"Joy" but "no pressure" for the Eurovision favorite

• Cornelia Jakobs represents Sweden at Eurovision 2022, the final of which will take place on Saturday May 14 in Turin (Italy).

• His song,

  Hold Me Closer

  , a ballad about the last moments of a couple on the verge of breaking up, is inspired by his experience.

  “There was a lot of love and passion, but it was also quite toxic,” she explains to

  20 Minutes

  .

• Cornelia Jakobs is one of the favorites of Eurovision 2022. "I went from being an unknown independent artist to this massive support for Eurovision," she rejoices.

From our special correspondent in Turin (Italy)

At Eurovision, Sweden is always a nation to follow.

Over the last ten winners, the country of Abba has won two victories (in 2012 and 2015) and finished in the Top 10 six times. This year, Cornelia Jakobs has every chance of contributing to this brilliant roll of honor.

With her song

, a moving ballad about the last moments of a couple on the verge of breaking up, she is one of the big favorites to win the final, in the night of May 14 to 15.

The 30-year-old author, composer and performer would then have confirmation that her years of hardship are far behind her.

Badly rebuffed in 2008 by the jury of

, the

, she had rebounded in 2010 within the girls band Love Generation which only approached success from afar… By dint of tenacity, she ended up conquering, at the dawn of her thirties, attention and legitimacy with the public, which she does not intend to let go, by winning at Melodifestivalen, the very followed Swedish selection for Eurovision.

What is your song “Hold Me Closer” about?

I suffered a breakup – or rather, several in a short period of time, because it was a kind of relationship where you leave each other and then make up.

There was a lot of love and passion, but it was also quite toxic, because it's hard to be in a relationship with someone who is with you on and off.

He had issues with his mental health.

I wrote this song [with David Zandén and Isa Molin] during this period.

is imbued with these feelings, these feelings, what was happening.

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Over the past few weeks, and more since Eurovision rehearsals began, you've come to sing that song over and over again.

How do you keep the emotion intact and not fall into automatism?

I started performing on stage at the age of 7 [his father was a musician].

I have a certain way of getting in touch with my emotions.

When I'm on stage, I think less.

It makes me feel good.

It allows me to take a break because I tend to tweak my brain.

As I make sure to write songs that are consistent with who I am and what I feel, inspired by my life or what surrounds me, it is easy for me to connect to these emotions.

Maybe I'm a good time traveler too (she smiles).

I dive back into this period and, as soon as I hear the first notes of the song, the emotions rise.

In 2008, you had a bad experience in “Swedish Idol”.

The jury strongly criticized you during your hearing.

Among the jurors, there was Anders Bagge, whom you beat in March at Melodifestivalen, the Swedish selection for Eurovision.

Did you get your revenge somehow?

Revenge is too strong a word.

I get what you mean, and there's a bit of that, but revenge is connoted too negatively.

I would rather say that for me it was a huge accomplishment.

For years, I worked very hard, and I faced a lot of obstacles, I had to swim against the tide… After

, I couldn't touch a guitar for ten years.

It was violent enough for me as a 16-year-old to take their harsh remarks.

It took courage and a lot of hard work to keep going.

Financially, for example.

Music is a tough business.

It took me a while to get over that.

By winning the Melodifestivalen, I felt very strong and proud of myself, of this 16-year-old kid who didn't let herself be broken.

Anders Bagge, who is a star in Sweden, was overwhelmingly supported at Melodifestivalen by the Swedish public who ranked you second.

You imposed yourself thanks to the international juries, which ranked first and Anders Bagge seventh.

Was it destabilizing?

I was prepared for this because I was rather unknown to the Swedish public when I participated in Melodifestivalen.

In Sweden, it's very common for people to vote for an artist they already know or love over a TV show.

The Swedes also seem to favor men – we usually send men to Eurovision (laughs).

It didn't bother me that much.

I was rather pleasantly surprised that so many people supported me, since I was a newcomer.

I took it as a big compliment.

And I was also very happy that there was an international jury!

(She bursts out laughing)

You are one of the favorites of this Eurovision.

Is it pressure?

Of course it's a pressure, but I don't feel it that way.

Everything that happens to me is so huge for me.

I went from the unknown independent artist to this massive support for Eurovision, it's a big step forward for me, it gives me energy, it comforts me.

That was my goal: for people to see what I do, not just in Sweden but all over the world.

I love going on tour.

I want to perform in all these countries.

I already have the feeling that the mission is accomplished, in many respects.

I won't have to worry about my career for a while now, which is a good thing.

I can concentrate on the music I want to release, on the concerts.

I feel more joy than pressure.

You faced a whole series of technical problems during your second rehearsal on Friday.

Isn't that bad for confidence?

I like when rehearsals go wrong.

When I forget the lyrics, for example.

That's what happened to me during the rehearsals for the Melodifestivalen finale.

I think at the moment “What the fuck?

!

“, then I correct myself by telling myself that what is happening now will not happen again later, during the live.

So everything that happened today [Friday] will not happen again.

For me, it feels like I checked the “bad rehearsal” box and there will be a “perfect” box to check for the semi-final rehearsal.

If you win Eurovision on the night of Saturday to next Sunday, what will be your first thought?

Probably "What the fuck?"

!

(“What the fuck?”) It's hard to answer that question because it must be such an experience… Winning the Melodifestivalen is the closest thing to it: it was so crazy.

So it will probably be a shock, an “error” mode that will activate in my head.

Who knows ?

If that happens, we'll see... I'll tell you!

(laughs)

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