Asbjorn
Audio
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1. The Criminal
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2. Strange Ears
Biography
Growing up in the footsteps of Britney, Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls, 19-year-old Asbjørn is a real pop kid. But not your average kind! Torn between the Nordic melancholy and a relentless determination to dance, he is the long lost son of Jackson and Schubert! A strange hybrid - the missing link. With one foot in the symphonic classical tradition and the other on synthetic pop ground, Asbjørn’s melodies balance on an organic layer of hand-played electronica. - “My parents always put on classical music in the morning. During the day I would listen to pop music and then write my own stuff in the evening. I was never aware of this weird combination but I think the diversity of the two worlds reflects my temper.”
He is the Creative Director of Body of Work, a music company founded by himself and business partner Jesper Bay, and with the release of his debut album ‘Sunken Ships’ on April 16, Asbjørn is the front-runner for a new generation of Danish pop. - “I grew up in a decade of plastic beats and auto-tune. Pop has always had that special force pulling people together around good melodies. But somewhere the good melodies got lost in technology, and I think we are ready for pop music that sounds like humans.”
Playing most of the instruments on the album, this stubborn Dane insists on a playful approach to making music. - “’Sunken Ships’ has a percussion-track like no other record in the world! I’ve been hitting and stomping on everything around me: lampshades, stones, cans, key chains.” Introducing you to a world ruled by xylophones, manipulated ghost choirs, moaning and clapping, Asbjørn would be a fool to deny his live-band a backing track. Fool! -“Pulling the music out of my head and into the venues is a great chance to redefine the songs. Some nights they will be beautiful and reserved, and other nights turn into a rave party! It all depends on the audience we’re facing – and playing everything live, without backing track, ensures an interaction with the crowd every time.”
After successful shows on Danish festivals like Spot and Northside in 2011, the reviews spoke of a charismatic young man, dancing robotically to energetic minor- tunes. - “I used to shut the door to the living room, turn up the stereo and make choreographies to my favorite songs, every time I bought a new album. Dancing has always worked as a kind of shortcut to the music for me, using my body to understand the different layers”.
In a time of desperate single charting this kid still has the nerve to release a full-length debut, demanding 42 minutes+ of your time. -“The digital powers try to turn us all to the dark side, and I’m holding on for dear life, fighting to maintain the romance of the album format! It’s a unique opportunity to tell a bunch of stories, collected into simple patterns for everyone to be reflected in.”
