FO&O on Melodifestivalen, Choreography, and Growing as a Group (Interview)

Photo: Lizel Strömberg (ZEL Photography)

Boy-band FO&O may be a surprise Andra Chansen entry, as they were largely expected to qualify direct, but they are maintaining a strong work ethic to give the best show possible to all their fans that will tune in. One significant change to the performance is that the platform they had in the semi-final is no longer present.

"You will really notice that we reach out to you more," says member Felix."As a viewer, you see us more through the TV and you really get the energy from us now cause we have removed the platform and now we stay on stage. We have the pyro and we have many closeups so that we really deliver the vibe and connection."

One thing that sets FO&O apart from a rapidly declining calibre of boy bands of this decade is not only that they still dance during their performances but that they do the choreography themselves.

"We also like to [collaborate] with performance directors, people that we can develop our ideas with. We always do our own choreography but take input from others. But the base choreography is us. We go to our dance studio. It depends on the mood and the shape you're in for the day," says Felix.

"Sometimes it could take a whole day to even do half a song and sometimes it takes a couple of hours to finish a song," says Oscar. "But we basically just put the music on and freestyle. But we also talk through the feeling of the song."

"[Also] what we want to express," says Felix. "It's almost like writing a song with your body. It's the same thing, it's a creative process so it has to take time. But we love it, it's so fun. We have so many ideas cause we're three. We do not compete with each other but we throw out our ideas and come up with good stuff. We vote, majority."

FO&O take a very hands-on approach to the various aspects of their career including the marketing and promotion involved with keeping active on social medias. They also have a new album coming up that will be released some time after the contest.

"We are too much involved in our project," says Felix.

"We should just be working on the music and the performances and the clothes. We're everywhere, running around," says Omar.

"We like that. That's how we want to do our career right now with each other. We want to have input in everything and now when it comes to creative stuff, we also write our own songs now together with people. We have an album coming up and it's pretty much fifty percent of the album is by us. That feels great to be a part of that, part of the choreography making, the whole performance making," says Felix.

Throughout the conversation, the group maintains a strong grounded humility and none of the ego one would expect young men to have after achieving a large, predominantly female fan-following at such a young, impressionable age.

"I think we kind of push each other on that," says Oscar. "Like when Felix is flying away, which was a long time ago sometimes, we push each other and push him down and just have an open conversation about everything and share it with each other. I think it becomes more of a genuine thing then. We're doing this as friends and we're touring as friends, and experiencing everything together. It gets easier to handle stuff."

"The first people that reacts on a behaviour from us, is us," adds Felix. "If Omar starts to get out of control of himself, we are the first person that reacts like, 'Yo dude, what are you doing?'"

"We as [people], we are really down-to-earth since the beginning, we're always down-to-earth," says Omar. "But I think that sometimes if you're stressed out, tired, hungry, whatever, a lot in your head, that can make you think short, to [not] think a bit further and [not] give a shit about everything else. You just think about yourself sometimes. That's something that can lift you up into the sky sometimes."

"We're pushing each other and I think it's also about how our parents have shown us ways in life and also the people we work with," says Felix. "We don't have yes-sayers. That is important. Then we just wanna have that attitude case we have so much more fun. We make friends with every production. We made friends with a girl on the boat that was serving us food and it's so fun cause she was so excited about us and wanted to vote. We just make friends with people."

"It was so fun because she [doesn't] watch Melodifestivalen and doesn't like pop much," adds Omar. "She likes metal, hard rock. After she saw us perform, she came back and was like, 'You guys were awesome.'"

Watch our full interview with the FO&O here: