The Hero Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Zelmerlöw is the representative of Sweden in the 60 th anniversary of Eurovision Song Contest that will be held in Vienna, Austria. The song that will represent Sweden called “Heroes.”
Måns Zelmerlöw masterminded one of the most memorable moments in the history of Swedish song contest Melodifestivalen with his performance of the uplifting Heroes. Obviously both the song and the vocals had to be strong – previous winners have included artists from ABBA to Loreen – but the visual spectacular took everyone by surprise.
An audience of millions watched as Måns sang the opening lines. But then the unexpected happened: a click of his fingers resulted in the apparition of a stick man with whom he interacted with for the rest of the track. What followed was a succession of stunning visuals as he donned virtual butterfly wings and spinned the world on its axis. No wonder it cruised into the competition’s final.
The process started when Måns collaborated with Bounce Streetdance Company founder Fredrik Rydman and illustrator David Nordström to work on a performance that was based on 3D mapping technology. The idea was that the stickman (named after his childhood nickname MP) would represent a young Måns, and he would play the role of his friend who helped him through the problems that he experienced. Måns then spent almost two months rehearsing to ensure that every carefully orchestrated movement was perfected.
Måns had competed in the event twice before, most recently in 2009. “I realised I wanted to try again,” he says. “Heroes is very modern, it has a really good message and it feels very international. I realised that we’d need to do a big show to accompany it. So I spoke to Fredrik and David, who are two of the most genius people I know.”
Heroes is a culmination of a long period of reinvention for the musician. Born in Lund, he grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Elton John, and embraced the freedom of playing guitar after growing bored of learning the piano. As he approached his teens, music became part of his identity: initially a bit of an outsider, that all changed when his gang noticed that older girls appreciated his vocal ability.
Enrolling in music school was the logical next step, but it didn’t work out as planned. “There were 200 people in my grade alone who were just as talented as I was, or maybe even more so,” he recalls. “I thought that what everyone had told me was true – it was a hard business and it was never going to work.”
At the age of nineteen, Måns didn’t have a plan for his future. His friend insisted that he audition for Idol, and his cover of Enrique Iglesias’s Hero won over the panel. “It was my first time in Stockholm, and it was so much fun to be able to go to the coolest clubs. I focused on that more than the competition, but I still came fifth despite often singing pretty badly.”
Afterwards, however, he was again lost. He repeatedly turned down offers to appear on Let’s Dance, and only relented after he discovered that it would be based on the format behind its American equivalent. Måns and his dance partner Maria Karlsson won the contest, and he was suddenly in demand: he took the lead role in Grease and soon earned a recording contract, at which point he started writing songs.
His solo career was launched with his first attempt to win Melodifestivalen in 2007. Although he finished third, his debut single Cara Mia topped the charts and was soon followed by his debut album Stand By For… After extensive touring and a break in which he joined the cast of Footloose, his second collection MZW was released in 2009, with Hope & Glory another near winner at Melodifestivalen.
“My first album was more in keeping with the style of Cara Mia, and my second was meant to be cooler and more adult,” he explains in regards to the growing maturity of his songwriting. “But both of them scream identity crisis! I wrote whatever I felt like and hoped that it all made sense.”
Måns then focused on his work as a TV presenter. As he admits, “I tried to be more of a celebrity than an artist, but that’s not me at all.” Music eventually called once more, probably because he wasn’t under any pressure to release anything. He headed to Spain with some friends to record his 2014 album Barcelona Sessions which reflected his appreciation of the likes of Coldplay and Bryan Adams.
“That’s an album that wasn’t very hit-orientated,” he begins with evident pride. “It was just about making music that we wanted to listen to, and writing lyrics that reflected my feelings and experiences over the years.”
It was a risk: some fans would always prefer the old Måns. “We want the cheery guy back,” he laughs, but ultimately it widened his audience. Now he also meets fans who are his own age or older. His tour in support of it delivered further rewards: “On my previous tours I’d be dancing my shoes off and they still didn’t seem impressed. But now when I stood there just singing and playing guitar, people were like, oh my god, he can sing.”
And yet that lurking desire to entertain returned, prompting him to recraft his approach. Heroes is an example of what he hopes to achieve with his next album which will be out later this year – a mix of the organic musicianship of the Barcelona sessions with the electronic influence of Heroes and a touch of the personality that helped him become so successful in the first place.
“I’ve always been a fan of both Melodifestivalen and Eurovision, Eurovision is like the Super Bowl of music.” And most important, it would allow him to fulfil his dream of touring Europe with his band. “That’s one goal…” he concludes, trailing off mid-thought. “Actually, that’s the only goal!”
And it’s a dream that’s a small step away from becoming reality.
We have the honour to host in our site one of the most impressive artists in Eurovision Song Contest 2015 Mr. Måns Zelmerlöw.
How do you feel about competing in Eurovision?
- It is totally a dream comes true and I am very much looking forward to coming to Vienna in May. I going to try to just have as much fun as possible and I am so proud to represent Sweden. To win Melodifestivalen was one big dream coming true and to enter the Eurovision is the next one.
How did you first get interested in music and which artists have influenced you?
- It started with me taking piano lessons, something my parents thought would be a good idea. I never really enjoyed it though. Then a friend started taking guitar lessons so I joined him and with that I started to sing. In high school I realized that singing was my thing and at that time I started to dream about becoming an artist. When I started going to a music college a friend of mine took me to the auditions of Swedish Idol and I ended up coming in fifth place.
Do you consider Idol your big breakthrough?
- Kind of. But it could have ended there as I was really lazy and didn’t have the drive to continue on that journey. After Idol I was ready to move back to my hometown of Lund to study. But then I was asked to participate in the first season of Let´s Dance (Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing With The Stars) and I won. And after that I was offered Cara Mia for Melodifestivalen 2007. So, Let´s Dance was possibly of even more importance to my career than Idol was in some ways. But of course I would never had been asked to be on Let´s Dance if it wasn´t for Idol.
What made you enter Melodifestivalen this year, and have you always wanted to come back?
- It has always been a dream of mine to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was six years since I participated with the single Hope & Glory and now it felt right both time-wise but especially with the song, which I felt was such a powerful song. It actually started out with me writing songs for Melodifestivalen for another artist and when I went to the record label for them to listen they ended up asking me to listen to Heroes. I was intrigued because it was a great song, somewhat reminiscent of what I did on Barcelona Sessions but still gave me the chance to be the kind of entertainer that I always wanted to be.
Do you consider yourself a Eurovision fan?
- Yes, I have always watched and loved the Eurovision Song Contest. When Loreen won I was out on town celebrating like crazy. So it´s going to be so amazing to represent Sweden this year.
What are your favourite songs from Eurovison?
- I have tons! I love Verka Serduchkas “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”. It’s an absolutely amazing song. I also love ballads like Yohannas “Is It True” and Pastora Solers “Quedate Conmigo”. And of course Inga & Asushs “Jan Jan” and Urban Symphonys “Rändajad”.
Which of Sweden's Eurovision songs have you liked the most?
- Loreens “Euphoria”, of course, and “Se på mig” with Jan Johansen from 1995.
I heard you were one of the first people who really believed in Loreen?
- I actually started my record label Mohito Records because of her. She sang on a lot of demos in our studio and me and my collegue Moh (Denebi) saw something huge in her. So we signed her, started to push for her to enter Melodifestivalen with the song “My Heart is Refusing Me” which eventually succeeded. And the year after that she won the entire Eurovison Song Contest with “Euphoria”.
What kind of music do you listen to and what influences you?
- I listen to all kinds of music, both for my own pleasure and of course for inspiration. Coldplay, Justin Timberlake and Swedish artist like Veronica Maggio, First Aid Kit and Melissa Horn are my favourites. My last album, Barcelona Sessions was in many ways inspired by Coldplay and John Mayer.
Did you immediately click with Heroes?
- I felt that it was a great song but I wasn’t sure if it would fit my voice immediately. I was still thinking about doing the kind of music that I did on the Barcelona Session album, more of a rock thing. But then people close to me reminded me how much I really love to perform up tempo songs and I felt that Heroes could really become something great.
How was it to work with Linnea & Joy Deb who wrote hits like “You” and “Busy Doing Nothing”?
- Great, they are geniuses. But actually, they didn´t consider me for Heroes at first. (Swedish artist and former Idol star) Jens Hult was the guy who sang on the demo and he did an amazing job. Then it was suggested that I should give it a try in the studio. It’s not an easy song to sing, but when I went to the studio, Joy Deb was really satisfied. I must also add that Anton Hård af Segerstad wrote Heroes with Joy and Linnea.
What does the drawn character in your performance mean to the story of the song?
- The song is about the fact that anyone can be a role model and a hero. And that’s what we’ve tried to illustrate on stage with the animated little character “MP”. I take him to my heart and that makes him stronger. The story is based on my own experience in middle school when I was shut out by some friends because of a bully in my class. I had to find a new friend, and when fall came, he luckily even entered my class. His companionship gave me strength to confront the boy who had been bullying me, which also gave me my old friends back again. The animated figure “MP” (stands for Måns Petter) represents a young version of myself, and I represent that new friend I made who helped me stand up for myself.
What changes on stage, either minor or major, can we expect for Vienna?
- The animated figure MP will get a makeover and perhaps a few new attributes. I’ll also have new backing vocals as support of the performance. Alexander Holmgren and Micke Blomqvist both performed with me in the Swedish Final, but now I’ve also added Brita Bergström, Jeanette Olsson and Linnea Deb, who is also a terrific songwriter.
How do you feel about being considered a favourite to win the Eurovision Song Contest?
- It’s always exciting to represent Sweden as one of the favourite contending countries. And it’s great to feel support for the song in itself. Having that said it will definitely be a tough competition. Personally I think Italy will be hard to beat, and Australia will be though as well. Guy Sebastian is a great artist and I think it’s great they’re represented by such a star. Azerbaijan also has a really nice song.
Will you do some promotion for Europe like attending events as 'Eurovision in Concert' or 'London Party'?
- I will visit both Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam and the London party. Apart from that we’re hoping to do some big TV-shows in a few other countries. Otherwise I’ll be spending as much time as possible recording new stuff and making sure my Eurovision performance is going to be great.
Will you release an album? If so, will it have a similar sound to your album 'Barcelona Sessions' or move more towards the sound of 'Heroes'?
- Yes, we are hoping to have an album ready for a spring release, hopefully close to Eurovision. It will be more in the style of Heroes. I’m currently working with the songwriters who wrote “Heroes” and a lot of other people too which is fun. A lot of doors opened to new collaborations when I won Melodifestivalen.
