Last week the Palau d’Esports L’Illa in Benidorm experienced three intense days of musical competition. The Benidorm Fest 2024 closed on Saturday an intense fight to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which will take place on May 11 in the Swedish city of Malmö. Of the 16 songs that passed the final screening, only one won the bronze microphone: Zorra, the proposal by the Valencian duo Nebulossa.
However, the title of the song has raised some doubts about its participation in this year’s contest. Although the intention of the song is to appropriate the word Zorra and strip it of its negative connotation, the possibilities of censorship were in the air. It is not the first time that the lyrics of a song contain language considered foul at Eurovision, but sources consulted by La Vanguardia have confirmed that there will be no problems from the European Broadcasting Union.
“The EBU understands that there are many interpretations of the title of the song presented by RTVE to represent Spain in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Taking into account its intended use in the context of the lyrics and message of the song, as explained to us by RTVE, we have concluded that the song is eligible to participate in this year’s contest,” explained the organization’s communication department in a note.
“The staging of the song in May, as with all participating acts, will be agreed with the producers at a later date. “All participating broadcasters will be responsible for ensuring that all necessary measures are taken within their respective delegations and teams to safeguard the interests and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest and for ensuring that in no case will it be discredited in any way,” they insisted.
María Izaguirre, director of Communication and Participation at RTVE, was not concerned about these doubts either. “The proposal is clear. If you look at what the word means in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, the definition is very clear. It is a song that we understand that the lyrics are totally in accordance with current regulations,” she expressed this past Sunday, the morning after the final of the Benidorm Fest.
The cases of modified lyrics in Eurovision are multiple, with two recent cases that show this. First of all, Måneskin had to replace cazzo (penis) in Non sa di che cazzo parla with something in the lyrics of Zitti e buoni, the song with which they won the 2021 edition. Similarly, the Serbian Luke Black covered with static the final part of the phrase Game over, bitch in his song Samo mi se spava, finalist at last year’s festival.