Interview to Team Me

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interviewer:Fukuryu
photo:Yuya Shimahara
translator:Angeluz G.,Akiko Noguchi
text:Kanako Motoyama

A Norwegian band, Team Me conveys sparkling and dreamy sound with the vocal’s voice appealing to our hearts. Its majestic sound six members play makes us feel exhilarated. Their first live in Japan was very successful, where the members themselves freely enjoyed their performance. Here is our interview to Team Me!

Even though it’s been raining for these days, how was Japan for you guys?

Synne(S): It’s been totally amazing. We liked the warmth of all the people and the culture. All of us hoped that we could have more time here. Marius(M): We want to check out Kyoto, Gibri museum and more stuff for sure. We really want to come back to Japan.

Your band name is catchy. Where is the name derived from?

M: It basically started as a solo project. I played the guitar and wrote some songs. One of the songs made it to the radio contest finals, and I had to play a live show. So I phoned up my friends to ask if they could join me and help me out. That’s the origin of “Team Me.”

What are differences between performing as a solo and as a band?

M: There are a lot of differences: mainly traveling together for tours with a large group of people and getting really close to each other. Doing things alone is pretty lonely-some (laugh).

Each member started playing many instruments at the live. How do you make and record your songs, using a lot of instruments?

M: Usually, I and Synne write a song and arrange it together. And then, we go to the studio to record the song. We add layers on top of each other by using various instruments. S: We have never planed which instruments to play. It just comes out.

Where do you get inspirations of songs and lyrics from?

M: There are so many sources we get inspirations from, which includes not only music, but movies, books, and of course, anime. We really like Ghibli anime: “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and so on. My favorite one is “Spirited Away” S: We started watching all the anime, and we couldn’t stop it (laugh).

We feel stories behind your songs. Does the influence come from your home country?

M: Definitely, yes. They are basically small stories about my life. All of us started from countryside, and then moved into a big city. The stories are about being in a relationship, love, family issues.

Where would you recommend us to visit in Norway?

S: I recommend Skansen Flisa, which is my hometown. There are little beach and river there. We go there every summer. We like to play with rubber boats. M: Another place is Sagtijernet, Eleverum, which has a small lake where I grew up. I used to go there to swim when I was a kid. That place gave me lovely memories. Diving and Swimming during night time is really beautiful.

Tell us about Norway’s music scene in these days.

M: Norwegian music, American music, and British music are popular. They are used in commercials. S: Underground music in Norway includes everything, from pop bands to singer song writers, etc. There are a lot of great bands that no one ever gets a chance to hear, which is a shame.

Your album “To The Treetops!” is released in Japan in February. Which songs would you recommend from your album?

M: I recommend the first song in our album, “Riding My Bicycle (from Ragnvalsbekken to Sørkedalen Sшrkedalen).” Ragnvalsbekken is actually my hometown, Skansen. It’s about a journey from the place where we grew up to the capital Oslo, a big city. I also like “Patrick Wolf & Daniel Johns,” which is the third song. It’s about a time in my life when I was really happy. “Patrick Wolf & Daniel Johns” is as a metaphor for that period of my life time. After the time I wrote the song, I was missing that time. I also recommend the song “Fool.” For example, you are in a relationship with a girl. The girl you really like gives you a lot back. This song is about not knowing what you’ve got until you lose it. Always have to happen something bad before you notice the preciousness.

What is the future goal of your band?

S: We hope to come back to Japan in the future. Since we really enjoy writing music, playing music, and recording music, our basic plan is to keep going as long as we can. M: To make music is what makes us happy. We don’t necessarily like anyone else’s music, but we must like our own music. So we want to continue doing our own art work and designing our CD covers and T-shirts (the cover of “To the Treetops!” is Simon’s art work).