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Rockers maNga unveil Eurovision song ‘We Could Be the Same’
“We Could Be the Same,” picked from among three songs proposed by the group to TRT’s Eurovision committee, has lyrics in English, with a chorus of: “… For all this time / I’ve been loving you / Don’t even know your name / For just one night / We could be the same / No matter what they say.”
TRT General Director İbrahim Şahin told reporters in a news conference ahead of the song’s unveiling at the TRT studio that he “personally would prefer the Turkish entrant to have lyrics in Turkish,” adding that the committee, nevertheless, did not pose any kind of restrictions on the group concerning the language of their song, or other details such as their costumes or their stage show.
MaNga vocalist and front man Ferman Akgül, also speaking during the news conference, said they made “a song that we believe in.” “We made a really beautiful song. Our goal is to be able to represent our country, our band and our music in the best way possible,” he said. “We’ll be going there [to Oslo] to win the contest,” Akgül added.
The group’s drummer, Özgür Can Öney, also commented that the Eurovision task had helped increase their motivation as a band that wants to make its voice heard beyond Turkey’s borders.
Alternative music scene needs maNga
“We Could Be the Same” is an energetic song, boasting maNga’s trademark style, heavily dominated by keyboard and local rhythms tailored to an alternative rock sound.
Music critic Naim Dilmener, speaking on journalist Can Dündar’s news show “Canlı Gaste” on the private channel NTV on Wednesday night, said maNga deserved to win the contest.
Despite billing “We Could Be the Same” as being more akin to the pop sound of the ’70s, Dilmener said: “I hope they win. They deserve that. They have been tracing their own path since their very first album; they never became the copy of another act. … I hope they achieve a good score, and I hope they continue making good music after the contest. The alternative music scene needs them.”
The five-piece maNga was formed in Ankara in 2001. Vocalist and front man Akgül and drummer Öney are joined by Yağmur Sarıgül on the electric guitar, Cem Bahtiyar on bass guitar and Efe Yılmaz on the turntable.
The band, which released its third studio album, “Şehr-i Hüzün” (City of Sorrow), in April 2009 to much acclaim from fans and critics alike, was named the best European act at last year’s MTV Europe Music Awards.
The 55th Eurovision song contest will be held from May 25-29 in Oslo, after last year’s winner, Alexander Rybak, brought the title to his country for the fourth time in the competition’s 54-year history.
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