Today, we sat down with Minneriket to discuss inspiration to write music, advice for musicians, and much more. Be sure to check out the music of Minneriket below after the interview on Spotify.
Interview:
What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your
surroundings?
I never really set out to find inspiration, but it strikes me in an all-consuming way from time to time. I get that many people are inspired by their immediate surroundings, by nature or whatever it is they appreciate, but I could never just sit down and invoke inspiration, no matter what scenery I’m amidst. Most of the times there’s just a word that appears to me, or a feeling that just won’t let go. It start gnawing at me from the inside, and then completely surrounds me. It forces me to focus on it, to analyze it and look closer to see what it contains. Once I get a firm grasp of what it is, then I start to construct it and interpret it. That creates the boundaries for the music, and all the instruments just falls into place.
From there, I work out how the atmosphere should be as I hear the music in my head, constructing it together with meaning and words. And later on in the process I sharpen it, cultivate it and put it together with other work, so that it’s presented in a coherent and complete manner.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
I’ve always been surrounded by music, but of course it was mostly the mainstream of the radio and whatever background music before I got old enough to choose my own sources of culture. When I started getting my own musical identity it started very early with heavy metal and punk rock, so I guess I’ll say I grew up with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, The Offspring and Bad Religion together with Johnny Cash and Nick Cave. And from there the ball just started rolling.
Is there someone you looked up as a hero?
No, never anything like that. But what I noticed from an early age is that it is very easy to look up to uncompromising individuals. But uncompromising individuals are actually not very interesting. It’s just taking the easy way out. It takes a lot to sit down, think through your world-view and be open for other perspectives. So you could say that people it was easy to look up to earlier is very hard to respect today. With that said, I really do appreciate people who have a vision for their art, who sticks to it in times of toughness, and also continue to grow and evolve.
If you weren’t a musician, would you be doing today?
Music is just one of my interests, and I do not wish to make it into my career. But for the moment it is my main creative outlet. I’ve done some visual art in the past, and some writing, but with music I really get to tie it all together. The lyrics are very important to me, and I sometimes consider that my main product, and putting imagery and colours into it is such a great feeling. When I’m able to wrap it all up with music and soundscapes, then I’m really content with what I do.
What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create
music?
Do it! Don’t let anyone tell you no. Don’t doubt your skills, just keep practicing. Don’t stray from your path just because someone doesn’t appreciate it. If you do it for yourself, and you do it with heart and conviction, then you will succeed with what you do. Don’t aim to high in the beginning, but also don’t pull yourself down. And most of all, do what excites you. Take those extra 10 minutes when you practice and you’re on a roll, carry a notebook for your ideas, and try to find your direction.
Music:
