Ane Brun's worst interview
- By Jack Preston -
- May 03, 2012
Following on from her first interview, Ane Brun gives us her worst interview. The Norwegian singer, who has just released the critically acclaimed ‘It all starts with one’ and is on the eve of her US tour, had some strong words about the media’s portrayal of female musicians…
The worst thing about being a female artist is the conversation surrounding female music. Journalists write about the female genre of music, for me that’s very strange. It’s only the tone of the voice which decides the gender of music. It really troubles me. When I release an album it seems as though people only compare me to female artists, when I know that there’s been so many male artists that have been my inspiration. All of a sudden people are talking about a big wave of female musicians but I don’t remember people talking the same about big waves of male rock bands over the last 30 years.
To me it’s natural that there’s quite a few female musicians that are coming through, hopefully that’s a reflection of the changes that are happening in society. There’s a lot of things still to work on though. Can I just say that I find it really weird and unusual splitting the genders and discussing male and female music, for me that’s very difficult.
The worst thing about reviews is that there’s no opportunity to reply. There’s enough soul searching to be done in this life without adding to it by looking for reviews, when you read something that angers or frustrates you there’s no way to reply as it’s a one way street.
The worst aspect of touring is, unsurprisingly, the constant moving from place to place – it can make you more tired than you realise. I’ve felt it more lately, it’s exciting but not as glamorous as people imagine. Of course it’s a very special lifestyle to have and there’s always a sense of being one big happy touring family, but it can be difficult.
It’s difficult to try and keep my private life and music career separate. When you’re on tour it can get very tense, for the person who is left at home it can be difficult to imagine that the other person is not having fun all the time. If you’re actually on the tour for three weeks then you soon become aware that it’s a lot of hard work.
The worst gigs I play are when I’m not mentally there, in my own mind, It’s not a case of playing a bad note. I need to feel connected to the music and to the audience, if that doesn’t happen then it’s very frustrating.
The worst job I had was working as a cleaner, that’s not something I’d like to do again. I’ve had a lot of different jobs and also studied for many years, but that’s one thing I wouldn’t like to go back to.
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 worst 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, Lostprophets or Tom Williams & The Boat or Andrew W.K.?
By Jack Preston. Content Executive. Tweets at @JackPressedOn
