Inspired #89 - Great News
Norwegian psych-pop trio Great News continue to build on the anticipation of forthcoming sophomore LP "Now and Them" with the second single of 2020, "Reality Show". We had a quick chat with frontman and lyricist of Great News, Even Kjelby. All answers are by Even Kjelby, frontman and lyricist of Great News.
Who are your top three musical inspirations?
Panda Bear:
Some people might disagree with me on this but I think Panda Bear has the best vocals arrangements in the industry, both melodies and sound. His latest album Buoys is a masterpiece where he gently mixed together acoustic elements with a lot of electronic sounds.
Fleetwood Mac:
Where do I start? I absolutely love Fleetwood Mac for their music, I don't really care too much about the story surrounding them. All the drama aside they wrote some of the greatest pop CHUNES of all time in my opinion. Tusk Is my favorite album, it was released right after Rumors as a follow up but didn't sell as good so it was considered a commercial failure.
Iron Maiden:
So I started playing drums to Maiden, got myself a cover band and that's how my music career started. I got into a music school audition playing Aces High only on the drums, without any backing music. I was accepted at the school not because I was good, but because I was the only drummer that applied that year. I think they thought it was pretty funny to have a skinny nerd enter the room and smash the drums for 4 minutes straight.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
Answer: Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)Something about the feeling of the movie, the eeriness
Christopher Nolan is a master of sewing together the pieces of the story in a way that makes it captivating. And the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is really good.
What city do you find the most inspiring?Answer: Barcelona, love Primavera Sound Festival, the culture, food, that it’s by the sea. Have so many good memories from the city. Two years ago we played at the Vida festival, and we hope to go back and play there soon.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
My mom. She has always been working really hard, being a nurse she takes care of people and put them before herself.
What were your inspirations when writing the track?
When reality show participants become a part of traditional media it’s suddenly a part of everyday life. The story about this dude just popped into my head, and there it was, Reality Show. It might be a cliché, but clichés are that for a reason, and you see the reality shows go on season after season.
How would you like to inspire people?
By showing people that what we do is possible, whether it’s writing and releasing music or playing gigs. We are always talking to people who come up after shows, and we love whenever someone asks us about production or songwriting.