JOWST

JOWST

Joakim With Steen is the name behind JOWST. At 15 he developed an interest in punk rock and songwriting. After finishing music producer school, where he also worked as a teacher, Joakim started working as a sound engineer and producer. The project Making a Hit was his first artistic concept of JOWST. In a closed Facebook group, he let his friends provide feedback on the whole process of writing and producing Grab the Moment. He creates music with the aim of pushing himself, such as taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Vocals on Grab the Moment are by Aleksander Walmann. He is from a musical family and took interest in music at a young age. In 2012, he took part in the Norwegian edition of The Voice, where he reached the finals. He has supported famous Norwegian artists like Sivert Høyem and Sondre Lerche, and lent his voice to the animated film Rio 2 (Roberto). He is preparing new releases with his own music as well as working for other Norwegian artists. His focus now though is on the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.

Things you should know about JOWST

What are the three most interesting aspects about your entry?

• My dynamic mask;
• The lyrics and the message of the song;
• The nice blend of many genres in an up-to-date mix.

What are the three most impressive facts about you?

• Aleksander was a finalist in the Norwegian The Voice in 2012;
• We won our national selection for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest;
• We were considered to be the biggest underdogs in our national selection.

Do you have a (lucky) routine before you go on stage?

We both walk a lot, and get quite active. JOWST drinks a lot of coffee, and Aleksander always sings an Ed Sheeran song.

Why is the Eurovision Song Contest important for you?

It's important for me that people get the possibility to enjoy and use my music for something good. There could not be a better way than showing it to all the viewers of the Eurovision Song Contest.

About the song writer & composer

Jonas McDonnell has been active on the music scene since he was a teenager and has been a member of several bands. At the age of 15, he made trance music and later he began to rap and write his own songs. After some years of rapping, he began writing and singing songs in the pop genre, accompanied by his guitar. In 2016, he started a collaboration with songwriter and producer Joakim With Steen. He wrote the lyrics for the song Grab the Moment, which will represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. McDonnell has studied media, information and communication technology and design at Volda University College.