September, 2009
THE ART AND CRAFT OF...
At the tender age of 27, Norwegian-born singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche has already spent almost a decade in the spotlight. Starting with his 2001 debut, You Know So Well, which topped the charts in his homeland, Lerche has steadily broadened his audience both in Europe and here in the United States thanks to a diverse style and distinctive voice.
BY Emile Menasché
Are you a daily writer or do you wait for inspiration to strike?
Usually when I’m at home I’ll want to try and write or work on something every day. Making records and touring you go in and out of different cycles, but I usually have lots of songs that I'm constantly working on. Through the years I’ve found it helpful to write even if I’m not feeling inspired—heck, even if I think what I come up with is not good. It’s important to judge yourself all the time and just write, even if it’s not gonna be the masterpiece. Just to get it out of your system and move on. Sometimes you’ll find in retrospect that some of the things you thought were really bad were actually the start of something good that all of a sudden makes sense. Heartbeat Radio came out of a process like that: I felt for months I was writing nothing that I really liked. Then eventually the vibe changed and things started happening by themselves. Songs just came popping out!
What instruments do you use to write?
I write only on guitar. Sometimes I wish I had the talent to write on piano but the sort of harmonies and chords that I like demand a certain talent on the piano, a talent I don’t possess. So I have to make do with the guitar where I’m a little more flexible—although half the time I'm working with chords that I do not know the name of. I do scruffy little demos using Pro Tools in my bedroom. Some of my early EPs consisted partly of songs written and recorded by myself alone with a Casio [keyboard], a guitar and some digital effects.
Do you start with lyrical themes?
I’ll usually start with music and sometimes unconsciously sing words that will later inform the lyric. Sometimes I’ll have a lyric or and idea mapped out that I’ll try to pair with music if I feel it could work. The lyrics take so much time. They’re usually what makes it so hard to finish the song. “Goodnight,” from Heartbeat Radio was a six year work in progress. When you know it’s done, that's a good feeling. Although, you do get used to often thinking it’s done only to realize it wasn't quite there yet, after all!
What do you think makes you unique as a writer?
Hah! Dangerous question. Luckily, it’s for my audience to say. But in general, my musical values and fancies are particular and varied to the point that I very seldom come across other artists who plough the same ground as I, or mix the same elements that I favor especially in today’s singer/songwriter field, which generally favors conservative harmonies, minor keys and atmosphere over more adventurous harmonic expeditions and variations. I feel pretty alone in my unnamed genre!
Growing up, what I loved about someone like Elliott Smith was, that even though he was such an intense performer, he never settled for any thing less than exquisite in terms of exploring off the beaten path harmonies and chords. He was an incredibly advanced, varied and gifted melodist (is that even a word? It should be!).
You started young and found success early on: How do you keep things fresh?
I feel songwriting gets more and more demanding the more you write. What most affects it is actually performing the songs over and over again to new and old audiences. That really allows you to explore what you are happy with and what you want to improve, or sometimes just explore further. So it gets harder with every song, but if you are hard on yourself and keep trying to learn and expand your horizon as best you can—one step at a time—it also gets more rewarding. Playing live is a main inspiration now, because that’s when really feel what works. The Heartbeat Radio songs feel very essential to me, and I am thrilled to find that there are people all over the world who connect in different and some times related ways to what I try to put out there. It’s an amazing kick! In the future I would like to explore doing a smaller sounding, more intimate record. Something that’s still pretty detailed in terms of writing and arrangements, but with space for more distinct atmospheres and vibes.
