Vegar L. Nesset is a professional musician, singer, songwriter, born in Trondheim on November 14th. 1974. Since his first discovery of music through the record collection of his big brother, he has used music as a way of communicating words and feelings he couldn’t express in any other ways to the world around him. While talking to The News Tribe (TNT), he was like:

TNT: How would you define yourself as an artist?

VLN: As an artist, but also as a songwriter, I’m constantly searching for honesty and authenticity. The importance of getting the message of each and every song across to my audience is my main goal. And I see myself just as a tool to make it happen. In today’s society I believe it’s up to the artists of the world to force people to once again take a stand against indifference, and give the audience an opportunity to discover different layers of emotions through music. To me, that’s the only way to become unique.

TNT: What message does your music mainly reflect?

VLN: Both musically and lyrically, I’m always trying to create emotional landscapes for listeners to dive into. I never explain my lyrics, and I always leave it up to the listeners so that they find out how my songs can influence their lives. It’s not for me to tell them what to feel or how to experience my music.

TNT: If you are given a chance, you would like to perform with whom and why?

VLN: That will have to be, without a doubt the one and only Tom Waits. Such a free spirited musician, following his inner voice at all times. What’s not to love about an artist like that? Performing with such a musician I believe would open new creative paths for me to follow on my journey through life as a musician and writer.

TNT: What’s your inspiration and how do you define good music?

VLN: I find my inspiration in people I meet, stories I hear, books I read, and movies I watch. In the eyes of a stranger, music I listen to or art by other artists. So I guess my inspiration comes from living everyday life.

Good music to me has to stir up an emotion of any kind and open new doors to new experiences that may follow me throughout life. Or just give me a kick right there and then. You can’t define good music. It has to be felt.

TNT: What is success for a musician according to you in terms of money or fame?

VLN: To me success is when my music touches somebody and makes an impact on his or her lives. So the amount of money you earn or how many glossy magazines you’re in has nothing to do with success to me.

TNT: In such a competitive music environment, what acts as your niche?

VLN: To do justice to the songs I write is my main purpose as a musician. Apart from catchy melodies and meaningful lyrics, I believe in being true to myself and my audience is all I need to survive in this industry.

TNT:  What are three things that you dislike and three things that you like about music industry?

Dislikes:
• Money driven industry with little or no focus on supporting new artist or bands older than the age of thirty. It is when we often find more authenticity and experience in both lyrics and music.

• That reality shows like The Voice, X-factor and its like’s plays such a major role in discovering new talents. These are TV-shows, and have nothing to do with pure musical talent.
• The way music sales have moved away from CDs/LPs and into “free streaming” has almost destroyed the possibility for a lot of musicians to survive. I challenge the industry to come up with new ideas to make it financially safe both to be a musician and to run a record label.

Likes:
• The fact that it’s now possible for anybody to create a record label and release albums both digitally and physically without the help of a major record label is a big step forward for all kinds of musicians. And it makes it easier for the underground scene to reach a bigger audience.
• It’s a positive thing that bands and artists have to focus more on concerts to survive as musicians. That gives the musicians a chance to meet up with their audience and their fans.
• The way music now is published by the music industry has helped musicians worldwide to explore each other’s music and join forces.

TNT: What languages can you sing in?

VLN: As a singer/songwriter I mainly perform and write in English and off course Norwegian (which is my native tongue).

TNT: You take music as a hobby or career?

VLN: Besides being a performing musician, I also work as a voice teacher. So music has definitely become a career for me.

TNT: What would you say about the kind of audience your music has?

VLN: I believe my music could have an impact on everyone. So I don’t think it’s possible to break my audiences down to a certain group of people.

TNT: Tell about your latest projects.

VLN: My latest release is called “EUTERPE”. It is named after the Greek muse of music and lyric poetry. It was recorded in London, UK, throughout 2011 and released on iTunes on the 14th of November 2012.

Thanks to my producer Steven A. Williams, I was able to meet up and play with studio musicians who played with music greatnesses like Sting, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel and Elton John. And I really feel they helped me reach my full potential at the time. To me the recording process was an experience for life.

TNT: Share a few lines on international music scene.

VLN: To survive as a musician internationally today, you have to think outside the box. Don’t spend your lives as musicians on social media like Facebook, MySpace and so on. Get out there, do live shows and connect with your audiences face to face.

TNT: What is your message?

VLN: Stay true to yourself and allow yourself to experience new emotions through the discovery of great music. And wherever you live, remember to support your local musicians by attending their gigs.

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