Pretend you have been employed by Montenegrin television to give them advice on the kind of song they should give to HIGHWAY to sing in STOCKHOLM.
My answer is that since the group consists of 3 singers, let each one do his part of the song in a different language, so guy 1 does his part in Montenegrian, guy 2 does his part in English and guy 3 does his part in Swedish since they will be on stage in Stockholm.
Avoid copying IL VOLO but give them a song that is easy on the ear for the majority of people that will be casting a vote.
So you see it will not take a lot of time and you can be as creative as you wish.
Personally, I think mixing three languages in one single song may be very difficult and “messy”. There are some good examples historically of how two languages in the same song can give an additional touch to a song – La Voix is one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WH2OwJeMBE
I cannot recall that many examples of songs that were sung in three languages, except “Jalla, dansa, sawa”, which was a catchy song performed by Behrang Miri in Arabic, Swedish and French, in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJPQ_epgUd0
Given the instructions to include three languages I would suggest to start the song with a verse and pre-chorus in Montenegrin, then a catchy chorus in English perhaps with a key line in Montenegrin (similar to what Behrang did) to which fans can easily sing along, second verse and pre-chorus in Montenegrin too, chorus in English, and then have a bridge in Swedish perhaps in the form of a rap, then ending it with the chorus in English with a Montenegrin catch-phrase. I would like to see an upbeat happy song with a catchy English chorus but with the key line (song title) in Montenegrin – something that people can pick up and learn even though they do not speak the language (compare: “Jalla, dans, sawa”).
Johnny three languages was my my suggestion – this is open to any suggestion, some could stick to ONE LANGUAGE but two of my top euro songs had more than 2 languages and they both came from POLAND and from the same group ICH TROJE – especially KEINE GRENZEN is so great, working so well and witht he refugee crisis, maybe a topic we will see in one of two songs in the national selections
I personally think the three-language idea is great. Same Heart by Mei Feingold could have been sung in three and look at Genealogy – Armenia thought outside the box and I think it helped them, at least to give people something to talk about. I also love Follow My Heart by Ich Troje.
If I was to provide advice to Montenegro’s production team, it would be to remain somewhat familiar in aound for mass audience appeal. I think dual-lingo (Montenegrin and English) to capture a wider audience and to keep true to their heritage (although keeping in mind Molitva 2007 is the only song to win in national language, or language other than English, since Diva in 1998).
I would also advise to ensure multiple elevations throughout the performance vocally to keep the audience constantly engaged and on their toes.
From what I’ve heard of highway I see their strength seem to lie in that bluesy pop kind of genre. I’d stick with that style of song, something very smooth. The boys are quite good looking so I’d focus on their eyes a lot during the performance, seducing the viewer. The song itself, will start in English, then the chorus will be in Montenegrin and the song will swing between the languages seamlessly. The song will be a song of longing, maybe for a lost love? I see maybe blueish lighting, reminiscent of a lounge bar, but still intimate.
Your advice echoes my own thoughts. The only difference is that I’d have them sing in Montenegrin and Serb, with some verses in Bosniak, Croat, and Albanian. Trying to cover most of the languages of Montenegro.
I think your idea to incorporate more than one language is good, but three is a bit much. How about an uptempo, happy song with the verses in Montenegrin and a big catchy chorus in English. I would suggest they keep a bit of their local culture, perhaps costumes that are a cool, modern version of traditional Slavic men’s suits, and use a beautiful rear projection to enhance the song (I think that Hungary 2015 would not have made the finals if it weren’t for the meaningful and stylish animation projected on the rear screen). Above all, I would advise them NOT to turn into a bland anonymous version of an American boyband but maintain their own Mediterranean/Slavic identity (last year, “Autumn Leaves” was an excellent song that got bogged down by trying to become an American r&b ballad with doo-wop elements).
When it comes to the language, I don’t necessarily think it matters SO much anymore. Yes English songs tend to pretty much always win, but with 2007’s case it just happened to be a REALLY good catchy song that moved people.
So I think this is what they should do. Whether the song is in their native language or in English, they should search for a really good producer to enhance the melody, maybe even working with a scandinavian producer (although this has some mixed opinions sometimes, but look how Georgia did it last year and it seemed to help them).
Actually, this is my main suggestion for pretty much all entries. If you want to do well you need 1. A really good production – something people will listen to and want to listen to again and again, and 2. Staging – Which can’t really be reviewed until pretty much the week of ESC, but as we’ve seen in the past, it can make or break an entry.
I also like the multi-language idea, and would recommend a song that combines Montenegrin and English. However, given that most voters may not find Montenegrin to be as ‘lyrical’ as other European languages, such as Italian, I would recommend only 1 or 2 lines per verse/chorus in Montenegrin. Something that is catchy and easy for non-Montenegrins to remember and sing.
In terms of song theme, Montenegro has a long and proud history, and I would definitely incorporate that into the song. When I visited 7 years ago, Montenegro was just beginning to find its place on the map after regaining independence in 2006. Since then, they have grown to have a defined culture of their own. To reflect this, I would recommend an upbeat song with a modern beat, to appeal to the youth voters, and song lyrics that relate to Montenegro’s experience as a newly independent nation, growing into its own. I wouldn’t recommend political undertones, but rather I would recommend a description of the story, and a celebration of the success they have had in building a stable and loving community. Montenegro’s Independence Day happens to be in late May – perhaps this year they will have more than one thing to celebrate!!
I have a soft spot for Montenegro – in 2005 they supplied the combined Serbian/Montenegro entry and I met the first Montenegrin people in Kiev.
Me too – I’m so happy that they have been able to participate in nearly all of the years since becoming independent! Mostly with songs in Montenegrin too, which is impressive.
I think it would be beautiful to have the verses in Montenegrin, and the chorus in English. This ties it back to their own country and culture, but makes the song more accessible for the viewers across Europe and the world. As we all know, winning songs tend to be in English, and if they want to be competitive they might find it easier to get more points if we can all sing along easily!
The song itself should be upbeat and fun, while still retaining their own style. I’d love to see them incorporate some aspects of Montenigrin culture into their costumes, as it’s a wonderful country that I would love to see get some more attention.
I respect that Montenegro have tradition when it comes to Eurovision and I like when countries sing in their own language. But, I personally think after a time some people will be like “yeah whatever” and not vote for them (e.g. France). They need to move beyond their formula, even for one year, just to get people talking. Then maybe they’ll come back the following year with a more traditional song and people will be like “wow”.
If you analysed the type of people that generally vote for television shows they are teenage girls and in Eurovision’s case, gay men. These groups are creative, savvy, appearance conscious and know popular culture well. My advice would be to use the same formula that created One Direction! I blame globalisation! Il Divo could have won if they didn’t just appeal to the Mum’s. Måns’s song is just another generic pop song but – he did something creative with his staging, he is not bad to look at and he may have referenced another popular song. I mean he even won by initially insulting one of his target audience and with copyright suggestions.
Montenegro: Use a famous writer. Ring in some international DJ to produce. What’s trending on YouTube (for staging ideas)? Create a drama on social media. Lift people’s spirit.
Did I really say Il Divo? Must have been because I was talking about manufactured boy bands!
I’ve been watching their X Factor Aria auditions and previous Montenegrin entries and I have come up with my suggestion! As much as I love an ethnic electro dance song, I don’t think it is the Highway Trio’s style. I would suggest the song be of simple style, maybe just acoustic guitar and a drum backing while they perform. So the instrumental would be simple without too much complications, but a really catchy melody. The song needs to be one where people can remember the tune and can’t get it out of their head. They need a sweet and innocent aura surrounding them when they perform to appeal. If they can sing in English really well go for it but singing in Montenegrin/Serbian/Croatian would be a better choice to show off their voices. I would not suggest the Balkan style of pop rock (as it doesn’t have a mass international appeal out of the Balkans) but something maybe a bit indie.
Similar songs they should sing are like “The Movie Song” by Eoghan Quigg, “Bienvenue” by Emmanuel Moire or Tom Dice’s “Me and My Guitar”.
As for stage performance just have them 3 on stage. They don’t need backing singers, or extra distractions. They could wear smart casual, like ripped jeans, cool tshirts, denim jackets. Simplicity is the key.
Ok, if I was hired to give some advice to Montenegrin television concerning the group Highway, I don’t think I’d be able to only discuss what song they should sing. I would also want to throw in a couple of other ideas as well. So, here goes…
The Song – Although I’ve only seen two performances of Highway, both songs were slower, more intense, and sung completely in Montenegrin. I would recommend at least half of the song be sung in English to give it a broader appeal. I would also choose a song that was a bit more up-tempo. In my opinion, songs with higher energy tend to do better lately with the voting; not necessarily a dance mix, but something that makes you want to tap your foot and sing along.
The Look – All three members of the band are young and very attractive. They all have great smiles, so they should remember to smile often, but only if it’s appropriate for the song. And there should be as many close-ups on their handsome faces as possible. One warning though – during the close-up, don’t let them fall pray to Scary Eyebrows. If you don’t know what I mean, watch the ESC 2013 Lithuanian entry Andrius Pojavis. Incredibly distracting.
The Style – The banner picture on the Highway Facebook page looks great – white shirts, leather jackets, and well-groomed. This is a good look for them and they should stick with it and not the casual, sloppy look they had on X-factor.
The Movements – They need to work on Petar’s movements. He doesn’t move on stage as if he’s comfortable there. Luka and Marko don’t seem to have that problem because they usually have guitars with them and that tends to lend stability. But Petar hops around like he’s confused on where to be or what to do.
I checked out some of their videos as well. They have a great gruff folky-pop sound, but I prefer their vocals in Montenegrin than English (wasn’t crazy about the Artic Monkeys or Aloe Blacc covers), so I would prefer to see a Montenegrin song with a catchy English riff/chorus. I like the suggestion of something fans can easily sing along to, perhaps a pre-chorus or the Montenegrin translation of the English chorus. INo rap please. I really enjoy their natural acoustic sound and think anything else would sound forced. I would set the two boys playing guitar with the vocal lead (shorter one) spaced equally across the stage, and see them work the stage and interact with the crowd (e.g. mumford and sons live stage).
To get a feel of what the boys have to offer I watched a number of their appearances on X Factor and am not sure based on their general presentation that they are going to do all that well. Overall they appear just a bit bland. There would be a number of things to work on including how they interact with the audience. The harmony also needs to work better, they have great range between them and whatever the song they ultimately perform needs to take advantage of this. I love when countries perform in their own language but tend to agree that for 2016 Highway might take advantage of singing primarily in english and incorporating Montenegrin in the chorus. The style should be similar to that of “Neko te ima noćas” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et03WGZrTek – the boys really seemed relaxed and comfortable with this type of music although for Eurovision it needs perhaps to have the level raised a bit to engage the audience.
I would tell them to pick a more upbeat song that would already be mixed to be played in dance clubs. I feel like those types of songs get better support from audiences than overly complicated songs or ballots. I would also recommend singing in English, but with some traditional Montenegrin inspired instrumentals so the song has roots in the country but can be understood and enjoyed by a wider audience.
From what I have heard, Highway have a harmonic pop vibe. I would steer clear of a ballad, especially entirely in Montenegran, as I find from personal experience that it can be difficult to maintain the audience’s interest for 3 minutes straight when they can’t understand the song.
On the other hand, Highway’s style isn’t suited to anything *too* dance-y, electronic, and you don’t want to alienate their existing fans who voted for them on X-Factor by having them sing a song which isn’t consistent with their brand.
So, in terms of song, I would advise an upbeat pop song, perhaps along the lines of Guy Sebastian’s effort this year – something fun and funky, with good energy.
Now, in terms of language, for reasons stated above I would not recommend that the entire song be sung in Montenegrin. However, for reasons of staying loyal to their supports and expressing pride in their country, and also for reasons of variety, I think part of the song should be sung in Montenegrin (after all, what is Eurovision if not a celebration of the wild and wonderful continent of Europe and all its variances). So, I think the verses should be sung in Montenegrin, with the chorus (and possibly also the bridge) in English. The bridge and chorus should be simple and repetitive so that people can pick it up quickly and join in if they havent heard the song before, and also to make it more appealing to people for whom English is not their first language.
Not sure what to recommend, though I would suggest that they stick to their own language, pick something classy, and avoid any kind of rap or astronauts!
Maybe if the guys come out in a large costume (on each other’s shoulders) and then split up at the first chorus!
I love to hear entrants incorporate bot their native language and English, but I think any more than that is hard to follow.
I think this worked (for me) very well with Romania this year, though Romania somehow fared worse this year with Voltaj (Romanian + English) than they did in 2007 with Todomondo (6 languages!).
Personally, I think something funky and poppy with a Montenegrin influence. Something that could equally go in the direction of dancing as it could lounging. And please, fewer ballads in 2016!
If choosing three languages, why not most of the song in Montenegrin and the chorus could be a mixture of English and Swedish. The song may be up tempo with a fun content. Costuming should reflect the song and be fun, bright and reflect the boys personalities. The tune is the most important part, if it is catchy it will do ok. There needs to be some funky dance moves.
I have enjoyed some of the more laid back songs they performed in X factor, depending on the song i could imagine them performing on a smaller stage with a bar and table on the main stage to give the feel of a small jazz club at closing time, if they had backing dancers they could be a couple dancing and a waiter packing up.
the video screen is something i’m sure will be used much more to add extra people as with France this year.
I like the sound of these three and look forward to hearing them in Stockholm.
I think their Montenegrin jazzy sound works really well and they shouldn’t change a thing. As long as they pick a more uptempo song I think they would easily qualify for the finals. I guess they could consider an English chorus to broaden their appeal, but I think they should probably stick to their strengths and sing in their native tongue.
I don’t think they should sing separately because their talent seems to be in their harmonies. Lots of layered vocals would work well for them. I really hope they chose a contemporary sounding song and not fall into the Balkan trap of entering a song that appeals to the region but sounds really dated in the broader context of the competition. It’s time!
Having a mixture of songs in different languages gives the contest variety and most of the songs in their own language are beautiful but I feel that if the song is not in English I can’t fully understand the song and really appreciate it.
How can we judge songs if we don’t understand the language in the song?!?!?!
My advice would be to have a song with multiple languages so that everyone can fully understand the song and enjoy it!
Majority of Europe recognise the English language so the songs should reflect that.
I honestly feel that a song with a mix of more than two languages is too much. I prefer the style of Andrea Demirović from 2009 but it doesn’t sound like this trio are of the dance style of music. As long as the song doesn’t go into a monotone anticlimactic 3 minutes of a hymn-style of song, I’ll be happy 🙂
Montenegro should stick with tradition because it will make them stand out from the generic pop songs that other countries are embracing more and more. My advice is to use more of the visual effects – maybe some fireworks or confetti to give their performance something extra. For example Running Scared, Only Teardrops and Euphoria.
I also think presenting like Il Volo did will be a loser. They did it first and it was new and therefore people loved it. In 2016 you’ll have several groups all trying it for the same impact and it will look old and tired because it’s a repeat.
I’m also a big fan of sticking to the native language so my advice is sing it entirely in Montenegrin.
Having seen Highway’s style from X-Factor, I would suggest that they should choose a song which is upbeat, which due to their style, suggests a power ballad, as I am not sure they could compete well with an electronic or more dance-oriented song.
To maximise their chances, it would help if the song is sung in both Montenegrin and English (perhaps Montenegrin verses with English choruses) so that more people can understand the song and sing along with it.
For a power ballad like I’m thinking of, I don’t think it’s necessary to have backing dancers or other people on the stage, it’s better to keep the three of them as the focus of the performance. But to add interest and movement to the show, they will need strong use of visuals, such as the video screens and possibly flames, etc if available.
Montenegro has seen success over the past two years by sending authentic entries that reflect their own musical heritage and have done so while singing entirely in Montengrin. They need to continue this trend.
Highway needs to stick to one langugae, Montenegrin, and need to stick with something that is bare and genuine. As opposed to going the over-produced pop route.
I suggest a heartwarming ballad that allows the guys to show off their voices while giving opportunity for a staging that tells a story. Give them a chance to sing from the heart.
One of the main problems with the past Montenegro entries are that they have just been a little too “different” to most people’s musical tastes.
I think that Montenegro should first of all take their time in choosing their entry. Come up with a few different alternatives while other countries announce their entries and try to choose something which will stand out.
Next, the song should resonate with their neighbours, because these are the countries that are most likely to play the songs on the radio and get the fans. But most importantly, it should also have enough of a modern sound to it to entice the voters of the rest of Europe. So maybe a modern pop song, with a slight ethnic chorus. Something similar to Ela by Barrice, from the Greek 2015 National Final, which was a great pop song with a very traditional Greek breakdown, but the elements need to be blended together a little neater.
I’ve always loved the various Balkan ballads that form an integral part of Eurovision. Knez last year was a great example of that. Obviously Highway probably wouldn’t suit that style of music, but they could bring in a guest vocalist (female might work?) for the chorus to give it more of a Balkan feel.
Having just watched their videos now, it appears that they have a bit of a rock-type flavor. Rock groups have not done particularly well the last couple years, even though some of them have been quite good (e.g. Sinplus 2012). I would steer them into a more pop-ish direction but incorporate humor to some degree. The all male groups from Greece used humor in their acts to varying degrees in 2013 and 2014 and I thought it worked well. I think it could pay off for these guys too.
I would say they should sing in English and Montenegrin. Swedish would be too hard. However the song should be catchy but not too over the top. Their music has been good the last few years and points are not too bad. Keep it up and you never know.
I would like to try to capture the mass audience, I realise this is in Sweden but the majority of points tend to go to those who sing in English (I may be wrong, but that is my impression).
Even though there core is rock I would suggest more poppy catchy tune.
With three singers I would be after drama, all singing together with a dramatic boom ending!
I think that the song should stick to their style as shown on The X Factor Adria, a mix of country and 50s/60s Rock. Something that can stand out with a simple staging of dark lighting with red and blue accents and strobe lighting (with possible smoke machine to get a country bar feel). The song itself should not be a happy song, but tell the story of a heartbreak. It seems like their songs performed on the X Factor tugged on some heartstrings.
Structure wise, I think the song should be a Montenegrin-English mix similar to Slovenia 2014, start off with the native language, then switch back and forth and ultimately ending in the native language again.
I think Highway should go for an upbeat, dance club, loud song.
English lyrics of course, but with Balkan influence. They are a young group, so they need to be loud, to go crazy on stage, to come up with a unique dance for their song.
Careful not to go too Montenegrin, too ethnic, and too slow. No ballads, no piano or guitar songs, it doesn’t go with their image.