Erik Odsell is a Swedish songwriter and recording artist. For several years he has worked as a freelance musician behind many well-known Swedish artists and he has written music for artists both in Europe and the United States.
On the 23rd of October Erik Odsell’s brand new album Searching For Lost Boys Island was released. Erik has previously released 3 singles from the album which have all been well received.
When Erik’s debut single, and the title track for the album Searching For Lost Boys Island, was released the newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet (the major newspaper in southern Sweden) wrote: “Erik Odsell moves barriers… The music is radio pop, defined by a modern sound but with a foundation of musical craftsmanship which makes him stand out from the crowd”.
Erik’s second single, As Long As I’m With You – featuring Sascha Dupont, has been on the Danish hit list ChartBase Top-100 during 8 weeks and is currently song nr 49 on the list.
Erik’s third single, Unapology, is so far listed for airplay on two radio stations in England.
“I may not be Peter Pan but I sure as hell am searching for lost boys island”
As a small child there were two ways to always make Erik Odsell calm and almost meditative. One way was to put him in a car and go for a drive, the other was to put him in a baby chair in front of his parents old grand piano while his father was playing.
- Well, I still do love cars and music is still the nearest thing I know to a feel-good-out of body experience. Listening to a mind-blowing flawless note or just thinking of a part in a song I truly love still makes me shiver and it still makes every hair on my arms rise. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is says Erik.
At the age of 7 Erik started playing the piano and also started singing in a well-reputed boys choir in Sweden. At the age of 13 he started playing in his first band, learning how to play the guitar by listening to a wide variety of his favorite records and trying to make the guitar sound like what he was hearing on the records. Since then music has been the common thread through Erik’s entire life.
Years of playing and singing background vocals with well-known Swedish artists as well as writing music for artists both in Sweden and across the world has given Erik a solid ground to stand on figuring out who he is as an artist and as a songwriter.
- To write a song for the Eurovision Song Contest or to write a song for an indie album is two very different things but it’s also kind of the same… It’s just melodies says Erik with a smile.
In 2012 Erik wrote a song for a Swedish artist that was supposed to be an entry for the Swedish qualifying round of the Eurovision Song Contest. With very little time left before deadline the artist decided not to record the song. Erik’s publisher couldn’t find a new artist on such short notice, which ended up with Erik sending in the demo version of the song.
–The song didn’t make it to the final cut but I got very good response on both the song and the performance. That’s when I decided that I wanted to make a solo album says Erik.
Since then Erik has been nominated several times for Best Adult Contemporary Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards with music that is featured on his debut album Searching For Lost Boys Island.
- Over the years I have been working with both music and completely different things but when someone asks me what I do, I instinctively feel I have to answer, “I play music. I sing. I write. I’m a musician”. But the older you get more and more people ask you “…and what do you do besides music?” As if devoting your life to music isn’t a “real” thing. As if you’re someone who refuses to grow up and stop dreaming. As if you are some kind of wanna-be-Peter Pan. I always find this so strange. I’m quite good at a lot of things. I have been quite successful at a lot of things too, but nothing is as serious to me as music. To me music is life, music is death, music is magic. The one thing in life that is most real. I may not be Peter Pan but I sure as hell am searching for Lost Boys Island says Erik.
Searching For Lost Boys Island is Erik’s debut album as a solo artist and at first glance it covers a modern pop- and rock sound but it also harbors a touch of melancholy typically found in the singersongwriter genre.
- I love to get lost in the process of writing music. As a songwriter for other artists I have had the privilege to write music in different genres with completely different sounds but friends of mine still say that they always recognize my tunes anyway. I guess it’s all in the melodies and harmonies, says Erik.
Searching For Lost Boys Island is an album about life, love, death and the importance of pursuing dreams.
- As I sing in the title track Searching For Lost Boys Island “We’re all born with hearts of passion, When did play go out of fashion?, All great things in the beginning are dreams from deep within” I truly believe that the world strongly needs people who hold on to their dreams. You may not reach them, hell, you may not even achieve half of it but the only thing that’s for sure is that if you don’t even try you definitely won’t achieve anything. Mankind has made greater progress than any other species and I say it’s because of our ability to long for- and develop what we dream of. The day we stop striving, that’s the day when it’s all over. If I wasn’t allowed to dream and in some way pursue my dreams I would live in a kind of emotional exile. And it must be devastating for anybody to live in an emotional exile, says Erik.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Erik Odsell: I grew up in a small village outside of a small town called Lund in the very south of Sweden. Music has always been a huge and important part of my life. I grew up in a home where my father played our old grand piano a lot. I later on started playing the piano myself when I was a bout 7 years old. At the same time I started singing in a well reputed boys choir in Lund. As a matter of fact I actually still do see a lot of my old friends from that time and we still work together from time to time. At the age of 13 I started playing in my very first band as the lead singer and at the same time I started to learn how to play the guitar, trying to make the guitar sound like what I was hearing on my favorite records. So I guess you could say that I was hooked from the very beginning. To me music is something truly magical. It speaks directly to your heart, which makes it more powerful than almost any other way of communication.
My love for music later on made me become a freelance musician and I have really appreciated working with amazing artists but some time ago I decided that I wanted to make an album of my own – my very first solo album – and just a couple of weeks ago my album Searching For Lost Boys Island was released.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Erik Odsell: I come from Sweden, a country where it’s kind of important to be modest and to “fit in” in a context that if you don’t live your life like “ordinary people” do it often feels like you have to explain yourself to those people. If I get the question “What do you do?” back home in Sweden and I answer that I’m a musician working with pop music it’s very common that you get another question right after saying “And what do you do besides music?”. As if pop music isn’t a “real thing”. As if you are someone who lives some kind of childhood dream and refuses to grow up. As if you are some kind of wanna-be Peter Pan. I think it’s quite strange. I’ve been working with completely different things as well, I’ve even been quite successful working with different things too, but nothing is as “real” to me as making music. I never get this feeling when I’m in the United States though so I guess it’s maybe a typical Swedish thing. However, I may not be Peter Pan, but I sure as hell am searching for Lost Boys Island.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Erik Odsell: The internet has had an amazing impact on the music industry. Some of it is good and some of it is probably bad but one thing’s for sure, the internet has made it so much easier communicating your music to the whole world which is great! I’ve heard positive feedback on my brand new album from people from across the world which is really amazing. So online music services, streaming services etc is really great. Sure, I wouldn’t mind making some more money off my music when people are listening to it but I’m very grateful for the countless ways the internet give artists like myself a chance to get heard across the globe. I guess there’s a flip side to every coin.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Erik Odsell: I got a similar question some time ago and I think I have to give the same tip this time. Face the fact that your pursuit of a career as an artist will be hard and make up your mind about it from the beginning. If you wanna pursue a career as an artist it’s gonna take a lot of hard work. You will hit a lot of downs just to be able to enjoy the ups. But if you’re determined from the beginning it’s gonna be easier on your journey. There are so many artists and so much music out there that it can be hard to get through the constant ”noise” on social media and so on. So – early on – set your goals and try to work as professionally as you can and take every chance you get to make new friends and contacts withing the business.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Erik Odsell: Of course I make mistakes! The only way to handle it is to minimize the damage so first off – I try to get away with it unnoticed. Chances are that the audience didn’t catch you make a mistake and then it’s no big deal so don’t make it a big deal. And if it’s a mistake that people clearly will notice – it’s no big deal either – take the chance to be personal and even a bit funny about it. The audience will appreciate that – then they will feel that you as an artist are as human as every one else and you all get a laugh out of it.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Erik Odsell: I havn’t toured yet as a solo artist but during my years as a freelance musician I have toured – but you know what they say, What happens on tour stays on tour, haha.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Erik Odsell: I get inspired to write music from a lot of things. It can be a specific sentence or even a specific word, it can be a certain state of mind or a beautiful scenery but I also get a lot of inspiration from stories and when people act a certain way. When I come up with sentence or a melody I wanna use I often have to record it right away to remember it. Usually I record it by singing it into my phone. Than I start working on it at home or in the studio. Sometimes the process from there goes quickly and falls into place at ones and sometimes you don’t get that final piece to fit. If that happens I leave the song until I find a new angle which I feel is the right one. I actually have songs that have been laying around for years until I finally finish them and feel satisfied with the outcome.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Erik Odsell: Yes. My official website is www.erikodsell.com. There you can get a hold of both my music and my merchandise in hard copy. I also use social media like Facebook – www.facebook.com/erikodsellofficial, twitter – www.twitter.com/erikodsell and instagram – www.instagram.com/erikodsell. My music can also be found on more or less every digital music platform in the world such as Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, Google and Soundcloud.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Erik Odsell: Haha, well I think that if a song catches your heart and mind so that you want to listen to it over and over again it must be good so basically it shouldn’t be embarrassing – but I get what you’re after. I do have a couple of really cheesy 80s ballads on mp3 player…
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Erik Odsell: I would spend half of it traveling to an amazingly beautiful place where I could stay for some time just writing a bunch of new songs. Then I would spend the other half making my next album where the money could be very helpful to make a couple of amazing videos also. I’m not too fond of making videos. If a make a video I want it to tell a story – just like the song. The only problem is that those kinds of videos will cost you a lot. If there are any money left when I’m done with the making of the album I would spend the last part on a kick ass release party. But I might just buy a really fun racing car also, haha!
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Erik Odsell: When I track my demos I’m working in logic on my laptop, which is quite enough for me during the demo phase of the process with a song. When I record it “for real” I bring it to my co-producer who works in Pro Tools. However – I do use huge software synthesizers when I produce a song – and often a lot of them – which always makes my co-producers wanna tear there hair out when it comes to mixing the songs, haha! For example, I love Omnisphere. There I always find ways to set a specific kind of emotion I wanna feature in a song.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Erik Odsell: Social media is one way. Get your story and release in local media, newspapers and so on is another. Interviews like this is also a great way to promote new material – so thanks for having me!
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Erik Odsell: I would have to say Whitney Houston during her glory days. There was nothing Whitney couldn’t do with her voice so to sing a duet with Whitney would be amazing. And also, I wouldn’t say no to sing with Freddie Mercury on Live Aid, haha! And speaking of Live Aid – If I have to share my dreams of the coolest venue ever I would have to say that I would like to travel back in time and perform at old Wembley.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Erik Odsell: Next up is the release of my upcoming music video from my latest single Unapology. It’s gonna be great! Almost like a short movie that tells a story about how love and desire isn’t black or white. I can barely wait to share it with you all.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Erik Odsell: Then I would be a race car driver, haha!
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Erik Odsell: I bought a lot of albums when I was younger. Well actually, I still buy albums. I’m not sure which album was my first but I do remember listening to a lot of early Elton John – like the album “Elton John”, with songs as Your Song, Border Song, Sixty Years On and many more. It’s still an amazing album that I truly love. A masterpiece!
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Erik Odsell: Well, for one thing I sleep less than most people I know, haha! It can sometimes be hard and quite exhausting but when you’re in the studio or in front of an audience and all the pieces fall into place and you feel that something magical happens it’s worth all the hard work and lack of sleep.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Erik Odsell: Hopefully a lot of live shows! I will also work on some new music. It will probably not be a new full album but I will release a couple of new songs one way or the other.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3ijnMT8RG0GaamHSQzBk9R
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1048195049?ls=1&app=itunes
Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1048195049
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/erikodsell/sets/searching-for-lost-boys-island
