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m-r.c:
I know it's been kind of a rough week with everything
that's been going on. What do you think of how everybody
here in this country and worldwide have
reacted?
SV:
I think it's really amazing how people are coming together
both here and everywhere
else...especially here. I think it's great to see how
strong everybody is.
m-r.c:
I think one of the things I've found, at least for me, is
that music can be a very healing force. I can be going
through a difficult time and find the right song or album
and hear it and feel somewhat better.
SV:
Yeah. I've been touring with O-Town now and it's great to
see all the kids come out and having a good time and being
able to forget this whole thing for a little while
listening to music so it's a very healing thing.
m-r.c:
Do you get the same thing when you're performing? When
you're going through
a rough time can you go out and do a show and just forget?
SV:
Yeah. I really express myself through my music and when
I'm singing it's a great outlet. It's a very healing thing
for me.
m-r.c:
You appeared on your first recording at age seven. How did
all that come about?
SV:
I actually did backing vocals on one of my dad's records.
He's a major star in Iceland, a singer, producer, and
songwriter. I really wanted to sing. I've been singing
since I was a tiny baby. I had an opportunity to sing
backing vocals on one of his albums and I did and that's
when I got the bug and knew I wanted to do this. After
that I recorded a duet with my dad when I was nine, a
Christmas song, and that was very popular. It went to
number one in Iceland and it's played every Christmas. We
recorded together again when I was eleven... Another
Christmas song...and that song was very popular as well
and it's played every year with the other song.
m-r.c:
Were you performing live at that point or did that come
later on?
SV:
I did videos and I performed a little bit but I started
performing more when
I was in high school because I was in a rock band in high
school and we performed and stuff and then in college I
joined a band which was like a house/club band and that's
when I really started performing and we were opening up
for people like The Prodigy because we had two number one
singles, and I was performing a lot and touring a
lot.
m-r.c:
I know that band had singles on a couple of compilation
CD's. Is this album
now, "The Real Me," your first complete
album?
SV:
Yeah. This was my debut album. I've released 14 singles in
Iceland as part of all kinds of projects I was doing:
bands...I did some gospel...some theater...a lot of
different stuff...but this is definitely my music and my
album and what I'm all about.
m-r.c:
It sounds like you were amazingly busy at that time and
even up to the recording of this album.
SV:
Oh yeah. And I was in college during this time. I
graduated from college while I was touring and working on
all these projects. I got signed as a solo recording
artist while I was in college and I spent three years
recording in studios in Iceland and England working on
demos with my producer and writing.
m-r.c:
This particular album you recorded in quite a few
different locations.
SV:
Yeah. I recorded in Iceland, England, Scotland, Ireland,
Sweden and the States.
m-r.c:
Was that mainly to take advantage of different producers?
SV:
Yeah. One of my main producers is from Glascow, Scotland.
He's a really good producer. When we recorded we had a
full orchestra for seven songs because
I love using real instruments and real guitar players. I
like all the programming stuff but I'd rather use live
musicians. All the people he works with are from all over.
They live in London, Ireland, Iceland, and Scotland so we
went all over the place recording and putting all the
songs together. Then I worked with five songwriters in
Sweden and producers so I spent a lot of time there
recording and writing. I also recorded in the States in
New York and Philadelphia with two different producers.
m-r.c:
Describe the basic sound and what you were looking for
with this album.
SV:
It's definitely a pop album but it's a soulful pop album.
I was very influenced by people like Nat King Cole, Ella
Fitzgerald, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass,
Janet Jackson, Prince, Michael Jackson, Temptations,
Fleetwood Mac...a lot of different people. The people that
I worked with on the album like the same kinds of music.
Fortunately they are friends of mine and I know them. I
had a great time recording the album. We were recording
for a long time. We spent two years recording it. I was
really just looking to make a quality album. I didn't want
any throwaway songs on the album.
m-r.c:
I think that is a trap that some acts fall into when
they're looking for that one hit song or two hit songs.
They kind of forget about the rest of the album.
SV:
That didn't really interest me at all. I had about 18
songs ready and I really liked them all but we picked out
the best ones for the album to make a great album and we
ended up with these songs. There are other songs that
didn't make the album that are definitely going to be on
the website or on singles, but I just wanted to make a
quality album that people are going to listen to ten years
from now, like Whitney, that stand the test of time.
m-r.c:
I was very impressed with your list of influences. You
listen to a very wide range of music and in addition to
the list you just gave me, you mentioned people like
Barbra Streisand and Patsy Cline. Are there vocalists that
influenced the way you sing or how you try to sing?
SV:
Oh yeah I grew up listening to the Carpenters. I love
Karen Carpenter and was very influenced by her singing.
Also Barbra Streisand, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Janis
Ian..a lot of people. I learned how to sing listening to
them. I never took any singing lessons. I learned
basically singing in the studio with my dad and then
listening to those people...Ella Fitzgerald...Nat King
Cole...Johnny Mathis.. that taught me.
m-r.c:
I think your influences show on the variety of songs on
this album. It is a pop album but there is an R&B
sound...and one of my favorite songs on the CD,
"Wonder of My World," has a gospel choir singing
at the end.
SV:
That is one of my favorite songs on the album too and it
was so great having the gospel choir singing with
my...people who are really talented and a full orchestra
are featured on that song so it's a big song.
m-r.c:
I am personally kind of partial to ballads I guess. I like
the romantic aspect to them. The dance songs are fun. The
club songs are fun. A good ballad though, can just totally
move you.
SV:
And the great thing about "Wonder of My World"
in the lyrics is that people can relate to them and it's
not really just about a girl liking a guy because I never
mention a guy in there. It could be sung by me to my
mother or my grandmother or a mother could sing it to her
daughter. Anyone who knows how to love can relate to it
because a guy is never mentioned and it's very universal.
m-r.c:
From what I've read, you co-wrote five of the songs on the
album. Do you write lyrics, music or both?
SV:
Lyrics and music. The songs I didn't write I was very
involved in the whole production of them. They were
specifically written for me. I don't want to sing songs I
can't relate to because I'm very honest about what I'm
singing about and about me. It's very personal to me when
I'm writing or singing. I like to sing about things I've
been through because that's how I express things.
m-r.c:
Generally you can tell when a person has lived through
what they've sung because of the way they are able to make
it come alive.
SV:
Yeah, and I can't understand when artists are like
"You know, I can't relate to this song but it's a
great song." Why would you sing about something you
don't understand? That doesn't make sense to me. It's like
talking about something that you don't know.
m-r.c:
You can put a sound to it but you can't put an emotion to
it.
SV:
No, and I don't see a point in doing it if you can't. When
I'm singing I'm singing about something I understand and
know and that's why I like to sing it becuase it brings
the emotion and people feel that. You can never take the
people who are listening to you for granted because
they're going to know if you don't have any emotion.
They're going to feel that and they're going to tell you.
m-r.c:
Do you have a personal favorite song or two on the album?
I know you like them
all and are proud of them all.
SV:
Oh yeah. I love them all because they're all my babies,
but I definitely love the last song on the album,
"Lay Your Hands," because it's one of the first
songs I recorded for the album. I recorded it like four
years ago. It's actually an old demo vocal that I did.
It's written by a really good friend of mine, my producer,
who produced a lot of songs on the album. It's a very
special song to me. It holds a lot of memories and it's
just one of my favorite songs. When I met my producer five
years ago, that was one of the first songs that I heard
and I loved it and said "I HAVE to record this
song." It's actually the old demo vocal we used on
the album. We didn't want to change it because there was
just something there when I was singing it.
m-r.c:
It also provided a good closer for the album.
SV:
Oh yeah. There are definitely songs on the album that are
kind of upbeat, kind of young. "The Real Me" is
kind of a cool track. It's not the whole Britney thing, or
at least I don't think it is. Then there are other songs
like "All About You" and "Love Me Love Me
Not" that are very young and hip, but that's not
really what I'm all about. I love quality music and
ballads. I love album tracks and just good songs with good
hooks: beautiful melodies, sweet sounding songs. That's
why I wanted to have that song close the album.
m-r.c:
When someone goes to see a Svala live show, what can they
expect? I know right now you're opening for another band.
SV:
Yeah. Right now I'm opening for O-Town so I don't have my
own band but I probably will soon because after this tour
I'll probably be doing a bigger tour. I sing live all the
time. I never lip-synch. I'm really against that. I
interact a lot with the audience. I have a lot of fun
doing that. I have two dancers with me so I dance a little
bit, but it's really about the singing, so I really belt
it out for the people watching and for myself. It's really
a lot of fun.
m-r.c:
Do you like the whole solo thing now or would you at some
point want to get badk with a band?
SV:
I definitely like the solo thing. Although I was in bands
in Iceland, I was always put up front and so it was me and
then the band. I've always been like a solo artist with a
band. I want to have a band when I do live shows but I
don't think I'll ever join a band or be a part of a band
again. I like this
too much.
m-r.c:
You use several different musical styles on this album, as
mentioned before. Are there other musical styles you want
to explore in the future? I know everyone wants to grow
with each album, but are there specific styles you are
looking at?
SV:
Yeah. I can't wait to get back to the studio because I
have a lot of different ideas for a second album. I want
to incorporate a lot of guitar and rock sounding stuff
with R&B. I'd also possibly like to use a steel
guitar. I listen to a lot of country music. I'd like to
have all kinds of different sounds
coming together. I want to still have pop melodies but
very soulful with hip hop, R&B, and rock guitar. I
want to incorporate a lot of sounds together.
m-r.c:
I think those of us here in the states miss out on some of
the worldwide sounds.
Our top 40 tends to be mainly U.S. acts. We don't get as
much of the European influence as you've gotten.
SV:
The album is very international because I worked with a
lot of people from Europe and the States and they brought
their influences into it so it's a very international
affair.
m-r.c:
I think also with the internet, with internet music and
internet radio, that is changing. Everything is starting
to have more of a global sound.
SV:
And I think there are alot of artists coming out now that
are very exciting, like Craig David and Alicia Keys.
They're very talented. They write their own music and they
play their own instruments. They're involved in
their music and their careers. It's not
manufactured. It's not done for them. They're really
amazing artists I think.
m-r.c:
Speaking of the internet, I was also very impressed with
your website. I know fans can e-mail you from the site. Do
you pretty much see everything that comes to you?
SV:
Yeah. I go to my website about every other day and I talk
to all the kids on
the discussion board. They also send me personal e-mails
that I try to answer. I try to be very hands-on and very
personal because that's just the way I am.
m-r.c:
I think that artists want to do well and want to have a
good career but sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the
people out there buying the albums.
SV:
I think you have to be dedicated to what you are doing and
you definitely have to take some time out to talk to the
people who are listening to your music. They have a lot to
say. I also try to enjoy every moment of this. I never
take myself too seriously. My dad taught me to have a
sense of humor about
myself and people can criticize me or compliment me or
whatever and it's all good. It all comes with what you are
doing. Being around music all my life and being around my
father has made me really grounded and so I view myself as
a normal person just like everyone else. I just feel
really blessed to be here and to be doing what I'm doing.
I think you should give something back to the people who
are listening to your music.
m-r.c:
I know you've done a video for "The Real Me."
Are there any plans for a second video from this album?
SV:
Yeah. We're going to release another single in November
and there's going to be a video for that so that will be a
lot of fun. We are still trying to decide which song we're
going to release. We're looking at three different songs
right now.
m-r.c:
I haven't seen "The Real Me" video. Is it
basically a performace video or more
of a story?
SV:
It's a storyline. We shot it in Toronto, Canada in
February and it was a night shoot and it was outside so it
was very cold. It's basically about girls being girls and
being independent women...master of your own destiny...and
liking a guy and just going for it. There's a lot of
dancing and choreography and great clothes and cute guys.
I had a lot of fun doing it and you can tell when you see
it. I was literally laughing for a week, it was so much
fun. I had the greatest director to have for the first
time. I had done some low budget videos in Iceland but
this was my first big budget video. His name is Nigel Dick
and he is a great guy.
m-r.c:
Are you going to have him for the second one also?
SV:
I don't know. I love working with new people so I'll
probably have someone I've never worked with before, but
I'll definitely work with Nigel again because he's really
great.
m-r.c:
How much longer are you touring with O-Town?
SV:
The last show is scheduled for September 28th but they're
rescheduling the show for the Hammerstein in NY so I'm
going to come back for that. That's in October. I'm also
doing three or four radio dates in Tuscon, Arizona and San
Diego, and then I'm going back to Iceland and doing a show
there on October 17th. Then we'll probably shoot the
second video and I'll go back on tour. Hopefully it will
be an even bigger tour than the O-Town tour and that's all
coming up so that will be a lot of fun.
m-r.c:
Good luck with that and thank you for taking the time to
talk with me.
SV:
My pleasure. Thank you so much.
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