The protagonist of today: Gustav Davidsson. His music inspired by nature

26.02.2021

Our protagonist today is the Swedish composer and pianist author of "Anin".

It has not always been clear for me though that I would become a musician, but it has evolved in that way over time. I have been inspired by many people, and I think that my father being a music has inspired a lot.

How and when is your passion for music born and who inspired you to become a musician?
I think I always have been fascinated by music and it has always been a big part of my life always. I don't think it is a specific event that made me go in this direction, it was a lot of music in my home growing up and the thought of being a musician professionally has always felt like a possible path in life. It has not always been clear for me though that I would become a musician, but it has evolved in that way over time. I have been inspired by many people, and I think that my father being a music has inspired a lot.


Was it easy to follow this passion for you, or did you have difficulty? If yes, which ones?
Both I guess. It is a difficult way to become a musician, as many possible paths in life, but it has also felt like a possibility to work with music. But at the same time it can be difficult to find what my passion is, and I guess I still don't really know. Even though I have worked with music, that doesn't need to mean that I work with my passion. But I think that is a balance that always will be present, even in a perfect world I don't think it would feel like working with my passion all the time.


My music is some kind of summing of everything, but I think I am particularly inspired by nature and the people I meet.

What is inspiration or inspirational to you? How do you live an inspired life?
Everything in my life inspire my music. My music is some kind of summing of everything, but I think I am particularly inspired by nature and the people I meet. I try to live an inspired life by being present in the moment wherever I am.

How could you describe your way of composing?
I play mostly improvised music, so my composing is mostly a way of being in the present and try to play music I like at that particular time.

What is most challenging about what you do?
I think it is a challenge to prioritize my life. There are so many thinks to being a musician and it can easily get stressful, and hard to know where to put my time in to, and then be calm ni the decisions I make.

What are your reference musicians?
There are a lot, and not always music close to the music I make, gener wise. But I am inspired by musicians like Philip Glass, Nina Simone, Radiohead and Arvo Pärt.


My aim for the recording was to play as honestly as I could and try to give the intellectual mind a break.

Recently your new work "Anin" came out, can you tell us a bit about it?
It is a collections of mostly improvised pieces recorded at home in the spring of 2020. I had thought about recording a piano album like this for some time, and now I had the time to do it. My aim for the recording was to play as honestly as I could and try to give the intellectual mind a break.


What is creativity to you? And: what is your creative process?
Creativity for me is giving what I do focus and trying to be present, and giving the process time. This is a big and hard question, but at the same time I think it is just practice to work towards a more present state of being and giving my music music time.


What do you think about today's music scene?
I like todays music scen. I think that todays technology and globalization has made the music scen more open. Both in the listeners view, that you can find so much music, and in the preformers view, that the music scene in many was are easily accessible. Covid has of course really shaken the scene, but I think the music scene will recover and find new paths.


What are your goals/dreams for the future?
My goal is to continue create music in many ways. I strive towards working more together with other musicians, and dreaming of working more towards visual arts, producing music for moving pictures or something like that.


Who is the artist?

Gustav Davidsson is a producer and musician from Sweden. His solo work is formed around the piano, minimalistic composition ideas, reverb, improvisation and a longing for peace within, through sound. He started out as a child spending time at the family grand piano, improvising, composing and being amazed by the big and spacious sound of the piano. Sense then he has strived to find and explore this big sound, in the piano and through other means. After studying improvisation at the most well renowned schools in Sweden and has been a part of the music scene in Sweden, mostly around improvised and neo-classial music. He also runs a studio (Studio Glasfågeln) where he records mostly acoustic music. He is now on the journey of letting go of intellectual aims and just making music close to his heart.

Anin is a collection of 9 pieces of music formed around minimalistic ideas, floating in big sounds. This album is a very honest and unblemished piece of art, just the way Gustav plays music, without any safety walls or intellectual aims. The pieces are recorded during an uncertain time and process feelings of loss and questions about direction in life, through minimalistic improvisations that are treated with subtile post production.



Listen to "Anin"


Digital platforms: 

https://album.link/s/3aWJrCENk0CttJl9k62Zi8

Blue Spiral Records: 

https://en.bluespiralrecords.com/anin