Alexander Rybak - Meet&greet in Baku 22.05.2012

MS: Alexander Rybak was welcomed as a true superstar today. When he arrived at the hotel Merriot an hour late, the waiting Azerbaijanis girls crowded around him. There was a lot of giggles and many big smiles. AR: Marianne told me about you... Very good, Marianne said... MS: The talks were in Russian, and Rybak took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans. Afterward, he sat behind a piano and played the Fairytale together the Azerbajianis girls. AR: Ok, are you ready? And then there is the chorus.. Are you ready? And...! MS: Alexander Rybak, how is it to be in Baku, Azerbaijan? AR: It is very nice. A whole week in one country. Perfect. And in addition it is Eurovision, so I am reminded of the fact that - yes, I have been a student and all that in the past year, and now I’m practicing the exam 4-5 hours per day, but I'm also a bit glam, right? And that’s very cool. MS: Behind you we can see many fans that you've played a little mini concert for and given autographs to. What does it mean for you to meet so many people who admire you that much? AR: It’s very nice to meet especially these people, because this is the core of the circuit - They are force drivers. This is not like screaming fans on the red carpet. They are people who really work with releases of my music videos and songs and stuff in Azerbajian. So it was fun to meet and talk properly with them. MS: I heard you said that you recognize some of the faces. Where have you met or seen these people before? AR: On Facebook. I have a lady who organizes all the 400,000 Facebook fans though and through her I know a lot of heroic deeds that people have done around the world. And many of them have nagged on the TV channels, until I'm at 1 rotation everywhere, so it is --- without them --- it's very cliche to say that without the fans I would not - but in fact without these fans I would not have been that well known in Azerbajian. So it’s very A-ok. MS: What is it like to live with this fame? AR: It's fun. No one forces me to go on the street here all the time. They almost force me to go to the SPA. It's very fun. It's a very warm people. Everyone who works at the hotel, wish me well. It begins with autograph writing and pictures, but then they ask if you want SPA, if you need a doctor, or whatever. So it is very special. MS: Do you feel like a real superstar ? AR: Yes, I feel like the glam part of my career never goes away, as long as I continue to go to the Eurovision gathering, and I will because I think it's very important that I am not somehow locked up in the bubble and travel around to events and concerts and make more and more classic performances, and not just do that but being allowed to be a little glam-Alexander, too. MS: Is there a difference between fans in Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the world? AR: In general, the Russian-speaking fans and this culture here and there are many Russian speakers in Turkey and in Russia, of course. What's cool is that it is much more accepted for boys to be a fan than it is in Scandinavia. There it is the girls, grandmothers and children. While here, a boy dares to say that he is a fan of mine. Maybe it’s not about daring; maybe I do not have any male fans in Norway.It's just so nice to see a lit up bodyguard face that says "Can I have an autograph, please?." It's fun. MS: Do you have any security guards or someone to look after you? AR: As soon as I arrived I was offered a bunch of cars and security guards and everything. But I do not want that pressure on me because I'm not Eminem and I do not and provoke the people round me, so I do not think I need so many guards There are a lot of children, and what to use guards for? To push away kids? That's not fun. MS: You are going to perform now on Thursday. What is it like to be part of the Eurovision circus again? AR: What's especially fun is that I'm pushing for it this time, I sent a video with the medleys I did in Norway and Denmark, to those people here, since I know some of them personally, and didn’t expect to get the thumb up, but they gave me thumbs up, even two, so they began to invite other artists and it turned out to be a new Eurovision medley. So I'm very proud that my child was allowed to play with other children in a way. MS: And finally Rybak, Tooji will be on stage on Thursday and hopefully on Saturday. Do you have any advice for him? You've won before. AR: Sleeping long after the victory. I think all the advice he has within himself, and he has a good team, look at her informed and alert as always. I think he just have to follow his inner voice, because he's a smart guy. It is rarely seen here in the Eurovision. Well, I'm applauding you! Well done! Very good! On the concert....