The Road to Malmo: Latvia; Interview with Camilla Gottschalck, composer of Dziesma 2013 entry, “Fool In Love”

Camilla Gottschalck is no stranger to National Selections for Eurovision.  She has co-written songs like Nikki Kavanagh’s “Falling” (Ireland 2011); Melissa Canta’s “Sueños rotos” (Spain 2011); and Hera Bjork’s “Someday” (Denmark 2009).  She is at it again this year at Dziesma 2013 with “Fool in Love” by Davids Kalandija & Dinara.  We learn more.

ESC UNITED:  Hello Camilla.  Congratulations on making it to the next stage of Dziesma 2013.  Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a songwriter.
CAMILLA:  Thank you, the whole team behind Fool In Love is very excited about being a part of Dziesma 2013. Music has always been a very big part of my life. My mother made sure that I got the chance of developing my musical skills already at the age of five. I guess she got tired of me playing drums on the table and the casseroles. I was too young to start in a normal music school, but she called every music teacher in town and in the end she persuaded a drummer to take me in, and that’s how it began. Ever since then I have played music, made music and studied music. I’m a nerd! 🙂

ESC UNITED: How would describe your song “Fool in Love“?
CAMILLA:  Fool In Love is a happy and uplifting duet.

ESC UNITED: What led you to deciding to submitting “Fool in Love“ to Dziesma 2013?
CAMILLA: A manager put us in contact with artists who liked the song, and they wanted to try out Dziesma 2013

ESC UNITED: So where were you when you found out “Fool in Love“ made it? What was the first thing you did?
CAMILLA: Ohhhh, Damn! With this kind of questions you’d always wish that you were in the middle of something fancy and glamorous, like in a taxi trying to get into a too tight sequinned dress on your way to cooking class, and then the iPhone tells you that a very important massage has just landed in your inbox. But no – the truth is that I came home from a looong day’s work, and got the great news.  

ESC UNITED: Tell us about who’s performing the song.
CAMILLA: We are very lucky to have Davids Kalandija and Dinara performing Fool In Love. We have from the very beginning been collaborating with their management. The reason why they are perfect for the song, is because they both are strong vocalists and talented artists, and they really complement each other in every way. Together they take the song to another level.

ESC UNITED: Now that we are a few days away from Dziesma 2013, how are you feeling?  How are you and your team preparing for your Semi-Final?
CAMILLA: We all are exited about the upcoming semi. We are unfortunately not able to be there, but the team behind Fool In Love in Latvia are ready for the semi and looking forward to performing.

ESC UNITED: What do you believe is the key to winning a song contest like Dziesma or Eurovision?
CAMILLA: A good song! And of course the right time and place!

ESC UNITED: Do you have any favorite Eurovision songs?|
CAMILLA: Oh I have many! I like both modern and old school. Big ballads that gives me goosebumps and songs with a humoristic twist like Laka’s “Pokusaj” (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2008) and many many more!

ESC UNITED: What advice would you give to anyone interested in songwriting?
CAMILLA: If you’re new to songwriting but feel you have ideas in your head that you would like to transform into a song, then it’s always a good idea to be able to play piano or guitar, since it will give you a basic understanding of how music is constructed. Play around with notes and chords – in short: just practice, practice, practice! Unfortunately pretty unsexy but nevertheless the truth. 🙂

ESC UNITED: Any closing thoughts you would you like to share with your fans?
CAMILLA: Thank you for supporting and have a great Eurovision year!

ESC UNITED: Thank you too Camilla!  Good luck this weekend at Dziesma 2013.

Catch Camila’s song at Dziesma 2013!  “Fool in Love” will be performed by Davids Kalandija & Dinara on February 8, 2013.