Part 2

Are you acting out parts of your personality in your music which you couldn't or wouldn't in your daily life? If so, which are these?

Hell yes! I think I have a very romantic nature, and these times I can't find enough scope for it. That is why these accumulated feelings find an outlet in music.

But also all the unspoken longings, thoughts and emotions that cannot be named. Music is a very universal language, that is why it is probably the most popular field of art.

It's also a good question in the context of the album Daydreamer, which is a very personal, yet universal story. The whole process of creating the album was intertwined in time with my path, during which I was very intensely facing my own demons. This path is somewhat marked by the order of the songs - starting from the darker, subconsciously disturbing ones, to those full of vital energy, resounding with ecstatic joy and optimism.

The album ends with the song "Old Paths, New Paths”. It’s a bit of an ode to freedom, it sounds even a bit pathetic, in terms of harmony and building emotions. A symbolic end, and at the same time a completely new beginning.



Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility [...] to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that?

What I like about music is that new possibilities are constantly emerging. And I don't even mean creating new genres, although of course that happens to some extent. However, novelties are usually a result of what has already been created.

What I mean is rather about expanding our own spectrum of means, techniques. Currently, we can create by combining the analogue world with the electronic world like never before. I think that if there are any limitations, they are imposed on purpose, in order to emphasize something, so that some elements resonates more and do not get lost in the noise.

So we have the possibility of choice, and that is probably the most exciting thing.

Do you feel that your music or your work as an artist needs to have a societal purpose or a responsibility to anyone but yourself?

I think I'm starting to realize more and more that this music carries some kind of mission.

I get messages that it has helped someone deal with difficult, often very personal experiences. Other times it turns out that a given piece of music evokes in someone some specific longings that I myself felt when creating it. It's truly incredible, some kind of collective experience.

I don't consider it in terms of purpose, but I deeply believe that music and any other form of art can bring solace. Sensitivity and tenderness, which - I feel - are sorely lacking these days. I don't feel like I could create protest songs or lead some movement.

I think it's good to create something in harmony with yourself and share it with others. If it's sincere, the universality of the message can really help someone.

Once a piece is done and released, do you find it important that listeners understand it in a specific way? How do you deal with “misunderstandings?”

I guess I don't think about it too much. I think that this particular type of music has its audience, who understands it. Everyone takes some part of it that suits them, or they can take nothing, and that's fine too. I just want people to feel "something" when listening to this music. I would start to worry if it wasn't so …

Sometimes of course I get stressed about how the song will be received. That was the case with the first single, "Ikigai". But I don't think it's about understanding as such, but rather absorbing something new that the artist offers. Only that and that much!

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Two such experiences immediately came to mind and both took place in Iceland. I remember sitting on the edge of a cliff on the Reykjanes Peninsula, staring at the sharp black rocks sticking out of the water in front of me, while the ocean roared beneath me.

The power of this element and the view that spread out before my eyes made me incredibly moved.


Reykjanes Peninsula Image by Diana Robinson

I started to cry with delight. Water has always been my element in a way, I like living near it - and it was fortunate that it has always been like that in my life.

The second experience took place at the Icelandic lake Kleifarvatn. There was absolute, unbroken silence. There was no wind, there was absolutely nothing. A silence so overwhelming that it became a sound.

Silence is a very exclusive commodity in our world, which is why I remember so well the impression this place made on me.


Lake Kleifarvatn Image by Tyrfingur Tyrfingsson

They say that silence is music. So is the song of the ocean. These are very inspiring types of music.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

I think I partly answered this question a moment ago. Silence is the beginning for sound. Music does not begin with chaos, but with silence. It also allows you to really listen carefully to what comes after it. What resounds after the last sounds during a concert? Silence.

For me this is the specific moment when the music is still there, we enjoy it and in this we can see the aforementioned ultimate delight.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I feel that everything we do should be done with commitment. Only then is the final effect truly satisfying.

Making good coffee is not as easy as it may seem. The most seasoned gourmets appreciate the craftsmanship, the technique. There is bread and there is delicious bread. There is ordinary clothing and there is that which is made of specially selected materials. When you go to a concert, you want to hear good music, performed well. When you go to a restaurant, you expect good food and service. One could go on and on. It all comes down to commitment, dedication of time, acquired and practised skills, and maybe a bit of talent.

It's definitely easier for me to express emotions in music than in other areas, because I've been doing it my whole life. Maybe if I focused on some other area, I would be able to translate those feelings into it?

What is a music related question that you would like to ask yourself – and what's your answer to it?

Sometimes I wonder if I could go back in time, I would choose the violin again as the instrument I would learn at music school - and not, for example, the piano.

And then I think that this whole path, almost twenty years of artistic education, the people I met, all the experiences I gained - the good and the bad, led me to where I am and who I am - and I am happy about it.

So the answer is no - because there is no point in thinking about it. :)