Few days ago, LTV has revealed it’s artists and songs for this year’s competition. With only few days away from the First Heat which is scheduled for the 5th February. Ultimately 4 songs will chosen to the final which is scheduled for the 26th February. The group Franco Franco are one of the artists whom are selected and today they found some time to chat with us about their upcoming participation in Supernova.
Hello Franco Franco
First of all thank you for your time talking to us. How are you ? Can you introduce yourselves ? What can you tell us about yourself?
Hello, ESC United! This is “Franco Franco” we are a four-piece indie-pop band from Latvia. Very excited to test our strengths in “Supernova 2017” and see you in Eurovision – very UP-beat at the moment! ☺
Your song that you will be presenting for Supernova is “Up”. What can you tell us about the song?
Our song “Up” is the second single from our recently released EP “Moon + Light”. If you like “Up”, then we definitely suggest listening to the whole album.
What was the inspiration for the song, and did you write it specifically for the national final in Latvia and Eurovision?
Some have asked us if the inspiration for the song is the animation movie “Up”. It could be – unconsciously. ☺ However, the true story behind this song is our own life experience.
We’ve tested it for ourselves that whatever happens – it happens for a good reason. It might sound cheesy, but it is true. Whatever happens, it will form your personality and take you further and onto the next stage of your life. So don’t worry if things don’t go as planned at first, it will pass, and you will only go up.
While working on our EP, we sometimes caught ourselves thinking that this is a catchy tune and would stand out among other melodies in Eurovision. So here we are – among the 22 finalists in Supernova!
What is your impression of the Eurovision Song Contest in general? Do you watch it every year? What is your favourite entry?
As it happens, Franco Franco’s birthday is on May 18th. So there was a year when it was a birthday & “let’s watch Eurovision” party. If we remember correctly, it was the year when Azerbaijan won.
Eurovision has developed into a grand show, and we are very proud of Latvia’s participants Aminata and Justs that did such a great job in the previous years!
Apart from the Eurovision Song Contest , where would you dream to do a performance?
We would love to do a performance at Glastonbury Festival, and in a few years we definitely wouldn’t mind doing a small show at Wembley Stadium. And of course each and every person chanting along to our songs! Yes, we know – we’re aiming high, however, dreaming big is the ladder to reach your goals. ☺
Whom is your personal musical stars that follow a lot and why?
Our music is a mix of each individual personality, and since we are four – there are many inspirations!
Elizabeth (lead vocal) really loves a lot of stuff, however, one of the biggest inspirations is Florence Welch.
Kristine (keyboards) loves Sigur Ros and Ellie Goulding.
Reinis (guitar) is fond of James Blake and Martins (drums) likes Michael Jackson and David Bowie. All of these artists have something unique in their sound and stage presence. A true inspiration for us to keep polishing that special something in our music.
What is your biggest success so far for you?
Definitely the release of our second EP “Moon Light”! Just last week “Moon Light” received a nomination as Latvia’s best alternative and indie-pop records. So happy!
What’s the one thing that might surprise people about you?
It may be interesting and a bit surprising to find out about our day jobs. If you’d like to know anything about good coffee then Elizabeth is our go-to person – she has the best barista skills! Our drummer Martins is a drive-time radio host in a local Latvian radio station. Kristine (keyboards) is a TV news-anchor and hosts her own lifestyle TV-show. Reinis is a talented sound engineer. He has worked with many Latvian artists – including some competing in Supernova. Can you guess who?
Where do we find you on a Sunday Afternoon?
After a hard week’s work Sunday is the day to relax, of course! However, it is often the perfect day for our rehearsals. So why not combine the two? Actually, we are a band that enjoys to chat away, so our rehearsals are quite “chillaxing”.
You can listen to Franco Franco’s entry “Up” on this link below :-
