André: It's great! It's a new experience making an excursion into pop-music on the one hand, and I also enjoy working together with a creative group of television show-makers to put the song on stage together on the other hand.
Who had the idea that you could participate in the Hungarian national selection and who decided “Why”?
André: It was a last minute decision. The producer of my fifth album came up with a song, saying that he had written it just for me, for my soprano voice. It happened not long before the deadline of the Eurovision nomination, and on listening this special song my management decided to enter it to the competition. We were surprised to hear that it had been selected into the best 30 songs.
What is the message of " Why "?
André: It deals with a very actual, up-to-date subject, calling everybody's attention to look around and ask themselves questions about things happening around in the world. Why they are going on just the way we experience them day by day. It urges people not to accept all the negative events. Just ask "Why" do we choose hatred instead of love just to mention one example. If we answer our own questions honestly we might as well make steps towards positive changes. That's the most important message: always ask "Why" before you act. Don't hurt others!
..and you also recorded a video for your entry?
André: Oh yes :) We recorded a video and finished it last days. The extraordinary sound of the song is accompanied with shocking and bizarre images you've never seen from me yet. The imagery of the clip was created and composed by its author, András Galler "Indian". We will premiere the video this Saturday on my Facebook - here you can see already a picture of the video shoot.
Can you tell us something about the beginning of your career?
André: My affinity towards music has already been discovered already in my childhood, but there was no artists in my family, no one to guide me into that direction. It was a mere chance already in my adult age when I could get to a singing master. In a party I happened to see a TV ad having the background music from Mozart's Queen of the Night. Just making a joke I repeated the aria. On hearing it a girlfriend took me to her teacher who listened to me, and said that I had an exceptional voice and should start training it. That was the very beginning of my later career, although a very hard period came by with learning, going to competitions, auditions. I suffered a lot to make myself accepted. I regularly go to my master even today for singing lessons. However it was not in vain: I won an opera competition in Miskolc, Hungary, I was finalist in an international singing contest in Rome, I was runner up in the Hungary's Got Talent competition, I had five albums released gaining three gold medals and one Platinum. Moreover I had lots of concerts in Hungary and abroad even overseas appearing on the most prestigious concert sceneries.
What are you expecting in the national selection “A Dal 2016”, are you excited?
André: I don't have expectations, nothing in particular, not even now in the semi-final. I just enjoy the competition. I am very glad that I have received high points from the jury and have qualified for the semi-final and the audience likes my song. However I am excited a bit of course. How could I not be excited, if that is a competition with a very strong field and high stakes of the possibility representing Hungary in the Eurovision.
You already performed in the competition this year. Can you tell us something about your experiences?
André: I performed my song in the second qualification heat of A DAL. A group of three female and two male vocalists contributed a lot to the performance as well as the fantastic background screening. All of these added up underlying the music which is wonderfully built up including more pitches, but arrives to the real climax at the end. While being on stage I felt that the specific mutual power of all these effects make a great impression on the audience and even perhaps on the jury, too.
How do you prepare yourself for the show, are you planning to make some changes for the next show?
André: We are analyzing the experiences from the first public performance of the song, and think it over what changes should we make. It was a very spectacular show, however we need to make a balance between the music and the show elements. At this moment it seems that the styling and the visual effects might change a bit for the semi-final.
Are you a Eurovision fan?
André: It's a great show of long - more than 60 years - tradition with a great message of Building Bridges among the nations, with a festive carnival-like feeling, so yes, I'm kind of a fan of it.
Which are your favorite Eurovision songs and what is your favorite from Hungarian entries?
André: From last year I like the Italian Il Volo's and also the Russian Polina Gagarina's song, but "Euphoria" is also a very memorable hit by the Swedish Loreen from 2012. Unfortunately I can not mention any of the present Hungarian entries at the moment as I intentionally keep myself away from listening the other contestants. I don't want to be influenced in any way by their performances, so now I concentrate on my own song only. But of course when the competition will be over, I'm going to listen the other ones as well.
What is your first Eurovision memory?
André: I was still a child back in the 90ies, when Friderika Bayer finished 4th in the Eurovision Song Contest. It seems impossible to forget that song with its simplicity and crystal clear voices, the guitar solo, and even the text of course - it was impressing. And how interesting it is that she raised questions in her song, just like me now, more than 20 years later...
What are your plans for 2016 beside the Hungarian national selection, are you working on an album?
André: I am going to continue my concerts with the songs of my 5th album titled "Mozijegy" (Movie Ticket) including well known soundtracks. Since it was a crossover album now we have already started to work on the preparations of a classical album again but now the success of this pop song Why also suggests the need of an album with similar songs, as it is also one of my long time desire to release an album with songs written especially for me. I hope both of them can be realized in the near future.
What was the most excited moment in your life?
André: Singing in the Vatican. It was an international singing competition and I qualified for the final. The moment when I learned that the final would be broadcasted by the Vatican television with about 160 million people watching my performance... it was rather thrilling.
If people outside Hungary never heard about you before – what should they know about you?
André: I am a male soprano singer performing on national and international stages for 15 years now. I have a classical musical training, but singing both classical and crossover style music and now I am taking up pop music on my repertoire as well. I have already five albums (classical and crossover also) released gaining three Gold Records and one Platinum Record. My album titled "Ünnep" (Feat) is the first Christmas theme album recorded with the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra and made by a male soprano singer. My fifth album "Mozijegy" (Movie Ticket) contains soundtracks. I won the Hungarian Opera Contest in Miskolc, I was finalist in an international singing contest in Rome and placed second in the Hungarian Got Talent Competition. I also received nomination for the Hungarian Fonogram Musical Award in the category of the Hungarian Contemporary Classical Album of the year. I played theatrical roles in Pesti Theatre and acted also in a Schiller drama in the National Theatre of Hungary for three years. I had memorable performances in the greatest concert halls and festivals of Hungary with lots of renowned orchestras and conductors. I had also many concert tours abroad both in Europe and overseas. Last September I was selected to perform as leading soloist to the Red Army Choir's Hungarian tour including four great concerts.
Why should the Hungarian audience vote for your song to represent Hungary at Eurovision 2016?
André: Just imagine, 43 countries have indicated their participation in the Eurovison Song Contest, all of them wish to make a good impression in that three minutes, moreover to win the contest with relatively new songs. It's very difficult indeed... so you need to have a very good song, a special singing performance and spectacular visual appearance on stage. I received a very good song written on my special soprano voice, the visual effects on stage for my song are amazing, so I think we can have a chance for a good result. That' my opinion anyhow, we shall see what the Hungarian jury and the audience decide about it.
Do you have a message for “Join Us on Eurovision” readers and your fans?
André: I like Eurovision's this year slogan "Come together". Coming together with good music is one of the best things we can do. Music is the best communication tool, I believe, and I would like to be involved. So please, listen to my song, follow my performance and vote for me. It would be nice to meet you in the Globen in Stockholm!
Thank you so much for answer those questions. Good luck for you and your song in the Hungarian national selection and maybe we see us in Stockholm!
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Pictures: Csányi István and Bíró Ádám
Pictures: Csányi István and Bíró Ádám
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