Good Luck, Kultur, Live

“Life is bitter sweet but we can make a sad story inspiring” – OH LAND im Interview

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Philomena Poetis

Musik, Gesang, Opern, Konzerte // Kultur und Außenpolitik // Verliebt in München - Vernarrt in die Welt // philomenapoetis.com/blog

//Dream it, Do it//

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Die 30-jährige Nanna Øland Fabricius macht seit ihrem Debüt-Album Fauna, das 2008 in Dänemark erschien, als OH LAND in der internationalen Elektro-Pop-Musikszene auf sich aufmerksam. Ihre bekanntesten Hits wie Sun of a Gun und White Nights habt ihr sicherlich schon kennen gelernt. Aber was macht die gebürtige Dänin und mittlerweile Wahl-New Yorkerin selbst aus und wie entwickelte sich ihre Musik, obwohl sie doch nur tanzen wollte?

Für mich ist diese charismatische Künstlerin, die sich selbst als hartarbeitend und höchst ehrgeizig beschreibt, ein wundervolles kreatives Vorbild, da sie es schafft, Inspiration aus ihre Kindheit zu ziehen, die von klassischer Musik und dem Ballett erfüllt war, und diese mit ihrer Liebe zu Instrumenten wie dem Klavier, der Faszination von Klängen aller Art und elektronischen Beats zu verbinden und daraus eine mystisch-wirkende Musik zu kreieren. Aus dieser Musik gepaart mit kreativen Videos werden dann kleine Kunstwerke.

Ein Gespräch über die Liebe zum Tanz, Kreativität, Selbstbestimmung, Frauenbilder und die Kraft der Musik. Und zum Gewinnspiel für das Konzert einfach nach ganz unten scrollen.

MUCBOOK: Being brought up by an opera singer and an organist your were always surrounded by classical music. What coincidence in your childhood brought you to start dancing ballet and not beginning to learn an instrument such as the violin or the piano?

OH LAND: I had a lot of energy as a child and would always dance and be very active. My mom often brought me to work when she was doing shows at the operahouse. I would see that dancers walk around in the corridors in beautiful costumes and I wanted to do that. My mom let me apply for the London Royal Ballet School and I got in. I was immediately completely immersed in dance and didn’t really have time for anything else …

You stated ones that after your back injury and thus your abrupt end of your ballet career, music and song writing became your personal diary for mourning about your loss. Who was allowed to listen to your first recordings? Where you open for feedback or did every song have a solid and clear concept from the beginning on?

I didn’t show the songs I did to anyone until I was really certain that everything was exactly how I wanted it. Many of the songs ended up on the album Fauna and haven’t changed from the original production until released. The first people to listen were my husband, my mom and my room mate. They were all pretty surprised that I was doing all of this in secret.

You started recording in your bedroom while experimenting with sounds of your surroundings like smashing doors, rumbling pans and the sounds of falling pins. Are there particular sounds that describe exact feelings for you like happiness, sadness or anger?

The sound of rain makes me happy. Fireworks make me sad and Autotune makes me angry (smiling).

What comes first in your creative process of writing? – The setting of a melody and it’s surrounding harmony, the story with it’s written lyrics or even just one sound?

It’s very different from song to song. Sometimes melody and chords come first when I sit on the piano, but often I just get little bits of lyrics stuck in my head and they loop around in a melody. That was how Renaissance Girls happened.

In your music videos one can clearly spot your influence and respect for the theatre, the love for dance and ballet moves as well as your interest in staging a story while using eye-catching costumes, special make-up and creative stage settings. Are there any particular dance choreographers, artists or designers who have a magnificent impact on you?

I love Cullberg ballet (Swedish Contemporary Dance Company). The moves, the scenography, the female icon. They taught me that your body is so much more interesting than just being beautiful or sexy. They showed me 1000 shades of expression, equally valuable and empowering.

Listening to your songs such as White Nights, I would say you have created your very personal orchestra of instruments, sounds, beats and electronic sound effects. Would you agree?

(Laughs out loud) I definitely have my default instruments that I like a lot; like tuned percussion, odd beats, dreamy choirs and strings… I always return to all of that.

*Songs like Sun of a Gun of your Oh Land-Album of 2011, have an optimistic, very positive musical drive that invites to start dancing right away. But listening closer to your lyrics, you describe being hurt by someone you love and not being able to forgive another time. Why are you interested in working out these contrasts of happy music vibes and heavy messages?

Because that is how I experience life. It’s bitter sweet. We can twist our beautiful realities into sad memories or we can make a sad story inspiring. The contrasts and the possibilities are what makes me write.

What would be your ultimate tip for someone, who would love to start writing music?

Just write. Even if you don’t know what you are writing about. Do that for some time and suddently you will discover what you are doing. Don’t be shy towards yourself.

OH LAND tritt am Samstag, den 21. November 2015 in München im STROM auf.

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Unter allen Kommentaren unter dem Artikel könnt ihr 1×2 Tickets für den Abend gewinnen. Der Gewinner wird am 19. November 2015 ausgelost und bekanntgegeben. Der Rechtsweg ist natürlich ausgeschlossen. Good luck!

 Infos in aller Kürze

Was? Konzert von OH LAND im STROM (Lindwurmstraße 88, 80337 München)
Wann? 21. November 2015, Einlass 20.30 Uhr und Beginn 21.30 Uhr
Tickets? Für 18 Euro an allen bekannten Vorverkaufsstellen oder bei unserem Gewinnspiel mitmachen!

Fotocredit: Justin Tyler