Loreen

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Imagine this scene: You are watching Loreen perform "Euphoria" on a big TV screen in midst of hundreds of ESC journalists in a large press room of an hotel near the arena where she is performing. .... and all of a sudden you get a phone call: "Loreen is ready to meet you backstage in her dressing room for a 20 minute interview"... and after a short walk over to the artists entrance you get escorted through long dark hallways of that arena in Hannover. To her.

And some seconds later you are standing in front of the woman you've been watching so many times on TV (just as some minutes before), or performing on stage, winning the Melodifestivalen 2012 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku. You seem to know her because you saw her on thousands of pictures, but now‌. it's all different‌ because it's the first time you are standing in front of her.

Loreen invited me with open arms and an open smile "What do you want to eat? Or drink?" But I had other things in mind .. I was hungry and thirsty for some information and longing longing for some answers. So after a short "Knowing me... knowing you"-talk and after realizing that time goes by so quickly I rushed to some fan questions (we could not ask all questions and therefore we had to concentrate to the often asked ones)

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Are you planning to promote your music in Australia, UK and United States? What about music videos of 'Crying Out Your Name' and 'My Heart is Refusing Me?‘

Loreen: Yes, I’m going to promote my music in Australia , UK – as much as I can. But that has to do with strategy and I am not stuck on strategies… I just know I’m nearly everywhere. At first I will be in Japan, then Australia and after that I’m in Paris… I see what comes next.

And now to the often asked question concerning my videos: I’m actually doing a couple of video shootings at the same time and videos will be out. I know that the guys in the company and the people around me sometimes go crazy about this attitude, but for me it has to be good. It has something to do with respect. I know that some other artists release their work, even if they are not satisfied with the result… That`s not for me. for me it has to be good...

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How did the Billboard dates in Japan happen?

Loreen: I think it has a lot do with the choreography in my performance. The Japanese connected with Euphoria because of my performance, the choreography which was heavily inspired and influenced by their culture, Tai chi moves and material arts.

Photo: Reinhard Schnitzer

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You are such a big inspiration for many of fans around the world, not to say me at least, a 17 year old girl trying to find my path. But where do you get inspiration from or who is your biggest inspiration?

Loreen: It’s actually from life and people. That’s where I get my inspiration from. I’m very much interested in people. And that is one of the main reasons why I do what I do. If it wasn't for my audience wanting to watch me perform on stage, I wouldn’t sing. I believe I have something to give and that is what keeps me going now and moving on.

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So working and recording in a studio compared to performing in front of an audience – what do you prefer?

Loreen: Working in the studio is more or less ego based. Because that’s where you work and when you create things on your own.. without an audience. But when you perform on stage at your concert – or perform on a TV show like this tonight – and you feel that you are connected with the people, that is above all studio work or above all other things that I have experienced. It puts me in a Trance like condition on stage while I'm performing…. it's very special. It's not about: "Hey look at me! I'm the star". To me fame is just an illusion, It's more the other way around: "I'm standing here.. and I offer my songs", and hopefully the audience likes what I have to give. And I like to see what happens with the melodies. There's a reason why I sing Euphoria in the way I do ...

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Loreen where can we see your paintings? Maybe you can show us something on your wall ?

Loreen: Oh yeah? Really? Maybe I could take photos of them...I think they are all very carbon like; grayish dark. You know that I like black (laughs and points to her dress) . But I'm sure we'll find a way to publish some of my paintings.

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What's your favorite movie ?

Loreen: It depends on my mood...but one of my favorite movies has to be "The Green Mile", "Forrest Gump" is very good too; but one movie you should check up is "Limitless".

It's about an author who takes this nootropic drug, NZT-48, that was offered him by a drug dealer, claiming that it was just approved by the FDA and that it allows the user to access 100 percent of his or her brain's capacity instead of the "usual" 10 - 20 percent.

The interesting thing about this film is the way how we use our brain: A thoughtful perspective of the possibilities that reside inside our craniums.

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Where you a troubled / a rebel kid? Or a leader of the gang?

Loreen: No I've never been a leader of a gang. I guess I've been a leader of myself. But I was not a lonely child... I preferred being with myself. This is because I have a huge family.

When I came home I had five brothers and sisters, sometimes that sort of family life is exciting, exhausting and crazy and THERE I was the "leader" at my home because I was the eldest sister. And when I came to school I preferred being alone. I was more grown up

compared to the rest of the children so I couldn't understand them. But, yeah I was a rebel... most definitely. A lot of times my teachers kicked me out of the class because I was a rebel (laughs).

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Had this rebellious years something to do with your growing up in Sweden and not looking like a typical Swedish girl ?

Loreen: Yes - I thinks so . Because everything you've been through is the foundation for living your life the way you do. I know these codes, we have this social codes... these certain rules of conduct and behavior here in Sweden and in all other countries too. Today I can say, that I'm aware of them. I've studied them. And that's the reason why I'm sometimes talking very open in interviews even under the radar of the media.

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How often do you see your family now that you are very famous?

Loreen: "Very famous"? (Laughs) My family means so much to me. I actually try to see them as much as I can. There are times when I just take a car, because my mother lives an hour away from me. And although it's often just for one or two hours.. But often we work in the studio up until very late at night and when I take a plane to visit her in the morning it's often like "Hi Mom ! Kiss, kiss, kiss... let's eat some food - I need to go!" Sometimes it's difficult ....

Photos: Reinhard Schnitzer

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Do you have an idea how much we warriors love you?

Loreen: : I do , I do ..(pauses) but do THEY have any idea how much I love THEM back??

I love my fans and yeah... I really like the name WARRIORS… even if I don’t know all their names, I do remember some funny encounters and surprise meetings with some of them.

One event comes to my mind: I had this performance at the P3-Guldgalan in the Scandinavium / Göteborg where I wear this white dress with feathers…. And they were there, before everybody else. A little group standing in front of the other audience.. my dear young fans… screaming up to me. It was unbelievable!

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What is the best thing about your warriors?

Loreen: What is the best thing about my warriors? The best thing about my warriors is (pauses).. that they --- even though people tend to be afraid sometimes - I am afraid too THEY are NOT afraid to tell me what they think. You know I love being on my facebook page and I can actually read what they are thinking and they are not afraid of sharing their thoughts and feelings with me and all the others. That is a difficult thing to do. But THEY CAN do that. And my warriors-...yes, they are straight forward with what they think; no matter if it's bad or if it's good.... they are not afraid to show their love or to criticize me ..

I love my warriors for their behavior. And I love - as I mentioned before - their name "Warriors" very much.

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What's the story behind the touching lyrics of "Requiem Solution"? Did you and Andreas Kleerup both came up with the idea?

Loreen:

(singing a line from that song)... Oh ...that song is really something very special. Andreas Kleerup, he is a cool guy and a nice man...but… he has been through a lot in his life.. But when I met him, I could feel that he is working really hard on himself.... So this story is not my story . This story is his story ... but from a different angle... it's about forgiveness, about giving people a second chance.

It's basically about his life and that touched me really deep...

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Today is Valentine's Day. Maybe you can tell us something about your first relationship . How old were you? Who was that guy? And how long you've been together?

Loreen: My first love was actually a secret one. Because I was so boyish... I was a boygirl .. yeah a tomboy and I was afraid to show emotions. I had a friend - I do remember his name -I was seven... no I was six and I fell in love with him... but that was actually my first "secret" love, because I think he was in love with me too .. but we were both afraid to tell that each other... so we both hang around together and did bad stuff in the neighborhood, we did all kinds of things together but none of us dared to say that we liked each other... we were young... but I always remember this... we used to sneak out in the nighttime... at one o' clock... we could see each other in the window, had eye contact and climbed out of the window.

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Please tell us - do you really sign those autograph cards which are sent to your fans by Warner Music Sweden? Yes, I have the one) So just I just want to know if it is really from you... ?

Loreen: Yes… the autograph cards are signed by me. And I heard we don’t have signed ones left so I need to sign more…

Photo: Reinhard Schnitzer

Loreen took Europe by storm with her performance of Euphoria at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, in May 2012. Many believe that she has revolutionized the contest by her uniquely styled performance that included an 80cm high podium, dim lights, snow, a dancer and a barefoot Loreen dressed in a jumpsuit and a kimono. But who is the woman behind the bangs?

Childhood & her berber roots Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui was born in Åkersberga, just outside of Stockholm on an October day 1983. When Loreen was 7 years old her parents got divorced and she moved together with her mother and 5 siblings to the small town Västerås. By being the oldest she had to help take care of her younger siblings a lot and Loreen herself quite often refer to her childhood as being “chaotic”. Music became important to Loreen at an early age.

It was a bit like a sanctuary and a way for her to distance herself from the chaos. She used to sneak into the bathroom, turn the lights off and sing for hours or until someone knocked on the door. Loreen also had a habit of ditching school to visit a nearby church to sing, simply because she was fascinated by the acoustics.

Both her parents have their origins from Morocco or more specifically from Moroccan Berber, the original inhabitants in the country. Her mother made sure that her children were able to experience the Berber culture so the family visited Morocco every summer. Loreen says that she’s been deeply influenced by her Berber roots.

She often talks about that her view on music and the way she sings is connected to the views and techniques found in the Berber culture. More specific examples are the melodies she sings or her ability to somewhere get in trance when she performs. Loreen has later in life connected with a more spiritual way of living and thinking, something that derives from seeing her relative’s way of living in Morocco. In addition to that, Loreen finds comfort in meditation and is also deeply curious to the philosophies around Buddhism, something that she is frequently asked about in the media.

Early career In 2004 Loreen’s sister convinced her to audition for the Swedish edition of “Idol, and it payed off because Loreen ended up being one of the finalists. Throughout the weeks of the show the viewers got to see Loreen take on songs after songs and genre after genre, and the judges kept criticising her for changing the songs too much. She left the competition on 4th place but according to Loreen herself, that’s when the real journey begun.

She often refers to her time at “Idol” as a teaching experience and that it was after the show she realized just how little she knew about the music industry and how important it was to find and develop her own expression.

Seven years later, in 2011, after a journey that had included work as a TV-producer, a new Loreen took place on the stage at Melodifestivalen. She competed with her performance of the song My heart is refusing me. The 21 year old, shy beginner from Idol had transformed to a 28 year old, confident singer that stood on the stage wearing high heels and custom designed fashion. Loreen was eliminated from the contest at Melodifestivalen’s “second chance” but her song became a hit in the Swedish clubs. She later pleased her fans with releasing a second single, named Sober in September the same year.

LOREEN The journey of Euphoria Loreen decided to compete in Melodifestivalen again in 2012, and this time with the song “Euphoria”. She first took the stage in the semi-finals of Melodifestivalen in Växjö in February 2012. Loreen’s voice carried the song to new dimensions and the complete performance left everyone in complete awe. The Swedish audience was completely mesmerized by her performance and they made sure to show it by voting her directly to the finale this time around. She won Melodifestivalen with 670 551 votes from the audience and a total of 268 points, including both voting points from the audience and the international jury. Loreen was now set to represent Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest in Baku. Days and even weeks before her performance in the semi-finals in Baku Loreen’s performance was listed as a favourite to win the entire competition. She easily qualified to the finale from the semi-finals and on the 26th of May 2012, Loreen managed to unite the whole of Europe and made sure that Sweden took home the victory in Eurovision song contest. How come Europe fell in love with Loreen and her performance? Loreen herself said explained her thoughts in an interview for BBC one:

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I think the people like my performance because it's not usual for Eurovision. Usually they wear glamorous clothes, there’s a lot of lightning and that is maxed, and I had a message there, I wanted everything to be simple because we get so much information, you have to be a certain way, you have to look a certain way. That’s why I didn't wear any shoes, hardly any makeup, my hair was messy and not much lightning, couldn't really see my face. So just to narrow it down, take it down, make it easy, make it simple, we need that ….

After her win she certainly managed to turn her victory into a complete success, with number one placements on music charts in around 21 countries just days after her win. Today “Euphoria” has sold platinum in five countries, including 9 times platinum in Sweden, just to mention the absolute tip of the iceberg. Loreen also released a music video for Euphoria, in which she kept the same aesthetic as her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest.

LOREEN Human

Rights

During her stay in Baku, Loreen stood out from the other contestants with her interest and commitment to human rights. She visited human rights organizations along with some women rights organizations during her stay in Baku, so that she could get knowledge about the situation and also raise awareness of the situation with the help the media coverage. She also did similar work and visits during her short stay in Belarus for a performance at concert conducted by the president Lukasjenko. The money she earned form playing at the concert was later donated to the human rights organisations she had been in contact with. Loreen continues to engage in work with human rights and is currently in a great collaboration with the Swedish organisation called “Civil right defenders” and it seems as is a future work in Russia might be plausible.

Loreen’s work with human rights is something very dear to her and she often speaks out about it if the possibility is given. This is what Loreen said in a recent interview with Metro:

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I fight a lot for human rights. That’s based in that I’ve been there myself and I’ve lived alongside it all my life. In Morocco, where I originally come from, there is poverty and a humiliation of women in a pretty rough way. It allows me to have humility and an understanding of how defenceless people have it. […] I like to have an open communication with the media. Fame is a tool to communicate widely, and if I don’t have anything to communicate, then I’d rather shut up. In Azerbaijan, for example, I gathered the media and communicated what I wanted and asked if they wanted to support me and help me so that we together could make a difference

LOREEN Europe gets healed Loreen waited five months after her victory to release her album, which after all was her debut album. Many criticised her for not striking while the iron was hot but Loreen wanted to wait because she wished for her album to be elaborated and real. On the 24th of October her album named Heal was released and some days prior to that date two singles were released as well; Crying out your name (Swedish release) and a new version of My heart is refusing me (International release). All the songs on the album tells stories about different aspects in a relationship, can be everything from heartbreaks, to longing and intimacy. The sound is a mix of organic sounds and harder beats, and even though Heal is her debut album it does sound very typical Loreen. The melancholic lyrics mixed with a rough production, something that can be found in her all of her previous singles.

In an interview for the Finnish morning show “Huomenta Suomi” Loreen said the following about her album:

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All of the songs, or almost all of the songs, tell a story that I think that many can connect to and it’s very emotional. The dream is to be able to influence people, to make them feel and dare to feel a lot.

The album was perceived well by the audience, and specifically in Sweden where it went directly to no.1 on the official album chart. It also peaked at #8 on the WorldWide iTunes chart and had top 10 placements on charts in around 18 countries. Coming up next for Loreen is a release of a music video for her song “My heart is refusing me”, which is a long awaited video indeed. Lastly, considering a Japanese release of an extended version of the album as well as the promotion and performances that have been booked it seems as though Loreen will attempt to reach the Japanese market in 2013.

LOREEN

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This is what /team L wrote about LOREEN 4 ALL:

“Have you seen this interactive webzine which presents Loreen´s first 4 weeks after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2012? It is well documented and made by the supporters at LOREEN - International Fanpage - so a huge thanks to them, what an honour!”

Loreen on Video

”Euphoria” @ Grand Final - 2012 ESC Baku

Please click on the pictures to start the videos

„My Heart Is Refusing Me“ @ planet tower (acoustic version)

Loreen Performance on "The Qube“ Full show [HD], 03.12.2012

Photo: Reinhard Schnitzer