Neon Ion aka Natalie Sandtorv is known for combining her full voice with idiosyncratic arrangements. The latest track Wildfire has attracted our attention precisely because of this different combination. The single tells of the fear of losing oneself while growing up. We asked the artist how these emotions affected the song.
The electronic club beat that dominates the song is not actually the sound we hear at MUSICSPOTS. But every now and then it’s worth taking a second look at new releases. We asked Norwegian musician Natalie Sandtorv how this strong 80s sound came about.
The Video Wildfire seems to be full of 80s pop feeling. How did it come to this impressions in coloring and style?
I had an idea of having the plot set in an otherworldly place with a discoteque setting. To me the 80s give off this playfulness and don’t take things so seriously. I also wanted the movie “Back to The Future” to play a part in the expression. The animation preserves this idea of eternal youth. Like The Jetsons or The Simpsons, they never get older. Always stuck in their age and character. The music has a strong 80s vibe, and so I wanted it to transfer in the video. Who doesn’t love the 80s?
Anyone who enjoys watching cartoons, comics or manga films will also be thrilled by the lovingly designed video. The prevailing theme of the fear of losing oneself while growing up is wonderfully colourful.
Nevertheless, we ask ourselves whether the fear of losing oneself while growing up inhibits the creative process. Does this feeling lead to regression, stagnation, the closing off of new creative impulses? We asked the musicians.
Do you feel that the fear of leaving yourself behind by becoming older will make you stuck in the past?
Not at all. Because you can’t really stop evolving yourself. I learn new stuff all the time, and the world changes at a crazy speed so I take that with me, at the same time as I have a Peter Pan living inside of me. But I do fear missing out on stuff, grown up stuff, that might make me happier. But one can never know! It is easy to look back on things, and feel that things were better then, but I try not to get stuck in that and just enjoy where I am at the present. Also I think my 30s are a lot cooler and fun than my 20s. I’m much more comfortable in my own skin, and I feel like the people I surround myself with are the right people. I guess my message is to keep the childish outlook on life even though you’re a grown up.