ESC+Plus has talked to JOCO, finalists of this year’s German national selection for Eurovision. The duet will perform “Full Moon” in “Unser Lied für Stockholm” set on February 25.
ESC+Plus: Hello! First of all, thank you so much for your time and congratulations on having been selected to take part in the German national selection for Eurovision 2016!
Can you tell us about you, your musical career and important achievements?
We are JOCO. Two sisters – Josepha and Cosima. We both sing and play all instruments by ourselves. Josepha plays the drums and Cosima plays the piano and the guitar. We make music together since our childhood. In 2015, we released our debut album ‘Horizon’, which we recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London together with the Producer of Paul McCartney: Steve Orchard. We have been playing lots of concerts and festivals in Germany and around Europe, did some support shows for Van Morrison and we got the chance to play our songs together with the NDR Bigband. The association of German bookers (VDKD) awarded us as the best Newcomer 2015!
E+: What impelled you to take part in “Unser Lied für Stockholm 2016”?
We got a phone call from the NDR (national broadcasting Television) and they asked us if we would like to participate in the german preselection of the Eurovision Song Contest. We immediately thought of our brand new song ‘Full Moon’ which we had written during our festival-tour in summer, we thought the song would fit perfectly and we said ‘yes’!
E+: How did you feel when you knew you had qualified for the final? Did you expect it?
The nomination was a big surprise for us. We are very happy to have qualified and we cannot wait to play ‘Full Moon’!
E+: What it would mean for you to represent Germany?
It would be an honor to us to represent Germany in Stockholm!
E+: Can you tell us about your song? What is the story behind the lyrics?
We wrote the song ‘Full Moon’ during our festival-tour last summer. Spending nights under the open sky made us think about the moon. Every night the moon reflects the sunlight and proofs to us that the sun is still there on the other side and that there will be another sunrise tomorrow. And that’s what we all have in common – no matter where on the planet you live, you know the moon! Also the ESC brings together many countries and we all speak the same language, which is music.
E+: Why do you think your song has to be selected for Stockholm? What are you strengths to reach the top in the competition?
We love touring around the world with our music, sharing our songs with new people from different countries. For us, our Song ‘Full Moon’ transports power and freshness and the idea that all people on this planet somehow sit in the same boat, as we all live under the moon. We like the idea of growing together and we would absolutely love to play ‘Full Moon’ in Stockholm.
E+: Have you started to prepare your stage performance for “Unser Lied für Stockholm 2016”?
We will be touring Germany the month before the German selection for ESC and we will be performing Full Moon live on stage every night. That of course will be a very good preparation for our performance. And we already think of special outfits and lights for the TV show.
E+: Do you usually watch Eurovision? What are your favorite songs in the history of the competition?
We remember watching Eurovision when we were children. And this year our two brothers will be watching alone – but with us on the screen! 🙂
E+: If you could choose a Eurovision former participant to sing along with, who would it be?
Singing together with ABBA would be great fun.
E+: Besides Eurovision, what are your plans for this year?
Our first album ‘Horizon’ is already out and we will be touring Germany a lot and some European countries. Some beautiful festivals are already booked for summer and we are secretly writing on our next album.
E+: Finally, can you send a message for our readers and Eurovision fans?
Don’t forget to be a reflector of love! And let no one else but yourself be the pilot in your head!
E+: Thanks for your time and good luck!