Sofia Talvik Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 15th 2010 5:05AM by David Renshaw
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SXSW might be all about the beer, BBQ and bands but things are much more gentle in the world of Sofia Talvik. Crafting delicate moments of peace on her acoustic guitar Sofia is independent in every sense of the word, releasing all her material through the label she owns with her husband (also her manager). Having released two albums so far and worked with former Suede man turned producer Bernard Butler, Sofia will release her third album 'Florida' in May. Spinner caught up with her ahead of her trip to Austin for SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

My music is based around my guitar and my voice. I always try to put the lyrics in focus. I'd say my sound is a bit folky but still with a pop drive to it. I guess the best way to describe my music is "airy".

What are your musical influences?

I listen to all kinds of music. When I recorded my new album I was inspired by the way Kings of Leon use drums and percussion in their music. My music is quite far from theirs so I don't think you'll listen to my songs and think of it, but I guess that's how it works, you pick a little bit here and a little bit there and make it your own. I mostly listen to music with strong lyrics and love Neko Case, Aimee Mann and Nick Drake to mention a few.

What's your biggest vice?

That I'm impatient. I want everything to happen at once. I guess that's why I run my own record label back in Sweden, I don't want to wait for other people to make decisions.

What's in your festival survival kit?

I don't really have a survival kit. I usually don't even bring extra strings to my guitar. But if anything I'd say my band is my festival survival kit, we help each other out!

Who was your first celeb crush?

Kyle McLachlan as Agent Cooper in 'Twin Peaks'.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Probably 'Heaven Is a Place On Earth' by Belinda Carlisle. I don't know if it's really a guilty pleasure, that is a great song after all!

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles, no doubt about it!

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

When I played at Lollapalooza I was super busy doing interviews all the time, but I tried to catch a few minutes of Duffy's gig. She was still on stage singing when I was walking back to the backstage area, and a photographer shot a bunch of pictures of me when I walked by and said "Hi Duffy, nice show". That was so weird, I mean she was still on stage. Also, when I played at the Rum Fire on Hawaii on this tour a guy came up to me in the middle of the set and asked me if I could play some ABBA. Sometimes you just wonder what's wrong with people .