Rosa Linn felt “like a rock star” when she competed at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The 24-year-old singer was a “nobody in Armenia” when she was chosen to represent her country in 2022 with her song ‘Snap’ and though she had always dreamed of being part of the famous competition, she was amazed to get the offer when she did but delighted with what came next.
She recalled: “I was a nobody in Armenia, I was just in my room, or writing and singing in pubs, when I got the offer.
“I watched it with my family almost every year since I was eight. And it’s funny, even before I wanted to do music, I would tell my mum, I will be on that stage one day. And I did it, way earlier than I thought I would.
“I really loved everything about it. From going from nothing to suddenly being known all around Europe, around the world. You feel like a rock star.”
‘Snap’ came twentieth but the song is the most-streamed entry by a non-champion and became hugely popular around the world, including making her debut on the US Billboard Hot 100.
She noted: “The song took on a life of its own.”
Rosa was disappointed with her showing and initially didn’t thing she’d be able to stand “even going near” the piano again, but a day later she wrote two new songs.
She said: “I think it’s a part of me that will never fade. The worse I feel, the more I write.”
Rosa’s track ‘Universe’ has been recorded in Italian, French, Hindi and English and the singer – who was buoyed by the support she received when supporting Ed Sheeran on tour – is also planning to release versions in Arabic and Spanish.
She said: “The ‘Universe’ Pack is meant to address my love for languages, different cultures and music genres which drives me to create alternate versions of my songs and collaborate with other talented artists from other countries.”
Rosa took just an hour to record the verse for the Hindi version of the track, ‘Universe (Mil Jaana Tu)’ and admitted she hadn’t expected it to be so easy to pick up the pronunciation.
She said: “Funny enough it was actually easier than I thought it would be. I think we have some similar sounds in Armenian so that helped me a lot for sure. I cut the vocals in Italy, while I was on tour with my friend. I didn’t have a tutor, but I was sending Denny voice memos of every line, and we were done in an hour.”
‘Universe (Mil Jaana Tu)’ – featuring Indian singer and composer Denny – is out now, following on from the Italian, French and English versions. Listen to the ‘Universe’ pack at nd=1 dlsi=16f58002a18447f9.
