2010 saw the debut of Linda Pritchard in Melodifestivalen, and already 2011 sees her return. This time though, we get the impression she’s going to have a proper chance to shine. The most impressive thing about Linda is those vocals of hers – and what better way to showcase them than with a big ballad, which is what she’ll be performing in Heat 4 in Malmö at the end of next month. ‘Alive’ is the ballad, and it’s a Fredrik Kempe and Oscar Görres one at that, so we’re expecting big things from it, and from the lady herself.
Last year, Linda stalled in her heat, coming 5th with ‘You’re Making Me Hot-Hot-Hot’. She gave a memorable performance though, and we suspected that it wouldn’t be the last time we saw her compete. After the contest we got the vastly superior single, ‘Miracle’, and with her forthcoming participation with ‘Alive’, we wanted to know if we’d be getting an album from her anytime soon. We also wanted to know more about ‘Alive’, what she had planned for its performance, and what she thought of her debut experience. So when we met her at the Melodifestivalen press conference last month, when her participation was announced, we asked her all of that!
And here’s what she said;
scandipop: Linda!!!
Linda: Yaaaayyy!!!
scandipop: Welcome back to Melodifestivalen.
Linda: Thank you!
scandipop: We weren’t expecting to have you back so soon. We thought you might wait a while and then do this big comeback in a few years saying ‘’I’m back again, it’s ME’’.
Linda: Yeah I know, but it’s great.
scandipop: Well it’s very nice to have you back of course.
Linda: Thank you so much.
scandipop: I think it’s fair to say that in 2010, a lot of people enjoyed your participation, enjoyed your performance, and were impressed by your vocals……and thus thought that you did the absolute best you could, with a song which perhaps wasn’t so strong. Have you had that feedback from people? Were you aware of that?
Linda: I have had people say that to me yes, I have heard it. But at the same time, I still really did love that song. I think the writers are very talented, and when I heard it I really liked it. But yes, I was aware of that feeling amongst others and I have had people say it to me. Which I take as a compliment I guess, because they are complimenting my voice. But I still really liked the song.
scandipop: This year, would you say that the song is a lot stronger, and a good showcase for those vocals of yours?
Linda: Yes, it’s a lot stronger actually, it’s very strong. It’s a ballad. A very very power ballad, with a lot of emotions and vulnerability.
scandipop: I can imagine your vocals lending themselves very well to a ballad.
Linda: Yeah, exactly.
scandipop: ‘Cos that live key change during your performance of ‘You’re Making Me Hot’ was quite mind blowing!
Linda: Yeah, you think so?! Ha ha.
scandipop: And how was your experience of debuting in Melodifestivalen in 2010? Was it a lot of fun, or were you consumed with nerves the whole time?
Linda: I was quite nervous, yeah. And I think that the good thing about 2011 being my second time, is that now I can relax a bit more, and this time I can be less stressed. The first time, I was listening to what everyone had to say, and everyone does have a thousand opinions, like about everything! And I always wanted to please everyone, so I’d be like ‘’ok, I’ll do that’’, and ‘’ok I’ll do that’’, and ‘’ok I’ll do that’’! And that just stressed me out in the end. So I’ve learned so much from the first time. So now the second time I’m gonna be more relaxed. I hope! Maybe I won’t be, ha ha! But that’s basically what I’ve learned from last time anyway.
scandipop: I imagine you’ll enjoy it more this time, most artists say that they do enjoy it more the second time round.
Linda: Yeah I hope so. Just relax and enjoy the ride.
scandipop: Cool. Well we had two singles from you last year, including your second single ‘Miracle’, and now we’re gonna have another single from you in March obviously, in ‘Alive’. So can we expect an album from you right after that perhaps?
Linda: Yeah I think we’re gonna release the album in Spring. Because we have it ready basically, so it’s just when the timing is right.
scandipop: And what kind of sound is it gonna have?
Linda: It’s gonna be a mix. We have a few ballads and then we have songs like ‘Miracle’, and some mid-tempo ones too. We call it a pop album with an urban mix. It’s got an international sound to it. So it’s not gonna sound typically Swedish.
scandipop: And finally I’d just like to ask you about the performance of ‘Alive’, really. With it being a ballad, will the performance be classical with lots of lights and you standing there in a really nice dress?
Linda: I don’t know actually, we’re having meetings about it. I thought about it and yes, the classical visuals are that you have a really nice dress and you stand there. And maybe I will do that. But I’m thinking that maybe I do want to add a twist to it, something else. We’ll see, we’ll see. Because I like twists! I don’t like when it’s too typical.
scandipop: You like to surprise.
Linda: Yes, I do, I do. But then I don’t want it to take away from the song. From the moment of the song. It’s a thin line, so we’ll see!
scandipop: Well best of luck Linda, and we look forward to hearing it!
Linda: Thank you very much.
You can read Linda’s artist presentation (in Swedish) at the SVT website here, in which she reveals that her favourite pop song of all time is ‘Larger Than Life’ by Backstreet Boys. AMAZING! We like her even more now!
