photo credit: Joacim Fougner
Emma Grankvist is a singer-songwriter from Denmark. “Killing It” follows the release of her debut single “Favourite Lover” as well as “All Or Nothing,” both out now on Future Classic. “Favourite Lover” received the highly praised ‘pick of the week’ spot on DRP3—Denmark’s largest national radio station, and the song entered the Denmark Spotify Viral charts. “It’s music for the introvert, who is constantly pushed into the uncomfortable extrovert way of how to view the world,” Grankvist describes.
What’s your story as an artist?
A shy teenager –> a decade as a waitress –> artist
What do you want your music to communicate?
That it’s cool to feel confident in your introvertness and that sadness can be empowering
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
nature, getting rejected by boys I really thought I liked, that overwhelming excitement of being in the present for a moment, dogs, movies and feeling sorry for myself
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
Jeff Tweedy
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
Björk – Homogenic
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Moving to New York is an adventure, but moving away from Denmark, my home, my family and friends is terrifying, so I had to write a song that captured that feeling in a subtle humoristic way. It’s also just liberating to admit I’m still in a state of chaos and I don’t really know where things are going. I definitely also wrote ‘Killing It’ to manifest that I’m gonna’ kill it’ in the future!
What’s your favorite tune of yours?
Only released 3 songs so far, so I guess my latest new born ‘Killing It’ is my favourite!!
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
Writing the score for a beautiful film
Favorite lyric you ever wrote?
‘I’m my own favourite lover’
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
I feel like most songwriters or artists feels equally inadequate and great, so yes of course I’ve doubted whether I was a good enough singer or songwriter a lot of times, but some nagging curiosity keeps me going. I strongly believe ‘giving up’ is just choosing to put your energy somewhere else, ‘giving up’ has such a negative tone to it, but If I chose to stop pursuing my dream as an artist, I’m pretty sure I would do it to pursue new exciting dreams or a new kind of happiness!
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
You choose your own path in life, so whatever you wanna do, make sure you love yourself while doing it, and make sure it provides you with some sort of a drive. It’s an endless journey to find out what makes you happy, keep investigating <3 (‘actively choosing’ > ‘giving up’)
