Yes, it is the final of Melodifestivalen 2013 coming up! The question – who to vote for? The one who really stands out is newcomer YOHIO. He has a great song, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, and an awesome stage act. YOHIO is up against intense competition. Here are some reasons why you should give him your considered vote.
In an ideal world, Eurovision Song Contest should be that. A contest for a song. If it were the case, then ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ would win hands down anyway. The song has been written by a strong writing team, including YOHIO himself. Any song that has the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ audacity to share a title with another song, the one made famous by Elvis Presley, had better be good. And it is. In fact it is great.
‘Heartbreak Hotel’ is no safe predictable bubble-gum. It is a challenging but catchy number. A wailing vocal wall of non-verbal angst rips open the sound barrier onto a bluesy rock ballad of loss. The breathy narrative is relayed by YOHIO through the use of inter-weaving minor chords. This builds up to a thundering chorus line that will have you pushing back the furniture and leaping around.
The story-line is not, incidentally, about a desert motel but it’s about a Japanese ‘love hotel’. So the song builds a thematic bridge between YOHIO’s love for Japanese style with a very fashionable spooky mysteriousness. That will give it immense popular appeal throughout ‘Nordic Noir’- obsessed Europe. This is an intelligent song with good pop sensibilities. It has Eurovision winner potential.
The song alone though, is no guarantee of success. It’s about the stage presence of the performer. YOHIO packs a punch. The ’Heartbreak Hotel’ stage-act is a total entertainment package. Thus the impact of the dazzling costumes, glam stage make-up and wild hairstyles, the stunning choreography, and eye-popping pyro-technic effects all serve to enhance the music. The ‘visual kei‘
Japanese style that underpins YOHIO’s stage performance is tailor-made for being a WINNER for Eurovision 2013.
YOHIO has mastery of social networking media that reflects his huge international appeal. On Facebook alone there are over 70 sites from around the world, dedicated to YOHIO and his band Seremedy. Many of these are from countries participating in Eurovision where, post-Melodifestivalen, the real votes will count. YOHIO’s appeal cuts across age, gender, and genre loyalties. This popularity is reflected in his commanding lead in the betting odds, on-line support, and in the Mello votes to date.
All the Mello acts deserve respect. They have worked very hard to entertain us. I believe YOHIO deserves to win on merit, but there are other factors. Sweden has made a reputation for popular music on the World stage. Sweden is one of the greatest producers of recorded music in the World. Sweden won last year, and is the host for Eurovision. Even if you are still undecided by the merits of YOHIO and ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, then think beyond Mello to the bigger picture. YOHIO is the one to win Eurovision. A vote for YOHIO is a vote for Sweden!
K.M.
Background
‘A guy wearing a dress is not a sexual thing’
YOHIO – Heartbreak Hotel (Official Video)
YOHIO – Heartbreak Hotel (Performance at Karlskrona, SVT Melodifestivalen)
