Kyrre Bjørdal Sæther is an artist whose background includes studying at the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in the UK. He has worked particularly long on his newest single which is now available.
After completing promotion of my last release (the single “Nothing Can Stop Us Now”, June 2017), I felt a need to take a breather. When you are the artist, songwriter, producer, manager and in charge of your own marketing and promotion – which many artists are – it can become rather all-consuming,” Kyrre states. “I consider my songs like little babies, and in this instance the pregnancy had the duration of more or less nine months.”
All This Time is available digitally as well as in a very limited number of DigiPack CD-singles. The song was conceived rather quickly.
One Summer evening, a couple of weeks after my last release, this song came to me as I was having one of my many writing sessions by the piano.”
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kyrre Bjørdal Sæther about the new release, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with music and links below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am from a beautiful, but small town in Norway, called Molde. I have been through phases of playing and creating a variety of music genres, but I have specialised in writing and producing music within the broad understanding of the pop genre. Whether it leans towards rock, or more towards the electronic scene, all depends on the tone and feel of the song. My later releases have been more towards the electronic, upbeat side.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t singing and where music wasn’t a central part of my life. I wanted a life in the music industry from my early teens. After playing in several bands and writing and recording music, I took the path towards music education where I specialised in songwriting and vocal technique. So you could say I have been on “the path of music” for a very long time. After completing my degree at LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), I needed a break. A break away form the pressure and the expectations of having to keep churning out new music. By 2015-ish I started feeling the urge to return to the record industry. I think it’s safe to say that my motivation to succeed has never been as solid, as it is this time around.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
It’s not necessarily very different. It’s just an even better song! That is perhaps the most wonderful part of being a songwriter, you’re always evolving, breaking new ground and learning from experience. I have been working in the electronic pop genre on my latest releases, and I think it’s more a matter of keeping on, serving those killer melodies, hooks and choruses. As much as I like musical innovation, I don’t mind bending a winning formula to that suits the bare bones of my compositions. At the core of it all, are the lyrics and the melody. These are the elements I have spent years specialising in. How I end up packaging it – the production side to things – can be moulded differently each time. That’s what’s so great about writing and recording songs, I think!
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
I think the main challenge is standing out from a crowd which is bigger than ever before. There’s so much talent within so many genres, and we’re all competing for much of that same music-loving audience. Technology has certainly made it a lot easier producing a high-end product without access to the most expensive studios. Social media has become the dominating distribution platform, and playlists on streaming services are now the new record labels. The challenge is the same today (with playlists) as it was with record labels earlier; you have to fit the mould, the genre which hits a broad demography. As much as I like challenging myself and adapting to trends and evolving genres, I don’t want to compromise my artistic integrity by feeling forced in the wrong direction. It always starts with what I create and how I want it to sound. If people like it, that’s a great bonus. So far a lot of fans have come my way and liked what they hear.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Most of my music is available on all the major streaming services, as well.
Anything else before we sign off?
My next single is out now, and this is the acoustic version of «All This Time». A lot of my fans have loved my latest single, but have asked me to release a version where just the melody and the piano is featured. I always knew it was a strong song, and the acoustic version strips away the production bells and focuses on the bare bones of it.
