Boggie: “I want to keep simplicity and puritanism in the performance and just focus on the message” (Hungary 2015 – Exclusive Interview)

ESC+Plus has had an exclusive talk with the Hungarian representative for Eurovision 2015 Boggie. She will sing “Wars for Nothing” after winning “A Dal” 2015.

Check out what she has told us below:

ESC+Plus: Hello Boggie! Congratulations on having won the Hungarian national selection for Eurovision 2015 and thanks for giving us the chance to have a little talk with you.

“A Dal 2015” was a large process, how did you experience the whole contest? What do you think it was the most special moment there?

I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a big adventure for me and also a challenge. I’ve never done a live TV show before and it was a good experience.

The most special moment for me was when I won the competition. Emotionally I was so touched and I feel so blessed. I covered my face with my hands and I tried to not cry.

E+: What was the first thing that came to your mind when you realized you had won the contest? What does representing Hungary at Eurovision mean for you?

I was so sensitive. It wasn’t easy to keep myself together because I almost cried. I wish I could have hugged my vocalists and my team.:-)

Eurovision is the perfect opportunity for different cultures, different nations to meet. We can exchange ideas, musical inspirations and probably we can also get to know each other’s cultures better. In my career, participating in Eurovision 2015 was a logical step after Parfüm. This is the perfect place to reach more people with my music.

 

E+: Can you tell us what your song is about? What’s the story behind the lyrics?

Actually my song was written for my second album “All is One is All”, which was just released in October 2014, not for the Song Contest. We picked “Wars for Nothing” from among our other songs. I wanted to be represented with an English song and a song with an important message.

My song is a hymnic ballad pleading for peace which was created by three composers: Áron Sebestyén, Sára Helene Bori and myself.
We have different background stories. I, personally can be easily touched by any human’s suffering and nowadays we have more and more of it near and far. Three composers, many inspirations and one goal: raise people’s attention to this issue.

I truly believe that through music we can make the world a better place.

E+: Are you going to revamp the song for Eurovision? If yes, what kind of arrangements would you like to listen to in the final version?

I don’t want to change anything in my song. I’m absolutely happy with my song as it is. I think this message is really current in 2015 as well and I’m so happy that I have the opportunity to sing this song for Europe. My song is really modest and minimal, that’s how the message could be clearly communicated. I really like this minimalism in my song. I know that nowadays it’s not the most popular way to express feelings because we are used to having more spectacles and bigger orchestration in a song. But a lot of people like this simplicity and can easily connect with “Wars for Nothing” and I feel so blessed to sing it in May.

E+: A few days ago you launched a flashmob video for your song “Wars for Nothing”. How was the making of the clip? Any funny anecdote you can share with us?

I decided not to make a conventional video clip. To avoid clichés I prefer to use my Flashmob video as a video clip. It speaks for itself. I invited my fans to sing along with me in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest. I felt all the power of music and the presence of God. It was so beautiful!
A funny anecdote to tell: we had to film it twice because in the first take I couldn’t finish my song because I started to cry. We also had technical problems with recording and we had to repeat it.

E+: What kind of staging would you like show in Vienna? Are you going to add any different element to the performance?

My performance was very simple. I want to keep this simplicity and puritanism and just focus on the message. We’re going to change the visuals in the background and we will play around with the LED floor as well. We are going to have new outfits, so we’re working really hard to be able to give the best possible performance on the stage in Vienna.

E+: Have you thought about doing some kind of promotion abroad like at the Amsterdam’s Eurovision in Concert?

Yes, I do. Me and my team, have a flashmob tour plan. I really want to repeat it in different European countries. I’m going to do this in Amsterdam in April and I really hope that I could visit more European capitals in the following two months.

E+: Have you listened to the other songs competing at Eurovision 2015? Do you have any favourite?

Yes, I have already listened to others, unfortunately not all of them. I really like the Belgian song. It’s really cool.

E+: What can you contribute to the Eurovision Song Contest? What can this contest contribute to you? Would you do a come-back in the future?

I really hope I can reach more people with my music. I’m planning on having a long-term career that’s why I work so hard. I want more and more people to know my music. I want to continue to write my own songs, to share my thoughts with the audience. I strongly believe in the power of music. I would like to have an international career.

E+: Can you tell us about your musical career? What are the most important achievements you have reached until the date?

I started at a really early age but when I went to music school I was around twelve years old. I started with classical vocal training and I studied classical piano for 5 years. Afterwards, I went to a special jazz conservatory and finally I finished my musical studies in the only pop music school in Hungary.

I formed my band in 2009, since then I continuously give concerts in Hungary and abroad as well. Boggie is my stage name it comes from Boglárka and you cannot find a similar name in any other language.
I released my first album in 2013. It includes my worldwide hit Parfüm/Nouveau Parfum. This song went viral all over the world. This album reached third place at the Billboard! It’s amazing!

Don’t miss to check out my album here.

My second album “All Is One Is All” has just come out at the end of October 2014 which includes “Wars for Nothing”. I was deeply inspired by a Japanese anime, Full Metal Alchemist. This is the most successful anime ever. “All is One is All” is the main title of my album. There is an episode in FMA called “All is One, One is All”. There are two main characters, two little boys. In this episode they have to figure it out what “Everything” and “One” exactly means. This is spiritual and also an action anime series. It’s really interesting philosophically. It had a true influence on me.

Don’t miss to check out my album here.

I have known that I am able to help people by my music since my hit “Parfüm/Nouveau Parfum” and I feel the same about “Wars for Nothing”. Music is more powerful than some people might think.

E+: What artists and singers do inspire your music?

I really like the old age stars, especially those from Golden Age of the French Chanson, e.g. Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour…They had a really strong personality and credibility, puritanism. These are very important values for me. I like Adele, Lianne Lahavas, Jessie J and Beyoncé, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington as well.

E+: What do you do in your free time? Do you have any favourite hobby?

I like being around my family and my friends. I really like playing cards or games together. I like reading, learning foreign languages.Sometimes I go to CrossFit training to do some sports and I do yoga as well.

E+: Can you send a message for our readers and fans of the competition?

Thank you for reading my interview. I really hope to see you in Vienna!:-)

Thanks for your time and see you in Vienna!

Boglárka Csemer (Boggie) will represent Hungary at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. She will sing “Wars for Nothing” in the First Semi-Final set on May 19.