Måns Zelmerlöw has kicked off his European tour with style and grace. We were able to catch his show at the famed London gay club, Heaven, and it was just the sort of show to satisfy old fans as well as bring on board plenty of new ones who were in attendance just as friends of Eurovision/Måns fans, the likes of which were not about to miss his first solo tour performance in London.

Similar to the set list of his Swedish "Heroes" tour, Zelmerlöw kicked off the show with the cinematic and chic "Someday." As we've written before, "Someday" is one of the stand-out tracks of the album, "Perfectly Damaged," and an ideal choice to rev up an already eager crowd.

The set list brought an eclectic mix of songs from all of Zelmerlöw's studio albums. From "Miss America," "Brother Oh Brother," "Impossible, "Children of the Sun," and "Run For Your Life," the full spectrum of his development as an artist throughout his career was on display. He even delivered some covers, such as "Shut Up and Dance," "Human, and "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It's more clear than ever that Zelmerlöw has found his stride as an artist and as a vocalist, as the covers were all stamped with his style, and his more classic hits were revamped with a rockier edge more in tune with his current sound.

As Zelmerlöw's songs off "Perfectly Damaged" have more of an electro-pop infusion, it begged the question of just how he would pull off performing so many songs from this album using just a live band and no backing track. But any skeptics were silenced upon hearing the quality of each live performance, as Zelmerlöw has surrounded himself with a team of musicians that are more than up to the task of delivering high-quality interpretations of the studio versions.

There was never any doubt that Zelmerlöw would perform his three most popular songs, all of which he competed in Melodifestivalen with. His older entries were revamped with such gusto, "Hope and Glory in particular," that it had us downright craving for these newer adaptations to be recorded and made available for purchase.

"Heroes" may have been the song many concert-goers were most craving to hear, but Zelmerlöw actually ended the night on a more intimate note, with a performance of "Barcelona Sessions" single, "Broken Parts." Perched on the end of the stage, Zelmerlöw simply sat and poured out a performance drenched in emotionality.

Zelmerlöw also took the opportunity during his show to promote his ZB foundation, which works to build schools in various African nations, and also spoke up to offer his support for Syrian refugees.

We were able to briefly meet Zelmerlöw before his show, and he offered up a few snippets about his artistry. In discussing his songwriting, he doesn't mind being a bit more forthcoming in drawing inspiration from his personal life as he is a firm believer that it makes for better songs. "Something About This Town," a song off of "Barcelona Sessions," was written about his hometown in Sweden, Lund. He still says that winning Eurovision was a more surreal experience than winning Melodifestivalen, and remains coy about whether or not he will be a host for Eurovision 2016. Only time will tell till the big announcements start rolling in. But until then, don't miss out on the opportunity to catch this show on any one of his European tour stops.

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Måns Zelmerlöw is making the most of his Eurovision win. While many a winner to come before him have quickly faded back into relative obscurity, Zelmerlöw is capitalising instead. Following a tour throughout Sweden that saw him perform in front of hundreds of thousands of people by the tour's completion, promotional trips to many other countries including Israel and China, the release of his follow-up single "Should've Gone Home" and its music video, he is now on the verge of beginning the European leg of his "Heroes" tour.

There are many big-name stops indicative of having 'made it' in Sweden, including summer shows like Allsång på Skansen (which Zelmerlöw hosted for several years during his solo-career hiatus), Lotta på Liseberg, and the Rix FM festival, all of which Zelmerlöw made appearances on this summer. Another stop of significance is Radiohuset, a 'radio house' in Stockholm's bougie Eastern neighbourhood where many artists perform mini-concerts that typically consist of a multi-track set list.

Zelmerlöw paid a visit to Radiohuset on 4 September 2015 and began his show with the ethereal, spiritually divine, "Kingdom In The Sky." The song clearly draws musical influence from Zelmerlöw's time spent in Africa doing charity work with his "Zelmerlöw & Björkman" foundation. Following this, Zelmerlöw unleashed the explosive "Someday" onto the audience. Audience members unfamiliar with Zelmerlöw's non-single tracks were still undeniably affected by it, a testament to the song's raw power.

After slowing things down with a stripped back, acoustic take on the sunny and summery "Live While We're Alive," Zelmerlöw spoke with the radio program's host and was entirely charming and charismatic. With humour and wit delivered in spades, there was no room for doubt as to why so many rumours are swirling about Zelmerlöw being a potential Eurovision host for 2016.

To close off the show, Zelmerlöw next performed his most recent single "Should've Gone Home," the music video of which was released early due to extensive streaming of the song on Spotfiy by his fans, (who have been affectionately dubbed "Månsters"). Naturally, the biggest crowd-pleaser was saved for last, as his rousing rendition of "Heroes" had the crowd on their feet (no easy feat to elicit amongst a Swedish audience).

Throughout the performance, Zelmerlöw made good use of the space on stage, and interacted with both his band and the audience. If the quality songs and spot-on vocals weren't enough for you, the other thing to appreciate about the performance is the way his expressive movements demonstrate his oneness with his songs. Having now developed his own artistic identity has enabled Zelmerlöw to better connect with the material he performs and thus makes for a more moving show. See it for yourself at one (or more) of the stops on his upcoming European tour. If you have yet to do so, check the dates here.

Watch Måns Zelmerlöw's Radiohuset show here:

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We should've known better than to doubt the unrelenting work ethic of Måns Zelmerlöw. After reading the ever-loving daylight out of the ghastly single cover and then the lyric video (though in our defence, that was when we thought that this was all we'd have as opposed to a proper music video), Zelmerlöw has delivered a solid visual narrative to his follow-up single, "Should've Gone Home."

While the lyrics spin a tale of a man regretting his foray into infidelity, the music video delivers a surprisingly eerie twist on what could have been an echo of songs already sung by others. Much of the video shows Zelmerlöw moving in reverse from his confrontation with his jilted lover back through his drunken shenanigans to his decision to go out for a night on the down. That, or he is moving at a normal pace while those that surround him, be it Swedes or raindrops, move in reverse. The eeriness climaxes with Zelmerlöw's sit-down with himself as his lover's voice delivers whispered words, still in reverse. If the video-makers had only upped the ante a bit more, we'd have had a full-fledged horror classic on our hands.

We always have to commend Swedish artists for getting a video out to go with their singles, as Swedish labels are rarely willing to cough up the budget to get one made. But if a 3rd-highest-points-ever Eurovision victory isn't enough to get you a music video, then what is? (Though we'll forever be waiting for a music video for "Heroes" ~ Darin took years to get one out for "Nobody Knows" so there's still room for hope, people).

Only time will tell as for what other singles (and hopefully more music videos) will be released from "Perfectly Damaged." Of course our greatest hope is that "Someday" will be one of the elite, chosen ones. Come on now, "Fire and Gasoline"? That video concept has all but written itself!

Check out the "Should've Gone Home" music video here:

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Måns Zelmerlöw Follows Up Eurovision Victory

With Glossy-Indie "Perfectly Damaged" Album

The third time was the charm for Måns Zelmerlöw in Sweden's Melodifestivalen contest, and he was able to live up to the hype surrounding his "Heroes" number by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with the third-highest points total of any song in the competition to date (Zelmerlöw received 365 points following the likes of Alexander Rybak with 387 points and fellow-Swede Loreen with 372 points). But in this day and age, it's not enough to simply win Eurovision, as a lack of follow-through would amount to a career that is essentially a one-hit wonder as far as wide-reaching traction goes. Thankfully for pop music fans, Måns Zelmerlöw is no mere one-hit wonder.

Zelmerlöw has released his latest studio album, "Perfectly Damaged," and true to what he stated to us back during Melodfestivalen, the album combines the mainstream style and production value of "Heroes" with the musical indie qualities and creative integrity of his previous studio album, "Barcelona Sessions." There isn't a single bad track to be seen in the 12-track line-up but we've selected a few of the stand-out songs that would make for the best singles on a wide scale. (Though we're still astounded that a real music video for "Heroes" has yet to be made).

"Live While We're Alive": Bright, summery, and brimming with warmth, this track is a feel-good hand-clapping, foot-stomper that can uplift the listeners and bestow a positive aura unto them.

"Let It Burn": Måns Zelmerlöw has truly found a comfortable balance with his musical evolution and this track is exemplary of that. While the verses maintain that singer-songwriter feel with strong lyrics and minimal synthetic influences, the chorus infuses EDM sounds and a more simple lyrical aprproach. This eclectic mix shows Måns Zelmerlöw's eclectic understanding of varying musical genres.

"Fade Away": With excellent momentum and percussion to propel the song forward, the song starts off slower and less flashy before exploding into one of the best damn choruses you'll see on this stellar Swed-pop album.

"Someday": While some may debate that none of the "Perfectly Damaged" tracks can out-do "Heroes," if there is one that can give it a run for its money, it's "Someday." With powerful lyrics that create downright cinematic imagery, a backing instrumental arrangement intricately woven together, a groovy break-down in the bridge, and genius hybridisation of electro pop and organic pop, this is the song that could make us curse the Swed-pop deities forever if it's not chosen to be a single. If you love yourself, treat yourself and put this track on a loop and let loose.

There's something for virtually everyone on this album, with a couple morose ballads and some additional mid-tempo tracks that are also solid if that's your preferred flavour of pop. The tracks also neatly fit together without sounding like twelve copies of just one song. This is by far one of the best Swed-pop albums we've seen in the last decade and is an excellent pre-cursor of what will hopefully be a brilliant pop journey and post-Eurovision career for Zelmerlöw.

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Catch Måns Zelmerlöw on the European leg of his tour:

22 September 2015 ~ Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

24 September 2015 ~ Heaven, London, UK

25 September 2015 ~ Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

26 September 2015 ~ Kesselhaus München, Munich, Germany
27 September 2015 ~ Ottakringer Brauerei, Vienna, Austria
29 September 2015 ~ Große Freiheit 36, Hamburg, Germany
30 September 2015 ~ Volkshaus, Zürich, Switzerland
02 October 2015 ~ E-werk Köln, Cologne, Germany
04 October 2015 ~ Capitol Offenbach, Offenbach, Germany
07 October 2015 ~ Fabrique, Milan, Italy
09 October 2015 ~ C-halle, Berlin, Germany
11 October 2015 ~ Lucerna Music Bar, Praque, Czech Republic
15 October 2015 ~ Logomo, Teatterisali, Turku, Finland
16 October 2015 ~ The Circus, Helsinki, Finland
26 October 2015 ~ VEGA, Copenhagen, Denmark
03 November 2015 ~ La Riviera, Madrid, Spain
04 November 2015 ~ Sala Razzmatazz 1, Barcelona, Spain

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