Robin Bengtsson: „Yodel is absolutely amazing”

Considered one of the hot favourites for the most wanted trophy, the Swedish Robin Bengtsson deigned to talk to us about his ‘Eurovisionistic’ journey. Good luck, Robin!

Hello, Robin! First of all congratulations for representing Sweden and thanks for accepting to talk to us. How do you feel about the thought that you are going to represent your country?

I feel honored and proud to represent Sweden, and a bit nervous;)

Did you expect to win the Melodifestivalen?

No not at all, I thought I’d might end up in top three but I did not expect to win!

Let’s talk about your Eurovision song: „I can’t go on”. Can you tell us the message that stands behind it?

There isn’t much of a message in it, it’s just a funky, flirty pop song that I really love to sing!!

Why do you think you didn’t win last year? 

I think Frans really had something special that people liked more, and that my show and staging this year was so much better.

What are your thoughts regarding the participation in Kyiv?

I really look forward to it, I think Eurovision is a big peaceful event that brings all of Europe together, even if it’s a competition. So I feel positive about the fact that we are doing in this in Kyiv despite the political conflicts. Eurovision stands for peace and love! 

What is the biggest challenge that can happen to an artist on the Eurovision stage?

I guess one can get nervous knowing that hundreds of million people are watching. So anything can happen haha, you can fall, forget the lyrics etc. But we are prepared for this and it is our job:)

Because we are looking forward to getting familiar with you, describe your song with your own words. Will you shoot a video?

It’s a funky, flirty song that you wanna dance to! I’m hoping for a music video but I don’t know when I’m gonna have the time to record it. Probably after ESC.

What do you think about the new voting system?

To be  honest, I don’t know how the system works haha!!

Do you think that if you want to win this contest you have to make your song by a recipe or it’s a whole package behind it?

I don’t know, it depends so much on the artist and if the song suits the artist. It depends on what genre you’re in. I don’t believe in writing songs by a recipe but you have to in some way because of the 3 minute rule! I think it’s about the whole package!

Are you planning to visit Romania in the near future?

I would love to, my dad went there last year and told me it was beautiful. He was there rinding motocross/enduro in the mountains. Looked absolutely amazing.

Who would you like to collaborate with and why?

So many but right now,  The Weeknd. I think he has an amazing sound and voice. 

Could you tell us which is your favourite song that Romania had brought on the Eurovision stage?

I’m gonna say this years! The Yodel is absolutely amazing and I met the two on this years promo tour and they are really nice people!

We would like to know you better. Please describe your personality in 3 adjectives, tell us who you truly are and what do you usually do.

Calm, Funny, Ambitious. I love music and action sports.

What is Robin doing when the microphone is off and he’s away from the stage?

I spend time with family and friends. I love to travel.

How did your career started? Was it hard for you to become that successful as you are now?

It started in Swedish Idol 2008, so yes it took some time for me to come through and have success. So I would like to say to artists who struggle that don’t give up!!

What inspires and motivate you to do music?

Almost everything! Other peoples music and stories mostly, I don’t use my own experiences very often, I don’t know why. 

When did your passion for Eurovision start?

Actually my passion for it started a couple of years back when I decided that Melodifestivalen and ESC was something that I personally wanted to! But I’ve watched almost every year since I was 9.

Finally, do you have a message for ESC on POINT readers?

Yes, thanks for all the support so far and I really hope to see guys somewhere, sometime soon!:)

Ingrid Marc contributed to this article