Ane Brun's first interview
- By Jack Preston -
- May 02, 2012
Ane Brun has been releasing music for many years and with her latest album ‘It all starts with one’ garnering a significant amount of critical acclaim, it seems as though she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. Virgin Red Room asked the singer all about her first times, as she prepared for the Paris leg of her European tour…
The first job I had was delivering the morning papers, I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years – teacher, cleaner, working in a record store.
The first film I watched was Pippi Longstocking, that’s a really difficult question though.
The first time I performed was busking in the streets of Barcelona. Although my first actual gig was when I was 23, I had just started to play music. I walked off stage and felt completely euphoric and thought ‘this is something I need to do’.
I have been performing from an early age as a dancer, so standing in front of people, whether it’s dancing, singing or doing a lecture, is all very natural. Exposing myself to an audience isn’t what makes me nervous, it’s the thought of not living up to my own standards.
The first time I read a review of myself was in 1999, just before I moved to Sweden, I had just started playing my own songs in a café in Norway and a student paper reviewed it – it was exciting.
The first record that I bought was a duet with Janet Jackson and Cliff Richard, it was a little vinyl single which I loved.
The first time I released an album I hardly knew anything, it was really nerve-wracking, I felt like a complete beginner. Even just being a musician was a new sensation to me so I was learning all the time, whereas now I have ten years experience and the whole process is a lot more fun.
The first songs I wrote aren’t something that I’m ashamed of, they represented where I was as a person. The songs that I used to love from my early work are still very close to me and in line with what I’m trying to do, although there’s songs that I no longer feel that I can connect with. I’m always searching for the same core in my music, there’s something particular – substantial and honest – in my songs. If those things exist then in my mind the song can become timeless.
The first release of my work is always in Scandinavia on my own label, which means there’s a lot of work to be done but it’s great fun. When I release an album I feel really good, I’ve never released anything that I’m not proud of. I’ve loved the songs on It All Starts With One more and more as time has passed .
Throughout my career I’ve always been very sober, my ambitions have never been to achieve anything higher than where I find myself at the moment. I guess in the last couple years I’ve started to aim higher and seen how a certain amount of success can open doors, in a creative sense. Access to more musicians, artists, recording studios and in the way touring changes when you have access to greater resources. Everything becomes easier and makes you a lot closer to using 100% of your potential, my goal is to keep it up so I can do so many more things. I want work with the musicians I like and have big tours.
Ane Brun is currently on a European tour, a deluxe version of her album 'It all starts with one' is also now available.
Did you enjoy those first times? How about some more from; The Ting Tings, We Are Augustines, Katie Melua, The Jezabels, Sleigh Bells, Kyla La Grange, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Blood Red Shoes, Charlie Simpson, The Futureheads, Vanquish, Lostprophets, Tom Williams & The Boat or Andrew W.K.?
By Jack Preston. Content Executive. Tweets at @JackPressedOn
