But I struggled to decide. It is no wonder that I was touched by the program Inca Kasa, a program very dear to my parents all my life: there was the singer Maria Amolategi, who is also a member of the jury in Bago!az. Onintza Enbeita gave him tarot cards, as serious as when he was a spokesperson for EH Bildu in the Spanish Congress, that is, not too much, and then they asked him what we would see in the program: “A lot of young people, good singers... the coach has a good time and I think it’s broadcast.”

Well, he convinced me.

The truth is that I had another reason to see Bago! This year: after the injustice they did last year with Andoni Ollokiegi – who demonstrated throughout the competition that he was the natural winner; a decision full of prejudices against hard rock left him without victory – ETB had already advanced that this year they wanted to give him a special prominence.

You will have at your disposal a whole group of singers, “ollokiak”. They will sing in the mourning to the death against the contestant who gets fewer points at each gala, to decide who stays in the show. Furthermore, there will be seven contestants in each programme, one of which will be different in each programme.

Yes, the mechanics of the competition look a little bit like one of those complicated phrases by Mariano Rajoy, but once the program started, it all flushed pretty easily.

It does begin very well: in the first few minutes so many “past”, “wonderful” and “brutal” have been pronounced, it becomes difficult to imagine that the protagonists of the session before reaching the end can still fit into their bodies. How right Jon Maia was when he said that Euskal Herria is an emotional superpower.

Finally, to the point: then it calms down a little. Maria Redondo, the winner of last year, has recommended that contestants take the reins that Bago! It's very long -- and to me, at least, I was doing very long until that time -- and in a pleas she sings with the first contestant outside the speeches. Aintzane Arzamendi has been in charge of opening the competition, which has been played by a song by the Nøgen group. The songs of the Donostiarra group seem to have been made for this program, especially the one they have sung, as it allows to make an epic buil in the center of the song with voices that speak from Txindoki to Anboto.

Just after that performance has been seen the hostility that will probably mark this year’s edition: from the jury has addressed Angel Alkain Ollokiegi, who in my opinion has to be more or less bounded, because seeing the level of contestants their “ollokis” have nothing to do. It has certainly been a strategy that has been repeated over and over again to try to stem the shame of Bob Marley who is not convincing enough to interpret in this programme.

Moreover, the programme has left some memorable moments: Who is not thrilled with Shallow, played by Amolategi and Iker Gutierrez on the skin of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, has a potato rather than a heart; Andrea García has staged along with Iker Villa as a whole – but very – a very active face; Alex Sardui and Eider Etxeandia have taught him the importance of singing;

But let us turn to the unforgivable injustice of this first attempt. What they have done with Josu González de Irun has no name: a young man who likes the opera, singing with Xabier Saldias. That said alone, the forecasts were good. Then, in the essays, when Saldias has started singing “Mexiiiiko” – no joke, he has started since the first session – and when the young man has taught him that he can reach even higher notes, I have all the doubts. Here are two forces of nature. And we'll see them together singing. It has been one of the hottest moments of the program, although the Akelarre song they have given them is not the most suitable to exploit 100% of their gifts.

On the one hand, there is the decision: What would have happened if they had put on a Queen song? There is no value in accepting what is obvious. They would pass over all the other contestants and jury members, singing so loudly that the television camera’s objectives would be seriously threatened by breaking.

On the other hand, there are the jury ratings. And the gender reading that can be done around them. And here I want to devote a specific paragraph to the assessment that Alex Sardui has made. He accused González of having given too much importance to falsehood, saying that this is a resource, but that he has to pay more attention to the whole. It seems to me a very small way of understanding what we have seen: in the heteropatriarchal context in which we live, a man singing in falsete cannot be considered a mere resource. The distortion, as Gorka Erostarbe explained, breaks many taboos, for example, questions the “human voice” imposed by the normative model of masculinity. It's a little revolution. And the jury hasn't seen it. Gonzalez was the worst rated.

Incomprehensible.

Detestable.

In the next session he will face Jokin, from the “Ollokien” team. Andoni Ollokiegi himself has been in charge of choosing the rival for the duel. A decision of a wise man, no doubt: Given the characteristics we have seen Jokin, a balanced competition can be envisaged. Less bad than the artist that last year was going to win with Bago! makes decisions in favour of the programme, unlike some members of the jury.