Check The Notes with Marie Dahlstrøm

With roots in Denmark, Marie has spent the last decade in London as one of their prominent R&B acts. It’s even more impressive that she’s accomplished that notoriety as an independent artist. She’s been featured in a number of music outlets, high profile playlists and even caught the attention of former rapper-turned-media-mogul Joe Budden. A sure sign of a growing global audience.

There’s no denying the soul in Marie’s voice or the enormous love and life experience in her lyrics. Intentional or not, I believe she’s created a catalog (so far) for regular folks navigating young adulthood. And for that alone, I’ll continue to celebrate her gift. Without further ado—

Do you remember when you fell in love with music? Did that moment also inspire you to become an artist? I remember having a singing lesson in my early teenage years, and we were learning a kirk franklin song-- I remember feeling a specific way about the music.

What musician has influenced you the most throughout your career? I’ve been through many phases and seasons with music, I had my rock/indie years where I used to listen to Placebo every day, then I had a phase of jazz that lasted very long, where I used to study Diana Krall and Lars Jansson, Lizz Wright, then I discovered the whole neo-soul moment and started listening to all the live albums, Jill Scott, Erykah… All the classics! One of my personal favorites is Musiq Soulchild. I think I know just about every song lol.

You’ve more than proven yourself (capable) at self-production, but who are some of your favorite producers you’ve worked with so far? I love working with DanDiggas and Conor Albert. There is a natural flow in those sessions, where the songs just create themselves without too much discussion. I love those kinds of sessions. The music needs to take you somewhere, not the other way round, where the song in being analyzed before we even get to the chorus.

How has motherhood impacted or changed your artistry? Motherhood has made me love music even more – when you have less time, it becomes clear what things to prioritize. And to me it’s music!

I found an old interview where you mentioned you were in a band before going solo; can you touch on your experience during that transition? Yes, I was in a band when I was in music school with another girl! And before that I was in a kids group, we were in the Danish version of Eurovision when I was 11. I was terrified to become a solo artist! I had no clue what I was doing, ha, but eventually it started to make sense

Speaking of groups, how did the Her Songs collective come about, and should we expect more music from the group in the future? Her Songs was organically created through social media and the five of us putting our heads together to set up the concept and find funding. We are gonna try and do another Her Songs project soon!

What’s been your most memorable live performance so far? Hmm, it’s hard to say, I think all my headline shows bring memories! I really enjoyed my last one! Always magical and humbling to hear people sing along and to give something back.

Our art serves as a moment of self-reflection, being the beautiful body of work that Like Sand is, what did you learn about yourself in the writing process? To trust my intuition when it comes to music. And life.

What’s one emotion you hope to evoke when someone listens to your music? Vulnerability.

What impact do you want to leave on the music industry, particularly for women coming behind you in this space? I hope people will find some inspiration from my journey. I moved to another country with 0 music contacts, and built for 10 years, just me and my manager. No big team, no inside people, no anything, no label deals. To me, I feel I’ve done everything I could, even though there are things I still dream of. I hope that people won’t give up!

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you want to do? I am doing a PhD part time in Neuroscience, so a researcher! But besides that, a tennis player, or a chef. Tennis is my 2nd love, I used to play at elite level as a teenager but stopped to eventually go for music. Foodwise, I am gluten, dairy and egg free and it’s made me build up a catalogue of good recipes that I would love to share soon.

What’s bringing you joy these days? My son.

Before you go, I want to leave you all with a set Marie put together to give you an idea of what she’s keeping in rotation, along with some of her own records. Also, be on the lookout for her sophomore album A Good Life, available on May 22nd, on all platforms. In the meantime, you can spin her latest single “Make It Up To You” here.

Check The Notes with Marie Dahlstrøm

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