“You never play with all the children. You find the ones that you’re similar to and then you create your won bonds and stories together. Thats what song writing can do. Sister and brother-hood between strangers.”
The Danish musician Nanna Øland Fabricius, better known as Oh Land is just about to release her fourth album called “Earth Sick”. ( Germany 13.2.15/ international 17.2.15) The self-written, -produced and recorded piece was mainly brought into being at her New York, Brooklyn home and currently fills out my Berlin appartment with her addictive and elaborate soundscape. The often very uplifting melodies don´t give away straight away that Oh Land mainly likes to write about self doubt and fear. “It´s two subjects that I write about over and over. Maybe to overcome it.” We had a profound Q&A session with the likeable and straightforward artist about most happy moments, interview marathons and finding yourself. And moreover an exclusive, fun shooting at the Michelberger Hotel with brilliant photographer Marc Schuhmann.
“I never try to be an artist. I don’t think I have to sound like an artist. I just think I wanna stay true to myself.” Is a quote by you. I feel that a big part of an artist´s journey or actually any person´s life journey is about finding yourself and then trying to stay true to who you are. Do you feel at this current stage of your life that you have found out who you really are?
No. haha. At least an hour a day I´m completely bewildered cause I don’t know up from down. But I think finding yourself is very much about finding out what makes you peaceful. Its more about finding out in which surroundings you belong. A cat should be outdoors, a cow should be on grass etc. If you accept where your’e truly peaceful then I think you might end up finding yourself. Im not there yet.
I am just listening to your new album “Earth Sick” that will be out in January 2015. My favourite song on it is the one called Earth Sick. I totally love it and it has been on repeat for at least 5 times now. For me there is so much feeling in this song, it creates goose bumps. What is the song about?
Im so happy that Earth sick is the one that stands out to you. It´s an important song for me, but I think it might be easy to overlook cause its long and uneventful, its in the little details and the words this story shines and some might be too impatient and it will go over their heads.
Its about realizing that you are missing out on something that is right in front of you. Not being able to take it in when what you’ve dreamt about is coming true. Realising in retrospect that you haven’t been living in the moment. A fear of not being able to take life in while you have it.
In an interview you said you are definitely not only singing about love and peace and that most people get surprised when they actually read your lyrics properly. What do you like to write mostly about?
Self doubt and fear. It´s two subjects that I write about over and over. Maybe to overcome it. I wrap it up in different packages but essentially its about that. Fear of losing control, fear of dying, fear of being rejected and fear of not being understood. I think I deal with it often in a way that is optimistic but sometimes you need to explore the depths of the darkness to truly appreciate the light.
“If you accept where your’e truly peaceful then I think you might end up finding yourself. Im not there yet.”
Macrame Top Black by Kaviar Gauche
Can you tell us something else about you that would surprise people?
I love gardening. I make killer pancakes. Im really in to graphic novels and horror films. I hate showering but I know I have to do it. I love swimming and being underwater.
Releasing an album also always means to put something out there where we have put a lot of love and work and usually also a lot of ourselves in it. And you said once that you love making people happy – how scared are you about the reaction of people and to maybe not make them happy with your music?
Making people ”happy” is just as much just making them “feel something”. I´m scared that people won’t feel anything when they listen to my music . That they will be like: “thats ok, I don’t get it”. But on the other hand, the people who get it, are most likely the people I would be friends with if we were in the same playground. And you never play with all the children. You find the ones that you’re similar to and then you create your won bonds and stories together. Thats what song writing can do. Sister and brother-hood between strangers.
What was one of your most happy moments this year?
When I swam with lemon sharks in Tahiti. They were so peaceful and majestic , I loved them and I felt so alive.
To promote the new album, in Berlin alone, you did 14 interviews in one day. Sounds tough! Do you like talking about your music and your life, or is it just a part of the business that you actually don´t enjoy so much? I mean it´s hard to always answer the same sort of questions, right?
I kinda try to answer in different ways – mostly to entertain myself. So I just talk about what I find interesting. Cause I think interviews only make true portraits if you are just yourself and I´d rather do an interview that wasn’t about music but showed a true portrait of who I am. You can only do that if you don’t just list the same answers again and again. But for sure its hard to do 14 interviews in a day. mostly cause I dislike talking about myself that much. So I´ll talk about other music and films and animals.
“Everything I have never done before I want to do.
If I doubt myself then I wanna do it.”
Iconic Skirt by Wackerhaus
Any question that you have always wanted to answer but have never been asked?
haha I´ll keep that to myself
So, you love movies and animals. Do you have a pet? And the last movie you saw that totally fascinated you?
I have a dog, ujan. And I plan on eventually having several dogs, cats and sheeps.
Will you also be going more into acting now, as you can currently be seen in the movie „The Salvation “directed by Kristian Levring? And can you tell us a bit about this acting experience and how it was to work with Lars?
I have no idea if I will do more acting but I definitely loved the experience. Everything I have never done before I want to do. If I doubt myself then I wanna do it. It´s in my nature.
You used to be a professional ballet dancer but had to reinvent yourself at the age of 18 due to health reasons. I can only image how hard that time must have been for you; to let go of this dream. You said that actually you only really let go of it when you felt you were not even proud anymore of fighting for that dream. How present are those feelings and memories still from that time? And since you are so successful with your music now, do you also feel some sort of thankfulness that things happened the way they happened?
I definitely feel thankful. I was gifted with musicality. Musicality is the biggest gift I ever got and I pray I will never lose it cause it carries me through everyday. I do feel the sorrow in my heart though. From losing the big love of dance. I struggle with my body everyday. Back pain and hip pain and sometimes it can be rough but ultimately I made it to the other side.
Musicality is the biggest gift I ever got and I pray I will never lose it cause it carries me through everyday.
Cotton Vest by Capara. Iconic Shirt by Wackerhaus
I read that you are in a constant fight of balancing your two sides of loving freedom and playfulness and on the other hand your fascination for rules and perfection. Does that only apply to your music or also your life in general?
Yes. Im deeply affected by my disciplined upbringing in ballet. I’m fascinated with order and rules and I love when people correct me and critique me cause then I can get better. It´s a leftover from the dance world. I hate days when I´m not busy cause I don’t know how to handle it. The only times I can handle freedom is on stage, when being kissed or when being in nature.
The craziest thing you have done in your life so far?
Being escorted by police through Europe cause i travelled on a train through 3 countries without a passport, being 17. Or falling into a well in the middle of the night. Or falling off stage in front of 20k people.
The most important thing for you in life is?
Enjoying freedom and kissing.
Sunrise or Sunset?
Sunrise.
Many thanks for your time dear Nanna!
www.ohlandmusic.com
Images by Marc Schuhmann for C-Heads
interview by Sigrun Guggenberger
clothing thanks to PRAG PR
“The only times I can handle freedom is on stage, when being kissed or when being in nature.”
Cotton Vest by Capara
Iconic Shirt by Wackerhaus, Cotton Skirt by Capara
Lobster Overall by Kaviar Gauche, Handbag “Fleur de Paris” by Kaviar Gauche
