Saulenė Chlevickaitė performed Strong in the third show of the 2016 Eurovizijos selection in Lithuania and qualified for the next round. Here Saulenė talks to esccovers.com.
1. Hello Saulenė. Congratulations on making it to the Eurovizijos 2016 shows. How did it feel when you were selected to participate in this competition?
Hi all! To participate in this competition was a really old dream of mine. I think there is always a time for certain things in your life, so I was just waiting for the right moment, feeling and of course SONG. Not going to hide, but at the moment I’m quite nervous at the same time this feeling is pleasing and positive.
2. Was there an audition process?
Toughest moment was preparation, picking the right song… I’m really happy that I had chance to perform this song and I’m really thankful for Aidan O’Connor and Fred Endresen who are the authors of the song.
3. What would it mean to you to represent Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden?
If I would get a chance to represent my country, it definitely would be an honour and a huge responsibility. I think Lithuania is going there step by step , our people are very supportive and of course still having discussions about that one day our moment will come! I would be very pleased to be part of it.
4. Can you tell us about your song ‘Strong’ and what it is about?
‘Song’ is about human strength, about this inner power which helps us to move all fears from our way so we can achieve the things we really are dreaming about. The most important message about LOVE, the one we all have inside of us as an energy, power which can even heal…
5. Can you tell us about your background in music? Have you recorded any other songs?
My relationship with music started from my very early days. Mostly I was all into jazz, I feel really comfy emotionally and can express myself quite easy with this genre, that’s what I love about it. Later on I started to explore much bigger audience so naturally came to the POP scene. One of my favourites which I also wrote by myself is ‘Nauja diena’ (New day), you can tell that the message behind it is really similar to ‘Strong’.
6. Who are your musical influences?
I grew up humming songs by Erykah Badu, Zapp Mama, Jamiroquai, Sade and many others. I adore them, because they are unique and genuine to what they do. We don’t have a big audience for underground artists, let’s say different kind of music styles. But my inspirations are from these kind of musicians. Talking about bigger scene I would need to mention Beyonce, for me she’s example of a perfect performer.
7. Have you participated in any music festivals either in Lithuania or abroad? If so can you tell us something about them?
Besides Lithuanian festivals I’ve attended Jazz music camp in Latvia, was an unbelievable experience and later on had the chance to be in “Saulkraste Jazz Festival” which was also in Latvia.
8. Do you watch the Eurovision Song Contest on tv, and do you have any favorite songs from over the years?
I always watch it and interested in this competition tendencies. From all winners so far I adore Loreen (Sweden ESC 2012), she’s really amazing! Last year I was captivated by Belgium singer Loic Nottet – ‘Rhythm Inside’ and also Latvia’s singer Aminata, I think both performances were strong.
Thank you Saulenė – good luck at Eurovizijos.
Source: www.esccovers.com
