Interview with Ane Brun

Ane Brun is a Scandinavia singer/songwriter with one of those unique voices that cuts through straight to your soul, causing a genuine shiver.

Having fallen into music at the age of 21, she performed on the streets of Barcelona as a busker. Brun quickly learned that the most effective way to release an album is to do it yourself, a realization which lead to her own music label Balloon Ranger Recordings.

Brun’s new album, It All Starts With One, set to release in North America on May 2, has already been making waves in the music industry. Three years in the making, the album is a mix of romantic and dramatic songs coming together in a seamless, powerful collection.

Kateryna Topol: What was the most challenging thing you had to do as a self-starting artist?

Ane Brun: I guess in the first years of building a career, [there were] a lot of challenges when it comes to financing everything. I did quite a few tours traveling on my own, which was kind of depressing and exhausting. But when I look back, I’m glad I did that. The experience was valuable, and I cherish my career now a lot because I know how much hard work I’ve put into it in these last 10 years.

I also realize that my ambitions have grown parallel with my career, so when I was doing all of those tours on my own, playing the small venues and clubs and cafés, I didn’t really expect more than what I was experiencing exactly at that moment. And I’ve felt that way through my career, which has been helpful for me, I think.

KT: How long did it take you to write It All Starts With One?

AB: It was actually quite easy writing this album. I had written a few songs before, for instance “These Days,” “Worship,” and “Oh Love”. These were already finished when I started writing again. And some of the others were either sketches of lyrics or melodies, which I then started working on. And then there are quite a few that I wrote from start to finish just a couple of weeks before the recordings.

I  had quite a lot of sketches of lyrics lying around, which makes the songwriting process more efficient, since that is the part that’s hardest to push forward. It’s hard to fill a blank page when you don’t know what you want to talk about, but it’s easy for me to sing a song without words at any time.

I also gave myself the liberty of writing the songs without making a fixed guitar/piano arrangement in the composing process. I just found chords l liked and focused on making a great melody and lyrics. The choice of not having a finger-picking folk guitar as a basis of many of the songs made this album different from my previous ones because it’s the voice that leads the music forward somehow. I wanted to let the musicians and the producer, Tobias Fröberg, get the chance to use their potential in the studio to create a sound, together with me, which was unique. And to write songs in this way felt very intuitive and free. I enjoyed it a lot. Not more than the way I’ve usually done it (creating a fixed arrangement on guitar that’s more or less non-replaceable), but it was more playful.

KT: What is your ideal writing space? Is it in the comfort of your own home or hiding away in a cabin in the woods?

AB: My ideal working space is actually my studio in Stockholm. It’s a beautiful place in an old building from  the 1600s with thick brick walls. It has soul, silence, and solitude, but it still has the pulse of the city just outside my front door.

KT: Where does the inspiration for your music come from?

AB: It can be so much: a second of a situation or 
an overall feeling of a whole year or 
a troubled relationship – not only romantic –  either my relationship to myself or to someone close to me or
 people around me –  
the complexity of us humans, 
other music, 
nature,
world politics, 
family and loved ones.

KT: You really wanted to do the cover of Arcade Fire’s [Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)] and now you have. You also got to cover Bjork live for Bjork. Is there anyone else you’d like to cover?

AB: It’s the song that decides if I want to cover something. It sometimes just hits me Oh, I’d love to do my own version of that one. When I choose a song to cover, it’s usually either a long process in me where I consider and try out my own version for quite a long time, or it is a request from someone to cover a specific song. I enjoy extracting a good melody from a song and [to make it] my own version. It’s a very creative and rewarding process to me.

KT: You’ve collaborated with some very notable artists including Peter Gabriel and José Gonzales. Are you planning on any new exciting collaborations?

AB: Nothing planned but always hoping for new and interesting meetings. I’d love to sing with Irish singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow some day. He’s got a wonderful expressive voice.

KT: Do you find it is harder to promote yourself as an artist in North America than in Europe?

AB: Of course. It’s first of all harder because of logistics. It’s a large continent, and I’m only one individual who can do the job. It’s hard to play at all the places I’d love to visit. I’ve built and established a career in Europe through my albums but also very much through touring and performing to my audience over here.

North America [also has] so much great music and musicians, and it’s, of course, a challenge to stick out in that vast amount of quality music. I’m therefore extremely grateful for all the attention I’ve gotten so far in the US and in Canada. And because of the internet, music can spread anywhere these days. It’s fantastic how my recordings travel all over and make new friends in places I haven’t even been.

KT: Do you already have a vision for your next album or not yet?

AB: I think I will continue working with Tobias Froberg, and I think I will record it in his new studio at Gotland, a beautiful island outside the Swedish East Coast. Other than that, I don’t know much. I’ve started writing some music, and I’m excited to hopefully do some more of that soon.

KT: What are you listening to right now? The last album you purchased/downloaded – what was it and why?

AB: I’ve been listening a lot to Spanish flamenco artist, Estrella Morente, and her album, Calle del Aire during the last couple of days on tour. I love flamenco music, and I have a dream to go and learn their vocal techniques. The energy, rhythm, and power of this music moves me.

KT:  Have you ever considered taking on other artists to Balloon Ranger Recordings? If so, who would it be, [and] if not, why not?

AB: I’ve considered it at certain points, but I’ve always come to the conclusion that I don’t have the time or resources to make sure that the artist or a record gets the attention [deserved], so I’ve got no plans to release any other artists on my label at the moment.

KT: You’ve said before that you will record as long as you enjoy it. What would you do [if] you’ve had enough?

AB: It’s hard to say, but I’m not worried I wouldn’t find anything to do. I’m quite curious and easily intrigued by new things and challenges.

[At] the moment I can’t imagine not singing and performing, though. It’s a soulful experience to me, and I would be miserable without it. Let’s hope that moment never comes.