The young İzmir-born pop singer announced the much-anticipated decision in an interview aired live on the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) on Wednesday evening. He said the song, which was written by producer Can Saban, carries many elements of Turkish culture that a lot of Turks will be able to relate to. He said he has high hopes that it will appeal to international audiences.
“The song resonates strongly as Turkish. But instead of relating our problems to 10 people, why not relate them to 100,000 people,” the young singer explained with a laugh. “Despite the fact that the song will be sung in English, the instrumental side of the song and especially the chorus are very Turkish in style. For us the most important factor was to maintain a strong aspect of ‘Turkishness’ in the song. From the very start I told the team that I didn’t want to deviate from my own style or from the Turkish style of music. We don’t want to pretend to be something we are not. We want to represent our country in the best way possible with pride and sincerity and we certainly don’t want to embarrass anyone!” said Bonomo.
Bonomo performed the song live with a large backing group playing traditional Turkish instruments but said that the choreography of the piece has still not been completed and that the group rehearsals will begin next week. “The choreography for the song is great and very professional. Candaş Bas is working with us, which is very exciting because she choreographed Sertab Erener’s song the year she won the competition. I have never had a professional dance education so it will be a rigorous process, but I am looking forward to it,” he said.
Bonomo said the team is very happy with the choice and that he hopes the rest of Turkey will be, too. “We are very excited about the competition and we really do believe we are working on a potentially great track. Obviously everybody has different musical tastes, so there will be those who do not take to the song. But we have high hopes that many will,” Bonomo said.
The song, he explained, relates the tale of a lovesick sailor and it is inspired by the sea. “I am from İzmir so I spent my childhood by the sea. People in İzmir have a strong love for the sea; it holds a deep place in our hearts. At the same time one of my favorite poets, Cahit Külebi, has a beautiful poem about the sea off the coast of İzmir, which I have always found very moving. So the song means a lot to me personally,” the young star explained.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the 57th edition of the annual event, is scheduled for May 22-26 in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
