Flora and Eurovision 2024

Flora and The Official ESC Podcast

「Note: This interview has been transcribed」

Steve: Hello Flora! How are you?

Flora: Hi Steve, and I'm doing amazing!

Steve: So you have the easiest commute to Eurovision.

[Flora laughs lightly.]

Flora: Yeah, just across the river! Although I have many friends in Sweden.

Steve: You can wave over to them if you want to. But how have you been feeling ever since winning?

Flora: It's been incredible, almost surreal. My song has been charting in top 5 all over Europe ever since I won!

Steve: Your song seems to touch a lot of people. Was that your goal?

Flora: I'm glad that it does, but no. Originally and wasn't even supposed to be a song. I just wanted to exercise my poetry skills, but then the idea of a melody came, which then created "Long Way Home".

Steve: Oh I never knew.

Flora: No, a lot of people don't.

Steve: We'll talk more about your song later, but, Flora, I heard you're actually in a band, one which has done a lot of Eurovision covers.

Flora: Yes. I'm a part of Cosmogyral, which started out with making covers of Eurovision songs. We still do some every year, but today we also make our own music.

Steve: How did your band start?

Flora: It was back in gymnasium, which would be like 10-11th grade, where one of my friends got the idea to make a band.

Steve: But you're not the lead singer in it, are you?

Flora: Correct. Normally it's my friend Riona and Sebastian who sings, but if we do a cover of a song in a language neither of them speaks, I'll sing it. Otherwise me and Ethan is in charge of the music.

Steve: That's quite interesting and I'd like to know more about that in a minute, but I just have one last question about your band. How come it's only you going to Eurovision and not Cosmogyral?

Flora: Well, as I said, I kinda made Long Way Home on accident. It was actually Riona who send it in after she heard it. I'd never do it myself, but I'm glad she did.

Steve: Oh that's very sweet. Your friends seem like amazing people.

Flora: They are.

Steve: But about the other thing. So, you said you sing the songs in foreign languages your other lead singers don't know?

Flora: Ah, yeah, I'm very good at pronouncing foreign words, as in freakishly good. Every time I do a cover all the comments are like "she pronounced that word so well" or "I can't believe she's not xyz".

Steve: How did you become so good at pronunciation?

Flora: Both my parents grew up outside of Denmark and I have a lot of international friends from all over the world. If there are words I need help with I can usually ask one of them. It's like-

[Flora chuckles]

Flora: If none of them know how to pronounce a certain word then it doesn't exist.

[Steve laughs lightly]

Steve: That's amazing that you have so many friends. Do any of them know that you're representing Denmark in Eurovision?

Flora: God yes. I've been bombarded with messages both from my European but also rest of the world friends. Some of them already knew about my participation in DMGP, but some were completely unaware and they've left some funny texts.

Steve: Are any of them coming to watch you at the pre-parties?

Flora: Some yeah.

Steve: Okay, to go back to your song. Your song is about a man who goes on a long journey, but it has a deeper meaning doesn't it?

Flora: I'd say what the deeper meaning is may be different from person to person. I've already seen quite a few good interpretations and it makes me very happy that people can get this much out of it. So I like that there's no clear meaning to it.

Steve: But what inspired it? Did it just come to you while brainstorming?

Flora: Both yes and no. My creative process is usually to just write something down, and if it then reminds me of someone or something I'll add on that. In this case this text reminded me of my dad back in the 80's. He was travelling Europe and making a lot of friends, and one day he came to a little spot in nowhere, Denmark and met my mom.

Steve: Could you say it's like an ode to your father?

Flora: More like to my parent's love, but yes.

[A loud meow is suddenly heard]

Flora: Oh, looks like I have a guest. You don't mind?

Steve: Not at all. Has he been here all the time?

Flora: Apparently so. For our listeners one of my parents' cats was sleeping in my room. Her name is Asphalt, she's a grey stray with white paws and orange eyes.

Steve: She's not yours?

Flora: No, I'm currently at my parent's place. A lot of cats like to hang out here. My parents officially have 5, but there's like 20 different ones hanging around in the barn.

Steve: That's a lot. You know I think one of the contestants would love it there.

[Flora laughs]

Flora: I'm sure. Maybe I should invite everyone here after Eurovision.

Steve: Good idea. Anyway, it was nice having you on here, Flora. I look forward to see your performance in Madrid.

Flora: It was lovely being here, Steve.

[Steve says the outro and the episode ends]