Name: Ida Nielsen
Occupation: Bassist, composer, vocalist, songwriter
Nationality: Danish
Current release: Ida Nielsen's More Sauce, Please! is out via Delta. She is also currently on a 2023 Summer tour:



If you enjoyed this Ida Nielsen interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter. 

If you'd like to stay funky, also check our Candy Dulfer interview.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

The impulse comes all the time from all places and by itself. There can be outside factors inspiring me, but basically I always have some new music going on in my head.

I am that annoying person who is always making sounds and rhythms and looking crazy :)

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I always have new ideas so I am trying to see what ideas will fit together and make a good album. I change my mind many times during the recording process cause I always have new stuff going on.

For me the biggest problem can be to actually find the time to sit down and record all the ideas.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I dont have a particular rutine or any tools. My compositions (the music) flow quite freely and the style and vibe of the music often depends on which type of instrument I am sitting with when I am writing. Different instruments make me think differently and that is actually a big help when it comes to creating songs.

For example, if I am on the keys, it is mostly pretty stuff, on the guitar it is mostly funky stuff and on the bass, which is my main instrument, and where I am a bit more free, it can be both.

Examples of songs I wrote on the bass: “Throwback,” “Internet crush,“ “Rock the bass,” “I was told,” and, from the new album: “Glorious disco,” “It's gone,” “Slappedibopbop” and “Ninja.”



Examples of songs I wrote on the keys: “Something 2 say”, “Heart of stone,” “Sorry.”



Examples of songs I wrote on the guitar: “We came 2 get Funky,” “I really think you’re cute,” And “Disco Dislocation.”



What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

I always start with a grove and maybe some chords and just jam around and find a nice melody. I often have a full track finished before I even start to think about the lyrics.

For me the music is the easy part - when it comes to the lyrics I have to start thinking :)

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

It is really the last thing I do when I write a song. Very few of my songs started with the lyrics and with those, it was really just a one line phrase I built everything around.

But sometimes when I write rap parts and get really into it, I am actually having a lot of fun with it and sometimes even surprise myself.

Examples of songs I started with a lyric line: “Showmewhatugot” and “Something 2 say” and “Bounce like grandma.”



What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Ahhh great lyrics are fantastic!! They can be really simple but as long as they speak to people I think they will matter.

Of course if you are a great lyricist you can be really poetic and cover all kinds of important topics in an elegant metaforical and playful way … But it can also be skillful wordplays and rhythmic rhymes that make great lyrics.

Lyrics never flow easily for me. I will have to think about them. But my luck: For the funk style great lyrics aren’t a must. It is absolutely acceptable to have lots of lyrics about “the Funk.” :)

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I would like to have a bit more control, but I really don’t. I just go with
the flow and see what comes next.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Yes, this happens a lot!! Which resulted in a long list of unreleased music + 3 aliases under which I release different music that doesn’t fit my “Ida Nielsen” profile.

If anyone should be interested, the aliases are “Phat Cat Sofabeats,” “Butterfly Pacific” and “Lucid Matter.”



There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

There is definitely an element of “loosing myself” involved.

Creating music is very important for my inner balance and I feel like this works for me in the same way as meditation for some people. So I guess that qualifies as a kind of spirituality.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

Normally it happens because of a deadline. If there is no deadline I find it helpful to work on several other songs for a while and then come back and see how they feel.

If I don’t immediately wanna change anything I will stop - otherwise you can can get stuck in the never ending editing wheel.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I get very involved. I am producing everything myself and am therefore quite opinionated about the sound.

This is why I am always involved in the mixing as well. I let the engineers do their thing first and then come in for the “colour” of the mix. As for the masters I am just going by ear and see how it feels …

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I feel more excited to go on tour and play the new material. I always change up the songs live and that is a fun process to me - to make medleys and mashups etc.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing 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?

Well - for me the thing that gives me peace of mind is music. But it could be anything!!

Whatever you do that makes you loose yourself in the process will give you that extra feeling of happiness. And it could just as well be making a great cup of coffee as anything else.