Tusse: I would love the song to give people hope and strength, because that’s what the song has given me.

Photo: Gustav Ike

I don't know how you all are feeling right now but the semifinal days are coming and I'm getting a bit nervous cause this year we got an amazing group of artists and anything can happen next week so to relax a bit let me post a short interview with the winner of Melodifestivalen 2021 and the fashion king who is going to represent Sweden next tuesday, here are Tusse's answers: 

Hej Tusse, welcome the Eurovision universe. How are you doing? 

I’m feeling great, and superexcited about the semifinal!

Let's start from the beginning, how did your mello adventure start?

I decided to participate as soon as I heard the song, “Voices”. The fun thing is that due to a math test and my drivers license test I had a hard time finding time to record the song. But my high school decided to postpone the test so that I could go and record the song. And then I ended up winning Melodifestivalen which was just unbelievable. I remember that it came as a huge surprise when I heard my name. I couldn’t believe it when I was announced as the winner. I remember thinking that maybe Eric Saade, The Mamas or Dotter would win. So being here in Eurovision is a true honor.

Can you describe for us the day you recorded "Voices"? And what was your reaction when you heard the final result for the first time?

It was a great experience for me and I had a fun time working with Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt and Anderz Wrethov, who are the songwriters’ behind “Voices”. I remember that we actually wrote a lot of songs before they suggested me to sing “Voices”. But when I heard it I immediately said yes, because the song was an incredible song with a lot of emotions and hope and strength. And I just fell in love with it.

Photo: Gustav Ike

What's the story behind the song?

I would love the song to give people hope and strength, because that’s what the song has given me. The message is loud and clear, every voice matters. There’s a lot of people out there that have no voice and I would like my song to be a reminder for them that we all are born free with millions of opportunities and choices. We all have feelings and thoughts. And that makes us stronger, because we’re all in this together. I believe that we have more in common than what separates us. We all have emotions and thoughts, and because of that we’re not alone. Everybody feels lonely sometimes and sad sometimes, and because everybody feels that way, then we’re not lonely at all, because we have each other to lean on.

Photo: Gustav Ike

Were you involve in creating how the performance would look like? How was it to work with the mello team for it and can we expect any changes for the Eurovision performance?

Yes, I have been involved and I’m so proud of what we’ve done together with the Mello team. The staging will be quite similar to what you saw in Melodifestivalen, but we've tried to make it look bigger and more authentic. We've made some changes in the visuals and we've made some changes on the outfit and to make it greater and bigger.

Photo: EBU

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

Snow: Sweden

Tears: Gjon’s Tears

Rollercoaster: Life

Pillow: Zayn Malik

Applause: Lady Gaga

Thanks to Tusse for the interview!

Instagram: tusseofc

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

Efraim Leo: "One of my goals as an artist has always been to inspire others"

Photo: Matilda Hammar

Time for a new interview, back in 2018 I heard one of the songs from our next guest and I remember liking his voice a lot, now he is set make his mello debut and I'm curious to see what he will bring to the contest, here are Efraim's answers:

Name: Efraim Leo

Birthday: October 5th, 1997

Height: 182 cm

Favorite color: Dark green

What’s your strangest talent? I can fake cry, it's difficult some days but I can do it.

What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Probably this old small tree dragon from my mom hanging in the ceiling.

What are you really good at? I would say my biggest strengths except siging is writing music and coming up with melodies.

What are you really bad at? Playing football, I really wish I was better but I suck haha.

Childhood memory: I have so many, but a really great one is when I was like 9 and made a rap song with my Uncle. It's the first time I really started to realise how fun it is to make music.

Celebrity crush: Definitely Ariana Grande 

Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Tom Holland, such a big fan of his

What would the title of that movie be? Hard question! "From dream to reality" maybe.

Favorite movie: Interstellar. That's my favorite but I love everything from Christopher Nolan.

Favorite TV series: How I Met Your Mother or Modern Family. It's a tie I think.

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Sweden: The drink we drink during Christams time called Julmust (Christmas must) is one of my favorite sodas and definitely something you should try.

What is your guilty pleasure? I don't really feel guilty over stuff, but maybe that I love playing videogames on my free time and that I buy new games more often than I should haha.

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from an Swedish artist? "Slå mig hårt i ansiktet" with Thomas Stenström.

Can you teach us some interesting words in Swedish? A word I find really beautiful in the swedish language is "Tillit" which means trust.

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

Thank you! I'm doing really good. Really excited for the journey ahead.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?

Very personal and emotional artist. One of my goals as an artist has always been to inspire others, be able to relate to them and make them feel heard going through their ups and downs in life. 

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

I have grown up watching the swedish Melodifestivalen and really loved it. So when I got the opportunity to be a part of it I just had to say yes.

"Best of me” is the title of your song, and its written by you, Cornelia Jakobsdotter, Amanda Björkegren and Herman Gardarfve. How was it working with them?

So fun! The energy they brought to the songwriting session was absolutely amazing. We were sitting in a hotel room in Stockholm just vibing and at the the end of the day we had the song. I had a blast writing this song with them and I can't wait for you guys to hear it.

What’s the story behind the song?

It's a story about how hard it is to leave and forget about someone you love cause you know they're not good for you.

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

Would like to keep this a secret for now.

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? 

I would say it has to do with english being a more versatile language to write music in. Here in Sweden everybody grows up listening to more english music than Swedish, so to a lot of people it's much more relatable as well.

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

Maybe Oscar Linnros or Veronica Maggio. Real OG's when it comes to modern Swedish pop.

What do you like about Eurovision?

The diversity. It has songs from different cultures and countries and that is so fun to see. Also the great energy it brings to everyone watching. A real peoples fest and that is so valuable.

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

Rain: Wet hair

Mirror: Justin Timberlake's song with that title

Rollercoaster: FUN!

Owl: The woods

Applause: Concert (pre-corona)

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

Thank you so much for having me and hope you like my performance in Mello. If you wanna follow my road to the stage my instagram is @efraimleo. 

Thanks to Efraim for the interview!

Instagram: efraimleo

Facebook: EfraimLeoOfficial

Lovad: "My music strengthens as much as it hurts"

If there is something I love about NF season is getting to hear music from artists I hadn't heard before. I fell in love with the music from our next guest right away and I'm very glad I got the chance to interview her, here are Lovad's answers:

Name: Lova

Birthday: 4th of november

Height: 173 cm

Favorite color: Beige

What’s your strangest talent? Talking with my mouth closed.

What are you really good at? Cooking

What are you really bad at? Drawing

Childhood memory: Swimming among the coral reefs of Egypt

Celebrity crush: Tom Hardy

Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Jennifer Lawrence

What would the title of that movie be? Rise from the ashes

Favorite movie: Dear John

Favorite TV series: Greys Anatomy

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Sweden: Smörgåstårta!

What is your guilty pleasure? I love eating cookie batter

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from an Swedish artist? "Alice" with Loreen

Can you teach us some interesting words in Swedish? "Ögonblick", it means moment. "Gryning", thats means dawn, and "Humla" thats means bumblebee

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

I'm feeling great, thanks for asking!

How would you describe yourself as an artist? 

I'm an artist who writes lyrics that touch. My music strengthens as much as it hurts. The music hurts and helps at the same time. As an artist, I try to be present and helpful.

Before talking about mello, I would like to talk about 'Läka så vackert' cause I'm actually kind of obsessed with it right now. I want to know everything about it! 

Wow thank you, it makes me really happy! That very sentence came to me one evening. That means you will heal and it will be beautiful. The song is strong and it is about being able to be honest with yourself in a destructive relationship and say “I want to be longed for, needed and loved.” In the song there is a happiness, sprung from a sadness, in order to sing in it as a winner, for all who have won the battle for themselves

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

It started with me getting to know Albin who is one of the songwriters. He told me that he had a song idea that would suit me perfectly. When we finished writing it, I think we were both shocked at how good it turned out, and quite immediately we decided to send it to the Melodifestivalen. After a while we got the call that we were competing, and here we are now!

"Allting är precis likadant” is the title of your song, and its written by you, Mattias Andréasson, Alexander Nivek, and Albin Johnsén. How was it working with them? 

Wonderfully. Albin is an incredibly nice guy with a beautiful vocabulary. Mattias who makes the music is truly a genius. We all found each other right away and had a lot of fun creating this song.

What’s the story behind the song? 

The song is about a broken relationship. How to just live every day over and over again. No one is happy but no one wants to go.

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

Everything is a little different now in these times, so many meetings and regulations take place via video link and email. But SVT is responsible for the production of Melodifestivalen, which is my team together with my record company. We share ideas and thoughts and build a vision based on how the song sounds.

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 aren't swedish songs connecting with the mello audience? If you were in charge of the whole thing how would you fix that problem?

Wow that was a difficult question. But I think most artists who submit entries think that it should be a song that everyone should understand in case you come to Eurovision. Previously, if a Swedish song won, you had to translate it into English before Eurovision. Those mindsets may remain with the artists today. You are probably afraid that no one will vote for a song in Swedish just because it is not an international language. I probably do not think it is a problem that needs to be fixed either. Many of our artists here in Sweden sing in English.

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

Miriam Bryant!

What do you like about Eurovision? 
I love that it is a world of its own, filled with glitter and happiness where everyone can be exactly as they want!I

What do you dislike about Eurovision? 
Nothing?

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Clouds: Fluffy
Bones: Skeleton
Silence: Peace
Crayons: Color
Applause: Audience

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview? 
I want to thank you for your interest, and do not forget to vote for me! :)

Thanks to Lovad for the interview!

Instagram: lovad.mp3

Facebook: lovadofficiel

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

Sweden 2019: John Lundvik

Photo: Peter Wixtröm

The winner of Melodifestivalen 2019 is John Lundvik with "Too late for love":

This performance and song gets you clapping along and that's a good sign, props to John and his team for bringing those 4 TALENTED women on stage with him cause they are everything and I cant wait to see them rock the stage in Tel Aviv!

Melodifestivalen 2019 - Deltävling 4: Jag måste ha dig i mitt liv

NU KÖR VI!

1.  Stormbringer - Pagan Fury

This was pretty nice, maybe a bit too ESC 2006/2008 but I liked it.

2.  Känner dig - Anton Hagman

There was nothing bad about this, maybe it was a bit low key for the contest but I wouldn't skip this song if it comes up on a playlist or the radio.

3. Torn - Lisa Ajax 

I think this is the best ballad in mello this year but there is something missing on stage, she is a good performer but I feel like this sober, minimalistic approach doesn't suit her.

4. I Do - Arvingarna 

The choreo/staging was a bit silly but I really liked it! What a fun, catchy song! Well done, guys!

5. On My Own - Bishara

A mello star is born and I think we have a winner. I do not like the song but he is fucking talented and sold it so well. I wish he could come back next year with a better track cause I'm sure he can do better than this.

6. Kärleken finns kvar - Ann-Louise Hanson 

She is a legend and this performance was lovely.

7. Too Late For Love - John Lundvik 

Yes! Last year John showed us what a talented singer he was and this year he brought a good song and a motherfucking gospel choir with him so I gotta say I'm very happy to see him back in the final. Go Lundvik!

THE RESULTS

7. Pagan Fury

6. Anton Hagman

5. Ann -Louise Hanson

ANDRA CHANSEN

Lisa Ajax

Arvingarna

FINAL

John Lundvik

Bishara

Photos: Olle Sporrong (Expressen)