Oscar Zia is no stranger to Melodifestivalen! He was a backing vocalist to Behrang Miri in the 2013 edition of this Contest, and took part in 2014 as a soloist with his song “Yes We Can”. Now he is back in the competition with a very personal song, titled “Human”.

ESCBubble has the chance to speak to Oscar Zia ahead of his participation in the 3rd semi-final of Melodifestivalen. He was very excited about his upcoming performance. Here is what he shared with us.

Hi Oscar, what can you tell us about your song ‘Human’?

”Human” is an electronic power ballad that I’ve written together with Maria Smith and Victor Thell. The lyric is very important and personal, and I hope and believe that the audience can relate to the message.

How did decide to return to Melodifestivalen this year?

I never had any plans on returning to Melodifestivalen. It wasn’t until I heard the finished version of Human that I felt that If I return to Melodifestivalen, it has to be with this song. Then luckily it got selected, and now I am very exited!

How are you getting ready for Melodifestivalen?

I am manly focusing on preparing myself, with physically and mentally. Luckily I have already been lived this process twice before, so therefore I am well aware of how exhausting it will get. This year I suppose it will get even more challenging as the context is personal.

You are competing with different team than in 2014. What will this new team bring you and your participation in Melodifestivalen?

I feel very comfortable with all the people around me, a team engineered by my dear manager Helene Wigren. Again I have the privilege to be surrounded by professionals that challenges me every day.

Are there similarities between “Yes we can” and “Human”? And what are the main differences between those two songs?

”Yes we can” was and is still a great tune. It is difficult to compare the two songs, as they are completely different. “Human” is born in my heart, where both tune and lyrics matured over a long period of time, before it could be realized as notes and words on a piece of paper.

You did very well in your previous Melodifestivalen participation, easily reaching the final of Melodifestivalen. What will you bring from that experience? And what will you do differently?

I never dared to put to much hope in reaching the finals in 2014. I was extremely happy that it occurred. This year is not different. The competition in my semi-final is very though with a lot of good artists. My goal is to do my best, with a performance that make justice to the song.

What were the highlights of your previous participation and what have your learned?

Reaching the finals was a key achievement. I learned that I will never learn enough. And that competing in music puts your nervs on the edge however I love and will always love melodifestival.

You will be competing in the third semi-final. Who do you see as you biggest competition in that semifinal? And in the whole contest?

As it is right now I see everyone as potential threats. It is impossible to pinpoint a single artist…

What can you tell us about your upcoming performance? What are you plans in terms of staging and outfit?

Without telling to much, the performance will be very modern and simple in all aspects!

Do you have a forthcoming album in the pipeline? If so, when will it be released and what can you tell us about it?

At the moment I am working on my upcoming album, that hopefully will be released later this year!

Oscar Zia also sent a video greeting to all of our readers, and all the Eurovision fans out there. Check it out here:

Whilst we are awaiting to hear “Human”, give a listen to Oscar’s Melodifestivalen entry from 2014 – “Yes We Can”: