Highasakite
Highasakite is a Norwegian indie-pop band consisting of five talented artists: Ingrid Helene Håvik (vocals), Trond Bersu (drums), Øystein Skar (synths), Marte Eberson (synths) and Kristoffer Lo (guitar, percussion and flugabone).
Few bands manage to be so accessible and yet so complex and experimental. Highasakite is a master of balancing the sweet with the bitter. They have the musical skills to keep it interesting, the melodic hocks to make it memorable, and the pop sensibility to make it enjoyable.
Their debut album, All That Floats Will Rain, was released in Norway in February, 2012 and reached the #16 on the Norwegian Albums Chart.
Now they are returning with a new album Silent Treatment and the new single Since last Wednesday is attracting lots of attention.
We caught up with the vocalist Ingrid to talk about the new album, touring, inspiration and plans for the future.
How did you start Highasakite? Whose idea was it to start a band?
It started with me and Trond – the drummer. We just recorded a song for an alternative Christmas Calendar, then I got some kind of scholarship and then we decided to record an album. That’s how we did it.
What’s the story behind the band name – Highasakite?
We just really couldn’t come up with anything better. We had to come up with something really fast and we were listening to the ‘Rocket man’ song by Elton John and we heard him singing that. [“…And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then…”]. And that’s how we called our band.
How would you describe the music that you create?
I would just describe it as indie-pop music.
We had to come up with something really fast and we were listening to the ‘Rocket man’ song by Elton John; we heard him singing that: "I’m gonna be high as a kite". And that's how we called our band.
What is your inspiration?
Various songs of artists, different music. Everything, basically.
You’ve released a debut EP ‘In and out of weeks’ last September. Do you think it’s going to be a starting point of your international career?
Yeah, absolutely, that’s what we’re trying to do. We really want to tour all over the world and we hope that this is going to be beginning and that we can continue on touring when the album is coming.
Could you tell me more about your upcoming debut album?
I don’t really know where to start; it’s a much bigger album than the previous one, because we were working in the recording studio. This time, there are a lot more instruments, so the sound is a lot bigger. I think it’s a lot more ‘grown-up’ sound.
How is it going to be different from your previous album ‘All that floats will rain’?
Well, it’s the bigger sound and we worked on it for a really long time. It is more produced.
There are a lot of upcoming gigs listed on your official website. What do you look forward to the most?
We just look forward to the whole experience of playing our music and being busy with touring.
You also have a gig in London on 19 February this year. It’s the only one in the UK for now. Do you think you might have more concerts in the UK after that one?
I hope so. I’m not really sure just yet as we’re currently working on some other things.
What can people coming to your shows expect?
Good music which they hopefully like.
How did you start promoting your band? How did you get noticed in the beginning?
We started off by releasing our first album here, in Norway. Later we’ve received lots of attention because it [the album] got really good reviews.
Thousands of people are watching your videos and listening to your songs on YouTube. How does it feel to see your popularity rising?
I don’t really pay much attention to that. I’m just happy that people are listening to our music.
Highasakite band. The vocalist Ingrid Helene Håvik (in the middle) talked to Female FirstWhat are your thoughts on an upcoming gig in Austin, Texas, US?
I’m really looking forward to it, because we were there last year too and we have a lot of fans there. It was a really awesome place to be.
Would you collaborate with other artists in the future? Who would you choose and why?
I would love to collaborate with tons of artists. It would be really great to work with Justin Grennan, Bon Iver and there a lot more, but it’s only a dream to work with some of them and that’s why I’m embarrassed to say.
How does it feel like to be praised by music industry giants like NME, Clash, Fader, SPIN?
It gives us a lot of free publicity and I’m really grateful that they do bother to write about us. This allows us to go and keep on playing the music that we love.
How do you guys spend your free time when you’re not recording or creating music?
Most of us have other bands. So, when we’re not playing in Highasakite, we’re playing in the other bands.
What are you other favourite bands or musicians?
There are a lot of really cool Norwegian musicians that I really like. I’ve been listening to Fever Ray lately. There are a lot of musicians and bands that I like.
What are the plans for the future?
Right now, our only plans are to release this new album, go on tour and just create the music.
The newest album by Highasakite - 'Silent Treatment' will be released on February 3rd (Norway) and March 4th (the rest of the world).
Highasakite is performing at the 'Birthdays' venue in London, Wednesday, February 19th, 2014 at 7.00pm.
To listen to their music go to:
www.highasakite.no/videos.html
www.youtube.com/user/Highasakiteband
You can also find them on iTunes and Spotify.
By Toma Sukyte - for female First