The first time I saw Melovin perform, as part of last year’s Vidbir (Ukraine’s national selection), I thought he was…a little much. He had a skunk stripe hairdo and one wonky contact lens like Marilyn Manson, back when he was scary. But Melovin didn’t perform anything that sounded like he looked. Instead, he brought a piano ballad. I was disappointed. “Melovin,” I thought, “If you’re going to bring that look,you have to be extra in your music as well.”
Flash forward a year and Melovin has managed to merge his love of straight forward pop with his goth persona, with his piano banger Under the Ladder. (And before you ask, there are NO ladders in this performance. Not a one. And it doesn’t matter because the staging is sooooooooooo good.)
I’ve been singing Melovin’s song nonstop since March, even though the lyrics are a little unclear, because he’s got some amazing hooks (e.g. “fire lasts forever”, “a decision has got to be made”) and a ton of wonderful “whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohs”in his song. It’s a gift for people like me, who always get the lyrics wrong; I can make up my own versions of the song as long as I add in a “whoa whoa” and “heyyyyy”.
The staging, though, is where Melovin comes alive (or maybe I should say becomes undead?) He’s carrying off a gothic vampire theme here, starting his performance by rising from his piano lid coffin and ending it by being burned alive at the keyboard. It’s absolutely thrilling to watch, and underpinned by an excellent song. Between his various fan bases, Melovin has a strong shot at making top five.
TWITTER JOKES YOU SHOULDN’T BOTHER MAKING BECAUSE THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN DONE BETTER BY THE EUROFANDOM: Look, we all know the contact lens is just gross, okay. Let Melovin have it. He’s a 21 year old goth, okay?
SHOULD YOU TAKE A PEE BREAK DURING HIS PERFORMANCE: No! He rises from a coffin in a piano and then catches fire at the end. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO MISS THAT?
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