aaamusic | On 18, Feb 2015

Who are you and where are you from?

I’m Jennie Abrahamson from far up north in Sweden, a small place just by the northern coast called Sävar, but I live and work out of Stockholm. Being the youngest in a musical family, music was always around me growing up. I started taking classical piano lessons at the age of five and by my teens, I was forming bands and playing different venues around town and nearby places. Even if ”Jennie Abrahamson” is a solo project, two of my most loyal co-workers, drummer Mikael Haggstrom and co-producer/bassplayer Johannes Berglund, were actually in the very first band I formed at age 13. So we’ve been with each other for quite some time now, helping each other to make a way in the music business.

What inspired you to get into music?

I didn’t really think of music as an optional career when I was a kid, it wasn’t something I clearly chose at some point, but music was all I was. It was that natural for me. Not so much ”I hope I will grow up and become a musician”, I already viewed myself as a musician. All the records my big sister played me as a child helped forming my artist and songwriting dreams. There was a lot of Eurhythmics, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, U2 and Donna Summer. A real game changer for me was Peter Gabriel’s ”So” album, that was the first album that made me think of how music and production really was made. In what order did one put words and melody together? How and when did you decide upon the right sounds? It was all a big mystery to me and I was so intrigued by it. I think my music today is still reminiscent of my early influences, even though I’ve gone through many musical phases I always come back to my ’80s roots. And I like the way a lot of music was produced at that time, big sounds but few layers, and that’s how I try to work when I produce my songs.

What have you done?

I was very young when I made my debut with a swedish trip-hoppy band called Heed, we released two albums on swedish EMI right in the beginning of 2000. I released my first solo record in 2007, Lights, and since then I’ve made three more. While the Sun’s Still Up and the Sky is Bright”(2009), The Sound of Your Beating Heart (2011) and last, Gemini Gemini (2014/2015). Gemini Gemini will be my first UK release, which I’m super excited about. I’m proud of having kept in control of my own material, I run my own label and have had things growing for me slowly but steadily with each album. With each release, we have widen the territory and been able to tour more. I’m happy to add UK to the list, especially with Gemini Gemini that has been given such good reviews and fine nominations in my home territory. Gemini Gemini has also rendered me a nomination as ”Composer of the Year” at Manifestgalan (the swedish ”indie grammys”), appointed by SKAP, the Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers & Authors. I’ll know in beginning of february if I’ll win!

What are you like live?

This past year we’ve truly found a good formation and setting for my live band, which I’m really happy about. We’re only four people on stage now but people are usually surprised over how big it sounds, even bombastic at times. It’s pop alright, but we’re trying to create something big and dreamy as well, and we prefer a standing audience so we can watch them dance or just float away in our soundscape. The best and most fun tour I’ve done so far was the european tour we did in the autumn of 2014, partly because we had just found our way into this stripped setting of the band and found out that it worked and sounded better than ever. It’s a true joy to play with bassplayerJohannes Berglund and drummer Mikael Haggstrom that I mentioned earlier, but also Samuel Starck on keyboards, who’s only been playing with me for the last year.

I’ve also done a bunch of supporting tours, mainly swedish artists but my norwegian friend Ane Brun is worth mentioning. I also supported the whole of Peter Gabriel’s So Back to Front Tour, a 4-legged tour across North America and Europe between 2012-2014, which has been a lot of fun. I’ve also been part of Peter’s band on the tour, and was given the chance to sing the duet ”Don’t give up” with him every night. Childhood dream come true.

What makes you different?

We are all unique. The challenge as an artist is making sure YOU come across, not something someone else has decided that you are or should be. I think I’ve succeeded pretty well in maintaining my true self in all that I do, and to my luck people have seemed to like just that. I’ve managed to make serious music, pretentious even, without losing ”fun” or ”quirky” along the way. I can make you dance, but I can also touch your heart. I have a unique voice, and people either like it or they don’t.

Physical vs Downloading vs Streaming…How do you listen to music?

Personally, I mostly stream (paid pro account) and buy vinyls. With artists that I really want to support, I also buy the cd at a music shop or the mp3’s on iTunes. I don’t think there’s a way to turn back the clock and I think that music services like Spotify are beautiful in their construction and their accessibility to music – and I use it a lot – but it still pays way too low. We might have had mp3’s and streaming music for some time now, but looking at it with a historical perspective, the technology is still new. We’re all trying to find our way here, and I believe we can make it a more sustainable business for all parties eventually. It will take a little time. Though I must say, I use my old vinyl player more and more. I like the fact that you put on ONE record, not a playlist, and you actually listen to it in a whole other way. And halfway you’ve got to go and switch sides. It’s like mindfulness training, actually. I enjoy it.

What have you been listening to?

This past year I’ve listened a lot to Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs. It’s such a great album composition, feels like a classic already. I’ve also been listening quite a lot to the latest Blood Orange and Arcade Fire albums. There’s also a swedish artist I’ve listened massively to – Jonathan Johansson. He sings in swedish but the albums are worth listening to even if you don’t catch the words. The songs and the production are magnificent.

What are your aspirations for the future?

First up is the release of ”Gemini Gemini” in UK and France, and some touring will follow that. I’ll be writing and hopefully recording a new album this year too, and my hopes are that I can release it in all territories at the same time next year, to really make a good release impact and be able to play all countries in one tour. The goal is to keep making the project grow and reach out to more and new people.

Questions answered by: Jennie Abrahamson…