Hey Drooblers! Today we introduce you a very interesting person. Simon Alexander is a singer/songwriter from the west coast of Sweden. He has always been the drummer but when some song ideas in his head just had to see the sunlight he picked up the guitar and started playing and recording. His debut EP – “Won’t Be Found” is a piece of art which will make your heart dance. You can hear it on iTunes and Spotify. Here are Simon’s thoughts.

Hi Simon, good to have you! Try introducing yourself without mentioning music 🙂
Hey Yasen, it’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me. I’m a twenty-five year old regular guy from the west coast of Sweden. I’m addicted to coffee, Swedish nature & hanging out with the people I love.

How would you describe your style?
I’d say it’s a large stew of everything I’ve grown up listening to and enjoy listening to today, mixed with my own natural way of expressing myself. Really not much for categorizing music, but I guess my songs are indie/folk tunes with a touch of soul.

How does one go from ska and punk to what you’re playing today? It’s quite a leap.
Hah, well I can’t say I really know to be honest. All the way back to when I first started playing music, I’ve always been the drummer. All I cared for was playing music that was fun playing, and I still very much enjoy playing the drums in my band (Y P & Pork) even though it’s not really what I usually listen to. But a couple of years ago I just had these song ideas in my head that I needed to get out. So I picked up the guitar and started playing and recording a bunch of them, which eventually ended up becoming the songs I have today.

When did you find out music was your thing?
For as long as I can remember I’ve never had anything else in mind really. With my dad being a musician, it has always been very close to me. But I guess it was sometime in high school when I first started playing in public that I understood that this was something I wanted to do. Being on stage gave me something I couldn’t even get close to feeling someplace else.

What message do you try to convey through your music? Is there a general idea behind all your work or is every song a statement on its own?
I’d say that every song depicts a story or a feeling that could mean something different depending on who’s listening. Even if a song touches a subject that’s hard to talk about, I want the lyrics to be able to appeal to anyone who’s ever been in a similar state of mind. So really it’s up to each and anyone.

Describe your creative process.
Mostly it starts with a melody. It might come when I’m fooling around with the guitar, it might come when I’m commuting to work. More than often it comes when I’m not able to write it down, hah. But from there on it can take an endless amount of time before it becomes anything final, or once in a blue moon it’s finished in an afternoon. I really have no method…

What music do you listen to? Who are your favorite band and performers?
Oh, that’s a tough one. I don’t really follow any particular genres, I’m more a person who has favorite songs rather than artists. My Spotify playlists are a mess, hah. But to name a few of my favorites I’d say Matt Corby, Bon Iver and Led Zeppelin.

Are musicians different from other people? How?
Don’t think so really, I know my fair share of musicians and I’d say that they are pretty much like anyone else and comes in all different shapes. But musicians are very eager to talk about music just about all the time… But I guess everyone who share a mutual interest are.

What do you look for in a song?
I’m always looking for good musicians, then of course I can’t like everything, but for me quality lies in the progression of the song and individual talents. I mean if a song has good vocals and a cool vibe, I’m sold.

What do you imagine you’d be doing if you weren’t a musician?
Well since I can’t be a full-time musician as of yet I guess I’d be doing what I do now, but perhaps have more time for other things. But even if I wasn’t any good at playing I think I’d still be a giant music nerd. So perhaps running a blog and writing about music.

Do you think a place where musicians from all parts of the world can connect, support one another and exchange ideas is truly missing? Can Drooble be that place?
I sure hope so. Drooble seems like a great platform for musicians to gather and give feedback to one another. In this vast sea of self-promoting pages that is all over the web today I think a page like Drooble is just great, and I’m happy to be a part of it now as it’s starting to gain some recognition.

You’ve said about your first EP that it was rather “polished” – what did you mean?
I’ve always loved music that has a certain fragile and honest approach, music that gives you the feeling that it could be a live recording. I really like how my EP turned out, but I think that I’m gonna go for a more raw approach on the next one and try to catch that live-essence.

What should we be expecting from you this year?
More music, more gigs and more everything! I feel like it’s time for me to stop holding back and just go for it, so I won’t regret it once I’m older.

Pick one of your songs and quote a few verses from the lyrics.
“Dear beloved lend me light
as I wander off in to the night
or I won’t be found”

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