Felicia Brandström

For the fictional character Flay, see Mr. Flay. For other uses, see Flay (disambiguation).

Felicia Brandström
Birth name	Felicia Brandström
Born	(1987-01-23) January 23, 1987 Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden
Origin	Floda, Lerum, Västra Götalands Län, Sweden
Genres	Pop, soul, R&B
Labels	Sony BMG

Felicia "Flay" Brandström (/ˈflaɪ/; born January 23, 1987) is a Swedish singer and competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 — the Swedish version of Idol.

Swedish Idol 2006

Auditions

Without her approval nor consultation, Felicia was applied for an audition on Idol 2006 by her friend Julia. During a music session in Frölunda, she was stormed by a TV-team, which instantly brought her to the Idol 2006 auditions in Gothenburg. "At first, I thought that it was some students from the school shooting a movie. However I soon realized that the video camera was too advanced..." said Felicia.

During the first audition, Felicia made an immense impression on the jury by performing the Brand New Heavies song, "Dreams Come True".

At the final auditions, her vocal talent was again praised by the jury, after singing a duet with fellow contestant Danny Saucedo. Their performance of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" gave her a ticket to the semi-finals.

Felicia Brandström then made her way to the finals round by performing Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within" in the semi-finals. However, her suite of critical acclaims ended here, due to the jury's disappointment with her choice of songs.

Finals

During the first final round, Felicia sang her idol Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On". The performance was praised by all the members of the jury and she managed to get a place in the second round of the finals. The jury meant that this song was more suitable for her voice than the previously performed song "The Voice Within".

In the top-6-final, Felicia did a beautiful MTV Unplugged rendition of The Corrs' "What Can I Do". This performance was according to the jury one of her best performances in the competition.

Felicia was eliminated as the last female contestant in the top-4-final.

Performances

• Auditions, Gothenburg: "Dream Come True" - Brand New Heavies
• Auditions, Stockholm: "Everything I Do, I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Duet)
• Semi Finals: "The Voice Within" - Christina Aguilera
• Top 11: "Put Your Records On" - Corinne Bailey Rae
• Top 10: "Hos Dig Är Jag Underbar" - Patrik Isaksson
• Top 9: "Pieces Of Me" - Ashlee Simpson
• Top 8: "Jerk It Out" - Caesars
• Top 7: "A Woman's Worth" - Alicia Keys
• Top 6: "What Can I Do" - The Corrs
• Top 5:
  • "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" - The Isley Brothers
  • "Never Can Say Goodbye" - The Jackson 5
• Top 4:
  • "Kiss Me" - Sixpence None the Richer
  • "I'm Sorry" - Dilba

Style choices

She is one of the very few contestants in Idol 2006, who actually prefers singing "traditional" Pop, being outnumbered by those who prefer Rock as their main genre. During the whole competition she stated the most important thing was to stay true to her heart and do the kind of music she loves, which is a combination of soul, pop and rock.

Her fashion style is distinguished from the other contestants as she is often seen wearing modern streetwear (baggy jeans, sneakers, track jackets, etc.) and more "casual" clothing. She likes to vary her clothing and was designated "Best dressed".

External links

• The Official Fanclub
• Felicia's Official Idol Blog
• FeliciaBrandstrom.com