Melodifestivalen is in full motion! After two heats packed with big names, great music, and spectacular performances, the third heat of the five will take place this Saturday, featuring six artists who will try to qualify for the grand final. Today, we had the chance to talk with Clara Klingenström, who will be competing for that prestigious ticket to the final in the next heat. She told us about her experiences since her last participation in the national selection, her upbringing in the countryside, and how she and her team approach writing songs for Meldifestivalen.
Hello Clara, welcome to ESCUnited, and Welcome back to Melfest! I hope you’re doing well! It’s been 3 years since you first entered the Swedish national final in 2021 with your entry ‘Behöver Inte Dig Idag’. Tell me, what’s the most exciting thing you have been up to since?
Hello! I’m fine, thanks. I have done so many fun things since I was in Melodifestivalen. I’ve released my first album, I’ve been on tours, and I’ve had a blast! My whole life has changed since I was part of Melodifestivalen.
That’s wonderful! Now, our readers might think they know you well following your last participation in Melfest, but is there something that you think they’d be surprised to learn about you?
I have been very open in interviews about who I am. But I can add that I grew up in the countryside. We had no neighbors, and it was in the middle of the forest with lots of animals, such as horses, chickens, and lambs. It’s quite odd to live like that if you compare it to growing up in a city or at least in a slightly larger village. This has made me love nature because I feel at home there, and I am grateful for the way my family and I lived. However, it was not as much fun as a teenager when I wanted to hang out with my friends who lived far away.
This is not the first time writing a song with Bobby Ljunggren and David Lindgren Zacharias, as they also co-wrote with you your previous Melfest entry. Tell me more about the creative process behind your new entry, ‘Aldrig Mer’. Were you aiming for a style similar to your previous entry, or are you planning something completely different?
We all met at Bobby’s house. David and Bobby had made a melody that I got to listen to and it was the melody for the chorus of this song. After that we started making the melody for the rest of the song. I took the melody home with me and wrote the lyrics. I always want to write the lyrics myself because of the storytelling in my songs.
As we all know, Eurovision is hosted in Sweden this year! Both of your entries for Melfest are in Swedish. What would it mean for you to have a song in Swedish representing Sweden in Eurovision for the first time since 1998?
It’s about time Sweden will have a Swedish song representing Sweden in a Eurovision that is being hosted in Sweden 😁 It would be nice to finally send a Swedish song to Eurovision and I would be incredibly grateful if Sweden gave me the confidence to represent a Swedish song in Eurovision.
Is there any information you can share with us about your staging plans for Melfest?
Retro, Storytelling, self-love. That’s what I can say 😉
You got me curious for sure! As we wrap up, where can our readers find you both before and after Melfest 2024? Feel free to plug in any upcoming projects as well!
I’m working on my second album!
Last question – is there any message you’d want to share with the ESCUnited readers?
My song is about giving yourself love in moments where you really need it, when you feel weak and not enough. I want to spread hope and love to those who need it. thank you for allowing me to be part of this interview and thank you to all of you who listen to my music.
Thanks so much, Clara for sitting down for a short interview with us! – we wish you the best of luck on the Melfest stage!
If #YOU want to support Clara’s entry for Eurovision 2024, make sure you tune in to the 3rd heat of Melodifestivalen on Saturday, February 17th, and vote!
