Emmelie de Forest won the 2013 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix last week with her entry Only Teardrops and thus will represent Denmark at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo.

We would like to introduce you to the 2013 Danish representative (courtesy of DR)

Emmelie De Forest

She is just 19 years old, but has quite an impressive story to her name already. On 14 May Emmelie de Forest will fly the Danish flag in the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.

Growing up in the town of Mariager in the North Denmark Region, Emmelie started singing professionally from an early age. Since she was 14, she has been touring all over Denmark with the Scottish musician Fraser Neill, performing both own songs and folk/blues-versions of hits from e.g. Nirvana and Johnny Cash. An important part of Emmelie’s stage performance has always been her footwear – or the lack of it.

– I have always preferred singing without wearing high heels or shoes. Being barefeet makes me feel closer to the ground, the earth and makes me feel more relaxed, Emmelie says.

Royal roots

Emmelie is very much down to earth, despite her family tree. She is the great-grandchild of none other than Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

– Her son, Edward VII, had many children outside marriage. One of them was my grandfather, whom he had with an Austrian princess of the Habsburg family. My grandmother descends from an old Swedish nobility, so thanks to that link, I have spent much of my childhood in Stockholm, where my brothers and sisters still live. I see Sweden as my second home, Emmelie explains.

Mesmerized the Danes

Now based in Copenhagen, Emmelie only has to cross Øresund to enter the stage at Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Only Teardrops’, which won an impressive victory in the Danish national final, gaining 50 percent of the televotes in the finale.

– As soon as I heard the song, I fell in love with it. It has a melancholic feeling to it, and it is about war and peace, both in a relationship and in the world as a whole. I believe these are issues that people all over the world can relate to, she says.

Dreams of doing an ‘Olsen Brothers’

The song is composed by well-known Danish singer-songwriter Julia Fabrin, musician Thomas Steengaard and the legendary ‘Melodi Grand Prix’-composer, Lise Cabble. The latter is the woman behind two of Denmark’s most successful Eurovision-entries ‘Fra Mols til Skagen’ (1995) and ‘New Tomorrow’ (2011), both placing fifth in the contest. However, Emmelie has even higher ambitions for Denmark this year.

– It has always been a dream to me to take part in Eurovision. I particularly remember when Olsen Brothers won in Stockholm in 2000 and how well they were received when they came back to Denmark, Emmelie smiles and adds:

– I want to follow in their footsteps and bring the Eurovision Song Contest back to Denmark!

 

Emmelie’s interview in English courtesy of DR.

Emmelie’s performance at DMGP 2013 After Party courtesy of DR