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Emmelie de Forest

Emmelie de Forest is just 20 years old, but has quite an impressive story to her name already. On the14th of May Emmelie de Forest will fly the Danish flag in the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.

Growing up in the town of Mariager in the North Denmark region, Emmelie started singing professionally from an early age. Since she was 14, she has been touring all over Denmark with the Scottish musician Fraser Neill, performing both own songs and folk/blues-versions of hits from e.g. Nirvana and Johnny Cash. An important part of Emmelie's stage performance has always been her footwear - or the lack of it.

"I have always preferred singing without wearing high heels or shoes. Being barefoot makes me feel closer to the ground, the earth and makes me feel more relaxed, Emmelie says.


Now based in Copenhagen, Emmelie only has to cross Øresund to enter the stage at Eurovision Song Contest with her song Only Teardrops, which won an impressive victory in the Danish national final, gaining 50 percent of the televotes in the finale. "As soon as I heard the song, I fell in love with it. It has a melancholic feeling to it, and it is about war and peace, both in a relationship and in the world as a whole. I believe these are issues that people all over the world can relate to", she says.

Lise Cabble is a Danish songwriter and used to be the songwriter and lead singer in the former girl band Miss B. Haven. She has had 12 songs in the national grand prix and has won it 3 times. The latest one was this year with Only Teardrops performed by Emmelie de Forest. First time in 1995 with the popular song Fra Mols til Skagen. Second time in 2011 with the song New Tomorrow. Both songs went Top 5 in the Eurovision.


Music video

Live performance

Lyrics of Only Teardrops

The sky is red tonight
we're on the edge tonight
no shooting star to guide us

Eye for an eye
why tear each other apart
please tell me why
why do we make it so hard
look at us now
we only got ourselves to blame
it’s such a shame

How many times can we win and lose
how many times can we break the rules
between us
only teardrops
How many times do we have to fight
how many times till we get it right
between us
only teardrops

So come and face me now
here on the stage tonight
let’s leave the past behind us

Eye for an eye
why tear each other apart
please tell me why
why do we make it so hard
look at us now
we only got ourselves to blame
it’s such a shame - tell me

How many times can we win and lose
how many times can we break the rules
between us
only teardrops
How many times do we have to fight
how many times till we get it right
between us
only teardrops

What’s gone between us
has come between us
only teardrops
What’s gone between us
has come between us

How many times..
RIEN QUE DES LARMES
Approx. French Translation of « only teardrops »

Ce soir le ciel est rouge
Et notre amour est sur le fil
Sans étoile pour le guider

Nous deux, c’est œil pour œil
Un jeu de déchirements
Saurais-tu me dire
Pourquoi tout est si difficile
Regarde-nous
Tout est de notre faute
C’est tellement dommage…

Combien de fois peut-on se perdre et se trouver
Combien de fois peut-on changer les règles
Entre nous
Rien que des larmes

Combien de fois doit-on se battre
Combien de fois avant de se comprendre
Entre nous
Rien que des larmes

Alors viens m’affronter de plus près
Sur la piste ce soir
Et laissons le passé derrière nous

Nous deux, c’est œil pour œil
Un jeu de déchirements
Saurais-tu me dire
Pourquoi tout est si difficile
Regarde-nous
Tout est de notre faute
C’est tellement dommage…

Combien de fois peut-on se perdre et se trouver
Combien de fois peut-on changer les règles
Entre nous
Rien que des larmes

Combien de fois doit-on se battre
Combien de fois avant de se comprendre
Entre nous
Rien que des larmes

Tout ce qui s’est passé entre nous
Est un obstacle entre nous
Rien que des larmes
Tout ce qui s’est passé entre nous
Est un obstacle entre nous
Rien que des larmes