On Saturday 11 March, 2017 guest journalist of ESC Covers,  Chris Zeiher from Australia interviewed Danne Attlerud, from Sweden taking part in the Norwegian selection.
Swedish lyricst Danne Attlerud was kind enough to spend a half hour with me in between rehearsals for Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix in which his song “Nothing Ever Knocked Us Over” is competing for a chance to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

Danne Attlerud is no stranger to the workings of the competitive National selection competitions for the Eurovision Song Contest with a career that started in 2000 with a song he co-wrote for Barbados as it participated in what is often referred to as the “template” for selecting a national song Sweden’s Melodifestivalen. And with this Attlerud has witnessed first-hand the evolution of the contest.
“I’ve written 26 entries for competition,” Attlerud confesses. “For a total of 8 or 9 countries…I can’t remember (quick check and it’s 8)…Countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Bulgaria, Latvia, Armenia and on and on.”
“Each one has been so different. And I’ve had my songs in the Eurovision twice (2004 and 2006)”.
The Swede admits that the National selection competitions are a fantastic chance for the competitors to analyse the contest. “We were talking earlier (at Breakfast with other composers and songwriters) and we all agreed that there’s now three elements to a winning Eurovision song. The performer, the staging…you know, the visuals …and then the song.” Attlerud muses.
“It’s not just about the song anymore. All three elements compete equally,” he goes on.
“I’ve been involved for over 15 years in Eurovision and it’s changed. It’s all about who is performing, what you hear and what you see on the screen.”

And what of his chance this year? That lies with In Fusion, a collective of three female vocalists of distinct musical backgrounds, who are taking Attlerud’s co-penned effort “Nothing Ever Knocked Us Over” onto the stage at the Oslo Spektrum for a shot at representing Norway in the 2017 content. And Attlerud is nervous.
“We’ve had technical difficulties,” he admits. “The girls have a vision for their entry and it’s coming together. Vocally, they sound great but there’s some issues with the staging that’s not coming together.”
“We’re one of the favourites at this point but who knows how the Norwegian public will vote,” he admits realistically. “I’m proud of our group. You know…you never know,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders.
Sadly, In Fusion did not make it through the first round of the competition of Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix 2017 and missed their chance to compete at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, Ukraine.

When asked about the process of songwriting the trepidation of the rehearsals bleeds away and Attlerud gushes about his passion.
“I need to find the story,” he says of a song. “I need to find the hook. Once I have the hook I can then build the story.”
“The hook is part of the chorus,” he continues. “I need to think and feel something. I need to love the lyrics and that’s when the story comes.”
“Sometimes it happens in the first 3 minutes of listening to a piece (of music),” he reveals. “I can then find the core, the essence, the heart (of the song).”

And is there anyone Attlerud would like to write for?
“Sting!” he announces without hesitation. “I don’t get star-struck – but he’s the best musician I can think of.”
“He can sing and play perfectly. He’s really impressive.”

And as for collaborations he admits that to work with Benny Anderson would be a dream. “…but he already has a pretty good lyricst,” he jokes.
“No really – Benny is so good at making really complex songs sound simple.”
“He meshes (melody and bass) into something sophisticated and beautiful,” he confesses.

“I love it,” he says of songwriting. “It’s a constant process and I’m always working on new project.”
And of his favourite effort in an attempt to get onto the main Eurovision stage. “Jan Johansen’s “Sista Andetaget,” he freely admits. “It was a really special song. We wrote it a couple of days after (the tragedy) of September 11. It really has impact that year. That one was really special for me.”

Check out In Fusion’s version of “Nothing Ever Knocked Us Over” here…