In January 2022, I released my fifth studio album, "Hus". It felt okay, but not particularly great, despite all the work I had put into it. I was taken aback by my own lack of enthusiasm at the time, but I wasn't particularly surprised either.

So, I started a side project. And began with the question: Do I actually like my own music? Or more specifically: would I listen to it if it were made by someone else? The answer surprised me. No, probably not.

It may seem like a brutal and somewhat depressing realization for a musician who has created a nice little career on what is described as quirky Southern Norwegian folk-pop. But instead, I felt relieved. I was finally honest with myself. Not bad for a Norwegian Southerner who, in line with the stereotype, might have a slightly annoying tendency to sweep difficult issues under the rug.

So I got down to it. I started making songs in English and found that I had a different voice, one that I identified more with because I drew inspiration from the heart, not from my own idea of what kind of artist I was.

This is my debut, released in May 2023. All the songs were recorded at home, in my own small studio. They were further produced with a creative touch by Håkon Gebhardt in Florence, who also mixed and mastered the tracks.

Stian