We meet Swedish superstar Måns Zelmerlow.
Måns Zelmerlow is the Scandinavian heartthrob who women want to sleep with and who men…also want to sleep with! We certainly do! We’ll have a slice of that smörgåsbord, etc.
Anyway, ASIDE from being the apple of our superficial objectifying eyes, he’s also, like, done some stuff. He’s been in Eurovision, he’s been on telly, he’s been in Melodifestivalen, he’s been in the charts, he’s been to Thailand…go on his Wikipedia page and pack a lunch!
Dylan Jones sat down with Måns at the gorgey, clandestine Phoenix Artist Club to talk fame, culture, and music! Three very good topics.
Hi Måns! So your Heroes song in Eurovision 2015 was amazing. How did it all come about?
I had decided never to do Melodifestivalen again, which is the Swedish selection process. I won it! That’s how you come to Eurovision, you have to win the Swedish one. And it’s really big, it’s like six shows, and half the population is watching. So it’s quite a hassle to get to Eurovision in the first place, and represent Sweden. And I decided not to join Melodifestivalen again. But then I wrote the right song, which was called ‘Running Low’. And I came to the Swedish network with it and said ‘this is what I wanna do in Melodifestivalen.’ But then my record label said ‘No, you should have a listen to this song instead.’ And it was Heroes. And I listened to it and I thought ‘yeah, this is what I want to do.’ Because it was so strong and so powerful, and could also be connected with my story. And I thought we could do something really big on stage with it.
So how did it connect with your story?
I was bullied in school. And my best friend now, he was the one who lifted me up and took me out of that, by becoming my friend in 7th grade. We started playing tennis together and he didn’t care what anyone else said. Even though he was like a ‘cool kid’. He was just like ‘he’s nice, why shouldn’t I hang out with him?’. So I felt like it was about that story. So yes it was an easy decision in the end.
How did you, and your friends and family, deal with your sudden rise to fame?
We all thought it was quite strange. It happened while I was in Idol. Suddenly within two weeks I had fans outside the hotel in Stockholm. I thought that would disappear after a while but things have just happened ever since. It resulted in the Eurovision win, which was a huge thing in Sweden, and there were celebrations all over the country. The important thing for me has always been to have my family and my old friends closest.
So you’re keepin’ it real then Måns?
Yeah! My sixteen childhood friends are still my best friends.
The politics of Eurovision this year are interesting, with Ukraine winning last year. Do you think Eurovision should be political?
Well of course in a dream world, it shouldn’t be. But it is. And it’s gonna keep on being. And that’s what the producers in the hosting country need to know. That we are able to make a statement here. As long as that statement is about openness and tolerance and solidarity. Because it’s a great way to express opinions like that. And that’s why it’s going to be interesting this year with Ukraine, to see what they do with it. Because you still want it to be constructive. An easy thing for Ukraine would be to point a finger at Russia. But that would be deconstructive I think.
An article that said the way the world is going at the moment is obviously bad, but is very good for art and music, because it will compel people to create. What do you think about that?
It could be! This is an interesting time in our generation’s lives. It’s probably the first time in MY life where you can feel that our generation is really taking part, and I think that is good. I think we’ve been quite a boring generation in that sense. But now we all need to take a stand. And I think that that has an effect on music and culture as well. In a good way.
We got a bit apathetic.
We’re quite spoilt.
And now we’re not being spoilt, and we don’t like it!
Yeah, now we have Trump.
Did you see his comments about the ‘terror attack’ in Sweden? What did you make of that?
It just says so much about him. And how he can use what he’s seen the night before on Fox News – Fox News, which has no substance at all – and how he just makes that a fact. Everyone in Sweden was like “what is he TALKING about?!” And it’s so easy to laugh about what’s happening over there, but it’s serious stuff. It’s a fact, that that man is the president. He’s the most powerful man in the world. It’s so scary.
I don’t know much about politics in Sweden…
It’s so boring. Swedish politics are the most boring thing in the world.
But you guys seem to have the right idea when it comes to human rights and gay rights and stuff.
Absolutely. I think, and I hope, that Sweden’s been a very good LGBT country, and that we’re still leading that charge. I’m proud to be a Swede in that respect. But there are also dark powers in our country that aren’t as open, and who have gotten a lot of votes, and keep increasing their following. So that’s bad.
On a lighter note…what are your plans for the UK?
I’ve got an album out! It’s called Chameleon. I’m really proud of it, I think I’ve found my sound, and my songwriting this time. I’m not saying Perfectly Damaged was a bad album, just that to me this is better, and it’s more personal. I’ve tried to make it matter a bit more. Both personally and in a wider sense. And I’m doing a European tour, starting in April at 02 Academy Islington. That’ll be my first gig in Britain since Heaven two years ago. I’m so happy to be back and I’m ready to make London my home!
• Måns is performing at the O2 Academy Islington on Thursday 20th April. Head to academymusicgroup.com for tickets.
