Nico Suave is a German rapper and songwriter, who has been active since 1997. He has released five albums and many singles and has been present in the German charts for more than 20 years. Together with his Team Liebe, he will try to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Team Liebe consists of three singers: NKSN, who is a pop and R&B artist from Berlin. Buket, a singer songwriter who writes in English, German and Turkish and who also sings the English part of the song. The third member is EMY who is the youngest of the group and a newcomer to the German music industry. She has just released her first single last year.

Nico Suave and Team Liebe are among the 6 finalists in the German national final with the song “Hallo Welt”. Ahead of the group’s performance in “Germany 12 Points” on March 4^th, we had the pleasure to meet up with all of them!

Hello Nico, NKSN, Buket and EMY! First of all, how did all of you come together as a group?

We all met each other in different constellations. Nico and Buket got to know each other during a writing session, Nico and EMY know each other through EMY’s mother who is a teacher in the kindergarten of Nico’s children. NKSN and Buket met through another music producer and then somehow we all came together. We’ve all performed on the same stages and started making music together!

And how did you get the idea of applying to the German national final?

Good question. Well, we saw it as chance, since we’ve all been making music for years and performed on different stages but such a big stage, with such a huge audience from all around Europe is something we didn’t get to check off our bucket lists yet.

How did you react when you found out that you were among the final six acts?

We were extremely happy because there were so many acts that applied and the fact that we made it so far made us really proud.

The point when we realized how intense this really is happened at the press conference and they announced that more than 900 acts applied and to be selected as one of only 6 finalists from such a big number feels like we’ve already won.

And you are the only German song in the final! Why have you decided to sing in German?

Nico, NKSN and EMY all sing exclusively in German. Buket does some of it in English, which is why she has an English part. But that’s why it was absolutely clear for us to do it in the language we feel most comfortable in and now we combined it with an international part.

Each of you co-wrote the song too, so how did that go?

Yes that’s true. We all put our own influences into it and worked on it together. It started with an idea from Nico and he sent a rough sketch of the song over to NKSN, who then added his ideas to the song. Then we went to the studio with Buket, who also added some ideas and harmonies and then EMY joined us too. In the end we had such a big balloon of ideas and we had to thin it out again! So this was a big project and each of us contributed to it.

Would you like to tell us a little bit more about the message of “Hallo Welt”?

Sure! The song was created by Nico in a phase when he wasn’t happy in life because there were a lot of dark clouds over him. But then there was this moment when he thought that he needed to break this negativity and turn it into a positive mindset. And that was the magic that was created in the studio, because within a few seconds he had the first lines of the songs and another two minutes later, the chorus was born. Nico then called NKSN, who sang in the tune on the very same evening. It all went down very quickly.

In the end, the song is about becoming aware that it’s not the big things in life that make you happy but the small things that make you smile and how you should focus on them. Of course that doesn’t mean that you can solve every problem by belittling it but you should try to see the positive things, even in negative situations. You can always look at situations from different angles.

On first sight, the entry might seem very positive. The song is fun and has great energy but actually there’s a deep message behind it. And the nice thing is that everybody looks at situations differently and can interpret the song for themselves!

Do you already have plans on what your performance is going to look like?

We are currently working on that. We definitely want to give everything we can. But since we are competing with a song in German, it is very important for us that the message of the song will be understood internationally. That means that we have to think about how to send a clear message, without having to use words.

How was meeting the other participants during the press conference in Hamburg?

It was amazing! They are all so likeable and all the songs in the competition are very good. Everyone was really kind and there wasn’t even a single thought of competition, it was just kindness.

We are of course very excited to see what they will be doing on stage too.

Have you followed the Eurovision Song Contest in the past? Which songs stood out to you?

Yes, of course! Especially EMY is a huge fan. She has never missed a single year since she’s started watching! One of her favorites is “Soldi” by Mahmood, who is competing again this year again, so obviously it would be super cool to meet him in Turin. Then of course Måneskin last year. But it’s hard to pick a favorite song, the entire thing is so loveable, with its diversity and all the different cultures coming together. We love it when the countries sing in their native languages, which is why we’re so happy that we stayed true to our native language.

Also, Buket loves “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence! This is one of the best songs in the entire planet in her opinion and she wishes that she had written it 😀

As you know Germany hasn’t been doing so well in Eurovision lately! Why do you believe that you have the potential to change that?

We have a very strong song that is in our own language and it’s not a very typical song for the Eurovision Song Contest. There is this kind of underdog feeling, there are many ballads, rock and pop songs and then we are coming with rap, soul, R&B, gospel and country vibes and Europe probably won’t expect a song like that from Germany. And then the message will definitely be something that everyone around the world can relate to, especially in these times. Now that we’ve all been stuck in a pandemic for two years, we all desire to get out of that!

Also, we have a very contagious energy. The song might not be as epic as the other songs, with fireworks and so on but we will have a song that anyone can feel and relate to. We can surely transmit that feeling!

What are you most looking forward to when you think about the upcoming day?

The after show party of course 😀

No seriously, we will probably be nervous ahead of the event but we are very excited to make music with so many other musicians. It’s been a long time for us since we last had the ability to perform at a real show, so we’re looking forward to staging a good song and to sing it live. Afterwards, during the voting, we will probably be very nervous but we will still feel great about the whole experience! Especially for EMY, since it’s going to be her first performance on live TV.

Finally, do you have a message for our readers from all over the world?

We would use the message of our song! No matter how bad you might feel and what’s going on in the world, just take a look around you and appreciate the positive things in your daily life. Take a look at the small things, it might just be a friendly smile from someone on the street that could make your day!

Thank you so much for this beautiful message and for agreeing to have this interview with us! We of course wish you the best of luck for the show and would be excited to see you in Turin this year!

Listen to “Hallo Welt” by Nico Suave and Team Liebe here:

If you want to support Nico, NKSN, Buket and EMY, you can also vote for them in our poll!

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