Marcus and Martinus face the accusations of plagiarism

The twin brothers have taken all of Sweden by storm. Last year they fell short and came second in Melodifestivalen, but this year they took revenge and won with the song “Unforgettable”.

– It means so much to us. When we were told we had won, for real, it still feels like a dream. I still haven’t woken up! I pinch myself in the arm, says Martinus.

Relief when the pressure released

The duo has been tipped as favorites throughout the competition. It has been both fun and tough, say the twins.

– Almost every single person we have met has said that “you are favourites, you win this”. It just made the nerves bigger and bigger, and much heavier on the shoulders, says Marcus.

When they were told they had won, Martinus sighed with relief.

– I think that contributed to my crying so much. The press has eaten me up in a way. I felt that if we don’t win this, I think a lot of people will be disappointed, says Martinus.

To deal with the pressure, they are both careful to try to put it aside. They have been making music for twelve years, and claim to have experience with both press and mean comments. Before the Melodifestivalen, they have been busy with both interviews and rehearsals. It has been a lot of work.

– Then it is important, after all that work, that we put everything aside when we are on stage and focus on enjoying ourselves. Because this is why we make music. We love being on stage, says Marcus.

The Prime Minister has expressed his support

The brothers come from Norway. When asked if they are praised in their home country, or seen as traitors, they answer that they have received many nice greetings from home.

– I know they are proud of us. Even our Prime Minister Tweeted about it (wrote about it on Platform X, ed. note). They are very happy for us, says Martinus.

Addressing allegations of plagiarism

But not everything has been a bed of roses. During the course of the competition, the similarities between the winning song “Unforgettable” and another song have been extensively discussed. It is said to have striking similarities with Faithless’ song “Salva Mea” from the 90s, which Expressen was the first to report on.

According to Marcus, the twins have never heard of this before. He also says that they have not heard the song in question. When they get to listen to a clip and compare it to their own song, they agree that there are some similarities, but deny plagiarism.

– I just have to say that there are only four notes that are the same, right? The same four chords are in every other song in the entire world, so that doesn’t matter. It’s the same kind of sound, I think, that makes you think it’s similar. I probably think that the text, the melody and all the structure are not the same at all, says Martinus.

Marcus agrees and stresses that it is almost impossible to make music that doesn’t sound like anything else today, when there is so much being written.

– We are happy with the song and do not feel that it spoils anything. I think there has been worse plagiarism in Eurovision before, he says.

Want to give back to Sweden

Marcus and Martinus have never applied for the Norwegian version of Melodifestivalen. The duo says that they chose to start a new chapter in Sweden. Here they found talented people who they knew they wanted to work with, so this is where they invested in developing their artistry after the pandemic.

– We felt that we have an obligation to give Sweden something back. So we have worked hard to make Sweden proud, and we will try to do that in Malmö now, says Marcus.

Now that they have won Melodifestivalen, the next step is to start preparing for Eurovision in Malmö. First they will go home to relax, then they will go through the act and see what they can do to put on an even better show when it’s time for the competition in Malmö.

The hope is also that dad will be as proud in Malmö as he was when the sons took home the victory in the Melodifestivalen final.

– I think he was the world’s proudest father at that moment, says Martinus.