Bergen-based singer dePresno has been around for some years now – constantly evolving and surprising with new sounds and facettes. With a growing fan-base and more success, listings in various “New Music Friday”-Playlists from Spotify he is not just anymore that “the next big thing” – he has achieved very much for his young age.
We have written several times about his music – and his latest great song Mr. Big here.
We had the chance to sit together with him to talk about roots, music, Bergen and other things.
Thankfully he did a cool stripped down version of his latest song Mr. Big for us:
How did you actually start making music?
I have never planned of becoming an artist or singer, music was just a heart-thing.
I sat in my boys room and sang a little bit. My foster brother convinced me to record one song in my phone and to never show it to anybody. But then that christmas I got like “You’re going to the studio and record that song”. I was super-scared and waited like 3 years to call the guy at the studio. But then I went to the studio and recorded a cover of Donovan and he kind of said “Let’s keep in touch, you are really good”. – And now he is my manager.”
You mentioned the cover version of Donovan – why did you record this one or this style?
My dad plays a little guitar and I heard it my whole childhood.
And I have this film from me as a baby, when I am crying and my dad is playing a swedish folk tune – and then I am completely silent. It is very fascinating to see.
He told me a lot about folk / singer-songwriter like Donovan, Bob Dylan and actually he was a huge fan of Bob Marley. We had only one CD in the car: “Best of Bob Marley” – so it was when we we’re driving always like (sings) “Buffalo Soldier..”
I have many of these weird references from my dad, which is good – to have a variety of style.
That’s right – and now it make sense that one of your first songs was the cover-version of Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the devil”.
Yes, I had actually a meeting with my manager and we talked about that we wanted to do a cover song just right before an EP is out. We talked about Grateful Dead – and it was much fun doing this song.
Is it possible that you will do an EP of cover songs in the future?
I have done some cover versions now, some for NRK P3. And I like to take covers, that are a little bit weird or not so typical. I love doing it, so maybe it will happen.
But for now the album has gotten the most priority?
Yeah, probably the album at the moment is more important.
The new EP will come out in the next weeks, and then there is a lot of new music to be released – we have songs already.
But I think it is my debut album and I don’t want to put stress in it – there is no bad time for a debut album but you have only ONE debut album. But it will be out next year. I am so excited about it.
And about your music videos: It is good see that someone doesn’t take him too serious and has fun. How did you come up with that?
The last three music videos I did with two guys I went to school with and they are really fun to work with. So we meet and think what we can do in the videos and do it.
As a music act you evolve. I started out quite serious but as I grow up, I see that it is allowed to have fun with music. It doesn’t have to be just heartbreaking or sad stuff.
Unless you are Aurora..
(Laughs) Yes, that’s true. And it has to be that in the brilliant way she is.
Are there – beside AURORA – other acts from Bergen you would recommend?
Fred Well is amazing – he has a song out, it is called “Complicated”. That song is so good, I like it very much. Actually this song came out the same day as Mr. Big – and they were written the same day as well. We we’re both at a writer’s camp in Bergen and I heard that song.
Bergen, the city with the rain…
There’s always gonna be some rain in Bergen, that’s what you know. But I like Bergen a lot, it’s not too big but there is much happening.
And what are you listening too at the moment?
Oh, so much – I have always a big playlist on my phone. I like Madison Beer’s Dead very much, it has a strong chorus.
A big THANK YOU to dePresno and SONY MUSIC for this funny chat!
0 comments on “Our interview with dePresno & ‘Mr. Big’ acoustic session”