Tooji was visiting Stockholm last week for a brief work visit, so we met up with him to have a nice ol’ chat.
The man who is right now most famous for representing Norway at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the sublime ‘Stay’, is working on new songs that will continue his big launch in popworld. And it’s mostly this that we wanted to speak with him about. What’s it gonna sound like? Both his singles so far have been very different from each other, but it turns out that they were only an intro for what’s to come – which is something even more different. He played us some new music and we were very impressed. We’d call it a cross between Marina & The Diamonds and early Mika. Very theatrical. And still very pop thankfully. But it gave us a much better idea of who he is as an artist.
Obviously we wanted to talk to him about Eurovision too. The whole experience, and of course the bittersweet result of qualifying from his semi into the final, but finishing dead last.
And then we had some questions for him that were put to us via some of his fans on Twitter the day before.
Let’s see what he had to say about all of THAT!
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scandipop: So what are your plans for these few days here in Stockholm?
Tooji: My plans are to do a couple of interviews and then after that I’m gonna be working with Chris Wahle who is a producer here. He’s awesome, he’s very good. He gets my ideas.
scandipop: Are you doing anything else with Ana Diaz, whom you did ‘If It Wasn’t For You’ with?
Tooji: Yes, we met yesterday actually. We not only have a good chemistry when it comes to writing songs, but we’re good friends too. She’s a very emphatic person and she really understands your vision. So instead of trying to come up with her thing, she really brings out the facets of artists. So it’s really fun working with her.
scandipop: You’re here in Stockholm right now. Do you find that it’s a better place to work on new music in, because of all of the writers and producers here, compared to your home city of Oslo?
Tooji: I think Sweden is much more involved when it comes to the cultural scene, regarding both fashion and music. They really push their artists to go forth and compete on an international level. In Norway if you wanna do pop you kind of have to do it in Norwegian, and in rap too it’s always in Norwegian. So that kind of limits the music. If you look at the top 10 on Norwegian iTunes there’s like five Swedish tracks there. You have Laleh, you have Robyn…
scandipop: Alina Devecerski…..
Tooji: “DU MÅSTE FLYTTA PÅ DIG”! And of course Loreen. So yeah, Sweden really are pushing their artists. And I find that when it comes to pop, it’s definitely the place to work.
scandipop: Would you ever be tempted to move to Stockholm?
Tooji: I love Oslo. It’s really my city and I’ve set my roots there. But I could definitely move for a period of time to work, and I’ve been thinking about doing that.
scandipop: So what’s your forthcoming sound then? Because ‘Stay’ was obviously the big dancepop track, but then ‘If It Wasn’t For You’ was a heartfelt ballad dedicated to your Mother. So which of those is more representative of what we’re gonna be hearing from Tooji in the future?
Tooji: I’ve been hooked up with this songwriter called Justin Tranter. And Justin writes songs for Bieber, for Rihanna, for J-Lo, and he’s a singer in the warm up band for Gaga. He’s talented! And he comes tripping in on his golden high heels, leather jacket, and make-up from here to hell. He then sits on the side of the couch, pours some whiskey into his tea, and he says; “ok Tooji, I feel you’re grand, I feel you’re dramatic, you’re a little drama queen“! And I’m like “...yeah I guess” ha ha! But he really really came out with the essence of who I am musically. And it’s definitely gonna be much more darker than anything you’ve heard from me. ‘Stay’ was a Eurovision song and I made it for Eurovision. I felt like I wanted to adjust myself for that kind of scene, you have to. My goal was to win in Norway, and I did. And then I went all the way to the finals and it didn’t go so well there, ha ha! And after that I came out with a song to my Mom, a sort of thank you song, closing that chapter. And now I’m very excited to show who I am musically. It’s dark and it’s very dramatic and grand. But it’s very fun.
scandipop: Oh ok, so you’d say that actually neither of your previous singles are truly representative of your sound at all, and they’re more introductory singles before the real Tooji comes along.
Tooji: True. And also I thought that before I get my real freak out of the closet, it’s better to say thank you to my Mom first, ha ha! And also I’ve done a lot of acoustic performances over the summer too, and that’s been more to establish myself as a singer. With a pop song that has a big show, people think “oh ok, he’s doing a show, but can he sing?“. So it’s been a little more about establishing that part. And also I’ve always had a little bit of stage fright too. So I wanted to go through the process of getting used to the stage and getting over that, so that when I do get this freak out of the closet and I can get it it all out.
scandipop: Getting your freak out of the closet. I do like the sound of that. Ok, so this forthcoming album. When do you think it’s gonna be close to completion, and when do you think it’ll be released?
Tooji: I’m actually not really focusing on the album right now, just on singles – really those songs that stick together and make the package. So I’m thinking track by track. And then an album when the time comes. Times have changed, y’know. When I go on iTunes I don’t buy an album. I just choose the songs I like.
scandipop: I must confess – before January when I saw the list of artists competing in Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix and saw your name there attached to a Peter Boström song, I’d never actually heard of you before. And I imagine a lot of readers were in the same boat. But of course there WAS a Tooji before Melodi Grand Prix. So what exactly were you doing – music wise? Did you have a music career before MGP?
Tooji: I’m educated in the children’s welfare system, the children’s protective service. So I took a bachelor in that and I also studied metaphysics. I’m very philosophical but that was very boring, so I went over to the children’s welfare system instead and took a bachelor in that. I knew I wanted to work in that field, working with children and helping children. The older we get the more stubborn we are and the more blocked we are to our patterns, but with children there’s still so much hope there. I knew that one day I would get a voice, and I wanted to use it. But I knew that I needed a background that would give me some depth. People will need to know that I know what I’m talking about, so that I’m not just all; “oh yeah, like, peace and war and politics and stuff!“. I’ve been working with music since I was 19 – that’s when I found out I had a voice or at least admitted to myself that I had a voice. So I’ve been working for five years now just evolving myself as a musician and as a singer. I’ve mostly done it myself just hopping from studio to studio. At first nobody gives a shit and you’re just wasting somebody’s time. But you have to be humble, because you’re a nobody. And that’s when I met my manager for the first time. It was her who said to me that I had to get out of my cave where I’d been spending all this time writing songs, and just get out there in the public eye. And she said that of course the best way to put yourself out there in Norway on the pop scene in through Melodi Grand Prix. So I wrote ‘Stay’ together with Peter Boström. My goal was to win in Norway because if I accomplished that then I would have the voice that I’ve mentioned. And it went really well in Norway. I think everything else in Norway was a big bonus, but once you’ve tasted the gold – you wanna win! But then I’m very much like that as a person – I’m all in, or not at all.
scandipop: Going into the Melodi Grand Prix contest in Norway, I wanted you to win because ‘Stay’ was my favourite of the songs. And I’m not just saying that y’know cos you’re here right now, you can read it in the archives of scandipop.co.uk, it’s all there in black and white and pink…
Tooji: Ha ha ha, well thank you so much.
scandipop: But did you go into the contest thinking “I’m gonna win this“?
Tooji: Yes I did, I did. Not even that I had the best song, but I believed in what I had as a performance, and I believed in my team. We were a very good team and a very loving team, a lot of positivity all around. But I’m also a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and I try to learn from every situation. And then of course when the results in Eurovision came around I was like; “well what was the reason for this?” – the universe leads me all this way and then…….what’s the reason for this? And maybe it’s because if things had gone too easy for me, maybe I would lose the value in it and not appreciate every step. Because now I’m out and in Norway, everything has changed. I’ve always wanted to work with children and help children via a higher profile, and now I can front things, projects that I care about, because of what I’ve achieved so far. So the whole experience opened my dream on that side of things. And now people know who I am, or that I’m singing at least, and so now I can step by step build myself up. So there’s something good to everything. I think everything happened the way it should do too – because I could absolutely not see anybody else more worthy as a winner, I’m very happy that Loreen won.
scandipop: Hearing you talk about it there, and earlier on in our chat……it really is a shame to hear you talk about Eurovision like it was such a flop. Because at the end of the day you went there and you……
Tooji: No I don’t think of it as a flop. The results were a flop. But the experience of it, and to come to the finals, that was…….really, the school of learning, and working with that team, and being a part of something that big with all those millions and millions of viewers – if I’m not satisfied with that, then I’m the biggest brat ever. And I am really satisfied with it.
scandipop: Good. Because putting myself in your shoes earlier this year – my goal would have just been; “please. please just let me reach the final“, because then you’re at least improving on last year’s really disappointing result, when a big favourite such as Stella and ‘Haba Haba’ stayed languishing in its semi, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone.
Tooji: Yeah, that’s right.
scandipop: So the fact that you did improve on that and that you did make the finals – it’s a great achievement. Yes it’s hard to then come last in the final…..
Tooji: True. If all of the good artists were on one side and I was left on the other side, then I would take it ill. But it wasn’t like that at all. It’s a family show and it’s a competition, and that’s the way it is. But I really didn’t take it that heavy! I just saw that from the outside a lot of people were like “oh that must have been really bad” but I’m like “no, it really wasn’t, I’m really happy!”.
scandipop: Obviously going into Eurovision it’s a very hectic and busy and stressful time. The two weeks before and even the two months leading up to it must be so manic. So how does one recover from all of that? Did you just go to a cottage and meditate for a week and chill out, or……
Tooji: Do you know what, normally I would have done that! But actually during the whole Eurovision process I didn’t drink any alcohol. I wanted to keep my energy clear, and I didn’t even HAVE the luxury of being hungover one day. As a front person of a team you have to be correct all of the time, you have to be diplomatic, you have to be there and awake, and you have to be a leader type. I didn’t just want to be the regular artist where everyone is taking care of me all of the time – I wanted to be a part of the team. I work as a team. But after that I was like “ok – bottoms up!”, ha ha! So I partied non-stop for a week….
scandipop: Oh God you must have been drunk after only one glass.
Tooji: Ha ha, I was. And then I went and stayed at my Mom’s cabin and just chilled out for a couple of days. Because it’s like a train – it goes at full speed and then it just stops. And you get all of these emotions that you were supposed to go through a long time ago, right at the back of your head. And then I had to process a lot of these emotions, like a cycle – be happy….be sad…..but happy. And I just needed to stabilise that. I needed to calm down.
scandipop: So now, in terms of releasing your music and in terms of as you’ve said – releasing your inner freak out of the closet – do you think you’re now gonna have to work hard to lose that Eurovision tag?
Tooji: No. No, because it’s not a tag that’s negative.
scandipop: Ok. Are you sure? I mean, for example take P3 radio in Norway – isn’t there a concern that they might not playlist a future single of yours because you’re “that Eurovision artist”? Because it can be like that in Sweden sometimes. Obviously not for Loreen, but for others.
Tooji: Well exactly – it’s about what type of artist you are, and your sound. It depends on the song. If I was to have gone to Eurovision and been like Jedward, well then I can understand it. But I didn’t. ‘Stay’ was a good pop song. And now I’m gonna show a different side of me, a much more musical side of me. Plus, if the song is good then that’s what’s important.
scandipop: Of course. Ok Tooji, so yesterday I wrote on Twitter that I would be interviewing you today. And I asked if anybody had any questions that they would like me to ask you.
Tooji: Oooh, ok, that’s nice!
scandipop: And the question that I got most of all was – is he gonna release his music outside of Norway, is he gonna come to this country, is he gonna come to that country…….people wanna see you!
Tooji: My dream is to……a lot of artists have this American dream where they wanna go to the States and whatever, but I don’t have that. I wanna make it big in Europe. And most of my fans are in Europe now anyway too, because of Eurovision. So yes, my dream is to reach out into Europe, but it’s step by step. I know that I have some international calling.
scandipop: People were asking about specific countries – which ones would you like to visit?
Tooji: That’s a lot of countries! I’ve always said that I would do my travelling through my music. I’ve always had a dream about going to England. But a lot of countries.
scandipop: Ok. Another question I got was from people asking what kind of music you listen to. Either as inspiration or to chill out or while you’re at the gym, etc etc.
Tooji: I love a lot of different music. I love 60s music, I love Nancy Sinatra, her femme fatale kinda thing….
scandipop: Oooh, do you like Lana Del Rey in that case?
Tooji: No.
scandipop: Do you not?!
Tooji: No. Because she’s a product. I don’t believe her when I hear her voice.
scandipop: Really? But what about all of her imagery? Her videos and her style?
Tooji: It’s really beautiful and it’s nice, but I still don’t believe it. There’s something about when an artist sings, and the depth. When you hear the voice there’s something heavy pulling you down, and you know that it’s truth. And I just don’t believe that with her. I think a lot of artists are made by record companies rather than finding themselves. And it looks good, but I think it’s better to find yourself and have that depth. And that’s something I’m still doing too. But no, I can’t say that I believe Lana. That’s why I like Nancy Sinatra. It’s organic and there’s a real beauty to it. So yes, Nancy Sinatra I love, and oooh – Marina & The Diamonds. Definitely.
scandipop: The new album?
Tooji: Yes, ‘Electra Heart’. *sings ‘Primadonna’* The new music is very dramatic, and actually if I could compare my own new music to anything – Marina & The Diamonds is the closest thing, all the drama. Very dramatic and heartfelt, when she sings.
scandipop: I love ‘Fear & Loathing’ on the new Marina & The Diamonds album.
Tooji: Yeah! And I love ‘Teen Idle’ too. It’s one of the best tracks. Hmmm, who else do I like right now…..Pretty Reckless. It’s a song called ‘Lazy Butterfly’. And I love Goldfrapp too.
scandipop: Oh yeah! Oh hang on – old Goldfrapp or new Goldfrapp?
Tooji: Old Goldfrapp! ‘Black Cherry’.
scandipop: Yeah I don’t really know what happened to them.
Tooji: I don’t know, they’re very different now to what we’re used to.
scandipop: Ok one final question I had – and this is also from a lot of people. I think I know the answer already actually, but I’m gonna ask it anyway. Would you do Eurovision again?
Tooji: Hmmmmm. It was an amazing process. And the best school – I recommend it to anybody. But it was very intense and very emotionally draining. And I think that I’ve learned what I had to learn from that experience. So not again. Now it’s about going and exploring! That was my little nest and now I have to fly out of it.
scandipop: Ok. Just to add to that question though – leaving aside Eurovision – would you perhaps compete in Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix again? Or Swedish Melodifestivalen? The reason I ask is because it’s often not even about winning and going to Eurovision, it’s more about promoting a new album you have out, or getting a hit single in that country.
Tooji: Maybe. I haven’t thought about that. Right now I’m very grateful for having gone through that process. Maybe I’d appear as a guest performer, but I don’t think I’d join the process again. It’s too heavy.
