Name: Anja Gmür aka Kings Elliot

Nationality: Swiss
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Kings Elliot's Bored of the Circus EP is out via Verve. She also has a new single, "Lost Again (Theme from The Callisto Protocol)".

If you enjoyed this interview with Kings Elliot and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

All my inspiration comes from my personal experiences, relationships and struggles. Dreams play a huge part in the process for me too!

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I don’t usually know what the song ends up being when I start writing. I like being surprised every time!!

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

The most important thing to me is that l feel 100% comfortable, physically and emotionally. I need to wear the comfiest tracksuit and feel free from any emotional judgement.

I usually love drinking tea and having loads of snacks while making music, and on some days I like having red wine!

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

It’s always different. Sometimes it starts with a lyric, sometimes it’s just a melody or a little piano chord progression.

I don’t think about that first note so much to be honest, it kind of just comes out!

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Sometimes the lyrical framework is there before any of the music. Other times the music and melodies come first and the lyrics come at the end. Sometimes I’ll spend a few days solely on the lyrics.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

To me, good lyrics say something that may have been said before, but in a different way, they have to move you.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I always listen to my gut when we’re making music. Usually this leads me to the song I need that day, but not always!

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Yes it happens often, I just go with it! It usually means that the original idea wasn’t the right one.

I love following the endless trail that leads to a song eventually.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

It definitely feels spiritual at times, like you’re no longer in control and something is moving through you into the song. I love when that happens!

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

It can take me a long time to finish a song because I have endless notes and revisions. But I always know when it’s finished!

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I like to leave it for a few days and then listen back with ‘sober’ ears when I’m more disconnected from the writing process. I do rewrite, and refine each song as much and as many times as I feel is needed.

I know in my gut when it’s done and to me there is truly no limit to how many times I can sit down with the same song if it feels right.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I am extremely involved in every single aspect; the writing, the production, the mixing and the mastering. The writing is probably the most important part but it all means very much to me and I care about it all equally.

It causes me a lot of headache and sometimes I wish I could let go more, but there’s nothing more satisfying than listening to the finished song after putting all that hard work into it.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Yes I can. I always feel really emotional and sometimes very empty when putting a song out.

I don’t know exactly why I feel like that but I think it’s got something to do with letting a piece of you go.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing 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?

The beautiful thing with music is that there isn’t a set way of doing it, the possibilities are endless and there’s so much space for you to express things that you might be afraid to show in your day to day life.