We turn our eyes to Malmö, to the fourth heat of Melodifestivalen 2020, where we meet singer-songwriter William Strid!
William is 22 years old and comes from Söderhamn in the middle of Sweden.
He has gained experience as an artist by performing in a band called The Audrey and, quite recently, in 2018, competed in Swedish Idol, making it all the way to the live shows and ending on a respectable 5th place there!
Now William takes the even bigger step to Melodifestivalen for the first time and we get to talk to him for the first time too!
Look what William had to tell us:
Hej William! Thank you for doing an interview with us and congratulations on having been chosen to participate in Melodifestivalen!
Why did you decide to compete and how did you react when you found out you had made it in?
When I decided to compete my first thought was: why not?
Melodifestivalen is Sweden’s largest music competition and you reach a very wide/large audience directly. And of course I became superhappy when I found out that I was going to compete.
The first thing I did was to call my parents and tell them. Both of them cried of happiness when I told them.
You’ve competed in Idol before. Do you think that experience gives you tools that will benefit you in this competition?
Yes I competed in the swedish idol 2 years ago. If there is any benefit, I do not know, but it is clear that it can be of great help because I am pretty aware of how it works when it comes to cameras, audiences and such things. But Mello is bigger.
Your Melodifestivalen entry has the beautiful title ‘Molnljus’, the light that breaks through the clouds.
What is the meaning of that to your song?
The song is about a breakup and how you just want this special person to come back. How to go through ups and downs in a relationship. The purpose of the song is basically when light and darkness meets.
Do you have any staging plans already that you can tell us about?
Don’t know how much I can tell about the number itself. I can say as much as it will be a lot of focus on me, quite naked and peeled off, though with some cool effects.
Do you have a favourite Melodifestivalen entry or memory yourself?
My two biggest Mello performances are Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off because it’s an extremely good song. And Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes because of the cool stage performance.
If you win Melodifestivalen, how do you think you would react? And what would it mean to you to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest?
If I won The Melody Festival I would be super happy of course. Also very shocked because it feels like it is very difficult to win with a Swedish song nowadays. It is hard to imagine the feeling if I would win. It would be unreal to be the one who represents Sweden in Eurovision.
Do you have any projects after Melodifestivalen that you can reveal right now?
After Mello I have a lot of plans of releasing new music. Hopefully it is going to be a lot of music in 2020. Then the goal is to be out on gigs and meet my fans.
During Idol, William did this duet with a lady we all know from Melodifestivalen: Wiktoria! They sang ‘Stay With Me’ in the version of Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige:
What will William’s ‘Molnljus’ sound like, though?
You’ll find out this week and see him perform the song during Melodifestivalen’s 4th deltävling.
Thanks for taking the time for this interview and good luck on Saturday, William!
