In hoodies and overalls from the joint purchase, André Jensen and Olav Tokerud have used the pandemic time to put country rap on the map. But who are they, and what is the secret behind Hagle?
/ 26/11/2021 / Kristian DugstadOne autumn day in 2020, a tractor rolled into the feed of the Norwegian people. Gruesome banjo riffs, hip-hop drums and Østfold rural rap about stolen cars, homemade spirits and body work is the recipe for success behind the duo Hagle.
One year after their debut single, Traktor has amassed over 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. At the top of the list is Ærmen i kærmen with over ten million streams.
It's André Jensen and Olav Tokerud, who, in their hoodies and overalls from the joint purchase, have used the pandemic to put country rap on the map. But who are the guys, and what is the secret behind Hagle?
André and Olav, you have known each other and rapped together for a number of years. Tell us a little about your friendship, and what made you form Hagle a little over a year ago?
We have known each other since we went to middle school in Mysen where we started making what we called "Mysen rap" for fun. André was probably the only one who was really interested in rap at the time. In recent years he has worked as a music producer and songwriter, and has been involved in making several #1 hits in Norway. (Olav)
Olav drives a Kadett C and was raised in beautiful surroundings on the family farm nearby. In addition to music, he works with translating art books and drawing. Preferably of old houses and environments drawn outdoors "on location". So you could say we were two creative souls who found each other. (André)
What is their musical background?
I grew up in a very musical family. My father plays in a country band, and he got me interested in playing the piano as a child. When puberty hit, my interest turned to rap, and I became completely obsessed with writing lyrics. Since I didn't have anyone to rap with, I convinced Olav to join me in making songs. (André)
We rapped together sporadically, and have had the occasional concert here and there in the local community, but it is only with Hagle that we wanted to try to do this properly. (Olav)
As Olav mentioned, I have also written and produced music for many other artists. I have worked with Staysman, Katastrofe, Vidar Villa, Morgan Sulele, ZadeKing and many more before we started Hagle. In 2018, I also co-wrote Sommerkroppen by Mads Hansen which landed a Spellemann! (André)
When you released Traktor in September 2020, did you know you had the beginnings of something big? Or did you stumble upon the golden egg by chance?
We knew that the concept should be clear and have thematic roots in the environment we grew up in with local references from Østfold, old cars and rural life. We know that this is something that many people can identify with, in more places than just Mysen, but we were not prepared for it to be so successful. (Olav)
We've been making very similar music for a long time before we started Hagle, and some of it got some local attention. Among other things, the song 240 from 2016. So we knew that some people would like it, but 4 songs in the top 50 at the same time we would never have dreamed of! (André)
Can you tell us about the songwriting process behind Traktor? Who came up with the idea? Who came up with the banjo lick? How did it all come about?
The idea behind “Traktor” was that it should introduce Hagle in the most clear way possible. We wanted to emphasize the combination of country and rap, rather than reinventing the wheel within one of the genres. The banjo lick was written and played by the great Kay-Arne Sulutvedt from the bluegrass band “Ila Auto”. We tested a few different melodies, but ended up keeping it as simple as possible. (André)
You have managed to combine different musical expressions that represent different parts of rural culture in a striking way. Country banjo and fiddle on one side, the bass of the robbery car on the other. What does it take for a Hagle song to be a Hagle song?
From my side, the music is actually made with a typical hip-hop mindset. We produce 808 drums and bass, and write nerdy rap verses with a lot of local references and humor. But where most rappers tend to sample a lot of different genres and mix it with synths, we stick more to acoustic instruments from country, bluegrass and folk music. That has probably given us a recognizable sound. (André)
You have collaborated with a number of songwriters and artists. Can you tell us a little about the creative process?
We are very keen on making the product as good as possible, so we usually invite lots of different musicians, songwriters and producers into the studio who can all contribute their own expertise. For me, that has been one of the coolest things about Hagle. Getting to record everything from accordion to Hardanger fiddle with so many talented people. (André)
What comes first, lyrics or melody? Do you record the acoustic instruments yourself? What synths do you use? How should the balance between the electronic and the "real" be?
The songs almost always start with a lyric idea that we try to formulate into a distinct melody. Then we work out melodies and chords, before finally writing the rest of the lyrics in a way that is adapted to the melodic. (Olav)
We practically never use synths. Usually everything except drums and bass is recorded with real instruments. On “Bøgda” the double bass is also recorded acoustically by Hallvard Gaardløs. But we have no rule against synths, so if it fits, it is used. (André)
While many rappers are primarily concerned with chains, you sing about working people and say that "it's getting better" even if it's a bit cheesy. Has it been important to you that ordinary people can relate to your lyrics?
Our lyrical universe is probably more inspired by Øystein Sunde than 50 Cent, so to speak. The fact that you are almost constantly in some kind of creative process, whether it's how the banjo should be mixed on the next song or what we should write songs about means that you are constantly jotting down ideas in a large document. When we sit down to work, we often have many words or expressions that we want to work from. In fact, both "Ærmen i kærmen", "Ærbeskær" and "Det årnær sæ" started with the expressions themselves. While "Bøgda" was more of a conceptual idea where we wanted to write a song about as many places as possible. Then we made a list of places and a list of car models and started putting together what fit together. It was a really fun way to work. (Olav)
What is it about the village? What makes you love it?
In the village, most people know who each other is, even if you may not be friends. For the most part, people support and help each other and are proud of where they come from. If you drive in the ditch in the winter, you usually don't have to wait too long before a neighbor or decent farmer takes out his tractor and pulls you up. It's also really fun to drive in the sun on a nice summer day and notice all the nice cars you come across. (Olav)
I know there are more people than me who live in a big city and enjoy downtown life, but still get a foothold when their music comes on the radio or is played at a party. How does it feel to hit it off among those you distance yourself from?
Everyone is welcome to listen to Hagle, and the music is not made to distance themselves from anyone. The song "Ærbeskær" could, for example, just as easily be about someone from the city, even though most of the songs are written based on the place we grew up in. Many people who live in the big city are immigrants from smaller places and have a link to a village or a farm somewhere else in the country, whether it's them or their grandparents who grew up there. Maybe it's extra nice for them to listen to something that reminds them of their childhood? I've gotten snaps from people who have hung Hagle-Baum in their Tesla and it's fun! (Olav)
I think it's precisely the combination of urban and rural culture that has made Hagle work so well. Rap is perhaps the most urban music culture, but we have chosen to make it in a way that is more relatable as the lyrics and music reflect something local that we are much more familiar with than life in the hood. (André)
Throughout Hagle's short life, it has been difficult to hold concerts. How has that affected you?
We haven't really had enough songs to play concerts before now anyway, so there are probably many others who have had it harder than us (André)
At the risk of asking a leading question, has the lockdown meant that songwriting income has become all the more important to you?
Both income from Tono and streaming have been very important! Hagle has been a full-time job for the past year and when you don't have a record label, it becomes quite a big investment straight from your own pocket. So we are incredibly grateful for the work Tono does for both us and all other songwriters in Norway! (André)
