Johnson & Häggkvist's "One Love" drops two spots on the Svensktoppen chart, from no 6 to no 8 this week.

Link: Svensktoppen's website

Carola wins the Swedish Song Contest in 1983. A new study shows that people consider Carola the Queen of the Swedish Song Contest.

Swedish radio SR P4 asked SIFO Research to find out who the Swedish people think is the Queen of the Swedish Song Contest. 1,000 people were asked, and 42.9% answered "Carola".

Link: See results on SR P4's website

Photo: Peter Karlsson

In tomorrow's semi-finale of the Swedish Song Contest, the host Christian Luuk pays his respect to Carola's 25th anniversary. Just days before the actual day of the anniversary, Luuk enters the stage in the same outfit that Carola wore when she sang "Främling" in 1983. Even the arch behind Luuk is similar to the arch at Palladium theater. The photos above were taken during last night's dress rehearsals.

Thanks to Peter Karlsson for the photos

Even though Johnson & Häggkvist's "One Love" didn't directly qualified to the finale of the Swedish Song Contest, many still believe they will win the finale after qualifying from Andra Chansen (Second Chance). These are the latest odds from Expekt and Unibet on who will win the Swedish Song Contest 2008:

EXPEKT Sanna Nielsen 2.75 Häggkvist & Johnson 3.50 BWO 4.50 Amy Diamond 5.00 Charlotte Perrelli 7.00 Rongedal 10.00 Christer Sjögren 20.00 Linda Bengtzing 30.00 Patrik Isaksson 45.00 Ola 50.00

UNIBET Sanna Nielsen 2.25 Amy Diamond 4,50 Häggkvist & Johnson 6,00 Charlotte Perelli 6,00 BWO 7,00 Christer Sjögren 16,00 Rongedal 22,00 Linda Bengtzing 30,00 Ola 40,00 E-Type & The Poodles 65,00 Suzzie Tapper 75,00 Other artists 10,00

As earlier reported, if you buy Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet between February 21-24, you can purchase an exclusive Carola hits collection for just 59 sek. Above is Aftonbladet's online ad for the album.

We have randomly selected ten winners among the hundreds of emails we received for the "Främling 25 år" competition. These are the lucky winners that will receive the 25th anniversary edition of Carola's 1983 debut album.

Johan Jerreling, Borås, Sweden
Marianne Burhoff, Staffanstorp, Sweden
Anna Ademyr, Täby, Sweden
Matjaz Kosic, Maribor, Slovenia
Linda Andersson, Luleå, Sweden
Mikaela Fredriksson, Mariestad, Sweden
Joakim Widell, Västerås, Sweden
Katja Vidojevic, Piran, Slovenia
Anna Sandström, Lund, Sweden
Patrik Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden

Please check your email, I want to confirm that I have the correct addresses for all of you before sending out the CD's.

Congratulations!

Aftonbladet's article about Carola International

Today, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet publised an article where they accuse this site of wrongfully promoting "One Love" in the Swedish Song Contest by linking to a video on YouTube.

A few comments; SVT do not consider it being against their rules that we were linking to YouTube. They have not contacted us about this. Not even the journalist that I talked to thought this was against any rules.

I told the journalist repeatedly that if ANYONE (SVT, Carola Music Production etc) contacted me and asked me to remove the clip, I would do so immediately. No one did. I chose to remove the clip only because I don't want to be part of another tabloid story.

Carola International is not in any way associated with Carola or Universal Music.

Link: Read the article

2008-02-20

"Främling 25 år" - Swedish release

"Främling 25 år" - the 25th Anniversary Edition of Carola's 1983 debut album - is released in Sweden today. The album includes several bonus tracks, all Carola's songs from the Swedish Song Contest in both Swedish and English, and a number of tracks never before released on CD. The album has created quite a buzz in Swedish media and is "Album of the Week" on CDON.com.

This is a quote from a very nice article about Carola and "Främling 25 år": Åsa Carlsson, Kristianstadbladet "September 8 1966. Why do I know that date? I stuck in my memory 25 years ago, and it's still there, clearer than any mathematical formula I learned in school. I was 11 in 1983 and bought a new album (for 29 sek) and got one of those glossy idol magazines. That I read word by word. That's why I know that date. Carola's birthday. In a week, it's exactly 25 years since Carola had her breakthrough in the Swedish Song Contest. With her Bible, yellow outfit and god-given voice. When I now listen to the anniversary edition of 'Främling' I know the lyrics of every (!) track. It's frightening. I blush, but then remember how I use to pose and lip-sync in front of the mirror. I realize I can phrase the songs just Carola does, and that I know exactly when the backup singers start singing 'Åh Mickey Mickey hey Mickey du är helt okey hey Mickey'. Phew." (Translation by Carola International) Link: Read review in Expressen Link: Read article in Kristianstadbladet Link: Read article in Västerbottens Folkblad Link: Read article in Sydsvenskan Link: Buy the album from CDON

With all the focus on their Swedish Song Contest song "One Love" it's easy to forget that Johnson & Häggkvist has another single out there that is doing quite well. This week it climbed from no 4 to no 1 on the SR P4 chart over most played songs.

SR P4 Most played songs - week 6

1. JOHNSON & HÄGGKVIST - Lucky Star
2. AMANDA JENSSEN - Do You Love Me
3. COLBIE CAILLAT - Bubbly
4. LEONA LEWIS - Bleeding Love
5. NIKLAS STRÖMSTEDT - Vi vet

The single is also no 6 on Svensktoppen (based on votes), no 8 on CDON's download chart, no 12 on iTunes Top Songs (based on downloads), no 15 on Nielsen Music Control Radio Top 20 (based on air play), no 27 on Sverige Topp 40 (based 50% on sales and 50% on air play) and no 36 on the Singles chart (based on sales / downloads).

As announced yesterday, we got 10 more tickets to give to some of the visitor's of this site. The winners were selected from the close to 600 emails we received in the competition that closed on February 13. These are the lucky winners:

Åsa Högman, Sweden
Irja-Kaarina Numminen, Finland
Magdalena Schröder, Sweden
Linnea Knutsson, Sweden
Peter Plischke, Germany

Congratulations!

All of you who entered the Carola International competition to win tickets to the 25th anniversary event at Palladium in Malmö on February 26 - there are ten MORE tickets available! We will draw five more lucky winners from the hundreds of emails we received. You don't have to do anything! You are automatically enrolled in this second competition.

The five NEW winners will be notified via email and announced on Carola International tomorrow!

Good luck!

"Främling 25 år" is the album of the week on CDON.com. The album will be released on Wednesday February 20 in Sweden. Link: Pre-order 'Främling 25 år' from CDON Link: Enter our competition to win the album

Carola International will give away 10 copies of the upcoming 25th anniversary edition of Carola's 1983 album "Främling"

A Special offer from Carola International:

This is your chance to win your copy of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Carola's 1983 debut album "Främling". This edition is a 2xCD album full of bonus tracks and songs previously not released on CD.

The last day to enter the competition is Wednesday February 20. The winners will be notified via email and on the Carola International website on Friday February 22.

NOTE! Do NOT send more than one mail to enter the competition. Multiple entries will be disqualified.

Link: Enter the competition

Today at 3.00 pm (Swedish time) you can chat with Carola and Andreas Johnson on Aftonbladet's website.

Link: Aftonbladet's website

On February 21, the same day as Aftonbladet starts selling the hits CD, they will also publish a new interview with Carola where she talks about "Främling" - the song that started her amazing career.

Anders Nunstedt from Expressen has called "One Love" "brilliant" and said that the "super-duo has everything". He is angry today when he summarizes what happened last night:

Anders Nunstedt, Expressen:

"This competition has surprised us before. But not in this crazy way. Not as long as I have followed the competition, and that is a while now. Come on now everybody; Carola and Andreas were the best. (...) If feels like the Swedish Song Contest has got mad cow disease, the results last night was a historic 'own goal' by the TV-audience. (...) 'I Love Europe" was a happy surprise. But it's not OK to place such a fantastic song like 'One Love' outside the finale. That's just ridiculous. (...) It was not the super-duo that failed last night. It was the Swedish people. Unbelievable."

Markus Larsson, Aftonbladet:

"I think Johnson & Häggkvist deserved better. They are world class on stage. The result is a joke in my opinion. But I don't get to decide in this competition."

(Translation by Carola International)


Link: Read article in Expressen
Link: Read article in Aftonbladet

Johnson & Häggkvist's "Lucky Star" entered the Swedish radio chart Svensktoppen this week at no 6.

Link: Svensktoppen's website

Foto: Poppe Linge, Aftonbladet

Carola performed a surprise concert with Tomas Andersson Wij at the Swedish Song Contest after party. Tomas Andersson Wij had a hit with a cover version of Carola's 2006 winner "Evighet".

Foto: Poppe Linge, Aftonbladet

According to Anders Nunstedt's blog, Carola and Andreas Johnson were greeted by a standing ovation when they arrived at the after party. Many stood up, applauded and chanted "the best song the best song".

That must have felt good!

Link: Anders Nunstedt's blog

Although they did not qualify directly to the Swedish Song Contest finale, Carola and Andreas are not discouraged. "We did our best performance tonight", Andreas says in an interview with Aftonbladet.

Watch and listen to interviews by clicking the links below.

Video: Interview in Aftonbladet
Audio: Radio interview from SR P4

The Swedish people voted in record numbers. More than 752 000 votes. That's more than in any other semi-finale. Ever.

But, Johnson & Häggkvist's "One Love" did NOT qualify to the finale! They will get another chance to reach the finale through in "Andra Chansen" in Kiruna on March 8.

To the finale: Sanna Nielsen's "Empty Room" and Rongedal's "Just a Minute". To the second chance: Johnson & Häggkvist's "One Love" and Ola's "Love in Stereo".

Link: Carola International's Swedish Song Contest Special

If you don't live in Sweden, but want to watch Carola and Andreas Johnson perform "One Love" in the Swedish Song Contest, you can click the link below and watch the live telecast online.

Link: Watch the Swedish Song Contest live

Foto: Peter Wixström, Aftonbladet

Yesterday, Carola and Andreas Johnson performed "One Love" both at a rehearsal in the day, and at the first dress rehearsal with audience. This is what some media reported from the rehearsals.

Markus Larsson, Aftonbladet:

"'One Love' is something rare. It is a successful hybrid of two different temperaments. And both Carola and Andreas do everything in their power to present the strenghts of their song; the melody and the chorus. This is the Swedish Song Contest after all. 'One Love' has several big moments. Listen to the audience scream when he enters the stage in between the flickering TV-sets and sings his first lines. Or when the duo stand back to back and get ready for the finale. Or when they, just before the end, look each other in the eyes. Will we see anything like it again? Not anytime soon."

Anders Nunstedt, Expressen:

"Carola can't help herself. Tonight our biggest star will hijack the Swedish Song Contest again. And she does it with incredible finesse. 'One Love' is brilliant. The only thing you might complain about it that there is no suspense in this competition. The result is already clear: Johnson & Häggkvist will be the big winners tonight. Anything else would be a shock, if not a scandal. (...) The super-duo has everything. A super-song, a super-show, and super-support."

Link: Read article 1 in Aftonbladet
Link: Read article 2 in Aftonbladet
Link: Read article in Expressen

Foto: Johanna Larsson, SVT / SCANPIX

Yesterday, Carola and Andreas Johnson performed "One Love" both at a rehearsal in the day, and at the first dress rehearsal with audience. This is what some media reported from the rehearsals.

Anders Nunstedt, Expressen:

"They're at it again, the rascals. And I got goose bumps again. Carola
and Andreas are rehearsing 'One Love', a song that I think can surprise
everyone."

Edward af Sillén, Gyllene Skor:

"Carola & Andreas totally crush the competition. They are in a class of their own. Carola & Andreas! Johnson & Häggkvist! There isn't many artists who can stand next to Carola on a stage and maintain their status without being completely run over by her. One of the biggest stars in the world - Liza Minnelli - couldn't do it. But Andreas can. He is cool and composed... He is not run over. This IS a duo. The fact that everbody is ONLY looking at Carola is another thing... Andreas might be talented, but he is still human. Carola on the other hand! What can I say? She is God! When she got feeling (...) she raised the roof. And there wasn't even any audience there, except some technicians, people from the record labels and 20 journalists. Wait till tonight. He will explode like a vulcano over the enthusiastic audience. I cannot wait!"

Johan Rylander, Göteborgsposten:

"The song is... ok. But Andreas Johnson is brilliant. This is his big
moment in the Swedish Song Contest, not Carola's. She is more of his sidekick. Cause to be honest, she doesn't bring much to the song, except in the vocally powerful finale. They are brilliant on stage."

(Translation by Carola International)

Link: Anders Nunstedt's blog on Expressen
Link: Edward af Sillén's blog on Gyllene Skor
Link: Johan Rylander's article in Göteborgsposten