- One of my online friends is beautiful Norwegian singer / songwriter Nina Klokset.
- I asked Nina if she would do me the honour of appearing on my blog and she agreed to visit us. I'm taking the unusual step of spreading the interview over two blog posts. I thought we might first take a look at what makes Nina who she is.
- Nina, can you tell us a little about yourself, what makes you tick?
I am an observer of life, I love watching people passing me by, imagining what their lives are like. I have always been like that, and my grandma, she told me when I was a kid, to observe what was going on around me. Like when she and I were in the city, waiting for the bus, she would tell me to look at the people waiting for the bus, and imagine who they were, where they were going to, and so on.
Positive attitude
My grandma was a very wise and beautiful woman, who taught me a lot about life. I was brought up to believe in having a positive attitude towards life in general. I’m not saying that it always is easy, but again, it is a matter of choice to me.
When I wake up in the morning, I decide to smile, and if sometime I don’t feel like smiling, I will go inside myself and try to figure out why I don’t feel like smiling. Accepting all your feelings is a good thing, - only that way you can smile for real. So hiding your true feelings is not what I mean by deciding to smile. What I am trying to say, is that you cannot always see what’s coming up next, - but you have a choice of how you choose handle it. So when the day seems grey, try to be the sunshine you wish to see, and things will eventually seem a bit lighter and brighter.
Stronger and wiser
I have a lot of life experience, and that I have learned from it. I believe that learning is a matter of choice, and I have chosen to learn from my experiences. That has made me grow as person, and made me stronger and wiser. Yet, there is so much more to learn.... And that is what makes life interesting.
My music reflects that. It is a reflection of what I have been through, and who I am. It is a small piece of me put down on a sheet of paper, in a melody, in a beat....
And those words, that melody, that beat, I want to share with the world.
Nothing makes me happier than to be able to put a smile on peoples face. If I can contribute with that through my music, and through positive actions, I have reached my goal as an artist.
- That is all I want.
- And just what compelled you to write your first song?
I have been writing poems since I was a kid, and this particular summer, I decided to write a song instead. I had `Sammy Chan’s rhyming dictionary` in front of me, a blank sheet of paper and a pen. I tried and I tried, and I just couldn’t do it.
I thought for a brief second, that maybe song writing wasn’t for me. Thought I should stick with writing poems. Then, as I was on vacation a few weeks in the east coast of Norway, I decided to give it another shot. Then the magic happened.
As I sat down to write my song, the words came as easily as ever. I was thrilled. I kept writing 24/7. And I have done that ever since that day.
Support
Yes, I do lack some sleep at times, and yes, I do sometimes have to call my parents, and tell them I will be late for dinner, 'cause I am in the middle of writing another song.... But they understand; they have seen how much it means to me, and that I am getting so much positive things out of it. It is good to have their support; it means the world to me.
- So can you tell us a little bit about your songs, Nina.
Never stop believing
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I hope people will be able to recognise themselves in some of my songs. The first song on the demo is called 'Angels without wings'. The song is dedicated to all the people who have been there for me, the people who have made my day brighter with a smile, the people who never stopped believing in me, even when I did not believe in myself, the people who gave me a helping hand when I needed the, the most.... the people who have taught me so much about life, about myself. That song is for them.
I have also written a song called 'Grey Roof Blues', which is a, yeah, you guessed it right, a blues song. It was inspired by one of those trivial things that happen. I was at a friends place, she was going to set up a party tent at her veranda, she wanted the one that was dark blue, and then as she was going to put it up, it turned out to be grey. I got so inspired by it, so I wrote a song called Grey Roof Blues. It is about the grey days in life, when you wake up, and look out the window, and the sky’s grey and you feel like uhh! As I said, trivial things often give me inspiration to write songs!
- What about your family? Has your family been supportive of your singing / writing?
My dad is helping me with a lot of practical things around the music, and my mum is my cheerleader.
Typical family
I don’t have any kids, maybe I will one day, I mean I’d love to have kiddies running around in my garden - if I ever get a garden. Even though I know I will never fit into the typical family picture in many ways, I strongly believe in having good values, sticking together, and work as a team.
I am blessed with a wonderful boyfriend, and he means the world to me. Being able to share things with him is just amazing. He is one of the wisest, most intelligent and warm-hearted people I know, and he is very supportive of my work as an artist. He is my best friend, and I love him so much. - He’s simply the best
- .......Thanks for sharing this with us, Nina. We'll speak later.
- The rest of the interview with the delightful Nina will be in my next blog post. In the meantime, if you have any questions you'd like Nina to answer, email them to me, and I'll forward them.
- Next post on Tell Me a Story - Without Reproach
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