Name: Simon Alexander
Nationality: Swedish
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, producer
Current release: Simon Alexander's new single "Freeloaders" is out now.
Recommendations: As a Swede I have to recommend two great Swedish acts no one should miss; Dina Ögon & Daniel Norgren. So much talent

If you enjoyed this Simon Alexander interview and would like to know more about his music, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Sometimes when I hear a song I haven’t heard before, and it hits just right, I kinda stop what I’m doing and just let it take me away.

Music is probably the only thing that can do that to me. It really transports me to another place even though I’m aware of my surroundings, on the commute or out walking about.

I recorded some (to me) incredible pieces of music when I had almost no idea what I was doing. What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

The moment when I realised that I actually could write music of my own that I enjoyed was just the greatest. Since then I’ve always loved doing it. Of course, at the beginning it wasn’t all too good, but that didn’t matter as it just had to come out.

And somehow I kinda think I’m still just a novice, learning new stuff all the time.

It is generally believed that we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between 13-16. Tell me what music meant to you at that age, please – and how its impact has changed since then.

At the time I was that kid with band t-shirts and headphones on all the time, so music was my escape from being a quite insecure teenager.

In high school I started studying music, and it was the actual first time that I sang in front of a real audience. If it wasn’t for that experience I probably never would have dared to do it over and over.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and how do you think has working with them shaped your perspective on music?

I think that my background as a drummer has really shaped my way of listening to- and creating music. I learned the guitar basically just because I had to, but always when I write music nowadays the rhythmic structure is equally present throughout the process.

That’s why I’m a pain in the ass for my drummers I guess, haha.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

For me it’s my therapy. It needs to come out either way so I might just as well try to make something good out of it.

Out of every 15 ideas I have 1 great idea, and that’s the one I really do it for. It just gives me such joy to let my creativity be a big part of my life.

Paul Simon has been quoted as claiming that “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

My sound has changed quite a bit over the years. So for me each EP or album is a reflection of where I was in life at the time. I’ve come a long way since 2017 when I just wanted to create these anthemic stomp ‘n' holler songs. Now I just wanna let the song decide where we’re heading.

As for right now we’ve let the 90s alternative rock sound colour the upcoming EP mostly because it suited the songs, but also as that’s what I’m all for right now.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to forces of nature. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Since I grew up in the woods I think that everything from the trickling of small rivers - to the complete silence that can be experienced deep in the forest is something that I carry with me.

It’s something I truly miss now that I live in the bustling city.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

All different types of genres say something different, it’s like different languages of music that give for various experiences.

That’s why I can appreciate everything from bedroom compositions where you can hear every vibrance from the guitar strings - to more bombastic soundscapes. As long as it conveys emotions that resonate with me I listen with utmost attention.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads of ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

For me it always begins with just me and a guitar. If a song is good enough to stand on its own with few ingredients I think it has something. Then you can add more to it to create something different.

Like I’ve mentioned I like when a song kinda writes itself, and I just guide it in the right direction. I rarely know where it's gonna end up.

Science and art have certain overlaps and similarities. Do you think "objectivity" has a place in art and do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Often I can hear when a song obviously is well written, even if I myself don’t find it to be my cup of tea. But I don’t rarely think about creativity that way when I write songs myself.

If I like what I’ve written there’s bound to be someone else who does so also, even if it’s only one person or plentiful.

Seeing, smelling, touching, tasting – which of these sense impressions have the stronges points of contact with your hearing/listening experience?

It depends on where I am when I listen. When it comes to live experiences I think that the smell of a crowded room with hundreds of people dancing can have an equal impact as a good light show.

That’s what made the pandemic such a hard thing to go through - live streams couldn’t quite catch that essence, something always was missing.

Does the way you make music reflect on the way you live your life? And vice versa, can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Very much so, I think my music is an extension of who I am and that’s why I always wanna convey something profound and honest.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Good music is something that, at least for me, can carry me through a day and change my mood, just like a cup of coffee.

The difference lies in how music lives on forever, and how you always can come back to a song and consume it again and again like some sort of comfort. While mundane tasks often are something you just have to get through, music has a deeper meaning and the potential to leave a legacy.

To date I haven't made a cup of coffee that quite has gotten to that level, yet at least!

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Conversely, many love songs leave me cold. Do you have similar paradoxical examples - and why, do you think, is the same piece of music capable of conjuring such vastly different responses in different listeners?

Many times I think it depends on what you listen for when you hit play. For myself I rarely listen to lyrics, I always listen to melody and what emotions the song conveys.

Like I have no idea what Sigur Rós's “Glósóli” is about, but it really doesn’t matter as it resonates with me musically. I think that’s why songs will bring out different emotions depending on who listens to it.



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

Since I grew up listening to 70s rock bands and always look for new bands to bring the tradition with ‘em. I just hope that kids keep on hanging out in rehearsal spaces and play their hearts out.

I’m not against the digital possibilities we have today, but it just hits different when I hear a young band that as a collective has created something and actually can play it live.