- When/where do you do your best writing?
SA:I have experienced that several unique ideas come to mind when I’m traveling. I like to be on the road, on the train, or on an airplane. Being in such an incredibly vibrant city like Nashville is one of the most amazing things I've ever done. The level of quality is sky high! Lines or melodies may appear during concerts, for example. Then I must take out my phone and record or write down the idea so I don’t forget it. I also like to write at home. There I’m safe and can do things at my own pace.
- Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else, or a combination?
SA: It’s a little bit of everything mixed together. Songwriting is for me a really personal activity. I mix a lot of elements from my personal life and try to be as truthful as I can be in portraying my feelings. Sometimes I exaggerate and combine real stories with fiction. I also love playing with words. Turning a sentence upside down to get a totally different meaning is so rewarding. That’s the beauty of it. You don't always know where the finish line is drawn or when to stop. I like that uncertainty, but I’m getting better at moving on. I get a bit obsessed sometimes. I draw inspiration from traveling, meeting new people, music, art, and having meaningful conversations with friends and strangers. Also listening to stories from family members like my grandma and my great-grandpa before he passed away. He told me about World War II and his perspective on life. Norway has changed a lot since he was a boy.
- What’s your dream venue and why?
SA: It’s a dream of mine to play at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and Royal Albert Hall in London. I’ve idolised these places for a long time and many of my idols have played here. I dream big!
- Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
SA: "Remember It" from our new record We Wither, We Bloom has been a hit so far. I think people love that the lyrics are so direct and to the point. I don’t sugar coat my feelings and my anger. I tell it as it is. And we also play the cowbell live and who doesn’t love that!?
SA:I have experienced that several unique ideas come to mind when I’m traveling. I like to be on the road, on the train, or on an airplane. Being in such an incredibly vibrant city like Nashville is one of the most amazing things I've ever done. The level of quality is sky high! Lines or melodies may appear during concerts, for example. Then I must take out my phone and record or write down the idea so I don’t forget it. I also like to write at home. There I’m safe and can do things at my own pace.
- Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else, or a combination?
SA: It’s a little bit of everything mixed together. Songwriting is for me a really personal activity. I mix a lot of elements from my personal life and try to be as truthful as I can be in portraying my feelings. Sometimes I exaggerate and combine real stories with fiction. I also love playing with words. Turning a sentence upside down to get a totally different meaning is so rewarding. That’s the beauty of it. You don't always know where the finish line is drawn or when to stop. I like that uncertainty, but I’m getting better at moving on. I get a bit obsessed sometimes. I draw inspiration from traveling, meeting new people, music, art, and having meaningful conversations with friends and strangers. Also listening to stories from family members like my grandma and my great-grandpa before he passed away. He told me about World War II and his perspective on life. Norway has changed a lot since he was a boy.
- What’s your dream venue and why?
SA: It’s a dream of mine to play at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and Royal Albert Hall in London. I’ve idolised these places for a long time and many of my idols have played here. I dream big!
- Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
SA: "Remember It" from our new record We Wither, We Bloom has been a hit so far. I think people love that the lyrics are so direct and to the point. I don’t sugar coat my feelings and my anger. I tell it as it is. And we also play the cowbell live and who doesn’t love that!?
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With “Remember it” what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
SA: I actually had two moments with this song. I was pretty sure we had nailed the lyrics when I couldn’t sit still under my co-write with Henry Brill. And also when we recorded the guitars at the intro I wanted to cry. That’s always a good sign. - Who would you love to collaborate with? SA: The list is long! I would love to write a song with Jackson Browne and record it as a duet with Sufjan Stevens and let Tony Berg and Beck produce it. I would also love some guitar lessons from Molly Tuttle and song lessons from Alison Krauss. |
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- Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
SA: That must be the new Molly Tuttle cover album. I want to cry every time she starts singing Arthur Russell’s song "A Little Lost" and Karen Dalton’s "Something On Your Mind." I also absolutely love the new Phoebe Bridgers album Punisher. Tony Berg has produced both records. The soundscape is magical.
- Favourite thing to do on a day off?
SA: Visiting botanical gardens and museums with someone I love is my favourite thing to do on Sundays! I also love live music and drinking mimosas or whisky sours. And I love sitting at cafes observing people passing by and to go thrift shopping. Whenever I get the chance to hang out with my family I’ll do that. And if I can I’ll travel to our family cabin at Senja. That’s my version of paradise: Being close to the shoreline where the mountains dive right into the ocean.
SA: That must be the new Molly Tuttle cover album. I want to cry every time she starts singing Arthur Russell’s song "A Little Lost" and Karen Dalton’s "Something On Your Mind." I also absolutely love the new Phoebe Bridgers album Punisher. Tony Berg has produced both records. The soundscape is magical.
- Favourite thing to do on a day off?
SA: Visiting botanical gardens and museums with someone I love is my favourite thing to do on Sundays! I also love live music and drinking mimosas or whisky sours. And I love sitting at cafes observing people passing by and to go thrift shopping. Whenever I get the chance to hang out with my family I’ll do that. And if I can I’ll travel to our family cabin at Senja. That’s my version of paradise: Being close to the shoreline where the mountains dive right into the ocean.