Slovakia: Identical twins in silver and gold

Slovakia is sending a duo with lots of experience from big shows to the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Eurovision.tv met up with them in their dressing room just after their arrival to the arena.
"We're very fine. We arrived in Düsseldorf yesterday, and it was a very short flight," they told.

"We moved to Los Angeles in August last year, and we've been travelling much, going to Europe a lot." The sisters are twins, just as the stage name indicates. But there will be a way for the viewers to tell them apart. "We wear the same shape in the dresses but different colours. I will wear white and silver, and Daniela will wear beige and gold," Veronika tells.

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They were relaxed and haven't had many details to remember for the stage show. "Since our song is a ballad, we didn't need any special choreography. We have a piano guy, one drummer and two backup singers. We wanted something simple," they say.

And the duo is used to performing in a big setting. "We've probably had even had bigger shows. Actually we were also in Belgrade in 2008 as backing singers for the Czech Republic, but this arena is larger. That experience still helps us to know something about Eurovision, but of course it's a different position as lead singers."

In their first rehearsal, TWiiNS were accompanied on stage by two backing vocalists, and together they delivered a vocally strong performance of their ballad I'm Still Alive. Also on stage were a piano player and a drummer.

As the Head of the Slovak delegation, Jana Majorova, told Eurovision.tv, the black piano will be replaced by a white one for the second rehearsal, fitting the overall setting and the dresses of the musicians.

The LED screens showed white and golden flowers on a black background. The light scenery was dominated by warm spotlights on the artists which were lifted in the beginning of the stage act. Pyrotechnical effects from the stage background were also used during the last chorus of the song.

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Alon Amir, the Slovak Head of Press opened the press conference by stating that the whole team was very happy with the first rehearsal in every aspects and that no major changes had to be made to the performance. Asked about their relations, being identical twins, the lead singers stated: "We never argue, and we even have the same musical taste."

When he was asked about the meaning of the many sports images in the official video clip to I'm Still Alive, the director explained: "The identification of a nation comes from the entertainment scene. Even in Germany, people identify more with Michael Schumacher than with Angela Merkel. For a small country like Slovakia, success in sports means even more, as it gives the people power and happiness, and it makes the country more visible internationally."

One journalist asked the TWiiNS if they would accept a double date with the Irish representatives, Jedward, who are also twins, they replied: "They are too young for us!" The Head of Press jokingly added: "Are they straight?" They finished the press conference by performing an excerpt of their Eurovision Song Contest entry.

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Sisters Daniela and Veronika were born on the 15th of May, 1986. The girls literally began to sing before they could speak. They attended the same schools and had a shared dream of becoming an international pop duet. Recently, TWiiNS signed a contract with a newly established US based label - B RECORDS.

Simultaneously, their first digital US single Boys Boys Boys was released  At the end of July 2010, TWiiNS moved to Los Angeles which became their new home and they started working on the international version of their album whose release is planned for 2011. This March (2011) another single was released worldwide, Welcome To Hollywood written by successful songwriters Andreas Carlsson who worked with lots of famous names in the music business, like Britney Spears.