The Road to Malmo: Latvia; Interview with Erik Anjou and Peter Svensson, composers of Dziesma 2013 entry, “Joey”

Erik Anjou has two songs he has written in Dziesma 2013: “Let The Night Belong To The Lovers” by Framest; and “Joey” by Martins Ruskis & 4 Veji.  “Joey” is co-written by Peter Svensson.   We talk to both of them.

ESC UNITED:  Hey guys!  Congratulations on making it to the next stage of Dziesma 2013.  Tell us a bit about yourselves and how you became songwriters.
PETER:  Thank you! Music has always been a big part of my life! It just felt natural to put all the melodies that get in my head to a piece of paper! 🙂 When I’m not writing music I’m a full time musician in a Swedish band called DATE! In Date, I handled guitars and lead vocals!
ERIK:  Thanks! My name is Erik Anjou, and I’m a Swedish musician and songwriter.  I have played in several bands since I was a teenager, and have always wanted to be involved in the songwriting in these bands.  When I got a bit older I realized that songwriting is very important to me, so I started to write songs without any plans to give them out to anyone.  After a while I realized that it would probably be a good idea to see if other bands and artists were interested in my songs!

ESC UNITED: How would describe your songs?
ERIK: I’m very lucky to have two songs in the semi-finals, and the songs are quite different from each other. The song “Joey” is kind of a feelgood-song, but still has some depth to the lyrics and the music.  The song “Let the night belong to the lovers” is more of a dramatic pop-ballad with very much focus on the vocals.
PETER:  “Joey” is a song about being strong!  The melodies are quite “happy” and I would also call it a “feel good song”

ESC UNITED: What led you to deciding to submitting the songs to Dziesma 2013?
PETER: When we wrote “Joey”, we thought that the arrangement sounded quite “east.”  And I love the music from Latvia, like Brainstorm.  They’ve been such a big band for me! 🙂
ERIK: Latvia has held a place in my heart since the day.  I heard “My star” by Brainstorm, and the fact that Latvia and Sweden are almost neighbors made the decision easy to participate.

ESC UNITED: So where were you when you found out your songs made it? What was the first thing you did?
PETER: Actually, I was sitting in my kitchen and drinking an espresso. I celebrated it with an ice hockey practice, and after that an ice-cold beer! :). 
ERIK: I was actually lying in the bed reading some books when my publisher called me and told me the news! Since I had no champagne at home, I celebrated with a glass of milk:)

ESC UNITED: Tell us about who’s performing the songs.
ERIK: We got help from MicRec to find the perfect artists/bands for the songs. The qualities you look for are of course a good voice, but also a good artist on the stage, who can deliver the song in an honest and good way, both musically and artfully.
PETER: After some views on the Internet to check Martins Ruskis and 4 veij out, we felt very happy with the choice of artists.

ESC UNITED: Now that we are a few days away from Dziesma 2013, how are you feeling?  How are you and your team preparing for your Semi-Final?
PETER: I’m actually quite nervous. Unfortunately, we can’t be there on Saturday, but if the song makes it to the final, I will catch a flight to Riga! 🙂 
ERIK: Yes, it’s starting to feel more and more exciting for each day now :), Unfortunately I’m not able to come to Latvia for the semi-finals, but I will cheer for the artists from Sweden. I will of course follow the event on TV.

ESC UNITED: What do you believe is the key to winning a song contest like Dziesma or Eurovision?
PETER: Hard question, you never know what the people like or want. A great live performance can lift a song, so I think much depends on that!
ERIK: The song, the artist and the performance must be a perfect fit.

ESC UNITED: Do you have any favorite Eurovision songs?|
ERIK: My Star – Brainstorm
PETER: Have to answer ABBA on that one!

ESC UNITED: What advice would you give to anyone interested in songwriting?
ERIK: Write, write and write! For every song you finish you´ll learn something new.
PETER: Keep on writing.  I believe lots of people throws lots of good songs in the basket. Finish every song. You don’t know what a hit is, the people know that!

ESC UNITED: Any closing thoughts you would you like to share with your fans?
ERIK: I’m looking forward to a great show and I hope you will like my songs!
PETER: Actually I played on a cruise with my band to Riga. Beautiful city, and i would love to visit Riga again to compete in the finals! Go Martins Rusiks and 4 vein! Go Joey!

ESC UNITED: Thank guys!  Best of luck this Saturday at Dziesma 2013.

Catch Erik and Peter’s songs at Dziesma 2013!  “Let The Night Belong To The Lovers” by Framest; and “Joey” by Martins Ruskis & 4 Veji will both be performed on February 9, 2013.