HAPPINESSE BEFORE LOVE

TUSSE
SONGWRITERS: RASMUS BLIXT & TUSSE CHIZA
COUNTRY: CONGO/SWEDEN
ALBUM: HAPPINESSE BEFORE LOVE – EP
LABEL: UNIVERSAL MUSIC
GENRE: POP
YEAR: 2022
 
          Toussaint Michael Chiza, better known as Tusse, is a Congolese-Swedish singer who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
         Chiza was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo When he was five years old he had to flee his country. He lived in Uganda in a refugee camp with his aunt for three years. He came to Sweden with his aunt as a refugee at just 8 years old. In Sweden, he started to live with a family in the village of Kullsbjörken where he has resided since 2015. He participated as a singer in the Swedish talent show Talang 2018(as Tousin Chiza) which was also broadcast on TV4; he made it to the semifinals before being eliminated. He received praise for his semifinal performance from judge Bianca Ingrosso. Tusse was a finalist in Swedish Idol 2019, broadcast on TV4, alongside Freddie Liljegren, and was ultimately declared the winner in the final.
       After winning Swedish Idol, he released three singles, two of them songs he performed on Idol: a cover of "How Will I Know" on 22 November 2019 as a Top 12 contestant. And as the winner, he released his version of the season's winning song, "Rain", on 3 December 2019. As a result of his victory, he got to release his debut single as a CD single as well as on the iTunes Store. His third single is called "Innan du går".
        Tusse participated in Melodifestivalen 2021 with the song "Voices". He qualified directly to the final, scheduled for 13 March 2021, and ultimately won with 175 points. As a result, he represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After his first Eurovision rehearsal Tusse was the victim of racist comments on social media.
       In the semi-final Tusse managed to qualify for the final on 22 May. In the final he reached 14th place with his song. After Eurovision, he did an interview with the magazine Vanity Teen in which he talked about his personal life, his experience in Eurovision and his future career.
When the stars are aligned I'ma call you up
We look good when together
You're the moon I'm the river, oh-oh
Never thought that I'll find somebody to love
And it hurts just a little, to know love is a killer
 
Always in a rush, changing both of us
Trying to keep the promises made, tryna believe the words that you said
If you care for me, please tread carefully
Tell me that you love
Prove me I was wrong
 
Say you love me but it won't stop the hurting, happiness before love
I choose happiness before love
I'm moving on, I'm gonna, gonna let you go
I choose happiness before love, happiness before love
 
There were times when your word just enough
It's like constant collision
And my heart in the middle (ah-ah)
And you blur out my mind, I can't make it out
But I know I'm certain (oh-whoa)
About joy before hurting
 
Always in a rush, changing both of us
Trying to keep the promises made, tryna believe the words that you said
If you care for me, please tread carefully
Tell me that you love
Prove me I was wrong
 
Say you love me but it won't stop the hurting, happiness before love
I choose happiness before love
I'm moving on, I'm gonna, gonna let you go
I choose happiness before love, happiness before love
 
Happiness
I choose happiness
Happiness before love
I choose happiness before love (sing it)
Happiness (before love)
I choose happiness (before love)
Happiness before love
I choose happiness before love
 
If you care for me, please tread carefully
Tell me that you love
Prove me I was wrong
Say you love me but it won't stop the hurting, happiness before love
I choose happiness before love
I'm moving on, I'm gonna, gonna let you go
I choose happiness before love, happiness before love
Happiness
I choose happiness
 
Happiness before love
I choose happiness before love
Happiness
I choose happiness
Happiness before love
I choose happiness before love.

HEROES

MÅNS ZELMERLÖW
SONGWRITERS: Anton Malmberg Haard Af Segerstad; Joy Deb & Linnea Deb
COUNTRY: SWEDEN
 WHERE: LIVE AT EUROVISION 2015 GRAND FINAL
ALBUM: PERFECTLY DAMAGED
GENRE: POP
LABEL: WARNER MUSIC SWEDEN
YEAR: 2015
 
  Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw (pronounced[ˈmɔnːs ˈsɛ̂lmɛˌɭøːv]; born 13 June 1986) is a Swedish pop singer and television presenter. He took part in Idol 2005, eventually finishing fifth, won the first season of Let's Dance, and scored a hit with his 2007 song "Cara Mia", which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen. Zelmerlöw was the host of Allsång på Skansen from 2011 to 2013. He participated in Melodifestivalen in 2007, 2009 and won in 2015. Zelmerlöw represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Heroes", winning the contest with 365 points. Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm.
      Perfectly Damaged is the sixth studio album from Swedish singer Måns Zelmerlöw. It was released on 3 June 2015 through Warner Music Sweden. On 11 May 2015, Zelmerlöw revealed the artwork and track list for the album. The album was recorded in Stockholm, Copenhagen and London in 2015 during spring and summer. The album was produced by Winterlude, Anton Malmberg Hård af Segerstad, Joy Deb, Fredrik Sonefors and Martin Bjelke.
        Perfectly Re: Damaged, a re-issue of the album, was released on 13 May 2016.
       In an interview with Digital Spy Zelmerlöw was asked, "Coming off the back of your Eurovision win, what are your hopes for the international release of your new album Perfectly Damaged?" He replied: "Well I don't know really. It remains to be seen if 'Heroes' can stay up there on the charts. If it can, then I think that will have a great impact on the album as well. I do think Perfectly Damaged is an international album, and I'm really proud of it. I hope this can be the album that takes me across Europe and even further." When asked, "Is 'Heroes' a good indication of what we can expect?" he said "Well my last album, Barcelona Sessions, was organic and kind of indie, and so I think this is a good balance between 'Heroes' and Barcelona Sessions. It still has the organic sound, but with some electronic elements in it, and very powerful choruses like 'Heroes'."
Don't tell the gods I left a mess
I can't undo what has been done
Let's run for cover
 
What if I'm the only hero left
You better fire off your gun
Once and forever
 
He said go dry your eyes
And live your life like there is no tomorrow son
And tell the others
To go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard
 
We are the heroes of our time
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
 
We are the heroes of our time
Heroes
 
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
Heroes
 
We are the heroes of our time
Heroes
 
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
Heroes
The crickets sing a song for you
Don't say a word don't make a sound
It's life's creation
 
I make worms turn into butterflies
Wake up and turn this world around
In appreciation
 
He said I never left your side
When you were lost I followed right behind
Was your foundation
 
Now go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard
Now sing together
 
We are the heroes of our time
Heroes
 
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
Heroes
We are the heroes
 
Now go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard
Now sing together
 
We are the heroes of our time
Heroes
 
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
Heroes
 
We are the heroes of our time
Heroes
 
But we're dancing with the demons in our minds
Heroes
We are the heroes.

FRÄMLING

CAROLA HÄGGKVIST
SONGWRITER: MONICA YVONNE FORSBERG
COUNTRY: SWEDEN
WHERE: EUROVISION 1983
ALBUM: FRÄMLING
LABEL: MARIANN
GENRE: POP
YEAR: 1983

 

        Carola Maria Häggkvist(Swedish pronunciation: [kaˈrôːla ˈhɛ̂ɡːkvɪst]; born 8 September 1966), commonly known simply as Carola, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music. Her debut album, Främling(1983), sold around one million copies and remains the biggest-selling album in Swedish music history. She has also worked as a songwriter. During her career, she has recorded many top-selling albums and singles and is referred to as Sweden's most prominent female singer. Some of her biggest hits are "Främling", "Tommy tycker om mig", "Fångad av en stormvind", "All the Reasons to Live", "I Believe in Love", "Genom allt", and "Evighet". She has released records in various languages: Swedish, Dutch, German, English, Norwegian and Japanese.
   Häggkvist has represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions: in 1983, finishing third; in 1991, winning the contest; and in 2006, finishing fifth.
       Carola Maria Häggkvist was born on 8 September 1966 at Södersjukhuset in Stockholm. She grew up in Norsborg, south of the Swedish capital. At the age of eight, she began to perform at Stockholm's Miniteatern; she also attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School. In 1977, Häggkvist won a talent competition and appeared on television for the first time, on Sveriges magasin, performing "Krokodilbarnets klagan".
         Främling(English: "Stranger") is the debut studio album by Swedish pop singer Carola Häggkvist, released on 26 March 1983. On the album charts, the album debuted and peaked at number one in Sweden and number two in Norway.

Främling, vad döljer du för mig i dina mörka ögon
En svag nyans av ljus nånstans men ändå
En främling, så känner jag för dig
Jag ber dig låt mig få veta
Vem vill du vara kan du förklara det för mig?
 
Som Mona Lisa har sitt leende
Så gömmer också du en hemlighet
Stjärnor jag ser dom vill gärna ta ner nå'n till dig
 
Där bortom himlen finns en evighet
Om du vill upptäcka den här med mig
Ta första stegen och visa mig vägen i kväll
En känsla och jag litar på den
Se'n blir vår kärlek aldrig främmande igen
 
Natten finns till för dig och mig
Glöm det som är omkring oss
Låt mig få komma låt mig få vara nära dig
 
Som Mona Lisa har sitt leende
Så gömmer också du en hemlighet
Stjärnor jag ser dom vill gärna ta ner nå'n till dig.

THE APRIL FOOL

BURT BACHARACH
SONGWRITERS: BURT BACHARACH & HAL DAVID
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: BURT BACHARACH
LABEL: UNIVERSAL MUSIC
GENRE: POP
YEAR: 1971
 
         Burt Freeman Bacharach (/ˈbækəræk/BAK-ə-rak; May 12, 1928– February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.
     Over 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach's songs. From 1961 to 1972, most of Bacharach and David's hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach wrote hits for singers such as Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, and B. J. Thomas.
Bacharach wrote seventy-three U.S. and fifty-two UK Top 40 hits. Those that topped the Billboard Hot 100 include "This Guy's in Love with You" (Herb Alpert, 1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (Thomas, 1969), "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (the Carpenters, 1970), "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross, 1981), and "That's What Friends Are For" (Warwick, 1986). His accolades include six Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and one Emmy Award.
        Bacharach is described by writer William Farina as "a composer whose venerable name can be linked with just about every other prominent musical artist of his era"; in later years, his songs were newly appropriated for the soundtracks of major feature films, by which time "tributes, compilations, and revivals were to be found everywhere". A significant figure in easy listening, he influenced later musical movements such as chamber pop and Shibuya-kei. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Bacharach and David at number 32 for their list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. In 2012, the duo received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first time the honor has been given to a songwriting team.
Are we just April fools?
Who can't see all the thing just around us?
If we just April fools, I'd okay
We'll find the way some how.