2_3_ScanMagazine_Issue_81_Oct-Nov_2015_Scan Magazine 1 15/10/2015 21:35 Page 17
Scan Magazine | Feature | Ane Brun
Ane Brun: The Norwegian songsmith goes global Ane Brun, adopted by Sweden as a starlet of its thriving music scene, released her sixth studio album last month. When I’m Free perfectly captures her soulful pop sound which, although reminiscent of Kate Bush and the ‘80s, feels utterly modern. Brun joins Scan Magazine as she embarks on an epic European tour to reflect on her career to date and the joy of her latest musical adventure. By Helen Cullen | Main photo: Knotan | Photos: Anna-Lena Ahlström
“This album is a step forward from my previous work,” Brun explains. “It’s more poppy, with a bigger sound, but retains the intimacy and warmth of the last album from 2011.” Brun is famous for having a melancholic tone to her work, and that essence is still present in these songs. “It definitely still has the melancholy, but it feels brighter. I was more playful this time and introduced some new sounds and instruments to the recording.”
on this album and move away from writing about purely personal emotions and experiences. She accomplished this through two stand-out tracks in the collection: You Lit My Fire, discussing Brun’s thoughts on feminism, and Better Than This, a song concerned with climate change. “I thought a lot about how I could discuss these societal and political topics in a poetic way,” she says. “It’s always difficult but I was happy with the results.”
When I’m Free is an eclectic collection of songs that draws upon many musical styles and influences. “I’ve introduced a lot of bass this time, inspired by trip-hop from the '90s,” she says. “There are also some acoustic, earthy songs but I’ve worked more with beats and some electronica elements. I feel this album has a greater spectrum of colours than my work before.”
There is a recurring theme, however, that runs throughout Brun’s work. “Most of my songs talk about change and trans-
formation and finding the balance between independence and loneliness,” Brun explains. “On this album, I feel like I’ve found the balance and know how to be free. I’ve found a new perspective and understand now that life is always moving and you have to learn to cope with what comes along to rock your boat and not allow events to become too dramatic.” Coping with illness In 1998, Brun was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease with a myriad of symptoms that affects sufferers to various degrees of severity at different times. Brun has suffered two very serious episodes as a consequence of the illness, including one that caused her to cancel a North American tour with Peter Gabriel and convalesce for several months. She has found a new coping mechanism for living with her illness, however, that
The writing process Brun is a prolific songwriter and has approached the writing of her last three albums in a similar manner. “I don’t write music when I’m touring but I collect sketches for songs all the time,” she explains. “I then spend an intensive period in the studio building songs from those sketches for the three months prior to recording.” Brun also co-produced her work for the first time on this album. The singer explains that she wanted to include some songs of a political nature
Issue 81 | October 2015 | 17