She’s the musical artist who gave Sweden its fifth Eurovision win in 2012. But Loreen has shown yet another side to her with a recent cover of Jefferson Airplane’s psychedelic rock classic, “White Rabbit”.
The performance was recorded for the SVT series Ebbots Ark. The series follows Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Ebbot Lundberg as he sails around the Gothenburg archipelago on the T/S Westkust. In each destination, he meets guest artists who perform cover versions of classic songs.
Earlier in the month, it was all aboard for Loreen. She delivered a faithful version of Jefferson Airplane’s iconic song but brought her own mumblecore aesthetic and a modern electronic sound.
Loreen performed the song with a band dressed as 1960s seamen. Show host Ebbot Lundberg joined in on backing vocals, while fellow guest (and two-time Swedish Eurovision representative) Tommy Körberg watched from a fancy sofa.
He had his turn later, with a cover of another ’60s rock classic, Cream’s “White Room”.
This is not Loreen’s first excursion into psychedelia. In 2015 she revealed her previous experiences taking the Mexican psychedelic drug ayahuasca, in a ceremony guided by a priest. At the time, Loreen said, “It meant a lot to me, because I could see myself from outside.”
Ola Salo channels his inner Madonna
The following week, it was the turn of 2007 Swedish Eurovision star Ola Salo. As the former frontman of glam rock band The Ark, he got on board Ebbot’s Ark and performed a cover of Madonna’s 1989 pop classic “Like a Prayer”.
The seemed like a natural match for Ola Salo, whose own compositions often contain religious lyrics, and who wrote the Swedish translation of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Ola gave a spirited performance and brought a touch of glam rock showmanship to the sleeping quarters of the T/S Westkust. The show was enjoyed by Ola’s bunkmates, host Ebbot Lundberg and the pop duo Rebecca & Fiona.
One of the most musical interpretations of that song, for sure.
Amazing. Queen of everything