After yesterdays dress rehearsal EuroVisionary were able to meet with Andreas Lundstedt, Timoteij, Ulrik Munther and David Lindgren to ask them about the rehearsal and their participation in Melodifestivalen.
Timoteij In 2010 when you participated you were quiet unknown to the Swedish viewers but you sailed right through to the final anyway. This time you are kind of favourites from the start, how does that feel?
Bodil: It feels great
Johanna: We try not to think about that but it feels great to have all the experience we have and know all the stuff we know this year so.
What motivates you to participate again?
Cecilia: Last time gave us so much so we really wanted to do it again to experience new stuff and to be able to do a new summer tour and release a new album.
On your last album you collaborated with Alexander Rybak, are there any collaborations planned for your new album?
All four girls: No not yet
Are there anything you would like to say to our international readers?
Bodil: Thank you for all support, we really appreciate that. We hope you like our song!
What question that I didn’t ask you would you like to ask yourself and what would the answer be?
Johanna: Oh, that’s a tricky one!
Johanna: We can take this one: Do we really know how to play the instruments we “play”? And the answer is: Yes of course!
Thank you and good luck tomorrow.
David Lindgren
You seem to be the audience favorit tonight.
You think!? Really?
How does that feel?
It feels great but the most important thing is that, David sighs.The thing is that I’m a live artist, I’ve been working live so for me it’s. I take the audience that’s here but I need to work with the cameras a lot more because that’s what’s important. That’s the people who are going to vote for me. I try not to blow it up too much, I try to keep pretty calm.
So what are your expectations for tomorrow night?
It’s the same, I came here. I’ve been wanting this for so long to be here. I’ve been saying that I wanna just have a great weekend and have a lot of fun with friends and family and see what happens. And I think I’m still going to visualize that.
You said you wanted this for a long time, so what was your first thought when they asked you to participate in Melodifestivalen?
First thought was awesome. Finally! It felt great. I couldn’t believe it.
So how will you prepare for tomorrow?
I’m going to go home now and get some sleep. I’m going to try to get some sleep. I have a little baby boy at home so I’m actually staying at a hotel now to get some extra hours of sleep. I haven’t been sleeping so much for the last eight month.
Who is your biggest threat tomorrow?
I think it’s a lot of great songs this week and I think that, David thinks for a while, Ulrik Munther you could hear the audience here. He’s got a lot of fans. Then Thomas Di Leva of course has a lot of fans. But also Timoteij got a lot of fans.
What question that I didn’t ask you would you like to ask yourself and what would the answer to it be?
Question: Did you have a good time tonight?
Answer: Yes I did! It was great and I feel actually a little speechless because this was the first time I was standing on stage like a solo artist and it felt great to get the response that I got.
Thank you and good luck tomorrow!
Andreas Lundstedt
This is the eighth time you are participating in Melodifestivalen, what motivates you?
The great songs I’ve been given, and also I’ve a lot to thank Melodifestivalen for because I’ve done it so many times. My career has gone like a parallel with the festival. It’s fantastic, I’ve so much to thank Melodifestivalen for. And also I love this, I mean the competition is pretty horrifying but still you love it. It’s a love and hate relationship you know.
What do you think is the biggest difference between participating as a solo artist and as a group?
Well, I sing more because I don’ have any girls with me who can take the second verse. I don’t know it’s just a natural step for me to do solo and stand on my own two feet. It’s kind of like, the only thing actually that’s really different is that I miss my friends and my colleagues all the time. But I also feel very strong as a solo artist as well, so it’s both you know, I’m torn.
Tell me a little bit about your song.
It’s about a breakup, when you go through a breakup and when you have the feelings you have when you move on. You hate someone, you love someone, you miss that person or it could be a job or whatever, but when you move on. Andres laughs and says: Just like Sarah Dawn Finer, Moving on, but in another way, in Swedish. It’s not sad, but it’s vulnerable.
Is there anything in your performance that you would like to change for tomorrow’s show?
No, actually I don’t know. Maybe it’s my age but I forgot some steps which was strange. I was like no I’m not supposed to forget, I never forget steps. But no, I’m going to do exactly the same thing…but I will remember the steps. It was only two small things and I don’t think anybody noticed, I hope.
What question that I didn’t ask you would you like to ask yourself and what would the answer to it be?
Question: How does it feel to go to Baku? Andreas asks and laughs
Answer: It feels fantastic, I can’t believe it Andreas says and laughs again and adds that he is joking.
Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow.
Ulrik Munther
In 2009 you participated in the Swedish pre selection for junior Eurovision Song Contest, Lilla Melodifestivalen. Is there any difference to participate in Lilla Melodifestivalen and Melodifestivalen?
Yes of course it is. I mean it’s a lot of the same but this is a much bigger production and it’s a bigger fuzz in the media and well the “kids” here are a lot older, Ulrik says and laughs. But otherwise it’s kind of the same, you know with the cameras, you need to find them and look right into them. It’s kind of the same.
What was your first thought when they asked you to participate in Melodifestivalen?
Well, Christer Björkman wanted me in Melodifestivalen in 2011, but we didn’t really have the time then so it didn’t work out that well. We had other stuff to do then. This year we thought, yes we can come up with a new song and we’ll give it a try.
How have you been preparing for this?
I’ve been practicing and preparing over all and I don’t know really what to say, I’ve been doing all the regular stuff you do to prepare yourself for such an event. It’s a big thing and you got to practice.
What are your expectations for tomorrow?
My expectations is that it’s going to be a lot of fun and a lot of music and hopefully I will do a great performance. I mean as good as I can, and yes of course I hope I will go through to the final but anything can happen.
You had a lot of fans in the arena tonight; you got a great response from the audience. How did you feel?
It feels great. I mean Gothenburg which is kind of my hometown. I can feel that because it’s a lot of cheering and stuff in the audience. It feels great to have that extra support.
What question that I didn’t ask you would you like to ask yourself and what would the answer to it be?
Ulrik laughs and says: I don’t know . He thinks for a while and then asks: Do you write your own songs? Answer: Yes I do and Soldiers I wrote Soldiers with a couple of other songwriters so. I mean for me songwriting is very important. I’m not only an artist, I’m a songwriter as well.
Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow.
EuroVisionary would like to thank Ulrik Munther Timoteij, Andreas Lundstedt and David Lindgren for their time. Listen to the complete versions of this weeks song here.
