‘The discovery of a new instrument or sound often leads to a new song!’
Where are you from?
I am from a small village called Alken near Aarhus in the Northern part of Denmark – and it’s covered in snow at the moment!
Which instruments do you play? I play every instrument I can get my hands on! I love experimenting with new instruments and sounds. New songs can often appear out of the sound of a newly found instrument. For example I recently bought an Indian harmonium on eBay. It has this amazing vibe, and the drones – it’s almost like you can touch the sound. It’s dusty, quirky and has a story to it. Who knows which Indian guy had this instrument in his hands before it was shipped to me. I also play drums, keys, synths and guitars. I even have a banjo somewhere in my little house too.
Who else is involved in your music? There are so many people involved. I am super grateful for each and every one of their contributions and support. It will help to drive my music further and continue exploring it. Here’s a few to mention though:
Christian Tronhjem is my main go-to guy right now. He is a magician with a laptop, totally gets me and knows what I hear – even when I don’t know it myself. He always has the solution for every technical problem I may have (and there are usually a lot!). We recently started working closely with each track: I write the song, send it to Christian – who makes a beat -and then sends it back for me to continue working. Jens Mikkel Madsen is also a tremendous asset in this project. As a beautiful bass player and arranger, he has a truly inspiring way of making my songs sound even better every time.
The full band is made up of drummer Andreas Skamby, guitarist Asger Jakobsen and keyboard player Mathias Jæger, alongside Jens Mikkel and Christian. We also have four dancers who join us at the concerts. I strive to create visual concepts around each album and bring that concept with us when we play live. Anders Ørbæk also did a huge amount of work with me recording, mixing and arranging and even playing on a few tracks of the album “We Come From The Stars” that is coming out soon.
Behind the music – which is just as important – I have Nick Tarbitt from Integrity Records and Integrity Publishing and his whole team working globally to get my music out. In the Nordic countries I’m with Songcrafter Music, run by Roar Amundsen. They totally get my music and it is a joy and honour to work with these experienced guys and learn from the best people who work from their heart. They have become very dear to me in this process because without them there would be no-one listening.
Where is your go-to place for writing new tracks? Among nature – preferably by the ocean. It has a cleansing effect on my whole system.
Do you have any releases and/or performances coming up soon? We are playing Arctic Sounds Festival in Sisimiut, Greenland at the end of March/beginning of April and on the 4th May our debut full album “We Come From The Stars” is released via Integrity Records in the UK and Ireland. We are coming to the UK 18th May to play our first UK live shows.
Do you prefer performing live or recording in a studio? I wouldn’t want to choose, as both are equally important for the process of creating music. It’s two different energies: an outgoing energy when performing live and a more invert energy when diving deep into recording in the studio.
When did you first become involved in music? I have always been involved in music – even when lying in the womb and listening to my mother humming songs or dancing while listening to music.
What has music enabled you to do? More than I ever thought I was capable of.
What is the most recent performance you did? We played an international showcase concert at Nordklang Festival in St. Gallen in Switzerland at the end of February.
Who are your inspirations? My son. Nature and all its splendid forms. Björk. People. Art.
Any interesting facts about yourself you would like to share? I don’t know if I’m that interesting, but I’m deeply grateful that people think my music is!
Thanks Maria for chatting with Listen to Discover
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