Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?
As of this fall, I’m back in Los Angeles again, where I've spent most of my years as an artist this far. Since I was born and raised in Sweden you might very well be able to catch me on stage there too during the summer. Right now I’m focusing on making more music and booking shows around the LA area. You can easily find me and follow me on social media or my personal website. All of my music is available on any streaming platform of choice too.
Photo by MONOMOJO.se (Studio, Label & Photography, Stockholm, Sweden)
www.monomojo.se | @monomojo.se
Tell us a bit about your influences.
Growing up in Sweden I had a father that loved classic rock and played the guitar and a mom that sang a lot and listened to all the pop divas out there. It was a house full of music and I loved it! Country music came into my life a little bit later as I started traveling to the US. I love the authenticity and storytelling of country music but I still carry a lot of my pop/rock influences with me as well. I’d say my music and artistry is a mix of all that today!
How did you start?
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember but it wasn’t until my move to California in 2015 that I started pursuing a career in music as an artist myself. Before that I was booking bands and artists for events and festivals in my hometown and working more behind the scenes in the industry. I’ve always loved writing too so I started out writing poems when I was younger and kept a journal with everything I was going through. As I evolved here in LA and met other songwriters my own songs began to take form. My first ever written song “Try Again” was released in 2019 and stayed charted in the Top 5 on Swedish radio for 15 weeks. My younger self could only have dreamt of such a thing to happen in real life.
What obstacles does an emerging artist have to face in our time?
I think it’s great that we’re able to do so much ourselves as independent artists today. Of course, there are still struggles and there are plenty of them. What I find most struggling is to get your music out there for people to hear it. The industry works in bizarre ways at times so without a team of professionals or tons of money there are certain barriers that are hard to cross. Another obstacle we face is also the preconception that music is free. Promoters, venues and festivals rarely want to pay the artist much so how do you then deliver a refined product with skilled musicians if you can’t pay them. Streaming services don’t generate much for the artists either so the income revenues aren’t high and the truth is music costs a lot to make. Takes a lot of investments to reach bigger audiences and the financial equation doesn’t quite add up.
What worked for you marketing-wise? What advice or tips would you give to new artists?
I simply try to stay as active as I possibly can. I do my research and contact a lot of radios, podcasts and playlists on a regular basis. The more people you can share your story and music with the better. You just have to keep going and stay determined to reach your goals. You never know which handshake is gonna be the one to suddenly take you one step closer.
What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in five years?
My goals are to keep pushing forward and hopefully reach more people day by day. As long as I evolve and get to do what I love for a living I’ll be happy. My dream is to play bigger shows and festivals and tour around the US and Europe. I would also love to see myself thriving as a songwriter and artist in Nashville within that time frame. Maybe a house with a wrap-around porch and some little feet running around as well. We’ll see where life takes me.
Tell us about your latest or upcoming release.
My latest release is a summer duet with my friend and fellow country artist from Sweden, Jimmy Marcus. “Shore Thing” was released in late August and was highlighted with both radio interviews and live performances at the Live at Heart festival in Sweden. There's definitely more music to be recorded and released in the new year! Make sure to stay tuned!