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Loreen is the undisputed queen of Eurovision. Back in May, she became the first female artist to win the iconic song contest for a second time when ‘Tattoo’ glided to victory in Liverpool. There is no secret formula for Eurovision glory – if there was, the UK would pay through the nose for it – but the Swedish artist delivered everything you need to stand out a dramatic banger of a song, properly show-stopping vocals and dazzlingly inventive staging that saw her emerge resplendently from a sort of giant panini press. She was the red hot favourite before the contest, and delivered on the night in front of 162m TV viewers.
Loreen previously won Eurovision in 2012 with the explosive banger ‘Euphoria’, which became a UK Top 3 hit, but admits she “took a while” to decide whether to enter again. “I’m a very purpose-driven person,” she tells NME when we meet at her record label’s London offices weeks later. “When it comes to me, it’s either full-on or nothing. And I knew when they asked me, that if I was going to do this again, it was going to be body, mind and soul. It was going to be [with a] complete focus and nothing else would exist.”
She isn’t exaggerating. Loreen reckons she delivered her ‘Tattoo’ performance around 20 times in total and says it was constantly being recalibrated for maximum impact. “I don’t know how many times I’ve bumped my head on the [panini press] roof,” she says with a laugh. “And if there was too much smoke – which happened [one time] in Stockholm – you couldn’t see me anymore. So we had to be so precise.”
In person, Loreen isn’t just purpose-driven, but also enormously warm, unselfconsciously spiritual and very funny – the epitome of good vibes in all senses. With ‘Tattoo’ enjoying an impressive post-Eurovision shelf life – it’s now spent nine weeks in the UK Top 40 – she’s looking forward to headline shows in Glasgow and London this November and says new music is coming soon. In a relaxed yet revealing interview, we also find out the origin of her signature term of endearment – a super-camp “darlin’” that the internet is obsessed with.
NME: What story were you trying to tell with your Eurovision performance?
“Well, it’s layered. There’s a lot of things going on, but the whole performance is very much inspired by nature. This is so interesting, because it came to me subconsciously. Like, I just knew that I wanted to create a staging that looked like nature, but I didn’t really understand why in the beginning. Now I understand why. Because if you look at my performance, it’s abstract but it’s like a translation of nature. There’s the sand, the mist, the air, the sky, the sunset – or the sunrise, call it whatever you like – but all the elements are there apart from water. But I was sweaty, so hey!”
Why do you think your energy aligns so well with Eurovision’s energy? It’s a very specific platform, there’s nothing else quite like it.
“That’s a really interesting question. Eurovision is a place [where] we gather around creativity and there’s a lot of joyful energy. People are included regardless of where they’re from. These are beautiful values: being included, being part of something, being accepted, being loved, joining around music, no wrongs or rights, freedom. No wonder it’s growing [in popularity]! But you know, these are all things that I love and stand for. So [for me] it’s basically like coming home, like coming into a family. I love this community and I feel it’s a very important community today.”
The internet is kind of obsessed with the way you say “dorlin’” – or “darling”. Is it something you picked up in Liverpool?
“I don’t know where it came from. It just did… naturally and organically. I don’t know, darlin‘, it’s just so much fun to say. I say it in Swedish, also, so it is a Swedish translation. I say ‘darling’ to everybody I meet because it’s just a way of showing love and connecting. Whenever you say ‘darling’, you see people smiling and laughing. If there’s any energy that’s stressful or nervous, it’s like ‘bah!’ And it’s gone.”
You’ve announced a big tour for November, including UK dates in London and Glasgow. What can we expect from the show?
“Well, you can expect everything that is me: heart, mind, soul, everything. We’re still working on the visuals and I don’t want to spoil it, but everybody that knows me knows that I love [things] a bit cinematic. I’m a visual person, and we’re working on a visual safe space of some sort. That’s what I call it: a safe space.”
Are you excited to put on a full show after doing the Eurovision pre-parties? Typically you only get to sing a couple of songs at those events, though they’re pretty intense.
“Yeah, I mean, intense is good. It’s a good type of intense, but the thing with these pre-parties [is] it’s like giving somebody a hug and then leaving, you know? [Whereas] you want to sit down and have a conversation and really connect. You know, I’ve longed for this tour for many years. This is what I’m supposed to do, so to have the chance to perform for you guys and connect for at least an hour, that’s pretty nice. I mean, I won’t need to do my meditation any more!”
Eurovision has obviously taken up so much of your energy this year, but have you had time to work on new music?
“Not during Eurovision – no no no, I can only do one thing at a time! But before that, and straight after, I’ve actually been working with some people here in London, darlin’. So it’s happening right now and there’s going to be a lot of new music before the end of the year. Hopefully! Let’s see what the universe has in store, but that’s my plan.”
Is the aim for it to become an album eventually, or could it be an EP?
“I am an album person – like, of course I want each and every song to have its own life. But I also want it to be part of a bigger project. It won’t be an album released this year, though, maybe next year. I like for each and every song to have its own visual world, but I do like the album [format]… does that answer your question, darlin’?”
Someone on Twitter said you’ve invented a genre called “spiritual pop”, which I thought was an interesting term. Do you like that description?
“You guys are so smart. I love that! I’m going to start saying that: ‘spiritual pop.’”
I’d never heard that expression before, and it came from a fan.
“It’s exactly what it is. Of course, I do spiritual pop. The dynamics in my songs – if you look at ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Tattoo’ – there is a spiritual thing going on there. You start with this small whispery thing, then you start building energy and being stronger and stronger, until you come to the chorus where it’s full-on power. This is spiritual in a way because it’s almost like watching a movie and getting to the place where you start crying and feel a release. And that release is so important. We get it from clubbing, dancing, music – and we need it, because otherwise [there’s] a lot of stagnation in the body. So there’s a purpose to why I use certain dynamics, because you can’t really just scream at somebody [from the start]. You have to really build up – almost like trust, in a way, until you come to the point of release. And [in that moment] it could be that you cry or feel happy or whatever. But it is a spiritual build-up.”
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