Today I'll tell you more about how I prepared the song "Lastochka" for vocal competitions.

If you haven't heard my performance yet, you can watch it here

There is nothing "wow" about this song from a technical standpoint:
🔹the highest note is G4,
🔹no multi-layered melismas,
🔹no extreme vocal techniques.

And yet, the jury gave maximum scores. Why?

I am sure it's about stagecraft. I talked in detail about what that concept includes in the previous post. And in preparing the number, I tried to work through every aspect of it.

1. Image down to the smallest detail.
I thought through everything carefully: the dress, makeup, hairstyle — down to the earrings and lip color. The external form helped me truly feel like the heroine of the song and experience it in the first person.

2. Deep analysis of the lyrics.
I broke down the song by meaning and formulated my understanding of what it is about. "Lastochka" has many symbols and understatement, and my interpretation may differ from the author's. But the most important thing is to understand what this song means to you.

3. Working with a stagecraft teacher.
I signed up for a session with our teacher to come up with how to bring the idea to life on stage. It was she who suggested creating a video sequence with a projector: flying swallows and burning fire.

4. Deep immersion singing.
I spent a longer time on the immersion stage — when you repeat the song many times in a row, controlling technique, sensations, and emotions.
This is necessary so that during the performance, all these processes happen automatically, exactly as you planned them.
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In the end, the number turned from simply hitting the notes into a separate story — one that, it seems, touched the hearts of the listeners.

What do you think — why did the jury award first place to this particular number? Share your versions in the comments👇🏻