Get To Know Rebecca! (Melodi Grand Prix)

Taking on the likes of Eurovision legends Alexander Rybak, Aleksander Walmann & Stella Mwangi is 19 year old Rebecca, who will take to the stage with her emotional and social issue tackling ballad "Who We Are" produced by Eurovision 2015 alumni Mørland! Does she have what to takes to beat the giants of Norway's Eurovision scene?! We sat down to find who Rebecca is!! Below is our interview with Rebecca!

1) So your song “Who we Are” obviously touches on a lot of personal issues could you tell us a little bit more about that? The song has an important message which I stand by 100%, because everyone is their own person and we have to stop trying to be everyone else. We are all so amazing and beautiful in our own ways. Why do we always have to be so mean to one another and hate on each others differences when we can learn to love what makes us unique? I think that is so important to think about because we have a lot of hate in this world and it’s time to start turning that around and love ourselves for the people we are and not who for instance social media usually promotes us to be. 

2) You’re up against a lot of seasoned MGP artists, what do you think will set you apart from the rest of the field? A lot of the other participants have highly up-beat songs you’d want to dance to while my song is very powerful and more like a ballad. I am the youngest contestant and the only underdog in this year’s competition so that will probably set me apart from the others as well. But all in all I’m very happy to be a part of such an incredible year for the MGP, the show is going to be wild! 3) How did the song come to be was it a collaborative effort between you and Morland? Could you explain how “Who we Are” came to be? A couple of years ago I wanted to record a song and my english teacher recommended Mørland! So he produced an early single of mine and I’ve done some backing vocals on his songs throughout the years. He asked me if I wanted to sing his song to attend this year’s Eurovision and I loved everything about «Who We Are». So here we are! 4) We have seen many behind the scenes snippets of your music video could you elaborate on the direction your music video is going? You can actually see for yourself as the video is out now!:)) Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTyoTk2pkAo 5) We love “Who we Are” and we will be big fans of you regardless of the MGP outcome but we are wondering do you have more material in the pipeline or are you focusing on your MGP participation for the moment? Thank you for that! At this moment I am focusing on MGP but I am always writing songs and planning the next steps so MGP will definitely not be the last time you hear from me!

6) Your song touches on self acceptance and self worth can you tell us why these issues are so important to you?! And as many people would struggle with these issues do you have any words for them? I have seen how self acceptance can make your life easier. There are so many people, not only youths but also adults, who struggle with their own image and have problems accepting themselves for who they are. It’s so easy to get sucked into the social media trends where everything has to be perfect all the time but we forget that we are all individuals who live and learn by making mistakes. It’s when you stop living for everybody else and start living for yourself that you can be the person you are meant to be. Differences aren't flaws but what makes us unique.  My message is; The most impressive thing you can do is daring to love the person you are and not being afraid to stand up for yourself, no matter who you love, what you look like or who you want to be. Other people’s opinions aren’t as important as your happiness! We should praise diversity and you should not be afraid to live our life the way you want to because we all deserve to be happy with ourselves.  7) You are one of the youngest finalists in MGP do you find that can add pressure on you to perform against the older and more seasoned artists you are up against? I personally don’t really think about the age gap between me and the others, I am just so thankful to be able to share the stage with all of these amazing musicians in such a young age and get to experience the love MGP and their fans have to offer at 19 years old. It is something I will always cherish and will bring with me in life.  8) How did you find out singing was your dream career? Was there a significant event that shaped you ambitions or was it a goal from when you were little!? I started taking vocal lessons when I was 11. But it was the second I got off the stage of my first ever performance in 2009 I just knew this was something I had to do because I loved every second of it, and so I kept taking vocal lessons, writing songs and continued performing.  9) Your song currently has nearly 80,000 streams on Spotify how do you find the support from all the listeners? Is it really that much?? The support from my listeners has been beyond amazing. They are truly the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure talking to and they are so motivating. They really are the best and I am very thankful for having them in my life!  10) What are your plans after MGP and potentially ESC? I want to record and release even more music and have as many concerts as possible because I love performing. I absolutely want to study music, hopefully take a BA in songwriting.

11) What has been your favourite MGP entry of the past? I will always like «A Monster Like Me» by Mørland and Debrah Scarlett. It’s a song I’ve listened to a whole lot and will never get tired of. But Alexander Rybak is a true MGP legend and «Fairytale» was one of the most exciting moments in my memories of watching Eurovision so it’s impossible to decide.  12) What has been your favourite ESC entry of the past? «Rhythm Inside» by Loïc Nottet from Belgium in 2015! Loved his performance and lovelovelove the song. 13) Seeing the rise in native language in esc and they national finals around Europe was singing in Norwegian ever considered? Or was the song written solely for English language? The song was written in English. Mørland lives in England and works with English lyrics. I sing and write in English most of the time and it’s easier to spread the message in a language more people can understand. 14) Who are your biggest musical influences? Who has shaped your sound and genres or do you aspire to carve your own way into the industry? I used to do more country/pop very much inspired by singer/songwriters like the young Taylor Swift but now I’ve gone even deeper into the pop genre which I am very excited about exploring. I usually find inspiration in everything I listen to.

We wish Rebecca all the best in Melodi Grand Prix 2018, and hope she achieves all the success and glory she deserves! Listen to Rebecca's MGP song "Who We Are" below!

http://rebeccamusic.no