"Zaleilah" represented Romania in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, after winning the pre-selection show Selecția Națională. The country reached 12th place in a field of 26, scoring a total of 71 points. Mandinga's show featured the band members performing choreography and accompanying Ionescu, with pyrotechnics and fireworks also being used. The song received mixed reviews from music critics. While it was praised for its catchiness and dance nature, some viewed it as mediocre and unoriginal. "Zaleilah" received a nomination in the Best Song category at the 2011 Romanian Music Awards.
In order to promote and support "Zaleilah", Mandinga made various appearances to perform the song and embarked on a tour in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2012. An accompanying music video was filmed by Florin Botea in both Romania and Dubai, and was uploaded to YouTube on 9 February 2012. On the same date, the clip was shown at the Grand Cinema Digiplex in Băneasa Shopping City. It portrays Ionescu "waking up" in Dubai after putting on a ring she found near to a club's bathroom tap.[1] Commercially, "Zaleilah" reached the top 100 of various charts after Eurovision, and peaked at numbers two and six in Romania and Moldova, respectively. Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România (UPFR) certified the track Gold for exceeding 10,000 digital downloads in Romania.
"Zaleilah" was written by Costi Ioniță along with Mandinga lead singer Elena Ionescu and member Omar Secada, while production was handled by Ioniță and Dimitriu Silviu.[5] After being premiered on the group's website on 16 September 2011,[6]Cat Musicdigitally released the song in various countries on 7 February 2012, along with several remixes.[7] From May to September 2012, the song has also been released in Italy, Mexico and Scandinavian countries.[8][9][10] On 11 April 2012, an enhanced CD of "Zaleilah" was distributed in Romania by Cat Music, while a promotional CD was released in Europe through EMI Records that year.[5][11]
A bilingual song performed in English and Spanish,[5][12] "Zaleilah" has been described as Latin-influenced; reviewers also noticed inspiration from Balkanic, Cuban, Gypsy and salsa music.[2][3][4][13] Lyrically, it revolves around "a woman deeply in love with her 'chocolate boy', [possibly] someone who is merely sweet, or someone who is of African descent". Lines from the verses, translated into English, include: "you touching me and kissing me makes me want to dance/ I'm so happy, I can shout out loud." During the refrain, "Zaleilah" contains lyrics written in poor English, such as "When you love you say, everyday, everybody", which corrected would have been "When you're in love, say it everyday and tell everybody".[14] The song's instrumentation consists of a bagpipe, marching drums, accordions and trumpets,[2][14][15] with a critic likening the accordion sequences to Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis's 1964 instrumental "Zorbas Dance".[14] According to the band, the name of the track belongs to a South American tribe and "actually does not mean anything. It is the name of the dance that [accompanies the song] and of the princess that [Ionescu] plays in the music video."[16]
Reception
Upon its release, "Zaleilah" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Jan Feddersen, writing for Die Tageszeitung, praised the song for its catchiness and danceable nature.[4] An editor of RTVE similarly commended its catchy chorus and festive atmosphere,[12] while Urban.ro positively noticed the use of simple lyrics.[17]Giga.de and Grantland likened "Zaleilah" to "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" (2010) by Colombian singer Shakira and to "Zou Bisou Bisou" (1964).[18][19] Reviewers from Wiwibloggs had both positive and negative opinions of the recording, praising its optimistic and dance nature, but criticizing it as mediocre, incohesive and lacking originality. Overall, the reviewers on the website gave the song 6.25 out of 10 points.[14] In a 2016 Wiwibloggs poll called "What is your favourite Eurovision song from Romania?", "Zaleilah" finished in second place with over 700 votes.[20] At the 2012 Romanian Music Awards, the track received a nomination in the Best Song category.[21]
"Zaleilah" experienced moderate commercial success on record charts and got heavy rotated in several countries.[22] In Romania, the song peaked at number two on the national Airplay 100 chart in May 2012,[23] while also claiming the same position on Media Forest's radio and television airplay charts.[24][25] On the service's 2012 year-end chart, the track reached number 10.[26] The Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România (UPFR) certified "Zaleilah" Gold in the July of that year for exceeding 10,000 in digital copies sold in Romania.[22] In other countries, the song reached number six in Moldova,[27] as well as the top 50 in Sweden and Billboard'sMexico Espanol Airplay chart,[28][29] the top 60 in Austria and the top 100 in Germany.[30][31] "Zaleilah" attained lower success in Russia, where it peaked at number 157,[32] and in Flanders, peaking at number 23 on the Ultratip chart, which acts as an extension to the main Ultratop ranking.[33]
Music video and promotion
An accompanying music video for "Zaleilah" was uploaded onto Cat Music's official YouTube account on 9 February 2012,[35] becoming one of their most-watched releases by May 2015.[36] On the same date, it was also shown at the Grand Cinema Digiplex in Băneasa Shopping City at around 19:00.[1][37] The clip was shot by Florin Botea[1] at Club Fratelli in Romania and in locations such as Sheikh Zayed Road, the Palm Jumeirah Monorail, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai.[34][37] All outfits used in the video were provided by Florin Dobre and Iuliana Dima.[37]
The visual opens with Ionescu talking with a man at the bar of a club. When she leaves to the bathroom and washes her hands, she discovers a purple ring near the tap and puts it on. The singer subsequently "wakes up" inside a skyscraper and is also seen walking on the streets and the beach of Dubai.[1] She also performs to the song in a desert and resides on a yacht while "search[ing] for love".[1] Towards the end of the video, Ionescu throws the aforementioned ring into the sea, and the clip ends with it being washed ashore. Interspersed shots show Mandinga during a concert at the club presented in the beginning.[35] An editor of Libertatea praised the music video and wrote: "[It] is truly a fascinating journey with exotic shots that make you think of summer, sun and heat".[1]
For further promotion, Mandinga performed "Zaleilah" on several occasions. On 16 September 2011, the band appeared on both Romanian talk show Neatza cu Răzvan și Dani,[38] and the 2011 Romanian Music Awards, presenting a medley with "Danza Kuduro" (2010) by Don Omar and Lucenzo on the latter.[39] In 2012, Mandinga performed on Cronica Cârcotașilor in March,[40] as well as on Europa FM in April[41] and on Radio ZU in May.[42] In the same year, the band also embarked on a tour in Belgium and the Netherlands to perform the track.[43] Outside of the promotion phase of "Zaleilah", it was performed on Pro FM's "Bagă Mare" beach event in August 2013,[44] and on Radio 21 in October 2014[45]
The Romanian Television (TVR) organized the Selecția Națională in order to select Romania's entrant for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and opened the submission period for artists' and composers' entries between 6 and 23 February 2012. Out of all submissions, a jury panel internally selected 15 songs to participate in the contest's final held on 10 March 2012. Subsequently, "Zaleilah" was chosen to represent Romania at Eurovision after the votes of a jury panel (ten points) and public televoting (12 points) were combined, resulting in 22 points.[46][47] Mixed reactions followed after Mandinga's win, with multiple individuals criticizing the song itself and attributing the band's victory to arranged voting.[48][49] Others however favoured the band's win and praised "Zaleilah".[50][51]
In Baku
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 took place at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan and consisted of two semi-finals on 22 and 24 May, and the final on 26 May 2012. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), were required to qualify from one semi-final to compete for the final; the top ten countries from the respective semi-final progressed to the final.[52] Mandinga sang sixth in the first semi-final following Albania and preceding Switzerland, while they performed 14th in the Grand Final following Azerbaijan and preceding Denmark.[52] At the first semi-final, Ionescu's ear monitor malfunctioned, prompting the show's organizers to issue an apologize for the problem.[16][53]
During Mandinga's performance, the LED background displayed images of drums moving along to the song's rhythm, as well as of beating hearts in several colors including purple, yellow and orange "representing the strong fiery nature of the Latin beat". Pyrotechnics were used along with "strobe lighting" and fireworks towards the end of the performance.[54] Mandinga, along with Slovenian choreographer Anze Skrubehad,[43] also created a choreography and released a tutorial video online; its central focus is the theme of love.[55] During their show, lead singer Ionescu wears an orange dress and is accompanied by her band members;[56] they carry instruments which were designed by Alexandru Ghilduş and Costel Badea.[43] Holger Kreitling of Die Welt likened Ionescu's appearance to that of American singer Nicole Scherzinger and criticized the outfits of the rest of the group.[57] An editor of Realitatea positively noticed the singer's appearance as playful and attractive.[58]
Points awarded to Romania
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania in the first semi-final and Grand Final of the contest. On the first occasion, the country finished in third place with a total of 120 points, including 12 from Spain, Ireland and Moldova, ten from Italy, and eight from Russia, Israel and Greece.[59] In the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Romania finished in 12th position, gathering a total of 71 points, including 12 awarded by Moldova, ten by Spain and seven by Italy and Greece.[60]
^This is a summary of all versions of "Zaleilah" found on its digital releases in multiple countries.[7][8][9][10]
^Apart from five audio tracks, the enhanced CD featured "extra data" consisting of facts on Mandinga and "Zaleilah", footage of the band, the song's lyrics and its official music video.[5]
^ abLambrecht, Marco (22 May 2012). "Rumänien: Mandinga" [Romania: Mandinga] (in German). Eurovision.de. ARD. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
^ abcFeddersen, Jan (26 May 2012). "Alter vor Zwilling: Warum Engelbert gewinnt" [Why Engelbert is going to win Eurovision]. Die Tageszeitung (in German). ProQuest1016063594. (subscription required)
^Holmwood, Leigh (26 May 2012). "I'll wear my lucky Elvis charm tonight: Says Engelbert Humperdinck". The Sun. ProQuest1016471149. (subscription required)
^ abFernández, Eduardo (24 May 2012). "La otra española de Eurovisión: La cantante y modelo, elegida 'mujer más sexy' del Festival, lleva a la final a Rumanía con una canción en castellano que está entre las favoritas" [The other Spanish Eurovision: The singer and model, elected 'sexiest woman' of the contest, advances Romania to the final with a song in Spanish that is among the favorites]. El Mundo (in Spanish). ProQuest1015396424. (subscription required)
^ ab"Media Forest – Know You Are On Air". Media Forest. 27 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
^ ab"Media Forest – Know You Are On Air". Media Forest. 27 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
Bhumi PednekarPednekar mempromosikan Sonchiriya pada 2019Lahir18 Juli 1989 (umur 34)[1][2]Bombay, (sekarang Mumbai) Maharashtra, India[2]PekerjaanAktrisTahun aktif2015–sekarang Bhumi Pednekar (lahir 18 Juli 1989) adalah seorang aktris film India. Setelah berkarya sebagai asisten sutradara di Yash Raj Films selama enam tahun, Pednekar membuat debut filmnya sebagai mempelai kelebihan berat badan dalam film komedi romansa Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), yang membu...
Museum Sejarah JakartaMuseum FatahillahFoto panorama Museum Sejarah Jakarta dilihat dari Taman FatahillahNama lamaGedung Balai Kota JakartaLokasiJalan Taman Fatahillah 1, Jakarta Barat, DKI Jakarta, IndonesiaKoordinat6°08′07″S 106°48′48″E / 6.135199°S 106.813300°E / -6.135199; 106.813300JenisMuseum sejarahArsitekW. J. van de VeldeSitus webjakarta-tourism.go.id/article/detail/museum-fatahillah Museum Fatahillah memiliki nama resmi Museum Sejarah Jakarta adal...
ماكسيميليان إمبراطور المكسيك (بالألمانية: Maximilian I.) معلومات شخصية الميلاد 6 يوليو 1832[1][2][3][4] قصر شونبرون[5] الوفاة 19 يونيو 1867 (34 سنة)مدينة كيريتارو سبب الوفاة إصابة بعيار ناري مكان الدفن السرداب الإمبراطوري الإقامة قلعة تشابولتي�...
Capital of Tatarstan, Russia For other uses, see Kazan (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Kazan – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) City of republic significance in Tatarstan, RussiaKazan Казан�...
Psychological process of selectively perceiving and prioritising discrete aspects of information This article is about the psychological concept of attention. For other uses, see Attention (disambiguation). Cognitive psychology Perception Visual perception Object recognition Face recognition Pattern recognition Attention Memory Aging and memory Emotional memory Learning Long-term memory Metacognition Language Metalanguage Thinking Cognition Concept Reasoning Decision making Problem solving Nu...
Basketball league in Cameroon Basketball leagueElite MessieursOrganising bodyFECABASKETCountryCameroonNumber of teams8 (2022–23)Level on pyramid1Relegation toDivision 2Domestic cup(s)Cameroonian Basketball CupInternational cup(s)Basketball Africa League (BAL)Current championsFAP (4th title) (2022–23)Most championshipsBEAC (5 titles)WebsiteLink The Elite Messieurs (translated to English: Elite Men), also known as Cameroon Basketball League, is the premier basketball league for clubs in Cam...
Monthly magazine founded in 1967 Institutional InvestorEditorMichael Corcoran[1]FrequencyAnnual subscriptionCirculationDigitally delivered (online only)PublisherEuromoney Institutional InvestorFounded1967CountryUnited StatesBased inNew York CityLanguageEnglishWebsitewww.institutionalinvestor.comISSN0020-3580 Institutional Investor magazine is a periodical published by Euromoney Institutional Investor. It was founded in 1967 by Gilbert E. Kaplan. A separate international edition of th...
Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna Museo presso il Palazzo Sanguinetti UbicazioneStato Italia LocalitàBologna IndirizzoStrada Maggiore 34 Coordinate44°29′34.36″N 11°21′01.2″E / 44.492878°N 11.350333°E44.492878; 11.350333Coordinate: 44°29′34.36″N 11°21′01.2″E / 44.492878°N 11.350333°E44.492878; 11.350333 CaratteristicheTipoMusica Istituzione2004 e 1959 Apertura11 maggio 2004 Visitatori50 011 (dati Musei C...
La bandiera simbolo dell’omosessualità L'omosessualità è un orientamento sessuale che comporta l'attrazione emozionale, romantica e/o sessuale verso individui dello stesso sesso.[1][2][3] Nella definizione di orientamento sessuale, l'omosessualità viene collocata nel continuum etero-omosessuale della sessualità umana,[4] e si riferisce all'identità di un individuo sulla base di tali attrazioni e dell'appartenenza a una comunità di altri individui c...
Series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia Peterhof PalaceUNESCO World Heritage SiteOfficial nameHistoric Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of MonumentsCriteriaCultural: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)Reference540bisInscription1990 (14th Session)Area3,934.1 haCoordinates59°53′04″N 29°54′32″E / 59.88444°N 29.90889°E / 59.88444; 29.90889 The Peterhof Palace (Russian: Петерго́ф, romanized: Petergóf, IPA: [p�...
Aquatics complex in Budapest, Hungary Danube Arena (Duna Aréna)Dagály Budapest Aquatics ComplexLocationBudapest, HungaryCoordinates47°32′27″N 19°3′44″E / 47.54083°N 19.06222°E / 47.54083; 19.06222Capacity5,000 (permanent) and 8,000 (temporary)(13,000 total)ConstructionBroke groundMay 2015BuiltFebruary 2017ArchitectMarcell Ferenc The Danube Arena[1] (in Hungarian: Duna Aréna, unofficially Dagály Budapest Aquatics Complex) is an aquatics complex l...
Historic dam in North Carolina, United States United States historic placeSanteetlah Hydroelectric DevelopmentU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesU.S. Historic district Show map of North CarolinaShow map of the United StatesLocationDam-Hwy NC 1247, Powerhouse-1277 Farley Branch Rd., near Robbinsville, North CarolinaCoordinates35°23′49″N 83°52′21″W / 35.39694°N 83.87250°W / 35.39694; -83.87250Area397 acres (161 ha)Built1928 (1928)Built byPower...
French politician Prof. Dr.Bruno GollnischMP MEPMember of the European ParliamentIn office15 July 1989 – 1 July 2019ConstituencyFrance (1989–2004)East France (2004–2014)South-East France (2014–2019)Regional councillorfor Rhône-AlpesIn office16 March 1986 – 31 January 2015Member of the French National Assembly for Rhône (department)In office16 March 1986 – 14 May 1988Municipal councillor for the 8th arrondissement of LyonIn office18 June 1995 –...
Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Lake Placid (disambigua). Lake Placidvillage(EN) Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid – Veduta LocalizzazioneStato Stati Uniti Stato federato New York ConteaEssex AmministrazioneSindacoCraig H. Randall TerritorioCoordinate44°17′08″N 73°59′07″W44°17′08″N, 73°59′07″W (Lake Placid) Altitudine568 m s.l.m. Superficie3,9 km² Abitanti2 638 (2000) Densità676,41 ab./km² Altre informazioni...
Pour les articles homonymes, voir Domaine public en droit français. Les palais nationaux, comme Chambord, font partie du domaine public artificiel La Seine fait partie du domaine public fluvial Une route fait partie du domaine public routier Une mairie fait partie du domaine public… … ainsi qu'une école, affectée au service public de l'éducation … ou une prison, affectée au service public pénitentiaire En droit public français, le domaine public est l'ensemble des biens (immeubl...
Measurement unit used in typography This article is about the unit of typographic measure. For a dot grapheme, see Full point and Interpoint. For the mark used to separate an integer from a decimal part, see Decimal point. For other uses, see Point (disambiguation). Small text redirects here. Not to be confused with Microprinting. PointA ruler showing point scale (on the bottom) and inch scale (on the top)General informationUnit systemtypographic unitUnit oflengthConversions 1 point...
Canadian politician (born 1974) Dominique AngladeMNAAnglade in 2020Leader of the Opposition of QuebecIn officeMay 11, 2020 – November 10, 2022PremierFrançois LegaultPreceded byPierre ArcandSucceeded byMarc TanguayLeader of the Quebec Liberal PartyIn officeMay 11, 2020 – November 10, 2022PresidentLinda CaronPreceded byPierre Arcand (interim)Succeeded byMarc Tanguay (interim)Deputy Premier of QuebecIn officeOctober 11, 2017 – October 18, 2018PremierPhilippe Cou...
Description in optics of the angular dependency of the radiant intensity of a radiant surfaceLambert's law redirects here. For the concept in logic, see Lambert's law (logic). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Lambert's cosine law – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (L...