Oddny: – It should be possible to recognize yourself in the lyrics

In just a few years, Oddny has gone from being a band project between friends to playing sold-out concerts and establishing themselves as a strong voice on the Norwegian music scene. With roots in Bremanger and an expression that draws inspiration from folk, rock, pop and Americana, they have built an ever-growing audience through songs about everyday life, relationships and the feeling of being a bit on the outside.

The lyrics of vocalist and songwriter Iver Strand Senneset have been highlighted as one of the pillars of the band's success. Earlier this year, he received the Spellemannprisen in the category TONO's Lyricist of the Year. We had a chat about songwriting, dialect, working methods and how the band has developed at its own pace.

How and when was the band started?

– Gradually. Oliver and I (Iver) both grew up in Bremanger and started playing together when we were teenagers. We met Bartek and Edvard in high school, but we only started what is now Oddny when we moved to the city to study. Back then, we had big plans for things to happen quickly, but they were hindered by the pandemic. It turned out to be a gift in retrospect, because then we got the opportunity to hone the expression and the songs so that we were a better band when things opened up again.

Iver won TONO's lyricist award at Spellemann earlier this year. What did that recognition mean to you as a songwriter – and to the band?

– It's nice to be made proud of, and it's reassuring to know that there are others besides ourselves who think that what we do has something to do with it, but we would have kept going anyway. Of course it's also nice to be able to point to a statuette when we're trying to get gigs or money or radio and stuff.

Their lyrics are often highlighted as one of Oddny's strongest points. What are you looking for when you write? When do you know that a text is working?

– For me, it's mostly just about conveying something that you can identify with – a kind of mood most of the time, or a more concrete situation occasionally. There's nothing wrong with lyrics having multiple layers and such, but if no one understands the meaning, there's no point. I think lyrics should be easy to come by, without them being too predictable or clichéd. That balance is what I spend the most time on.

You write in dialect. What does that mean for the music and the stories you tell?

– It wasn't a choice other than that we decided to sing in Norwegian. Norwegian for us is Bremanger dialect. It has, like all dialects, a distinctive character that makes us stand out in the musical crowd.

Oddny is often placed somewhere between folk, rock, pop and Americana. How conscious are you of finding and developing your own sound?

– We have never defined for ourselves what kind of music we make, and have had as a rule of thumb not to lock ourselves into a genre. In that case, someone else will do that. The band is very united in aiming for what is best for the song. We have spent less and less time discussing what the best for the song means, the longer we have played together.

You spend a lot of time in Gamlahuset in Bremanger when you work on new music. What does that place do to the process and the result?

– Working that way, literally living in the studio for days, gives you the opportunity to explore more ideas, and to try and fail more than when you have to finish by the weekend, for example. At least it feels that way. It can also be terribly unproductive at times. I also think that the atmosphere in Gamlahuset and in Bremanger, where the pace is a little different than in our daily lives in Oslo and Bergen, helps to get in the “mode”. Maybe it rubs off on the music too?

What does the path from an idea to a finished Oddny song look like?

– I usually finish writing the lyrics and melody before the songs are presented to the others in the band, then we arrange them together. The writing sometimes goes fast, sometimes slowly. I have a goal to write more methodically and regularly, but for now it is mostly whim and impulse for me – often after one experience or another, or as a result of one or another suspension. Arranging them together with the band always goes quickly. Like minds think alike. We know each other so well now that it almost seems like telepathy at times.

Is there an instrument, a sound or a technique that often finds its way into Oddny songs?

– The Rhodes piano. Probably other, more technical things too, but those are rarely the ones I'm in control of.

You've gone from small stages to sold-out concerts and major festival gigs in a relatively short time. What's been the biggest "pinch me in the arm" moment so far?

– Several. Every time the audience knows the songs and sings along, it tickles their ego.

After both the Spellemannprisen and the growing interest around the band - do you feel the most calm, pressure or new energy?

– Yes, thank you, all together! There is pressure in having to follow up on what we have achieved so far. It gives peace of mind to experience being taken seriously, and there is new energy in knowing that we have the opportunity to continue doing what we like best, together!

Is there a song of yours that you think deserves more attention than it has received?

– "Green lollipops".