Photo by Marcus Nyberg
Since the beginning of 2014, it’s been quite a year for Berlin based Swede, Adna. She released her debut album Night, has played numerous festivals and is already back in the studio working on the follow up.
Her gently melancholic music and affecting voice has been stopping people in their tracks as soon they hear it, and has been winning her fans across the globe.
Most importantly of all, of course, she plays our Ja Ja Ja Berlin show on 13th November! You can get tickets here to catch Adna alongside Team Me and Cancer!
Spotlight Interview: Adna
For those that haven’t met you yet, could you please introduce yourselves – who are you, where are you from, and how would you describe what you do?
I’m a 20 year old something from Sweden with Bosnian roots. I try using music to process life, I guess, if that’s an OK thing to say.
Your album Night came out earlier this year – can you tell us a little more about how the record came together?
I finished it two years ago during the summer. I had decided to make a full-length album, but I had too many thoughts and feelings (I was 17-18 years old, and I guess one can try to imagine how it was at that age). I wrote a lot but I wasn’t really proud of anything, so I spent some nights trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. And it worked.
What inspired your relocation from Gothenburg to Berlin?
I wanted to create my own bubble where I could just do what ever I want to do and spend as much time as I can on just doing music, and Berlin felt like a perfect place for that.
You’re already working on your second record – can you give us any hints about how it might sound and when we might be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour?
I finished the record a few weeks ago and the first single is out in November, so I feel extremely nervous but also excited. I think it’s an angry record. I’ve added some post-rock elements, but also some electronic stuff, so I have no idea what the response will be like.
How do you go about songwriting? Do you have a preferred way of working, or set of circumstances that you find inspire you?
I believe that there’s always inspiration to find everywhere in everything, and that it’s only about making oneself available for it, so I try using the night and its silence. It works for me and silence somehow brings out new sounds. I improvise a lot with an idea I have in mind until it sounds the way I want it.
You recently worked with Gus By Heart on a gorgeous track called ‘Belong’ – how did that collaboration come about?
Gus By Heart (Gustav Svedung) worked, and still works, at Rytmus (the music high school I went to) so that’s how we know about each other. He contacted me last year and told me about his record and this song that he wanted me to sing with him. I really love that song, and I think he’s an amazing singer, so I just felt really honoured about getting to be a part of it.
Can you tell us about some highlights of 2014 for you?
2014 has been really good to me, it’s the best year I’ve had so far and I feel very grateful. The best thing about this year is that I now know that this is something I want to develop and get better at, because I want this. I want music. And it’s quite easing to know that at the age of 20.
What should we expect from your performance at Ja Ja Ja Berlin?
30 minutes of my voice and my black shiny Hagström Viking. We’ll try to perform together with a few songs. It might not be very party friendly music, but hopefully it’ll work out anyway.
Do you have any good new music tips to share with us?
Right now, while I’m writing this, I’m listening to the new track by Jonathan Johansson. It’s called ‘Ny / Snö’. It’s really, really good and he’s really, really good.
And finally, what does the rest of the year hold for you?
I have a lot of books I want to read and records I want to listen to. But before I jump into that I’ll spend some weeks working on two new projects, and of course: the new release that’s very soon…
Tickets for the Ja Ja Ja Berlin club night are available here!
