From Lucas Nord: “When I’m on stage, I don’t want to lie to the audience – what I sing has to be for real”

On his new forthcoming album Company, 24-year old Lucas Nord shares his thoughts and feelings from a recent break up. “The songs are about becoming emotionally fucked up from spending your time loving someone, but not being loved back in return”. Only a few years ago he was a ice hockey playing guy thinking about studying marketing.

The summer of 2014 Lucas Nord found himself sitting on the sofa in his tiny Stockholm-flat in something that could be described as a delayed teenage rebellion. His writing process was grinding to a halt and when he managed to put something down, it sounded shit. A creative block was starting to COME OVER HIM (overcome him) and he knew it was time to make a move, do something. It was time for a drastic change. “I’m never going back”, he thought as three weeks later he boarded a flight to London.

But in an even smaller flat in Clapham he finally found his flow again. Five months of bad weather, indian take aways and that eternal night time buzz of London life got his creativity going once more. This eventually resulted in the mini album After You. It was released in May 2015, this was his first release that was 100% Lucas Nord – music, lyrics, vocals, production and mix.

Lucas saw his first successes a few years earlier, when he started out as a producer primarily. “Run On Love”, his single with Tove Lo, brought his name into the spotlight in the US.

After his collaborations with Tove Lo and Urban Cone back in 2012, Lucas Nord has continued to seek new directions for his music. What started with a heavy house and strong electronic leaning has become lighter, more airey and with a sound mixing pop and RnB.

“In the beginning I actually was a bit sceptical about moving into pop. But this is actually the first time I have done something that is me.”

But pop is hardly anything new in Lucas Nord’s life. Already as a kid his mum introduced him to new music bringing home records by the likes of Craig David and Usher. Drums become a big obsession for him VERY early on.

As did ice hockey. Up until the age of 16 he spent several days a week on the local hockey rink, but his career as a goalie came to an abrupt end the day the team got a new coach:

“He was insane. During practice he used to play classical music on a ridiculously loud volume whilst shouting and shooting pucks at us. That’s when I knew I had to find something else to do.”

That “something else” was music – his other big passion in life, which he had since the age of five. He spent his late teens attending the well-renowned Rytmus Music School of Stockholm (where fellow artists like Icona Pop, Erik Hassle, Zara Larsson also went) and this is where his passion for producing was born. Lucas had barely graduated before the music industry started taking notice of him and his music and his prospects for the future.

In terms of new collaborations, Lucas is currently prefering to work with close friends to keep it intimate and honest. This shines through on the new album Company where he has written with Melo, Emil Gustafsson and Rasmus Flyckt from Urban Cone. What inspires him are impressions from new surroundings and situations or from other musical genres. For a future album, Drake-fan Lucas Nord would not shy away from bringing in elements from hip hop and a great rap-feature.

Company – TRACKLISTING

01. Faking
02. Don’t Need Your Love
03. Off My Mind
04. Company
05. Do About It
06. Closer
07. Invisible