This Thursday, Lucerna Music Bar in Prague will welcome probably the biggest star of contemporary Swedish hip-hop, Adam Tensta. On this occasion, I prepared for you an interview with Adam, so that you know who you have the honour to at the concert.
Before we start talking about your career as an artist I think it is important to understand where you're coming from and where you're going. Sweden is usually perceived as a welfare state with a high standard of living. How much does growing up in Tensta deviate from this stereotype?
Well, first of all it's important to understand the demographics of our country. As in every other welfare state, there are always people who in some way are left on the outside. In our case, it's the people living in the „million housing projects“ (areas like Tensta, Fittja, Rosengård, Angered to name a few). Out here the unemployment rate is disturbingly high, this of course leads to a dependence on welfare. Something which in Swedish is called „social bid rag“, translated this means social grants. To me this is a highly ironic term if you think about the situation these people are in. In some parts the segregation from the rest of society is nearly total. I am of course only scratching on the surface, many of these problems are rooted much deeper in cultural and ethnic differences between working class Swedes and second generation immigrants living in these projects. I'm only trying to give you a fair picture of how reality looks like where I'm from.
In an interview with you at the HHK09 you said that you were always following your dream, whatever the dream was at the moment. What's your direction right now?
Today I am living my dream, no matter what my dream is tomorrow I will try and try again until I live that dream too. Someday I would like to tour the world with my music, I would like to write a book and I would like to go back to my studies at the university, just to name a couple.
Everything goes into my life journal, I want it to be packed before I leave this place. My goals and aspirations right now revolve around releasing my music internationally, even though I have a buzz all across the world I haven't yet released anything officially. That would be a dream to me.
Life in the projects obviously is a bottomless well of inspiration for any artist. Your life has changed though, what topics are you going to touch now?
I still live in Tensta so the only thing that's really changed is me not being home as often as before. This gives me a different perspective, I get to miss certain things and I get to escape from others. I think the winning concept is to speak on things that you have close to your heart, things that are personal to you. So whether my topics touch on keeping my cool or playing video games, there is always something in them that people can relate to. I would like to think that people listen to my music cause they see a little bit of them in me, or at least have some own memories to my music.
It seems contradictory to me that you on one hand name artists such as Mobb Deep, Nas or Bob Marley as your idols when you were young and on the other hand promote life without alcohol, smoking and using drugs. Would you like to comment on that?
At one point in life, I was like a blank paper, easily influenced by both good and bad things. These experiences is what made me the man I am today, determined, open minded, vulnerable, every describing word you can think of, mixed into one. I don't judge nobody on the account of their drug use, I get inspired by small parts of the whole picture. Not seeing it as Bob Marley smoking a blunt, but as Bob Marley creating songs that are the soundtrack to my life right now. The contradiction would be NOT to get inspired by artists like that just because you can't co-sign everything they stand for.
For years, Looptroop were pretty much the only Swedish hip-hop artists widely known in the Czech Republic. It started to change when you took the musical scene by storm and I'm sure there are many more great artists in Sweden to look out for. Who would you recommend us and why?
This list could be made long, Swedish hip-hop has been taking a big step during 2009. There’s a lot of talented people, you got the Swedish acts (rapping in Swedish) Maskinen, Lazee, Movits, Kartellen, Medina, Pato Pooh and more. I think we are going to be a force in 2010. Here are my favourite acts:
Eboi, this guy slaughters every song he features on. You might have heard him on my single Dopeboy, if you like what he did on there I would advise you to keep your eyes open for this dude. Next man up!
Dida, like Eboi he is managed by RMH MGMT GRP, a topic driven and very creative artist with worldwide aspirations. Not that many people know about him yet, since he hasn't released anything to date. But when he does, it won't go unnoticed.
J-Son, just dropped his debut album Never Half Stepping. A very talented songwriter and artist, his work has already topped charts both in Sweden and Japan.
You have performed both in Europe and in the US. Could you please compare these two experiences? How do the Americans perceive European music?
Well, everywhere I go whether it's in the US or in Europe, chances are that it's my first time being there. This means that I have to win the crowd over, I can't rely on my name to get attention as I can back home. To them I am a new artist and a new artist ALWAYS has everything to prove. With that said I don't really see it as two different audiences, but as one audience that I have to make a lasting first impression on.
As for the acceptance of my music in the US, it's been going better that I initially thought. Electro influenced music that's been more widely accepted in Europe is starting to catch fire on a mainstream level out there, so more and more people are tuning in. Not just the select crowd of listeners that have been listening for some time now. I think Americans perceive European music as a little more exotic and exclusive. In my mind that's never a bad thing.
People loved your show at the HHK09 and I expect nothing less from your upcoming show in Prague. Do you prefer performing at open-air festivals or in clubs? Is your show different according to the venue? And is it any different for you as an experience?
Thank you, I loved being there!
There's so many variables to take into consideration when it comes to live venues. I of course like both and I find it impossible to pick between them. I like the intimate setting at a club gig, my music goes hand in hand with coming home exhausted from dancing all night in a packed club.
As does it for a festival crowd that have been looking forward to having a good time and saving money all year for a few days at the festival.
My show may differ since I customize it depending on both the length of the show and the crowd. It's a big difference between a crowd consisting of 18-year old club hoppers and a crowd filled with 25-year old music lovers. The only thing that my shows have in common from one stage to the next is that I try to leave the people with their hearts racing.
What does the future hold for Adam Tensta?
It holds a lot of new music, a lot of hard work. I'm only a third of the way there so I have to keep on working hard to achieve my goals. Recording, doing live shows and blogging about it is what I will focus on during 2010. Let's see where it takes us.
Would you like to add anything before we wrap this up?
Strive to be the best, and then even better. And if you haven't already, get in tune with what I'm doing EVERYDAY.
twitter.com/adamtensta
facebook.com/adamtensta
myspace.com/adamtensta
mybestfriendismygrind.com
See u soon! / Adam Tensta
