Sebalter: "I am happy to be part of the ESC this year"

Photo: SRF/Merly Knörle

The Eurovision weeks are getting closer and its time to post new interview! Wohoo! He is a hunter of stars and he is going to whistle and roar like a lion in the 2nd semifinal! Here are the answers of SEBALTER!:

Name: Sebastiano Paù-Lessi
Age: 28
Birthday: 01.07.1985
Height: 179 cm
Favorite color: Green
3 things that makes you happy: Music, nature, friendly and empathetic people
What’s your strangest talent? I am good at whistling :-)
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? A shocking blue moquette from the 60s
What are you really good at? Finding excuses ;-)
What are you really bad at? Taking pictures
Childhood idol: As a child, I had many sportsmen as idols. For example the cyclist Jan Ullrich, the footballer Roberto Baggio and several hockey players.
Childhood memory: Me playing cards with my granddad.
Tell me something no one knows about you: Well, no. Then everyone would know it ;-)
What would you do if you were invisible? I better don’t say :-) 
Favorite movie: The house of the flying daggers
Favorite TV series: The shield
What's your favorite part of your body? I don`t know. My lips, maybe? 
What is your guilty pleasure? I love vanilla ice cream with melted chocolate on top (which is by the way called “Coupe Denmark”)
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: “Jolie Coquine” by Caravan Palace.
When did you start singing and writing? I started playing the violin by the age of six. In my teens I wanted to expand my horizons. So I picked up a guitar and tried my hand at writing songs.
Can you teach me some interesting words in italian? "Sentire" means "to feel", "suonare" means "to play" and what probably everyone knows: "buongiorno" or "ciao!" means "hello!"

Ciao! Congratulations on winning the Swiss national final! how are you?
I am fine, thank you!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I am a curious and creative person who likes and needs to put in words and music the emotions he feels in a very expressive way.

Photo: SRF/Merly Knörle

Now lets talk about the national selection, how did it all begin?
Last summer I made a trip in the USA and that is when "Hunter Of Stars" took shape. Back in Switzerland, I recorded it and in that very time subscriptions for the ESC were open. I felt ready and also felt that ESC could be a good place where to play my folk song and being fond of challenges, I decided to participate.

The title of your song is "Hunter of stars" (I have to tell you that my mom loves it) whats the story behind the song? what made you write it?
Oh, thank you :-)! Well, last summer I did a road trip in the USA and one night I was travelling from Kansas City to Denver. I kept staring at the stars and the humongous landscape around – and I felt like I not only wanted to stare at the them but also to touch them. I got inspired and started writing the lyrics, which were linked to some events that occurred during the trip. The melody also popped up quite spontaneously and I recorded it on my phone by whistling, since I did not have my violin with me. I liked the whistling part so much that I decided to keep it instead of switching to the violin. 

Photo: SRF/Merly Knörle

Now lets talk about the Eurovision performance, what can we expect to see on stage?
In the last weeks we continued working on our performance. For example, we added some choreographic elements to the show. There will be some extra visual hooks, too. However, I do not want to exaggerate. I usually prefer to focus on the song and on my performance on stage.

Tell me about the official video of "Hunter of stars", how fun was to shoot it?
It was a lot of fun! The inspiration was given by the need of showing the breaking out of a certain imposed daily and arid routine, enhancing the fact that music can help you doing that. Shooting the video in a hotel was ideal, as it permitted to find different situations in which this routine could be pictured.

Have you heard any of the Eurovision 2014 songs? Any favorite?
I did listen to many entries. There are definitely some very talented artists at the ESC 2014. For instance I love the songs by Malta and Norway. „Silent Storm“, the Norwegian entry by Carl Espen, is really sad and emotional. I am fond of that kind of music. In contrast, the Maltese entry „Coming Home“ is a very energetic song that makes you feel good. But there are other songs I really like, too.

What do you like about Eurovision?
I personally appreciate the glamour and the good vibe the Eurovision Song Contest transmits and above all it is a show where a songwriter like me has the possibility to show his work. It is a very important stage.

Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word:
Fear: Pain
Stage: Joy
Fangirling: Success
Whistle: Hunter of Stars
Bed: Winter
Switzerland: Home
Socks: Stripes
Dreams: Power

What are your plans for 2014?
I am currently working on my first solo album. Moreover, I am planning to do an official tour in summer.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Thank you very much for supporting me. I am happy to be part of the ESC this year.

Thanks to Sebalter for the interview! I love him and i've been a fan of his song since day 1 so GO SWITZERLAND! GO SEBALTER!

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RSI page: http://www.rsi.ch/eurovision/