National preselections season is at its hottest point and this Saturday it’s Finland’s turn to select its entry act for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 during the Final show of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu.
Cristal Snow with his love manifest song “Love Is Blind” successfully qualified from the second semi-final of the Finnish preselection being one of the biggest favorite for winning the ticket to Stockholm. ESCBubble had a talk with Cristal about his previous Eurovision experience, his way in music and inspiration for song writing.
Hello Cristal Snow! Welcome back to the UMK and congratulations for making it to the final! How did you decide to enter the contest this year?
It’s been many years in the making. I have always dreamt about entering again, since I came third in 2008. But my other career sort of took over and music was left on the back burner. I have been making music since I left my record label and the thought has been, that when the right sort of song comes along, I will enter. In 2014 I wrote a song and thought about sending it but then last summer me and Jimi were in the studio playing new stuff and in the midst of making Love Is Blind, we both had a revelation; this was the song to enter with. It felt utterly perfect.
8 years ago you competed with completely different song and performance than this year. What has changed in your life and your music since that time?
A lot. I mean I am a totally different person now, of course. People change. Your perpective in life changes. Music around you changes. Influences change. I am in a different, more mature place now. I mean, I am still a total dork that gets inspired by sci-fy movies and drama but I think musically, I am more evolved to express myself in many different ways.
Can you please tell us about your entry song for the UMK 2016? What’s the main message of it?
It’s a biographical song. I had a really, really difficult relationship; I was terribly in love with him and he could not put himself out there and be free… So the relationship was really twisted: one mimute it was great, then we would be fighting all the time. It was good, it was bad, and ultimately the pressure to be together was too much for him… I didn’t wanna write a sad love song, so we turned it around, and made the story have a happy ending. It’s an ultimate song of an empowerment. If we give ourselves the courage to love who we wanna love and LET people love who they wanna love, life would be a little happier place.
Can you tell us something more about the team behind this song?
I wrote the song with Jimi Constantine and Samuel Kovanko. Jimi and I have been working on all my previous albums and he just knows me so well. Its so easy for him to get inside my head.
Every artist has something special, people say “he/she hast it”. How can you describe “it” about yourself?
I can’t really say it for myself. Some people think I have it. Some people don’t. It’s a everybody point of view and they are entitled to it.
Why did you decide to take the stage name “Cristal Snow”?
I was given it in the Drag Circles in New York City by my friends. Actually my friend Charles. He always said I only drink quality Champagne which is Cristal and I am white as Snow. So therefor, Cristal Snow.
What is your inspiration for singing?
Expression. I am a story teller. I write all the time. I love writing music, telling stories, like little movies. Touching people with my words and sounds.
How would you describe your ideal song that you would like to perform?
Just my own music. Anytime you get to sing something YOU wrote. It’s a magical feeling.
Thank you very much for your time, Cristal Snow! Good luck on Saturday. Below you can watch Cristal Snow’s performance at the second semi-final of UMK 2 weeks ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niIJtvqR6l8
