Ann Sophie experienced quite an unusual road to the Eurovision Song Contest when she finished second in the German preselection, but the winner decided he didn’t want to go anymore. The soulful pop singer was chosen instead with her song ‘Black Smoke’ and will fly the German flag in Vienna. This week, she launched her debut album Silver Into Gold. Enough reason to have a chat with the stylish and charming Ann Sophie.
Mørland and Debrah Scarlett represent Norway this year in Eurovision with the song ‘A Monster Like Me’. I talked to them about the meaning behind it and how they came together to do Eurovision. Continue reading
Azerbaijan is represented by Elnur Hüseynov in the 60th Eurovision Song Contest this year. It is not the first time the singer represents his country. In 2008, he was the first ever contestant for Azerbaijan together with Samir, when they performed the song ‘Day After Day’ as angel and devil. In the meantime he won the voice of Turkey and now he is back in Eurovision with the ballad ‘Hour of the Wolf’. Like almost every year, Azerbaijan is one of the hot favourites for the win in Vienna. I spoke to Elnur about participating in Eurovision for the second time and his admiration for the Australian participant Guy Sebastian.
Image Source: Orsola Mema
In the coming days and weeks, I will present to you some interviews I did with the participants of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. First up is Elhaida Dani from Albania. The singer who is famous for winning the Voice of Italy, but is originally from Albania, won the national final in her country with a song in her mother tongue, but later was decided she would go to Vienna with the powerful midtempo song ‘I’m Alive’. Elhaida tells me all about the song change, what ‘I’m Alive’ is about and why she wants to empower strong women.
The guys of the Swedish indiepop band Urban Cone are supporting their colleague and friend Tove Lo on her European tour at the moment and I had the chance to interview them during their short visit in Amsterdam. Their second album Polaroid Memories is ready for release (29 April in Sweden and Germany, other territories early May) and it is needless to say Rasmus (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Emil (vocals, bass), Jacob (keyboard), Magnus (drums) and Tim (guitar) are proud and excited. I chatted with them about the tough times they had creating this album, dolphin sounds, the Swedish pop scene and working with Tove Lo.
Jody Brock is a promising young soul sensation from London. The singer-songwriter who attended Brit School just released his first EP called Phoenix and I had the privilige to have a chat with him about his difficult time at school, the writing process, the artists that inspired him to become an artist and what it would be like to dance… with Maggie Smith!
Conchita Wurst is probably the most talked about contestant of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The ‘bearded lady’ is going to represent Austria with the classy ballad in James Bond style, ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’. In the midst of all the controversy about her looks and persona, Conchita is happy to be able to perform the song she loves so much for such a big audience. She also tries to raise some awareness of discrimination of people who are seen as ‘different’ while she’s at it. “If I want to be a woman with a beard, I am allowed to do that!”
The Netherlands are represented by a unique combination of two well-known national artists in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Ilse DeLange and Waylon teamed up in a country band called The Common Linnets and will perform in the first semifinal in Copenhagen. While the two musicians had to endure quite some mixed reactions on their fragile song ‘Calm After The Storm’, they at the same time managed to reach the first spot in the Dutch charts. They believe in themselves, their song and their way of handling this contest for the full 100%. “The most important for us is to be able to leave Copenhagen with the feeling our performance looked and sounded the best it could be.”
Continue reading
If one thing has become clear over the past few years, it is that Valentina Monetta is a fighter. The Sammarinese singer will represent her country for the third time in a row in the Eurovision Song Contest, trying to make it to the final. Last year, she just missed out finishing 11th with her song ‘Crisalide (Vola)’, but this year she will try again with ‘Maybe’, also composed by Ralph Siegel. I chatted to Valentina about the chances of San Marino making it to the final this time around and the possibility of her entering again over the next few years.
Last year, Denmark won the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Only Teardrops’ by Emmelie De Forest. This year, they once again belong to the favourite entries of the bookmakers. Singer Basim will represent them by performing his song ‘Cliche Love Song’ in front of his own audience in Copenhagen. I talked to him about the chances of Denmark winning again, the strengths of his song and the comparisons to Bruno Mars.