Photographer Sara Berglund (picturebysara.com)
Katarina Barruk, who is currently on Bylarm, is out with the single Jïmmatje, with ISÁK today. Language and culture are important to Barruk's music: - I make Sami pop, and not pop that happens to be Sami.
/ 09/09/2022 / Kristian DugstadWho is Katarina Barruk, and why should we listen to you?
I am a Ume Sámi artist and songwriter who is passionate about my culture, language, and who loves making music.
People should listen to me for the same reason they would listen to music they haven't heard before. It's probably to get a new perspective that can make you smarter and help enrich you.
What is your musical background?
I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I always knew I wanted to work with music. I remember that I used to write songs when I was really little, maybe eight years old. Then I would always write down the lyrics and then after a few days I couldn't remember the melody. It was at the age of 12-13 that I started writing music at home at the piano and could actually remember the melodies. When I was 16 I moved away from home to go to music high school. In 2012 I was named Sami artist of the year. After I finished high school I have actually worked with music. I have gained a lot of experience through being involved in many different projects over the years. And I really feel that I learned through working.
You are up to date with new music – the single JïmmatjeCan you tell us a little about the song?
Jïmmatje is a non-Sami word for strange and odd, and it actually captures quite well the feeling that shot through the body and was the starting point for the whole song.
The theme of the single for me is about intuition, actually. About female intuition. And about the strong bonds that we get to other people when we build relationships. It's sometimes like you can have contact with the other person through intuition, a kind of other dimension. I was looking for a kind of synth sound so my producer Arnljot Nordvik just had to come up with the synth. Then we tried to make it more organic with acoustic drums, double bass and guitar. I'm incredibly happy that ISÁK wanted to be on the song. It means a lot to me and I'm proud to be able to present a song where Ume Sámi and Northern Sámi stand strongly together.
As a copyright organization, we at TONO are naturally very interested in songwriting. How do you write music?
I write quite a lot of music alone based on a feeling, a melodic idea and a simple chord progression. Sometimes around themes that I have worked with and researched. I also write music together with others, for example in my band. It is a process that I really enjoy. From when we get an idea in the rehearsal room to when it becomes a finished production.
The best time is when I get to set aside time to work concentratedly on writing music. Unfortunately, that's all too rare due to the administration that comes with being an independent artist.
What inspires you? What themes concern you?
Different moods and energies are actually a lot of what inspires me. I've noticed it when I both listen and make music. That it's important for me to reinforce the core and energy. That I often try to take the audience to my emotional universe. I'm also inspired by different places or specific events. I like to stop at a fragment of a memory and transport myself back there.
You're releasing an album at the end of October. How has working on this been, and what can you say about the record?
Oh. This feels like such a big question. For me it's been a big job. I'm so happy for my producers and my band. Without them I don't know what I would have done. They've kind of kept up with my ideas and made the music a lot better. The album is a bit like a flashback to a time where I just honestly and nakedly ventilate various things so that I can live in a way.
In recent years we have seen something that can be called a renaissance for Sami music, and Sami-language songs are taking their place on the charts. How do you experience this development?
I get that question often and sometimes it feels kind of strange. I feel that we have always been here anyway and done our thing. But considering how the situation has been with the nations and the church's attitude towards our culture and not least the joik, it has perhaps become a renaissance. It is true that there are Sami artists and performers who have fought and made it so that we have gotten to where we are today. It is something that I, as a Sami artist today, am grateful for and continue to fight for every day. Because it is really not a given that we will have a place on the charts. It still takes hard work to convince commercial channels why high-quality Sami-language music also deserves to be on the charts.
How important is it to you that your music is in Sami? Would you say that you make Sami pop, or pop that happens to be in Sami?
It is very important. Of course, I can make music in any language I want, but since the basis of my musical work comes a lot from who I am, it will therefore be in Sami. I would definitely say that I have made Sami pop and not pop that happens to be Sami. The language and music are such important components in my life. However, I do not make pop. The next time I make music it may be something different, but it is certain that the Umes Sami language will still be strongly represented.
How aware are you of your role as a composer and lyricist, and your copyright?
Very consciously, I would say. That's one of the best things about actually being a composer and lyricist, that copyright is strongly protected. It's important to know because it's easy to run into some strange things when people want to do business with music. I'm careful to look after my own rights. I don't give away my rights to someone who hasn't been involved in making the music and I'm conscious of how I share rights with fellow composers and arrangers.
In connection with the album release, you are embarking on a Scandinavian tour, but impatient audiences can get a jump start in Oslo next week. You will play two concerts there, including during Bylarm on Friday, September 15. What can the audience expect?
A time where me and the band will give it our all. There will be both vocal improvisation and pop songs together with my great colleague and friend Anna Leijonhielm who will do the visuals. I hope to be able to give a time where the listener can breathe and be free. We have also prepared a surprise that I am very proud of.
What do concerts and meeting a live audience mean to you?
A lot. It's really the audience that makes it possible for me to have a job. And a job that I love. Imagine being so lucky that people come to listen to me. Having the opportunity to be able to help provide an experience that can actually affect the listener in some way makes it all more meaningful and then you just want to keep playing. Almost all the work I do after the songwriting process is finished is to get the opportunity to meet the audience.
What is the funniest or weirdest thing you have experienced while out hiking?
Haha, oh. We have a tour that we call ¨the big black hole tour¨. Say no more hehe. It started with us premiering some real ambient music and Arnljot's, the guitarist's pedal board, didn't show up. The plane was delayed so it was straight to the stage without a sound check. You can imagine how the concert turned out. It also ended with Christo, our double bass player, not making it home with his bass. It turned out that absolutely none of the planes that left from there could carry a double bass.
What is the career highlight so far?
I haven't thought about it much. Trying to focus on what I think is important even though it can be difficult sometimes. Making music and not a career. Getting back to what really matters to me. Being rooted to the earth and love. The nice things that I remember are sharing with my musician colleagues a spring day in the rehearsal room where everything is sitting and we write a good song together. I'm proud that such talented musicians want to work with me. That's a highlight in itself.
Can you share your greatest musical experiences as a listener?
I was at MUNCH recently and listened to Angel Bat Dawid. It was so fucking awesome. Best concert experience I've had in a long time.
Another person who has given me valuable musical experiences is the yoiker Sara-Helén Persson. She is a traditional yoiker from the Ume Sámi area and it has warmed my heart enormously to hear my yoik tradition and my language the times I have heard her yoik. It is something that gives me inspiration and something to look up to.
Give us a listening tip: Norwegian music you listen to a lot during the day?
Right now I'm listening to the song 'När solen' by Johanna-Adele Jüssi. I heard them play at Khartoum a while ago and that particular song moved me.