The United Kingdom revealed the six acts taking part in Eurovision: You Decide yesterday. We had the opportunity to have a chat with one of their hopefuls. He’ll bring Miracle to the stage and we’re quite curious where the Swedish sounding bit of his name comes from: Karl William Lund. Check out what he had to say below!
escXtra.com: Hey Karl! First of all, congrats on being part of Eurovision: You Decide. How does it feel to be competing?
Karl William Lund: It has been an absolutely surreal 24 hours and my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing with messages of support and kind words. This is a massive platform for me and I am so honoured to be competing along five credible acts who all have great songs.
X: Why do you want to go to Eurovision?
K: Because it is quite possibly the biggest event on the music calendar and a worldwide spectacle! Daunting but an absolute privilege!
X: Your song Miracle has quite a personal touch to it. Could you tell us more about the story?
K: Lyrically, it was about 90% complete in 2012 and I just never got round to finishing it despite friends and family asking me about it. I always believed in the song but something told me that it just wasn’t the right time and I had just let it breathe and come back to it.
I was in the middle of recording what would have been a full length 11-track album ‘Oracle’. A family member of mine was going through a serious cancer treatment and as I was observing his journey and seeing him try to stay positive for his family, Miracle naturally came back into my consciousness and I knew that he was the missing link. So I called up my producer Ben and booked in some session with him, we finished Miracle along with new tracks Must See The Mersey, which is about my Liverpool roots and another track called Sleep.
As soon as I heard about the Eurovision opportunity, I very quickly scanned my catalogue of songs in my head and I knew it was time for Miracle to step into the limelight. Needless to say, I was so overwhelmed and grateful to find out it had been selected as the final six for the UK.
X: What’s your favourite current pop tune?
K: I’m listening to lots of stuff at the moment.
Troye Sivan’s new album
Loving ‘Alive and Bird Set Free by Sia
Make Me Like You by Gwen Stefani
Beautiful Lies by Birdy
I Need You by Angel Snow
X: Your name has a bit of a Swedish sound. Is it a coincidence that you’re entering in the year the contest is taking place in Sweden? Do you have relatives in Sweden?
K: It’s actually Danish as far as I’m aware. I don’t have close relatives over there. Sweden and Denmark are on my list of places to visit and I hope this year I’ll be able to visit both!!
X: You also do modelling. What do you prefer to do, singing or modelling?
K: I never aimed or aspired to do modelling but after studying drama and appearing in music videos, I obviously felt comfortable in front of the camera and more work started to seep through. I love it though, I’ve done a lot of varied stuff over the years. One day I was doing a high-fashion shoot with Polish knit-wear brand La Wool. Great clothes, lighting and make-up. Next day I was doing an iron deficiency campaign for a pharmaceutical company and was made up to look pale, tired and ill! It’s always different and I love it. However, music is my first passion and always will be.
X: If you have any time left for hobbies, what’s the thing you’d like to do most of all?
K: I LOVE food and really enjoy cooking. It’s my way of relaxing and I love trying out new recipes with interesting ingredients. I adore good coffee too so one of my dreams is to open my own coffee house followed by a restaurant. I also enjoy meditation as its my way of escaping the craziness of social media and its a great way to find inspiration for my songs.
X: Could you tell us about your best friend?
K: I have a few of really close friends who I consider best friends but I would like to mention Zoe and Sam. My sisters from another mister! Two of the most beautiful people I know. They came to visit me when I lived in Greece in 2012 and that was where I played them the very first version of Miracle. The key and arrangement of the track has changed slightly over the years but the heart of it has remained the same. They have heard every version since that first recording so they have truly been on that journey with me. They would say to me “What happened to Miracle? You need to get that track out there” lovingly nudging me to carry on working on my craft. I honestly don’t know where I would be without their love and support. Also, I don’t think there’s anyone else I’ve laughed harder with. I moved from Liverpool to London eighteen months ago to pursue my creative career but by doing so had to make the heartbreaking decision to be away from my family and friends. However, the bond I have with them is unbreakable. Our memories and love will last a lifetime and I am so grateful to have them in my life. They are my Miracle.
We would like to thank Karl William Lund for his time and we’d like to wish him the best of luck in Friday’s national final, Eurovision: You Decide. Check out his song here:
