The second semi-final of Eesti Laul 2016 will take place this weekend. One of acts hoping to clear the hurdle is Go Away Bird with the song “Sally”. wiwiblogger Luis sat down for a chat with the Estonian stars and spoke about their history, their song and what they hope to achieve by mixing trip-rock, post-punk, and dream pop…
Where did the name “Go Away Bird” come from? Is there any story behind it?
Stanislav (Stas) moved to Estonia from Moscow, Dirk came from the USA, and Hanna already lived here in Tallinn. Go Away Bird is kind of punky and the name suits us in many ways.
Hanna, you’re an established actress and a rocker. Stanislav, you’ve worked with Ott Lepland. Can you tell us a bit more about careers before you created Go Away Bird?
Stas has translated many Estonian songs into Russian, English, and Spanish. He is a big fan of languages and has done different translating for Estonian authors. Hanna has done many things, from bartending, studying art at university, to playing bass guitar in church or acting in an Estonian youth series, but music has always been very important to her.
“Sally” is one of the most alternative choices at Eesti Laul this year. Is it your first song together?
It’s the first song we’ve released as Go Away Bird. We have more songs that we can’t wait to share, but that’ll come after Eurovision.
Can you tell us a bit more about the lyrics?
Stas first wrote those lyrics almost as a joke and sent them to Hanna, who was inspired right away and told Stas that she knew exactly what the song was about. And I guess Hanna has some kind of special connection with strawberry juice, who knows.
Was composing the song an easy job or did it take a lot of time?
“Sally” was super fun to compose! It all came together very fast and naturally, and we all enjoyed the process very much.
You’ve described your sound as “a combination of trip-rock, post-punk, dream pop, and a 90s indie cocktail with a small western touch”. How does that fit inside a mainly mainstream pop contest? Do you consider your song a risky bet?
It’s not a bet if you are sure that you are doing the thing you love to do. We just enjoy the music that we make, and I think that matters more.
The video from your song is really original. Where did the idea come from?
We just wanted to make a photo shoot while recording, and since the photos didn’t suck it ended up as a video. It was a surprise to us as well.
In the description of the video you s
ay “An Estonian, an American and a Russian walk into a bar…” How do they walk onto an Eesti Laul stage? What can we expect from your performance?
It won’t be a clown show but there are some funny and conceptual elements. It won’t be boring!
This year Eesti Laul will take place inside Saku Suurhall, the venue that hosted Eurovision 2002. It can host more than 5,000 people. Does that add any pressure?
Of course, but the pressure is positive!
Finally, do you have a message for your fans at wiwibloggs.com?
If you want to hear something that makes you feel like you’re travelling to your favourite place, then we have the right music for you!
Love this band!