Switzerland's Sebalter is less than a week away from fulfilling a long-time goal by competing at Eurovision for his country with his song Hunter of Stars.
The 28-year-old - a qualified lawyer - will compete in the second semi final on Thursday in Copenhagen, hoping to qualify for Saturday's grand final.
Despite his pride at being picked to fly the Swiss flag in Denmark, he admits he is feeling a little pressure as the contest draws nearer.
He said: "On one hand I feel positively overwhelmed and satisfied by a musical achievement I have wanted for a long time.
On the other hand I have a feeling of responsibility and serious commitment - I am going to represent my country, and that is very important."
His self-written song stands out from the crowd due to it's insanely catchy whistling, which stays in your head long after you've heard it, and was based on his own circumstances.
"I wrote the song on a trip in the USA last summer. Hunter of Stars basically has one main meaning - it's about having confidence (or not) in myself when it comes to flirting and love," he explained.
He is hoping to break Switzerland's recent run of poor performances at the contest - they have failed to qualify in six of the last seven grand finals despite some of their entries being well received by fans - indeed Takasa finished fifth in the televote last year, comfortably inside the top ten qualifiers - only to be knocked down to 13th after failing to impress the juries.
So, is he the man to break their duck this year?
"Why not? Of course it is difficult to know what chance I have. For me it`s important to give my best possible performance on stage and to entertain and enthuse the audience," he answered.
Hunter of Stars music video
His pop-folk style seems in fashion this year at Eurovision - Malta and Latvia have also sent folky entries this year, while the Netherlands and Georgia have sent a country and jazz entry respectively as traditional genres experience something of a rebirth at the contest, moving away from the more common pop and EDM entries.
"In my opinion this kind of music has a lot of spontaneity and authenticity. This might be the reason why folk style entries have become more and more popular," he said.
Since winning the right to go to Copenhagen, Sebastiano Pau-Lessi (as his mum knows him) has experienced first hand the legions of Eurovision fans across the continent, whose knowledge and enthusiasm have surprised him.
"Oh yes, the fans are incredible, I didn`t expect it. There is a huge and true passion around Eurovision, and I must say that this makes the ESC adventure even more exciting," he said.
Talk turns to this year's contest, and Sebalter is keen to share his favourite entries from the other countries.
"There are definitely some very talented artists this year. I love the songs by Malta and Norway.
Silent Storm, the Norwegian entry by Carl Espen, is really sad and emotional. I am fond of that kind of music.
In contrast, the Maltese entry Coming Home is a very energetic song that makes you feel good. The United Kingdom's entry, Molly's Children of the Universe, is also very strong.
My favourite entry of all-time is Fairytale by Alexander Rybak. It's a fantastic and powerful song."
Sebalter's song Hunter of Stars is available on iTunes now, and if you're in the UK, Germany, Italy or the other competing countries in the second semi final, you can vote for him by using the suffix 12 added to your country's relevant phone number.
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| Thanks to Merly Knorle for picture |
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