Rodolfo Chikilicuatre | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | David Fernández Ortiz (1970-06-24)24 June 1970 (age 55) |
| Origin | Igualada,Barcelona,Spain |
| Genres | Reggaeton,comedy |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, toy guitar |
Rodolfo Chikilicuatre[1] (Spanish pronunciation:[roˈðolfotʃikiliˈkwatɾe]; born 1972[2]) is a Spanish comedic character played byDavid Fernández Ortiz (born 24 June 1970) and first introduced in the Spanishlate night showBuenafuente as an improvisational act. Rodolfo was interviewed as the inventor of the vibrator-guitar. The character rose to fame after he was later presented by the show's host,Andreu Buenafuente, with a song called "Baila el Chiki-chiki" (Dance the Chiki-chiki), a parody ofreggaeton music filled with jokes and political references. The show's host decided to enter the song into the Spanish selection process for theEurovision Song Contest 2008, where it was chosen. Rodolfo landed Spain's best placement sinceEurovision Song Contest 2004.
In a new phase for theBuenafuente (BFN) show onLa Sexta, David Fernández, in the short-livedActor de Guardia section, started to play various characters related to current issues, chosen at random.[3] On 21 January 2008, based off the news of the invention of aguitar which was connected to avibrator,[4] he played the role of theArgentinian characterRicardo Rosanti, who claimed to be the device's inventor.[5] Then, on 5 February, he reappeared, now under the nameRodolfo Chikilicuatre and, as a thank you, played Buenafuente areggaeton-style song namedBaila el Chiki chiki.[6] The piece was presumably composed bySantiago Segura (lyrics) andPedro Guerra (music), as reflected in many media outlets. The sketch was entirely a parody for the programme.
For theEurovision Song Contest 2008, the Spanish broadcasterRTVE decided to make the song selection process more democratic, so, in an agreement withMySpace, a webpage was created where the general public could vote for any of the artists who were interested in participating, possibly discovering new talents. Any aspiring singer could upload a video to enter the contest. The top 5 voted videos, along with 5 more entries selected by a jury, went to a televised final where the Spanish Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry would be chosen.
More than 530 songs were submitted, the comedic act of Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and his "Baila el Chiki-chiki" song among them. The song was heavily promoted by late night showBuenafuente and television channelLa Sexta that aired the show, and ended up being selected by a landslide, earning 56.28% of the votes, well ahead of the runner-up, which earned only 14.6%.[7] The winner was chosen throughtext messaging.[8]
This selection was met with a certain degree of controversy, as many considered it a gimmick song,[9] and not worthy of representing Spain. It also met controversy because Rodolfo Chikilicuatre was a comedic act, with no prior songs, and was backed by a particular show (Buenafuente) and a private broadcaster (LaSexta). RTVE stood by their choice of voting system.[10]
On March 11, 2008, Rodolfo announced some changes to the lyrics of his song to comply with the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, thus removing partially the names of the politicians included in the song (José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,Hugo Chávez andMariano Rajoy). Even if Chávez's name was completely removed, a reference toa previous incident withSpanish KingJuan Carlos I was kept. A non-political reference to Serbia was added.[11] The song was also made longer, as the original was considered too short, going from 1:20 to 2:56 minutes, and several verses in English were added.[12] The new version was presented on March 14, 2008.[13]
Rodolfo performed the "Chiki-chiki" theme with other singers:King Africa,Tata Golosa,Mojinos Escozios andDustin the Turkey.
During the final contest of the Eurovision 2008 on May 24, 2008, the song "Baila el Chiki-chiki" reached sixteenth place with 55 points, tied with Albania.
| Year | Title | Peak | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPA | GRE | FRA | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | "Baila el Chiki-chiki" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | Succeeded by |
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