Wikipedia

Jako (song)

"Jako" (Armenian: Ժակո, pronounced [ʒɑˈkɔ] ⓘ) is a song by French-Armenian world music duo Ladaniva. The song was originally released on 29 September 2023 on the duo's debut self-titled album as a track, and was written by Audrey Leclercq, Jaklin Baghdasaryan, and Louis Thomas. It represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where it placed in 8th at the grand final with 183 points.

"Jako"
Single by Ladaniva
from the album Ladaniva
Released29 September 2023
Length2:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Audrey Leclercq
  • Jaklin Baghdasaryan
  • Louis Thomas
Producer(s)Jasper Maekelberg [nl]
Ladaniva singles chronology
"Je t'aime tellement"
(2023) 		"Jako"
(2023) 		"Here's to You Ararat"
(2024)
Music video
"Jako" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
Composer(s)
  • Audrey Leclercq
  • Jaklin Baghdasaryan
  • Louis Thomas
Lyricist(s)
  • Jaklin Baghdasaryan
  • Louis Thomas
Finals performance
Semi-final result
3rd
Semi-final points
137
Final result
8th
Final points
183
Entry chronology
◄ "Future Lover" (2023)
Official performance video
"Jako" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Jako" (Grand Final) on YouTube

Background and composition

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"Jako" was written by the duo together with Audrey Leclercq, and produced by Jasper Maekelberg [nl].[1] The title of the song was inspired by band member Jaklin Baghdasaryan's nickname.[2] The song was described as an account of Baghdasaryan's childhood and the subsequent feeling of society forcing her to conform relating to clothing and her behavior. She both criticizes and challenges it, stating that she instead wants people to find their "real, wild, unapologetic selves".[3]

Music video and promotion

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Along with the duo's official confirmation of their Eurovision song, an accompanying music video directed by Arthur Manukyan was released on the same day.[4][5] According to ESC United, the video was a tribute to Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, with outfits for the duo being designed by Mary Stepanyan and Astghik Samvelyan.[6] To further promote the song, they announced their intents to participate in Pre-Party ES on 30 March 2024, a Eurovision pre-party.[7]

Critical reception

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In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics, the song was rated 6.27 out of 10 points,[8] earning 25th out of the 37 songs competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on the site's annual ranking.[9] Another review conducted by ESC Bubble that contained reviews from a combination of readers and juries rated the song fourth out of the 16 songs "Jako" was competing against in its the Eurovision semi-final.[10] Jon O'Brien, a writer for Vulture, ranked the song 13th overall, stating that the song was a "vibrant mix of traditional folk and national pop".[11] ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked it 34th overall, stating that while he "appreciate[d] the authenticity of the song", he found the "structure quite messy".[12] Scotsman writer Erin Adam rated the song five out of 10 points, stating that it "may prove too generic to be truly memorable"; however, they also admitted that they found the song to be "colourful, full of character and what Eurovision is all about".[13]

Eurovision Song Contest 2024

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Main article: Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Internal selection

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The Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was internally selected by AMPTV. In January 2024, the duo was reported as the selected act by local and international media.[14] On 9 March 2024, the broadcaster officially confirmed the duo as the Armenian entrant for the 2024 contest, with the entry, "Jako", revealed on 13 March.[15][16]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Portugal was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[17] The duo were later drawn to perform eighth, ahead of Denmark's Saba and behind Latvia's Dons.[18]

 
Ladaniva performing "Jako" in a dress rehearsal before the Eurovision 2024 second semi-final.

For its Eurovision performance, Artur Manukyan was appointed as the staging director.[5] Before Eurovision, Armenian head of delegation David Tserunyan promised that the performance would be "something very positive and vocal, giving all the Armenian vibe and energy".[19] The performance featured the duo along with four backing instrument players all wearing traditional Armenian clothing on a giant plinth. Facial expressions of the duo are emphasized within the performance, along with chickens and Armenians motifs.[20][21] "Jako" finished in third, scoring 137 points and securing a position in the grand final.[22][23]

The duo performed performed a repeat of their performance in the grand final on 11 May. The song was performed in 19th, ahead of Portugal's Iolanda and before Cyprus' Silia Kapsis.[24] After the results were announced, they finished in eighth with 183 points, with a split score of 101 points from juries and 82 points from public televoting.[25] The song received no sets of the maximum 12 points from either category. Regarding the former, the most a country awarded was eight, given by Albania, Portugal, and San Marino. In the televote, the most one gave was ten, awarded by France and Georgia.[26]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Jako"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Greece International (IFPI)[27] 19
Lithuania (AGATA)[28] 22
Netherlands (Single Tip)[29] 6
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 12

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Jako"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Type Ref.
Various 29 September 2023
Album track
Single [31]
13 March 2023 Eurovision version [32]

References

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  1. ^ Conte, Davide (13 March 2024). "🇦🇲 Armenia: Ladaniva Release "Jako"". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix News. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  2. ^ Trejo, Iván; Pons, Miguel (20 April 2024). "Who are LADANIVA? Get to know the Eurovision 2024 representative from Armenia". ESC Plus. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. ^ Shokayan, Antranig (20 March 2024). ""I will dance and you will watch": Armenia's Ladaniva sings about embracing who you are in "Jako" lyrics". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. ^ Adams, William Lee (13 March 2024). "Jako! Armenia's LADANIVA share their Eurovision 2024 song". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Conte, Davide (23 April 2024). "🇦🇲 Armenia: Details About Ladaniva's Staging For Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  6. ^ Alexandros (13 March 2024). "🇦🇲 LADANIVA Releases "Jako" for Eurovision 2024!". ESC United. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  7. ^ Garnett, Georgia (22 March 2024). "🇦🇲 Ladaniva to perform at Pre-Party ES 2024". That Eurovision Site. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Wiwi Jury: Armenia's LADANIVA with "Jako"". Wiwibloggs. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  9. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (7 April 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Reviews and rankings by the Wiwi Jury". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  10. ^ Juhász, Ervin (23 April 2024). "The Public Reacts to Sweden: Marcus and Martinus – Unforgettable". ESC Bubble. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  11. ^ O'Brien, Jon (6 May 2024). "Every 2024 Eurovision Song, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  12. ^ Lahav, Doron (22 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Songs Review – Part 1 (Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine)". ESC Beat. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  13. ^ Adam, Erin (7 May 2024). "Eurovision Song Contest 2024: All 37 songs reviewed ahead of semifinals, including UK's Olly Alexander". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  14. ^ Ampatzidis, Ioannis (12 January 2024). "Armenia: With Ladaniva at Eurovision 2024?". Eurovisionfun. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Armenia's song for Malmö is released - 'Jako' by Ladaniva". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 13 March 2024. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Ladaniva will be representing Armenia at Malmö 2024". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 9 March 2024. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  18. ^ Adams, William Lee (26 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Semi-Final Running Order Revealed". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  19. ^ Garnett, Georgia (25 April 2024). "🇦🇲 Staging details revealed for Ladaniva at Eurovision 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  20. ^ Stephenson, James (29 April 2024). "🇦🇲 Armenia: All the Details About Ladaniva's First Rehearsal". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  21. ^ Lahav, Doron (8 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Semi-Final 2: Dress/Jury Rehearsal Live Commentary". ESC Beat. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Armenia's "Ladaniva" reached Eurovision Song Contest 2024 final". Armenpress. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  23. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (12 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 semi-finals: Detailed results show Croatia and Israel won each show". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  24. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (10 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 grand final running order: Ukraine in second, Austria closes". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024.
  25. ^ Adams, William Lee (19 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 results: Who did the jury help and hurt the most?". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Grand Final of Malmö 2024 - Armenia Grand Final Results Allocation". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 20/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  28. ^ "2024 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 May 2024. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 18/05/2024" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Jako - Single by Ladaniva". Apple Music (US). 29 September 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Jako - Single by Ladaniva". Apple Music (US). 13 March 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
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