viewer. There are instances where the camera focused on the stage as a whole. The wide and zoomed-out camera angles can show the various visual elements used on the stage to aid in appealing to the visual and auditory senses of the viewers. There was also a wide variety of technology used in the performance. In the mirrors, often, there were instances where there would be a projection of Lazarev and other times a reflection. There can be a few reasons for this. The first may be technical reasons, as it may be difficult to get multiple reflections of Lazarev at different angles. Another reason may be to emphasize specific parts of the song or lyrics. For instance, the first two occasions where the projections are displayed are when Lazarev sings, “They scream, oh.” The projections may have been intentionally done here to add to the dramatization of the chorus. The projections reappear when Lazarev says, “Not so silent and innocent,” referencing his tears. The projection paired with the change in music shifts the tone of the performance, creating a more serious tone and adding to the song’s momentum. The use of various camera angles paired with sensational technology allows Lazarev to express his emotions to the viewer effectively. 

Lazarev’s past plays a large role in the performance as well. Lazarev was born in Moscow, Russia. He began singing in a classical choir and joined various contests growing up. He is well known for his pop duo group in 2002, “Smash!!” The group, however, disbanded a few years later. Lazarev’s first appearance in Eurovision was in 2016, where he finished in third place (“Sergey Lazarev - Russia”). While Lazarev has lived in Russia and is competing for Russia, the song itself does not appear to connect to Russia’s national identity.

Russia’s national identity has been a complex one that has been debated for a while (Markova, 2020). National identity is defined as having a sense of a nation as a whole to bring the population together. Traits such as traditions, culture, and language often make up national identity. One aspect of Russia’s national identity is language. Lazarev’s performance lacks any alignment to Russia’s national identity as he performs in English. However, singing in English provides a wider audience and a better understanding of the visual devices and lyrics of the song. Another point is that Lazarev may be attempting to appeal to the western audience by incorporating the English language. Lazarev is already widely and well known in Russia. Instead of aiming to appeal to the east by singing in Russian, strategically, he sings in English to appeal to the western audience.

Russia is a multiethnic society comprising various ethnic groups with multiple languages. The performance tends to lack the representation of those various groups. The show also lacks any additional performers or dancers on stage, not allowing for diversity to be represented. However, altering the performance by adding more performers could have possibly taken away meaning from the show as the overall theme was loneliness. Lazarevs’ apparent sexual orientation seems to be straight. This orientation can be due to various reasons; the largest may be Russia’s societal norms concerning the LGBTQ+ community. As researched by the US department of justice, “The USSD HR Report 2019 noted, ‘LGBTI persons reported significant societal stigma and discrimination, which some attributed to official promotion of intolerance and homophobia” (“Russia: Sexual Orientation, 2020, p. 61). However, in the lyrics, there is no mention of gender pronouns or names. Lazarev may have a certain sexual orientation but may not express his orientation due to the fear of societal stigma and discrimination. Another possible reason may be gender norms. Men tend to hide emotions due to societal norms set in place. Lazarev may not express his orientation due to these societal gender norms. Despite this, due to the lack of definitive pronouns or references, it is not easy to deduce his orientation. 

Furthermore, the song’s lyricists are Sharon Vaughn and Dimitris Kontopoulos, originating from Sweden and Greece. The composers are Philip Kirkorov and Dimitris Kontopoulos. Kirkorov originates from Bulgaria. As a whole, the lyricists, composers, and Lazarev all originate from a variety of places. This variety represents the diversity that is behind the writing and composition itself. Adding on, Lazarevs attire for the performance consisted of all-white clothing. In previous performances by Russia, traditional clothing is often used to represent Russia’s culture. However, Lazarev used all-white clothing, possibly as means of symbolism. One interpretation could be a means of contrast from the gloomy and dark background. Another reason could be that the white clothes represent a blank canvas for the emptiness and loneliness from leaving the other person. 

Russia has put forth a variety of fascinating performances over the years. This year was no exception. The song “Scream” by Sergey Lazarev used a diverse range of visual and auditory elements. However, there was a lack of representation and diversity in the performance. Lazarev did not attempt to incorporate the national identity of Russia in his song, aiming to appeal to a wide audience. The song had a great deal of symbolism and imagery; however, there is room for improvement in Russia’s representation in Eurovision. 

Word Count: 1691

References

Markova, M. (2020). The political use of Soviet nostalgia to develop a Russian national identity. E, E-International Relations, www.e-ir.info/2020/07/14/the-political-use-of-soviet-nostalgia-to-develop-a-russian-national-identity/.

“Russia: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression.” United States Department of Justice, Nov. 2020, https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1347341/download.

Sergey Lazarev. (2019). “Scream” (Russia). Eurovision Song Contest 2019 Tel Aviv [DVD].  Baarn, NL: Universal Music Group.

Sergey Lazarev - Russia - Tel Aviv 2019. Eurovision.tv, 2019, eurovision.tv/participant/sergey-lazarev-2019.