We haven't heard all that much from Soleima yet—but what we have heard is very, very promising. Sarah Mariegaard (aka Soleima) is new to the electropop scene: she used to be the only female in the Danish hip hop group Flødeklinikken but is now making music that's moody, dancy and garnering quite a few Mø comparisons, too. She got our attention a few months ago with the release of "My Boi" - a sexy, electronic cover of a Young Thug (yes, YOUNG THUG) track. Since then, she's played festivals like SPOT; now, she's got her first big gig coming up this Friday night at Ideal Bar. In lieu of this, we thought we'd take a few minutes to ask Soleima about the nerves, the excitement and the unknown that comes before her first proper show.NOISEY: So you’re playing your first big show tomorrow night.
Soleima: Yes, my first headliner, anyway. We had three small concerts before this and two of them were with me supporting, so this is with a real band and my first time headlining. So it is kind of special, yeah.How do you feel about the bigger crowd?
Soleima: We’ve been rehearsing a lot so we’re totally ready but I’m often really nervous before. Half an hour before, I’m like, “oh my god, I’m so nervous,” but as soon as I get on stage I just enjoy it.Do you forget about the fact that you’re playing for a crowd?
I would rather say I’m just enjoying being able to play for a lot of people. It’s kind of an interaction, you know. We’re playing for people who’ve come to hear our music and that’s just amazing. Of course I'm totally into the music, but I’m not forgetting that they’re there. Also, what we're playing is so new, we're all really excited! When you’ve been in a band and played together a lot, you can get tired of playing shows—but this is so fresh for all of us, we’re all anxious in a really good way.Since you’re an up and coming artist, do you put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform and impress people?
Yeah, but I always want to do my best and just practice as much as I can so that the thing I do is fulfilling to me too.How do you think bringing your music into a live setting changes how people experience it?
I don’t have too much music out yet but the music I’m going to put out will be pretty electronic. It’s interesting to see how you can translate that kind of sound into a live band with real drums and a real guitar. For me, I like to go to a concert and hear that people have thought about how the songs could be improved in a live setting. That’s also a lot of fun for me and the band—it’ll be interesting to see how the songs can be improved. So yeah, that’s something I’m thinking about.Since this is all so new, what would make you feel super satisfied with your show?
I guess if I get the feeling that people have enjoyed it as much as we did on stage. Also, if at the end I feel like the band and I have become one with the audience. We've been in this little bubble for forty minutes so it can be like a drug, somehow. You get totally high from it. It’s very difficult to put one word on what makes a concert good but it’s the feeling when you get down from the stage, look your band in the eyes and are just like, “Woah. That was really good.” Sometimes, I’ve also tried the opposite – when you sit down on the stage and think, “This is shit, I’m never going to do it again.” Luckily, I’ve had more of the fun and amazing experiences with playing live than the other experience.How would you describe the sound you’re going for with this show?
Of course, it’s alternative pop music. I think we’re really inspired by taking something ugly or off-sounding and trying to make it fit into this pop setting. Obviously, we have a lot of inspiration from everybody and when the EP comes out it’s going to be full of references to the music we listen to, but the difference is we focus on getting something off-sounding to fit into our songs. I think that's the best way of describing it.Thanks, Soleima.Catch Soleima this Friday night at Ideal Bar.
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Soleima: Yes, my first headliner, anyway. We had three small concerts before this and two of them were with me supporting, so this is with a real band and my first time headlining. So it is kind of special, yeah.How do you feel about the bigger crowd?
Soleima: We’ve been rehearsing a lot so we’re totally ready but I’m often really nervous before. Half an hour before, I’m like, “oh my god, I’m so nervous,” but as soon as I get on stage I just enjoy it.Do you forget about the fact that you’re playing for a crowd?
I would rather say I’m just enjoying being able to play for a lot of people. It’s kind of an interaction, you know. We’re playing for people who’ve come to hear our music and that’s just amazing. Of course I'm totally into the music, but I’m not forgetting that they’re there. Also, what we're playing is so new, we're all really excited! When you’ve been in a band and played together a lot, you can get tired of playing shows—but this is so fresh for all of us, we’re all anxious in a really good way.Since you’re an up and coming artist, do you put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform and impress people?
Yeah, but I always want to do my best and just practice as much as I can so that the thing I do is fulfilling to me too.How do you think bringing your music into a live setting changes how people experience it?
I don’t have too much music out yet but the music I’m going to put out will be pretty electronic. It’s interesting to see how you can translate that kind of sound into a live band with real drums and a real guitar. For me, I like to go to a concert and hear that people have thought about how the songs could be improved in a live setting. That’s also a lot of fun for me and the band—it’ll be interesting to see how the songs can be improved. So yeah, that’s something I’m thinking about.Since this is all so new, what would make you feel super satisfied with your show?
I guess if I get the feeling that people have enjoyed it as much as we did on stage. Also, if at the end I feel like the band and I have become one with the audience. We've been in this little bubble for forty minutes so it can be like a drug, somehow. You get totally high from it. It’s very difficult to put one word on what makes a concert good but it’s the feeling when you get down from the stage, look your band in the eyes and are just like, “Woah. That was really good.” Sometimes, I’ve also tried the opposite – when you sit down on the stage and think, “This is shit, I’m never going to do it again.” Luckily, I’ve had more of the fun and amazing experiences with playing live than the other experience.How would you describe the sound you’re going for with this show?
Of course, it’s alternative pop music. I think we’re really inspired by taking something ugly or off-sounding and trying to make it fit into this pop setting. Obviously, we have a lot of inspiration from everybody and when the EP comes out it’s going to be full of references to the music we listen to, but the difference is we focus on getting something off-sounding to fit into our songs. I think that's the best way of describing it.Thanks, Soleima.Catch Soleima this Friday night at Ideal Bar.