Diandra Interviews Vök: Keeping Humble Enough To Stay Creative

Stars in Iceland, Vök are looking to go global, but when it comes to measuring success, they rather stay humble. For them, especially as singers of dream pop, they feel they need to stay connected and measuring their growth as people to do so as artists. The result is a sound that moves like a winter fantasy, and makes them proud to represent their Icelandic roots throughout the varying music cities of the world. Thus, in our interview, they discuss keeping a level to heart to build an alternate sound.

Diandra: You have mentioned the Icelandic music scene is very supportive and laid back. With internationalizing, how have you observed the music scenes of other countries/ cities? 

Vök: I think by living in a country of 320.000 people it’s easier to get noticed and to put yourself out there. What i have noticed is that it’s a lot harder in other countries to get on the map simply because of hard competition. We have so many talented people in this world and many of them aren’t getting any attention. So it’s a privilege to be a part of the Icelandic music scene and the good reputation it has earned.

Diandra: You have said you are not dominated by money and fame or rather the desire for it. How do you then measure the success of your group? What are your ultimate goals? 

Vök: We are all very grounded and humble, I think money and fame could never change that but you never know until your try it, right? I guess it’s hard to measure the success we’ve had, how do you measure success? In spotify plays? Facebook Likes? Instagram? How many people come to our show? It’s hard to know at the stage we are right now, but the band and I have grown so much the last couple of years, as musicians, instrumentalists , songwriters, lifehackers, and multitaskers: the list keeps on going. The ultimate goal is to find out better who we are, discover new things about ourselves, keep on writing, sharing our musical stories as long as we can, and, hopefully, more people will jump on board! 

Diandra: How do the long winters and extreme temperatures of Iceland influence the style and messages of your music?

Vök: I mean it’s pretty easy to get stuck writing dark and heavy lyrics in the winters. I am more creative in the winter, personally. I don’t know how it is for the boys, but It’s amazing how effective the weather actually is for the creative mind. Songs i remember that were written in the winter is “Lightning Storm” and “Floating”. “Heavier than ever can i see the lighting storm” and “Feel the silence , feel the cold, but trying to feel the warmth” songs about depression and death. The darkness can definitely take you places.

Diandra: A word often used to describe your sound is “dreamy’” and “fantasy,” what do you believe of your sound opens it to such descriptions? Do you aim to be fantastical? 

Vök: I would be lying if i’d say no to that! We have been using ‘’Dream pop’’ as a reference to our sound, but it’s always hard to label it. i’m not a fan of labeling. In a short story, it would be electronic-indie pop or just alternative pop. 

Diandra: What do you say are the biggest differences, in your intentions for listeners, when comparing your record to your live show? 

Vök: Our songs are much more powerful than the listener experiences on records or on spotify. We love to expand our sound and make it bigger and more exciting live. Spice it up a bit.

Diandra: Having spent years together growing your sound, how do you feel you have developed as persons and artists together? 

Vök: Our first EP was raw, minimal, unique, innocent, honest, and some of our fans still like that one the most. Yet, from there, we have always strived to make something new and you can hear it if you listen to our whole catalog. But as I said earlier, we have grown so much the last 5 years, and I can’t wait to get better and better, experience new things, travel to new places and enjoy life as musicians. Still, as I said earlier, we are still figuring out who we are and probably will for the rest of our lives.

Diandra: How has the making of your debut, specifically, changed you as creatives? 

Vök: With each album ,we are learning so much as producers and songwriters. Working with Brett Cox and James Earp has gained us loads of experience and skills.

Diandra: With your debut coming out in 2019, what are you expecting/ hoping for in the new year? 

Vök: We still haven’t had a proper festival season so we are hoping for a busy summer in 2019 (crossing my fingers) But of course, it would be a dream coming true if our new album would go far and uhhmm…. Be successful!

For More Information On Vök Click Here.