Scandinavian musician to sing 'Ten Love Songs'

ISTANBUL

The 25th Akbank Jazz Festival will host one of the most significant musicians who reflects the unique atmosphere of Scandinavian art, Susanne Sundfør. The artist will take the stage on Oct. 31 at Zorlu PSM within the scope of her “Ten Love Songs” tour, organized in support of her sixth album, which was released in February.  

Sundfør earned her reputation when her single reached third place on the charts in 2006. She released her first album a year later, and so far she has released six albums.

The artist acknowledges a strong influence from artists and bands like Bob Dylan, Freddy Mercury, Depeche Mode and Radiohead in her work. Even though she wanted to make the theme of violence predominant in her latest album, her lyrics wrap themselves around love and relationships.

Speaking to Positif Live before her Istanbul concert, Sundfør said there are so many talented musicians on the Norwegian scene, and she thinks they deserve an international audience. 

Sundfør decided to choose music as a profession years later, after releasing records and being a successful musician.  She explained the reason why she made this decision, saying, “I started taking music lessons when I was eight actually. I started taking lessons in opera singing when I was 12. I didn’t really think that I had any talent in writing, and I didn’t try seriously until I was 17. I was very shy and didn’t want people to know, and was more or less forced by my friends to perform my own songs to an audience in the beginning, something I’m very grateful for today.”

In “Ten Love Songs,” one can see a grown up artist who analyzes life very well and uses notes to tell sarcastic yet realistic stories. It is kind of a cinematic album. She says she sometimes has images on her mind while making music, and sometimes I have a melody line that she thinks is catchy. “Usually it’s a mood or emotion I want to convey,” she added. 

Sundfør said, “Everything must come to an end” in her song “Darlings.” When asked if she didn’t believe in happy endings, she replied, “I do believe in happy endings, but happy endings must also come to an end.”

The singer said she also wanted to compose a musical or ballet dance symphony someday. She said she preferred to make music for a movie never made, but she would love to collaborate with a visual artist at some point.

If she were going to make a soundtrack for a movie, she would choose to work with Terrence Malick or Jonathan Glazer. “No chance in hell, but they’re still my favorite directors,” she said. 

As for the male/female discrimination at award ceremonies and giving male/female awards instead of “artist” awards, she said, “I think you should be valued for your personality, your abilities, and not for your gender.”

Finally, she gave a message to her Turkish fans, saying, “This is going to be my first show in Turkey, and I’m so excited to see your country and to play for you!”