Whilst we’re being busy bees and keeping our eyes on Switzerland’s online hunt for acts for its National Final, we thought it would be a good idea to get to know some of our faves better! So far we’ve spoken to Kitty Brucknell and now we’ve got two more chats with some of the acts we were loving in our run down of the early entries: Kevin Charm and Kate!
Kevin Charm – Wonderful (ft. Lion Tree)
Hi Kevin! First of all, would you tell our readers a little bit more about you and your song?
Hi! My name is Kevin and I’m a dance music producer from Australia. My music style is mostly catchy & high-energy – stuff you can dance to but also enjoy listening to at home. My influence comes mainly from Swedish artists I listen to such as Alesso, Avicii, Max Martin, etc. I used to play guitar in a pop-punk band and I also produce pop music on the side 🙂
I wrote ‘Wonderful’ with my buddies, Arie and Netta from Lion Tree, which we have entered into the Swiss ESC 2015 preselections! ‘Wonderful’ is my second collaboration with Lion Tree. We were pitching our songs to some labels and Arie suggested that we try for Eurovision. And I thought it would be a fun idea, so we got a lyric video for it and here we are!
How did your collaboration with Lion Tree come about then?
I met Lion Tree while working on a collaboration with my producer friend jjoo. We really hit it off and enjoy each other’s songwriting and production, so we decided to write another song!
On to the contest then – have you listened to any of the other songs entered to the pre-selection?
Yes, we’ve listened to quite a few of the entrants. Our fave is probably ‘Open Heart Surgery’ by Thierry Condor. It’s such a catchy, fun song, and you can’t resist clicking your fingers to it.
I think that’s been a pretty popular one with some of our readers too. In terms of Eurovision itself, do you have any favourites from the past contests?
Of course. My favourite would have to be from this year’s; ‘Something Better’ by the Finnish band Softengine. They were the true winners for me. From 2013 it was Eythor Ingi with ‘Ég Á Líf’ and from 2012 my favourite was Gréta Salóme & Jónsi with ‘Mundu Eftir Mér’, both from Iceland.
Now they’re some interesting choices and a bit different from the norm! Now, as you’ve already mentioned, you are Australian and the country finally got to “take part” at Eurovision this year, as part of the interval act. Would you ever want to see the country make an actual entry to the contest?
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the interval show. The thing before Jessica Mauboy went up to sing was absolutely cringeworthy. Jess Mauboy is a great singer but her song choice was terrible, as she struggled to hit all the low notes. I don’t think it’s a good idea for Australia to enter Eurovision, cause I don’t think we’d get many votes anyway – it’s not part of Europe after all!
That’s a fair point to make! Do you have a message you’d like to pass on to our readers?
If you liked our entry song, check out Lion Tree’s music at liontreemusic.com. They write awesome songs and have some cool videos on their YouTube channel. I hope you all enjoy watching all the preselections and hope you enjoy another great year of Eurovision!
Kate – When The Good Die Young
Hello Kate! Could you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Hi, I am Kate from Lucerne one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, where I was born and raised. I am a mother of two and work as a HR Assistant. Apart from singing I love going to dancing class together with my partner.
Very nice! What about “When The Good Die Young” – what are the inspirations behind that?
My song for the ESC pre-selection 2015 is very emotional. It’s a ballad about young people passing away too early and leaving beloved ones behind with their grief and unanswered questions. My style of music is rather melodic and pure and I like to deliver a variety of emotions. I hope I will touch a lot of people’s hearts with my song.
What made you apply for the Switzerland Eurovision selection? As you’re Swiss, do you think that your nationality might help you out more with the online voting too?
I applied for the Switzerland Eurovision selection because I love singing and would be proud to get the chance to represent Switzerland in Vienna. I am not sure about the voting, but I would hope so.
And as we have to ask – what about your favourites both from the pre-selection and Eurovision in general?
I like Thierry Condor’s voice and Kitty’s catchy song. I also enjoy a few other songs, which are very entertaining. My favourite Eurovision song is, of course, Celine Dion’s “Ne partez pas sans moi” and Stefan Raab’s “Wadde hadde dudde da”.
Thank you very much to both Kevin & Kate! If you want to hear more from either artist, here are some handy links – be sure to give them some likes, follows and love!
Kevin Charm – Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud
