" It felt like the universe was enjoin me to do it again . "
In case you didn’t know, Queen Loreen will be returning toEurovisionthis year after more than TEN years since her first appearance in the contest.
So, to celebrate one of the bestEurovisiontalents there’s ever been, and to find out ’s favourite song contest, we sat down with Loreen to chat about everything from her love of the UK, to her new song “Tattoo”.
Hi Loreen ! So you first vie in and wonEurovisionback in 2012 represent Sweden – how does compete this twelvemonth equate to your first time ?
Loreen : It does feel more effortless in a way , like it ’s more open somehow . I feel more maternally … is that good for me to say ? I ’m not that onetime , darling !
Absolutely not ! Tell us about your unexampled song for this twelvemonth , " Tattoo " .
Loreen : If you see at “ Euphoria ” compared to “ Tattoo ” , “ Euphoria ” has this mysterious vibration to it , like Moon . Whereas “ Tattoo ” is more like sunlight – it ’s open and out there ! So yeah , the songs are completely different .
Do you feel like you have a leg - up on the rival since you ’ve done this before ?
Loreen : I mean , I guess you could say I fuck how the competition works and how the degree is set , but at the end of the day , I mean this competition is all about link up with the audience . I do n’t needfully think I have an advantage because it mostly make out down to the performance and what you deliver on the dark !
What are your thoughts onEurovisionbeing held in the UK this year ?
Loreen : I mean , it ’s exciting for this country , no ? Everyone here is very unrestrained that they get to host , I can recount ! I enjoy the UK – I suppose it ’s like a hub of creative people and multifariousness . Whenever I ’m here , it ’s lit , it ’s on firing !
Have you been to Liverpool before ?
Loreen : I ’ve never been to Liverpool , but I ’m planning to go out into the countryside and meditate ! citizenry have been asking what I ’m gon na do when I get there … I know it ’s boring , but I just want to ride in a Liverpool field of view and meditate .
So how exactly did you become involved inEurovisionagain ?
Loreen : I was institutionalize a demonstration of a song by Thomas G : son and his squad – Thomas atomic number 27 - compose “ Euphoria ” – and I pose in my life way with a chalk of wine and listened to it . I remember think it was really interesting , but at that item , there was no talk ofEurovisionor the Melody Festival , as it ’s called in Sweden .
I called up Thomas and enounce , ‘ did you guys compose this birdcall with me in mind ? ’ They were like , ‘ yeah ’ . So then a couple of day later I went into the studio to memorialize the song myself . As soon as I did , thing started to shift – we changed some of the words and the storyboard alter a bit too . After we were done about an time of day after , they popped the dubiousness . I was like , ‘ blaze no ! I ’ve already done that , what would be the point of doing it again ? What else can I give ? ’
Weeks went by and there was a lot of back and away ; I kept aver no , but I started to palpate this dumb energy in me . multitude around me who I trust and sexual love were saying , ‘ okay , we get you do n’t require to do it again ’ , but whenever I would suggest doing it , they would light up with excitement . In the death , I felt compelled to say yes by some force . It felt like the universe was recount me to do it again .
Sorry , can we go back to you recording the song in an hour !
Loreen : Oh yes , after 60 minutes we ’d reworked the song and reduce a raw version . Some people just refine things ! They believe you need to struggle to create , but when it ’s feed , it ’s easy . Once that was done , I went to my record recording label and told them I wanted to doEurovisionagain . I told them it would take a lot of focal point and energy , and I remember gathering everybody and sharing with them pictures and thing to show them what I require to execute . They were so confused , but they know how I work !
So were you then mechanically Sweden ’s entry ?
Loreen : No , I had to compete for it , which is a good thing . The Melody Festival is important because it includes other the great unwashed ! But yes , you have to contend several clock time . I always appreciate the chance to be creative and to get in touch with people though , that ’s my job after all !
That ’s really interesting ! So what do you retrieve makes a goodEurovisionsong ?
Loreen : I do n’t have it away , man , there is n’t a unadulterated formula . I like songs that are cinematic and dramatic – I require to really palpate something in the three arcminute that we ’re all feed . in person , I ’m a cock-a-hoop fan of the variety of “ gay pop cracker ” , but then sometimes you get one guy who stand in the middle of the stage playing an instrument and he moves you to tears ! That can be dramatic too . I remember what all the best songs have in unwashed is they get along from a very literal place . It ’s not just a lot of layers , it ’s really an artist hold out and breathing the Song dynasty . you could feel it , it ’s real .
Have you listened to any of the other entries for this year ?
Loreen : I ’ve listened to all of them and I do have some favourites . I love , I make out , I eff Finland ’s ! That bozo is a vibration ; he makes me so ballyhoo . I also have intercourse Blanca Paloma , Spain ’s entry – she ’s using her heritage in such an amazing way , y’know , the flamenco thing ? It feels so spiritual and healing to me . I love the Norwegian entry too – it ’s very powerful . She reminds me of myself when I did “ Euphoria ” , to be honest . She has this warrior vibe to her , like this full - on ancient distaff vibe . I have sex it !
So do you feel like those three are your biggest competitors , or are they just songs that you personally love ?
Loreen : I mean , it ’s all very subjective , correct ? I think those are my personal faves , I ’m not thinking about the competition too much in that mother wit . If I do , it would belt down my big businessman to be unquestionable , I think . I ’m all about nidus and discipline , and I feel like the moment your ego comes into it , it really does toss off your execution .
“ Euphoria ” ended up becoming a massive hit afterEurovision – how did that feel ?
Loreen : go intoEurovision , you might not know if your vocal is gon na last . I expire in with no expectations , and not in my wild dreams did I think the song was gon na be a huge hit ! It ’s so beautiful and I ’m so grateful . It ’s still so surreal just hearing people whistle the song , you know ?
Actually , on that , where is the oddest or most interesting place you ’ve ever discover your call ?
Loreen : I often pick up “ Euphoria ” in the bathroom . I do n’t hump how I experience about that ! Like , could you please not babble out my Song dynasty while you ’re doing your thing in the bathroom ?
sorry but loreen ’s euphoria is and will always remain one of the greatest eurovision anthem literally shift multiple lgbt aliveness
That is fair ! Okay , can you tell us something you could never get away with as a contestant inEurovision ? Like , what ’s a big no - no on stage ?
Loreen : I entail , I say there ’s nothing I can not do ! Rules are made to be broken – look at me , here I am back again !
That ’s true ! And is it really a curse to go secondly in the line up ? Apparently that ’s a thing .
Loreen : Really ? I ’ve never heard of this ! It ’s like aEurovisionjoke ? I do n’t believe in that ! I just trust that if you create something authentic , it will come across and it will happen disregardless of whether you ’re tenth or 35th !
Are act encourage to sing in English ? How does that feel ?
Loreen : I do n’t really know about that , but my take is that the language is petty , and a good song is a adept Sung . It ’s all about get-up-and-go , and even if you ca n’t interpret a Isaac Merrit Singer , you’re able to still tell what they ’re trying to send out there on stage or in a video . I do n’t verbalise French or Korean , but I still enjoy music from those nation . We should n’t be divided because of language , I recollect we should be unite !
How political isEurovisionfrom a contestant ’s degree of view ?
Loreen : I ’m not really interested in any of that . I consider that if an creative person is just and reliable , multitude will feel it and they will vote for them .
How does it find to have such a prominent LGBTQ+ fanbase ?
Loreen : Well , that community is like a home ; that was where it all started ! Without that community , I would n’t be model here . I was a struggling artist trying to find my place , and so I knocked on the LGBTQ community ’s door and I was like , ‘ hi Guy , can I just be me in here ? ’ And they were like , ‘ yeah , you may ’ .
Loreen on the support she received from the LGBT+ community in her early calling 🌈 ❤ ️#eurovision#eurovision2023#lgbt#loreen#loreentattoo
You made a cameo inEurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga – what are your thinking on the movie and how did that come about ?
Loreen : Well , I encounter a letter fromWill Ferrell . I ’m actually not adoring ofmusicals , but I ’m a huge fan of Will , so I thought it was worth the via media ! I was like , ‘ okay , I ’ll do whatever you want . I just want to be in a movie with you . ’
When I got to set , he said he want me to sing and take the air down the stairs and search fabulous . I remember I was shoeless , and I guess at the time , ‘ Jesus Christ , I ’m never gon na get devote like this so let ’s go ! ’ I was also so embarrassed at times because it ’s really hard to enjoin whether Will is making a jocularity or not . At one point , I was laughing so much I had to apologise myself and go off set !
Amazing ! And have you ever participated in a real “ strain - along ” like in the movie ?
Loreen : I must admit , I have n’t . For me , music is such a spiritual affair . I ’m not really the sing - along type , but if I was to do that , it would have to be with people who have a similar energy to me so I can vibe with them . So , no , I have n’t – but others might have !
How did your life change after yourEurovision ?
Loreen : It changed in so many ways . I conceive competing in 2012 , that was the first time I ’d really decided to bank my gut and my hunch , and I was mother fucker - frightened . There were so many forces around me wanting me to compromise , it was wild . But I told myself , there ’s only one way to do this and it ’s your way – if you flunk , you fail . But I did n’t !
There was this moment when I was standing on stage in the final in Stockholm ; I was look out into the crowd and there was this spokesperson inside me saying , ‘ so this is what fall out when you follow your hunch ’ . It ’s so soft , and yet we sometimes let other forces take mastery . So it change me profoundly because I decided at that moment to never , ever compromise on anything . If I palpate it , I will observe it , whether it makes sense or not .
I was also living like a nomad in a bloody airport all the sentence , but it was fun adjoin people from all over . Plus , I was produce medicine full - prison term ! Can you imagine ? It was beautiful . It is beautiful !
Where ’s the violent place you ’ve ever do ?
Loreen : Definitely in Berlin at this New Year ’s Party . There was around 1.5 million people there , and there were speakers every 200 meter or so . I remember I was about to babble out “ Euphoria ” , and before the vocal started , the crowd was singing it acapella . Can you imagine the corporate energy there ? It was judgement - ball up because we were so connected .
What can we bear from your performance this year ?
Loreen : Well , you could look more of what you ’ve seen so far , but maybe even more drama , even more nature , even more us !
