Q&A Today: Herald K ("Echo's Song")

Herald K

... is a Norwegian songsmith and singer based in Vienna, Austria. He is currently preparing 10 new songs under the title 'Mythologies'. The first three of these, the singles 'Arethusa', 'Wandering Aengus', and 'Circe' were released in 2022, and have received numerous international reviews, radioplays and playlist features.

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How would you describe the human behind the artist Herald K and how did you get into music?

Quite introverted. Sometimes to feel comfortable on stage, my best trick is to pretend I'm alone in the room. Absent-minded at times. Hopelessly romantic. Nostalgic. Anxious. A sucker for a sweet melody or elegant turn of phrase even if they border on the pastiche. Ineffective at whatever bores me.

I've often felt clumsy at expressing important emotional and spiritual stuff quickly and wittily, so I tried writing poetry, where you can buy yourself time and hone a phrase till it seems right. Only to realize too late that it gets difficult to communicate that to more than a precious few, which made it neccessary to spice stuff up by learning an instrument. I chose the guitar, as that seemed like something most people tend to master if they put their mind to it.

"Echo's Song" sounds impressive, what's the story behind?

I've had great help on that track. For instance, the piano was recorded with multiple mics in a proper studio to get a full tone. Although guitar and nyckelharpa was recorded in more homestudio environments, I again got good pro-help by producer Robin Gillard on the mixing side, so that the instruments and vocals would blend well together, but without ever becoming too dense. It was important to leave out a lot of instrumental stuff in order for the two vocals to have enough space to tell a story.

The performance of Lina Louise is amazing as well, how was it to work with her?

Really easy. She just recorded some beautiful vocal takes, and we hardly needed any back-and-forth. What she delivered was essentially all I could have hoped for! For that to happen, the singer needs to 'get' what the essence of the song is, and she did that.

What can we expect from your upcoming album?

10 songs that each fit to a different degree to the concept 'mythology', some fairly tightly, others loosely. 10 songs tied together by their somewhat allegorical character. 10 songs that interweave certain recurring motifs like water, death, transformation, and dualities like feminine & masculine, old & young. An album about archetypes and ancient themes.

If you could choose an artist for a songwriting collaboration, who would it be?

Bob Dylan

You are from Norway but based in Vienna, what are the main differences between Austria and your home country?

Latitude. Egon Schiele vs Edvard Munch. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart vs Edvard Grieg. Christkind vs Santa.

Finally, what are your plans for 2023?

There will be another single release in late March, followed by the release of the full album in May. This will be followed by a series of concert in and outside of Vienna, and likely a few international dates too. 

So it will be an exciting year! Hope to get into some writing again also as the year progresses... The plan is to play and sing with and for a bunch of people I've never met before and engage in a lot of mutually enriching experiences with strangers. Transcend some of my introvertedness!

Photo: Funky Eye

Single & Album: Viennese Indie label Lindo Records (Jürgen Plank)