Spanish popstar Rebeca is determined to win Spain's ticket to the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. She has enlisted the help of Tony Sanchez-Ohlsson to write the lyrics of the song and Thomas G:son of Sweden, one of Melodifestivalen's most successful songwriters to write the music. Together, they hope to create the song to take Spain to a third Eurovision Song Contest victory. Today, esctoday.com spoke to the songwriters.
Popular Spanish singer Rebeca, is determined to represent Spain in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. The Spanish star, with a huge following in South America has been interested in representing Spain for several years but until recently felt that she did not have the right songs for the competition. She submitted a song in 2006 for TVE's internal selection, but the missed out to Las Ketchup, TVE's choice for Athens.
After TVE rejected her song, Que no daría yo, in 2006 during the internal selection, the singer has teamed up with Tony Sanchez-Ohlsson and Swedish song writer Thomas G:son to enter a song for Helsinki in 2007. The collaboration came about when Sanchez-Ohlsson, who lives in Spain, but has family in Sweden, contacted Thomas G:son to create a song that together with Rebeca, could take Spain to a long-awaited 3rd Eurovision Song Contest Victory.
Rebeca has been recording for 10 years. Her debut album, Rebeca, sold over 200,000 copies in Spain, South America and the USA, going double-platinum in Spain. Six further successful albums have followed: Rebelde (1997), Grease en Español (1998), Grandes Exitos (1999), Brava (2000), Supernatural (2002) and Lo Mejor De Rebeca (2005)
Tony Sanchez-Ohlsson talked to esctoday.com about Rebeca, saying:
"Rebeca is incredibly excited about the prospect of doing the Eurovision Song Contest. She considers herself to be brave, she knows it's a competition and you have to be brave to compete. She's been asked to participate in the past but has not entered because the songs that she had were not appropriate. Last year, she entered a song, but TVE chose Las Ketchup.
This year, she feels that she has a great song and she is 100% sure that it is a winning song. She has a great career in Spain and in South America and she does not think that the Eurovision Song Contest would jeopardise that. We've thought about entering in other countries, but she wants to show Europe that Spain has great artists and can win the Eurovision Song Contest again".
Talking about the Spanish final, Sanchez-Ohlsson said:
"We only just found out that there will be a national final in Spain. We don't know how it will work or whether there will be semi-finals yet. We don't even know when TVE will tell us if the song is accepted. Submissions will probably close in December with the final in February, but that is only what we assume".
Tony also spoke to us about the collaboration with Thomas G:son. He told us:
"I contacted Thomas because I have family in Sweden and I was brought up with Melodifestivalen. Thomas G:son has proved that he is one of the most versatile song-writers in the world. He can really see the personality and character of a singer and create a song to suit the artist".
Esctoday.com also spoke to Thomas G:son in Sweden today. He told us that he had been asked to work with Rebeca and Tony and had been excited to do so. Of the song, he told us "It's not typically Swedish, it's a cross between Spanish and Swedish. It's international with an Arabic flavour too".
Thomas is no stranger to competing either in Sweden or beyond his country's borders. He has so far entered three songs in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix, four entries in the Finnish finals, and last year he entered a song in Latvia's Eirodziesma. So far this year, he has two songs in Sweden's Melodifestivalen and is hoping to be represented with songs in the United Kingdom final as well as the Spanish show.
Click the play icon below to see Rebeca's performance of Que no daría yo, the song she submitted to TVE for the Spanish 2006 internal selection, at this summer's Madrid Pride party.
