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"Jokero"
Akcent's members in a room with a hanging disco ball. The edges are a color gradient of red and purple.
One of the various cover artworks used to commercialize "Jokero".
Single by Akcent
from the album French Kiss with Kylie
Released17 December 2005
StudioGala Records
GenreClub
Length
  • 4:02 (album version)
  • 3:40 (radio edit)
LabelRoton
Songwriter(s)
  • Marius Nedelcu
Producer(s)
Akcent singles chronology
"Kylie"
(2005) 		"Jokero"
(2005) 		"French Kiss"
(2006)

"Jokero" is a song by Romanian group Akcent for their fifth studio album French Kiss with Kylie (2006). Marius Nedelcu wrote the song, while Adi Colceru and Adrian Sînă produced it. The song was officially released on 17 December 2005, when it premiered on a Romanian radio station. In February 2006, "Jokero" was announced as one of the competing songs in Selecția Națională 2006, an event used to determine Romania's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. Akcent asked Romanian singer Nico to perform the track with them for the competition. The song came second overall, losing to Mihai Trăistariu's "Tornerò" (2006), though it won the public vote.

"Jokero" was received positively by most music critics, who noted its potential to become a hit song. Commercially, the song became the group's first number one in Romania and it reached the top ten in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Sweden. Two music videos were shot for the track. The first, directed by Dragos Buliga which depicts the group's members wandering through a town individually holding a disco ball. The second was recorded to promote the song during Selecția Națională, it features the group and Nico performing in one of TVR's studios. At the MTV Romania Music Awards 2006, the song was nominated for Best Song and Best Dance.

Background and release

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Akcent first performed "Jokero" in Istanbul in December 2005 at the end of a presentation about an interior design collection to "test" the public's reaction, with România liberă reporting that the song would be officially released as a single in Romania at the end of the year.[1] It was sent to Romanian radio station SKRadio on 17 December 2005, where it was played for the first time during DJ Fr3cky's show.[2] Akcent recorded the song at Gala Records, while Marius Nedelcu wrote it and Adi Colceru and Adrian Sînă produced it, with the former also handling the mixing. Furthermore, a vocalist named Georgiana provides additional vocals on it.[3] The club track is sung in both English and Spanish.[4][5] The song's radio edit version lasts for three minutes and 40 seconds,[6][7][8] while the album one lasts for four minutes and two seconds.[3] It was described by a România liberă editor as bringing "Ibiza closer to [the group's fans] soul".[1] "Jokero" was released for digital download and streaming in the Benelux states on 15 May 2006 by Roton.[6][7][8] It was issued in other territories on 5 July 2006 by Music Company Nordic.[9]

Selecția Națională 2006

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Main article: Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006

On 16 February 2006, "Jokero" was revealed as one of the songs submitted for Selecția Națională 2006, a competition to select the Romanian entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.[10] Although the song was only credited to Akcent upon submission,[10] they announced that they would perform the song alongside Romanian singer Nico, further clarifying that the collaboration was only meant for the Eurovision Song Contest, stating that her addition was to "present the song in a complete formula" and that after the event was over, they will "each continue with their own career".[11][12] Prior to the event, "Jokero" was deemed a fan favorite as it received most of the votes from the public on a poll posted on TVR's website.[11] The song qualified from the first semi-final, held on 24 February 2006 and it was fifth song performed in the final.[13]

A Jurnalul editor gave the semi-final performance a negative review, claiming that Akcent performed "badly" while Nico sang "like from the inside of a barrel".[14] Romanian composer Horia Moculescu expressed a similar opinion, stating that the group has "no chance" at representing Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest as they are "unable" to "perform live".[15] While "Jokero" won the public vote during the final, which amounted to twelve points, it received eight points from the professional jury panel, finishing second behind Mihai Trăistariu's "Tornerò" (2006) in a two-point margin.[16] Following the selection's outcome, the group acknowledged that they sang poorly.[17] Akcent revealed that they were approached by the Moldovan delegation to submit their song for the Moldovan selection after Selecția Națională ended, ultimately deciding not to do so.[18] In an interview with Crișana, they explained that even though they felt "honored" by the proposal, they could not have "taken part for another country" since they are Romanian.[5]

Reception

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"Jokero" was received positively by most music critics. Although Moculescu was critical of the group's performance, he called the song "[a] hit".[15] Romanian singer Costi Ioniță declared that "Jokero" had the "best chance of representing Romania in Athens".[15] Libertatea's Petre Dobrescu noted that the song "brought [the group] out in the spotlight" in Western Europe and East Asia.[19] Bianca Dumitru of Adevărul mentioned the song among other Romanian club songs responsible for the "club music madness" from 2006.[4] In retrospect, Florin Grozea, also writing for Adevărul, stated in an article titled "Why Is It Good to Not Get First Place at Eurovision Romania" that the song "contributed to Akcent's international success" alongside "Kylie" (2005).[20]

Commercially, "Jokero" became the group's first number one on the Romanian Top 100.[21] It further reached the top ten in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Sweden,[22][23] and achieved peak positions of 18 and 27 on the Dutch Top 40 and the Dutch Single Top 100, respectively.[24][25] The song received nominations for Best Song and Best Dance at the MTV Romania Music Awards 2006, but lost to Morandi's "Beijo (Uh La La)" (2005) and DJ Project's "Șoapte" (2005), respectively.[26][27]

Promotion

[edit]

Two music videos were shot for the song. The first was directed by Dragos Buliga, who saw the song "acting as a colorful stain" on a "sombre" town.[28] In the video, the members are shown walking with a disco ball throughout a town separately and singing next to it, while interspersed shots of a woman dancing in a room are displayed. At the end of the video, the members are all shown briefly with her in the room, before quickly vanishing.[29] The group filmed another video alongside Nico, in TVR's studios, which acted as promotion for the song for Selecția Națională and was broadcast on TVR during the week of the event.[30] It depicts Akcent and Nico performing in a white studio.[31]

"Jokero" was first performed in Istanbul in December 2005 at the end of a presentation about an interior design collection, when the group decided to "test" the audience's reaction to it.[1] As part of "Romania's Day" in New York in May 2006, the group performed the song on Broadway.[32] On the last night of their June 2006 Finnish tour, they performed the track in a disco.[33] "Jokero" was one of the three songs that the group sang at Hity Na Czasie in July 2007, an event hosted by Polish radio station Radio Eska.[34]

Track listing

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Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of French Kiss with Kylie.[3]

Charts

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Release and radio history

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Release dates and formats for "Jokero"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Romania 17 December 2005 Radio airplay N/A [2]
Belgium 15 May 2006
Roton [6]
Luxembourg [7]
Netherlands [8]
15 June 2006 CD single Digidance [35]
Various 5 July 2006
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Music Company Nordic [9]
Finland 2006 CD single The Dance Division [36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Akcent le face cadou fanilor un nou single" [Akcent gifts their fans a new single] (in Romanian). România liberă. 16 December 2005. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Fii primul care asculta noul single Akcent" [Be the first one to hear Akcent's new single] (in Romanian). Akcent.rol.ro. 14 December 2005. Archived from the original on 6 February 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c French Kiss with Kylie (Liner notes). Akcent. Magic Records. 2006. 6 02517 09777 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b Dumitru, Bianca (11 May 2015). "Hiturile verii româneşti din ultimii 17 ani: de la 'Liberă la mare' şi 'Albinuţa' până la 'Vara nu dorm'" [Romanian summer hits from the past 17 years: from 'Liberă la mare' and 'Albinuţa' to 'Vara nu dorm'] (in Romanian). Adevărul. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Cu Akcent despre Eurovision şi succese internaţionale" [With Akcent about Eurovision and international success]. Crișana. 20 March 2006. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "Jokero – EP by Akcent on Apple Music". iTunes Store (BE). 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d "Jokero – EP by Akcent on Apple Music". iTunes Store (LU). 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "Jokero – EP by Akcent on Apple Music". iTunes Store (NL). 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Citations regarding the release of "Jokero" in various countries:
  10. ^ a b Busa, Alexandru (16 February 2006). "TVR publish song titles". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Akcent & Nico, favoriţi pentru Eurovision" [Akcent & Nico, favorites for Eurovision] (in Romanian). Adevărul. 24 February 2006. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Nico si Akcent, impreuna doar pentru Eurovision" [Nico and Akcent, together only for Eurovision] (in Romanian). România liberă. 18 February 2006. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Primii finalisti la selectia nationala Eurovision 2006" [The first finalists for the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006] (in Romanian). HotNews. 25 February 2006. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Eurovision 2006 – Nico a cantat ca Akcent" [Eurovision 2006 – Nico sang like Akcent]. Jurnalul (in Romanian). 26 February 2006. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "Eurovision: cine ne reprezinta?" [Eurovision: who represents us?] (in Romanian). Acasă.ro. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Eurovision Selectia Nationala 2006" (in Romanian). TVR. Archived from the original on 13 April 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Eurovision Romania cantare cu scandal" [Eurovision Romania full of controversy] (in Romanian). Ziare. 1 March 2006. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  18. ^ Dobrescu, Petre (17 March 2006). "Indiggo, respinse, Akcent n-au vrut" [Indiggo, rejected, Akcent said no]. Libertatea (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  19. ^ Dobrescu, Petre (17 January 2007). "Akcent, regii disco" [Akcent, kings of disco]. Libertatea (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  20. ^ Grozea, Florin (8 March 2016). "De ce e bine să nu iei primul loc la Eurovision România" [Why is it good to not get first place at Eurovision România] (in Romanian). Adevărul. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  21. ^ Naie, Mihai (4 March 2006). "Akcent a tras un Joker(o)" [Akcent has pulled a Joker(o)]. Jurnalul (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  22. ^ a b Akcent — Jokero. TopHit. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Akcent – Jokero". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – Akcent" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Akcent – Jokero" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  26. ^ Listes, Adriana (3 June 2006). "MTV a sosit la Cluj" [MTV has arrived in Cluj] (in Romanian). Ziua de Cluj. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via HotNews.ro.
  27. ^ "RMA 2006" (in Romanian). MTV Romania. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  28. ^ Bunea, Stefania (26 January 2006). "Pentru boy band-ul preferat al romanilor, soarele straluceste in plina iarna" [For Romania's favorite boy band, the sun shines even during winter] (in Romanian). România liberă. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Akcent – Jokero (Official Video)". 30 July 2007. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. ^ Enache, Dana (20 February 2006). "Nico, pe scena cu Akcent la selectia pentru Eurovision" [Nico, on the stage with Akcent for Eurovision's selection] (in Romanian). Cronica Română. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via 9am.
  31. ^ "Akcent i Nico – Jokero". 23 November 2007. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ^ Gheorghe, Florian (12 May 2006). "Akcent a cantat pe celebrul Broadway" [Akcent performed on the famous Broadway]. Libertatea (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Akcent a concertat in Finlanda" [Akcent performed in Finland]. Telegraf (in Romanian). 14 June 2006. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  34. ^ Stoica, Cristina (15 July 2007). "Akcent are succes si in Polonia" [Akcent has success in Poland]. Curentul (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  35. ^ a b Jokero (CD single). Akcent. Netherlands: Digidance. 2006. 8714866681-3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ a b Jokero (CD single). Akcent. Finland: The Dance Division. 2006. 7320470 067734.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^ "Romanian Top 100". Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 5 April 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  38. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Aug 31, 2006". TopHit. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  39. ^ "Top Radio Hits 2006". Tophit. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  40. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  41. ^ "Topul anului 2006" [2006 year-end chart] (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  42. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2006". TopHit. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  43. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Decade Chart: 00s". TopHit. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
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