The writers behind the Oscar-nominated song from the Netflix comedy ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ – who have written hits for names like Ariana Grande, One Direction and The Weeknd – describe their phenomenal response to “Husavik. ”
Savan Kotecha, Rickard Göransson and Fat Max Gsus are accustomed to receiving acclaim and recognition for their compositions. Kotecha helped co-write hits like “Boom Boom” by Ariana Grande, “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, while Göransson wrote songs for names like Avril Lavigne, Zara Larsson and Flo Rida.
And yet, with all the Grammy nominations, platinum records and chart hits, nothing compares to the responses they generated to “Husavik”, the powerful ballad partly sung by Will Ferrell at the end of the Netflix comedy. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which was nominated for an Oscar for best original song.
“Personally, I have never had this kind of reaction before for any of the things I was lucky to be a part of, nor for ‘What makes you beautiful’, nor for ‘I can’t feel my face’, none of these things,” he recalls. Kotecha in one THR Features questions and answers provided by Vision Media.
Kotecha added that he received several emails and text messages from other musicians – including Charlie Puth – about “Husavik”, while Grande’s brother Frankie Grande sent him a video of himself dancing to the song the next day Eurovision was released on Netflix, telling him, somewhat prophetically, that he would be nominated for an Oscar.
“This is just a different world, with so many people reaching out and being really touched by it or really touched,” says Göransson, who said that the moment in the film – coming out just a few months after the pandemic – played a role. “Music talks a lot about the fundamentals of life that everyone experienced this year, when a lot of things were taken away. So I think that is another reason why it resonated with so many people. “
For Gsus, “Husavik” made him a small celebrity in his hometown, Karlskrona, Sweden, where his local newspaper put him on a list of local success stories. “They list the top five, and today I came in second,” he says with a laugh. “Right under a shoemaker who has had his shop open for 10 years.”
But perhaps the biggest reaction came from the Icelandic city of Húsavik itself, where Eurovision is defined predominantly. The fishing port – which has a population of less than 2,500 inhabitants – has fully embraced its highlight, with visitors now able to sip a “Double Trouble” cocktail at the newly opened bar “Jaja Ding Dong” (both named in honor of other songs in the film). The city also supported the candidacy for Oscar glory, launching a totally charming campaign video in which a children’s choir sings “Husavik” and fishermen pose with their catch as if they were Oscar statuettes.
“Watching that was incredible,” says Kotecha. “But we don’t really think about it. I never stopped to think that this must mean a lot to Húsavik. So, I hope we can take this to them.
Kotecha, Göransson and Gsus agree that Húsavik would be one of the first places they would visit if they won an Oscar.
Says Gsus: “I’m going to stir my martini with the figurine at the Jaja Ding Dong bar!”