Wiwi: The sight of flames and feathers normally conjures up images of a gay pride event on an Indian reservation. But at Eurovision 2012 it can only mean one thing: that Holland’s Joan Franka has taken to the stage. The “You and Me” singer has changed her performance dramatically since Holland’s national final. She’s ditched the sea of Pocahontas look-a-likes skipping around with tambourines, and replaced them with a group of men “playing” instruments. The video makes it rather clear they are just accessories who serve no purpose other than smiling. She’s also removed the moving footage of herself playing cowboys and Indians as a child, an element I rather liked in both her official music video and her national selection performance. Instead, she brings a series of gas lamps that shoot fire. (I’m really worried that Gaitana’s breast implants might melt, and that Engelbert Humperdinck’s toupee might catch on fire. Please bring a fire extinguisher to the Crystal Hall Arena). Her vocals are as strong as ever, but I think it’s a shame she has compromised her vision following the fallout over her use of Native American imagery.
WATCH:
I still like the song, but in my opinion the whole performance is a little bit weak.
So bad the backgrounddancers are gone, they really brought ‘fun’ and ‘enthousiasm’ to it.
Now the performance has been changed I’ll doubt if The Netherlands will qualify.