Recording Vocalist & Writer

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Tom Ouwehand. I've had the best experience working with him. I'd recommend him to anyone who is looking for productions, mixing or mastering.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: This is the first song that I released that I recorded my own vocals for. I was pretty god damn proud of that. I recorded the lead, the harmonies, and the adlibs. This project taught me how to tune my vocals and I that I could move some words around for it to sound more on time. I also wrote the whole song, melody and lyrics, came up with the piano, edited the drums. Then I got some additional production help from LUVR. (just note that the vocal is recorded on a SHURE SM7B. I was looking for a bit of a analog sounding mic and that one hit the spot for me. I normally record on a Bluebird mic that gives a more crisp sound) https://open.spotify.com/track/0RKxq7AJoo9N2pDAcWtVpF?si=iwavHHP_Tj-3-RQId_BJ_Q

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on finalising my debut album, planning a strategy for the releasing and working towards getting sync deals.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm a big sucker for analog. It has some magic to it, some imperfections that are difficult to recreate digitally. If you ask me about photography on analog or digital (which I'm guessing you are not!) I'd say 100% analog. But since we are talking about music here, if I have to choose one I'd have to go for digital. That's how I normally work.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That I will work quickly and that I will deliver my very best performance.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I absolutely love that I'm able to get paid for recording my vocal, it seems kinda like cheating to get paid for something I enjoy doing so much.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That I make music all day. I feel like such a small part of my day actually goes into that. So much of my time goes into some kind of administration work.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'll ask if there's a hard deadline. I'll ask if they have a reference song and if they have any additional info about the song, like what is it written about, what inspired them to make it, just to get a little extra sense of the song. I'll figure out what exactly is needed from me. If it's just my lead vocals or if they want harmonies, doubles and adlibs. If they want me to come up with suggestions of improvements on the lyrics or melody or if they want me to perform it exactly like it is. If we end up working together I'll ask them for the lyrics sheet and the BPM of the song.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Be friendly, be personal. If I feel like I've gotten to know the person a bit and I feel that they are appreciative of my work then the work gets more fun which results in a better outcome.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My tape machine, a bunch of tape, Focusrite, Bluebird mic and my computer

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started making music 10 years ago. My story isn't like so many musician's, that they had passion for music from since they can remember. That was not really my case, my parents saw that I had some musical potential so at the age of 4 started practicing the violin. Later I switched to piano and finally clarinet. I did not enjoy those practices very much. In hindsight I think that having to read notes made me feel restricted and I never developed a passion for it. At the age of 12 I gave up my instruments and found my passion in dancing, there I felt the freedom to express myself. Finding my way into music came as a big surprise to me. I took a trip to Norway that absolutely changed my life for good. I went to work with a street theatre group and there a few things led to me writing my first songs. Firstly I was asked to perform a second harmony with a musician there, that kinda sparked my interest. Secondly I was there with no internet, a lot of free time and guitar in my room. Thirdly I fell in love. I returned back to Iceland a different person. That first night I wrote a song. Then another. Then another. I did not know what was happening. I played my songs to friends and family and so many of them cried. I knew I had something special in my hands. This newly found talent had me a bit confused as I was aiming towards becoming a dancer. I did my bachelors degree in dancing but on the side recorded an EP, went on some self planned tours and made music videos. At that point I never thought I wanted to make music for a living. Skipping a few years ahead, I found myself doing an office job in a new country where I didn't know anybody to play music with or record it for me. It was a low point in my life that forced me to come to terms with the fact that I just wanted to make music. At the age of 27 I decided to study audio engineering. It was a very scary thought; What if I suck at it? What if I'll be the only girl in my class? What if I won't be able to make a living from music? Anyway I took the change and it was one of the best decisions I've made. I met wonderful people, figured recording and producing is not as difficult as I imagined it to be and that I can do it. Now I share a studio with a few talented musicians in Den Haag. I'm working on my debut album and I'm learning new ways to make a living from my craft.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My sync agent put it like this: 'think Joni Mitchell meets Solange' I love that description. I like to mix folk vibes with modern sounds.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Maggie Rogers for sure. It's been so inspiring to me how she talks about how she makes a lot of her own productions. In my early music days it didn't even cross my mind that I could record myself, mix my songs or produce them. The lack of female role models around me really limited my imagination. Finding power women like her in the industry that talk openly about their process is sooo important for young women taking their first steps in the industry. So yeah I'd love to work with her and see her do her thing in the studio.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep your project clean and organised.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Folk, RnB, alternative, EDM, house, techno.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Harmonies. I loooove doing harmonies. Also positivity and determination. I trust myself to be able to satisfy the client and finish every project I take on.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring my sound, My voice is kind of fragile (think Billie Eilish or Clairo) so I record it close mic-ed. That works very well for folk, RnB and alternative music. I’ve discovered that there’s a demand for my type of voice in EDM and techno as well. Also my vocals works very well as a backing vocal supporting the lead vocal.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I normally get everything done in a week. If the job is only to record my vocal (lead or harmony) I can normally get it done real quick. Ones I received an offer and got everything done within a few hours. If there is writing involved it will take a bit longer but I try to get it done within a week. Making music is what I do for a living so I can normally go to the studio as soon as a project comes up. Normally I have a little chat with the costumer and try to get what exactly is needed for the project. If I have to write melodies and lyrics I will do that and send over a rough draft before to see if I'm going in the right direction. Then I go to the studio and record. If I'm recording lead vocals I'll typically add some harmonies, some adlibs and some doubles. I'll send over a rough mix for the client to confirm my performance. I'll do one revision if they want anything done differently. I they're happy with it I'll send over the high quality stems.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I've got a studio in Den Haag, Netherlands. I've got a bluebird mic, a Focusrite 18i8, Yamaha HS8 speakers and a Tascam tape machine. I typically work on Logic but sometimes use Abelton for productions. I've also got a bunch of instruments, an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synths, banjo, kalimba, ukulele, drums and more.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I've been very inspired by Maggie Rogers recently, her spirit, her music and her lyrics. I've also looked up to the Icelandic-Italian musician Emiliana Torrini for basically my whole life. My early music is heavily inspired by her. Recently I've been taking some influences from RnB artists such as Frank Ocean, Solange and Lauryn Hill.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: My favourite thing to do is to to simply record my vocal. When I get a song that’s ready, the instrumental and lyrics sent and I’m left with the task of performing I’m a very happy soul. I have also been doing some toplining projects and writing melodies and lyrics. Sometimes I’ll write melody, lyrics and record myself performing it.