Thursday, January 28, 2021

The Mamas: "In the middle" pushed us to decide to participate in Mello 2021.

We all fell in love with their voices in 2019 when they were John Lundvik's backing singers in Eurovision and last year even if the contest didn't happen they made us move our shoulders to the beat of their catchy singalong song "Move". This year they are back and I can't wait to see them shine on the mello stage! Here are the answers from The Mamas (Loulou, Ashley and Dinah):

Hej Mamas, Welcome back to the eurovision universe, how are you doing?

We are doing quite well! Excited about the journey to come! :)

Before talking about mello, I would like to ask you about the Eurovision 2019 experience, what do you remember the most from it and what did learn from the whole thing?

The adrenaline sticks with you! Whether you're on or off stage! The music, the people! It’s really an unexplainable experience! One of the take aways from that is how much energy goes into the competition and performance itself. We’ve learned how focused we need to be and how our work ethic plays a huge part in any result!

Photo: Andreas Johansson

The cancellation of Eurovision 2020 was heart breaking for all the fans but it must have been even worse for all those teams that were going to take part in the contest, how was it for you?

Most definitely heartbreaking and disappointing. We definitely cried that first day. It was really depressing.

You are one of the participants of Melodifestivalen 2021. How did it all begin?

It began with the song; otherwise we didn’t plan on doing the competition again. The words in the song are very personal for each of us and definitely struck a chord. Our stance initially on the competition was that if we aren’t presented with a solid song that touches our hearts, we won’t compete again. Luckily, In the middle pushed us to decide to participate in Mello 2021.

"In the middle” is the title of your song, and it's written by Emily Falvey, Robin Stjernberg and Jimmy Jansson. How was it working with them?

Our direct contact with this song was Robin and while in the studio, it was really an amazing experience. He really pushed us to tap into our emotions and really think about what we’re saying in this song! It was all good vibes working with Robin and having the connection of art to Emily and Jimmy.

What’s the story behind the song?

“In the middle” is personal lyrically but also has a timeless meaning with a catchy melody. We all have different beliefs, different traditions, different ideals, but what makes this world great is what you put in it for the greater good. Why not set aside your individuality for just a minute, to meet in the middle and agree that we all need a lift, we all need love and understanding to make this world greater! 


What's the process of creating a performance for mello like and who are you working with in that area? 

We decided to have our same team as last year! “If it ain’t broke why fix it” lol we trust our choreographer and staging coach Zain Odestål as well as our stylist Dennis Brochner with our best interest. We consult with them on looks and ideas and trust their expertise for an outcome we can all believe in.

I'm a big fan of Swedish language music and these last couple of years I have felt that it hasn't been represented as it deserves in Mello (If we compare it to those songs in the charts). Out of the 65 songs that have finished in the top 5 from 2008 to 2020 only 10 have been in swedish, why do you think the mello world prefers english songs? 

We are a very adaptable people and english is our second language. I think we send songs in english because we want everyone to understand what we are singing.

If you could invite any artist (that makes music in swedish) to mello, who would you pick?

We would love to see Linnea Henriksson or Laleh in the competition. They are great singers and have a wonderful way of telling a story in their music.


How would you explain Eurovision to those artists that see the contest in a bad way?

My first question would be, Have you actually been to the competition? There is absolutely no way that you could have bad things to say about Eurovision if you actually experience what it is to be back stage or in the audience watching all these amazing artists from different parts of Europe with the exact same dream, coming together and sharing their music! The joy is infectious! You have to be really sad to not see or feel the good in this. Those people would be in our thoughts and prayers.

What do you like about Eurovision?

The music! The different styles, the different languages! The mutual love for music! The idea that all of us are just people with a dream, not afraid to live out loud and spread joy!


What do you dislike about Eurovision?

The fact that we couldn’t compete last year lol but we can’t really blame Eurovision for that, can we lol

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:

John Lundvik: Superstar

Alarm clock: awake

Vogue: fashion

Hope: love

Applause: encore

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?

Thanks to any and everyone supporting us! We love you all and encourage everyone to stay safe but also, love your life, dollop your dreams and always be kind!


Thanks to The Mamas for the interview!

Instagram: themamas.se
Facebook: themamas.se

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Joana Alegre: My sound as an artist comes from all the things I ever listen to that moved and inspired me.

Ever since Portugal won Eurovision, Festival da canção has become in one of my favorite NFs, getting to interview and get to know more about those acts participating in it is such a pleasure. Our next interview is one of those that made me very happy while I was reading it so I hope it creates that same effect on all of you, here are Joana's answers:

Name: Joana Alegre

Birthday: 12/09 September creature

Height: 1,68 cm

Favorite color: Impossible to name one single color...maybe Blue.

What’s your strangest talent? I have a really good eye for measurements 

What is the strangest thing you have in your room? a salt crystal lamp my friend Tainá offered me as a birthday gift.

What are you really good at? mediation, music, and baking sweets.

What are you really bad at? Cutting things, I always end up cutting myself

Childhood memory: playing on the beach for long hours or in the countryside

Celebrity crush: humm divided between Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender!

Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? probably Maggie Rogers although I am not sure if she has any acting skills

What would the title of that movie be? Echoes 

Favorite movie: ohhh tough one! Song of The Sea (animated fantasy film)

Favorite TV series: Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials, Outlander

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Portugal: You should definitely try seafood - Barnacles, clams à bulhão pato, codfish or octopus à lagareiro as well, and for dessert.... I would say sweet rice (arroz doce) or camel slobber (baba de camelo). To drink... a nice white wine or a super cold beer :)

What is your guilty pleasure? Food! :)

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Portuguese artist? There is a female singer songwriter, self producer and also a visual artist I find wonderful and she should have a wider audience! Emmy Curl 

Can you teach us some interesting words in Portuguese? Otorrinolaringologista ahah! toughest one!

HI Joana, welcome to the Eurovision universe. How are you doing? 

Hi! I am doing well I supposed, given my family and I remain safe and healthy in the midst of this pandemic conjecture

How would you describe yourself as an artist?

Well I hate describing myself but I think poetry had a big influence on me, since an early age and opened up my senses towards music. My sound as an artist comes from all the things I ever listen to that moved and inspired me. Somehow all of those influences were impregnated in me making me who I am today.

You were one of the composers that RTP invited to take part in FDC 2021. How did it all begin?

I competed in the 2019/20 The Voice Portugal edition and ended up 3rd place. Luisa Sobral, the composer of “Amar pelos Dois”, reached out and we started working together on my next album, she is the producer. As we were recording the album the invitation to participate in the Portuguese Song Festival popped up, and of course I accepted!

"Joana do mar” is the title of your song, what's the story behind it?

The song was originally written for a well known portuguese singer Ana Bacalhau, we share the same love of the Atlantic and Ana has a beautiful powerful voice, so I wrote about the things we share as women and as ocean lovers, and put them into a song I thought would fit Ana’s strong voice. Ana loved the song and she even recorded a demo version. As the song grew in me, Ana would later decide to sing pop ballad wise songs in her next album, and so, for my great relief the song boomeranged back to me! And now I can sing out loud who I am as a songwriter, as a singer, as a woman, as an ocean creature.

What was the process of selecting which song to submit like? What made you pick Joana do mar?

It pretty much picked it self... although there were some second thoughts about another song “O Castelo”, but then Luisa sent me a voice message with Salvador Sobral saying I HAD to pick Joana do Mar, and so I did, ahaha, but also bearing in mind that in this time of hardships, people need some vital force and inspiration, rather than falling into the same sad and longing feeling of portuguese ballads.

How do you feel about the reaction your song has been getting from the fans?

I am super thrilled and very, very grateful!

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?

Something simple but I hope it will be impactful, I hope people like it!

Have you heard any of the other songs in the competition? Any favorite?

Yes of course! I love Tainá’s song Jasmim, and also Neev’s song Dancing in the Stars.


The use of pre recorded backing vocals in the Eurovision performances will be allowed this year and that has set some kind of debate since some find it great but others think it could hurt the contest, as a singer what are your thoughts on this topic?

I think the pandemic context was always going to bring changes. Now the number of people on stage as to be limited, as such, I think the solution should always take in consideration what is best for the song itself, whether that means having live backing vocals, or pre recorded backing vocals.

What do you like about Eurovision? 

I like its diversity and how it has the ability of uniting so many different countries and cultures around this universal language that music is.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:

Volcano: lava

Freedom: ocean

Cassette tape: my childhood

Mouse: countryside

Applause: missing live concerts

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview? 

Thank you for reading me and thank you for listening to my music!

Thanks to Joana for the interview!

Facebook: Joana.Alegre.music

Instagram: joanaalegre.music

Monday, January 25, 2021

Blind Channel: We wanted to make an anthem to everyone who sometime feel like throwing their middle fingers up in the air and scream.

Photo: Mona Salminen
I think a big part of the general audience think of Finland as a country of rock of music and so do I and since I'm a big fan of their rock entries, every year a part of me hoped for them to bring that sound back to Eurovision but it wasn't until this year that they gave me what I was asking for. I got really excited when I saw Blind Channel on the list of participants but it wasn't until I heard the song that I felt that this was exactly what we needed in ESC!. This week I got the chance to interview one of the guys and without further ado here are Joel's answers:

Name: Joel Hokka

Birthday: 05.10.1993

Height: 187cm

What do you do in the band? Singer

What’s your strangest talent? I can move my ears.

What are you really good at? Music

What are you really bad at? Life :D

Childhood memory: first time I saw Chester Bennington on MTV and I felt shivers.

Celebrity crush: Margot Robbie

Favorite TV series: Sons Of Anarchy

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Finland: Salmiakki

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from an Finnish artist? The Rasmus - In The Shadows

Can you teach us some interesting words in Finnish? Juoda hiljaa kaljaa (which means drink beer in silence)

Welcome to the Eurovision universe! You are one of the participants of UMK 2021. How did it all begin? 

We’ve released 3 albums, toured a lot over europe. Because of the ongoing pandemic we wanted to try something different.

"Dark side” is the title of your song, what's the story behind it?

We began lockdown and just locked ourselves in the studio. We wanted to make an anthem to everyone who sometime feel like throwing their middle fingers up in the air and scream.

How do you feel about the reaction your song has been getting from the fans?

To be honest, it’s been a bit of a surprise for us. Of course we always had a great feeling about this song. But it’s been a positive surprise for us to see such a great feedback.

Photo: Mona Salminen

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?

Insanely energetic show. Unlike anything you’ve seen before in this concept.

What do you like/dislike about Eurovision?

We like the way it unites listeners. Maybe sometime we dislike the lack of variety in genres, but maybe this year will be different.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:

Dark chocolate: health for your heart

Sweat: our shows

Silence: depeche mode

Socks: different pairs of socks

Live music: heartbreaking because of covid

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?

Thanks for supporting us! Let’s make this year big.

Photo: Mona Salminen

Thanks to Joel for the interview!

Facebook: BlindChannelBand
Instagram: blindchannel