Annasara Lundgren

Hello Annasara! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your music.

Well I am a classically trained violinist who loves to do many different things in music, with genres and with instruments. I guess one could say I'm multi-passionate. Often I envy people who stick with one thing and get super good at that very thing.

Whereas I just can’t help myself, and want to do it all. I want to write music and lyrics, record it, and preferably be the one who arranges, produces and plays all the instruments and sing, (and perhaps make a video for it at the end.) I am slowly learning not to expect master-levels from myself on everything but rather enjoy the diversity and that I am not afraid of trying different things and even dare to suck at things too.

I live on my own with my cat and have come to understand I am a bit of a loner, at the same time as I am very social.

I love composing new music, but also playing music that is already written and making them my own, it’s called "covers" in modern music and "interpretation" in classical music.

I also love singing in my choir, Lindy Hop dancing and I recently began learning how to play the pipe organ.

How did your music and style evolve over time?

I wrote my first songs at the age of 16 and they were mostly guitar-based and a few of them piano-based. I made the first recordings of a few songs in my teens together with my cousin Robert, for which he was the producer. I had at the time, an electronic vision of all my music, listening a lot to Björk, Massive Attack, Hooverphonic and Radiohead.

Later in my twenties when I got the hang of some recording skills, I wanted to be able to record and produce everything on my own (already a loner). Learning to produce electronic music worked out in the beginning but I quickly got completely overwhelmed with all the possibilities of sounds, arrangements and style.

I then decided to limit myself to only allow acoustic arrangements of my songs, and preferably utilize instruments I could play and record by myself. That way I managed to actually stop feeling overwhelmed. Keeping it simple helped me accomplish something, which is better than nothing. Even today, this is more or less the same way I arrange and think about my music, although I happily let other musicians play instruments I don’t master such as bass, cello, winds of course, and even some vocals on my new album.

Annasara with ensemble, live at St Johns Church, Malmö

Form-wise, I keep thinking quite traditionally about the songs, with verse, chorus and bridge. And with my influences from classical music and especially the impressionistic era, I have come up with the genre ”Neoclassical singer songwriter” for my music at this stage.

What does a day in your life or studio look like?

I try to go back and forth between practicing instruments, being creative and doing good things for my body, seeing friends, go to concerts and to keep my cozy flat cozy and clean, and to relax and snuggle up with my cat.

I am so grateful that I have all the possibilities to record my music at home now, with an upright piano, two great microphones (Pearl cc22), a harmonium, a violin and my own vocal chords.

I have also finally come to understand and rest in the fact that everything moves in waves and phases, some periods I practice more of an instrument, other periods there is more writing or recording, and sometimes a big rest from everything. And that is also just perfect.

Luckily, With age comes wisdom and I am getting better at honoring my body, my personality, and trust that how I work is the best way for me.

What do you often find yourself thinking or dreaming about while producing music?

What I think and dream about the most in music is actually freedom. Freedom in my body and breath, free from tensions and free to slide between notes and expressions like a master, 100% soaked up in the music without thoughts of pitch, performance or what others may think, and that way I feel like I serve the music in the best way possible.

I have been lucky to have a few experiences like this and dream about it becoming my default.

Annasara Lundgren by Lars Bryngelsson — Photo by Lars Bryngelsson

First item on your bucket list?

I don't have a bucket list (!) Perhaps I’m very right or very wrong for not having one.

What was the last album you heard that gave you goosebumps?

This question made me realize I seldom have goosebumps listening to albums actually. Albums give me more of an expansion in my heart or spontaneous movements if I like it. The last album I heard that gave me this effect was:

”Promises” by Floating Points.

I mostly get Goosebumps while listening to live music. And I think nothing gives me more goosebumps like playing in a symphonic orchestra myself or chamber music.

Are you working on a new album or single nowadays? If so, when can we expect to hear it?

As a matter of fact I’ve been working on my next album since this summer. It’s been a particularly long process this time, especially since the songs and forms were already written when I began recording, but now we are finally in the mixing process and I really hope to have at least a single ready for my birthday in February!