After recently returning with his stunning comeback single 'Liar' ft. &Tilly last year, emerging artist Mats Dernánd is back once again to deliver his sweeping new offering 'You Are Not Alone'.
Lifted from his forthcoming new album 'Lake Home', which is set to arrive in February, 'You Are Not Alone' makes for a wonderfully warm and embracing listen. With his sweet and tender vocal performance layered across a progressive production from start to finish, he is certainly looking to turn some heads with this powerful new release.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
When I was 6 years old and went to preschool, there was a small piano in a corner. I couldn't really play it, but it had a magical pull on me. I tried not to go there that often but still ended up there.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I started listening to Swedish pop early on. There was (and is) a radio program called "Svensktoppen" which is a Swedish equivalent of Top of the pops in England. From age 3 to 9, I barely missed an episode.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I liked the artists in the program "Sten Nilsson". Today I probably wouldn't call him a pop artist, but when I was six, I took my mother to a record store and bought my first album with my own money. The price was only about £2.50, but that was a lot of money to me at the time.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Oh that is a hard one, there are so many good songs! I wouldn't mind if I wrote "Born To Run" by Springsteen, "Desperado" by The Eagles or "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Not really. My songs come about in many ways. Sometimes I sit at the piano, sometimes I sit in the car or stand in the shower and hum. As with many other songwriters, my mobile is full of small sound clips when I'm humming a melody. Many of them are completely incomprehensible afterwards, at the same time there are embryos for many of my published songs among these sound clips.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I listen to a lot of indie folk/singer-songwriters right now. The latest artist I fell in love with is Foy Vance.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
That would be Bruce Springsteen. And I would be the only one. He never has opening acts.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The songwriting process and the release including the performance of the songs are quite separate things. When you release a song, the reward comes if you manage to touch the audience, but during the writing and recording process, the reward comes when you manage to create something that you are satisfied and proud of. It's hard to choose, but perhaps the joy of creating something that exceeds your own expectations of yourself in some rare moments is the greatest.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Lyric writing can be frustrating. Often you have a lot you want to say, but you only have a few lines, a certain number of syllables and ideally it should also rhyme... It can sometimes be a frustrating puzzle. But sometimes it feels like you're lucky when the syllables match and some words that are central to the story happen to rhyme with each other.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
It is an industry where it is easy to compare yourself to others - and there is always someone who is better. The most important thing is to do the best you can with the gift you have been given (no matter how big or small it is). The best advice I've been given is "Trust your musicality".
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Mats Dernánd's new single 'You Are Not Alone' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.