Luna from Poland: "My performance will be a fairy tale"

The Polish broadcaster (TVP) took no risks this year and went from a controversial national selection contest in 2023 to an internal selection instead. After consideration, the broadcaster decided to go with Luna for this year's Eurovision Song Contest and her song "The Tower."

Luna (real name Aleksandra Wielgomas) is a singer-songwriter from Warsaw who loves art, astrology, and fashion, and cites Björk as a main inspiration. She chose the stage name Luna, which means "moon" in English, given her connection to the nighttime in general. She released her first song in 2018, and since then multiple others. She's now ready for Eurovision.

We met with the singer just a few hours before taking the stage at the pre-party in Madrid for her performance of "The Tower," and she didn't hide her feelings about how hectic the Eurovision schedule can be:

– The last days and weeks have been pretty intense for me, but I have never been happier in my life, Luna says.

– The energy that I get from people and the work I get to do here is just a dream.

That's what Eurovision was to the Polish singer: a dream. Regardless, she never imagined that it would be more than just a singing competition:

– I have never expected this kind of atmosphere, of family and unity. I've just always thought of Eurovision as a performance on a massive stage but it's way more than that now. It's this amazing journey and this whole process that we're all in together.

She continues:

– I am an extrovert and I love being surrounded by people with good energy that share love for art and music, I feel at home.

Had you ever attempted to do Eurovision?

– No. I actually believe that some things happen at the right time and at the right place, and it was just last year when I thought I wanted to do it. I felt like I could do it.

– So, my thought is if I want to go to Eurovision, this is the moment. This is the song and this is the message. I rely a lot on my intuition, so for me it was now or never.

The selection process

As previously mentioned, Luna was internally selected by the Polish broadcaster, and it seems that the change in the Polish political life had a lot to do with it:

– The process started pretty late because the government in Poland changed, and therefore the national TV changed as well. It started in January and a month after we had the results. I was really surprised with their decision, she admits.

You didn't expect to be the one?

– I honestly didn't. I wrote "The Tower" about how I feel and how we feel as human beings, how we tend to hide ourselves and tend to feel overwhelmed. We tend to put ourselves in worse positions than we're at, and I have to say that I used to be a pessimist when it came to thinking about myself and my music.

– The song's rhythm is very positive, but the same cannot be said to its lyrics. It's about struggling and having to find your way.

She continues:

– I have always been an optimist when it came to other people but not to myself. I guess that's why I was self-doubting myself and ended up writing a song about how you can overcome that and build something out of that.

I used to be a pessimist when it came to thinking about myself and my musicLuna

The song was selected for Eurovision and the news was delivered on live TV. Her label, Universal Music, got the news and decided to surprise Luna during an interview:

– I thought it'd be a typical interview for a morning show about my song, about Eurovision, and how I see myself in there, what I want to do and so on, but then they gave me an envelope saying I won. I had a tiny heart attack, she laughs.

– It was a shock but a wonderful surprise. Who doesn't love surprises?

Imagine if the envelope had said, "Sorry, you didn't make it."

She laughs:

– They'd be so cruel to do that, and I am aware some people are mean but I don't think they'd ever be that mean.

Last year's Polish national selection competition ended up with Blanka's "Solo" going to Eurovision, a decision that was heavily criticized by the Polish fans who also accused TVP of rigging the results. In an interview with Eurovisionworld, Blanka addressed the bullying she had been victim of, and said, "I feel bad for whoever gets bullied next year."

It seems that things have been calm for Luna:

– The reaction has been great. It warms my heart when people tell me the song has helped them in any way such as achieving a goal, getting out of a bad situation, fighting depression, or getting another job. It makes me feel like I can have a positive impact on people's lives, and that's why I do music.

Eurovision 2024

Eurovision is really around the corner, and Luna will get to sing "The Tower" in the first Semi-final from which she may, or may not, qualify:

– I am a little bit nervous, she confesses.

– But I am trying not to focus on where I am going to rank when all is said and done. There are so many wonderful artists and I feel like we're all winners. I just really want to go there and make a memorable performance, something that will uplift the audience and make them step out from their world for a few minutes.

You've mentioned a memorable performance. What can you share about the staging we'll see for Eurovision?

– It's going to be a like a fairy tale about discovering your powers and fighting for yourself through chess motifs.

In case you're wondering, a chess motif is an essencial element of a move and how it supports the fulfillment of a stipulation on a chessboard. There can be multiple types of motifs: attacking, weakening, defensive and harmful.

My performance is going to be a fairy tale about discovering your powers and fighting for yourself through chess motifsLuna

In the music video for "The Tower," Luna does play chess and admits it will serve as inspiration for the live act:

– We will follow some of the motifs from the music video and the colors. There's going to be a lot of Polish colors such as white and red.

Luna goes on to share that she'll be joined by three dancers, and that there will be a lot of movement during the entire performance. She also says she's quite happy with her collaboration with TVP:

– It's been such a good experience, I am really positively surprised. They're really open-minded, and they're willing to follow some of my ideas and my dreams so I am really happy because it'll actually be almost 100% of me in Eurovision.

For her upcoming performance, Luna hopes that people will be "on the moon" for three minutes and be empowered by light and brightness. She also has one last message to her fans:

– Through your support and through your energy, we can exchange and we can actually feel powerful. That's what you give to me.

Luna will perform in the first Semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with her song "The Tower" on 7 May.