Photography Celina Morken
Yndling is the dream pop project of Norwegian artist Silje Espevik. This musical endeavour is the result of wanting to take complete creative control over her music. Through delicate soundscapes and oscillating synths, Yndling invites listeners into her own world, offering a place of escapism and resonance through her lyricism.
Following the release of her debut single “Childish Fear,” Yndling is unveiling the sweet and euphoric “Cotton Candy Skies.” After feeling sad and a bit heartbroken for a while, Yndling found herself in a state of self pity she couldn’t pull herself out of, almost taking comfort in the familiar feeling of being down.
How did you get to where you are now?
I’ve written music for a long time and been involved in a few projects and bands that didn’t go anywhere for different reasons, so with Yndling I wanted a project of my own that I was in charge of. I started self-producing my music at home, and made some demos trying to figure out what I wanted my sound to be. After making a demo for «Childish Fear» – which ended up as my debut single actually – I thought I might be onto something and brought in a producer. I contacted Adrian Einestor Sandberg after attending a concert with his band MARBLES, and with him the project really came to life. It’s been a lot of trial and error and learning as you go sort of thing, so I’m still figuring out things, but I am really liking having my own project. It’s a lot of work, but also really rewarding.
Who are your all time musical icons?
I’ve listened to a lot of different artists growing up, but Kate Bush, Mazzy Star and Beach House are some of my all-time favourites. Oh and of more recent ones I really like Hatchie, it’s really good music and I love her aesthetics as well.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
I try to get input in different ways, it can be everything from talking to my friends, watching a film or going for a walk in nature somewhere. I don’t know, I guess the most important thing for me is to try to just enjoy my everyday life.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
I’ve been listening to a Norwegian artist called Ora the Molecule a lot lately. It’s upbeat, super catchy and a little bit quirky and I really love it. You should go check it out!
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
My last single is called «Cotton Candy Skies», and came out mid-May. I wrote it pre-pandemic, at a time where I was a little bit heartbroken and had really just slid into a phase where I didn’t do much to try to make myself feel better. It’s me telling myself to shake out of it, stop isolating myself and not expect life to just magically get better without making an effort. The chorus of «should not spend this much time inside» hit’s a little bit different mid-pandemic though hehe, but it was really just meant as a reminder to get outside even though you don’t feel like it.
It’s also the one of my songs that I have changed the most during the recording process, and we had a hard time figuring out how to make it work.The sound ended up being quite different from my original demo, which really taught me a lot and made it easier working on other tracks. Adrian, who works and produces with me, described the sound of my first demo for «space country» and admittedly we had to make some changes in order for the track to work. That said I still think the space-country version has a vibe though, maybe I’ll release that sometime in the future hehe.
What do you think is the best way to make it as an artist nowadays?
Haha I don’t really know, I guess it’s the combination of making good music and hit some sort of nerve with people. And a little bit of luck. Honestly though, it’s so cliché, but for me I think it’s best to try to just stay in touch with whatever feels comfortable and right for me; in both making music and the aesthetics surrounding my project. And then just see with time if that connects with people.
What are your views on the current state of the music industry?
I am from Norway and am with that already super privileged to live in a country with such an amazing safety net for everyone, so I feel a bit shitty for even bringing this up, but I think covid has shown us how much culture in general is regarded a luxury in society and something that’s not important to prioritise. It’s like people don’t realise how much culture they consume on a daily basis, without having to really pay for it.
Which for me is weird, as we’ve all spent the better part of last year looking into a screen for entertainment. So I guess it would be cool to change the money flow a bit, as people are getting less and less inclined to spend money on buying physical records and the streaming platforms are only a good source of income if you’re really, really big.
