INTERVIEW: Teitur
Teitur Lasson is a 32-year-old singer-songwriter from the Faroe Islands.
He's shared a stage with Rufus Wainwright, Suzanne Vega, KT Tunstall and Radiohead, and has twice been named best male artist at the Danish Music Awards.
To date he's released three English-language albums – the most recent of which, The Singer, was recorded on the remote Scandinavian island of Gotland.
On Monday, May 18 he plays at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. Tickets are available in advance from Jumbo and Crash Records.
What was it like growing up in the Faroe Islands? You have spoken before of a sense of 'confinement'...
Confinement is a harsh word, but it's true that there is a sense of isolation in 18 small islands as much as there is space for the individual. The Faroe Islands are also a sort of micro-society, with everything – you have the sports, the cinema, the papers, the politics, the music, but not so much variety in each individual category. It can quickly become narrow and monotonous, but there is also lots of room and time for concentration. Plus everyone quickly finds their seat and there is a lot of multitasking going on. There are also lots of empty seats and expert amateurs in a small society. It's two-sided.
Was music a form of escape from the isolation of island life?
Maybe. I don't know. I just find it enjoyable. I don't see music as being unreal or an exorcism, that's for sure.
Your album The Singer is presented in a series of 'acts'. Is it intended to be 'read' like a play?
You can if you want. I think that every kind of music is a journey in itself. It has a start and a finish and a story to tell.
Your lyrics tend to be intimate and observational. Are you fascinated by storytelling?
Absolutely. And isn't everybody? People tell each other stories instinctively whenever they meet someone new.
Which musicians and writers do you most admire?
At the moment I am addicted to Arvo Part, the Estonian composer. I also listen to Stax recordings and Nine Inch Nails, because I am going to see them this summer. As for writing, I take it in many shapes. I read a lot of articles in newspapers and books, fiction, science, anything really. Today, before the tour I bought The Orientalist by Tom Reiss, Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and This is Your Brain On Music by Daniel Levitin.
How did you come to work with Nik Kershaw on this record?
I met him on a writing trip to Iceland where we were both invited. It was a lot of fun. We stayed in this amazing hotel in the country and wrote lots of songs with a bunch of writers from Iceland, UK and The States. Nik is a nice boy and a very talented songwriter.
What kind of show can we look forward to in Leeds on May 18? Will you be bringing strings and brass?
No. Not on this tour. I have assembled a band which is very basic with bass and drums and keys. Organs, harmonium and that kind of thing. We occasionally use bows for the bass and guitars.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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