EXCLUSIV! INTERVIU EUROVISION 2018 | EQUINOX – BULGARIA

In ultimii ani, Bulgaria a oferit surprize imense la Eurovision Song Contest, prin performance-urile din cadrul acestei competitii.
In acest an, Equinox – un proiect muzical fresh si ambitios format din Zhana Bergendorff, Vlado Mihailov – Vladdi, Georgi Simeonov – JJ, Johnny Manuel si Trey Campbell canta despre dragoste si uniune, sub forma atemporala si aspatiala.
„Bones” este una dintre cele mai speciale piese ce se vor auzi in acest an la Lisabona si piesa ce ne-a facut sa ne indragostim intr-atat de reprezentantii Bulgariei, incat sa ne dorim sa ii cunoastem in detaliu.
Astazi avem bucuria de a va prezenta unul dintre cele mai ample interviuri realizate cu ocazia fenomenului Eurovision, cu Equinox, cei care se situeaza in top 3-ul nostru personal.

In recent years, Bulgaria has offered huge surprises at the Eurovision Song Contest, through the performances presented in this competition.
This year, Equinox – a fresh and ambitious musical project formed of Zhana Bergendorff, Vlado Mihailov – Vladdi, Georgi Simeonov – JJ, Johnny Manuel and Trey Campbell, sing about love and union without limits of time or space.
„Bones” is one of the most special songs to be heard this year in Lisbon and the song that made us fall in love with the Bulgarian representatives as much as we wanted to know them in detail.
Today we have the pleasure of presenting one of the broadest interviews made on the occasion of the Eurovision phenomenon, with Equinox, who are on our personal top 3.

Hello, guys and welcome to Romania! First of all, tell us, how did you get to form this wonderful project? / Buna tuturor si bun venit in Romania! Mai intai, spuneti-ne cum ati ajuns sa faceti parte din acest proiect minunat?

JJ: Everything happened quite surprisingly as I contacted the producer Borislav Milanov and asked him if he has an intention to apply fo Eurovision. At the time he was still puzzled but eventually came to me with “Bones”. However, we felt that this song requires more voices in order to transmit that emotion we wanted to achieve. Therefore, we end up being a group./ Totul s-a intamplat destul de surprinzator, l-am contactat pe producatorul Borislav Milanov si l-am intrebat daca intentioneaza sa se inscrie la Eurovision. In acel moment nu era inca sigur, dar in cele din urma mi-a prezentat piesa „Bones”. Cu toate acestea, am simtit ca acest cantec necesita mai multe voci pentru a transmite acea emotie pe care am dorit sa o atingem. Prin urmare, am ajuns sa fim un grup.

Vladimir Mihaylov: I joined the project a bit later than JJ after I proposed my own song for the National selection. Meanwhile I was invited by Borislav Milanov to be part of “Bones” as well./ M-am alaturat proiectului un pic mai tarziu decat JJ, dupa ce am propus propria melodie pentru selectia nationala. Intre timp am fost invitat de Borislav Milanov sa fac parte si din piesa „Bones”

Johnny Manuel: It was long ago – maybe in the autumn of 2017 when Borislav Milanov contacted me via the social networks to raise his interest in working with me. Eurovision was not in the agenda back then. I had a song writing session with him with “Bones” being one of the songs recorded. Then I don’t know what happened exactly but I’m here with my new friends./ Acum ceva timp in urma – cred ca in toamna lui 2017 – Borislav Milanov m-a contactat prin retelele sociale pentru a-mi prezenta interesul sau de a lucra cu mine. Eurovision nu se afla pe lista mea atunci. Am avut o sesiune de compozitie cu el, „Bones” fiind una dintre melodiile inregistrate. Nu stiu cum s-a intamplat exact, dar sunt aici cu noii mei prieteni.

Trey Campbell: We worked together with Borislav on a few projects. I was involved as a songwriter and initially I recorded all the demo vocals for the song. It was never meant to have such a development. Then one day Boby contacted me and told me that they just can’t find more suitable vocal for my parts in the song and asked me whether I can do it. I thought that would be my first involvement in front of the camera and I’m pretty excited about it./ Am lucrat impreuna cu Borislav pentru cateva proiecte. Am fost implicat in calitate de compozitor si initial am inregistrat toate vocile demo pentru piesa. Nu am intentionat niciodata ca piesa sa aiba o astfel de dezvoltare. Apoi, intr-o zi, Boby m-a contactat si mi-a spus ca nu pot gasi o voce potrivita pentru partea mea din piesa si m-a intrebat daca pot sa o fac eu. Am considerat ca aceasta va fi prima mea implicare in fata camerei si sunt foarte incantat de acest lucru.

Zhana Bergendorff: I was the latest addition to the project and joined after the song was already selected as a winner of the Bulgarian selection. My role was to be something like the “fifth element”. There was a demo vocal of a woman in it, and I had to enter into the mix without changing too much the vocal structure of the song. It is a great challenge, because as a band we have big shoes to fill after the success of Bulgaria in the past few years. But what is most exciting of that project is how so different personalities can fit into one coherent performance. It’s just amazing! / Am fost cea care a completat proiectul si m-am alaturat dupa ce cantecul fusese deja selectat drept castigator al selectiei bulgare. Rolul meu a fost ceva in genul „al cincilea element”. A existat un demo vocal cu o voce feminina si a trebuit sa intru in mix fara a schimba prea mult structura vocala a piesei. Este o mare provocare, pentru ca, drept trupa, avem o responsabilitate uriasa dupa succesul Bulgariei din ultimii ani. Dar ceea ce este cel mai interesant in acest proiect este modul in care niste personalitati atat de diferite se pot completa intr-un singur performance coerent. Este uimitor!

Your song has a very modern and conceptual sound. Do you think it’ time Eurovision sets for modernism? / Piesa voastra are un sound foarte modern si conceptual. Considerati ca e timpul ca Eurovision sa se indrepte spre modernism?

JJ: Absolutely! It’s part of the new direction of the contest. There’s a clear shift to more modern sound or art entries. Absolut! Face parte din noua directie a concursului. Exista o schimbare clara catre un sound mai modern sau spre piese mai artistice.

Vladimir Mihaylov: I think being modern is a must because music is consumed mostly by young people and they have their own preferences. / Cred ca modernismul este o necesitate deoarece muzica este consumata in cea mai mare parte de tineri care au propriile lor preferinte

Johnny Manuel: Well, I think “modern” might not be the right word to describe the successful approach in music nowadays. I would rather suggest that the song should have an accessible message, so that people can relate to the story. The sound and the production is of course important too. / Ei bine, cred ca „modern” ar putea sa nu fie cuvantul potrivit pentru a descrie abordarea de succes a muzicii in zilele noastre. As sugera mai degraba ca melodia ar trebui sa aiba un mesaj accesibil, astfel incat oamenii sa se poata raporta la poveste. De asemenea, sunetul si productia sunt importante.

Trey Campbell: As a songwriter I can tell that being up for the modern times in music is essential nowadays. However, there is a big “BUT” following that statement. In my opinion the trend is shifting to more genuine products. It’s not a coincidence that nowadays the most successful performers are writing themselves the songs they are singing. The most obvious example being Ed Sheeran. So I think we are slowly getting behind the era of commercial mainstream tunes and we are switching to more art and authenticity in the mainstream music. Of course, that doesn’t contradict to the modern approach in music production. / In calitate de compozitor pot sa spun ca este esential ca muzica sa aiba un sound modern in zilele noastre. Cu toate acestea, exista un mare „DAR” dupa aceasta declaratie. In opinia mea, tendinta se indreapta spre produse mai autentice. Nu este o coincidenta ca in prezent cei mai de succes artisti isi scriu singuri cantecele pe care le canta. Cel mai evident exemplu fiind Ed Sheeran. Asadar, cred ca incepem incet sa trecem de la epoca melodiilor comerciale mainstream la un nivel mai mare de arta si autenticitate in muzica mainstream. Desigur, acest lucru nu contravine abordarii moderne a productiei muzicale

Zhana Bergendorff: I don’t know for modern, but I think music should reflect the inner side of an artists so that we are honest to our fans. / Nu stiu cat de moderna trebuie sa fie, dar cred ca muzica ar trebui sa reflecte partea interioara a unui artist astfel incat sa fim cinstiti fata de fanii nostri.

Two of you have competed in X Factor Bulgaria and Romania. What did that experience mean to you? Do you think such competitions may represent the basis for a newcomer? / Doi dintre voi ati concurat in cadrul X Factor Bulgaria si Romania. Ce a insemnat aceasta experienta pentru voi? Considerati ca aceste competitii pot reprezenta bazele de inceput pentru un newcomer?

JJ: Yes, because that’s unvaluable experience. Eurovision is a live singing competition and so is X-factor. I’ve learned a lot how to handle in front of the camera and how to express my emotions so that people at home can feel it. In shows like these you sing for millions of people, not only for those that are in the hall. / Da, pentru ca este o experienta de nepretuit. Eurovision este un concurs de cantare live, ca si X factor. Am invatat foarte mult cum sa ma descurc in fata camerei si cum sa-mi exprim emotiile, astfel incat oamenii de acasa sa le poata simti. In astfel de show-uri canti pentru milioane de oameni, nu doar pentru cei care se afla in sala.

Zhana Bergendorff: In addition, I tried in X-factor Denmark as well. In my opinion these shows really help to create a fan base, they are a great platform. But they aren’t everything and can’t be a substitute for the effort of the performer. / În plus, am incercat si la X-factor Danemarca. In opinia mea, aceste show-uri ajuta , intr-adevar, la crearea unei baze de fani, sunt o platforma excelenta. Dar nu sunt totul si nu pot fi un substitut al efortului interpretului.

What is the message of your song, Bones? Do you think humanity has lost nowadays the sense of emotions? / Care este mesajul piesei voastre, „Bones”? Credeti ca umanitatea si-a pierdut in zilele noastre simtul emotiei?

JJ: The message goes beyond the clichés and the materialistic world we are living in. The tagline of the song is about the love beyond the Bones which represents our desire to leave our footprints for the eternity. / Mesajul merge dincolo de clisee si de lumea materialista in care traim. Piesa vorbeste despre dragostea dincolo de Oase, ce reprezinta dorinta noastra de a ne lasa amprente pentru eternitate.

Vladimir Mihaylov: For me the message is an attempt to shift our imagination to something eternal and bigger than our personal existence and daily routine. / Pentru mine, mesajul este o incercare de a ne transforma imaginatia in ceva etern, mai mare decat existenta noastra personala si decat rutina zilnica.

Johnny Manuel: To love beyond the bones means is a call for people to recognize the eternal values of life. It’s a fact that we have not invented the world as it is, and there’s something bigger than us. Bones is celebration of that supreme force ruling this planet. / Sa iubesti dincolo de oase este un apel ca oamenii sa recunoasca valorile eterne ale vietii. Este un fapt ca nu am inventat lumea asa cum este, si ca exista ceva mai mare decat noi. Bones reprezinta celebrarea acelei forte supreme care guverneaza aceasta planeta

Trey Campbell: The message could be resumed in the following way – love is way bigger thing than a pure romantic sentiment. It is one of the main materials shaping up this world. “Bones” is a song that is talking about the eternal fight between darkness and light. The structure of the song itself has this kind of transition starting very dark and then slowly moving to explosion of light and positive feelings. It’s about the eternal balance in life which is beyond our existence./ Mesajul poate fi rezumat in felul urmator – dragostea este mult mai mare decat un sentiment pur romantic. Este unul dintre principalele materiale care modeleaza aceasta lume. „Bones” este o melodie care vorbeste despre lupta vesnica dintre intuneric si lumina. Structura piesei in sine are o astfel de tranzitie, incepand foarte sumbru si apoi trecand incet la explozia luminii si a sentimentelor pozitive. Este vorba de echilibrul vesnic in viata, care este dincolo de existenta noastra.

Zhana Bergendorff: I feel it more like love beyond everything material and tangible./ Pentru mine reprezinta faptul ca iubirea este dincolo de tot ceea ce este material si tangibil.

What can you reveal about your show in Lisbon? / Ce ne puteti dezvalui despre show-ul vostru de la Lisabona?

JJ: Our stage concept is based on the transition from darkness to light. We want to leave the impression that light always wins, the good always prevails over the dark forces. That would be in the midst of our performance./ Conceptul nostru scenic se bazeaza pe trecerea de la intuneric la lumina. Vrem sa lasam impresia ca lumina intotdeauna castiga, binele intotdeauna predomina peste fortele intunecate. Acesta este nucleul performance-ului nostru.

Vladimir Mihaylov: It will be indeed a show that is very much focused on the balance between light and darkness. All of us will have a certain mission in it. / Va fi, intr-adevar, un spectacol care se concentreaza foarte mult pe echilibrul dintre lumina si intuneric. Toti vom avea o anumita misiune.

Bulgaria was at a few steps from winning last year, with Kristian Kostov. Do you think it is ready to win and host Eurovision next year? / Bulgaria a fost foarte aproape de a castiga Eurovisionul anul trecut, cu Kristian Kostov. Credeti ca tara voastra este gata sa castige si sa gazduiasca Eurovisionul anul viitor?

JJ: I think we are as our national broadcaster BNT is trying their best to achieve a win in the competition. I’m pretty impressed by the efforts and the passion they are putting in. Bulgaria already hosted Junior Eurovision in 2015 taking the contest to another level, so I think technically we are more than prepared to do it. However, Eurovision is a tricky competition and there many other countries putting the same amount of effords in order to win. Everything depends on the performance and how we perform. If we commit one single mistake, we can be end up being extremely frustrated by the outcome. That’s why our team is trying not to think about the results. We are doing our best but we will see what happens. / Cred ca, la fel ca si radiodifuzorul nostru national BNT, incercam sa facem tot posibilul pentru a obtine victoria in aceasta competitie. Sunt foarte impresionat de eforturile si de pasiunea pe care o depun. Bulgaria a gazduit deja Eurovision Junior in 2015, ducand concursul la un alt nivel, deci, cred ca din punct de vedere tehnic suntem mai mult decat pregatiti sa o facem. Cu toate acestea, Eurovision este o competitie dificila si multe alte tari depun aceleasi eforturi pentru a castiga. Totul depinde de performance-ul nostru si de modul in care ne prezentam. Daca facem o singura greseala, putem ajunge sa fim extrem de frustrati de rezultat. De aceea, echipa noastra incearca sa nu se gandeasca la rezultate. Facem tot ce ne sta in putinta, dar vom vedea ce se intampla.

Vladimir Mihaylov: It’s indeed our dream to win and to take the contest to Sofia. As a Bulgarian I can tell that we as a country need this event to boost our national confidence. / Este, intr-adevar visul nostru, sa castigam si sa aducem concursul in Sofia. Ca bulgar, pot sa spun ca noi, ca tara, avem nevoie de acest eveniment pentru a stimula increderea noastra nationala.

Johnny Manuel: We will be giving our best. The whole team is working extremely hard. I will be really excited if we make history. / Vom da tot ce avem mai bun. Intreaga echipa lucreaza din greu. Voi fi foarte entuziasmat daca vom face istorie.

Trey Campbell: I think we already achieved our biggest win which was over our ego’s. We are all solo artists with certain skills and different perception for music, but we managed to set aside all the differences and instead we’re celebrating the diversity in the most positive way we can. The sole existence of EQUINOX is already a big achievement and win over the borders and the limits of the world we are living in. / Cred ca am obtinut deja cea mai mare victorie care a fost peste ego-ul nostru. Suntem toti artisti solo, cu anumite abilitati si perceptii diferite ale muzicii, dar am reusit sa lasam la o parte toate diferentele si sa celebram diversitatea in modul cel mai pozitiv cu putinta. Simpla existenta a EQUINOX este deja o mare realizare si un castig peste granitele si limitele lumii in care traim

Zhana Bergendorff: BNT wants to win and are ready to do everything they can. They are working day and night to give us the best we can have access to. However, we all realize that we are not competing on our own, and there other performers that deserve their big moment as well. We are not the centre of the world, so we have to put a lot of efforts first to qualify and then to try to convince people that Bulgaria is the country that has to win this year. It would be extremely difficult, but we are up for the challenge. / BNT vrea sa castige si este gata sa faca tot ce este posibil in acest sens. Ei lucreaza zi si noapte pentru a ne oferi acces la cele mai bune lucruri. Cu toate acestea, cu totii ne dam seama ca nu concuram pe cont propriu si ca exista si alti interpreti care merita un moment glorios. Nu suntem centrul lumii, asa ca trebuie sa depunem multe eforturi in primul rand pentru a ne califica si apoi sa incercam sa convingem oamenii ca Bulgaria este tara care trebuie sa castige anul acesta. Este extrem de dificil, dar suntem pregatiti pentru aceasta provocare.

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What type of audience do you address to and what do you want your audience to get from your music? / Carui tip de public va adresati si ce doriti ca publicul vostru sa inteleaga din muzica voastra?

JJ: I think the song is targetted especially at the young people as they are the ones who embody the values of the open world beyond the clichés we would like to stress on. / Cred ca piesa noastra se adreseaza in special tinerilor, deoarece acestia sunt cei care incorporeaza valorile lumii dincolo de cliseele pe care dorim sa le accentuam.

Vladimir Mihaylov: I think everyone can relate to song and that is its biggest asset. / Cred ca noi toti ne putem raporta la piesa si aceasta este cea mai mare realizare.

Johnny Manuel: Maybe we don’t have a preferred type of audience. Our message is for everyone who wants to accept it. / Cred ca nu avem un tip preferat de public. Mesajul nostru este pentru toti cei care doresc sa il accepte.

Trey Campbell: That’s a tricky question to be honest. I don’t think we have a specific address for our messagge. In “Bones” there’s room for everyone. / E o intrebare dificila, sa fiu sincer. Nu cred ca avem un public specific pentru mesajul nostru. In „Bones” exista loc pentru toata lumea.

Zhana Bergendorff: It’s universal message, but I think that it will be best understood by young and free of prejudecs souls. / Este un mesaj universal, dar cred ca va fi cel mai bine inteles de sufletele tinere si libere de prejudecati.

Will you continue this project after Eurovision no matter what? / Veti continua acest proiect dupa Eurovision, indiferent de rezultat?

JJ: At the moment we don’t think beyond Eurovision. At this stage the answer of the question most probably would be “no”, but I’ve learned something in my life – never be 100% certain about anything as our world can change for a few seconds. / In momentul de fata nu gandim dincolo de Eurovision. In acest stadiu, raspunsul la intrebare ar fi cel mai probabil „nu”, dar am invatat ceva in viata mea – nu fi sigur 100% despre ceva, pentru ca lumea se poate schimba in doar cateva secunde.

Vladimir Mihaylov: I don’t know, to be honest. It’s a project specially for Eurovision but who knows…/ Nu stiu, sa fiu sincer. Este un proiect special pentru Eurovision, dar cine stie….

Johnny Manuel: I won’t take the risk to say anythning at the moment. If someone asked me about such a thing one year ago, I would’ve been laughing so hard at that. Now I’m part of it, so I think all the possible outcomes are on the table. / Nu voi risca sa spun ceva in acest moment. Daca ma intreba cineva despre un astfel de lucru acum un an, as fi ras foarte tare. Acum fac parte din acest proiect, deci cred ca pot exista toate variantele posibile

Trey Campbell: I’m divided on that to bee honest. The main stregth of EQUINOX is that we are different as persons, and we are trying to expose these differences and combine them in something bigger. If EQUINOX is to continue, I think that would mean to establish a particular style of music we will be doing which would be very hard given the fact we have so many different artists as profile. In all cases, I think our destiny will be decided by people themselves. If they send us the message that they like the concept of EQUINOX, then who are we to object? / Sa fiu sincer, nu am un raspuns cert legat de asta. Principalul avantaj al EQUINOX este ca noi suntem diferiti ca persoane si incercam sa expunem aceste diferente si sa le combinam in ceva mai maret. Daca EQUINOX va continua, cred ca ar insemna stabilirea unui stil special de muzica, ceea ce ar fi foarte greu, avand in vedere faptul ca suntem artisti atat de diferiti ca profil. In toate cazurile, cred ca destinul nostru va fi decis de public. Daca ne trimit mesajul ca le place conceptul EQUINOX, atunci cine suntem noi sa ne opunem?

Zhana Bergendorff: I think it would be a pity if we sing together only for Eurovision. I think there’s a room for us together, and the random story for our reunion is a sign that there’s something bigger than us that is pushing us to that collaboration. I don’t know, but personally I don’t want this to end in less than 2 months having just begun./ Cred ca ar fi pacat sa cantam impreuna doar pentru Eurovision. Cred ca este loc pentru noi impreuna, iar povestea pentru reuniunea noastra aleatorie este un semn ca exista ceva mai maret decat noi, care ne impinge catre aceasta colaborare. Nu stiu, dar personal nu vreau ca acest lucru sa se incheie in mai putin de 2 luni de cand tocmai a inceput.

Share a message for all the Romanian Eurovision fans! / Transmiteti un mesaj tuturor fanilor Eurovision din Romania!

Be daring! Be brave and live for the moment. We think everyone has its mission in the world! / Fiti indrazneti! Fiti curajosi si traiti momentul. Credem ca fiecare din noi are propria misiune in aceasta lume.