Eurovision 2009: Final press conferences Day 2

by René Romkes 60 views

Romania was the first country to rehearse after lunch, which meant they were the first ones to face the press as well after FYR Macedonia. Then it was Waldo's People's turn, followed by Flor-de-Lis, Maltese Chiara and Regina from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Romania

Elena Gheorghe is considered to be one of the sexiest women in Eurovision 2009, which she thinks will help her to win the competition.She has already released three albums and her song Balkan Girls is the most aired song on Romanian radio stations. Although Elena does not speak English, the songwriter thought that English would help the audience to understand the meaning of the song. Elena’s father is a priest, her mother a folk singer and both of them have always been supporting her in her musical career. Now, they are more than proud to see their daughter taking the Eurovision stage. At the end of the press conference Elena gave a rendition of a typical Romanian folk song, supported by her dancers.

Finland

Waldo’s People lead singer Marko Reijonen made it very clear that they didn’t want to come up with a conventional dance show: "We really wanted to do something else, that’s why we chose for a dynamic show with real fire artists." The band was very satisfied with their first rehearsal and everything went well. Marko: "The projector shows images from our videoclip. We didn’t want the usual stuff with sexy girls, because we’re trying to tell a story. The female lead singer of the band, Reetta Kallio, revealed that she would definitely lose control if Finland would win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Portugal

The Portuguese representatives, Flor-de-Lis, started their press conference by singing a Russian song which was very well received by the press. Lead singer Daniela Varela explained the message they wanted to carry out with their song: "People should live in love and peace and they shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes in life." Flor-de-Lis is a very young band, although they consider themselves to be very experienced. Daniela: "We’ve been performing a lot and everywhere; from singing on the streets to singing in big music venues. However, taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest is beyond our imagination."

Malta

Maltese Eurovision diva Chiara received a very warm welcome by the press. "I’ve missed you so much: it’s great to be back", Chiara said. The Maltese singer expressed her hopes that What if we will bring the contest to Malta next year: "I really believe that What if we is the most powerful song out of all my Eurovision entries". One of the journalists asked her why she always performed alone. Chiara: "I’ve always performed like that. In that case I can keep everything under control and there’s only me to blame when I’m not satisfied. Besides that, I can always fully concentrate on myself while being on stage". Chiara also stated that Eurovision has become a big lottery these days: "I can only do the best I can. However, at the end there will be only one winner and it’s up to the televoters to decide who it’s going to be."

Bosnia& Herzegovina

Inspired by their first rehearsal, the performers from Bosnia and Herzegovina opened their press-conference by recounting the history of their song. Their band’s creative director Boris Milkovich has staged a story about a love revolution. When asked a cheeky question whether the red flags they use on stage are symbolic of their nostalgia for the Soviet times, they said that even though socialism is somewhat romantic, their song is about something else. "We use our song to draw a parallel between Moscow and Europe, between the present and the past," he added. Lead singer Davon spoke about of his homeland. Until recently, his native country was divided by war, but now, everything has changed. In his opinion, music had a role to play in this healing process, since music is an excellent start for unity. Davon believes that creating music is a sweet burden. Writing a song is not easy, but when it is time for performance, it becomes a great fun.