Stockholm 2016

Interview: Rafaela Truda about her three countries

It’s UMK’s second semifinal tongiht and we had a chat with Rafaela Truda. One of the youngest competitors, she will be hoping to bring her uptempo Rise Up all the way to Stockholm. Check what she had to say below!
escXtra.com: Who has influenced you as an artist?
Rafaela: There are so many of them, but mostly Beyonce, Shakira and Rihanna.
X: Would you consider representing FYR Macedonia in the future, considering you were born there or do you feel more comfortable representing the country you grew up in?
R: Maybe in the future, but since I have been living in Finland my entire life it definitely feels more comfortable to represent Finland.
X: Could you tell us about your life in Norway? What did you do there and when?
R: Norway is amazing, but I was only there to work, so I put all of my time in that. I was working as a beauty therapist in a spa hotel near the sea. And I have been a half year there now.
X: What inspired your entry Rise Up?
R: I wanted a song that makes you dance, with a catchy melody that is mixed with different “styles”. Like tropical house, pop with rap and a catchy saxophone. And I also wanted inspiring lyrics that bring us all together.
X: Are we going to see a staging similar to the music video?
R: Not really, It will be a bit more dancing.
X: The intro of Rise Up can remind people of the beginning of Ariana Grande’s Problem. Do you think that is a “problem” for you?
R: Haha no, I got 99 problems but that won’t be one!
X: What do you think of your competitors in the semifinal? Who are your favourites?
R: I think It will be super hard for a new artist like me. We got Mikael Saari and Kimmo Blom that has been in UMK before and then the amazing Cristal Snow that is famous too.
X: Why do you think you should win UMK?
R: I believe I can give Finland something new and that “little extra”. And also show people that we are all together, doesn’t matter where we are from.
X: Have you ever been to Stockholm? How do you imagine your Eurovision adventure?
R: Yes, when I was little. Right now I am only imagining that I will make it to the UMK final…
X: What are your future music plans?
R: To make more songs and different styles, and hopefully I will have an album soon.

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