Turin 2022 – Sweden: The Cornelia Jakobs Appreciation Post

26 April 2022

With an evocative song and quivering vocals, it’s not difficult to understand why Sweden’s Cornelia Jakobs with Hold Me Closer has the best entry of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. To quote from my review of all 40 songs:

It’s not just that the song is so good and easily the best this year, it’s delivered sublimely through Cornelia’s raspy vocals, her physical presence, and her perfect vocal intonations and dramatisation. You don’t even need to hear the lyrics to feel the song. It’s the most real and genuine song this year as it sets up a symbiosis between the audience and the artist from the start, and never let’s go. Even after it’s finished, you still feel connected. It’s just the perfect package.

Even two months after first hearing it, Hold Me Closer still fills me with these feelings. It really never wants to let go. The way it constantly transitions through its nuances and key changes, it’s so naturally musical.

Cornelia Jakobs - Hold Me Closer - Appreciation Post - Eurovision Song Contest 2022 Turin - Sweden — *Cornelia Jakobs – Hold Me Closer*

That first time hearing Hold Me Closer was at the first semi final of Melodifestivalen 2022. Then it was the long wait until the final, where Cornelia fended off a large public vote for Anders Bagge and Bigger Than The Universe to take the win. Her career actually started quite some time prior, when she infamously appeared on Swedish Idol in 2008 and was mocked by the judges. Curiously, one of the judges on the panel was Anders Bagge. Then, from 2010, came a short stint with the girl-band Love Generation, including two appearances at Melodifestivalen. Beginning her solo career in 2018, Cornelia released a string of singles and developed her craft, until it seismically culminated in the wondrous Hold Me Closer. So let’s appreciation Cornelia Jakobs!