Norwegian pop singer / songwriter K-Syran cannot recall a life without music . She grew up with parents who loved music and filled her home with melodies every single day . Ever since , she has pursued music ( and acting ) as her career and has no plans of stopping anytime soon . Here , we chat with the artist about what it was like growing up surrounded by music , her creative process , and advice for other artists . BY MEGAN PORTORREAL
Cliché : Tell us about your life in Norway . What was it like growing up ? K-Syran : My childhood was filled with music . I grew up constantly following my dad around the house . He ’ s a professional musician and plays every instrument under the sun , so I was brought up on a diet of music and melody from birth . My mum is a beautiful ex-Balmain model who sang her heart out like a bird to dad ’ s music . I quickly learned that music fills a home with so much warmth and happiness . I feel extremely blessed to have been nurtured within an environment like that .
Norway is a wonderful place for a child to grow up . I would sometimes ski to school ( cross country ). I would do ice skating nearly every evening . In the summer , I would have five boys ringing on my door to go bicycling . At school , I was not the type of girl who hung out , smoked , and played cool . I would play football with the boys ; I think I was quite a tomboy , really .
How did you first get started in music ? At 7 , I started playing piano , and my first memory is the piano teacher falling asleep . It was hilarious and I would keep playing very softly not to wake her up . I believe that ’ s why I have a very soft emotional touch to the piano . I would later reduce my teachers to emotional tears when I played a beautiful song . My last piano teacher tried desperately to persuade me to go the musical way and start the music academy in Norway at the age of 15 , but I had other plans . I was going to be an actress .
You have a strong family history of music influence . How did that shape your progression and passion for music ?
I believe it opened up my love for every type of music . My mother loves opera , so I grew up listening to opera at full volume on the speakers in the living room or in the car . I sing opera myself because of that .
My dad loves jazz , country , pop , and rock . I loved playing banjo with him and singing country songs . Listening to different genres of music at that young age opens you up to enjoy every type of music and if you have that open-mindedness to music , I believe it will influence you to be open-minded in every path of life . Music can only have a positive influence in my eyes .
What would be your dream venue in which to perform ? Every venue I have performed in has been amazing in its own way . I did love the Roundhouse in London though because the sound was so amazing . It was the same in Venice ; I sang opera
“ Listening to different genres of music at that young age opens you up to enjoy every type of music .”
in one of their ballrooms and I honestly felt like I sang to the heavens . The sound just carried on and on .
Can you explain your motivation for the “ Temptation ” music video ? Because I ’ m an actress , I have worked with so many talented people , and one of those is British director Tracey Adam , who has her own film company Lex Filmed Entertainment . She loved the song and wanted to make this music video . I think she has done a fab job ! I ’ m very pleased . She has managed to capture the sensuality and keep it classy .
Do you have a process you follow when creating songs ? Do you start with lyrics first or do you create the musical track first ? It varies . Sometimes I will go into the studio and improvise a melody and the lyrics will just pour out of me with the melody . Other times , I have the lyrics and a melody will magically come out because of them . I must say writing music has given me the biggest pleasure of all and I do hope one day I can get to that place where other artists hear my songs and would love to sing them . That would really be dream come true .
How would you describe your style ? My style is very unique . I will never dress like everyone else . This is a great influence given to me by my Balmain model mum . From an early age , I would go up to the loft and pick out all these beautiful designer clothes she had and dress up . At school , I would wear her old beautiful leather coats and boots and , as you can imagine conservative West Oslo with everyone dressing the same , I would be named the punk , which I was proud of . I never wanted to look the same as everyone and honestly never could with my wild curly hair , so better just to embrace being different .
Tell us something about you that most people don ’ t know . I love tennis . I ’ m extremely competitive and won quite a few competitions both in tennis and skiing . I ’ m an extremely bad loser ! On my honeymoon , my husband beat me three times in backgammon . I started crying and the evening was ruined . I think I shocked him then and we have never actually played since . [ Laughs ]
If you could give advice to younger musicians that want to get started in this business , what would it be ? Surround yourself with good people . There are so many sharks in this profession . With my label , Intimacy Records , I hope to be able to help other artists . I feel so blessed to have found five beautiful women on my team . One can never achieve anything by oneself ; it ’ s all about teamwork ! Also , persistence is crucial . You have to keep believing and dreaming .
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