Catapulted into the limelight with her celebrated performances of ‘Hold Me Closer’ earlier this year, Swedish musician Cornelia Jakobs chats to Vogue Scandinavia about the release of her new single ‘Rise’
While ABBA may perpetually wear its crown jewels, the Eurovision Song Contest stage has served as a launchpad for many a superstar talent, from Celine Dion and Olivia Newton-John, to modern rock idols Måneskin. And if you were one of 161 million people to tune into this year's competition, you’ll be well acquainted with the new name set to join the list: Swedish singer Cornelia Jakobs.
Jakobs’ powerful performance of ‘Hold Me Closer’ saw her first sweep to victory in Sweden’s Melodifestivalen in March 2022, breaking an eight-year spell of male winners. Then, fitted out in the same sparkling curtain of silver fringing (a H&M piece borrowed from her mother's wardrobe), Jakobs' rendition at Eurovision was one of the most mesmerising and goosebump-inducing moments of this year's competition – with recordings on YouTube and social media now inundated with views.
Cornelia Jakobs performs at Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Photo: Getty
Since that Eurovision moment, Jakobs' journey has been a relentless, upward trajectory – touring nationally, headlining overseas shows, and taking home two Rockbjörnen awards – all leading up to the milestone release of her follow-up track, suitably named ‘Rise’.
“'Rise' describes the moment when you sense the first glimpse of light after a long time being lost in the dark,” Jakobs says. “It is amazing when that first streak hits you, because in the dark even a small shed of light can have a blinding effect, and suddenly everything feels so much easier.”
The new track offers up the same vocal prowess and emotive appeal as ‘Hold Me Closer’, so it only makes sense to hear that Jakobs worked with the same writing team: her best friend of 16 years, Isa Molin, and musician David Zandén. “Since Isa knows me so well, it feels really natural to write about life and raw emotions,” she says. “Then we got together with David last summer. Isa and David had been working a lot together over the past years, and then the three of us wrote ‘Hold Me Closer’ and 'Rise' in our first sessions together. After that we've been writing many more songs which I can't wait to finish and release.”
Photo: Denis Wernersson
There is a likeness, often noted by fans online, between Jakobs and Marie Fredriksson of Swedish pop duo Roxette – mostly owing to the arresting vocal capacity they share, but helped by their similar cropped blonde hairstyles. Jakobs dyed hers from her natural dark shade at the start of the year “out of boredom”. “I was tired of the dark and I felt kind of lighter in my mind, so I felt like blonde suited this period better.” Themes of light and dark also arise in the lyrics of 'Rise' ("suddenly it seems so easy, I'm slowly getting closer to the light") and permeate Jakobs' musical influence too: “I feel like Scandinavian music often has more darkness to it, which I can relate to with my writing.”
But it seems there’s nothing but light ahead for Jakobs, as she basks in the well-earned recognition and fan attention for her talent. Among the recent sold-out dates of her tour was a show in London, which sold 80 per cent of tickets just 45 minutes after release. “A highlight of that show was when about 60 people in the front row held up butterflies they'd made out of paper in different colours, at the same time as I sang ‘I wanna know about butterflies’,” she shares, referencing the lyrics of her song ‘Daylight’. “I have the best fans, and they love to surprise me with stuff like that!”
Photo: Denis Wernersson
Photo: Fritz Dölling
Six months on from the career-changing Eurovision moment, Jakobs says her schedule is a lot more packed and there are more people at shows, but she is still yet to properly process it all. “I have only really had two days to rest since the competition, as I went straight into rehearsals for my tour that only just wrapped. I haven’t had the time to sit down and think about it. But right now, I would say it was like a dream. I’m not even sure if it really happened.”