Interview: Cecilia Klingspor
Unexpected discoveries are always the best, aren't they? Finding that diamond in the rough always results in an affinity with that diamond that lasts a lifetime. I had one such experience a couple of years ago, when, sailing from Stockholm to Helsinki and ecstatic at the prospect of seeing my all-time favourite guitarist (Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal) play material from his "Sol Niger within" album with Mats/Morgan Band, I caught a few wonderful shows by Swedish folk/indie wonder Cecilia Klingspor. With a debut album now doing the rounds and a plethora of other projects at various stages of completion, she takes a break from her ever-hectic schedule to talk to It's a Trap! about bands, being and bicycles.
What got you started in playing music?
I was inspired when I was a child by films like "Bugsy Malone" and "Sound of Music" where kids were performing. I have been going to music school since I was eleven and I've been working in small units with friends in music as a way to socialize with people, but in a more organized way where one gets result and a creating process together -- playing and creating music is a great platform to have fun and do good things with people. I played music with Sara (from the group Loulou) from the age of seventeen and we had that as a way to meet people. We played in the streets and it was an adventurous feeling as well communicating and creating through music.
It can be a comfort to make songs of things like unhappy love; perhaps lift what was beautiful in it -- a possibility to catch the essence in song lines that you can sing to yourself and others -- make art out of difficulties or conflicts and also to catch moments of happiness in a melody or a text. Taking photos of your life and the people and things we meet and making something out of it.
Who or what has influenced your work and inspired you over the years?
Benny Andersson, from ABBA said that melancholy and sadness was one of his companions in his musicmaking. That's one of my inspirations too -- I collect the moments of bittersweet taste and also the reminders of that we're mortal -- that inspires me to write and make melodies. I listen to music nonstop when I'm home. I'm a big fan of songwriters like Townes van Zandt, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, Mark Olson and Gary Louris in The Jayhawks. I also love strong melodies and hit songs, so I have a wild mix in my playlists in my computers -- from Justin Timberlake to Emily Loizeau (French singer).
Is there a general theme running through the songs on "Ovanför molnen"?
Me and Emma wrote down words as inspiration for the album (also as a way to choose among the songs that fitted into the feeling or say no to songs that didn't fit in): springtime, Stockholm, lightness, acoustic, melancholy, musical box, times long past, bicycling. We started taking pictures for the album cover when I was bicycling in Stockholm in springtime. After we had recorded some of the songs, a more ghostlike feeling came into the record, perhaps with the song "Gammelfarmor" which means Greatgrandmother, so then we took some pictures when we were dressed in black and white as if we were ghosts from the past. Perhaps the theme of the album has been a mix of these two different energies -- ghosts and a more down-to-earth feeling and Stockholm.
Is there any particular song that you feel most proud of?
I like the details created together in the process of the recording, for example the instrumental and humming parts in the songs "Normal", "Ovanför molnen" and "Gammelfarmor". The song "Kärleksbarn" has a way to reach people, a song about the love for a child in a divorce. I'm also proud of the song "Ångermanland", a mix of lightness and sadness.
How did the deal with come about?
Oscar from liked the songs, I think that my music has aspects in common with Emma Nordenstam's music (also on ) and also the quiet feeling of my album has things in common with Oscar's records. It's a bohemian record deal with not one written paper anywhere.
Why did you choose Johan T. Karlsson (Familjen) to produce?
Johan has been a great complement and all-in-one producer/technician in making the record. A minimalist that dares to let the production be 'naked' and not overloaded as well as sometimes let things bloom and just inventing in a playful way. He's also open and not afraid of darkness. Both Johan and Emma are also more strict and determined in what they like. It's been good for me to have them as a complement to myself. I'm open to a million impressions at the same time. It's been a luxury to have these two sensitive artists as a help in recording these songs as well as making the cover of the album (which Emma made).
You and Emma have a very solid musical relationship. How did this start and develop?
Emma has a sharp and original creativity and she can come out with ideas that I would not have thought of, like the idea to bicycle in the sky over Stockholm. I learn a lot from her sharp ears and eyes and it's also great to have someone to give you feedback and someone who contributes with ideas and complement my own personality. We met in Musikhögskolan in Stockholm and we have been up a week every summer for the last six years in a house up north of Sweden having a little course with us two and some other friends, writing, reflecting and composing. That's also the house where we recorded "Ovanför molnen" -- it was a good thing to be in the countryside. It was also recorded in a little wooden church at night time in Stockholm. We have been performing together, singing and playing on each other's songs. A minimalistic concept which is handy and down-to-earth. We also make songs for children, for Swedish radio, which have just been released in a book.
You're a very prolific musician, with various different projects on the go. How do you find time to fit everything in?
I like working hard, I'm a compulsive about saying yes to things -- not only in music -- and that creates a lot, but it also makes it difficult for me to focus on what is the most important thing. But I think it can be a fruitful combination to be both interested in entertaining as well as songwriting for different audiences. Using the soil in different ways.
What's going on with Hildegards and Loulou right now?
Loulou have been working on a record produced by Johnny Essing from the bands Bob Hund and Bergman Rock. We have also recorded our own translations of the French singer Olivia Ruiz and we have been playing in France and Italy. We do both events as well as concerts. Hildegards do concerts and partyshows in both medieval and Viking styles which can be great fun. It's an interactive concept with firespitting, folkmusic, improvisation and time-travel.
What effect do you feel that writing and singing in Swedish has on audiences outside of Scandinavia?
I don't know really. I haven't thought about it much. I do songs in English as well and that is because it's a way to communicate through words. But perhaps there are unknown and nice aspects when it's a foreign language.
What has been the high-point of your musical career so far?
It's been nice to complete the record and to get a response, play in radio programs and in festivals. I'm appreciative to get some grants from the Swedish state for my music, also collaborate with Emma and the radio producer Tove Jonstoij, to be asked to make songs about a certain subject and feel that it works to find inspiration and complete things with deadlines. I also appreciate to be part of this book / CD for children and a nice experience to see the songs illustrated in the book.
The future for Cecilia Klingspor?
We will have more concerts to promote the book. We are planning a CD for children, me, Emma and Tove. Loulou will hopefully soon have their CD ready and we have possible projects in Paris and in Italy. Loulou also have a club in Södra Teatern in Stockholm. I would like to make a new record. I have many songs -- in English or in Swedish, haven't decided, really. I will go to south of Spain in late December for a couple of weeks where the composers association have a flat and hopefully I can do some small recordings or plans there.
Interview by John Norby. Photo by Torbjörn Boström.