A Conversation With Herkedal
Herkedal
Herkedal is a young artist with a veteran soul. His songs are rich with evocative nostalgia and timeless musicianship, but he also appeals to a contemporary audience to the extent that he won the TV talent contest ‘IDOL’ in his homeland of Norway. Since that moment, he has stepped away from the spotlight to master his own artistic direction, a process that is today completed as he shares his debut EP ‘Wild Raspberries & Plum Trees’.
We caught up with him to talk about the EP, winning IDOL and his career to date
Billy: Good morning Herkedal how are you, what have you been doing today, and how’s that going?
Herkedal: Good morning, I´ve been having a very chill weekend, just making good food and playing the piano. A perfect weekend if you ask me.
Billy: Where did you grow up and what was it like?
Herkedal: I grew up in a tiny coastal town called Brekstad in the middle of Norway. I´m glad I grew up so close to nature and I think that forms my music a lot. It was quiet, but I had everything I needed.
Billy: How did your music journey begin?
Herkedal: I started singing classical at a very young age, later did more jazz and in 2018 I won Idol which really started my music journey.
Billy: You have just released your new single “When Heaven Calls” from your September 8th release of your debut EP ‘Wild Raspberries & Plum Trees’. Want to tell us all about the single and EP?
Herkedal: I´m really inspired by music from the past, and wanted to make something “grand”. The title “When Heaven Calls” came to me when I worked in healthcare and a woman on her deathbed asked me to go and listen to a symphony for her.
Billy: What has been the hardest part of your musical journey?
Herkedal: Moving to Oslo to pursue a career in music wasn´t an easy choice, but I´m glad I did it.
Billy: What made you want to be a musician as opposed to any other career? If you hadn’t become an artist, what other career path do you think you’d have followed?
Herkedal: I´m actually studying to be a nurse on the side of doing music. I love helping others and it´s also nice to use my head and always learn.
Billy: What is the music scene like in Norway as opposed to here in the UK?
Herkedal: I don´t really know, but it´s probably a harder industry in the UK since it´s so big and filled with countless amazing artists.
Billy: If you could sit down with three people from history, past or present, who would they be and why?
Herkedal: That would be Aretha Franklin, David Attenborough and Michelle Obama. I think just observing them in conversation would be priceless. I love them all haha.
Billy: You won the Norwegian TV show ‘IDOL’ in 2018 right? I bet that was wild! Can I ask, how do you think it affected your career as an artist, like what were the pros and cons?
Herkedal: Yes that was crazy! I think the pros are that it made me see that people actually liked my voice. So it made me think that I was good enough to make a career out of it. The cons have to be that you have to work twice as hard to “convince” the gatekeepers of the industry to let you in. It´s a bit strange but doing these TV shows almost makes the industry not want to work with you. Anyway, I´m just doing my thing with great people, and nothing’s better than that.
Billy: What do you think makes a good song?
Herkedal: Feelings, and a lot of them haha! I think as an artist you have to give a lot of yourself in the song. Just be honest and let the song do the work.
Billy: How is the rest of 2023 looking for you?
Herkedal: I´m going home for a month to write new music, and I cannot wait!
Thank you for having me!
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