Browsing Collection frontwoman Mimi Brander has revealed that her band were granted permission by SVT to make changes to their participating song after the Melfest submission window closed.
The band are making their Melfest debut on Saturday (February 12) with the song Face in the Crowd but elements of the song were changed once SVT had finalised Browsing Collection’s participation.
Speaking to Euro Trip presenter James Rowe, Brander said: “Jimmy [Wahlsteen] and Sandra [Bjurman] did a scrap demo, we wrote it and changed it a lot, we recorded it, then it got into Melfest.”
“We didn’t really have a plan for it but when we knew it was going into Melfest we had to make sure it’s 100% something we stand for, so we needed to change it.
“But SVT had already accepted the first version and they were like ‘How much do you want to change it? What do you want to change?’
“We said we had to change it, we want to stay true. But then we got the thumbs up to change the song, then we wrote it and we are very happy.
“This is true to our old sound, but it’s also suited to the Melfest audience.”
Face in the Crowd was written by all four band members as well as Sandra Bjurman and Jimmy Wahlsteen.
Bjurman is a Eurovision winner having penned Azerbaijan’s entry in 2011 Running Scared, while Wahlsteen is a debutant songwriter at Melfest despite being married to three-time participant Anna Sahlene.
“No thoughts” about Melfest during songwriting
Brander also revealed that Browsing Collection had “absolutely no thoughts” about being in Melfest when their song was written.
The initial dialogue with SVT ahead of the band’s Melfest participation instead came from Browsing Collection’s label manager.
“In November I got a phone call from our label manager and he said ‘By the way I pitched your song to Melfest and SVT want you, how do you feel about that?’,” Brander said.
“We have talked about Melfest before and we’ve been asked the question but we always said no.
“But now with Måneskin winning and getting the question this time to be in Melfest we have nothing to lose. We love the show, so why shouldn’t we say yes and do our thing?”
Browsing Collection will perform fifth in the running order of the second Melfest heat at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Saturday (February 12).
First published on The Euro Trip
Callum Rowe 