Eurovision winner tells Attitude: ‘I have always been an LGBT friend’

Okay, boys, who hasn’t already booked flights out to Sweden for next year’s Eurovision in the hope of copping a feel of triumphant Mans Zelmerlow? Yes, Sweden has suddenly become a very desirable holiday destination since the drop dead gorgeous singer scooped the title over the weekend. And well deserved it was too.

At the time of writing, his winning entry Heroes was number 4 on the UK iTunes chart, way ahead of the UK’s dismal Still In Love With You and his album is set to drop in the UK .

But while poor old Electro Velvet have skulked home with their heads hung in shame, gleeful Mans still can’t believe that after a previous two attempts at Eurovision glory he has finally scooped the prestigious title: ‘It is absolutely amazing. I can’t believe it,’ he gushed after the show. ‘I thought Russia or Italy would have won. But I am so happy I am so proud and full of joy and excited.’

And so are we and we cant wait to get our ears around his album Perfectly Damaged that is due out on June 5.

Here, speaking exclusively to Attitude, Mans reveals all about his ups and downs, overcoming being bullied and comes clean about those controversial comments about homosexuality he made a year ago….

Mans, you had tried twice before to go to Eurovision with the amazing songs Cara Mia and Hope and Glory. Did you think you’d be third time lucky?  

To be honest, I was totally shocked that I won Melodifestivalen because I thought one of the other contestants was going to win. So when I saw I was getting all these 12 points, I was shocked.

But why? The song is amazing. 

I was shocked because I never win anything…

Awww, are you saying you a loser?

(laughing) Yes, I am a big loser!

After missing out twice and carving out a career as a big TV presenter in Sweden, did you have to be persuaded to return to music?

Not at all. At the start of last year, I decided that I wanted to get back into releasing music and Melodifestivalen is the biggest TV show in Sweden so I decided to really focus on that. So I started writing songs over the summer of last year and then decided on one which I really liked. When I played it to the label,  they said ‘yeah, we really like it’ but listen to this song. That song was Heroes and I was sold.

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sGOwFVUU0I[/youtube]

Heroes is about people who are being bullied and those that help them through the worst of it. Were you bullied? 

Yes, the song is about how anyone can be a role model and be a hero to someone. And that’s what we’ve tried to illustrate on stage with the animated little character “MP”. I take him to my heart and that makes him stronger. When I was at school, I had some difficulties making friends. A guy came in to our class and started picking on me.  I was such an easy target back then because I wasn’t the main man, I wasn’t part of the crew. I was kind of geeky, kind of  different, the kind of guy who preferred to grow tomato plants and have pets. The bullying went on for about a year and a half. Then our school  joined with another and I met this new guy who turned my life around. He didn’t see me as an outsider, saw me for who I was and lifted me up and made me stronger. He gave me confidence that I hadn’t had before. So in the performance I play him, while the little stick man is me as a little kid.

So how did you end up a popstar?

Well my parents have always been supportive of my music. My dad bought me my first music studio and my mum always forced me to play the guitar and sing for them. At the time I hated it, but then after a while I realised it was what I liked doing and started getting more involved in performing at school. When two girls from two grades higher came up to me one day and said ‘call me in ten years’ I knew then that perhaps being a music star might be a good thing. But they always said to me, that if had dreams of becoming a music star, that I still needed to study something if music didn’t work out. I still haven’t studied anything else.

The UK has been pretty rubbish at Eurovision over the years – where have we gone wrong? Is it because you guys take it seriously?

The British entries don’t have any effect on the British music industry at all, do they? Sweden put a lot of energy in producing great songs for the Eurovision and of course we have the Melodifestivalen which is the biggest show in Sweden and attracts some of the country’s biggest stars. It’s like your X Factor. It’s a massive TV show and is taken very seriously. Also Great Britain aren’t in the semi finals and go automatically through to the final, so we have to make an extra effort to get through.

There’s a big following for Swedish pop stars over here in the UK. 

It’s great to know that I have fans outside of Sweden who like my music. I have to admit, since winning Melodfestivalen, the response from all over Europe has been huge. And I am hoping that things go from strength to strength. For me the UK and the US are the biggest markets and that’s where I want to be. But I would settle for the rest of Europe. The biggest dream for me is do an international tour!

You’re a foxy fella, you must have ravenous fans!

I have been presenting in Sweden for a few years, so the fans are a lot calmer than they used to be – I guess I haven’t been that exciting. But now I’m back doing music I am getting a lot more interest again.  I love it when people get excited and I get to interact with the fans

We know you have for many years been a great supporter of the LGBT community but there was a story recently in which you said on a TV show that being gay wasn’t normal?

This entire story makes me really sad. It’s been going on for a year since the show aired. I used words that weren’t right… I was trying to say ‘not as common’ but used a word with a negative ring to it. I think homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality and have always been a LGBT friend and have always supported gay rights. So this whole incident makes me feel really sad because what has been reported is not me. And I have been apologising ever since and will keep doing so when it goes away.

WORDS: Christian Guiltenane

PHOTOGRAPHY: Gaz de Vere

Read more about Mans Zelmerlow in aTEEN, available from pocketmags.co.uk/attitude