For the sixth consecutive year Estonia is using the popular Eesti Laul format to select its entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. With only a few days until the first semi-final, we took the chance to catch up with some of the singers taking part and today we speak to Janno Reim from the Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band.
escXtra: Hello Janno, thanks for taking some to speak to us today! Firstly we’d like to congratulate you on your qualification to the semi-finals of Eesti Laul 2014.
Janno Reim: Hello-hello! and Thank You!
X: Lets start at the very beginning, can you introduce yourself and tell us how you all came together to form the Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band? Is there a story behind the name of the band?
J: Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band is Mati Sütt on bass guitar and witchcraft, the most awesome drummer Ilja Sharapov and myself on guitar and vocals. Plus all our good friends and cool funky people all around the world. Yeah! The band came together through a series of random and accidental events. We had all been circling round in different bands and making music pretty much all of our lives. We knew about each others existence for some time, but we had never really met. But yeah, as it often happens, one thing led to another and one sunny day we ended up jamming and that’s how it all began, I guess. Name of the band… Well… Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band was the only cool band name available.
X: Where were you and how did you feel when you found out that you were one of the acts who had made it to the Semi-Finals of Eesti Laul? Also Who found out first?
J: I was at home and Mati called me from a train to Moscow, if I’m not mistaken. Wonderful news, had champagne, yes.
X: You guys wrote your song ‘Maybe Maybe’ together. What was the inspiration behind the creation of this song, and was it always intended for Eesti Laul?
J: It wasn’t written for Eesti Laul, I wouldn’t know how this would work. But it was the only one of our songs, which we managed to squeeze into the 3 minute rule, to be honest. Inspiration comes from the roots of blues and life and from space, of course. There’s more to come! Stay tuned.
X: Could you tell us a little about the song?
J: I wouldn’t want to dictate, what people should think or feel, when listening to “Maybe Maybe”. Just put it on “repeat” and dance, or cook something delicious, or lay down with your loved one, or do whatever you were gonna do anyway.
X: Eesti Laul has developed in recent years to be much more than just a Eurovision preselection and in this year’s contest you will be up against many big names in the Estonian music industry as well as several strong newcomers. For you, what does it mean to participate in Eesti Laul?
J: It’s a wonderful opportunity for bands and musicians to get their music “out there”. Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band is one of the new guys. We plan to have lots of fun with it and hope to get the TV audience to smile and dance on their tables at home!
X: What are your feelings on the fact that if you win you will be representing your nation at Eurovision in Copenhagen in May?
J: Bring it on, Europe! He-he! But yeah, it would be great to visit Denmark and an honour to represent our country of course! We would probably want to go round play some funky little live gigs at some cool little bars and go make new friends.
X: Are you Eurovision fans, and if so do you guys have any favourite Eurovision songs? Perhaps a favourite Estonian entry?
J: First one to pop up would be ABBA, I guess. They have some super groovy songs! Don’t really remember, what song they had at Eurovision, but I’m sure the contest was a big boost for them. The best Estonian entry is yet to come!
X: Now some questions to get to know a little better, how did you guys spend your Christmas and New Year?
J: Santa came on Chirstmas and told us a really cool story about a boy and his bicycle. What a cool dude! Then we ate way too much and told each other about the most embarrassing things ever happened to us. On new years eve we sat together with some good friends, had some snacks and drinks and for the big bang, we went outside, powersliding on asphalt! Awesome!
X: Where is your favourite place in Estonia and/or where would you recommend someone visiting Estonia go see?
J: The woods, countryside, band rehearsals, home, sauna, kitchen.
X: What is your favourite food to cook?
J: Fishsticks.
X: If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would you choose?
J: I’d like to have a dragon of a reasonable size. So I could fly around the world and give my friends a lift to wherever they would like to go! Or a small talking miniature hippo, we could argue about politics and stuff and we would live to exactly the same age. He would be living in a bath, if I had one… Right now I have a couple of guitars, that’s pretty cool, too!
X: What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
J: Oh no! There’s probably like a million of those. And hopefully there’s more to come! Let’s talk about this another time over a beer maybe maybe!
X: Finally, do you guys have a message for our readers?
SHCBB: Yes, we do!
Janno and the Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band along with 9 other hopefuls take part in Eesti Laul’s first semi-final next Friday. Listen to their song ‘Maybe Maybe’ below! On behalf of all the team at escXtra I would like to thank Janno for speaking with us and wish him and the SHCBB all the best with whatever may be next!
