KATJA BRUNOTTE TALKS I NEED TO KNOW
"Women is totally dominating the industry"
Daniel John
It was only this January you announced that you had signed with Digidi, with the release of the first single less than a month later. But how long have you really been working toward this “launch” behind the scenes?
I started writing music with Erik Aglert, co-founder and creative director at Digidi, in May last year. Throughout the year we worked intensively, both in and outside the studio, to create a truly powerful, fun and infectious debut-song, the result became 'I Need To Know' and I couldn’t be happier with my single than I am. In the same time, we recorded a music video for it, where I think we managed to capture and portray the song’s playfulness and “weirdness” in a very creative and bold way. During the year we also wrote several other songs that I’m really looking forward to sharing this year. Some of them the audience at my release concert, at Scala in February, got to hear. The base for the songwriting with Digidi and the producers has mainly been in Stockholm and London, two cities that are very close to my heart. And with the news of having signed with them in January and to have the release of 'I Need To Know' in February it became an enormous build up and a huge sense of euphoria for me.
Your story with music obviously goes back much further than just this last year. You and music are a pair whose relationship-status has never really been in question?
That’s very true, and I’m very grateful for it. All the years of music in my life, both in studies and as a hobby, have shaped me into the artist I identify as today. The piano as an instrument has always been present in my home for as long as I can remember. With two older sisters who took piano lessons growing up and parents who appreciate classical-music I myself was introduced to classical piano playing at the age of seven or eight. I kept up my piano studies for just over ten years, and I owe a lot of my musical knowledge to that.
Whether in pop or from your earlier, multifaceted musical background, whose many shades go far beyond just the glittering mirror reflections of a disco-ball, who would you say your influences are?
The world of disco, with its music, fashion, and culture, is something I do love, and there we find front figures like Donna Summer, Diana Ross, and Sister Sledge. Looking beyond the seventies, I’m very influenced by contemporary pop that is really pop-y and bold, in the way only pop can be. When you listen to 'I Need To Know', it should feel exactly like that, a bit like a juicy, colorful, candy popping in your mouth when you bite into it. It’s the whole package that appeals to me, all the iconic music videos created by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna, and the aesthetics around their shows, and tours! I also really admire the Swedish pop industry, with artists like Agnes and Icona Pop. I draw inspiration from all kinds of things and cook it down into my own sound, even classical music can be heard in my music, for example in the string sections of 'I Need To Know'. We see how women is totally dominating the industry, like Tyla, Raye, Addison Rae, and Charli XCX. And they do it incredibly skillfully.
'I Need To Know' takes place in that uncertain dating stage when you don’t know where you stand with each other, where one might want too little and the other, perhaps, too much too soon. It is not always easy to know who you are in that equation?
Yes! And what made me choose my words carefully for the lyrics of 'I Need To Know' was years of exactly the feeling you describe so well. Uncertainty, confusion, and desperation between two people in an uncommunicated relationship. I’ve been in similar situations repeatedly, and when we were in the first songwriting sessions for 'I Need To Know', I was right in the middle of one such relationship. It became a way for me to release aggression, frustration, and at the same time love. What I have also experienced is that I have friends and family who have gone through the same “problem”, and therefore it’s my hope that many people recognize themselves in the lyrics.
You celebrated on Valentine’s Day by dating the audience at the Scalatheatre in Stockholm. Could you feel the love?
The love in the room was overflowing, and the night at Scala was definitely something out of the ordinary. It was such a successful and unforgettable evening in so many ways, and above all, the band and I had an incredible amount of fun on stage. I lived off that rush of happiness for weeks afterward and will remember that night for as long as I live. What flattered me the most was the fact that the concert sold out. And that we even had to turn away a large group outside who, unfortunately, could not get in! And I also have to say that the atmosphere in the venue became really flirty, a true valentine’s feeling. I couldn’t have wished for a better date than the audience on that night.
'I Need To Know' is the only song out so far, but you have a album waiting, hopefully to be released in the fall, what can you tease about the bigger picture?
Exactly, I can’t wait! What I can reveal so far about the album is that it will be a lovely mix of songs. Call it genre-crossing or experimental, but in any case, it’s a blend of sounds, beats, and messages that I hope will reach as many people as possible. So there's something for everyone on the album, calm, trap-influenced, party, and of course, lots of pop. Each song reflects one of my many sides and “sub-characters” that my artistry offers. Playful and humorous are, to a large extent, important keywords for this upcoming album.
How long will we have to wait until the next single comes out?
The wait will last a few more weeks that’s all I can say for now, so both new and old listeners can expect something new very soon. Spring will be fantastically eventful, with not only new songs but also music videos and gigs. Stay tuned!
