Gladiator (Jann song)

"Gladiator" is a single by Polish singer Jann. The song was released on 14 October 2022 via Fonobo Label and was a candidate to represent Poland in the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, taking part in its preselection, Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję (transl. Here beats the heart of Europe! We choose the hit for Eurovision). Entering as the favourite to win the contest,[1] the song was upset by Blanka's "Solo".[2]

"Gladiator"
The official cover for "Gladiator"
Single by Jann
Released14 October 2022
Genre
Length3:32
LabelFonobo
Songwriter(s)Jan Rozmanowski
Producer(s)Jan Rozmanowski
Jann singles chronology
"Promise"
(2022)		 "Gladiator"
(2022)		 "Need a break"
(2023)
Music video
"Gladiator" on YouTube

It has performed well on the Polish charts and streaming services, reaching number two. The song, along with Rozmanowski himself, have become a viral phenomenon due to the song's upset by "Solo" and the controversy that came around the victory of Stajkow.

Background and composition

In interviews, Rozmanowski stated that the song is a satire of both the music industry and show business.[3] In the song, he stated that he wanted to give the listener a "taste of stardom", showcasing the dark nature of the music industry; mainly, the fact that artists' fanbases and their management portray and exploit artists just as "beautiful people", with reckless abandon on taking care of the artists as human beings.[4]

In the Great September music festival in 2022, Jann stated that the song was "a romantic, sometimes almost erotic mix of electronics, R&B, and pop in the style of Sean Nicholas Savage, Sohn, Son Lux, or RY X... all this creates a tasty, pampered whole, filled to the brim with emotions".[5]

Chart performance

On the issue of 9 March, the song was charted second in Poland, falling behind Miley Cyrus' "Flowers".[6] Along with this, the song had seen an increased amount of streams on streaming service Spotify, earning the top spot on numerous Viral 50 charts.[7]

Live performances

Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję
See also: Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 § Controversy

On 8 January 2023, OGAE Poland reported that Rozmanowski was interested in taking part in Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję, the Polish national final hosted by TVP1 that selected the Polish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.[8] A month later, on 15 February, "Gladiator" was announced as one of ten candidates selected by TVP1 to participate in Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję in February 2023 for a chance to represent Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[9] Immediately after the song was announced as a finalist, the song was regarded as the red hot favourite to win the selection, gaining fan support.[5] Shortly before the final, a fan poll hosted by Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs reported that "Gladiator" had won the poll with 66.56% of the vote.[1]

The final took place on 26 February 2023, with "Gladiator" being drawn to perform eighth in the final. The performance featured Rozmanowski in a black crop-top and pants adorned with jewels.[10] The winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from a five-member professional jury and a public vote. In the event of a tie, the tie would be decided in favour of the jury. At the initial reveal of the voting results, "Gladiator" was revealed to have gotten seven points from the jury, coming in fourth place. Polish singer and model Blanka Stajkow, who entered the song "Solo", had earned the maximum amount of jury points, with 12 points. At the end of the show, "Solo" was announced the winner without announcing the full televote scores.[11] Due to the initial secrecy of the televote scores and the low jury placing, the victory came under heavy scrutiny, with many claiming that the victory was rigged in favour of Blanka.[12] Facing increased pressure from fans, TVP1 released the televote results, which revealed that "Gladiator" had won the televote, but "Solo" had come second, leaving "Gladiator" three points short of tying.[13]

Fan reactions towards the victory initially were overwhelmingly negative of Blanka, with petitions being made that demanded that TVP change the representative to Jann.[14] Along with this, various major Polish Eurovision fan sites proposed an independent count of votes.[15] TVP, after hearing an appeal to change the country's representative to Jann, decided to stick with Blanka, saying that the voting had "complied with the voting rules in accordance with the regulations".[16] In the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Blanka would manage to qualify from the second semi-final in third, finishing in the final in 19th place.

Jann congratulated Blanka after she had won, even after increased pressure and hatred towards both TVP and Blanka from fans grew due to the voting system and the secrecy of the televote results. In statements, Blanka thanked Jann for his support, saying "We both don’t understand such a huge wave of hate that is pouring out on me... From this place, I would like to thank Jann very much, because you are not only a wonderful, phenomenal artist, but also a wonderful person. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support."[17]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart performance for "Gladiator"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Lithuania (AGATA)[18] 13
Poland (Billboard)[6] 2
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[19] 2

Certifications
Certifications for "Gladiator"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Poland (ZPAV)[20] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Vautrey, Jonathan (26 February 2023). "Poll results: Jann should win Poland's Tu bije serce Europy 2023 according to our readers". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  2. Hendryk, Tom (26 February 2023). "Blanka wins Poland's Tu bije serce Europy 2023 and will sing "Bejba" at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. Choiński, Robert (10 March 2023). "Jann: "Nie przyklejam się do etykiet" [WYWIAD]" [Jann: "I don't stick to labels" [INTERVIEW]]. Glamour Poland (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. ""Po premierze lądowałem na SOR z podejrzeniem zawału". Jann o karierze i walce o Eurowizję" ["After the premiere, I landed in the ER with a suspected heart attack." Jann about his career and the fight for Eurovision]. RMF FM (in Polish). 24 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  5. "TVP "zluzuje gumki"? Zdaniem wielu fanów to polski faworyt na Eurowizję!" [Eurovision 2023: Jann with the song "Gladiator" conquers the hearts of fans. TVP "loosen the rubber bands"?]. Interia (in Polish). 14 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. "Poland Songs – Week of March 18, 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. Czerniawski, Mieszko (1 March 2023). "Jann i "Gladiator" podbija Spotify. Fani z zagranicy: "zmarnowaliście szansę"" [Jann conquers Spotify with the song "Gladiator". Foreign fans: "you have wasted your chance"]. OGAE Poland (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  8. Czerniawski, Mieszko (8 January 2023). "Kto chce reprezentować Polskę na Eurowizji? Oto lista potencjalnych uczestników selekcji" [Eurovision 2023: they want to represent Poland. Will they take part in the selections?]. OGAE Poland (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  9. Adams, William Lee (15 February 2023). "Poland: 10 finalists revealed for Eurovision selection 'Tu bije serce Europy 2023'". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  10. Rusak, Anna (28 February 2023). "To dlatego Jann nie dostał się na Eurowizję? Szokująca plotka o zachowaniu polskiego jurora" [Is that why Jann didn't make it to Eurovision? Shocking rumor about the behavior of the Polish juror]. Vibez (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  11. ""Wszyscy chcieli Janna, ale TVP na to nie poszło". Widzowie oburzeni po werdykcie" ["Everyone wanted Jann, but TVP did not go for it." Viewers outraged after the verdict]. Onet Kultura (in Polish). 26 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  12. "Blanka pojedzie na Eurowizję. Na TVP wylała się fala krytyki" [Blanka will go to Eurovision. A wave of criticism poured out on TVP]. Wirtualne Media (in Polish). 26 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  13. Juhász, Ervin (27 February 2023). "TVP released the full results of Tu bije serce Europy!". ESCBubble. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  14. "Fani Eurowizji zarzucają TVP faworyzowanie Blanki. Jest petycja: Nie spełnia oczekiwań i standardów". gazetapl (in Polish). 27 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  15. Polewski, Kamil (28 February 2023). "Eurowizja 2023: Blanka miała trzy razy mniej głosów niż Jann? Oświadczenie mediów eurowizyjnych po preselekcjach" [Eurovision 2023: Blanka had three times less votes than Jann? Eurovision media statement after the preselections.]. OGAE Poland (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  16. "Eurowizja 2023. TVP odpowiada na zarzuty dotyczące zwycięstwa Blanki" [Eurovision 2023. TVP responds to allegations about Blanka's victory]. Plejada (in Polish). 9 March 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  17. Chojnacka, Joanna (28 February 2023). "Blanka zwróciła się do fanów i Janna po preselekcjach. "Jest mi przykro"" [Blanka addressed the fans and Jann after the preselections. "I'm sorry"]. Gazeta (in Polish). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  18. "2023 18-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  19. "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 03.03.2023.–09.03.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  20. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 July 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Gladiator in the search box.
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