Free love
Kat Boelskov hurts in sounds and words. Her recent Amateur (2010) is a big proof for every ear accustomed to walk on the brightest side of life. Her lyrics are full of raw honesty about the sentimental links but also burning desire to live and look for new questions and create new answers. Her continuous evolution proves that a broken mirror can be the birth of something precious.
Darkness surrounds your voice singing desperately like a soul caged. Isn’t Everything enough?
Sometimes everything is too much! The desperation stems from not being able to contain the happiness coming from having EVERYTHING you want, just then and there. It’s like a pressure cooker! Your body must express these feelings, shout it out, WWRRAAAGGHHH to a degree that leaves you unable to actually just enjoy and appreciate the moment.
Suddenly, your soul is finally disengaged but nothing left to achieve after a painful love that you feel as an industrial sound that hurts too much. Isn’t love a part of the real world?
It is, though sometimes love can be a construction that isn’t ‘real’ as such. Merely something you imagine or wish it to be.
Coming back to real world you sing a Tapestry of regrets. Don’t you think that is a big mistake to identify love with happiness?
That depends how you define love. I believe love is essential to happiness, but does not have to be limited to the romantic notion of love between two people, in the conventional ‘relationship’ sense. Feelings of love can exist between friends, family, or in any kind of brief positive relation. There is love of art, nature, a good book, the view from a certain rooftop, good sex, or love of your work when you get in a creative flow. It’s in the little things as well.
Peace gives some light to the sound of the album but you need isolation to get it. Are people the devil?
They can be! I often despair of mankind as a whole. What is wrong with us? How can we be so evil? I tend to bury my head in the sand to an embarrassing degree when it comes to following the news or engage in politics. I simply can’t handle it, knowing what‘s going on in the world. Honestly, I often think I will never have children, as I don’t want them to experience all the evil ways of the world.
A funny song called Girls in love in contrast with the rest of the album. Irony?
They can be! I often despair of mankind as a whole. What is wrong with us? How can we be so evil? I tend to bury my head in the sand to an embarrassing degree when it comes to following the news or engage in politics. I simply can’t handle it, knowing what‘s going on in the world. Honestly, I often think I will never have children, as I don’t want them to experience all the evil ways of the world.
A funny song called Girls in love in contrast with the rest of the album. Irony?
Not at all! Just a bit of fun. As it is my first album, I wasn’t able to restrict myself to one sound or genre, I just went with whatever I felt, and let the songs take the lead to where they wanted to go. (Bonus fact: for this song, lasting 2.42 minutes, I managed to squeeze in the word ‘love’ in 18 times.)
This time has a dreamful air with your desire full of hope. Are you optimistic or naive?
Must it be one or the other? I’d define myself as optimistic, but definitely not naïve. I’m hopeful, but not in a dreamy kind of leave-it-to-destiny kind of way. I’m very determined, and work hard to achieve the dreams I hope will come true.
Mood gives us a dark vision of society. Chasing the shadows of all too many dreams, infinite choices and possibilities. Is happiness for sale?
In a word, no.
I thing u should know makes me wonder if we’re able to be free. Is love free or is freedom love?
This question touches on something that’s been occupying my thoughts a lot lately. The idea of being able to let go, instead of holding on desperately to what or whom you love. I believe true love cannot exist without a certain amount of freedom. I dream of one day being able to love someone while at the same time grant them complete freedom. But of course it’s not so simple, all the feelings of jealousy and low self-esteem gets in the way.
Could you explain us how do you see the music scene in Denmark?
I’ve no idea how to answer this! I sense there are a lot of creative and talented people here but I just sit here in my little flat, where I make my music and do my promotion for it. I’m actually targeting people outside of Denmark to become aware of my music, as I prefer to communicate in English. (Due to my 9 years in London.) I don’t really go out much, or interact with anyone in the music business.
The word amateur has a Latin root that means to love something. Are you still an Amateur?
All the way! I love what I do. Another definition is the opposite of a professional, i.e. someone who does not make a living from what they do. That’s me as well, though hopefully one day this will change.
The truth is her album has a lot of details to disturb us and take us to new places, with the lights on or turned off. Finally, light is inside us and Kat shows us hers as a beautiful one living in the eternal contradiction of research.Interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Photos of Sofie Nørregaard