Her boyfriend was in a life-threatening situation in the US. That situation forced Anja Nissen to relate to maybe saying goodbye for the last time. That song, which is her first independent single, was released today.
“This song was born from the intense and overwhelming feelings I had when my boyfriend found himself in a life-threatening situation. I turned to my piano and this song just poured out of me”. With those words, Anja Nissen describes the circumstances under which her new single If We Only Had Tonight came to be.
Shortly after that scary incident, the couple was once again separated due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Australian born Anja is in Denmark, while her Danish born boyfriend is in the US. The new song became even more relevant.
The thought of us being separated through uncontrollable circumstances triggered the lyrics. Little did I know that soon we’d be separated, not knowing when we’d see each other again.
I am sure others will relate as we’re not the only ones who can’t be together right now. Not knowing what can happen next is why it is so important to live in the moment.
Anja Nissen in a press release
If We Only Had Tonight is produced by Ludvig Brygmann and mixed by Jakob Groth, both Danes. Anja wrote the song herself together with American Brent Baccetti.
In the embedded video below, you can listen to this new single from Anja Nissen. Below the video you can read more about her.
Who is Anja Nissen
She is born and raised in Australia to Danish parents. Most Danes had never heard of her when she entered the Danish national final in 2016. They might have seen a small clip in the newspapers two years prior saying that ‘a Dane had won The voice Australia’, but in 2016, she was a well known name in Australia, but unknown to the Danish population.
Her 2016 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix entry Never Alone changed that. Anja finished 2nd, and the year after, when she took part again, everyone did know who she was. Where I Am won the Danish final in 2017, and Anja went on to represent Denmark at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. After the country had failed to reach the final two years in a row, she changed that. She qualified for the final in, what was later revealed to be 10th and last qualifying spot.
Squeezed in between top favourites Italy and Portugal in the final running order, Where I Am finished in 20th place.
In the video below, you can watch a clip of Anja Nissen performing parts of her two Dansk Melodi Grand Prix entries, acapella:
