By Steve Perrett
You appear to be a successful person in other fields, what made you decide on a musical career?
Looking back on my life, I have always been drawn to and inspired by courageous, creative and visionary people with cutting edge ideas and concepts within academia, the corporate world and the pre K-12 education community. I have also always had a passion for music and began to compose music from a very early age, writing my first song at tens years old; but then, it was just a hobby. Music came back into my life in terms of actually writing and composing in 1996 and again in 2001when I decided to listen to the urging from within. There were songs inside of me that just had to come out, and I thought if I do not listen to it and do something about it, I would probably regret it all my life.
 |
When you are looking for inspiration, who would you listen to?
I grew up with jazz, but my most formative years were in the 70s, when I discovered artists that I still admire; Elton John, David Bowie and Paul McCartney. Today I find inspiration in the music found on chill out compilations like Buddha Bar and Café Del Mar, U2, Michel Legrand, Puccini, Satie, Yo Yo Ma, Jan Gabarek, Burt Bacharach's and Elvis Costello's collaboration, Craig Armstrong, Daniel Lanois, Sting, etc. are, in one way or the other, part of my internal jukebox from where new songs and ideas come seeping through.
What's in your CD player right now?
Most listened to on the iPod in recent weeks:
Till Brönner, a wonderful German jazz trumpet player.
LeAnn Rimes, who I only had a vague sense of who she is as an artist, but rediscovered her a couple of months ago, and found some really great songs and an incredible voice!
Il Divo, the international quartet, which is doing opera adult contemporary cross over.
Chet Baker With Strings, a CD I have recently come across again, and have been playing many times since.
Moving to New York is a big step, was it a complete culture shock?
Not entirely, even though I realized after a couple of year of living here, that the differences were greater than I had expected. I lived and worked in many places and in the early 80s I lived and worked in New York. I have always been attracted to the individually “can do" attitude, entrepreneurial and passion driven culture present in the US, as opposed to the Scandinavian culture, which is more collective in nature, consensus driven, and “we are all in this together" attitude.
How did the CD come about? When did you start writing the songs?
Two years after I started writing again in 1996, I moved from Sweden to the United States, and these songs were written through that period of transformation. Together, they work like a travelogue about coming to New York and experiencing new things. Each song has its own story, but I prefer that people draw their own interpretations as to deeper meanings. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Why only five tracks?
I was inspired by an article I read in Billboard Magazine on Alexi Murdoch, an indie acoustic singer/songwriter who sold 15,000 copies of a CD EP called FOUR SONGS. I thought it would be a good idea to add one song and call my project FIVE. Then I could come out with another we could call FIVE MORE, or even TEN! In an industry increasingly dominated by single track downloads from the Internet, I thought it more efficient to reach out to a new audience by focusing on an individual song or songs. The traditional CD format with 10-12 songs will still be there.
Do you plan to release a single from this CD? Or have you any plans to release a single?
In September we will be launching a marketing and promotions campaign for the single, “LOVE ME LIKE A RIVER." The single contains the album version of the track, an instrumental with and without backing vocals and a Chill Out remix which was produced by Ernie Lake. The campaign will include servicing radio stations with NAC and Chill Out programming, background music providers, licensing outlets (including TV, Trailers, Film, Commercials and Compilations.) and branding partners.
How has the CD been received?
So far we have had a great reception. There seems to be a niche for this kind of music, as made evident by the great reviews and internet radio play secured thus far. People compare the music to Sting, Seal, Bryan Ferry and even Leonard Cohen, which is something one has to be very proud of. I am very happy, grateful, inspired and actually, a bit surprised.
Do you prefer to play live? Or record in the studio?
In the last four years I have been very much involved in building the platform for the project step by step, first finding the right production people to surround myself with and then moving on to develop a comprehensive marketing and promotion plan. With those tasks out of the way, live performances will be the next big step. We are in the process of planning the performance component, which is very exciting. I am working with a musical director to select the right materials and arranging the music in a way that will translate well on stage. Looking forward to our first live set.
If a stranger asked you to describe your music how would you do so?
James Christopher Monger at All Music Guide wrote:
"Soulful Swedish singer/songwriter Anders Holst blends smoky jazz with the adult contemporary melodicism of Sting, Seal, and Leonard Cohen. Introspective, spiritual, and romantic, FIVE deftly weaves pop, jazz, and classical into a smooth style all its own."
...which I think captures the essence of the music very well.
If you could duet with any artist past or present, (dead or living) who would you choose?
Why not a duet with LeAnn Rimes, the song “LOVE IS AN ARMY" would be perfect!
What's next for Anders Holst?
We are definitely focusing on the long term, it takes time to build all the necessary components of this to be successful and even though we have come along way, there is still a lot to do. In the short term, Mats Byström, my collaborator, and I are writing on many new songs and it is going very well. We hope to be able to make a new recording in the spring of next year.
My long term goal/dream is to be able to record, produce and perform all over the world. I would like to go to different parts of globe and incorporate flavors from my travels into my music. Even more so, I have a deep sense of social responsibility, and I believe that artists like me should give back to the (global) community and support good causes. I'm very excited to see where the road will lead from this point.
Discuss this article in our Music Forum.
About Steve Perrett
A Songstuff staff member for sveral years, Steve plays guitar, writes songs and records his own material.
Related Articles By This Author
Simon Blackmore Interview
Lara Osborne. Singer / Songwriter
John Barrow
Sal Lima
Melissa Kaye
Katie Marie
