Eurovision confirms that there will be no censorship for Nebulossa's 'Zorra'

The EBU, the body responsible for Eurovision, confirms that it will not censor

de Nebulossa, it has explained to EL PAÍS.

“The EBU understands that there are many interpretations of the title of the song presented by RTVE to represent Spain in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Taking into account its intended use in the context of the lyrics and message of the song, as explained to us by RTVE, we have concluded that the song is eligible to participate in this year's contest.

The staging of the song in May, as is the case with all participating acts, will be agreed with the producers at a later date,” its communications department explained this Monday.

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“All participating broadcasters will be responsible for ensuring that all necessary measures are taken within their respective delegations and teams to safeguard the interests and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest and for ensuring that under no circumstances will it be brought into disrepute in any way.”

This is the part of the official regulations of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that questioned whether

de Nebulossa could represent Spain in Eurovision 2024.

One of the closest references is that of the 2021 winner, the Italian

by Måneskin.

In one part of the song the word

(cock, in Italian) appeared, which she had to eliminate.

It wasn't a problem because it wasn't a central part of the band's proposal.

But, in the case of this year's Spanish proposal, the concept and the word fox

They are essential, just as their musical theme and staging have been conceived.

The official YouTube channel of the contest uploaded the video of Nebulossa's performance, presenting her as the Spanish representative, on Monday afternoon, minutes after confirming to EL PAÍS that the topic is valid.

Asked about the matter, María Eizaguirre, director of Communication and Participation at RTVE, declared on Sunday that the corporation is not excessively concerned about possible censorship, since the word has another official meaning.

“The proposal is clear.

If you look at what the word means in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, the definition is very clear.

It is a song that we understand that the lyrics are completely in accordance with current regulations,” she commented in Benidorm.

The difference with the Italian

is that the word slut has several meanings, argued the spokesperson for the public entity.

But the 2023 case ruins that argument.

Luke Black performed on behalf of Serbia with

, which included the expression

, the last word of which literally means slut or bitch, also an animal.

He eliminated that word from the sentence without affecting the issue.

He did not say it on stage, but the audience did.

The song

follows the irreverent, unprejudiced and empowered line of some of the previous songs by Nebulossa, a duo formed in 2018 by the married couple Mery Bas (55 years old) and Mark Dasousa (47 years old).

After their performance in the first semi-final of the Benidorm Fest, in which they were the winner of the night, the group explained that the message is not only feminist;

which also winks at the LGTBI+ community and all those who feel outside the norm.

Its intention is to redefine a word that has been used to judge others into a positive concept.

Taking into account that one of the values ​​on which the festival is based is defending tolerance through music, RTVE hoped to use that argument in case the EBU had presented any objection.

Once a country's representative to Eurovision has been chosen, its public corporation - in this case RTVE - must present the proposal to the European body, including, among other things, its lyrics, a studio recording and the initial idea of ​​what its performance will be like. staging.

Then, Martin Österdahl, who is the executive supervisor of Eurovision, communicates whether the song complies with the regulations.

When consulted, RTVE does not specify when or how this process has been carried out, taking into account that

became the Spanish representative in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, but it does reiterate in response to the EBU's response that the song complies with its rules.

Eurovision's censorious record has been quite ambivalent.

The rap band Citi Zēni had to eliminate two words from their song

in 2022. Specifically, they were

(which in its colloquial meaning is understood as pussy, and

). On the other hand, Nina Morato fit in without any problem a

in the French proposal for Eurovision 1994,

He said: “I know I am his love, but damn, there are days it weighs.”

In reality, at Eurovision it poses many more problems to include a political message in a festival that calls itself apolitical, an adjective that is often questioned.

Banned references to Vladimir Putin have ended with the voluntary abandonment of some countries or disqualification by the EBU.

Eizaguirre insisted this Monday morning, on the

program on La 1, that there is tranquility among the Spanish Eurovision delegation.

“The song has a very powerful message, we want it to be well understood throughout Europe.

For that, we are preparing the lyrics in various languages, such as English and even Swedish.

It is about the message arriving and arriving in the right way,” he explained.

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