Kenny Duerlund: I'm trying to stay true to myself as a performer, and I kinda like to just let the music speak for itself

Photo: Agnete Schlichtkrull © dr

When I heard the 9 songs that took part of the DMGP radio semifinals, "Forget it all" was one of the songs I liked the most and I gotta say that after listening to the finalists, it still is one of my favorites, here are Kenny's answers:
Name: Kenny Duerlund
Birthday: December 12, 1991
Height: 186 cm / 6 ft, 1"
Favorite color: Black
Favorite food: Pizza
What’s your strangest talent? Haha, ugh. This is tough. Is it strange that I can do a standing backlflip? Or wiggle my ears, maybe?
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Haha, well. I have two lightsabers that I built from scratch. Pretty strange, I guess.
What are you really good at? Singing would be the obvious answer, but I'm also pretty good with kids. I have a bachelors degree in kindergarten teaching. 
What are you really bad at? Losing at boardgames. Or playstation games. Can't deal with it, just pisses me off, haha.
Childhood idol: Fictional, Anakin Skywalker. Non-fictional, Michael Jackson.
Childhood memory: I remember my friends at the boy scouts, paying me in candy to stop singing. Ironic?
Celebrity crush: Oh gee, there's a lot. Emma Watson, Margot Robbie, and Emilia Clarke, must be my top three
Tell me something no one knows about you: Haha, uhm, I have no idea.
Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Probably someone like Heath Ledger, may he rest in peace.
What would the title of that movie be? Something melancholic I think, haha.
Favorite movie: Interstellar
Favorite TV series: Friends
Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Denmark: Liquorice, of course 😉
What is your guilty pleasure? Shakira's debut album, "Laundry Service", 2001. That's good shit.
If you were a girl for a day, what would you do? Look at my boobs, probably. I wanna say something clever, but come on. All boys would.
Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Danish artist? "Whispering At The Top Of My Lungs", by Tim Christensen.
Can you teach me some interesting words in Danish? I like the word "Gavtyv". It's kinda slang for someone who's a bit of a bandit, but in a good way. We use it a lot with kids for example

Photo: Agnete Schlichtkrull © dr

Hello Kenny! Welcome to the Eurovision universe!
Thanks man!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Uhm, well. I see myself as kind of a weird one, cause I'm not a 100% anything. I sing, I act, I play, I write. So I guess I see myself as kind of a low key all rounder type of guy. I just do whatever comes to mind, I like to challenge myself, and try stuff out.

You are one of the participants of DMGP 2020, how did it all begin?
Well, I've done a lot of musicals in DK, and have a pretty solid musical network, and so DR just called me up and asked if I wanted to sing this song for the semi finals, and then it just rolled from there.

"Forget it all" is the title of your song, and it's written by you, Henrik Tala, Mila Falls and Patrick Jean, how was it to work with them?
Those guys are amazing, I mean, they're just so nice and easy to work with. Very open, and creative. Such pleasure!

What’s the story behind the song?

The song is not written with anyone special in mind, it's written about that universal feeling of losing yourself in negative emotions, due to past experiences, and then meeting someone who kind of "resets" you, in a way. Something we all know, I'm sure.

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
The stage performance will be mostly about the music and the singing, I'm trying to stay true to myself as a performer, and I kinda like to just let the music speak for itself.

What do you like about Eurovision?
I love the scale, and the way it brings people together across the globe. It's just admirable.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
If I have to say something, it'll have to be that it has become a "genre" for itself. I mean, you hear a lot about people talking about "Eurovision quality", or thats songs are or are not "Eurovision-sounding". Like some songs, even good ones, are not fit for the contest, because they don't have "that sound". 

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Natural: Women
Dust: Stars
Mysterious: Life
Bounce: Logic Pro X. (Recording program for Mac, bouncing is when you export the song you recorded)
Applause: Performance

What are your plans for 2020?
None special yet, but hopefully lots of music, moviemaking and other great creative stuff!

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
I really value your interest, thanks so much for doing this! 

Photo: Agnete Schlichtkrull © dr

Thanks to Kenny for the interview!

Instagram: kennyduerlund

KaYra: This song is not that funny, despite the optimistic melody, it is a tragedy wrapped in a colorful paper

Photo: Jurga Urbonaité

"Alligator" grabbed my attention right away when I heard it for the first time but when I saw it on stage I went nuts for it to the point where I got a little emotional during the semifinal performance, and I'm very excited to see what the final performance will look like, meanwhile let's get to know more about KaYra, here are her answers:
Name: KaYra
Birthday: September 18
Height: 169 cm
Favorite color: Yellow
Favorite food: Everything my Grandma cooks
What’s your strangest talent? I can make myself cry immediately
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Probably myself 
What are you really good at? Cooking and shopping
What are you really bad at? Cleaning and any sports
Childhood idol: Whitney Houston, my mom
Childhood memory: I burned my fathers car down (it was an accident)
Celebrity crush: Jason Momoa
Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Kristen Wiig
What would the title of that movie be? Imperfect
Favorite movie: ”Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Favorite TV series: “Friends”
Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Lithuania: Šimtalapis
What is your guilty pleasure? “High school musical” and “Ben&Jerry’s”
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? I don’t think it would be that different. Probably, everything I do everyday. 
Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Lithuanian artist? Aktorių Trio - Paukščiai
Can you teach me some interesting words in Lithuanian? Aštuonkojis - Octopus.

Hello KaYra! Welcome to the Eurovision universe!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Creative, sometimes spontanious, sensitive, flexible, expressive, giving, loving, very passionate, sincere, devoted.

You are one of the participants of Pabandom iš naujo! 2020, how did it all begin?
I’m a huge fan of ESC since forever. I tried to participate once, 6 years ago, but I was very young and didn’t understand back then, what this competition means to me. Now I see it as an opportunity of bringing my message to the world, telling my truth and showing that my country is full of love and colors. I want to make my friends and family proud, who are, by the way, so supportive. I didn’t want to participate in Eurovision without a good song and message. And one day, I came home after a gig and realised, how tired I am of pretending. Pretending of being someone I’m not. So I tried to write a song about it. I created a lot of different characters in my mind, characters from my past, or just fictional ones. My music video shows the ironic view of my thoughts about being true to myself. I see this as a very big problem nowadays. People stopped talking, being sincere and open. Social media is doing a bad influence on us, I think. We are comparing us to the others, we are pretending and scared of showing the reality. For me, as an actress/ singer/ artist it is especially relevant, because I am always in some kind of character on the stage. And the saddest part is that you actually don’t know if people like you when you are not a charecter, but just your true self. So as you can see, this song is not that funny, despite the optimistic melody, it is a tragedy wrapped in a colorful paper, and I just love this contrast.

“Alligator” is the title of your song, and it is written by you and Marius Leskauskas. How was it to work with him?
I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the bells, birds and other interesting sounds in the song. That was a moment when I thought: “Wow, it’s totally me!”. I thing we did a pretty good job together, he heard me and gave some fun ideas. 

What’s the story behind the song?
It’s a story of my life. I think, many of our lifes. It is about the insecurities, fears and being our true selves. What if they don’t like me? What if I’m different? What if the society won’t accept me? It is about dealing with ourselves and self love. 

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
It will be colorful and different. That I can promise.

Photo: Jurga Urbonaité

Tell us about the music video of "Alligator":
It is the ironic view of some characters, we create during our lives. Sometimes it is very hard to not pretend, and it’s more safe to be someone else. One person described it all: “It is a tragedy wrapped in a colorful paper.”

What do you like about Eurovision?
It’s an opportunity to represent your country and show the world your point of view, your music, maybe even make a statement. It is positive, colorful and entertaining. I love it.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
Nothing. Maybe the political part, a little bit.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Brain: Pinky
Loud: Jennifer Lopez
Scarecrow: Pumpkin
Flame: Candle
Pancake: Blueberries

What are your plans for 2020?
Well, I have one of the main roles in Lithuanian tv series called “Monikai reikia meilės”, which I am planning to continue, obviously. And there are some new songs on my mind, I want to record. But for now, I am focused on Eurovision.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Yes. Just be yourself, treat people well and take care of everyone around you. Don’t forget that we are all the same and we all deserve love. 
Love,
KaYra

Thanks to KaYra for the interview!

Facebook: KaYra-Kristina-Radžiukynaitė
Instagram: radziukynaite.kayra

Dotter: I’m a bit of a sad witch that creates dramatic melodies in an organic/modern pop sound

Photo: Kristoffer Jansson

The 2nd semifinal of Melodifestivalen 2020 is on Saturday and I got an interview with one of the participants. I'm very happy about it cause I couldn't get an interview with her back in 2018 (the year were the Swedish voters broke my heart a bit) and I just knew she would give me great answers, so here they are:
Name: Johanna Maria Jansson 
Birthday: 10th of June 1987
Height: 167 cm
Favorite color: I change favorite color a lot but when I grew up my favorite color was blue, now I believe it’s red, purple or black☺️
Favorite food: Fruits!
What’s your strangest talent? - I’m quite hypermobile so I can do flexible tricks😁
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? - A homemade bed which is more like sleeping on a podium or Japanese bed, very hard but good for our backs!
What are you really good at? I’m a handy woman and I’ve got so many ideas in my head circulating all the time, especially when I’m suppose to sleep😅so I create lots of stuff like building stuff for the apartment, I did my own diner table, I make my own acrylic nails, I design my own stage clothes and I do also paint, my whole family on my mothers side are artists.
What are you really bad at? Oh haha, also many things🙈I’m not so good at IT stuff, bad with computers. I’m bad at all the stuff I think is boring and uninteresting😅
Childhood idol: My biggest idols were Hanson, Spice Girls, Robyn, Aqua and No doubt
Childhood memory: I’ve got thousands memories from childhood but one that really were the start point for me as a songwriter and artist was when I sat down with the piano when I was 10 and wrote my first song called “Nobody knows me”. My mum couldn’t almost believe it was my own song cause she thought it sounded like a real pop song that any of the boy bands could have done. So I created a girl band with three of my best friends and we called ourselves “Dizzy woop”. Then we started performing the song in front of the class with me accompanying the piano and the teacher filmed us and send the video to our pen friends in Japan.
Celebrity crush: Leonardo Dicaprio😍 he’s been my crush since I was little watching Titanic 
Tell me something no one knows about you: Haha, ok, I love to dance! I’ve been taking dance lessons since I was 9 til 23. I started with jazz ballet and there after all different dance styles.
Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Hmm tricky question, Lady Gaga maybe 😸
What would the title of that movie be? haha omg, ”A little town called Arvika” or ”Nearby the Norwegian border” or “Dizzy Woop” it could be called 😅
Favorite movie: Grease!
Favorite TV series: Party of five
Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Sweden: We got a few really tasty vegan restaurants in Stockholm so you should do like a vegan tour around the city, using the “Happy cow” website. 
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? Haha too tricky 
Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from an Swedish artist? Mabel with “Don’t call me up”
Can you teach me some interesting words in Swedish? What would you like to say?

Hello Dotter! Welcome back to Mello!
Thank you!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
It’s a tricky question but I think I can categorize myself as an alternative pop artist who grew up near the Norwegian border and started to make music when I was ten and have done since then. I’m a little bit shy, I was extremely shy when I grew up but on the stage I can express myself in a complete different way through my music and that makes me feel fulfilled. I’m a bit of a sad witch that creates dramatic melodies in an organic/modern pop sound.

Can we talk a bit about your past Mello experiences (as a songwriter and as a performer) what did you learn from them? (Would like to add that Cry was one of my fav songs from 2017!)
Oh thank you so much🙏🏼🙏🏼. To be a songwriter and to be an artist are two complete different things I believe. I need to go into two different characters almost. I love to create music in different genres, some days I just want to be that songwriter and help another artist to find themselves through music but someday I’m that needy artist that really need to express myself

You are one of the participants of Mello 2020. How did it all begin?
It began in late May 2019, me and my fiancé and our close friend had a session in our studio, we were drinking wine and were not so serious. But after my fiancé started playing a verse that he had come up with before I really felt for it immediately and started recording a pre chorus. We felt that this could be a really great song and I thought to myself “I wanna perform with this song in Melodifestivalen next year” then we finished the song and that was the only song I sent in for me as an artist.

“Bulletproof” is the title of your song, and it is written by you, Dino Medanhodzic and Erik Dahlqvist, how was it to work with them? What’s the story behind the song?
We’ve been working before cause we’re friends and we’re really close so it’s quite fun cause we can be so honest to each other. At one point when we were playing cards we tried to write the lyrics at the same time we all ended up in a fight so then the next day I locked myself into the bedroom and wrote the lyrics based on that fight actually😸

What's the process of creating a performance for Mello like and who are you working with in that area?
This performance was created out of an idea that my art director friend Julius a hayes had in mind. He told me about his idea and then I played bulletproof for him and we both felt that these two ideas were really connected. Then we created the whole number out of this with Sasha and Lotta at SVT

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
Can’t really tell yet😘

I'm a big fan of swedish language music and I want to ask you which swedish artist would you like to see doing Mello?
Oh I think all Swedish artists should join mello cause it’s such a great platform, you can’t get that kind of publicity anywhere else

What do you like about Eurovision?
It’s fun to watch

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
Nothing specific

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Industry: furnishing
Delicate: A good vegan cake
Knowledge: very important
Bizzare: pass
Wave: the ocean

What are your plans for 2020?
To release new music and hopefully be out touring again! I’m planning to go back to London and finish my album with great producers and songwriters I’ve been working with over there.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Thank you for having me!

Photo: Kris Jansson

Thanks to Dotter for the interview!


Facebook: iamdotter
Instagram: dotter_official
Twitter: dotter_official

Didirri: I hope you can look forward to a moment of quiet in the chaos that is Eurovision

Photo: Ivana Martyn Zyznikow

When all the names of the Australia Decides participants were announced the one I was looking forward the most was the protagonist of this interview and I wasn't wrong for being excited about him cause he delivered one of the best songs in the competition and without a doubt one of the best lyrics of the 2020 NF season. To get to know more about a him and his ESC entry, I'll leave you all with Didirri's answers:
Name: Didirri
Birthday: October 23rd
Height: 5’11
When you were younger, who did you idolize and why? Bernie Taupin and Bob Dylan. From the very beginning, I have been absolutely obsessed with good storytelling. I can’t think of two people that are more suited to telling a story in assistant poetic some writing format. I felt like I had lived full and chaotic lives just listening to their songs over and over again.
What is the most interesting thing you have in your room? 1949 singer sewing machine, I have been very much into quilting and fixing my own clothes.
What is something you consider a strength, that you are good at and what is something you want to work on? I think I have a strength in communication. I find it easy to talk to a crowd and tell them exactly how I am feeling at the moment. I could definitely work on my posture.
Do you have a celebrity crush? Not necessarily romantic, someone in the public eye who inspires you, captivates you or brings you joy!: It has been Stephen Fry for a very long time, I think the man is measured and well thought out with a good outlook on the world. Optimistic but realistic at the same time. Poetic yet crass as well.
Would you recommend us a film & TV show? I am very obsessed with ‘Marvellous Mrs Maisel’ and ‘Three billboards outside Epping Missouri’
If we visit Australia, what Candy / Snack / Beverage should we try? Everyone should try Vegemite. But make sure that you do it properly. Plenty of butter/margarine and a scraping a Vegemite.
Tell us a song by an Australian artist we should listen to: Check out ‘See Yourself’ by Moreton and James Vincent Mcmorrow

Before getting into the Eurovision zone, can I ask you about your name, where does it come from?
My parents were inspired to name me after an indigenous Australian word and meditation practice, ‘Dadirri’, it is pronounced a bit differently, but very simply it means ‘deep and quiet listening’. There is much more info about it on the Miriam Rose website. I highly recommend reading her writing on the topic.

You are performing at Australia Decides 2020, how did it all begin and what do we have to look forward too?
It began with this song. I started over two years ago and completely gave up on it. I don’t know how it found its way back to me but once it did I realised how important the song was to me. I hope you can look forward to a moment of quiet in the chaos that is Eurovision.

Describe for us, about the day you started writing ‘Raw stuff’:
I was on tour, sitting on a piano. I have just received a phone call from a loved one and it was very apparent that we weren’t opening up to each other. It spilled out of me at the piano and I didn’t think much of it. How wrong I was.

What can you tell us about the music video of "Raw stuff"?
The raw stuff music video needed to be honest. It needed to be nothing more than an accurate representation of how that makes me feel. We decided to go back to the place where I recorded and wrote half of the song. We needed to include Australia in it as much we could. I wanted to represent that beautiful land that we share and brings so much peace in moments like writing that song.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Socks: Fun whilst not ruining a good outfit
Rose: Tinted glasses
Oven: Lots of pressure in a small confined space.
Rare: quiet calm
Voice: Expressive, find it

What an exciting start to 2020, have you any upcoming plans you can share with us?
More music! I can’t wait to get out on the road and play this song to all of you.

Thanks to Didirri and his manager Larissa Ryan for the interview!I

Facebook: Didirri
Instagram: Didirri_
Twitter: Didirri

Moniqué: As a little kid, never in a million years I would've thought I’d have people listening to me sing

Photo: Nerijus ir Gintaré

As I said before Lithuania has one of the best national selections this year and it makes me happy to bring you all a very good interview with one of its participants. Her performance in the heat was so captivating, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and from that moment I became a "Make me human" stan, here are Moniqué's answers:
Name: Monika Pundziute - Moniqué
Birthday: 1997.09.20
Height: I recently discovered that I’m not aware of my height and my whole life I’ve been telling it wrong to people. It’s 1.76cm. I guess.
Favorite color: Uhh! Baby blue. Just like my upcoming duet song.
Favorite food: Anything from the Mexican kitchen.
What’s your strangest talent? Mind-reading and imitating a kid’s and Britney Spears’ voice.
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Kitchen tools. It has always been a mystery to me.
What are you really good at? I am really good at overthinking. And writing stories. These two are actually very related.
What are you really bad at? I am extremely bad at lying.
Childhood idol: First one, was Celine Dion.
Childhood memory: I remember myself realizing that I wanted to be a singer. It was such a strong feeling I cannot shake it off of my memory.
Celebrity crush: Shawn Mendes
Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Nice question. Elizabeth Berkley. Because recently I discovered a photograph of her from Show Girls which looks too much like me. Or Jennifer Aniston. She is my ultimate favorite actress and a role model for me as a woman.
What would the title of that movie be? 1997
Favorite movie: I love Marvel movies and it would be too hard for me to pick just one as there’s so many of them.
Favorite TV series: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Lithuania: Actually I am very proud of what Lithuania, in particular Vilnius can offer in the food area. It’s the variety of cuisines and talented chef’s who always bring their A game whether it’s Lithuanian food or any other.
What is your guilty pleasure? Scaaary movies in a movie theater. With my best friend.
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? If I were a booooooooyyyy… even just for a day. If I were a boy I think I could understand. How it feels to love a girl. I swear I'd be a better man.
Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Lithuanian artist? My pleasure. Justinas Jarutis – It’s my fault
Can you teach me some interesting words in Lithuanian? Dviratis. It means bike. Lietus. It means rain. Tulpė. It means tulip. Here you go, three Lithuanian words that remind me of the Netherlands.

Hello Monique! Welcome to the Eurovision universe!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Hello and thanks for the welcome. Shortly, I am an artist who represents emotions. I am entirely dedicated to every single thing that I feel therefore everybody does. It’s the most important thing for me as an artist and an aspiring songwriter.

You are one of the participants of Pabandom iš naujo! 2020, how did it all begin?
The very thought of it was first born in my head when I heard the song. It was actually written for my upcoming third album. Then, Vytautas and my manager said the same thing as an idea later on. I couldn't believe it. We all thought the same thing about the same song separately. Then through the whole summer we were still wondering, discussing, making plans and finally we dedicated ourselves and since then our lives are all about Make Me Human. 

Photo: Martynas Stankaitis

“Make me human” is the title of your song, and it is written by Vytautas Bikus. How was it to work with him?
Vytautas is such a good person. I always like to stress it out before talking about his great talent. I am extremely lucky to have been working with him since day one of my career. He is the first producer I’ve ever known and he is my role model in songwriting. So, working with him on a song that is going to be in Eurovision changes absolutely nothing and that is what I love most about it. He always says the same phrase before my concerts as well before my entrance to Eurovision “Don’t be nervous and don’t make mistakes.” It’s a joke, of course. But it’s also not.

What’s the story behind the song?
It asks you a question. What makes you feel like a living human-being? For me, it’s love. Love from the fans, from the significant other or family and friends. It’s what makes me feel alive. Only then I wanna sing. Who am I without love? Some existing-being who only sleeps, gets up, goes to work, eats and goes to sleep again. 

Tell us about the process of creating the performance for "Make me human":
We instantly knew it should be something meaningful and minimalistic. Also, I love dancing. So we invited Šarūnas Kirdeikis, a choreographer and director to help us out with the whole concept. We knew we had to have some little specific detail, which would stand out and be remembered. Šarūnas thought of something that would turn on and glow. Then we came up with the symbol - a heart. It’s a symbol of living. The designer drew a specific shape of a heart and you can see it in my first performance. We knew we wanted choreography so it would help explain the story and live out the emotion. When I learned it, I rehearsed a lot. And step by step I made every movement my own. So it would be organic and would come entirely from my heart. Even if it’s not correct from a dancer’s POV, it’s mine. No one could do an identical one. When we had all of that, we reached out to Lithuanian designers to create a look. They did a great job. I absolutely love it. And then, we had visualizations and lighting created. We spent all night reviewing it and making it look perfect. But we  will develop it even more through time, I expect.

Photo: Martynas Stankaitis

How do you feel about the reaction your song has been getting?
It’s absolutely overwhelming. Of course, flattering, but I really need people who liked the song on the Internet to really support me through voting. People tend to think someone else will, since the song is very loved and supported, but I always try to encourage people to speak up for themselves at all times. Also, I took my friend’s advice to have a tunnel vision through this whole contest. I must not look around since it can be very disturbing. I need to focus on what message I am going to send to people watching me. That’s the most important thing.

What do you like about Eurovision?
I love that it brings people closer together.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
I hate that it tears people apart.

Photo: Martynas Stankaitis

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Cloud: Nine. That’s where I’ll be if I win.
Fearless: Soldier
Popcorn: Things stuck at my teeth
Women: Power
Dancing: with a stranger. Uh! Me me me!

What are your plans for 2020?
To win. A lot of hearts from the whole wide world. And of course, a third album full of beautiful songs. I love that it will have more songs written by me than in the albums I've released before.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Yes. To you, the one, who’s reading and have gotten to the end of the interview. Thank you. For having an interest and maybe even supporting my song. I really appreciate that. As a little kid and a dreamer, never in a million years I would’ve thought I’d have people listening to me sing.

Thanks to Monique for the interview!

Facebook: monikapundziute.monique
Instagram: monikapundziute.monique