It’s the last day of national finals today, so time for a few more interviews. We spoke to a former Idol winner, who has developed a more electronic style since her victory there. Now, it’s time for Melodi Grand Prix: It’s Jenny Langlo!
escXtra.com: Hey Jenny! Thanks for doing this interview! How are you preparing for MGP 2015?
Jenny Langlo: Hey! Thanks for asking me! First of all I am doing my best to keep my body and voice healthy after these cold winter months in Norway. Apart from that I try to rehearse as much as possible and put as much energy into my as I can. My main focus now is to stay healthy, calm and prepared.
X: Could you introduce yourself and your music?
J: I am a singer and songwriter from a small village on the west coast of Norway. I have always enjoyed doing music, and performed a lot with my guitar and own songs in my younger years. I started doing music professionally after I won the Idol competition in Norway in 2011 and have gradually started doing more electronic music. I really like to mix the melodic and organic with the more electronic and powerful.
X: Who are your musical idols?
J: I am a big fan of songwriters and singers like Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke and Radiohead, and also newer artists Lana Del Rey. More surprisingly I am also a huge fan of Marilyn Manson and his music.
X: Why did you decide to apply for MGP 2015?
J: I actually came in contact with the great producers in Machopsycho planning to do a different song of theirs in the contest. While in the studio in Gothenburg we had some hours left before I headed home to Oslo, and we decided to write a new song. It was done in a couple of hours, and it turned out the jury of MGP 2015 liked it. It was really fun for me to get to participate with a song I had co-written myself.
X: What can we expect from your song Next To You? Is it a Eurovision winner?
J: The song is probably a bit darker than it sounded from the short clip, so I am really looking forward to let you hear it. I guess I will have to answer yes to that question, since it is no purpose participating with a song if I did not think it could go all the way.
X: You won Idol in Norway. That show seems to get a lot of good results in Eurovision (Alexander Rybak, Maria Haukaas, Margaret Berger). Why do you think the show is so successful?
J: There are probably a lot of reasons, but one of them may be that the artists coming from the Idol competition have already had some training in performing and singing on television. It is a big difference in performing for a live crowd only, and having to perform for the cameras and through the TV screen.
X: What’s your favourite place in Norway?
J: I moved to Oslo in 2013 to work with music, and I must say I fell in love with the city pretty quickly. So Oslo is definitely my favourite place in Norway to be right now, but there is of course something really special to me in going back to Sunnmøre and my hometown there, enjoying the beautiful fjords, peace and quiet.
X: What’s your favourite thing to eat or drink?
J: If you give me some white wine or chocolate I am the happiest I can be.
X: Are you a Eurovision fan?
J: Lets say that I am definitely a big fan when Norway’s contestant gets good results.
X: What’s your all-time favourite Eurovision song?
J: I must say that I am a huge fan of last year’s winner Conchita Wurst’s “Rise like a Phoenix”. A truly powerful performance! I would also like to mention a performance in 2010 by Alyosha with the song “Sweet People”. An incredible song and performance I will never forget.
X: Finally, do you have a message for the readers of escXtra.com?
J: I hope to see you all in Vienna!
escXtra.com would like to thank Jenny Langlo for her time and we’d like to wish her the best of luck in tonight’s Melodi Grand Prix! You can watch her song, Next To You, below!
