bleistiftrocker.de asked danish singer Ida Gard some questions via e-mail. These are the original answers in English.
Hier geht es zur deutschen Version des Interviews.
bleistiftrocker.de: We put you on our „songs of the year“-list lately. What was your favourite song of 2016?
Ida Gard: David Bowie – Lazarus
With the release of „Womb“, you posted a picture of you holding the album like a baby. Is this how you feel about your own music?
I thought it would be appropriate, given the album title and all… And yes. A little bit. 🙂
„Womb“ was inspired by „Popular Music From Vittula“. What does the book mean to you?
The book reminded me of my own childhood in a small town by the fjord. So it felt in some ways like my own story.
What is your new single „Whatever It Takes To Get To China“ about?
It’s about running away from home. When you’re a child you can travel really far in your imagination when in reality you’ve just run down the street where you live.
There is this story about you rejecting a deal with a major label at the beginning of your career. Please tell us about this.
I had just won an important competition on Danish Radio and had a song on heavy rotation. And of course that was interesting for a lot of industry people. However, I sensed that they weren’t interested in a long term relationship, so I decided not to sleep with them on the first date…
You played as a support act for Bob Dylan some years ago. How was that?
It felt amazing. 5500 people, outside in beautiful weather. Completely silent, listening. I didn’t get to meet the man but his band, crew and audience were very nice.
What do you expect from your upcoming tour in Germany in March?
My mission is to enjoy every second of it. It will be a while before I go back on tour again because there are new songs to be written and recorded.
What is the difference between playing as a support act and playing as the main act?
As the support act you’re a trailer. As the main act you’re the movie.
On your last tour (with Helgi Jonsson), you played a pretty funny song about a banana and an angry neighbour. Would you please tell the story behind that song?
The song is directly inspired by an episode in my childhood where my best friend and I were yelled at by my neighbor for throwing banana peel on the street. Back then I didn’t defend myself. I do that now. Sometimes a touch of banana can significantly improve a neighborhood.