The Nation on Stage
Nation on Stage
Although the Eurovision Song Contests prohibits songs with political meanings, an
analysis into these very performances will uncover a meaning that may not have been
clear at first listen. Armenia has participated in Eurovision since 2006 and although they
have yet to win first place, their entries are full of Armenian pride and tradition. Armenia
is not a very diverse country, with Armenians making up 98.1% of the population and
Yezidi (kurd) 1.2%. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2019)This almost homogenous
population is reflected at Eurovision, with a majority of performers being Armenian.
analysis into these very performances will uncover a meaning that may not have been
clear at first listen. Armenia has participated in Eurovision since 2006 and although they
have yet to win first place, their entries are full of Armenian pride and tradition. Armenia
is not a very diverse country, with Armenians making up 98.1% of the population and
Yezidi (kurd) 1.2%. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2019)This almost homogenous
population is reflected at Eurovision, with a majority of performers being Armenian.
In 2008, Armenia performed the song that earned the country their highest score,
finishing in 4th place. The performance was a song written and performed by Sirusho
(2008, Armenia) entitled Qele Qele. This upbeat pop song inspired by Armenian folk
songs is catchy and jubilant, enticing the audience to sing along. The intro is a melody
from the duduk, an Armenian wind instrument made from the wood of an apricot tree. The
Armenian duduk dates back to 95-55 BC and is seen in manuscripts of the middle ages.
The duduk is a symbol of warmth, joy, and history to the Armenian people, accompanying
traditional songs and dances to this day. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, 2008). Sirusho’s vocals begin during this melody, as she sings in
Armenian and carries a more traditional singing style. Red fiery smoke rises from the
floor of the stage as the duduk plays, provoking a somewhat ominous feeling on stage.
The camera moves to Sirusho whose feet are cradled by two backing dancers, appearing
to represent soil holding her up. The intro is a way of presenting Armenia to the
audience, supported by the lyrics that translated to, “from my Armenian soil / I come to
bring / the wind of the mountains / the light of the sun”. Halfway through the first verse,
another traditional instrument from Armenia joins in, known as the shvi, a flute like
instrument.
Sirusho is wearing a modern dress that seems out of place during the intro, but quickly
fits in when the tempo and instrumentation changes to a much more upbeat and modern
style. The red smoke dissipates as Sirusho moves from side to side, her dress tassels
adding movement to the stage that matches the LED screens in the back, illustrating
colorful patterns. The backing dancers work together to make the performance dynamic
and more entertaining, one of the main goals of Eurovision. Although the music
transforms into a pop song, the instrumentation still consists of several traditional
instruments from Armenia, supporting the idea that Sirusho’s performance was a way of
sharing Armenian culture and pride with a modern twist. The lyrics of her song are
consistent with that of a pop song, with the chorus being catchy and repetitive. The ‘me’
that she is referring to in her lyrics could be interpreted as being Armenia, and how the
world should be watching and reaching towards them. This interpretation is reinforced by
the first verse in Armenian. An alternative and more likely interpretation is that the song
is a mix of a love and motivational song. The ‘you’ in this interpretation being an ex,
however motivational because it is a call to get over a broken relationship. This
interpretation seems to be contradictory to her facial expressions and overall performance,
as there is no sadness. However, since the song is such a cheery one, the lyrics could be
from a point where one is already over a broken love and in a stage of self love and
confidence following a break up.
finishing in 4th place. The performance was a song written and performed by Sirusho
(2008, Armenia) entitled Qele Qele. This upbeat pop song inspired by Armenian folk
songs is catchy and jubilant, enticing the audience to sing along. The intro is a melody
from the duduk, an Armenian wind instrument made from the wood of an apricot tree. The
Armenian duduk dates back to 95-55 BC and is seen in manuscripts of the middle ages.
The duduk is a symbol of warmth, joy, and history to the Armenian people, accompanying
traditional songs and dances to this day. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, 2008). Sirusho’s vocals begin during this melody, as she sings in
Armenian and carries a more traditional singing style. Red fiery smoke rises from the
floor of the stage as the duduk plays, provoking a somewhat ominous feeling on stage.
The camera moves to Sirusho whose feet are cradled by two backing dancers, appearing
to represent soil holding her up. The intro is a way of presenting Armenia to the
audience, supported by the lyrics that translated to, “from my Armenian soil / I come to
bring / the wind of the mountains / the light of the sun”. Halfway through the first verse,
another traditional instrument from Armenia joins in, known as the shvi, a flute like
instrument.
Sirusho is wearing a modern dress that seems out of place during the intro, but quickly
fits in when the tempo and instrumentation changes to a much more upbeat and modern
style. The red smoke dissipates as Sirusho moves from side to side, her dress tassels
adding movement to the stage that matches the LED screens in the back, illustrating
colorful patterns. The backing dancers work together to make the performance dynamic
and more entertaining, one of the main goals of Eurovision. Although the music
transforms into a pop song, the instrumentation still consists of several traditional
instruments from Armenia, supporting the idea that Sirusho’s performance was a way of
sharing Armenian culture and pride with a modern twist. The lyrics of her song are
consistent with that of a pop song, with the chorus being catchy and repetitive. The ‘me’
that she is referring to in her lyrics could be interpreted as being Armenia, and how the
world should be watching and reaching towards them. This interpretation is reinforced by
the first verse in Armenian. An alternative and more likely interpretation is that the song
is a mix of a love and motivational song. The ‘you’ in this interpretation being an ex,
however motivational because it is a call to get over a broken relationship. This
interpretation seems to be contradictory to her facial expressions and overall performance,
as there is no sadness. However, since the song is such a cheery one, the lyrics could be
from a point where one is already over a broken love and in a stage of self love and
confidence following a break up.
The following year, Armenia voted to send Inga and Anush Arshakyan (2009, Armenia),
well established Armenian folk singers. The sisters performed Jan Jan (2009), which
translates to ‘my dear”, but is often used as an exclamation of joy or excitement. Jan Jan
is a folk song with elements of contemporary music. The two sisters, along with four
backing dancers, are dressed in traditional blue Armenian dresses. The performance has
a very explicit message to it -- Armenian pride. It is an image of what Armenian culture
looks and sounds like. Traditional dancing, costumes, and music make it clear who these
people are and where they come from.
well established Armenian folk singers. The sisters performed Jan Jan (2009), which
translates to ‘my dear”, but is often used as an exclamation of joy or excitement. Jan Jan
is a folk song with elements of contemporary music. The two sisters, along with four
backing dancers, are dressed in traditional blue Armenian dresses. The performance has
a very explicit message to it -- Armenian pride. It is an image of what Armenian culture
looks and sounds like. Traditional dancing, costumes, and music make it clear who these
people are and where they come from.
The performance begins with green, purple and blue lights as well as some fire and
smoke that conceal the performers on stage. A traditional melody plays as one sister
sings and moves her hand to the music, a traditional way of dancing to folk songs in
Armenia. The color purple takes over the stage as she begins singing, a “color of hope of
the Armenian culture. It means something deep for us. It's neither dark nor bright, it's the
color of the roots and of the future. So it perfectly symbolizes the history of the Armenian
people” (Brey, 2015), shares Essaï Altounian. The camera often pans up the two sisters,
showing off their beautiful dresses and headpieces. Their long sleeves add movement to
their arms that are further accentuated by the hypnotic movements of their dance.
Although the stage is often totally purple, it is juxtaposed a few times by the color green,
including lasers that emanate from the dancers hands. The color green is often
associated with life and nature and energy. In christianity, especially, it represents the
triumph of life over death.
smoke that conceal the performers on stage. A traditional melody plays as one sister
sings and moves her hand to the music, a traditional way of dancing to folk songs in
Armenia. The color purple takes over the stage as she begins singing, a “color of hope of
the Armenian culture. It means something deep for us. It's neither dark nor bright, it's the
color of the roots and of the future. So it perfectly symbolizes the history of the Armenian
people” (Brey, 2015), shares Essaï Altounian. The camera often pans up the two sisters,
showing off their beautiful dresses and headpieces. Their long sleeves add movement to
their arms that are further accentuated by the hypnotic movements of their dance.
Although the stage is often totally purple, it is juxtaposed a few times by the color green,
including lasers that emanate from the dancers hands. The color green is often
associated with life and nature and energy. In christianity, especially, it represents the
triumph of life over death.
The lyrics of the song represent happiness and friendliness toward other people. I
interpreted the lyrics of this song to be specifically about women being one of the most
important components of a society as creators of life. This interpretation is supported by
the second verse, “Without me you cannot be / Can’t you see? / … Sister, give me hand”.
Since there were only women on stage I thought that a celebration and ode to women
was a plausible explanation. However, in an interview done in 2005 in Moscow, the
sisters and their translator shared that “the idea is that so many different cultures and
nations dance the same dance basically which is the ‘new dance’, one of the main ideas
of the song” (eurovisionlive, 2009) The part of the song that is in Armenian is talking
about this dance, and specifically, “lets praise Armenian dances”. Jan Jan is very
effective in presenting Armenian culture to Europe and the rest of the world, showing off
their traditional dancing, instruments, clothing, and singing. A very notable instance of
traditional Armenian singing is towards the end of the performance when the sisters
impressively sing what sounds like chopped up syllables very fast. Traditional dancing is
done by the backing dancers throughout the whole song, adding to the presentation of
Armenia to the audience. Lastly, the colors and instrumentation used in this song include
the duduk, the zurna, and traditional drums that “are made to imitate the natural inflection
of the language. The sound created by these instruments is therefore uniquely Armenian”
(Christofakis, 2015).
interpreted the lyrics of this song to be specifically about women being one of the most
important components of a society as creators of life. This interpretation is supported by
the second verse, “Without me you cannot be / Can’t you see? / … Sister, give me hand”.
Since there were only women on stage I thought that a celebration and ode to women
was a plausible explanation. However, in an interview done in 2005 in Moscow, the
sisters and their translator shared that “the idea is that so many different cultures and
nations dance the same dance basically which is the ‘new dance’, one of the main ideas
of the song” (eurovisionlive, 2009) The part of the song that is in Armenian is talking
about this dance, and specifically, “lets praise Armenian dances”. Jan Jan is very
effective in presenting Armenian culture to Europe and the rest of the world, showing off
their traditional dancing, instruments, clothing, and singing. A very notable instance of
traditional Armenian singing is towards the end of the performance when the sisters
impressively sing what sounds like chopped up syllables very fast. Traditional dancing is
done by the backing dancers throughout the whole song, adding to the presentation of
Armenia to the audience. Lastly, the colors and instrumentation used in this song include
the duduk, the zurna, and traditional drums that “are made to imitate the natural inflection
of the language. The sound created by these instruments is therefore uniquely Armenian”
(Christofakis, 2015).
Both Armenia’s 2008 and 2009 Eurovision performances emulate Armenian pride, tradition,
and culture. The song contest is a way of bringing Europe together, a goal that Armenia
intends to fulfill by honoring their country and sharing it with the world. Both of these
performances were done by Armenian women, reflective of the predominantly Armenian
ethnic population. Both songs were limited to English and Armenian which is also reflective
of the languages spoken in the country. Diversity in regards to religion, sexual orientation,
ability, values/beliefs was not apparent in either performance and could reflect the lack of
awareness in Armenia, or could simply be because these facets of diversity where not an
option during the national selection process.
and culture. The song contest is a way of bringing Europe together, a goal that Armenia
intends to fulfill by honoring their country and sharing it with the world. Both of these
performances were done by Armenian women, reflective of the predominantly Armenian
ethnic population. Both songs were limited to English and Armenian which is also reflective
of the languages spoken in the country. Diversity in regards to religion, sexual orientation,
ability, values/beliefs was not apparent in either performance and could reflect the lack of
awareness in Armenia, or could simply be because these facets of diversity where not an
option during the national selection process.
References Brey, M. (2015). A song with a message for Armenia. Eurovision Song Contest.
Christofakis, A. (2015). The Music
That Shaped a Nation: The Role of Folk Music, the
Duduk, and Clarinet in
the Works of Contemporary Armenian Composers Aram
Khachaturian and Vache
Sharafyan. Retrieved from https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A252932
“Duduk and its music.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. 2008. Retrieved from
eurovisionlive. (2009, May 5). Interview with Inga & Anush (Armenia 2009). Retrieved
Inga Arshakyan & Anush Arshakyan. (2009). Jan Jan
(Armenia). Eurovision Song
Contest 2009 Moscow. Retrieved from
Sirusho. (2008). Qele Qele (Armenia). Eurovision Song Contest 2008 Belgrade.
Retrieved from
“The World Factbook: Armenia.” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence
Agency. 12, Feb. 2019. Retrieved
from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/am.html
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