Ahead of this years Eesti Laul selection process in Estonia, we are talking to a number of the participants about what it was that made them enter Eesti Laul and bring you more about the artists themselves. Earlier in the week I had the pleasure to meet NimmerSchmidt, here is what they had to say:
Now, your band name NimmerSchmidt is a combination of your surnames, how did the two of you meet and what was it that made you decide to form a band?
Andero: I had formed an indie-pop band called Laika Virgin with a friend of mine. The name was genius, but we didn’t have a singer. Then we heard about a young talented guy with a high voice, who liked The Beach Boys. That guy was Fredy. We went over, had a drink, listened to our demos and he joined the band. I guess that was in 2009. A year later we were pretty popular in Estonia, but at one point both of us left the band.
Fredy: It’s just so much easier to make music with only two guys. You don’t fight half as much!
Andero: Yeah, things got heated up and people were like the Gallagher brothers from Oasis. We knew we could make it with just the two of us. And we were right.
This will be the second time that you will be participating in Eesti Laul. What was your experience in 2014 like?
Fredy: It was an interesting experience all in all. We met a lot of people and learned a lot. It taught us that you need to be courageous and believe in what you do.
You describe your music as electro-pop, who would you say has influenced your music?
Andero: Well, we started out wanting to make electronic dance music like Calvin Harris does. Sounds easy enough, but it’s actually not, Calvin is a genius. So we went on doing what we do best: keyboard-loaded indie-pop with exciting harmonies and pretty melodies. Not sure if you can really say its electro-pop, rather retro-pop… I guess if The Beach Boys would want to sound modern and electronic, they would sound pretty much the same.
Fredy: I can’t really point out anyone specific who does exactly what we do. I believe our music has evolved into a point where it is a lot more unique than before.
Your song this year is called “Kellega ma tutvusin?”. Can you tell us what the lyrics are about?
Fredy: Shortly put, it’s about different generations. About the welfare society and youngsters nowadays – although I was inspired by the style of the beatniks of 1950’s and 1960’s when I wrote the lyrics. The song is basically about not recognizing people you thought you knew. “Kellega ma tutvusin?” means literally “Who did I meet with?”, so it’s a bit about disbelief in what lengths people can change in our world nowadays.
Eesti Laul has a very big reputation across Europe and among Eurovision fans. What do you think, what makes it so good?
Andero: Every year we can see plenty of interesting musicians on Eesti Laul. You have your mainstream hit writers alongside with very unique indie-artists. I think that’s the magic of it. It’s not about being boring and predictive, but about wits and emotion.
Fredy: Exactly, Eesti Laul is literally Estonian Song contest. Its main goal is to introduce Estonian songwriters and musicians, reaching Eurovision is just a bonus for the winner. This system has worked rather well, we have many great acts no-one had ever heard of before they reached the semi-finals.
Is your aim in this year’s Eesti Laul to make it to the final, or are you just there for the experience?
Fredy: Yeah, this year we’d like to get to the final, after all, we do have a better song!
Andero: It’s a doo-wop killer, worthy of the final. But I think that it takes us a couple of years to write a song that will win the whole competition. This time we’re continuing to show our music and enjoy the ride.
Do you have anything that you would like to say to the readers of Eurovoix.com?
Fredy: Take care and good luck with everything!
Andero: And don’t forget to listen to some great music.
We wish the guys from NimmerSchmidt all the best for this years Eesti Laul. You can listen to their song below:
Social media pages:
- Facebook – NimmerSchmidt
- Soundcloud – NimmerSchmidt
