Sonya Alden will be competing in the Swedish national final Meldodifestivalen for a second time in 2007. Earlier this year, she competed with the song Etymon in the second semi final and she narrowly missed out on a second chance place. Nevertheless, Sonya qualified for the final as the lyricist of The Poodles' song, Night of Passion which finished in fourth place. Sonya returns as both a singer and composer Swedish this time with a new style as she continues to prepare her debut album, due for release in 2007.
Hey Sonya, it's great to be talking to you again
“Hey there! It's great to be talking to you again, it's great to be back”.
Tell us about the christmas tour – Julgarlan 2006, NorlandTournia.
“Ah, we finished our final concert last night. There were 11 artists, and a big orchestra it was fantastic. I've been touring with Roger Pontare, Christer Sjögren, a big star in Sweden, Charlotte Pirelli, Pernilla, Semptember, Nordman, Marcolio (popular from kids shows)…. It's been great fun, and we all stay up at the hotels chatting after the shows, so I'm pretty tired. We were mainly in the north, although we played Gothenburg too. It's sad that it's over but I'm looking forward to some sleep!”
Where are you spending Christmas?
“With my family, south of Stockholm. My mother is so loving and caring, and she just wants to look after me and my brother and Sister. They both have families too, so it'll be really cozy. We'll eat a lot of good food and play some family games. I just hope that there will be some snow, we haven't had any yet. It's usually snowing by my birthday on the 20th, so I'm hoping”.
What are your birthday plans for Wednesday?
“I'm going out with some friends. I usually work on my birthday so I don't get to celebrate it. Next year I turn 30, so I'll do something special. This time I'm just going for dinner…”
And you're preparing for your debut album, how's it all going?
“Yes, we're thinking that we'll launch the album in April, that's the plan. I already have a few songs written by myself to be recorded. I'm going into the studio tomorrow, and I'll be recording all January and a little in February. I can't wait. There's not a lot of time when Melodifestivalen starts, so we need to be as ready as possible.
The first weekend in February is the start of the competition, and in the 2nd weekend, I will be in Gothemburg as a composer for the Svante Thuresson & Anne-Lie Rydé song, two of the biggest stars in Sweden. The week after that, I will be competing on stage with my song.”
Is your new album going to be all in Swedish?
“Yes, it will all be in Swedish! I will never stop singing in English, but this album should be in Swedish. It will include some new songs that I've written, and also some old ones that I wrote. They've been sitting in a drawer, but suddenly, I can give them life that they deserve. Suddenly, there is a whole new picture and it is great for me to look at.”
