Jonna Lee Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 7th 2010 7:00PM by Amanda N. Nanawa
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Born in 1981 in Linköping, Sweden, singer and songwriter Jonna Lee grew up in a household without any musical instruments. She would secretly practice singing in her room, listening to records from her mother's music collection, which consisted a steady diet of rock and punk music. While in her teens, she found herself in London trying to immerse herself in the music scene there. Her experiences in London became fodder for her music, and by her early twenties she moved back to Sweden, this time to Stockholm, with a renewed sense of the kind of music she wanted to make.

How would you describe your sound in your own words?

It's pop music with an eclectic vibe and acoustics.

How did you get your live band together?

I used a lot of friends that I know that aren't really professional musicians. And then it sort of changed during the years, but it's still basically the same crew playing with me. And they're all great musicians and they do different things as well, and I really like that. I've got a piano player, drummer, bassist and guitarist.

What are your musical influences?

I really like Fleetwood Mac. My mom -- she was really young when she had me. She was only 18, so she listened to punk rock and stuff like that. So I grew up [listening to] the Clash, Blondie and all that. But then I found Madonna when I was 6 or something. I had like a double-vinyl Madonna record that I played over and over again. And that's about the only record I had for four or five years, I think.

Did your mom approve of you listening to Madonna while growing up?

Well, I was alone a lot and we had like this big, worn-down house in the country and she worked a lot, so I was alone most of the time, which was really great, I thought, when I was a kid. I don't think she ever really knew that I was even interested in music like that until I was about school age, when I started singing.

Did you think about using a band pseudonym before going with your own name?

Yeah -- when I professionally started doing my own stuff, it was sort of in fashion to be solo. It was OK to be "Jonna Lee" instead of finding a cool band name. I started in 2004 writing, releasing on my Website songs like that. And then there was, like, a huge wave at that time with lots of singer-songwriters who [used their own name], like, I dunno, Jose Gonzalez. And so I thought that was perfect to be out and about and just have my own name, which is good sometimes. But in real life, when you do things like call the bank, then having your real name is not the best thing.

How did your experiences from living in London and Stockholm influence your music?

London really influenced my sound, I think, because it's the atmosphere of the city. The whole way of life there is pretty hard, and I got into some bad company when I was living there and people were giving me drugs like crazy. I think I have some very black undertones to a very soft, gentle pop vibe, and the darkness totally comes from there when I was growing up. And Stockholm: I always imagined I would never live here and I always said that I was just temporarily missing Stockholm [laughs]. But then I stayed around a really long time now.

What's in your festival survival kit?

That would be a good pair of shoes. I would probably just wear my jeans and T-shirt and bring my guitar, and that would be it. I'm too inexperienced.

Has anyone given you any pointers yet, any advice on what to expect at SXSW?

Yeah, I've had a few meetings with people over here that has gone [to SXSW] before, since I want to make the most out of the trip and not just do, like, the one show. There are so many bands playing, so I'm just thinking, "I'm gonna play [on] the streets" and I'll do all that kinda stuff.

Beatles or Stones?
I love the Beatles and I used to play in a Rolling Stones cover band when I was a teenager. The Beatles represents to me the whole pop, romantic kinda thing. All their songs are amazing. They don't have any bad songs. The Rolling Stones has a few songs that -- ugh -- really bore me [laughs].

What is your biggest vice?
Smoking, probably. I'm not really like a big-time smoker but I can't stop buying cigarettes; they're all over the place. So when you're on tour, it's really hard not to do it. Two of my band members smoke, so it's really hard not to do that.

Do you have a musical guilty pleasure?
I really love lots of electronic music. I guess I sorta made a name for myself by doing pop and acoustic stuff.

What Olympic event interests you?
Hmmm, it involves skiing [ski jumping]. I love that. It looks really beautiful watching. Anything that involves speed and skis, I really like. I'm not too keen on ice skating.

Amanda N. Nanawa is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.