Since first entering the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1958, Sweden has had a pretty good record in the competition
gaining four victories, most famously with Abba in 1974. In recent
years only one of their last nine entries has finished outside the
Top 10.
With such a record of success, it
was no surprise when Swedish broadcaster SVT, stuck to the familar
selection process of four regional semi-finals preceeding the final
staged in Stockholm on March 10th. AS per usual, the selection was
full of many popular artists on the Swedish pop music scene, but
this year it was the pop/rock band The Ark that gained most
publicity, and the victory of their song "The Worrying
Kind" written and composed by lead vocalist Ola Salo was one
of the least surprising results of the year.
The
Ark is a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Ola Salo, Mikael
Jepson, and Lasse "Leari" Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and
Leari were only fourteen years old. Ola Salo'ss early life was
always surrounded by religion and music. Together with childhood
friends he invoked the name of Noah's mythological ship for his
budding band. The Ark allow the trio to escape the confines of
growing up in a small industrial town in Southern Sweden. Martin
Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in
1999. In late 2006, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official
member. He had at that point played live with the band for several
years.
In 2000, the band had its breakthrough
with the singles "Let Your Body Decide", "Echo
Chamber", and "It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane"; this
last song, most importantly, encapsulated all that The Ark stood
for, calling people to "break the walls of attitude." The
release of their first album, "We Are The Ark", followed,
instantly selling more than 100,000 copies - something previously
unheard of in Sweden for a debut album in English. Additionally,
the record put the band on the road to superstar status in Italy.
The
second album, In Lust We Trust, was released in 2002. It included
the singles "Calleth You Cometh I", "Tell Me This
Night Is Over", and "Father Of A Song" this last one
an anthem about gay adoption rights set to a chorus of
"hallelujah". Though released a few weeks after the
Swedish government legalized gay adoption, the controversial song
has contributed much to the social discourse of this issue in the
band's home country and abroad.
Featuring simple,
yet sophisticated and catchy tunes, such as "Clamour For
Glamour", the band's third album, "State Of The
Ark", was released in 2005. "One Of Us Is Gonna Die
Young", which became the first single released from the album
bore the band's message on its first forays into American
territorie. "State Of The Ark" also included the
pulsating "The Others" and the climactic "Deliver Us
From Free Will" with its elegant transitions from raunchy rock
rhythms to disco and back.
In October, 2006, the
band and Ola Salo were criticized by members of the U.S. public due
to some controversial comments referencing 9/11 that were
apparently part of the joking banter between songs as the band
performed at the opening festivities for the new Swedish embassy in
Washington, D.C. This was unfortunate timing, as the free
concert was the kick off for the band's U.S. tour.
In
late 2006, there were rumours circulating that The Ark would be
interested in competing in Melodifestival, the Swedish Eurovision
selection, and once they were listed among the acts in competition,
they became the hot favourites for the ticket to Helsinki. Their
song "The Worrying Kind" is the first single from the
band's latest album "Prayer For The Weekend" which has
just been released.
Following their victory at
Melodifestival, the single shot to #1 in Sweden and the band has
concentrated its activity on promoting their new album for the
domestic market. The Swedish entry has done reasonably well in
internet polls, and is one of the big favourites with the
bookmakers.
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SWEDEN @ EUROVISION