escXtra was able to get the chance to speak to Swedish group Panetoz ahead of their participation at Melodifestivalen this weekend in semifinal 2. See what they had to say to us below!
escXtra.com: Hi guys! For those of our readers who might not know you, could you introduce yourselves?
Panetoz: Hi! Panetoz is a group of five people: Daniel Nzinga, Pa Modou Badjie, Johan Hirvi, Nebeyu Baheru and Njol Badjie.
It all started of in the late years of elementary school with 3 Members as a school project and the name comes from (Pa) Modou (Ne)beyu (To)bias with an added Z.
Pa Modou and Nebeyu continued with the group and met up with the other guys Daniel and Hirvi. And from there on they started taking music more seriously in high school. A couple of years later Pa Modou’s younger and more handsome cousin Njol Badjie got added to mix.
X: You’ve already had a Swedish number one single with “Dansa pausa”, could “Efter solsken” be your second?
P: Our second!? Then you need to listen to our other songs! “Känn dig fri” “Mama Africa” we promise that you will like them!
All the songs that we make feels like hits to us, but our main goal is the spread of love and joy. We definitely feel that “Efter Solsken” is going to blow up. We all live by a motto “Det blir vad du gör det till” which translates to “it becomes what you make of it”.
X: What can we expect from your song “Efter solsken”?
P: What we always give you! Love, laughter, dance, joy, energy, heart and soul, you know that feeling that you can’t ignore. It also has a deep message in it! Hope you guys are ready!
X: This is your first participation in Melodifestivalen, what are your expectations for the competition?
P: I think all of us are just happy and blessed that we got the chance to spread the love and joy that we have to offer! Melodifestivalen is the biggest musical platform in Sweden production wise so we don’t expect anything less from what it is! We are really happy and honored. This is going to be fun!
X: You’re participating in a semifinal alongside Sanna Nielsen & Martin Stenmarck – are these your two biggest rivals in earning your place in Finalen?
P: There are so many great artists in this huge event. We think our biggest rivals are ourselves. We have some much to gain. We just want to put on a good performance for the audience and have that wonderful feeling afterwards when we say: “Can we do it again?” Then again it would be pretty cool to win!
X: Are you guys preparing an album for release during your appearance in Melodifestivalen?
P: Yes, it will be out in February! 23rd to be exact! We will personally send ESCxtra a copy so you guys can hear it!
X: Former French Eurovision participant Jessy Matador covered your single “Dansa pausa”, how did you guys feel about that?
P: We were happy about it! Its pretty crazy that he wanted to do a cover. But next time we want in on a feature! (LOL)
X: Have you got a message for your fans and our readers?
P: Of course! Livet blir, livet blir vad du gör det till! (Life becomes what you want it to be!) Spread love! Join our journey!!! We love you all, and we are looking forward to coming there!!!
escXtra.com would like to thank Panetoz for answering our questions. We would also like to wish them good luck in tomorrow’s semifinal of Melodifestivalen.
