There's no missing the rain for Denmark

Saluna Samay from Denmark took to the stage today to rehearse her song Should've Known Better. The young artist is joined on stage with a band, backsingers and a variety of string instruments and was wearing her signature costume in a very relaxed style. 

Time to relax backstage

Before Soluna went on stage we spoke to her and asked what her first impressions of Baku were to which she said "we have come from some very cold weather so it is so nice to be here where it is really warm". 

We also discussed her stage performance, which she said "would be very similar to how it was in Aalborg at the Danish final and we really hope that will work and that people will enjoy it". 

As a linguist with an international background we just had to ask Soluna to demonstrate her skills. She greeted our camera in German, Spanish and of course Danish and we were suitably impressed! 

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Soft tones and a relaxed atmosphere on stage

The first rehearsal started with the obligtory sound check followed by a first rehearsal. The general theme of song was dusk and dawn colours with moving clouds, creating a very relaxed and somewhat sultry atmosphere in the arena, which suits the song perfectly. 

On stage the band and Soluna seem relaxed and comfortable, giving a flawless vocal rendition of Should've Known Better and despite some intial problems with the sound, this didn't stop the group receiving a very warm reception from the fans and journalists watching in the hall. 

There isn't any choreography per se but there is a sofa on which one of the backing singers sits and sings, much like in the Danish national selection in Aalborg back in January. There is also a piano, a double bass and a cello as well as Soluna on the guitar and a very enthuisastic drummer who really seems at one with the beat of the song. 

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Towards the end of her performance on stage, the lighting becomes more accentuated albeit still very warm and relaxing, going with the beat and style of Should've Known Better very well. The camera angles for the song remain very close throughout, supporting this relaxed and calming theme. 

Between camera rehearsals, it was apparent that Soluna and her team have very good chemistry, something which is essential when performing on stage in front of so many millions of people. 

"It's been an amazing journey"

When Soluna arrived she was asked about her interesting and colourful history, "it's been an amazing journey. I've been busking and performing with my father and now I went to the big stage of Melodi Grand Prix in Denmark and now here in Baku. It's amazing!". 

One journalist asked about her family background to which she replied, "my father was born in Germany, Stuttgart and my mum in Switzerland, Luzern". 

She went on to discuss her travels throughout the world as a child including how she settled in Bornholm in Denmark. 

She was asked by an Australian journalist about her hat and what the story was behind that to which she replied, "the hat was hanging on the wall of my family home. It belonged to a family friend who has passed away now but he came to a party and then left the hat behind when he left. It adds a funky mix to the song". 

Soluna near the end of the conference introduced her band and backing singers who come from all over the world including Iraq, Denmark, South Africa and Kurdistan.

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Soluna's many language skills was a focal point of the press conference where she tried out a bit of French. Her main languages are Danish, German, Spanish and English. 

To finish off with Soluna described the stage "it was amazing with the backgrounds and a beautiful location right on the Caspian Sea". 

Denmark will perform in the first Semi-Final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest on the 22nd of May.