- Title: CROATIA: Girl group Feminnem looks forward to in Eurosong contest
- Date: 18th May 2010
- Summary: ZAGREB, CROATIA (MAY 17, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) NIKA ANTOLOS FROM FEMINNEM, SAYING: "I would say I am excited, but in a positive sense. I am looking forward to getting there and to the first rehearsal so we can see how it all looks and how we function on that stage. I don't have any stage fright, actually I am a bit worried because I don't have any stage
- Embargoed: 2nd June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Croatia
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA668PW9XLB16YK2B40NUSTUK9R
- Story Text: The three beauties of Croatia's Feminnem have barely had a moment's rest since they topped both the jury vote and public televoting to clinch a clear victory in the Croatian national selection for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.
Ahead of the big day, the performers have been preparing for their stage debut in Oslo with exhaustive rehearsals aimed at perfecting their stage presence and letting the audience feel the full force of the ballad 'Lako Je Sve', which deals with passion, guilt and hope in a relationship suffering under the strain of infidelity.
"I would say I am excited, but in a positive sense. I am looking forward to getting there and to the first rehearsal so we can see how it all looks and how we function on that stage. I don't have any stage fright, actually I am a bit worried because I don't have any stage fright, but I think everything will be fine. We have practised a lot, we really worked hard, so actually there is no room for stage fright," said Feminnem singer Nika Antolos.
The music video to the song showcases the beauty of the three women and their powerful voices in an minimalist, intimate, sepia-toned setting. Croatia's entry is already a bookmakers' favourite for a Top 5 finish, and has running odds of 6 percent for the number 1 spot.
"We have been trying to go through all of this calmly right from the start, and to make this Eurosong a positive experience for us, to make it fun so we can have as many nice memories from it as possible, and not the memories of hurriedness and stress. And we hope to win," said Feminnem singer Neda Parmac.
This is the second time that Feminnem enter the running for the Eurovision song contest. They represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in Kiev in 2005 with the song "Call me" and clinched 13th place.
"I assume we will get lots of votes from Bosnia-Herzegovina because we represented Bosnia-Herzegovina before, this will for sure have an effect," said the third group member, Pamela Ramljak.
"And I can see the reactions of the Eurosong fans. It is amazing how many people follow events around Eurosong, and in detail, and so many people know we represented Bosnia-Herzegovina five years ago. We are getting so many e-mails and letters, long live Facebook and the Internet. These messages are really helping us. I think people take us more seriously, Eurosong fans think "all right, these girls are already representing the second country now - they must be good. And they can compare the songs. The previous one was a fast dance number in the Abba style and this one is a ballad, so everybody can see that we are versatile," she added.
In addition to attending rehearsals and touring Europe to promote their song, Feminnem have also recorded English, Italian and Russian versions, hoping that the song's powerful lyrics will resonate better with audiences in their native languages.
The band, originally founded in 2004 by three finalists of the Croatian Idol talent show, has seen some changes in the lineup already, but the current members say they now have the chemistry and the song right for their big Eurovision effort.
Now older and more experienced, they plan to win over audiences across Europe when they sing their hearts out in the Second Semi-Final on May 27. Feminnem are number 15 in the running order. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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