iamamiwhoami
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iamamiwhoami
Dazed Digital
Exclusive Q&A
publishing date August 20, 2012
interviewer Katia Ganfield
publisher Dazed Digital
;
article Exclusive Q&A

Born in December 2009, iamamiwhoami, like their name suggests, has always remained somewhat a mystery. A spiritual energy floating through the mind of their listeners leaving only symbolic debris to decipher their messages with. Behind the mysterious lyrics and soft electronic nuances lie Swedish singer-songwriter Jonna Lee and producer Claes Björklund. A cult following studies their every move, as drawings of animals, emblematic videos, locks of blonde hair sent to MTV’s James Montgomery and other clues surface. Dazed went straight to the source to speak to the driving force behind the project.

Interview[]

What do you hope to convey by calling the album ‘kin’ and how would you say it summarises your project?
It refers to the kinship with the audience and how it is created in a shape that the audience will be able to embrace - where our previous releases were more fluid. The process started after we did the first live show last year and that was a close encounter with the audience. The whole Kin album is tied together both musically and visually.
Could you tell me more about the visual aspect of the album and your videos?
Working the way we do, it’s always been about telling what’s in the creative mind and also the people that follow it. Everything has been done in real time so every time a production starts, it’s being released very soon after to keep the conversation with the audience in the present. It’s a chronological storyline of an evolution, from the very beginning up to now. I think the Internet is the place where you can do that. Kin is tying those two works together in the sense that it’s a physical thing that you can touch also.
You talk about this strong connection that you have with your audience, how do you hope to ‘embrace’ them with your music?
I feel like it’s an on going conversation and I hope they become more through it. There’s space enough for them to interpret and continue a pattern that’s been started. I’m hoping that even though everything is not literally spelled out that its still being understood.
If you were to live 100 years in the future and any form of technology was possible, what would you do to connect with your audience on a deeper level?
I’m already doing that with Kin and enjoy using technology although incorporating touch with sound would be incredible. Blending the physical with the digital might one day exist in the future, hopefully.
You’ve also released the album on your own label – To whom it may concern. What drove you to do this?
The name speaks for itself, it came from the whole project which is it’s own entity in some ways. There needs to be no creative boundaries to do what you have to do and to be that free. It was just a natural continuation of how to share what we are doing. We had to challenge ourselves to see what we could do with very little.
And what can we hope to hear from you in the future?
There’s a lot of communication from me all the time even though it’s not literal.
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