Last year when Tony Moore gave me the idea to start the Poetry Olympics, I did not realize what was about to happen for the second year. We had settled on printed and ebook prizes – then I received a DM from one beautiful Hildur Höglind. Hildur had just completed the most incredible EP entitled Poems which houses 5 fabulous songs – “On Monsieur’s Departure” (text by Queen Elizabeth the l, music by Hildur Höglind), “Do Not Go Gentle” (text by Dylan Thomas, music by Hildur Höglind), “Spiders” (by Hildur Höglind), “Alone” (text by Edgar Allan Poe, music by Hildur Höglind) and “The Fault In Our Stars” (by Hildur Höglind).” (Referenced from Hildur’s website) To be honest with you I relish all of these songs but – “Spiders” and “The Fault In Our Stars” are my absolute favourite – I just find them so infinitely poignant and profound.
Ok, so, where was I? Oh, yes, Hildur sent me a DM asking if I would like it if she donated her EP Poems as a prize as it is so very related to poetry. I advised her about the books but then gave it some thought and when I was preparing for the second Poetry Olympics, I thought both Songs and Spoken Verse pieces by Indie artists would make amazing prizes. It’s actually the most incredible thing – to have winners listening to not only the authentic words of a writer but also their voice and expression partnered with it.
Recently Hildur released a new EP called Take Off which includes; Take Off, My Heart (Won\’t Skip The Beat That It Should), Further Apart, Tills Jag Får Ro and a bonus track Steal Her Away. Please follow Hildur’s journey on her websiteand Instagram @hildurhoglind.
RMMW: What is your first musical memory?
HH: I have no idea! Music has just always been in my life, so all the memories are such a blur, I can’t tell which comes after the next.
RMMW: We all have an inner critic — how do you contend with yours?
HH: Not very well, unfortunately. I find myself in a very destructive place, creatively, quite often. I don’t have a strategy for it. Jealousy comes easy to me, there are so many songs and phrases I wish I’d thought of and so many things I wish I would have done. I guess I try to focus on concrete things I’ve accomplished to try to kickstart a more positive spiral.
RMMW: Have you ever been creatively blocked, if yes, how did you overcome it?
HH: Haha, I feel like I’m creatively blocked almost all the time! The writing process is usually very slow when I write by myself. Some weeks, even months, I feel like I don’t produce anything of value. But then before you know it, those short and insignificant notes spark something else. I might start on a song years before it’s actually finished, letting it rest. I dislike forcing it.
RMMW: Do you have any artist ritual before starting a new piece?
HH: No, nothing like that at all. I just start writing and stop when I get stuck. I write almost exclusively on my phone, it’s all very un-romantic.
RMMW: Are you a classically trained musician (singer) or self taught?
HH: Both of my parents are trained musicians so I’ve been around music since before I was born, singing since I could talk. However, I’ve been taking singing lessons as well, both outside of school and through school when I got older. RMMW: What\’s your favourite piece written by you?
HH: That’s a difficult question.. I think it might be a song called Matters Of The Heart, which is not released yet. Or maybe a Swedish song that is on the upcoming EP, I’m very happy with how that turned out as well.
RMMW: Where is your favourite place to perform?
HH: No specific place, but rather under certain circumstances. A warm summer evening outdoors with good lighting and sound together with my guitarist father. Maybe in a park och next to the ocean.
RMMW: Do you ever practice at home and, how do your neighbours feel about it?
HH: I almost only practice at my parents house, it’s big and well soundproofed since my dad is a guitar player.
RMMW: What inspired Poems? It\’s riddled with beautiful and eerie tracks which I totally love!
HH: I wasn’t feeling very well mentally during a time a few years ago, and I looked to poetry to find a sense of not being alone in feeling that way. The three poems on the Poems EP are the ones that got to me the most. It came very naturally to compose music for them, and since the lyrics were already there, I could focus fully on the melodies and bringing out the emotions.
RMMW: Can you remember the first time you wrote a song, can you describe it to me?
HH: I actually can’t, I don’t remember. I started writing tiny little songs in my diary when I was really young, but the very first one I can’t recall. Probably something about having a best friend or something like that though.
RMMW: When did you first discover your love of jewellery design?
HH: I’ve been making jewellery using different techniques for as long as I can remember, from when I was a child I’ve always loved details and making little pieces of wearable art. Music took more focus in my teens, but jewellery making has always been in the background. Right now I do some silversmithing, turning forks into Elefant pendants. You can follow @Gaffelefantdesign on Instagram to see what it looks like.
RMMW: What came first learning to sing or play an instrument?
HH: Definitely singing, I’ve done that my entire life. I started playing an instrument, violin, when I was seven.RMMW: If you had a super power what would it be?
HH: I think maybe teleportation, that would be amazing. I love traveling, but it’s expensive and takes such a toll on the environment. I’d also like to be able to tune into what other people feel, like reading minds emotionally. That would be really cool.
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