Lyrics
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Lawmakers in New York have introduced a new bill that will prohibit the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials as evidence by prosecutors – an issue recently highlighted across the nation.
In January of this year, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz brought forth S1738, known as the “Rap Music on Trial” bill. The goal of the bill is to prevent prosecutors in criminal trials from using lyrics from songs by the defendant in those trials as proof of guilt for the crimes they’re charged with. “Protecting artistic freedom and expression is paramount for our country, but in particular New York City, where we are the cultural capital of the world,” Hoylman-Sigal said to the press. “Rap music has been targeted by prosecutors, mainly because it would seem that there’s racial bias.”
The bill wouldn’t be isolated to only rap music, but the music genre has been the most targeted by prosecutors in cases across the country as social media has made sharing rap videos easier with a farther reach. An essay in the New York Times last year detailed the timeline for the increase of rap lyrics being used since 2005. The RICO case brought against Young Thug in Georgia is currently the most prominent example as lyrics from nine of his songs were cited in the indictment.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act into law last September. Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York and Hank Johnson of Georgia re-introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection, or RAP Act to the House of Representatives in April. That bill has not gone beyond a referral to the House Judiciary Committee.
An earlier version of New York’s state bill was introduced in 2021 with heavy support from artists including Jay-Z, Big Sean, and Meek Mill among others. But it didn’t advance to being passed in the Assembly. The hope is that the current bill will pass this current session, which ends on Thursday (June 8th). The state Senate did approve S1738 on May 15th, which Hoylman-Sigal said gives a “boost of confidence and momentum” that it will make it to Governor Kathy Hochul to be signed into law.
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Marshmello has achieved his first-ever No. 1 entry on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart (dated June 9) with his Manuel Turizo-assisted “El Merengue,” becoming the first non-Latin genre artist to top the chart in 2023.
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The infectious EDM-merengue fusion, which dropped on March 2, finds Turizo singing about not getting over an ex and drinking his sorrows away.
Additionally, “El Merengue”—named after the traditional Dominican music genre—reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart (dated April 8). The song sent Turizo’s own “La Bachata” to No. 2 after 14 weeks in charge.
Below, check out the complete lyrics translated into English:
I’m tired of thinking about youWith my heart brokenThere’s sun but it’s cold since you leftI’m only drinkingLooking at your photosWanting to delete them but I can’t
I should’ve said I’m sorryTo not hold anything backThe kisses I didn’t give youI should’ve stolen them from youMissing you has meWith my eyes redIt’s not the same as being aloneThan being alone and in love
I said I forgot about youBut I didn’t forget youAy, ay, ayI also said I got over youBut I haven’t gotten over youDrunk I said I forgot about youBut I didn’t forget youAy, ay, ayI also said I got over youBut I haven’t gotten over you
Entering the club, I saw her, I saw her, I saw herShe was dancing aloneDancing aloneI got close, I got close, I got closeAnd the hours flew byA couple of hours
Tell me, without shame tell meAsk me whatever you want Except to forget about youWhen one is drinkingThey don’t measure words Today I apologizeIf one day drunk
I said I forgot about youBut I didn’t forget yoAy, ay, ayI also said I got over youBut I haven’t gotten over youDrunk I said I forgot about youBut I didn’t forget youAy, ay, ayI also said I got over youBut I haven’t gotten over you
Entering the club, I saw her, I saw her, I saw herShe was dancing aloneDancing aloneI got close, I got close, I got closeAnd the hours flew byA couple of hours
For his 55th “Bzrp Music Session,” out May 31, Bizarrap reeled in viral newcomer Peso Pluma. Unlike the previous Biza sessions, which are usually diss tracks backed by hip-hop and EDM fusions, the new collaboration finds both the Argentine producer and Mexican artist in a heartbreak corrido about trying to get over an ex. “I’m […]
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The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, largely known as the RAP Act, was previously introduced by Congressmen Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Jamaal Bowman (NY-16). If signed into law, the RAP Act would offer artists some protections regarding their lyrics being used to try a criminal case in court.
On April 28, Congressmen Johnson and Bowman issued a press release announcing their attention to bring the RAP Act bill back to the House floor for debate. The bill was introduced in the 117th Congress and is the first of its kind to reach the federal level.
From the press release:
“This legislation is long overdue,” said Congressman Johnson. “For too long, artists – particularly young Black artists – have been unfairly targeted by prosecutors who use their lyrics as evidence of guilt, even though there is no evidence that the lyrics are anything more than creative expression. When you allow music and creativity to be silenced, you’re opening the door for other realms of free speech to be curtailed as well. The government should not be able to silence artists simply because they write, draw, sing, or rap about controversial or taboo subjects. The Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) would protect artists’ First Amendment rights by limiting the admissibility of their lyrics as evidence in criminal and civil proceedings.”
“Rap, hip-hop and every lyrical musical piece is a beautiful form of art and expression that must be protected,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16). “I am proud to introduce the RAP Act alongside Rep. Hank Johnson. Our judicial system disparately criminalizes Black and brown people, including Black and brown creativity. For example, Tommy Munsdwell Canady is a young 17-year-old kid serving a life sentence whose conviction heavily relied upon lyrics he wrote. I was deeply moved to hear that Mr. Canady continues to pursue his art in the face of our carceral systems that would otherwise stifle Black art. He is not an outlier. Evidence shows when juries believe lyrics to be rap lyrics, there’s a tendency to presume it’s a confession, whereas lyrics for other genres of music are understood to be art, not factual reporting. This act would ensure that our evidentiary standards protect the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. We cannot imprison our talented artists for expressing their experiences nor will we let their creativity be suppressed.”
The press release added that over 500 criminal cases have used rap lyrics in court against defendants.
A bevy of music industry figures, such as Kevin Liles and groups like the Black Music Action Coalition have placed their support behind the RAP Act bill.
The press release can be viewed here, along with the bill.
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When two ‘perfect worlds’ join forces, a new heartbreak anthem gets delivered. On Monday (April 17), Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny officially dropped “un x100to” (one percent) after Benito showed off his cumbia-dancing skills on his TikTok account before a surprise announcement posted on Sunday (April 16) afternoon.
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Produced and composed by Latin hitmaker Edgar Barrer, the romantic cumbia-norteño — backed by the captivating percussion and an accordion melody, and Grupo Frontera’s signature tunes — narrates the story of a person who misses their ex and makes a phone call with one percent of battery left on their phone.
Below, read the full lyrics translated into English.
I have 1% leftAnd I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting timeBaby, why am I lying to you?That they saw me happy is not true
nothing makes me laugh anymoreOnly when I see the photos and videos I have of youI went out with another to forget you, and she had the perfume that you likeI light it up to go to sleepBecause I sleep better if I dream that you are hereIf you knew that I wrote to youI have not sent the messages, they are all still thereWow, how much it has cost meMaybe I did you a favor when I left your sideDrunk looking at your photos. It hurts to see that you have improvedYou don’t have gray days, and the scars no longer hurtAnd I am thinking whether to tell you that
I have 1% leftAnd I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting timeBaby, why am I lying to you?That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)
I haven’t thought about you in a long timeDrunk, your Insta I checkedBaby, I already know that you are doing wellThat you don’t have to know about me, hey, heyLiving in a hell that I set on fire myselfPlaying with you as if it were the tenI feel that I am no longer in your heart, now I am at your feet’Begging you, drowning in tequilaThe boys’ are asking me outI have a good time, but I always end up missing youDrowning in tequila, hey‘Las morritas’ texting me, heyWhere is the peda today, but
I have 1% leftAnd I’ll use it to tell you how sorry I am.That if they see me with another at a club, I’m just wasting timeBaby, why am I lying to you?That they saw me happy is not true, (hey)
And this is Grupo FronteraAnd the ‘compa’ Bad Bunny
The music industry is mourning the sudden death of actor and singer Julián Figueroa, son of the late Mexican star Joan Sebastian and Costa Rican actress Maribel Guardia. Figueroa died Sunday in Mexico City at the age of 28 — just one day after what would have been Sebastian’s 72nd birthday.
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In an Instagram post, Guardia said Figueroa was found unconscious in his room while she was at the theater. “They called 911 and when the ambulance and police arrived, they found him already lifeless, with no traces of violence. The medical report indicates that he died of acute myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation,” she said.
Figueroa, who was known for songs such as “Pídeme,” “Volaré” “and Cómo Olvidar,” had a close relationship with his father, which could be reflected in one of his last Instagram posts.
“How slowly 8 years have gone by since the day you left time tastes more bitter. And people proclaim that time is a fix for everything, but this is a vile lie, it hurts more every day, and this is without fear of hurting sensibilities,” the artist wrote, next to a photo of himself as a child with his father.
Sebastian, who died in 2016 after a long battle with bone cancer, had eight children with five different women. His love for his children often shined in his music like in “Julián,” the song he wrote for Figueroa 23 years ago.
The lullaby-like, waltz-inspired track — part of his Secreto de Amor album that spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart in 2000 — finds Sebastian dedicating sweet words of love, appreciation and promises to his then-5-year-old son.
Below, listen to the sweet track, followed by the lyrics translated into English:
When you were a child JulianYou asked me to write a song that saidWhat I feel for you
That’s not easy, JulianAlthough I wrote a thousand songsThe most beautiful thing about love, JulianIs carried in the hearts
And this waltz is for you, for you, JulianDance it, enjoy it from beginning to endAt your graduation and your wedding dayAnd this waltz is for you, for you, JulianI will be celebrating tooFrom a corner, I will be watching you dance
When you were a child JulianGod was very good to meHe gave me the honor of being, JulianOf being your father and your friend
And this waltz is for you, for you, JulianDance it, enjoy it from beginning to endAt your graduation and your wedding dayAnd this waltz is for you, for you, JulianI will be celebrating tooI promise I will be watching you dance
Lana Del Rey is back in all her glory on her latest album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, a 16-track victory lap around a remarkable career apex that’s lasted for years and doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon.
It’s been said before, but the March 24-released record is peak Lana: sprawling melodies, caustic lyrics perfumed with wilted roses and cigarette smoke, and most importantly, little regard for pop music’s rules. It’s her ninth studio album and third solo LP in two years — a feat she chose to create with seasoned collaborators Jack Antonoff, Mike Hermosa and Drew Erickson — unshakeable proof that while a generation of aspiring anti-pop stars may try to mimic her complexity, Del Rey will always be inimitable.
“Eleven years ago I wanted it to be so good,” this year’s Women in Music Visionary Award honoree told Billboard earlier this year. “Now, I just sing exactly what I’m thinking. I’m thinking a little less big and bombastic. Maybe at some point I can have fun creating a world again, but right now, I would say there’s no world building. This music is about thought processing. It’s very, very wordy. I’m definitely living from the neck up.”
She really wasn’t kidding when she said she’s leaning wordier than ever, by the way. The tracks on Ocean Blvd often stretch longer than five minutes, no trace of a filler lyric in sight, packed with vulnerable lamentations on family, legacy and duty, in addition to her usual noir musings on love and sex.
Keep reading to see Billboard‘s 10 favorite lyrics from Lana Del Rey’s new record below, in no particular order.
“The Grants”
Lyric: “My pastor told me when you leave, all you take is your memory/ And I’m gonna take minе of you with me”
Why It’s So Great: Not only is this lyric just a simple, beautiful way of saying “I love you,” it’s also a sweet evolution of one of the lines in Lana’s 2013 Great Gatsby hit “Young and Beautiful”: “Dear Lord, when I get to heaven/ Please let me take my man.”
“The Grants,” however, isn’t just about romantic love — it’s about family, friends and lineage, something that makes the sentiment even more layered and meaningful. This Lana also sounds more self-assured than the 2013 version who begs and barters with God, this time staring her maker in the face without so much as a blink of fear.
“Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”
Lyric: “I can’t help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul/ Handmade beauty sealed up by two manmade walls”
Why It’s So Great: Lana’s ninth record may have earned some chuckles when its atypically lengthy name was first announced, but the title track really does pull together the entire album with one simple metaphor, explained by this lyric. It’s her, she’s the bridge under Ocean Blvd — tarnished by trauma, insecure spots in the overall structure, but standing strong nonetheless.
“Sweet”
Lyric: “If you wanna go where nobody goes/ That’s where you’ll find me/ In the sweet north country”
Why It’s So Great: It’s an effortless reference to Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country,” but it’s also a romantic, picturesque way for the singer-songwriter to take pride in who she really is: a beautifully misunderstood loner who won’t compromise herself for the basic trappings of a humdrum life. You either meet her where she’s at, or lose her for good.
“A&W”
Image Credit: Lia Clay Miller
Lyric: “Your mom called, I told her, you’re f–kin’ up big time”
Why It’s So Great: “A&W,” which stands, yes, for “American whore,” is one of Lana’s greatest feats of innovation, marked by two distinct halves. The grim, lyrical first section deteriorates into a devilish, hedonistic free-for-all, guided by this simple, repeating, wonderfully bratty lyric.
“Fingertips”
Lyric: “Find your astral body, put it into my arms/ Give you two seconds to cry/ Take you home, I’ll give you a blanket/ Your spirit can sit and watch TV by my side”
Why It’s So Great: This six-minute stream of consciousness touches on grief, family, heartbreak and trauma. There’s plenty of great lines, but the most beautiful one has to be this one. Lana brilliantly illustrates the pain of longing to simply sit next to a loved one who’s passed away by juxtaposing the spiritual with the ordinary.
“Grandfather Please Stand on the Shoulders of My Father While He’s Deep‐Sea Fishing”
Lyric: “I know they think that it took thousands of people/ To put me together again like an experiment/ Some big men behind the scenes/ Sewing Frankenstein black dreams into my songs/ But they’re wrong”
Why It’s So Great: She’s has spoken at length before about the criticisms she’s received since the very beginning of her career, many of which questioned her artistic authenticity and message. With this lyric, she asserts her power and influence with all the confidence she deserves.
“Fishtail”
Lyric: “I see in technicolor/ Maybe I’ll take my glasses off so I stop painting red flags green”
Why It’s So Great: The artist often plays with color in her songs — “You’re just a man … head in your hands as you color me blue” on Norman F–king Rockwell, for instance — this song being no exception. On “Fishtail,” she cleverly and calmly confronts her own tendency to romanticize people who don’t deserve it.
“Kintsugi”
Image Credit: Lia Clay Miller
Lyric: “I can’t say I run when things get hard/ It’s just that I don’t trust myself with my heart/ But I’ve had to let it break a little more/ ‘Cause they say that’s what it’s for”
Why It’s So Great: This line — and most of the song, for that matter — serves as a beautiful, timeless little metaphor. Like cracked pottery, the breaks in her heart are what “let the light in” despite of the pain they initially caused. (Kintsugi is the Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics in a way that celebrates the flaws.)
“Sweet”
Lyric: “Do you want children? Do you wanna marry me?/ Do you wanna run marathons in Long Beach by the sea?/ I’ve got things to do, like nothing at all/ I wanna do them with you/ Do you wanna do them with me?”
Why It’s So Great: This sentimental lyric echoes the heart-shatteringly simple line from Everything Everywhere All At Once: “In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”
“A&W”
Lyric: “Did you know a singer can still be/ Looking like a sidepiece at 33?/ God’s a charlatan, don’t look back, babe”
Why It’s So Great: The greatest, most Lana-esque way ever of saying “I’m super hot.” Cheers.
Coi Leray notched her fourth entry on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Players,” her TikTok-viral hit that’s currently sitting at No. 12 as of March 25, 2023.
When asked when she knew she made it, Leray told Billboard at Rolling Loud California, “When I found out I was on the top 10 U.K. charts, and then the top 20 pop charts and then the top 20 Billboard [Hot 100]. That was a big stepping stone for me because my dream was to cross over. Of course, I love Billboard. I look up to you guys. You guys are watching me grow, so I can’t wait to show you how much more I have for you.”
If you need a guide to follow along with Coi Leray’s “Players,” find the lyrics below:Yeah‘Cause girls is players too, uhYeah, yeah‘Cause girls is players too (keep it player, baby)‘Cause girls is players tooBi–hes gettin’ money all around the world‘Cause girls is players too
What you know ’bout livin’ on the topPenthouse suites, lookin’ down on the opps?Took him for a test drive, left him on the lotTime is money so I spent it on a watch, hol’ onLil’ ti–ies showin’ through the white teeYou can see the thong bussin’ out my tight jeans (okay)Rocks on my fingers like a n—a wifed meGot another shorty? She ain’t nothin’ like me (yeah)
‘Bout to catch another flight (yeah)The apple bottom make ’em wanna bite (yeah)I just wanna have a good nightI just wanna have a good night (hold up)If you don’t know now you knowIf he broke then you gotta let him goYou could have anybody, eeny, miny, moe‘Cause when you a boss, you could do what you want
Yeah‘Cause girls is players too, uhYeah, yeah‘Cause girls is players too (keep it player, baby)‘Cause girls is players tooBi–hes gettin’ money all around the world‘Cause girls is players too
I go, on and on and on againHe blowin’ up my phone but I’m ignorin’ himHe thinkin’ he the one, I got like four of himYeah, I’m sittin’ first class like Valedictorian, uhCame a long way from rag to richesFive-star bi–h, yeah, I taste so deliciousLet him lick the plate, yeah, I make him do the dishesNow he on news talk ’cause a bi–h went missin’, sheesh
‘Bout to catch another flight (yeah)The apple bottom make ’em wanna bite (yeah)I just wanna have a good nightI just wanna have a good night (hold up)If you don’t know now you knowIf he broke then you gotta let him goYou could have anybody, eeny, miny, moe‘Cause when you a boss, you could do what you want
Yeah‘Cause girls is players too, uh(And it’s time that we let ’em know that)‘Cause girls is players too (keep it player, baby)‘Cause girls is players tooBi–hes gettin’ money all around the world‘Cause girls is players too
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Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Akil C. King, Clifton Nathaniel Chase, Coi Leray Collins, Edward G. Fletcher, Felicia Ferraro, Melvin Glover, Sylvia Robinson, Yonatan Goldstein
The song reigns was originally released on The Weeknd’s album Starboy in 2016, before it was revived thanks in part to TikTok, which helped spark new promotion to radio and streaming services.
The collaboration marks each artist’s seventh Hot 100 No. 1 – and their second together, after “Save Your Tears” led in 2021 for two weeks.
If you need a guide to follow along with The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die For You (Remix),” find the lyrics below.I’m findin’ ways to articulate the feelin’ I’m goin’ throughI just can’t say I don’t love you, yeah‘Cause I love you, yeahIt’s hard for me to communicate the thoughts that I holdBut tonight, I’m gon’ let you knowLet me tell the truthBaby, let me tell the truth, yeah
You know what I’m thinkin’, see it in your eyesYou hate that you want me, hate it when you cryYou’re scared to be lonely, ‘specially in the nightI’m scared that I’ll miss you, happens every timeI don’t want this feelin’, I can’t afford loveI try to find reason to pull us apartIt ain’t workin’, ’cause you’re perfectAnd I know that you’re worth itI can’t walk away, oh
Even though we’re goin’ through it(Ah) and it makes you feel aloneJust know that I would die for you (Ooh) baby, I would die for you, yeahThe distance and the time between us (the distance and the time) It’ll never change my mind‘Cause baby, I would die for you (I would die for you)Baby, I would die for you, yeah
I’m findin’ ways to stay concentrated on what I gotta doBut baby boy, it’s so hard ’round youAnd yes, I’m blamin’ youAnd you know I can’t fake it, now or neverAnd you insinuating that you think we might be betterBetter me and youYeah, I know you do
You know what I’m thinkin’, see it in your eyesYou hate that you want me, hate it when you cryIt ain’t workin’, ’cause you’re perfectAnd I know you deserve itI can’t walk away
Even though we’re goin’ through it (even though) And it makes you feel aloneJust know that I would die for you (I would die for you)Baby, I would die for you, yeahThe distance and the time between usIt’ll never change my mind‘Cause baby, I would die for you, uh (I would die for you)Yeah, baby, I would die for you (I would die for you), yeah
I would die for you, I would lie for youKeep it real with you, I would kill for you, my babyI’m just sayin’, yeahI would die for you, I would lie for youKeep it real with you, I would kill for you, my babyNa-na, na-na-na, na-na
Even though we’re goin’ through it And it makes you feel aloneJust know that I would die for you (yeah)Baby, I would die for you, yeahThe distance and the time between usIt’ll never change my mind‘Cause baby, I would die for youBaby, I would die for you(Oh) yeah, babe
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Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Abel Tesfaye, Ariana Grande, William Thomas Walsh, Dylan Wiggins, Henry Russell Walter, Magnus August Hoiberg, Martin Daniel McKinney, Mejdi Rhars
The song is from his new 36-track album, One Thing at a Time. Released March 3, the set launches as Wallen’s second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the largest streaming week ever for a country album, as well as the biggest week by equivalent album units for any album, among all genres, in 2023.
If you need a guide to follow along with Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” find the lyrics below.
Last night we let the liquor talkI can’t remember everything we said but we said it allYou told me that you wish I was somebody you never metBut baby, baby, somethin’s tellin’ me this ain’t over yetNo way it was our last night
I kiss your lipsMake you grip the sheets with your fingertipsLast bottle of Jack, we split a fifthJust talkin’ ’bout life goin’ sip for sipYeah, you, you know you love to fightAnd I say shit I don’t meanBut I’m still gon’ wake up wantin’ you and me
I know that last night we let the liquor talkI can’t remember everything we said but we said it allYou told me that you wish I was somebody you never metBut baby, baby somethin’s tellin’ me this ain’t over yetNo way it was our last night (last night)No way it was our last night (last night)
No way it was the last night that we break upI see your tail lights in the dustYou call your mama, I call your bluffIn the middle of the night, pull it right back upYeah, my, my friends say let her goYour friends say what the hellI wouldn’t trade your kind of love for nothin’ else
Oh baby, last night we let the liquor talkI can’t remember everything we said but we said it allYou told me that you wish I was somebody you never metBut baby, baby, somethin’s tellin’ me this ain’t over yet
No way it was our last night, we said we’d had enoughI can’t remember everything we said but we said too muchI know you packed your shit and slammed the door right before you leftBut baby, baby, somethin’s tellin’ me this ain’t over yetNo way it was our last night (last night)No way it was our last night (last night)
I know you said this time you really weren’t coming back againBut baby, baby, somethin’s tellin’ me this ain’t over yetNo way it was our last night (last night)No way it was our last night (last night)
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Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak