EMD competed in Melodifestivalen back in 2009. Then D did it, twice. And then M did it. This year though, E is competing for the first time without the M or the D. Although he has still brought along some company with him in the form of Norwegian popstrel Tone Damli.
This weekend, the two of them will participate in the contest with the song ‘Hello Goodbye’, composed by Robin Fredriksson, Mattias Larsson, and Måns Zelmerlöw. At the Melodifestivalen press conference, we had a chat with Erik (on his own) about what to expect from the song, what to expect from him afterwards, and just what he’s been up to all this time since EMD.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Scandipop: Nice to see you here Erik! Melodifestivalen.
Erik: Yep!
Scandipop: You’ve done Melodifestivalen before of course, as part of EMD. But since EMD has gone on a break, you’ve been a little quiet. You put out a single last year, but other than that we’ve not heard much from Erik Segerstedt. What have you been up to?
Erik: I’ve just spent a lot of time preparing for this. Not necessarily Melodifestivalen, more my own comeback really. The thing is, I’ve never felt stressed about coming back. I always felt that when I come back, I’ll do it in a way that feels good and with something that I can really stand for. So now I’m just thrilled to be in this competition and to be able to launch my solo career once again, in this way.
Scandipop: I guess first time around on the scene, you were known as Erik from Idol. Then it was Erik from EMD. So now one would imagine you’re hoping to finally showcase Erik Segerstedt.
Erik: Yes, exactly. I mean, I’ve never felt bad about being part of a group. But I guess people do tend to forget. I’ve been a part of EMD for a long time. But I’m looking forward to people hearing my music now.
Scandipop: And speaking of this music – can you tell us what ‘Hello Goodbye’ sounds like?
Erik: The song is quite organic. It sounds pretty American, with maybe some country influences. Mid-tempo…guitar based track. Ha ha, I hate describing songs!
Scandipop: I’m guessing with those songwriters involved, it’s gonna be very melodic.
Erik: Oh yes of course, it’s all about the melody. All about the melody! And Måns Zelmerlöw who has been co-writing it, he’s very good at writing text I think. And ‘Hello Goodbye’ is quite an original song too I think. It’s not about “I love you” and “I want you” and stuff like that. It’s more about separation. And I like that, it’s not a cliched song.
Scandipop: So how did you and Tone Damli get together?
Erik: I saw her on a Scandinavian talk show called Skavlan last winter. I liked her song there, and I liked her singing, her music. I didn’t think of her much more then, but then this song came along – and I thought of her again! It was a bit of a long shot actually, I never thought she’d say yes. But I phoned her up and sent her the song, and she loved it. And so that’s where we are now. I’m very thrilled.
Scandipop: And after the duet and the contest, what can we expect from you then. You’ve been working on material for so long now, one would hope that there’s an album ready to go.
Erik: You know what, I’m actually kinda lazy! Call it what you want, but I haven’t written a hundred songs. I’ve been working on my music of course, but I haven’t stressed, ha ha. That’s not my thing. But of course I’m gonna release something. And my ambition is to go out on tour this summer.
Scandipop: And the sound of ‘Hello Goodbye’ – is this a good representation of the sound we can expect from you in the future, or are you gonna mix it up a lot?
Erik: I think we search our own style all the time. I don’t really wanna define my style, I just wanna keep going and doing what I like. Maybe it’s gonna be guitar based and country influenced, but I don’t wanna stick there. I wanna keep evolving.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
More of Erik (and Tone!) over at SVT’s Melodifestivalen website here.
