Yes, we’re just in time for one more interview. We spoke to one of the most alternative and quirky artists in tonight’s German national final: Laing! Read what they had to say below!
escXtra.com: Hey girls! First of all, congrats on being in Unser Song für Österreich!
Laing: Thank you, we’re very happy about it!
X: Could you tell us something about yourselves?
L: We are a Berlin- based group of 3 singers and one dancer, plus a live- drummer on stage who also triggers our minimalistic, electronic Beats. We’ve been performing together for a while now and we love the stage to create our own shows. Our music is best described as pop, mixing up different elements from disco, Jazz, R&B, HipHop or Electronic music with german lyrics. The lyrics play an important role for our songs, for everything, the music, the singing, the dancing follows the story they tell.
X: Your music is described as ‘Electric Ladysound’. Could you tell us more about that?
L: It was originally a Journalist describing our music as “Electric Ladysound”. We have often been told that the beats we’re singing to do sound electronic, but with some kind of feminine touch to it. It’s still not so common for women to produce their own electronic music, so that’s what he probably wanted to express by saying not just “Electric” but “Ladysound”.
X: Why did you decide to enter Unser Song für Österreich?
L: We liked the idea of showing our Songs and Performances to a broader public. We love big stages!
X: What can you tell us about the songs you’re going to sing in the show?
L: It’s two of our favorite songs of our new album. The first, “Zeig deine Muskeln” ( which means “Show your muscles”) is a song with a wink about gyms and why people go there. Everybody knows the game: people working out tend to check who’s checking on them. Flirting is one of the main sports at the gym even though everybody tries to look busy with real sport. Our song takes the perspective of a girl watching a guy doing his gym- routine. She follows every single of his steps and imagines he’s doing it all for her. So she sees him ride a bike for her, lift more weight for her, strike a pose for her, etc.. She demands him to try harder and harder. All the work he does shows in his muscles and she’s crazy about them. “Carry me home with your Musculus Maximus” she begs..
The second song, “Wechselt die Beleuchtung” is much darker and more serious. The songs name means “The light changes” and deals with the strange phenomenon that different lighting does change the way we see and feel things. The first lines are “You know, what’s funny? I see you in a different light every day. You know what’s funny? Sometimes i’m in love with you and sometimes… the light changes..” The whole song is about these sometimes sudden changes, that are warm and welcoming at one moment and cold and disconcerting at the next.
X: You normally sing in German. Will you also do that when you win USfÖ and go to Eurovision?
L: Sure!
X: What’s going to be your special ingredient to win USfÖ?
L: Our show!
X: What’s your favourite place in Germany?
L: Our hometown Berlin!
X: Are you Eurovision fans?
L: To be honest, we all haven’t been involved very much with Eurovision so far. Which isn’t because we don’t like it, we just never got in touch with it really. We’re very excited to explore the ESC- Universe, we had no idea it was that big!
X: Do you have an all time favourite Eurovision song?
L: I think, an absolute Eurovision- Classic is “Waterloo” by ABBA. It’s just amazing how it all started for them with that song at the Eurovision in 1974!
X: Finally, do you have a message for the readers of escXtra.com?
L: Check out our performance at USfÖ, we really hope you’ll like it!!
escXtra.com would like to thank Laing for their time and we’d like to wish them the best of luck in tonight’s Unser Song für Österreich! Watch their second song, Wechselt Die Beleuchtung, below!
65