By Geoffrey Rowlands


Denmark’s Emmelie de Forest has something in common with another Eurovision Song Contest winner. Like Sandie Shaw, who won for the UK in 1967, 20-year-old Emmelie performs without shoes.
“I didn’t know there had been a previous barefoot winner,” smiled the Randers-born singer/songwriter. “I have always preferred to sing without wearing high heels or shoes. Being barefoot makes me feel more relaxed and closer to the earth.”
Something Emmelie and Sandie do not share is the feeling about their winning songs. While Emmelie clearly loves Only Teardrops, Sandie disliked Puppet on a String regarding it as unrepresentative of her material.
She also had distinct reservations about even accepting the BBC’s invitation to sing for Britain. In contrast, Emmelie was thrilled to win the Danish Eurovision selection show.
“Our thoughts about the contest were obviously very different,” Emmelie remarked. “I loved everything about Eurovision. I felt so honoured and privileged to represent my country. I also realised it was a great opportunity to further my career.
“I wasn’t well known even in Denmark before winning the ‘Dansk Melodi Grand Prix’. Even just appearing in Eurovision, let alone winning the contest, gave me the kind of exposure I could only have dreamed about.
“I think Only Teardrops is wonderful. I worked on the song with three brilliant writers, Lise Cabble, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen and Thomas Stengaard. It has such a good melody and tempo. The lyrics make you think about how we treat each other and the world. It’s melancholic but also gives hope for the future.”
Despite her youth, Emmelie is a veteran performer. She began singing in a gospel choir when she was just nine years old. At 14, she joined forces with Scottish folk musician Fraser Neill. They performed in small venues and at music festivals over a four-year period until Emmelie decided to move to Copenhagen where she studied at the Cathrine Sadolin Complete Vocal Institute.
“I was introduced to Fraser at the Ajstrup folk festival. He’s from Glasgow but had lived in Denmark for many years. My mother drove us around to the little folk clubs where we performed. We played traditional folk songs but also Fraser’s own compositions. We made an album together but I think it only sold about 100 copies.
“I went to the Complete Vocal Institute to develop my voice. Fraser and I are still great friends but I wanted to see what I could do with my vocal ability and try for a solo career in pop music rather than just folk.”
Having won the “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix,” Emmelie was signed by Universal Music Denmark.
“I didn’t have a record deal so there would have been no outlet for Only Teardrops if Universal hadn’t signed me. My debut album is also called Only Teardrops. I’m very proud to have co-written every song apart from What Are You Waiting For and the title-track. Some of the lyrics are very personal. Bizarre dreams were the inspiration for Haunted Heart and Running In My Sleep.”
After her Eurovision triumph, Only Teardrops has given Emmelie top 10 success in singles charts throughout Europe. But despite receiving maximum points from UK voters, the song peaked at number 15 while Emmelie’s album has not even approached the top 100.
“It was a little disappointing not to have a bigger hit in Britain. But how can I possibly complain? Six months ago, I was a young singer with no record deal who would perform a song in the ‘Dansk Melodi Grand Prix’. Now, I’ve won Eurovision and my song is a hit all over Europe. Life really can’t get much better.”

in brief

Similarity to K-Otic

It seems that plagiarism was the in-word during Eurovision 2013. Prior to the contest, claims were made that Cascada’s entry for Germany copied Euphoria, Loreen’s 2012 winning song for Sweden. Since Emmelie de Forest’s triumph, it has been suggested that Only Teardrops owes much to I Surrender, a 2002 song by the short-lived Dutch group K-Otic.
Although there is a similarity in the flute music of I Surrender  to the melody of Only Teardrops, allegations of outright plagiarism seem harsh. Both songs are posted on YouTube. Make your own judgment by comparing Only Teardrops at www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3f9v8ebuD4 with I Surrender at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U5Zf8tzRjU.
K-Otic were formed in 2001 on the Dutch reality television show, Starmaker. Five top 10 singles in their native Netherlands and two hugely successful studio albums, Bulletproof held top spot for seven weeks while Indestructible hit number two, provide ample proof of their popularity. But problems within the band caused them to break up in 2003.
In addition to I Surrender, several more K-Otic songs can be found on YouTube. Type their name in the website search box to gain access. Be careful though, there are videos posted by a boy band from Thailand, also named K-Otic, who were active between 2007 and 2012.

Solo offering from Ray Toro

Fans of the now defunct My Chemical Romance should be interested to hear Isn’t That Something, the first solo offering from the band’s guitarist Ray Toro. A lyric video for the song can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtGKIUvN4Ws.
Unlike almost every so called solo song, Ray has genuinely done everything himself. In a post on his Twitter account, Ray revealed that he sang lead and backing vocals, played every instrument, made all the recordings and mixed the whole thing. The end product is a true solo record in every sense.

Album from Japanther

New York-based art-rock duo Japanther are back with a new album, Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart. It can be heard in full at www.spin.com/#articles/japanther-eat-like-lisa-act-like-bart-album-stream/.
As much an art project as a rock combo, Matt Reilly and Ivan Vanek got together in 2001 while they were students at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. Described as “art-rock installation paratroopers,” they have performed alongside BMX riders, giant puppets, synchronised swimmers and atop the Williamsburg Bridge spanning New York’s East River.
Their 2011 album, Beets, Limes and Rice, was written during an 84-hour performance piece. It can be heard at (no www.) seayou.bandcamp.com/album/japanther-beets-limes-rice. Another LP is available to hear at (no www.) seayou.bandcamp.com/album/japanther-rock-n-roll-ice-cream.
The video for their latest single, Stolen Flowers, is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6cJ2gLrlU0. Type Japanther in the website search box for access to many more of their videos.

Singles from Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys release their 12th studio album, Electric, on July 15. The LP contains eight new Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe dance tracks plus a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s The Last to Die.
An audio posting of lead single, Vocal, can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKxWCJOdjK8. A link to the video for Invisible, a track from their 2012 album, Elysium, is also on this webpage.
The track Axis had previously been used as a teaser from the new LP. A fan-created video accompanies the full album version of the song at www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_CUG7UJWgA. Also posted here is a link to the Pet Shop Boys’ entire 2009 album, Yes.