Spain’s Eurovision crisis: could Chikilicuatre be the answer?

10 March 2008

MADRID – The song Baila el chikichiki, written by Pedro Guerra and Santiago Segura and sung by Rodolfo Chikilicuatre, has been chosen to go forward to the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Belgrade in May.

Chikilicuatre – who beat nine other finalists when he received most votes via TVE television and MySpace web portal – says his victory proves that "Spain has a sense of humour." And certainly his image – huge Elvis-style beehive hair and sideburns twinned with huge sunglasses and a toy guitar – is not to be taken seriously.

This is the first time in Eurovision history that the Spanish contender has been voted for by the public. Other finalists this year included La Casa Azul with La revolución sexual, Arakaitz, Coral and Bizarre.

David Fernández (aka Chikilicuatre) was born in Buenos Aires and has played the guitar since the age of three. After landing on Spanish soil, his winning song was played on La Sexta television channel.

The Salvemos Eurovisión (Let’s Save Eurovision) TV awards – so called due to a conscious effort to update the annual song contest – was presented on Saturday night by Rafaella Carrá, and a guest appearance was made by Rosa López who represented Spain in 2002.

After voting opened on 4 March, viewers could plump for their favourite finalist via phone and SMS messages. Phone lines were reopened before and after Salvemos Eurovisión, but in keeping with TVE’s view of the live performances "as the best proof of each contestant’s worth," votes after the show counted for 80 percent of the vote compared to 20 percent for those made before. In any case, Chikilicuatre’s invitation to do a silly dance was the clear winner in both voting sessions.

[Copyright EL PAÍS 2008]