Swedish multi-talent Felix Sandman has already left a long-lasting mark on each the music and movie industries. From his early days as a member of the internationally profitable boy band FO&O to his evolution as a solo artist and actor, Felix has regularly pushed inventive boundaries. Now, after a four-year break from music, he has returned with a contemporary sound and a deeply private creative imaginative and prescient. His newest challenge, titled “Yue,” is an introspective journey via themes of id, objective, and self-discovery.
The album’s title, “Yue,” holds deep symbolism, drawing inspiration from each the Chinese language phrase for “moon” and a pivotal character in Avatar: The Final Airbender, who sacrifices herself to deliver gentle within the darkness. This theme of trying to find steering and that means resonates all through the album, as Felix opens up about his struggles with nervousness and the load of expectations. By means of progressive vocal experimentation and uncooked storytelling, he invitations listeners into his journey of transformation.
On this interview, we’ll dive into Felix’s inventive course of, the inspiration behind “Yue,” and the way he has advanced as an artist since his days in FO&O. We’ll additionally discover his experiences balancing music and appearing, in addition to his ideas on what the long run holds. With a brand new sound and a renewed sense of objective, Felix Sandman is moving into the following chapter of his profession—one that’s as trustworthy as it’s groundbreaking.
Felix, how do you stability appearing and music? Do these disciplines affect one another, and which do you at the moment prioritize?
I work with good people who find themselves nice at organising my schedule. Each issues go effectively with one another. In music, I play the completely different characters of myself. Proper now I’m Sandy Karlo in every part I create, from the lyrics to the music manufacturing, from the visible expression to the general public output. In movies, I play the characters of others. It really works the identical approach and has the identical depth; the one distinction is that I don’t must be concerned or chargeable for each division’s contribution to the ultimate product. After I’m concerned solely as an actor, that’s a pleasant break for me. Precedence shifts forwards and backwards. Currently, I’ve been extra targeted on the music due to the album.
What impressed your return to music after a four-year hiatus, and the way did that result in the creation of your EP, Sandy Karlo, final spring?
After being compelled to avoid music due to my psychological state and the truth that I didn’t wish to do it anymore, I may solely give attention to restoration (and a few appearing). After virtually 2 years, I slowly began to really feel that the day off was life-saving and completely crucial. It made me see issues in another way and made me understand the modifications I needed to make in my life. It additionally gave a spark to the thought of constructing music once more, however in a very new approach. With out compromise, with respect to the inventive course of, with full give attention to exploring my potential throughout the genres I’ve at all times recognized with and the fervour for making a full physique of labor. Principally doing stuff that I truly like, that can get me someplace, moderately than the soul-draining-fake “good publicity” bullshit. That was the one approach I may do it once more. So I known as my pal and producer David Husberg and requested him if he needed to take time and discover with me within the studio. That led to the creation of Sandy Karlo.
As you put together to launch your sophomore album, Yue, on January thirty first, are you able to share an summary of the challenge? What can listeners anticipate from this launch?
Listeners can anticipate to not hear what they anticipate. Yue is my profession’s first masterpiece. It’s a ardour challenge that I’ve poured my coronary heart and soul into, and I really feel like there’s a music for each individual and each emotion or temper. Should you’re an informal listener, you’ll simply take pleasure in some new, good fucking music. If you wish to dig deeper, you possibly can dive right into a world that tells tales each sonically and lyrically. There are extra issues to find beneath the floor and extra connections to make.
What themes does Yue discover, and what was the inventive course of behind it?
All through the album, the moon stays a relentless reference, symbolizing the seek for a guiding gentle in occasions of darkness. Yue chronicles my nervousness and displays on the expectations each I and different folks have of me. I write about how I’m wondering what an individual is with out a objective whereas looking for myself within the noise of the encompassing world. The introspective essence of the ”Sandy Karlo” a part of the album places forth a extra subdued aspect of me. The opposite half picks up the tempo slightly bit. The isolating nervousness transforms right into a extra reactive quest for my new self, for love, and at last touchdown on self-acceptance. Even when the melancholy continues to be current, the aura will get a bit extra playful, and the sound relies on stay recorded devices. Particularly on the main target monitor, Nylon.
Why did you select the title of a personality from Avatar: The Final Airbender because the title on your album?
I didn’t, or I imply, type of. Yue, the character from Avatar who offers up her soul to gentle up the moon, is one type of inspiration that I had for the album and the title. I really like her. However Yue truly interprets to ‘moon’ in Chinese language, and that’s the principle motive why it’s the title. The moon, in all its completely different shapes and varieties, is the main image of the album. In order that, and my love for Chinese language and Japanese tradition, is the explanation behind the title.
Apart from Avatar, are you curious about different animation, anime, manga, or manhwa? If that’s the case, what are a few of your present favorites?
I’m nonetheless a rookie relating to anime if you happen to evaluate me with anime followers. I used to attract a number of manga after I was youthful and beloved to play video games and watch reveals like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Naruto. Additionally, films like My Neighbor Totoro. Proper now, I’m watching Arata Kangatari.
How was your expertise working with producer David Husberg on Yue?
David was probably the most instrumental individual I collaborated with to create Yue. He has produced, labored, recorded, or performed on each music on the album. It’s simply as a lot his album as it’s mine. We’ve spent years within the studio collectively, going via all of it. Highs and lows. Exploring our potential and evolving. It made us develop into finest associates. If we weren’t within the studio, we have been out {golfing} or going to the cinema. David is a genius.
What’s the story behind your focus monitor, Nylon?
On Nylon, I’ve made it midway via the album journey and replicate on who I’ve develop into and if that’s somebody that I even like. I additionally mess around with completely different voices and vocal pitches. It looks like a unique character to me. That was enjoyable to experiment with. Once we first made the demo two years in the past, it was actually fucking dangerous, however we had a sense that there was a number of potential there nonetheless. We put it apart for some time, however then we finally returned to it, and rapidly it felt clear what we needed to do with it. David began producing in a short time, and I began writing the lyrics instantly. The entire music felt like a freestyle.
After the discharge of Yue, what’s subsequent in your agenda? Can followers look ahead to a music video, a tour, or different thrilling tasks within the works?
Yue is simply the beginning. Yue is my confidence. Yue is my gateway to infinite potentialities. There can be movies, there can be inventive occasions, and there can be stay reveals. The primary present is in Stockholm on March 14th. There can be extra music, and although I really feel like Yue is among the finest albums to return out of Sweden in a very long time, there can be even higher music to return. I’m engaged on new sequence and films as effectively. I’m optimistic in regards to the future.
images/ Tove Wall Dyrting
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