28-year old singer Loreen won the hearts of the Swedes with the seductive dance pop track ‘Euphoria.’ Alongside Dead By April’s ‘Mystery,’ Loreen is qualified for the Melodifestivalen 2012 final at the Stockholm Globe Arena next month.
Same Songwriter As Norway’s Tooji
I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll see Loreen on the stage in the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan and she might be joined by Tooji, whose ‘Stay’ qualified in the last heat of the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix. Sweden’s Peter Boström has written both ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Stay,’ the latter sounding very similar to Eric Saade’s ESC top three hit ‘Popular’ from 2011.
Née Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui in October 1983, Loreen is of Moroccan-Berber descent. The singer made her breakthrough in 2004, as one of the finalists of Sweden’s Idol. She was actually picked as a wildcard by the judges, not immediately winning the public’s heart. Singing, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and P!nk throughout the competition, her first single was ‘The Snake’ with the duo Rob’n’Raz. Loreen also worked as a television presenter at TV400, which has changed its name to TV11.
Phenomenal Reaction in Social Media
‘Euphoria’ did not only win the first Melodifestivalen heat, the reaction on Twitter and in social media channels were nothing short of phenomenal. A tremendous performance, leaving many viewers breathless and questioning whether it was live or playback (it was live, believe me!).
Last year, Loreen made her Melodifestivalen debut with ‘My Heart is Refusing Me,’ co-written by her with Moh Denebj and Björn Djupström. Despite not qualifying for the final, the single peaked at No.9 on the Swedish singles chart and spent 19 weeks on the tally. I wrote about her chart success last year in Loreen’s Sweet Revenge. According to the Scandipop blog, Loreen calls ‘Euphoria’ very mystical and dynamic.
Watch Loreen’s performance of ‘My Heart Is Refusing Me’ at last year’s competition
