“If I go out alone, I’m a bitch; if I have fun, I’m the biggest bitch; if I come home after dawn, I’m even more of a bitch”.
Reappropiating insults is a way to fight back for oppressed colectives in our societies, and that’s exactly what Nebulossa is doing with her Benidorm Fest 2024 entry “Zorra“.
Scroll down for the “Zorra” lyrics
Benidorm Fest 2024: Nebulossa – “Zorra”
Nebulossa is one of the freshest names on the Benidorm Fest list, despite being older than all the other acts. They do electronic pop that’s heavily inspired by 80s music — and it comes with some quite explicit lyrics.
They play at home in Benidorm Fest: they come from la Marina, the area in the Region of Valencia where Benidorm sits. Mark Dasousa, the producer behind the group, is a well-known producer of one of the region’s best-known bands.
Some of you might remember Nebulossa from last year’s Una Voce Per San Marino, where they took part in the casting shows, but did not advance to the final.
What do the “Zorra” lyrics mean?
“Zorra” delivers a message of female emancipation, empowerment and reassurance: “I know I’m not who you want, I know, I get that you’re upset by it, but this is my nature, I can’t be bothered to change for you”.
The word “zorra”, in Spanish, means literally “vixen”. However, it is translated as “bitch” in a figurative sense, and that is the most commonly used meaning of the word. This is actually one of the most blatant cases of built-in sexism within the Spanish language.
While the male version of the noun, “zorro”, is used figuratively to refer to someone who’s astute, the female version of the word is much more wide-spread and used as an insult.
Nebulossa revolts against this and uses this insult in order to create an anthem of female empowerment: “I already know I’m only a bitch, that my past consumes you. I already know I’m the black sheep, the misunderstood one, the stone-cold one. But this is my nature, I can’t be bothered to change for you”.
Zorra music video: Throwing the glass
Aside from the lyrics, the music video references many popular women on Spanish TV who have stared down this stereotype, from Italian singer Raffaella Carrà to TV personality Bibiana Fernández.
The part when she sings in a red dress in the music video is a tribute to Manuela Trasobares. Manuela is a mezzosoprano and plastic artist who appeared on a talk show on Valencian TV in the 1990s. She was one of the first trans women who appeared in Spain’s mass media, sharing her story and questioning the heavy transphobia and sexism she and many people suffered.
Manuela’s visible outrage with the conservative comments she was receiving from the public earned her popularity several years later when the video re-surfaced on the internet and went viral around 2007. That year, she became the first trans person to become a local councilor in Spain. It happened in the small town of Geldo in the Valencian Community.
Ever since, she’s appeared on several TV shows and is remembered for the most iconic moment of the show, when she got so angry she threw a glass on the floor and invited some of the other panellists to do the same. Now Nebulossa recreates the same moment in her music video, which is the most watched so far out of all Benidorm Fest acts.
“Zorra” lyrics – Nebulossa (Benidorm Fest 2024)
Spanish text(Zorra) Ya sé que soy solo una zorra Estoy en un buen momento Si salgo sola soy la zorra Cuando consigo lo que quiero Estoy en un buen momento Estoy en un buen momento Yo soy una mujer real Estoy en un buen momento Estoy en un buen momento |
English translation(Bitch) I already know I’m just a bitch, I’m in a good moment If I go out alone I’m the bitch When I get what I want If I go out alone I’m the bitch I’m in a good moment I’m a real woman I’m in a good moment I’m in a good moment |