Like this artist? Click here to tune in to our stream and discover NEW Artists.
KGRL Exclusive Susanne Sundfør Interview
KGRL had a chance to do a comprehensive interview with Norway's groundbreaking artist, Susanne Sundfør (some people spell it as Susanne Sundfor, but mainly because of having a hard time typing the character - ø). Heartfelt thanks goes to Susanne Sundfør for making the audio part of the interview possible.
Listen to Susanne Sundfør's responses in High Quality MP3 Stream using the player below:
Alternatively, you can download the responses by clicking the listen icons. 
Offered in both High and Low Quality versions.
KGRL: Can you give us a brief background on who Susanne Sundfør is?
Susanne Sundfør: My name is Susanne Sundfør. I come from Norway where I have lived all my life. I grew up in a fishing town at the West Coast in Norway, called Haugesund. I spent most of my childhood days practicing my piano and reading books from my mother’s bookshelves.
I’m 21 years old now. I currently live in Haugesund (again) after two years in Bergen, another town in the West Coast in Norway. But, I’m moving to England in a couple of days.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How did you get started with music?
Susanne Sundfør: I started when I was six years old – to go to this music course for children. After a year with this, I started to play the flute… and then the violin… and then the piano, which I have continued practicing to this very day.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: What made you want to have a career in music?
Susanne Sundfør: I wanted a career in music because I wanted music to continue being an important part of my life. And so, I figured if I started writing my own songs – and if I get lucky and released an album, I might be able to make a living out of my biggest passion in the world.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: You have started singing professionally at a very young age of 12. Where did you use to sing? What songs have you been singing?
Susanne Sundfør: When I was 10-11, I used to sit in my room and tried to sing just as pretty as Celine Dion and all the other divas. I dreamt of becoming just as good as them. That’s why I started taking singing lessons.
Although, I was surprised to find that my singing teacher was an Opera singer – because I wanted to sing pop, like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. It was not what I wanted to learn but it became more and more interesting as I started learning about techniques and how to use the voice in a classical way.
I sang a lot of Norwegian folk tones. When I was 14-18, I started singing more classical opera, mostly arias by Mozart. I have sung a lot of songs from Figaro’s wedding and similar operas.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Have you had any formal music education?
Susanne Sundfør: I have no formal music education. Except musical high-school, a kind of high-school in Norway where 50% of the subjects are music related. We learned about things like intonation, musical history and stuff like that.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: You have a very beautiful voice: intense, strong, vibrant and emotionally captivating. The vibrato and high notes are so pristine and flawless. How do you train your voice?
Susanne Sundfør: Thank you! As I said, I went to a classical-trained singing teacher when I was 12. Until I finished high-school at 19, she was my singing teacher at high-school.
I used to sing all these arias, as I said, especially Mozart who wrote arias with these long coloratura passages. And this made me more able to gain control of my upper register. During that period, when I took singing lessons, I used to warm up my voice with different exercises – singing on different vocals in lower and upper register or practicing different breathing techniques, etc.
Today, I don’t train my voice anymore, which I think is kind of a shame. I really want to start practicing my classical technique again. Now, I just usually practice my voice when I’m on-stage or writing a new song.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: It is interesting to note that when we listened to most of the songs in your CD, we were reminded of Jeff Buckley. Looking at your influence list in your MySpace thereafter we saw that he is listed as one of your influences. Who amongst your influences do you think have affected you the most in the way you write your songs and the way you developed your style?
Susanne Sundfør: I find it difficult to name one musician or artist who means most to me in the way I write my songs. But I think Jeff Buckley and Joni Mitchell might have been the most important to me when I started writing songs.
Today, I’m not only inspired by musicians. I’m also inspired by art and literature. I’m greatly inspired by Virginia Woolf and George Eliot - for example. I love Stanley Donwood, the guy who designs / paints / makes the artwork to all Radiohead CD covers. I think he’s brilliant.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: In which genre do you think you would categorize your music under?
Susanne Sundfør: To put myself in a musical genre is kind of difficult because I don’t categorize the music I make when I write it. So, it’s not like I decide to write in a particular style - although I did that in the beginning when I wrote Walls and I Resign, which are two of the songs in my album. And they are two of the earliest songs that I wrote. I think Walls was the first song I finished that I was pleased with.
When I wrote those songs I wanted to write in Carole King style. But the work I write today, I have no idea what kind of style it is. I guess I’m getting more and more influenced by jazz and contemporary music and art. Before, I was more influenced by the folk era like Buffy Saint-Marie, Joni Mitchell, and Cat Stevens – all those guys (laughs).
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Can you tell us how your songwriting process is? Do you write lyrics or music first?
Susanne Sundfør: I don’t really have a recipe for how I write my songs. But I usually find it quite painful to write songs because it’s very difficult. I think if you’re writing music without lyrics, it might actually be easier to finish it. But I have to combine two different works of art in one creation and that can take a lot of time.
I used about half a year to write Dear John, one of the songs in my album. But other songs, I made more impulsively – like Moments. I actually think the songs I make impulsively are my favorites.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Your music is very unique. The song structure, musical composition, instrumentation, and most especially your singing style sets you apart from a lot of other female artists. The instrumentation and accompaniment in your songs are very orchestral in nature. How involved were you with the final instrumentation and musical arrangement (besides the piano)?
Susanne Sundfør: Thank you very much, again! When it comes to the arrangement of the violins, we hired an arranger to do it. I composed everything on piano and everything on guitar on Gravity and The Dance – except the El Guitar on The Dance, which my producer composed.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How long does it usually take for you to finish writing a song?
Susanne Sundfør: I can use everything from a couple of days to a year to finish a song.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Where do you usually get inspirations for writing music?
Susanne Sundfør: I usually get inspirations from everything around me like watching the news, reading a book, going to movies, something my friend said to me… basically, just being alive.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How long did it take for you to finish writing the materials in your record?
Susanne Sundfør: The earliest songs on the record I wrote when I was 18. So I guess, it took me about three years.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How long was the recording process?
Susanne Sundfør: Recording the basic instruments in the songs took about two weeks. We had to wait for a month or something before we could record the violin. So, the whole process took a couple of months.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: With regards to the lyrics, we noticed that all the songs in your record were done in English. Is that something you consciously decided upon to make your record more accessible to a lot more audience?
Susanne Sundfør: Writing in English is something that has always come naturally to me since my biggest influences have all been English-speaking artists. I find English to be a much more lyrical language than Norwegian, which I think can be very staccato and not really suitable for my music.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How hard is it being an independent solo artist in Norway?
Susanne Sundfør: Once you got through the needle eye, it’s not so difficult. You have to build up an audience and get some publicity. But even without publicity the government in Norway is excellent, I think, investing in funds and organizations to take care of musicians and other artists. So, there are a lot of not-really mainstream musicians who can live by their music such as jazz and Norwegian folk music.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Your CD, which is absolutely phenomenal by the way, is very hard to find in the US. Even on the usual specialized import shops. Any plans of bringing your music to the US someday?
Susanne Sundfør: Thank you very much! I’m planning on re-recording the album actually for the rest of the world. I love the album and I think my producer is a genius with what he has done with it. But I wanted to explore my songs in a solo way - that’s pretty much why I’m doing it.
I still think it will be possible for people outside Norway to get the album that I’ve already released with the band and the other arrangements, but it will be mainly the solo album I will concentrate on promoting outside Norway.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Have you played a show outside Norway yet? Which places would you like to play in someday? Any chance we'll get to see you perform in the US? (We'd love for you to perform here, especially in the Los Angeles area!)
Susanne Sundfør: I’ve played in Denmark once. I’m playing in Berlin in September on Popkomm, which is kind of like a festival for the music business mainly – kind of like South By Southwest (SXSW) in Texas. I think it’s in Texas, it’s in USA (laughs).
I’m hoping to get more gigs outside Norway but I don’t have any booking agents yet. Everything is just starting. I’ve just released my first album in Norway so I haven’t been doing this for a very long time.
I believe in taking things slowly because then I can always be in control of what’s happening with my own music. I hope that one day I will be able to do a World Tour - that would be a dream come true! I really want to come to America and play.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: We understand that you are moving to England... Are you going to be there for a long time (like write your next record there) or just temporary (to promote your current record)?
Susanne Sundfør: I don’t really know what I’m going to do in England. I’m actually moving to Oxford, it is a little town about one hour from London with a train. I guess I’m moving because I want to get out a bit. I want to see the world and England seems like good place to begin. I want to try and get some gigs over there and maybe meet some musicians but mostly my little trip abroad will be for inspiration and just exploring the world. I want to go to London and see a lot of concerts and maybe operas and go to galleries. I don’t know… I just want to see something different than Norway because I’ve lived here all my life. I just want to get out.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Which amongst the songs you wrote is your favorite?
Susanne Sundfør: I think my favorite song of my own is After You Left. All the other songs I’ve gotten tired of but I think that one just keeps on growing. I wrote it in two days. I think it’s very different from the other songs that I’ve written too. And I think it’s kind of funny… I can’t make up my mind if it’s sad or if it’s just funny or if it’s just weird… and I really like that.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How about songs you love performing live?
Susanne Sundfør: I recently have gotten very fond of Moments and I like experimenting with it live. It has this weird mixture of both blues and kind of jazz and also typical pop ballad that I like. I feel like there’s so much I can do with it. So many things I can do with it vocally and on piano. So it’s a pleasure playing it live.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: What's the hardest song for you to perform live?
Susanne Sundfør: The hardest song is actually After You Left because it’s very challenging both in piano and vocals.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Do you usually play live with the same band/orchestra every time or do you have session band/orchestra members when you play live?
Susanne Sundfør: I always have the same band and they’re fantastically talented musicians. They’re all from Norway. When I’m playing outside Norway, like in Berlin on September and perhaps if I get some gigs in England, I will probably be playing solo.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: What was your best experience playing live?
Susanne Sundfør: There are so many wonderful experiences. I love doing concerts. I can’t imagine my life without it. I usually prefer the more intimate concerts on the cafes where I can relax and tell little stories to the audience and travel in this little journey together. I love that.
I don’t really like the festival setting. I’ve been playing on a lot of rock festivals this summer. It gives this distance to the audience that I don’t really appreciate because my communication with the audience is very important to me. The reason I go on stage is to communicate something on a different level, than if you are communicating with language. So, if I don’t feel like the audience is actually taking my music, if I can’t see that there is a concentration there - that there isn’t a communication there – then I don’t see the point of performing. It’s very important to me.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: How comfortable are you with co-writing songs with other artists?
Susanne Sundfør: I prefer writing songs myself. I find it difficult to make compromises, which you usually have to do if you write with others.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Anyone you wish to collaborate with someday?
Susanne Sundfør: Of course I have my heroes, but I don’t think I want to work with them (laughs).
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Do you have any plans at all of going under a major record label when given a chance?
Susanne Sundfør: I did before but then I got to know some of the people working for major labels and I soon decided this was not the place for me to be. The music business especially with the major labels has very little interest in music, that’s pretty much how I see it. But I haven’t met all the people working in major labels. And I’m sure there are some people who are, I don’t know… good people? But many of those I have met, I don’t really like - to be honest.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Any new artists you listen to?
Susanne Sundfør: I listen a lot to A Silver Mt. Zion lately and some Kate Bush, although I guess she’s not new but they are two artists who I listen a lot to… yup.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Have you started writing new materials for a new record?
Susanne Sundfør: Yes! I have started writing a lot of new materials and it’s very exciting. It’s kind of gloomy but I think it will be beautiful. But I don’t think it will be as light perhaps as this album that I’ve already released. I don’t think I want to say anymore, just wait and see… It’s very exciting!
High Quality |
Low Quality |
KGRL: Any last words for the KGRL listeners?
Susanne Sundfør: I want to thank KGRL for taking interest in my music. And I’m so very grateful for it. I sincerely hope that I get the opportunity to play for you and KGRL’s listeners someday.
High Quality |
Low Quality |
Our sincere and heartfelt thanks goes to Susanne Sundfør for personally providing the exclusive materials for the feature.
Artist Links:
Official Website: http://www.susannesundfor.com
MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/susannesundfoer
-> Click here to go back to the main feature page! <-