ESC+Plus has talked to Johanna Beijbom, finalist of this year’s Danish national selection for Eurovision. Johanne will perform «A.S.A.P» in the final of DMGP 2017 set to take place on Saturday, February 25th.
ESC+Plus: Hello! First of all, thank you so much for your time and congratulations on having been selected to take part in the Danish national selection for Eurovision 2017!
Can you tell us about you, your musical career and important achievements?
Johanna Beijbom: My name is Johanna Beijbom, I´m 29 years old and live in Sweden. I´ve have been singing all my life and when I was 14 years old I started to work with the famous Eurovison songwriter Thomas G:son who wrote the ESC-winner 2012 Euphoria with Loreen. In 2007 I got the opportunity to be the backing vocalist for Malta in ESC. The biggest moment in my musical career this far was of course in 2012 when I went to Baku with Loreen as her backing vocalist in ESC. And as you know we won!
After that I was Georgia´s backing vocalist in ESC 2013. And 2015 I went to Vienna with Denmark as their backing vocalist in ESC.
With all this experience I got the question If I wanted to be in the Dansih Melodi Grand Prix as a solo artist. Of course I said yes because that has been my biggest dream since I saw Carola for the first time in the Swedish Melodifestivalen.
ESC+Plus: What impelled you to take part in DMGP 2017?
Johanna Beijbom: This has been my biggest dream since I was a little girl, so when I got the question I knew that this is what I wanted to do.
ESC+Plus: How did you feel when you knew you had qualified for the final? Did you expect it?
Johanna Beijbom: Because this is what I´ve been dreaming of for my whole life I couldn´t understand that this was going to happened. I was so shocked when I got the news, It was to big to take in. I´m so excited for this, and I can´t wait until I´m on the stage in Herning.
ESC+Plus: What would it mean to you to represent Denmark?
Johanna Beijbom: Eurovision is about building bridges between countries. Music is a world language and I would be very honoured to represent Denmark in ESC if I would win because the country is very close to my heart.
ESC+Plus: Can you tell us about your song? What is the story behind the lyrics?
Johanna Beijbom: The song is a up-tempo party song. It makes you happy, and I think it would get anybody up on the dance floor. The lyric is about love between two human beings, and the feeling you get when you yearn for someone.
ESC+Plus: Why do you think your song has to be selected for Kiev? What are you strengths to reach the top in the competition?
Johanna Beijbom: I think that my song makes people happy and I think that they can relate to the feeling in the song. I want to spread love and happiness to everyone out there with my energetic performance.
ESC+Plus: Have you thought about your stage performance?
Johanna Beijbom: What I want is to make people happy. There will be four fantastic dancers with me on the stage and I think that we will make people dance.
ESC+Plus: Do you usually watch Eurovision? What is your favorite song in the history of the competition?
Johanna Beijbom: I have never missed a Eurovision semifinal or final since I was a little girl. I love ABBA with Waterloo. And of course Euphoria has a special place in my heart.
ESC+Plus: If you could choose a Eurovision former participant to sing along with, who would it be?
Johanna Beijbom: ABBA, that would be amazing. Wow!
ESC+Plus: Finally, can you send a message for our readers and Eurovision fans?
Johanna Beijbom: I´m really looking forward to this, and I love Eurovision and Melodi Grand Prix as much as you do. This has been my biggest dream for my whole life and to share this moment with all the Eurovision fans would mean the world to me. I´m really grateful for this opportunity and I cross my fingers that I will meet you in Kiev.