Photo: NRK
Time for a new MGP interview. Here are the answers of MARIE KLÅPBAKKEN:Name: Marie Klåpbakken
Birthday: 01.07.1985
Height: 174
Favorite color: red/black/gold
Favourite food: Tapas and italian pizza
Where are you right now? in my apartment in Oslo
3 things that makes you happy: animals, music and the people close to me.
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? My cats toilet
What are you really good at? To be focused and work hard.
What are you really bad at? Talk about myself.
Childhood idol: Allison Krauss
Childhood memory: Summerholiday at the west coast of Norway. Swimming in ocean and eating a lot of plums.
Favorite movie: The notebook
Favorite TV series: Nashville and Walking dead
What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Coldplay with viva la vida
When did you start singing? I`ve always loved to sing, but I started to practice at the age of 19.
I`m a little bit stressed but I`m looking forward to the next week. I think it is going to be very fun!
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I am a genuine artist who try to keep my personality and folk music roots in my songs.
Tell me a bit about your career:
Most people know me as the girl who plays violin and singing backing vocals with other artists. But in 2012 I released my debut album “framtida” which means “The future”. I got 8 amazing reviews were they rolled ive on the dice. The norwegian radiochannel NRK P1 listed three of my singles (to unge vakre, sommardrøm, uro). I have also been on many tours, recordings, television projects.I started as a classical violinist and changed to folk music at the age of 18. I took a master's degree in folk music from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo directly after highschool. It has taken me a few years to find my own sound, but now I feel like I`m home both with vocals and violin.
I played with Helene Bøksle on MGP in 2011 and thought it was a wonderful experience. I never dreamed or thought that I could be relevant for melody grand prix before my record company MER came with the proposal after they had a meeting with the MGP committee. I really wanted to participate, but was also a little scared. I only write songs in norwegian. It is natural for me to sing in my native language. When I sing in my own language it represents the former spirit of Grand Prix when artists had to sing in their native language, it might suit extra good since it's 60th anniversary.
“Ta meg tilbake/take me back” is a song about the journey in life, and a desire to go back to when the days were innocent. I met my colleague Olav Tronsmoen and we started to write a song thinking on MGP, and the words “ta meg tilbake/take me back” came across and suddenly we had a story and a sketch to send to my producer Alf Magne Hillestad. He started making the landscape around the song. After a few sessions in studio I still needed a little more help and called my good friend and co-writer Linn Hege Sagen. We finished the song together, and the final product is the song I`m going to perform 14.mars.
Describe the song with 4 words:
honest, genuine, cool and powerful.
What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
It`s going to be an euphoric and magical atmosphere. I have chosen a quiet and beautiful expression that shows the fragility but also the strenght of the song.
Do you already know what you are going to wear for the final? any hint?
I can say that I`m going to wear a beautiful dress.
I`m so honored to be singing my song with a big orchestra. It`s a dream come true!
Have you heard any of the other songs in the competition? any favorite?
I like everyone`s song, but my favorite is Erlend Bratland with thunderstruck. It is a great song from a great artist!:-)
I like the variations of the artist and I like the idea that Eurovision is a stage for all musical genre. The songs and stage performance are in focus.
Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Freedom: Everybody's dream
Nightmare: Zombies from walking dead
Stage: Me and my band
Violin: Beautiful instrument
Squirrel: Really cute.
Norway: A lot of mountains and beautiful seas.
Folk: My tradition
Dreams: Win MGP with my song "ta meg tilbake".
I hope I can play a lot of concerts!
Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
I want to thank your readers who wanted to get to know me a little better. And hope that they will continue to follow me into the MGP adventure. Perhaps we`ll meet in Vienna!
Thanks to Marie for the interview. Good luck!
