Ahead of his Melodifestivalen participation, Angus interviews LIAMOO, one of the seven acts competing in the second heat of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen. He is participating with the song “Bluffin”.
He says the song is is a danceable track with deep lyrics about not being able to express your emotions. LIAMOO talks about his previous Melodifestivalen entries, Spain’s 2012 Eurovision entry Quedate Conmigo, and how fatherhood has been for him.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Hi LIAMOO! How are you?
I’m great, how are you?
I’m great too, thanks! Many people will know you from your past Mello appearances, but how would you describe yourself to people new to you as an artist?
I’m a 24 year old guy from Gothenburg City in Sweden. I was on Swedish Idol 2016 and Melodifestivalen 2018 and 2019. In 2018 I rapped on the track “Last Breath,” and in 2019 I had a duet with Hanna Ferm called “Hold You”. And now I am back with a song called “Bluffin”!
And it is great to have you back at Melfest. Tell us a bit about your song.
It’s actually a metaphor with a message in it. When you hear the song you get this clubby, dance vibe with a little bit of darkness in it. But when you listen to the lyrics you can hear something deeper. I am singing about people who are afraid of speaking about how they feel. So they bury it deep down in themselves and put on a mask and just pretend to be happy. That is the message of Bluffin, and that is also the metaphor. The song is very energetic and you want to dance to it, but when you listen to the lyrics it is deep. I feel like I am singing for myself and the people who feel like that, who can relate to this. And I think it is something that is really important to talk about.
I agree, it is important to talk about, especially now I think. As you said, the song is both danceable and dark. How do you feel it compares to your previous Melodifestivalen entries?
This is the one I am the most proud of. I am really happy with the whole performance. I love the song, and I love my outfit. The first time was, well, my first time. I didn’t quite know the rules and how everything was going to go. And the second time I didn’t do it completely by myself. This time I feel like I can do and be me. And that is awesome.
For people that enjoy Bluffin and want to get to know your music better, what songs would you recommend?
Forever Young! I did a feature with a house producer called John de Sohn and we made a song called Forever Young. I’m really proud of that one. I would also say Dark, which is my own latest single. It is kind of in the same world as Bluffin. I am going to keep being on that lane music wise. So yeah, that is like a welcome to my future music!
Future music? Sounds like exciting times ahead! What can we expect from you, an album perhaps?
We don’t know, but we know that there is a lot of music coming. We made so many songs last year looking for a Mello entry. So we have a whole lot of stuff coming!
Sounds great! Speaking of looking for your Mello song, how did you end up with Bluffin, and what was your involvement with the songwriting?
Bluffin was written on a music camp in Skåne. There always are a lot songwriters, producers, and artists and we get together in small groups to work on songs. I was in the room next to the room where Bluffin was created. On the last day, we got to hear all the songs created during the camp. The moment I heard Bluffin I went: “I love this, this is so nice.” And the very next day they asked me to record vocals for it. And now we are here at Melodifestivalen!
You’ve recently become a father. How has fatherhood been for you so far?
It’s amazing! Best thing ever, I love every moment of being a father. My daughter is amazing. She is only 3 months old but she is already trying to make sounds and laughing and smiling all the time. I love it. I get a lot of face time calls so I can get energy from them. It’s so lovely. I love it.
Sounds like an amazing time. Melfest is huge, but it also is part of something even bigger: Eurovision. So with that in mind, I would like to know if you have any favourite Eurovision entries?
Euphoria and Heroes, but every artist from Sweden says that. It was a few years ago, I don’t remember what year, but it was Spain and it was a woman singing with such a powerful voice. She was doing these long high noted, alone on stage with a beautiful dress. Wait, let me grab my phone and look it up, I want to get this right. Pastora Soler, that’s it! With Quedate Conmigo. I remember watching that and when she did that high note… Shivers! I also like the last winners, from Italy. He has a great voice. He and the rest of the band don’t miss a single thing. And I also really liked Salvador Sobral. It was so artsy. He was talking about music. Really put in a statement for music when he won. And I loved that, because it is all about music because music is art. It is all about the art And I could tell he was a real musician in the way he did his number. He was just singing, not thinking of pretty poses or anything, just singing so good. So artsy and perfect.
Yeah, it is amazing to see a performer go up in a performance and just really feel the song. Before you go, is there anything you would want to say to people reading this interview, a message you want to send out to the world?
Thank you for reading this, and taking your time for it! I hope you check out Bluffin and hope you like it. And let’s watch the next Eurovision together!
The second round of Melodifestivalen will be held on February 12, with a round every Saturday after that. The final will be on March 12. LIAMOO is first in the running order. You can find the rest of the running order here and how the voting works this year here. The second round will be held in the Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
About LIAMOO
LIAMOO made his debut in Melodifestivalen in 2018 with his song “Last Breath”, which placed 6th. He competed once again in 2019, but with Hanna Ferm and the song “Hold You”, which placed 3rd. Both songs hit the top 10 in the Swedish charts. He also charted in 2016 with his song “Playing with Fire”, which peaked at number 6.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win six times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, and 2015).
In 2021, Sweden was represented by Tusse, who won the 60th edition of Melodifestivalen and competed with the song “Voices”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final and placed 14th with 109 points from the jury and televoters.
Would you like to see LIAMOO on the Eurovision stage? How do you think he will do at Melodifestivalen?As always, let us know what you think by getting in touch in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on our social media – we are on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Source: Daniel Stridh / VDanDesign
