She’s the Topeka-born star who gave the U.K. it’s last win at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1997.
And, as it turns out, Katrina Leskanich — the Katrina from Katrina & The Waves — had a song shortlisted for the U.K. ahead of Eurovision 2020.
On August 30, while discussing her new album Hearts, Loves and Babys, she tweeted: “My second single, I WANT TO LOVE AGAIN was shortlisted for #Eurovision 2020.”
She later clarified that it was shortlisted for the United Kingdom, the country which welcomed her family in 1976.
U.K. of course Darling!!!! https://t.co/wLXMlGuqoh
— Katrina from Katrina & The Waves (@KatrinasWeb) August 30, 2020
“I Want to Love Again” — Katrina
Katrina wrote the song for her close friend Samantha Fox, after the singer lost her partner to cancer back in 2015.
In a press release, Katrina said: “Samantha Fox asked me to write something for her so when her partner died I could see she felt lonely and wanted to find someone, she wanted to love again.”
The pain of that experience — but also the hope of wanting to live and love once more — come through in the lyrics: “Someone to love / Someone to touch/ Someone to hold me / I miss it so much / I’m ready to love again.”
Despite her song being short-listed, Katrina isn’t clamouring for an invite from the BBC.
When asked by a user if she’d ever enter Eurovision again with another song, Katrina demurred: “Probably not. Give space for others.”
Jesus, with all the talent we’ve got to give in the U K it beggars belief we can’t produce a winner. Let’s stop embarrassing ourselves already. #eurovision https://t.co/emLvg9MaD8
— Katrina from Katrina & The Waves (@KatrinasWeb) August 30, 2020
Katrina, whose love of the contest remains firmly in tact all these years later, seems somewhat bewildered and deeply disappointed by the U.K.’s poor results over the past decade.
“Jesus, with all the talent we’ve got to give in the U K it beggars believe we can’t produce a winner,” she wrote on Twitter. “Let’s stop embarrassing ourselves already.”
Do you think that Katrina’s number would have fared well at the contest? Do you prefer it to James Newman’s “My Last Breath”? Let us know in the comments box down below!
I think “my last breath” would have ranked better than this song.
In retrospect “my last breath” would have been a cruel song considered both Corona and the man in the US who said just before he died ‘I cant breathe’.
Also, “The UK of course, darling!” – as if she didn’t actually try to return to Eurovision as a performer in 2005 with a Swedish group! (It was a decent song, too, and way better than “Las Vegas.” That year also had Alannah Myles of “Black Velvet” fame guesting on another Melfest entry. And over in the Netherlands, Johnny Logan co-wrote the song that finished second to Glennis Grace. Crazy year, 2005).
Hey, if John Lundvik can represent both Sweden and the UK in the same year, then Katrina can do it almost a decade apart!
Also weird, it was Nanne who topped Katrina’s 2005 Melodifestivalen semi-final, the same Nanne who tried to represent the UK – with a song written by the same man who wrote Katrina’s 1997 winner, Kimberley Rew.
When did that happen?
(And isn’t that funny – Kimberley Rew didn’t even go to Eurovision with the rest of the group ‘cuz he was embarrassed about the song).
2001. The song was called “Men” or something like that. Her performance was a hot mess, and overall it was pretty subpar when compared to her Melodifestivalen entries (with “Avundsjuk” being my favourite).
Aw, it wasn’t that bad. Not as good as her own stuff, true – but still fun, with Nanne being her usual vivacious self.
Speaking of winners denied returns: out of curiosity, I looked up the song Vicky Leandros competed in the German selection with in 2006…and it’s actually pretty damn good! It would’ve probably done better than Texas Lightening did (and being in her home country would’ve helped for sure).
Maybe… Nanne is a wild animal on stage (save for “Den vilda”), and I do love her for that. It’s just that “Men” was very typical of its era and in my opinion it simply didn’t stand the test of time. I can see why someone would think it’s catchy and fun, but 2000s pop music is not my thing. Also, that tiny set was so overcrowded with dancers that it was giving me a literal anxiety.
Katrina did her thing but now it’s time for someone else to bring the victory. I didn’t like her new song, sorry. One Last Breath is a very nice catchy song but i feel it needs a different singer. I understand that it’s a chance for James to be onstage as a performer and not a songwriter but i feel that the UK needs a talented performer. It doesn’t have to be a known artist, Lena wasn’t known before she took part to the casting show. UK needs a strong team and a person who would take the project seriously… Read more »
I love Katrina and it’s a great song, much better than Last Breath. But I’m glad UK didnt send it. Europe would have loved the chance to belittle the UK even further still and place the UK’s biggest winner ever in the bottom 2
I think that’s a teeny bit of the ol’ British persecution complex creeping in there. It’s a good song, but if it did badly, I doubt it’d be some kind of conscious pan-European effort to bring a past champion down. Because if a televote sinking the chances of returning champion is anything deliberate, then we’d be hearing loud complaints from Sweden, Ireland, Norway, and Israel as well (not Germany, though).
Right, and she wasn’t even gonna be the singer – just the songwriter. Her tiny on-screen credit would’ve flashed up for two seconds. Her champion status wouldn’t count for much.