Erik Hassle Quotes

L.A. has been really inspiring towards me for the last one and a half years. There is a lot going on here now. I've been here before, when I was younger, but I've never had this feeling about it. There are a lot of creative things bubbling in the atmosphere. It's so far away from everything else, which makes it a strange, exotic city. When you want to discover yourself, I think this is a good place to be. You don't feel like you are in a real place and I think that can be very good for making music or art.

I was brought up with a lot of love in my family, and I've always been supported. My family has always protected me in a sort of manic way.

When I was in London I found house music and techno, and I love that s - t. It's my go-to music. It's the closest for me to the old funk of James Brown and the repetitive dance music that I like from the soul music. I'd love to do a live album, like a little bit old school but still progressive, influenced maybe by more electronic music. I like everything, but I don't know anything about music. So it comes in to a lot of different ingredients.

I think touring in America lives up to the myth, in all ways of what touring is. So many pretty cities, and it's pretty easy, compared to touring other places. I'm fascinated by America. Great crowds - people are very musical. I've been getting better throughout the tour in America, relating to people. At the start I was a bit stiff, and I'm starting to relax.

I'm definitely a singer, but I play. I write music too, but it's all coming from the same source. I have never learned an instrument any other way than by myself.

America and Europe are getting closer to each other. In the U.S. you've always had hip - hop, the blues, soul, and rock. For the last decade, there has always been a lot of electronic music in Europe. When I was just at Coachella, I noticed how the music they play there has become electronic, techno, deep house, more European - so I think it's more similar than before.

I stumbled into soul music at a very young age. It had something that really spoke to me. Nowadays it's not only American gospel or soul music, it's whenever somebody decides to do music in a way that's honest and passionate. I got into the Motown songs. It had to do with where I come from - we don't really have that where I come from, the sense of mystery and the pain. Sweden has been a wealthy and happy country for some time now. I think I got really drawn to that.

I always go in very emotionally when I'm doing music. Sad or happy, I'm always into it.