Szansa na Sukces winner Alicja Szemplińska has just launched her graphic and thought-provoking music video for Poland’s Eurovision 2020 entry “Empires”.
The music video carries a significant message. As she told Polish broadcaster TVP, she wanted to highlight some of the crises the world faces. Men build great empires through their work and toil. But it’s these same people who can actually tear it down through their indifference to the environment, among other things.
The video certainly gives us food for thought, as we are met with a video homage of human destruction through both imagery and metaphor. Amid all of that ugliness we find beautiful Alicja, who is so poised and controlled you may forget she is only 17 years old.
Poland 2020: Alicja Szemplińska – “Empires” Music Video
The video begins with a visibly upset Alicja standing in front of huge sheets displaying dramatic war images. As the video continues, fire surrounds Alicja and archival clips show footage of our ravaged earth: devastation from war, pollution from factories, famine and poverty without end. It’s as though we are looking directly into Alicja’s mind and are witnessing the images running through her head.
The drama doesn’t stop there. Fiery clips of modern warfare and natural disasters as a result of climate change come to the fore, with blazing forests and fires from battle intertwined as Alicja struggles on the ground. Doves, enduring symbols of hope and peace, flee the flames around her.
But like a phoenix rising from the world’s ashes, our girl Alicja gets up. She rises before a cool blue background and walks though water — she is the calm after the storm. Before you get too cozy, though, floods come to the fore and we see Alicja walking through a thunderstorm. The final big note at the end gives Alicja one last release of anguish, which people should take as a warning.
Through the glossy video, “Empires” becomes a wake-up call for the world — a mirror for humanity to look into and fear.
What do you think of the “Empires” music video? Let us know in the comments below.
This song its actaully a powerfull message to the world.
Amazing video klip
Amazing voice
Brawo Poland!
ESC is not about an amazing video “klip”
Even not about an amazing voice…
When will you get that?
When she won’t qualify?
When?
Even with this footage the song is boring and is doing nothing to me. It’s not ESC song.
I don’t have an idea what she could do on stage to uplift that song… burn (?), blow up (?), drown in confetti (?), be gone with the wind (?) 🙂
It’s just… hopeless.
Again.
Please, vote for Europe for Poland. Finally, you have to give Alice a chance. She will not disappoint you …
Mixed feelings. The song is very powerful, and contains a lot of aspects that I like. The singer is also good. But the video… I’m not sure. This looks like a normal music video intercut with what should be pieces of a cinema movie, but instead there are clips from what look like the news? Hmmm. It could have worked for “Tomorrow Never Dies”, I suppose, but it comes across as hurried for Eurovision. It’s almost very good though. I like the higher vocal line in the Coda – it allows for more drama.
Maybe ask the Russian broadcaster, not Wiwibloggs.
This song is soooooo gooooood!! Weeks ago I didn’t like it at all and then it became such a huge grower. That’s the Polish effect. It was the same with Michael Szpak. Her emotions in her face were better in the live performance though. Wished she would have shown that in the video too.
Indeed. Agreed here too. 🙂
Thing is, people will see it once. If they dont like it after 3 minutes, its over
Quite funny and shameful when Poland sends a song about bushfires which is a consequence of the carbon pollution and climate change, and Poland is the only country that didn’t agree with EU Carbon Neutrality Agreement and will continue to use fossil fuels ?
Music has very little to do with politics. *hides*
Not necessarily true. National anthems. A song literally about the Maastricht Treaty won the contest back in 1990. I wonder how Toto felt about Brexit. We’re not so “insieme” anymore. 🙁
“Insieme, unite unite Europe!” – That winner was my very first ESC. Ahh, so THAT’S what that song was about? LOL!
The beauty of public broadcasting is that a lot of the time, it never really go along with what the state wants.
Which is probably why Ukraine’s UA:PBC and Israel’s KAN continue to battle for their autonomy.
I saw your exactly same comment in different places. Trolling? Let’s talk about music here. You don’t really know us, what we do here and what we feel.
What David says is truth.
You don’t like truth here and prefer glitter, sweetness, and saying everyone is great.
No, reality is not like that.
When Russia sends songs about being all together as one, or to believe or sing with million voices, united, love, peace, peace (and dressed in white) it’s also quite funny 🙂 So I get what he means about polish song…
He’s right.
David might be right or wrong about the politics, that’s just fine. However, this is a song, and it is in a song contest. The music can (and has been) appreciated solely for being music, which is a form of art. That is the “reality“ of this music video.
In the global ranking of CO2 emissions, Poland is in the eighteenth place and Germany in the sixth. I wonder where all that coal is from? Don’t be hypocrites.
And Alicja is responsible for it or what? It wadn’t government who choosen that song.
I didn’t really detect an environmental message with empires, so adding all the scenes of ecological disasters feels tacked on to me.
This looks like from 2001, budget version….inventive kids with their phone would do better job
Not in Poland 😉
Here we do almost everything looking alike we’re fusty and backward….
Well… we are.
Everything just pretends to be modern.
(and we’re talking here only about ESC, right?)
🙂
If talking about ESC, Poland have done notably well from 2014 to 2017. Ironically it was a most old-fashioned song by Michal Szpak that finished 8th in 2016. So retro can work, sometimes. 🙂
Yes, because he didn’t pretend to be modern. He is not and that looked real….
The only modern entry from 2014-2020 period was “Slavic girls” by Donatan & Cleo… Others were just… pretending to be modern except Michal who did not pretend anyting. I think that’s one of the reasons why he ended up 3rd in public vote…
ESCJudge, you are so pitiful. It’s disgusting.
I couldn’t care less
Sorry Poland, for me it’s a NO
This is coming very strong! Can be dark horse this year i think. Love all the emotions in her voice!
I think it would have been nice with some polish in it and more power in the song. I feel its very flat compared to Bulgaria.
Flat compared to Bulgaria? Lol great joke!
I had a problem to stay awake listening to the Bulgarian entry.
Young teens dont like ballads, thats the reason why you almost fell a sleep. We that are over 25 like ballads and we are awake:)
You’ve just made my day.
Excellent sense of humor.
I’m 35… just saying.
oh. actually i have heard that many younger ones DONT like ballads beacuse they think they are to slow haha. So its true in many cases. That is a mystery to me:)
once again, I am a young teen and Bulgaria is so far my winner.
I’m sure that’s true in same cases, but like Ashton, I’m also a teen. My top 10 consists of mostly ballads (Bulgaria, Italy, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, and Romania).
Sorry, but I gotta get this confirmed: YOU, Rasmus/Linus are OVER 25? I agree with you about Bulgaria, though. A much better song in comparison.
i am:). And someone stole the Rasmus name so i could not use it. I guess you thought i was 12 or even was braindead. its okey , i dont take offense. But i am totally normal.
lol that comment gets a plus. You can be quite entertaining when you want to.
I often get in heated arguments on the topics: Online voting in JESC, Northmacedonia name dispute with greeks, Diaspora voting, people who hate Sweden in ESC for no good reason so i guess thats why people hate me and think i dont have a brain and are in kindergarden.
Except for the fact that you hate every Polish entry, no matter if it’s good or not. You just see the name of
Poland and start to spread the hate. That’s not normal.
actually i like this one, i just wanted more power in it. I like polish people but i dont like the online voting when Poland wins every time:)
Yeap… so why last year and two years ago Poland didnt through to the final?
i loeved last year:) it was very close though
Not every time. Just two. And both songs were amazing. Prriod
Dark horse
i am 99,9% sure you are polish. They always think Poland will win everytime. Like in JESC which they always do now a days with online voting when you can vote for yourself. 3 wins soon.
Omg… Again blaming Poland for winning jesc. Viki won almost in every poll across Europe, she was second with the jury, but no. She won because od Poles voting for themselves. I’m really sick of it. I hope that Poland will send this year some sh*** so everobody will see that the best song is winning
Poland have the largest audience voting and watching in JESC, EBU have said it So that Poland wins with online voting is very normal then. Online voting is not a good thing for small countries. thats my only point.
That’s why you have to vote for multiple countries. It only becomes a problem when people intentionally vote for Portugal and Wales to give their own country more chance.
Yes she won public voting. Yes Poles voted for Her. Yes the the rest of the Europe as Well! Do you understand that most of the Europe voted for Her not only Poland? Do you understand that Her song was one of the best? Do you understand that profesional jury who usually hates Poland have Her second place? What’s wrong with you? You are complaining about it for months! Set an official petition to EBU. Plenty of people will sign it and you do sth different with your life than complaining On every posdible website.
It was the Polish who didn’t like Empires and smashed the dislike button for their own entry while the rest of the world tried to figure out what’s wrong with them.
Love her voice, music and the video.
Well, I like the music video because it accurately reflects the message of “Empires” but I’m still not convinced to the song. Not my vibe. Many people think that this entry needs really good staging but our director’s ideas are very often weak and not in line with what our representatives would like to show (fun fact: some Polish fans ironically call him “a visionary” XD), so there are reasons to be afraid of our performance.
Don’t worry, she’ll probably be standing all alone in the middle of nowhere with blue (or maybe red) background. 😡
That’s what I meant. Even “Superhero” had a cold blue background (which I still don’t understand), so we shouldn’t expect anything spectacular from staging to “Empires”. :/
What about Roxie’s staging? That was perfect (altough I don’t understand the random numbers).
Don’t forget lyrics in background.
If this pulls a North Macedonia with the juries and Poland with the viewers, we’ll most likely being going to Poland for ESC 2021. But, hey, at least we know Poland CAN host (JESC 2019 had a better stage than ESC 2019)
i bet it won’t make it to the final
Switzerland, Italy or Norway will pull of North Macedonia with the juries if any ballad will do so.
Glad to see some support for this in the comments because this is one of my biggest growers. It’s really grand, her voice is amazing and the lyrics are layered and with a double meaning. This year has a lot of amazing ballads, this certainly being one of them. I hope it qualifies.
Hmmm. Rise like a Phoenix was a good song. How did it end? ’Cause you’re my fla-a-a-ame (Bond theme)
Yes, let’s change that completely.
Just let her sing: fi-re (Bond theme)
Wow wow wow !!!!
Brawo Poland video klip is amazing
Alicja is beautiful
Poland Top 5
Good luck
I think people are sleeping on this entry – I really hope it qualifies.
With so many ballads this year it may have a chance finally.
TOP 10 for Poland
Mark my words
This entry is in my Top 10. However, I found the music video very bland compared to her live performance in national final. I hope she manages what Aminata did in 2015 vocally.
”Keep the Faith”, but more with a slicker tone…
That is… a lot of pyros. I have to admit, this music video kinda reminded me of “Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente”‘s one.
One of my favorite songs this year. Hope it gets to the final.
I wasn’t a huge fan of it at the beginning but the song grew on me so much. I really like her voice. Not my winner but one of my favorites!
I don’t wanna be cruel but this will be my break entry. I find it nothing but annoying, I can’t bare three minutes of it. She is really pretty, Poland is a great country and everything, but this is the kind of songwriting I loathe. Contrived drama going nowhere desperatey trying to sound meaningful. Right there at 41 with Latvia for me. I swear, even if Destiny was singing this s***, I’d still have it at 41. And maybe it’s not even you-know-who’s fault, I see two Polish songwriters credited, so it seems to be a home-made mess. Albert would… Read more »
Agreed.
I’ll jump onboard the downvote train.
It’s the songwriting I’ve a problem with also. Her talent is obvious but once she was selected, they should’ve changed the song. “Contrived” is an excellent word to describe it (I might borrow that).
Not that it makes a difference, but shouldn’t you rather jump onboard the upvote train if you agree with my – as you point out – excellent opinion? 😛
I meant more in terms of the collecting of downvotes, rather than the giving. 😉
I up’d you but it’s little more than a drop in the Polish ocean at this point.
“I don’t wanna be cruel”, then says it is s*it. Hmm.
Poland might be the dark horse of this year. Mark my words!