Sarah Dawn Finer is one of the finalists in Melodifestivalen on Saturday night. When Sarah entered the Melodifestivalen stage in the semi final in Gävle she was unknown to most Swedes. She was not expected to reach the final but went straight to the Globe arena with her power ballad �I remember love�.
It is only three days until the big evening here in Stockholm and the rehearsals have now started. Earlier today all the artists in the Melodifestivalen final met the press in the green-room in the Globe arena. It was a rather chaotic situation with lots of journalists and photographers trying to get a hold of the artists. In the middle of the media circus esctoday.com had the chance to speak with Sarah about her participation in Melodifestivalen.
Sarah, how do you feel about being here in the Globe arena for the final?
– I feels fantastic to be here! Actually, I don�t feel nervous at all. Not like in the semi final, where I was a bit nervous about this whole thing. Now I am where I a want to be and I´m just trying to enjoy every single moment of this experience.
Are you going to change anything in your number?
– The number was exactly the way I wanted it to be in the semi final. That means that I have no plans for changing anything. I might wear new clothes on Saturday, but that�s not decided yet. I liked my outfit in Gävle, though. Maybe I�ll do something different with my hair also. We�ll see about that on Saturday. I just don�t feel like changing something just because there need to be something new. It was perfect the way the song was presented in Gävle.
What is the worst thing that can happen on Saturday?
– The worst thing? Oh, I can�t think of anything, really. I guess it would be if I tripped and fell on stage during the show. No, wait a minute! The worst thing would be if there was some sort of technical problem with the show and nobody got to see my performance. That would be a complete nightmare.
Sarah, you have a cold right now. How will that affect your performance?
– Well, I have a cold and I am sick at the moment. I take medication to get well. I also drink a lot of water and tea and try to get as much sleep as I possibly can. It�s really not something that I prefer talk about. I will survive and I will definitely be on stage on Saturday. I have performed while I have had the flue and bronchitis and nothing can stop me this time either. I�ll be saving my voice during the rehearsals to be able to give 100% on Saturday evening. It�s not how I perform today or tomorrow that matters, it�s the show on Saturday that counts.
What will you think of when you enter the stage on Saturday?
– I have three minutes to give it my very best! I will be filled with adrenaline and I will just focus on singing directly from my heart.
This year there are as many as four ballads in the final. Do you think that affects your chance of winning?
– No, not at all. People have voted for our songs just because they like them, not because they are ballads. None would ask that question a couple of years ago when all songs in the final were traditional schlager songs.
Do you think that the Swedish audience will go for a ballad this year? Would a ballad do well in the Eurovision in Helsinki, you think?
– Why not? Good music is always good music. It doesn�t matter if it�s a heavy metal song like Lordi�s song last year or a beautiful ballad. I was really happy that Lordi won last year but I don�t think it affects my chances at all. Anna Vissi from Greece did quite well last year with a ballad, so do think ballads can win the Eurovision.
What do you think of your chances of winning Melodifestivalen?
– The most important thing for me is to stand there on stage during three minutes and just enjoy it. I will be singing from my heart and I want to feel proud of myself. Winning is not all that important. I am in the final and I am thrilled about that! Just to be here is a bonus for me!
Do you feel that you are competing against the other artists now in the final?
– No, definitely not. I am totally focused on my performance. I don�t feel any competition at all.
Can you tell us something about your song, I remember love?
– It�s a really emotional song that comes from my heart. It is based on the feeling I had when I fell in love for the first time. But my feelings about love are very private and are nothing I�d like to talk about, really.
What will happen after Melodifestivalen?
– I am working on an album at the moment. It will be a bit more of rock music and the kind of music I like personally.
What kind of music do you listen to?
– I like a lot of different kind of music, but it�s more of rock than schlager, if I put it like that.
Any favourite song?
– If I have to chose one favourite song it would be �Baby can I hold you� with Tracey Chapman. But there are, of course, so many to choose from.
Which one is your all-time favourite entry in Melodifestivalen?
– That would be �Stad i ljus� with Tommy Nilsson. It�s such a timeless song. It is as good today as it has always been. I think Tommy really set the standards for how important the singing is to make a good song.
Thank you, Sarah and good luck on Saturday!
– Thank you so very much!
