Michael Rune and Natascha Bessez: Look out for us at your hottest nightclub!

Michael Rune is a Danish saxophonist whose records have gone platinum. Natascha Bessez is a French-Chilean-American singer who works with some of the world’s biggest songwriters. Together they recently came second at Denmark’s Melodi Grand Prix with their floor stomper “Wanna Be Loved”. They may not be going to Eurovision, but their song is headed to clubs all across the continent. Wiwi recently caught up with the duo to hear about their unlikely partnership, Michael’s sax appeal, and Natascha’s adventures in Europe.

Michael, do you remember the first time you heard “Wanna Be Loved”? What made you want to take it on?

The first time I heard “Wanna Be Loved”, I instantly fell in love with the track. It was well produced and I felt the summer breeze and the warm sand washing over me, the only thing missing was a catchy sax riff and well…that’s my job. When I decided to perform “Wanna Be Loved” at DMGP I had a good feeling that it would do well amongst all the other songs, although I hadn’t even heard the other songs. I just knew that the saxophone riff would do the trick.

You have real sax appeal and we loved your moves on stage. Was it new for you to have to dance and move while playing?

Dancing is all new to me. When we had our first rehearsals, Birgitte Næss-Schmidt, who did all choreography for us, made these fun and catchy dancemoves for the saxpart. First I really had to practice hard on those moves and playing the sax at the same time, without tripping. But I really think it made the stage performance come alive.

Have you done pop collaborations previously, and can we expect more?

The first solo single I did was “Min Indre Stemme” (“My Inner Voice”), a collaboration with Nadia Gattas, which was a massive hit and gave me gold and platinum sale status in Denmark, so it’s kind of become my thing to collaborate with others. And yes, of course, I will keep producing hits in the future. Right now I’m working on my next single, which is sounding really good and yes, it’s a collaboration with a future star in the making.

What made Natascha the perfect vocalist to work with? Don’t be shy…

Natascha gave the track the perfect energy that it deserved. I loved her powerful voice from day one and would love to work with her again. Maybe next time we could do something in her hometown, New York. That would be awesome.

Natascha, you’re based in New York, but heard the song from one of the songwriters. Who or what encouraged you to then hop on a plane and have this Danish adventure? Had you heard of DMGP before?

It was all written in the stars for me! I heard the “Wanna Be Loved” demo over the summer and completely fell in love with the song! I begged the writer Lars Halvor Jensen to record it while I was in LA, but we were only able to do a part of it because I had to get back to NY for a show. Then a few months later I get a call from Lars telling me that the song was chosen as one of the 10 finalists for the DMGP and asking whether I would be interested in singing on it. I literally screamed out loud and got on the next plane to LA to record the final version. I already knew all about DMGP because Lars and I have been working together now for two years, and I follow all of his successes as he has had multiple songs in the finals before. Also, as a child I would watch the Eurovision Song Contest every year with my grandmother in France. It’s a family tradition!

You conveyed real passion and sensuality during the performance at DMGP. Were you thinking of anyone in particular while singing this number?

Maaaybe. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, and this song just allows me to exude my happiness. I have a real problem singing any song that I don’t believe in, and this song really represents where I am in my life right now, so I believe each and every word to the fullest. “Wanna be loved” for me is really a love song, and just about finding that person that completes you and wondering and hoping if that love will be forever. It’s about feeling like you’ve found your soulmate—and that involves love, passion and sensuality all together.

The Danes have clearly responded to you and your voice. Will we be seeing you in Europe again soon? Where else can our readers around the world see you and hear your music?

I am so blessed to have been able to share my voice with Denmark and couldn’t be more grateful for how they’ve responded. I will definitely be returning this spring and will hopefully be spending a lot of time in Europe this summer as well, so look out for Michael Rune and I at your hottest nightclub! We’ll be doing as many shows as we can, and we hope to collaborate on more songs together in the near future. To follow me on my journey, you can follow my social media outlets on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Everything is .com/NataschaBessez.

Do you have any new songs we should know about?

I just released a song with NY-based DJ Chachi on our first collaboration together called “Heart Is A Warrior”, which is my first co-writing project with Lars Halvor Jensen as well. We are releasing the video next month on Vevo, as it just made its debut on the billboard top 40 chart and reached #1 on the breakout hot dance chart. You can find my songs on iTunes and Beatport as well! I’m looking to release new singles in the near future, so make sure to stay connected and follow!

http://youtu.be/GIIazv9cUhU

Related Links

• VISIT: Michael’s official Facebook page
• VISIT: Natastcha’s official Facebook page 

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