Carlvillage-The official Carl Norén Streetteam

Hej Guys

Here's a long interview with Carl in swedish.
The interview takes place in Borlänge during the P&L festival.

Go here to read it in swedish.

And here is the english translation:

Carl Norén, one of the brothers from Sugarplum Fairy, gave out his debut solo album 'Owls' earlier this year. We met up with him in Borlänge before his concert at the Peace & Love festival to talk about being recognized, Allsång på Skansen, poetry and the willingness to develope and challenge yourself. But the solo career does not mean the end of Sugarplum Fairy. "Sugarplum will always be stronger than anything else", says Carl Norén.

It is a very war Friday in Borlänge when we meet Carl at Café Esplanad in the center of Borlänge. The Peace & Love festival is yet to open the gates for the day, it's early afternoon and it's relatively calm to be the largest festival in Sweden. Carl Norén lives in Stockholm since seven year but goes home to Borlänge four, five times a year. At feasts and when the festival takes place. He feels comfortable in the green Borlänge and at home in Kvarnsveden in the garden.

- I don't really like it in the actual town of Borlänge, says Carl. I think Borlänge overall is a very good city to grow up in, but it's a lot harder and tougher as teenager and adult. To hang out in cafes or go out is better in Stockholm.

I've heard it's a pretty tough climate in Borlänge?

- Yes, it is and you can feel it. When I left Borlänge there were a lot of street violence and people who got beaten to death, often completely unprovoked. But you still think back at the time. When you're back home it's still like you're a bit more careful. I've never felt that in Stockholm. Any fear.

Lately Carl Norén has both been studying and been working at a restaurant at the same time as being an artist. He started learning literature history at the university to get well-read and because he found it interesting. Now he does it all. Artist in full-time, work half time and studying half time.

- I thought I was going to take a break from the music and begin studying instead, Carl tells us. But I needed some sort of culture so I spent the days at the library. I still had some money left from the artistry to live on for maybe a year. So I sat in the library every day and just read, which gave me a lot of ideas. It is after all a weird life, to just sit in the library, but it gave me a lot as well. After that I wanted to study literature.

- Then I started working at a restaurant as well to be able to finance one more record and to get a studio and start all of that again.

What do you think about working at a restaurant?

- It's actually quite fun. I came there without knowing anything about the industry so I was very humble about it, I wanted to do good. I wanted to learn everything about it, that you're supposed to be subordinate and know about the hierarchy, that you got to show respect for the chef. Get thing out that holds a good standard all the time. It's a lot of fun and you meet loads of nice people. A lot of people there work extra at crafts and design or as musician, so it's a bohemian place. I like it there.

Do people often recognize you at the university and at work?

- Yes, but they usually tell me at the end of a course. At first they don't say anything but when they feel that they know me a bit better it gets out. One day I was on the cover of DN Kultur, and the ladies who read literature said "now you're on my refrigerator at home!". Then they knew me a bit better so they could say something like that. But other than that you can see some examples from people from Fattaru at the university. There are quite a lot of musician who study just for fun.

"One time someone pointed at me and said: 'Howlin' Pelle!'."

Other than that, Carl barely gets recognized walking down the streets of Stockholm. It's mostly when there are German tourists on visit. It also depends on who his company is, when he's all by himself it doesn't happen very often but if he's with the band or his younger brother, people notice them.

- I've kept a lower profile in Sugarplum than my brother has, so I get less awareness than him and my older brother, says Carl.

- My younger brother was in Gothenburg recently, and then two girls came to him and said "just so you know, you look EXACTLY like Victor Norén!". Things like that can happen sometimes. That we don't look like ourselves, but very much alike. And one time someone pointed at me and said 'Howlin' Pelle!'."

No way?

- Yeah. I guess they had seen my face on a CD or something. But stuff like that is just fun. You get a good laugh.

What do you like to do a day when you're free from work?

- That's almost never. But if I am free from any type of work then I do barely nothing. I do nothing and I sit down and talk with to family. Hang out with people, go out grab something to eat and stuff like that.

Carl also tells us that he got some small hobby projects he's doing when or if he got some time over that is too pretentious to be put into light. Like writing poems, just for fun and to learn how to write one. He's not planning on publishing them officially under the name Carl Norén, but has already done it anonymous on the internet.

- I got a secret account on a poetry site where I publish some poems every now and then. But it's not very often. In high school I wrote lots of poems and it's fun doing it. Lots of people do, just to get things out.

Why do you want to be anonymous?

- Partly because if I go out with my name, people might take it in a different way when they know who you are. It's not for sure they know me anyway but if they would, it would just be unnecessary. Maybe people take you more seriously, because you get feedback on this site. It's more honest. So I prefer being anonymous then. I'm doing it mainly for myself.

- It's pretty easy writing poems if you can figure out how it works. But to write good, so that people get what you mean, to get emotions out of it, is really difficult.

What's the difference between writing a poem and a song?

- First of all you got to get the language together. And then to get an emotion more than just saying it. It can be anything, use of metaphores for instance. In lyrics it's more of a story. It doesn't even have to be poetic, it can be the everyday language. If we take Broder Daniels' songs, which I think if really good, they get repeated all the time. "I'll want last long, soon I'll be gone". It's not very poetic but it tells something. If it would have been a poem in Swedish, it would have been just teenage crap.

- In a poem, every word must mean something. You got a certain number of words you can use and every word has to say something. It's must more difficult.

"I do consider it as one of Sweden's biggest TV shows, and if you don't want your music there, you don't have anything to say with your music. Then you don't want to reach out."

When we meet it's a few weeks before Carl Norén, surprisingly enough, is going to appear on Allsång på Skansen. But for Carl Norén it was never a question of saying no when he got asked.

- Of course I said yes. Maybe I wouldn't have done that years ago but it felt right. I wanted to do something different. I've always said that my music is about doing whatever you want without caring about what people might think. The person who seems cool is usually not the person who IS cool, cool is the person who is proud of what he or she does and can stand for it.

- The band Europe recently said that it's nerdy playing at Allsång på Skansen. And that says more about them, that they sort of demand getting accepted by the critics. I do consider it as one of Sweden's biggest TV shows, and if you don't want your music there, you don't have anything to say with your music. Then you don't want to reach out.

- It feels weird thinking that my music will appear on there, but on the same time it's pretty cool. When Håkan Hellström played there the Swedes taste of music got better at once. People started listening to something that really means something.

Would you have felt different about it a few years ago?

- Yeah, I probably would have. Maybe it's about maturity. And also because I felt that Anders Lundin is some kind of childrens' show host. He was a bit too much.

You didn't like him?

- Nah. Måns feels more.. he's in the same age I am. Younger even. And very nice. Maybe he's a bit too good. I heard that Filip and Fredrik said something about that in their podcast, that it should be a more broken person. But I still think he does a good job, and then you should be nice. He's perfect for it!

"I often feel that I don't want to do it, but if I do I'll get pass it and develope as a person."

Will you be nervous before the show?

- Yes, says Carl quickly. Definitely. I'll be that. But I usually do things I perhaps shouldn't do or can do. Because that challenge you. I do lots of lectures and sometimes songwriting schools or talk about something in front of people. I often feel that I don't want to do it but if I do I'll get pass it and develope as a person. Allsång på Skansen is one of those things I suppose, I'll learn something out of it.

Does the fact it's on TV make you more nervous?

- Not really, I don't think much of the TV. It's more the fact there are so many things going on and so many things around you. But I keep myself calm.

Carl is quiet for a few seconds.
- I get nervous for everything. Nervous for tonight. I don't really think it's fun doing stuff until it's done. I've always been a bit worried when it comes to music. I hate when you're about to release a record and critics are about to have their say. Every time, I ask myself why I'm doing it, what's the point? But then comes the rush of creating things, and to be out meeting people who like your music. That's the meaning. But this whole thing about having to achieve something, that can be hard on you.
"Sugarplum is like a family. It's something I grew up with. Sugarplum will always be stronger than anything else"

Right now his younger brother is doing his stuff, at the same time their recording with Sugarplum Fairy with whom they're planning on releasing something new as soon as possible. Carl is also currently writing more songs for his solo career.

- Yeah, absolutely. I'm writing songs the whole summer. Trying to find something, trying to make something that to me is different. Take another step, at some direction.

Do you feel like the things you do solo wouldn't work with Sugarplum Fairy?

- Nah. Not really. Sugarplum is like a family. It's something I grew up with. Sugarplum will always be stronger than anything else. When we're all together, we do it better than me or Victor would do it by ourselves. Because we have played together for so long. So there's no reason for me to write a slow ballad, then it's not Sugarplum, then it's Carl Norén, and I might as well do that on my own.

- When we're all playing a song like 'Stay young' it's Sugarplum and it's damn good. Because we've been working together for ten years to get our sound and given each other every seconds of our sparetime to get it to sound like that, and that will last.

- It's like the Russian, Soviet hockey team who won against everyone. They lived together. That's how hard we've practised as well, just to be able to do what we're doing.

What are your plans for the future?

- I've got new plans all the time. Always trying to come up with things I can do. If you would have asked me ten years ago if I would still be making music today, I would have said no, probably not. I might have said that I would have a family and living abroad or be studying to be an engineer. But that's not the way it turned out. So let's see what happens. Maybe I'll graduate master in literature and start reviewing books.

- I think that for each door you can open, there are ten more to open. The way of life gets painted one piece at a time and you never know where you will end up.

Published: on a Swedish site called Rocksoul.se

Translation: Celine Jacobs

Love
S.

Carlvillage-The official Carl Norén Streetteam

Friday, 16 December 2011

Vote for Carl & Mando

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Carl Norén as support of the MD Autumn Tour

Monday, 15 August 2011

Long interview with Carl - in swedish&english

Friday, 12 August 2011

Tired of Running live P&L

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Radio interview with Carl

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Walking down memory lane

Sunday, 31 July 2011

pics from last night