The Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen is not usually known as a forum for political opinions – rather the contrary. As a result, Loreen’s position against the Azeri government attracted extra attention when she won the 2012 Eurovison Song Contest in Baku. In this article, Loreen tells us why she chose to get involved on behalf of the Azeri people as well as what went on behind the scenes.

How did you become interested in the Azeri people?
– Baku became a current issue for me after I won the Swedish music competition. Prior to this, I didn’t really know much about the situation there. It wasn’t untill some of my younger fans on Facebook made me aware of the injustices in the country that I started to read more about the subject. I read about people who had been evicted from their homes so the government could build the new arena for the Eurovison Song Contest and I also heard that gays were forced underground because of their opinions. This felt totally insane and wrong.

How did you begin colloborating with Civil Rights Defenders?
– I told my management that I would really like to do something in connection with the final in Baku, so my manager Torbjörn Sten put me in touch with Robert Hårdh at Civil Rights Defenders, who he’s known for some time. We had a meeting and together brainstormed a plan.

Please tell us about the plan.
-Robert talked about which organisation they had contact with and then discussed which ones would be appropriate for us to meet. An important issue was how we were going to keep this a secret, because nothing could leak out beforehand. We also wanted the information to be published, but we weren’t sure how we could accomplish this without being stopped by the authorities.

Did you have any ideas about which people or organisations you wanted to meet?
– I wanted to try to arrange a meeting with both human rights activits and some gay organisations to highlight these issues. I think this is very interesting, since the Eurovision Song Contest is somewhat of a gay community. So I wamted to have a meeting with someine in Baku that I could meet in private.

What was your thinking about the media?
– I knew that there would be a lot of media on site – both Swedish and international – so I thought this would be a good opportunity.

Did the plan work as you expected?
– Yes, there was a lot of media coverage. I asked if they would be willing to help me and I think they felt a bit special and had something interesting to write about. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a meeting with a person from a gay organisation. The person we wanted to meet was too afraid. There was too much pressure on him. But we visited several other human rights organisations.

How did the festival organisers react to your openness?
– They gave me a warning and said, “We can’t be political.” So I looked into what my rights and possibilites were, to get an idea on how far I could go. The deal was that you weren’t allowed to start a political discussion in the Eurovision Song Contest arena. OK, goo,d, I thought, it’s OK to start a political discussion outside the arena. The it would be during my own leisure time and I could do whatever I wanted to.

Normally, the Swedish music festival is not associated with political actions. How did you dare take a position?
– I have only been afraid a few times in my life and I don’t have much respect for people in a position of authority. I view things in a completely different way. Regardless if they’re politicians or royalty, it’s the people who have more or less paid for these people who run the country. They’re working for us, for the people. That’s how I view things.

It sounds like commitment comes naturally to you?
– It does feel unbelivably natural. It’s also because I’ve been through a lot in my life. I’ve seen how life can be. Where I come from, half of my relatives live in poverty. I was raised in an environment where women don’t have the same rights as men, where there isn’t always bread on the table every day, wehre you’re forced to ask a neighbour to borrow some sugar. When you’ve lived with injustices close to home, you realize just how important it is to fight for human rights.

Do you believe that your own background had an impact on your decision?
– I think that if you’ve experienced some things in life, you become humble, you understand what’s going on and you get a feeling for people’s situation. And I think the Eurovision Song Contestin Baku was very political. I mean, “Hey, a gay community is coming and we’re going to have a party here” versus “We don’t like gays.” It was an easy choice for me.

Did it put any extra pressure on you beyond the competition to also highlight the human rights issue?
– Entertainment isn’t a question of life or death; however, human life is. It would have been strange to do nothing when there were people outside the arena that were demonstrating. Through Civil Rights Defenders I saw film on what was happening while I was there. People were being assaulted on the streets. Was I supposed to say, “No, my career is more important”? For me, this was impossible, it just wouldn’t happen.

Did they play your song on the radio in Baku when you won the competition there?
– The song was played a lot and I developed a great connection with the Azeri people. A lot happened on Facebook; that was the only way to make contact. Euphoria was a great success in Azerbaijan. However, their President wasn’t pleased. The Swedish delegation was suddenly no longer welcome to the President’s party that had been planned earlier.

How did the authorities react?
– The little action we started reached all the way up to the President. Now he knew who I was. As a result, there were tough restrictions put in place. I wasn’t allowed to leavt the hotel and was forced to have security. My own team tried to get me to cancel the planned meetings. They thought the situation was too sensitive. I just said, “Bye, I’m leaving now. They are waiting for me there.”

So you had the meetings that were planned?
– Yes, every single one.

Do you think your background makes it easier to be accepted?
– Yes, I’m pretty sure of that. You could say that I’m a second-generation immigrant. In addition to the Swedish culture that is a part of me, so are the Arab and Berber cultures as well. This has helped me to develop an understanding for other cultures. Respect is shown in different within different cultures and that is the inly way to communicate with people. I think that is why I was given a chance in Azerbaijan at all; because I showed them respect.

What are you currently doing in music?
– I’m in the process of recording my next single for my next record. And then there are some exciting concerts in the works. I am travelling to Morocco and will be performing at a huge festival there where Rihanna will als be performing, among others. There are a lot of international performances.

Are you planning to do any further work together with Civil Rights Defenders?
– We’ve discussed Belgrade Pride and possibly another visit to Azerbaijan, but nothing has been finalised yet.

• Original link: https://12points-to-loreen.tumblr.com/post/47262067982/loreen-a-songbird-with-strong-opinions-interview (Civil Right Defenders Magazine: Time to Act)
• Translation: Amanda | https://12points-to-loreen.tumblr.com/post/47262067982/loreen-a-songbird-with-strong-opinions-interview