Tobi and Sam of the Swedish musical duo NOTD chatted about their latest musical endeavors.
Irving Plaza show
Most recently, they performed at New York’s Irving Plaza venue. “It’s always super fun to play in New York,” they admitted.
“The energy and crowd are always great, and Irving Plaza is a super cool venue with a lot of history. We’re just two boys from two small towns in Sweden, doing what we love,” they said.
They continued, “If someone had told us years ago we would have a sold-out show for 1,200 people in New York when we started, we would never have believed it. It’s crazy.”
“It was really special to share the night with most of our team there, and we were joined on stage by Georgia Ku and Hastings, two guest vocalists. Overall, definitely a 10 out of 10 night,” they acknowledged.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On their music and songwriting inspirations, they said, “This is always tough question to answer, because the answer kind of lies in everything. It can come from traveling, hanging with friends, or finding a new song/artist you love.”
“Inspiration comes and goes, but it can come to you when you least expect it. So we feel like it’s important to not chase it, cause it’s something you can’t force, it will come to you from different places,” they added.
The digital age
On being a band in the digital age, they said, “it’s definitely interesting. With social media being as big as it is now, everything feels possible. Small artists gets a chance to shine and get their music heard, which is really cool to see. That is something we can relate to as well, posting snippets of new songs and connecting with fans.”
“It can also be scary and stressful at times, so it’s important to use it as a tool as best you can, but to try not to constantly get caught up in numbers,” they added.
Future plans
On their future plans, they revealed, “We are constantly working on new music and finishing up songs. As of now, we’re focusing on singles that can hopefully lead to bigger projects, like an EP or album.”
“We always try to push the limits in the music we make and see how we can take the NOTD sound further and we’re super excited about the things we’ve got in store for the future,” they added.
Success
Regarding their definition of the word success, they said, “To be honest, we never really think about it in that way. We are just focused on doing what we love and hope that people can feel the energy and emotion we put in our songs. If we can make people’s lives better in the day to day with our music, that’s happiness to us.”
Advice for young and aspiring musicians
For young and aspiring musicians, he encouraged them to stay true to themselves.
“It is so easy to get caught up in doing things that you think other people want from you, but most importantly, you have to listen to yourself and make the music you feel proud of and that you want to make, that will go a long way. Also, don’t be scared to ask questions and to send your music around,” they elaborated.
“The worst answer you can get is a ‘no,’ and if that’s the case, just keep going. Great music always finds a way,” they noted.
Closing thoughts on their new music
For their fans, they remarked about their new music, “To us, the most important thing is striving for people to feel something when listening to our music.”
“A lot of times we are drawn to melancholic vocals, and we like to pair those with upbeat productions. We find this creates music that people can both dance and cry to, but most importantly make memories to,” they concluded.
To learn more about the musical duo NOTD, follow them on Instagram and visit their official homepage.
