ASMW FA – Sofia Talvik

Hi there!

My name is Sofia Talvik and I’m a Swedish singer/songwriter. I run my own record label back in Sweden and I’m probably the best example you can find of that you don’t have to be “discovered” or signed to a major label to be able to make it in this business. I started out writing songs when I was 18 years old and got my first guitar a present from my parents on my birthday. I’d played the piano before but never really focused on singing or songwriting even though I loved listening to and discovering new music.

I think a lot of people that try to learn an instrument on their own, start by trying to play other people’s songs but not me. Somehow that never occurred to me at all. Instead I started writing my own songs, learning how to play as I did. I probably won’t do any elaborate guitar solos anytime soon, and half of the time I don’t even know the name of the chord I’m playing but it works for me and I think I find different ways to compose than maybe a educated musician would.

So even though I was writing these songs I didn’t dream about being a pop star or performing at the Wembly Stadium. I was quite content playing for myself and didn’t really think that anyone else would be interested in my music. But when I got some help recording a demo with I few songs, I did send it to a radio show in Sweden that played unsigned artists. And one of my songs, “Ghosts” (also featured on my debut album “Blue Moon”) ended up lingering on the top chart for months.

This was around 2001 and I figured I’d need a website to post my music on. So every time I’d written a new song I would post it on my little website and people could download it and comment on it or whatever they liked. The recordings were very simple, usually I recorded on my MD player and transferred it to my computer. Along with the airplay and the growing crowd downloading my songs a thought of becoming an artist for real started to grow in me. I contacted venues and started playing live, eventually building a backing band and a bigger audience. In 2005 I released my first album “Blue Moon” entirely produced and funded by myself, but released on a small indie label in Sweden.

Although I had some good experiences and exposure from that I kept feeling that I wanted to do so much more. I had run my website, worked up an audience, recorded an album and I had all these ideas that I felt I wanted to do, and trying to get them through to a label that would listen with little attention and enthusiasm made me really frustrated. So when I decided to make another album, I also decided I should release it on my own.

I formed the label Makaki Music with my husband in 2006 and we’ve released 2 albums on it so far and had a blast while doing it. Being your own boss makes it so much easier to do all the crazy ideas you come up with. Some things are doable, some are not, but no one’s gonna tell you no. For example we released the whole second album in a remixed version for free on my website www.sofiatalvik.com with artists from all over the world each doing a unique remix of the songs from “Street of Dreams”. Coming from the background where I used to give away my songs for free all the time, I still think it’s a great way to build your fanbase and I still release free songs every year. Each year I release a Christmas song and lately I’ve tried to incorporate it in different charities. I figure that if you don’t have to pay for the song, you can make a donation to a charity instead, or spend that money on another good cause. You pay it forward!

I was asked a while back what my greatest accomplishments and my biggest setbacks were. It’s easy to say that some of the highlights of my musical career so far has been starting my label and of course playing at the Lollapalooza festival last year, as the first Swedish female artist to ever have been booked. But the setbacks? To be quite honest with you, I don’t really feel that I’ve had any. I mean, it’s hard work running a label, being a recording and performing artist, writing songs while you also have to put stamps on hundreds of envelopes with promo CDs and trying to find time for a day job to be able to pay the bills… but all that is also so rewarding. I’ve always been sceptic of the music industry and I’ve never entered a deal or signed a contract without being super careful, so I’ve never really been hustled or ripped off.

I’ve recently entered a partner deal with an American record label and am actually on a tour in the US while I’m writing this so it finally feels like all the hard work is starting to pay off. Even if I would like to do everything myself, I also have to admit that I do need help with things, and I can’t control a world wide market on my own. But I take a great deal of pride in all that I have been able to do and I am so fortunate to have a loyal crowd out there that keeps supporting me and listening to my music. In the end of the day it’s you guys that makes it worthwhile for me. So thanks for reading this little story about me and my music, and I hope you all go straight to my website and start discovering all the fun stuff and free songs I’ve gathered there!

xo Sofia

Links: Website, Amie Street, MySpace, last.fm, Twitter