Norwegian singer-songwriter Siv Jakobsen started the campaign for her forthcoming LP in January and it almost seems as if that was another era. Her North American tour got cancelled less than 48 hours after touching down in New York City, she then returned directly into quarantine. The LP A Temporary Soothing was experiencing manufacturing delays, record stores were shutting, and she had another big European tour coming up to promote the record that was also pushed into the future.
We connected with Siv Jakobsen via email to ask her a few questions about the new release.
Congratulations on your upcoming release A Temporary Soothing out on August 21st. Can you give us a little background on the LP?
Thanks very much! I wrote this record throughout 2018 – I wrote Monday – Friday, made it my 9-5 (or more like 11-7 to be completely honest). I was fortunate enough to make writing my full time job that year, and it was really helpful to be able to spend that much uninterrupted time writing for a record. It meant that I had more songs than I needed, so we could pick and chose which songs worked best for this particular album. I recorded it with my producer Chris Bond and engineer Bear Bond in the countryside in the south of England. It was mostly just the three of us (Chris and Bear also play on the record) – so we were able to play around a lot and try out every little weird idea we had.
The new LP was supposed to be released earlier this year but due to delays and then the quarantine, it has been rescheduled. Has the meaning of the album changed for you over that time and if so, how?
I think so. Even before quarantine my idea was for this album to be a temporary soothing for the listener. Obviously with everything going on that idea has grown, and it feels even more potent now. I wrote a lot about fear and anxiety on this record, and as we’re living in a time now where I think many of us are feeling heightened levels of both, I’m hoping that this record can be a soothing for those who listen.
You’ve done some live-stream performances during the stay-at-home orders. How do you like that format and what was the biggest surprise for you during those shows?
The biggest surprise for me was that I actually enjoyed doing them. They can’t truly compete with live shows for me, but live-streams have been something I’ve shied away from in the past, so doing them this spring made me realise they’re approachable and enjoyable, even for me. I loved how I was able to connect with listeners from all over the world, in one sitting.
We’re featuring your stunning new video for “A Feeling Felt or a Feeling Made” on our site. How important are videos to your music, especially during these times?
It’s been a lovely way of staying creative – all my videos are made with my good friend Jørgen Nordby, and it’s usually just the two of us – no big crew or anything like that. Both the video for “A Feeling Felt or a Feeling Made” and “Anywhere Else” wouldn’t have happened if the album had been moved, but with the added time on our hands, we figured why?
If you could have listeners take one thing from your music, what would it be?
A temporary soothing. 🙂
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I hope this record gives you some comfort.
More at:
twitter.com/sivmusic
facebook.com/listentosiv
instagram.com/sivjakobsen
