Il sogno di Nanna Øland Fabricius era quello di diventare ballerina professionista; dopo dieci anni di gavetta e un brutto infortunio alla schiena la bella Nanna ha dovuto riporre quel sogno nel cassetto e inventarsi qualcosa di nuovo da fare. Figlia d’arte, ha deciso di dedicarsi alla musica e nel 2008 ha debuttato come Oh Land con Fauna, un album tutto fai-da-te: bella e brava.
Dopo altri due lavori – Oh Land e Wish Bone – e magnifiche esibizioni per gli show di Katy Perry e Sia, nel novembre 2014 esce per la sua stessa etichetta (Tusk Or Tooth) il quarto album: Earth Sick.
Il titolo allude alla sensazione di nostalgia e alienazione tipica di chi torna “a casa” dopo esserne stato a lungo lontano. Non è un caso, allora, se molte delle tracce vantano la collaborazione di tutta quanta la sua famiglia; un esempio? La voce della madre, cantante d’opera, si sente in Favor Friends.
A questo proposito, e in vista delle imminenti esibizioni al Biko di Milano (21 ottobre) e al Locomotiv di Bologna (22 ottobre), le abbiamo fatto qualche domanda.
You recorded Earth Sick in your Brooklyn apartment, for your own Tusk Or Tooth label, singing and playing your own instruments and tools. This DIY project seems to be the “manifesto” of an independent woman but, on the other hand, your entire family was involved into it. How did you manage the process?
Since All my family are professional musicians it seemed stupid not to use it. Weve always had a ton of music t gatherings and yearly events like xmas and birthdays so it felt more like a traditional family party. Except all the cake . There wast enough cake.
And: is it actually possible a fluent collaboration with parents without having to face a natural intrusive attitude?
Actually my parents are incredibly good at understand when they are my parents and when they are playmates. We never had any real arguments, they usually just did what I wanted them to do and had a lot of fun . And when they were done they would ask” have you remembered to do your laundry and pay your bills?”
Keep talking about parenthood. The story is going to repeat: will you be with Baby Oh Land the same kind of mother like the one you have?
Haha. I guess you become more like your parents than youd like to think. My baby will naturally be exposed to a very creatve environment. It will probably grow up longing to become like a dentist or something proper (-;
Earth Sick (as your previous albums) is a mosaic of very intimate feelings that you use to turn into metaphors. Today you’re no longer where were you when you wrote songs like Doubt My Legs or Trailblazer, whose meaning you talked about on your “answers video”. How do you face this kind of “distance”?
Its like reading your own diary. When you go back and read what you wrote 10 years ago you will realie that your emotions will always be very similar. You have these pockets in your personality that you tend to fall into and even when you forget, you can alwatys reopen them and connect with them. I do that everytime I perform old songs. Nothing is ever truly over.
You made your home in Brooklyn: does Williamsburg have something in common with Oh Landia? I mean: is your own wonderland a place for hipsters and nostalgia (and art, of course)?
Haha I might seem much of a hipster from the outside but actually Im quite oldfashioned. I like to be in nature, make food for hours and knit and pet animals. I just happened to have very fashion forward friends (-;
In Italy you will perform in two very intimate locations and we don’t know what to expect: will you surprise your Italian Narwhals with any new trick? Will you focus on electronic elements?
I will indeed bring some fun electronic toys. And I might surprise you with some Italian sentences here and there (-;
