Yesterday I was scrolling through social media as I do, a few times every day. I found some of my Eurovision feeds had come to life again. Yes. It is the time of year when all the participating countries begin searching for the acts that will represent them in the competition. When I see that this process has kicked off, my thoughts immediately turn to Markus Riva. The Latvian popstar has put himself forward for the competition more times than most. Markus is usually a good candidate, but I also know he has other commitments. He hosts X-Factor Latvia. Having this in mind, I went to see what he was up to and found out he has just released an album “Pazudīšu pilsētā” (“Lost In The City“).
The album is only his second entirely in Latvian. The release has made me think about the many features we have covered for Markus on the blog. I realised that all the songs by Markus we have discussed have been sung in English. With this in mind, I really think it right that I take a look at the most recent single, “Asaras Acīs” lifted off of the new album.
The track translates into English as “Tears In The Eyes.” Beyond the song title, I have not yet, been able to interpret any other lyrics into English. On this occasion, I will not allow this detail to mar my enjoyment of the song. I like the dark electronic pop vibe of the track. In contrast to his usual marketed pop efforts, it makes for an intoxicating listening experience. Although I must say this, I prefer Markus singing here in his native tongue. This track has more of an edge over his English sung efforts. I certainly will be spending some time delving into the album “Pazudīšu pilsētā” over the holidays.
Above all else, I am more curious about the music video. Clearly, where Markus appears dressed up as The Joker from Batman. I carried out a little bit of internet research about this video. The likeliest explanation about it is this quote from Markus.
“The original idea was to make a video in the style of the 90s, but looking at the calendar, I saw the upcoming 31st date. I realised that we have a task to surprise the listeners a little differently,” says Markus.
Well, surprise me he, has. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this kind of brooding and moody styling from Markus, but I welcome it with open arms. Rather than attempting to get to Eurovision every year, he should concentrate on making dark electronic pop instead. It suits him best of all if you ask me.
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