Eleven years ago, Loreen won the ESC in Baku. Again this year it is one of the top favourites. In an interview, the Swedish singer tells how her comeback came about.
Liverpool – The 2012 winner and this year’s favorite at the Eurovision Song Contest, Swede Loreen, decided to make an ESC comeback mainly because of the enthusiasm of her family and friends.
“To be honest, it wasn’t actually planned. But then there were somehow louder signs,” said the 39-year-old in Liverpool of the German Press Agency. “I suddenly had this song. And he’s so beautiful. So much then happened around that the universe seemed to be kind of directing me in that direction.”
She decided to comeback “because the people around me encouraged me so much,” said Loreen. And these are the people she trusts through and through. “They were all so happy when I told them that I was thinking about taking part in the preliminary round in Sweden.”
Loreen won the ESC eleven years ago in Baku with the hit “Euphoria”. Experts and bookmakers consider her a hot contender for victory in the ESC final this Saturday (May 13, from 9 p.m., ARD).
The hosts in Liverpool are great, Loreen said. “The vibes here are wonderful. When you are on stage in the arena, you can feel people’s love for music. I am very happy here. And I’m also proud of the community of Europeans that supports Ukraine and brings happy hours to the people there. It’s just a creative movement.”
When asked about her favorite role, the singer said: “At the end of the day you have to bring something to the stage that triggers something in people. It doesn’t come without hard work. The fact that people have certain expectations of my performance might make it more difficult for me. But I don’t think so. I create something that comes from within me and send it out.” dpa
