It took her seven years to land in herself as an artist. This weekend, Loreen is the audience’s big favorite when the Melodifestivalen is to be decided.
It was a Friday night in February and a somewhat puzzled press contingent was sitting in an arena in Växjö. Loreen had just pulled through her contribution at the public rehearsal and the response from the audience was completely deafening. Despite a performance that was far from the standard model of a hit number.
The next day she went straight to the final. And has had the lowest odds of taking home the whole club since then.
But Loreen is an audience favorite who doesn’t want to know about her being a favorite. She doesn’t want to think about that.
Because it’s something other than the audience’s confirmation that is at the heart of Loreen’s artistry. Not because she doesn’t care about her audience – but because it is about something other than a need for praise.
– This humility comes from the fact that I have been beaten before. It comes from experience, she says.
When Loreen began her artistic career in Idol in 2004, she ended up in a world she had never met before.
– When I came to Idol, they presented rules, there was suddenly right and wrong in music. I was so fucking green, had no idea about the music business and didn’t know their language. But at the same time wanted to make people around me happy.
Result: performance anxiety and a strained Loreen in search of confirmation. It took her seven years to find her way back to a position where she felt completely free from cues – and to a self-confidence that wasn’t based on the praise of others.
– I didn’t understand anything. But today, if I look back on the process: I needed that slap in the face. The difference between me today and who I was in Idol is that today I am grounded in what I am and I can stand for it in a completely different way than I could then.
This year’s Melodifestivalen was far from obvious. When Loreen heard Euphoria for the first time, it was a resounding no. Wasn’t on the map. Schlager general Christer Björkman is said to have torn his hair before he got Loreen to even record the song.
– Everything was Hubba-Bubba. Very light and in my world superficial. I liked the melodies but I knew that the production had to be better and more expensive. It must be solid work.
She kept the lyrics and the melody but turned the production upside down. Gave exact instructions on how everything would sound, down to the smallest detail.
Because it should be her way now. So when the other contestants pump out tiles for a happy life, Loreen waits until September to release her first full-length.
– Most people release immediately after the Melodifestivalen because it is a hype and you want to sell. Hell the fuck no. This is not a summer record.
Loreen refuses to let the ego control the way.
– An ego makes you a victim. You are not so strong in yourself, you are dependent on others. You can do so much with a person who is dependent on his ego. It’s not good. Then you don’t own yourself.
• Source: https://www.gp.se/kultur/tv/loreen-har-landat-1.701738
• Translation: via Google Translate, the translation may not be completely accurate