Benedicte Izabell Ekeland has played at by:Larm over the past year, opened for Ghostface Killah and Gabrielle, and been called "Norway's next hip-hop comet" by VG.
/ 14/04/2016 / codexPhoto:Henriette Vistnes
Name: Benedicte Izabell Ekeland
Age: 25
Current with: Something new – and challenging
TONO member since: 2014
What was the name of the first song you wrote?
The first full song I wrote with a verse and chorus was called "Population".
I was 11 years old, and I wrote about a guy who only had friends because they wanted his popularity. I thought "Population" was the English word for popularity. Mom even let me perform with it without saying anything, bad vibes! He he. Here's a little excerpt, by the way:
Verse: You know they have tricked you before, and you saw them running out that door. Inside of you something just fell apart, and now you're alone with a broken heart.
Ref: So push that, stop it. Never let it go behind you! Everybody seems to like you, but don´t let them trick you again because all they want is population and that population you can give them. A-HA-YEAH”
What was the name of the last song you wrote?
"Huh?"
What are you working on now?
Something very challenging, and something I actually think has NEVER been done in Norwegian rap before. I'm really excited to show it off. And no, it has nothing to do with me being the girl.
What is your career highlight so far?
Playing an outdoor concert in the neighborhood I grew up in. It was a packed tent 20 meters from the after-school club I did my first concert at as a kid – with the song “Population” actually. Then I got everything into perspective, it was a really nice experience, the kids who now go to the same after-school club knew my songs.
How do you create songs?
It varies a lot. Sometimes I like to just sit all alone with different beats and write down the thoughts and feelings that the beats trigger in me.
Other times it works better to work with producers in a studio where I improvise melody lines and flow into the microphone to write on top of it afterwards.
Do you have a favorite instrument that you write music on?
In that case, it has to be guitar, not because it's my favorite of all the instruments I write on, but because it's the only instrument I've written on. I usually have producers who make instrumentals.
What do you do when you're not making music?
Sleeping, hehe no. It's strange about music, it takes a lot of time and mental energy. But suddenly I get an extreme need to relax because everything is so intense. Then I want to travel, just run away and find places that can distract me from myself a little. I need to be with my friends and family. Then I really like going to the theater.
What is your greatest musical experience?
It's actually really funny, but seeing the Spice Girls live in Oslo in 1998 was an indescribable feeling. I was 8 years old, and the world's biggest Spice Girls fan.
Is there anything we should have asked you about?
"Why do you write songs in Norwegian when all of Norway struggles to understand your dialect?"
And what is your answer to that question?
Because Stavanger has Norway's finest dialect!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1zFSr3_B5Y&ebc=ANyPxKqpNmBOq-pGljKuE9_Tj09hv7ZxqGrCv4KH3Bs31PPNnJrJq6YiwP6Ld1i4zJ9PwFq3TkxvKentzbKvwZNV7m8E9AhPYA