Artist Interviews

Q&A: I Was A King

By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 12 January 2010

Norwegian indie band I Was A King released their debut UK single, ‘Norman Bleik’, via Sonic Cathedral last November. The song is taken from the band’s eponymous second album, which features collaborations with Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, Ladybug Transistor’s Gary Olson, and Emil Nikolaisen from Serena Maneesh. You can buy the album with real money and hold it in you greasy hands from 1 Feb. Before that, the band are heading to the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival for a showcase gig on Thursday, 14 Jan. We spoke to main man Frode Strømstad to ask our Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
I wasn’t a good enough musician to learn others’ songs, so I had to make up my own.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Friends who participated to the album, and my two cats, who give me a good laugh every day. Just gotta love those furry things.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Hmm, if you mean writing a song, most of time I have to just wait around for it to appear in my head. When I actually sit down specifically to try to write a song, I normally come up with nothing.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
That changes a lot. I have a lot of favourite bands and artists that I listen to. Lately, I’ve been really into The Beatles, King Missile and Tall Dwarfs. Maybe that will somehow influence what will come next.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Hope you like it!

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
My goal is to someday record what I can consider a ‘perfect album’. I’m not there yet, but hopefully someday!

MORE>> www.iwasaking.com