http://www.rockwired.com/solskugga.html

ROCKWiRED iNTERViEWS SOL SKUGGA

THE SUNNYSiDE OF DARK
SOL ViKSTROM OF SOL SKUGGA
TALKS TO ROCKWiRED
ABOUT THEiR LATEST CD FAiRYTALES AND LULLABiES
EMBRACiNG A WARMER SOUND
AND THE THiN LiNE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LiGHT

iNTERViEWED BY BRiAN LUSH

Sweden is a country known for its dance pop escapism thanks to native acts such as ABBA, ROXETTE and ACE OF BASE but when you dig a little deeper, the Scandinavian landmass is a country with a rich musical heritage that spans everything from folk music to death metal. Singer and multi-instrumentalist SOL SKUGGA is three albums into her career with her musical project SOL SKUGGA. So far, SOL SKUGGA’s catalog of work has been marked by sonic shifts from dreamy to hard-edged. Their latest release ‘FAIRYTALES AND LULLABIES’ boasts a warmer and –at times – a more acoustic sound but that doesn’t mean that SOL and company can’t resist throwing in a few metal riffs and dance beats into this compelling blend.

ROCKWIRED conducted an e-mail interview with SOL VIKSTROM of SOL SKUGGA. Here are the results.

How do you think that FAIRYTALES AND LULLABIES is different from your previous releases?

I started out with a dark, semi-gothic rock album 2007 “SWIMMING WITHOUT WEBBED TOES”. It was written during a psychologically trying time of my life and to me it is in many ways a closure of that time. In GARDENIA (2008), I wanted to show a softer, more dreamy and romantic side of me, with the vocal part and my love for folk music in focus. This new release on the other hand, is more upbeat, more acoustic and warmer in it’s sound. I’ll keep exploring new production manners and sounds on upcoming releases. It is what I do best.

FAIRYTALES AND LULLABIES is a great CD! Now that it's out there for people to hear, how do you feel about the finished work?

I am very happy and proud about it, I never thought about myself as a musician and I am still very humble and happy to be able to collaborate with talented people! I am more of a storyteller, that uses different media to deliver my feelings and stories through. I’m happy if anyone interprets and shares the emotions I invest in my music. I am very restless and already working hard on my next album. The creative part is what I enjoy most.

Were there any aspects in making the CD that proved challenging?

Oh, I play most of the lead-guitar myself on this CD. And I am NOT a guitarist at all. I just play around with instruments, often using them completely the wrong way. It’s been different to arrange and write many songs based on piano or guitar instead of keyboard noise and beats too. I have a very cinematic approach to my songwriting, and ambient sounds have always been a big part of my earlier work.

Are you at all nervous about releasing the album in the U.S.?

No, not really. Everyone, both fans and professional critics in the U.S have been so nice to me from the very beginning. I think they understand my music better then my Scandinavian friends. They are very traditional over here in many ways.

Growing up in Sweden, what sort of music were you surrounded by?

Oh. I was surrounded by everything from prog, soul music, new age, metal, indie rock, grunge and new wave. I also listen a lot to acoustic pop and I have been dancing a lot to every danceable rhythm from any culture, so basically, I am VERY eclectic in my taste in music. But I do NOT listen at all to extreme mainstream pop or disco. It has to be well written, a bit “disturbed” and have great lyrics or else I do not care.

When did your classical training begin?

Mum and dad put me in private music lessons when I was seven years old, but I had so many other interests like writing, so I focused more seriously on music in the early 2000’s. I always wrote songs and sang a lot in private, but went to the ROYAL SCHOOL OF MUSIC for song training for real between 2007 and 2008.

At what point did songwriting begin for you?

My first note-sheets with lyrics are from the age of 12, originally thought of as soundtrack to a book I have been working all life. A book based upon my dream-world, I actually hope I’ll release it next year. It is the “project of my life”.

Was there ever a particular artist that inspired you?

I’d say I do not listen at all to music when I write songs, I listen to the tunes inside myself, but SMASHING PUMPKINS, SNAKE RIVER CONSPIRACY and RADIOHEAD have had a lot of spins in my life.

You have a stellar cast of musicians behind you such as STAFFAN OSTERLIND, PAUL DIANNO, THOMAS VON WACHENFELDT and STEFAN HALLGREN. Talk about each of them and what it's like to work with them.

STAFFAN ÖSTERLIND was the first “well established” musician (from PAUL DiANNO’s tour band.) who entered my world and wanted to collaborate. He helped me finish my first album, adding sexy raw guitar and some heavy synthesizers and gave me the feedback I needed to grow even more as producer. I still get nervous while sending him materials. I guess the little girl in me admires him for his playing. He is a real rock star kinda guy, currently living in LA. I owe him the world.

THOMAS VON WACHENFELDT connected with me early spring 2008 and brought that lovely, tender folk /celtic atmosphere to the GARDENIA album that I had always wanted. He is an amazing fiddler and well spoken musician and classical composer in Sweden and I am so blessed to have him as a part of my universe. Whatever I give him, I know I get a fulfilled copy back.

STEFAN HALLGREN is a man of many skills: we spend our days together in our studio, sharing most of interests. He has a completely different background musically then me, and our mix of preferences melts together in a cool way. He added cool bass playing and some guitar and drums to my new album, and lifted the songs another level in the mastering process. You’ll probably hear him play piano on my next album, he’s that kind of guy who make you cry over simple tunes.

Describe how the songwriting process work. How do you go about writing songs?

Songwriting is more like breathing to me. I write something new almost every day. I am not that dramatic as a person and often known for having this sunny disposition, but I let my bigger feelings and thoughts out in music or words instead. There’s a “manána” me and a SOL SKUGGA (Sun Shade) me. I just sit down and play them out. I never make plans or write notes.

From FAIRYTALES AND LULLABIES, what songs resonate for you the most and why?

That totally depends on the mood and day. Every single track is deeply personal to me. I only release songs that make me cry, laugh or love. But I really see a lot of myself in “BURN HER”.

Talk about HAPPY MINDS STUDIO. It sounds like an interesting business venture.

It is where I spend my day and night life. I actually moved here one year ago and since then me and the guys in the studio have created sound effects for computer games, recorded artists in different genres and also worked closely with radio, web and video-production companies in Sweden. It is a studio where we bring together creative people, rich or poor, to drink coffee, work hard and contribute to each others dreams. We welcome any guest at any time, send us a line to www.happyminds.com and we’ll look into new projects. Drop by to read more, a new updated site will be released any day now. We put our brains together to find new ways through today’s music climate.

Are there any plans to make any music videos for any of the new songs?

I am currently working with a team of dancers to prepare for a video shoot in an old theatre. Share tonight, Burn her and one more will be made this spring/summer.

How easy or difficult is it to transfer your sound in to studio to a live stage?

It will not sound the same, often it’s a less layered version on stage, since I use so many channels/tracks in my songs. I perform sometimes with backing tracks and live music, sometimes simple versions of the songs played by three people. It also depends on money. Once I am able to get more money and more gigs, I can pay more musicians and create a bigger show.

How would you like a person to feel while they are listening to FAIRYTALES AND LULLABIES?

I hope they see the personality through the songs. This is really my aim - to portray the world as seen through my eyes and heart. Warm, sad, happy, flirty or wild, I try to embrace all emotions and contexts. Also, I hope that the “darker” part of my fan base, has the courage to receive my message that life can embrace both good and bad. Nothing is really black or white, I hope I can reach out with hope and faith in my songs, no matter where the listener are on their way through life. There’s just so much beauty.