FEATURE: Spotlight: eee gee — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

eee gee

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EACH week…

I am coming across great rising artists that slipped me by. The remarkable eee gee is someone that everyone should know about. I am a recent convert, but she is definitely someone who stands apart. There are not many recent interviews with her. Instead, I wanted to provide various bits of detail and information from features that teach us more about an incredible young artist with a bright future. Here is a bit of background about eee gee:

“eee gee is the project of Danish singer/songwriter Emma Grankvist. She released her debut album Winning in February 2022, which received multiple five-star reviews and it was since elected ‘Best Album Of The Year’ by multiple music medias like Soundvenue and GAFFA.

eee gee’s elegant universe is one of paradoxes – things are not always what they seem. Searingly honest, she writes songs about heartbreak and not feeling good enough while calling it “winning” and knowing just how lucky she actually is in the scheme of things. She lives in the complex world of a young woman trying to find her way. Her compelling storytelling about love, life and everything in between creates a relatable moment in every song”.

Her debut album, Winning, was released early last year. One of the best debuts of the year, it brought her music to the attention of the wider world. A perfect demonstration and representation of her magnificent talent and sound. Ones to Watch had their say on Winning. If you have not heard eee gee, I would recommend that you check out her debut album, as it is a great place to start:

“Life has a way of teaching us hard lessons from time to time. The key is to manifest what you've learned from your journey, and not hold your past against you. Wisdom is not an attribute doled out lightly, maybe because it is rarely justified. But every now and then, an artist comes along to share with us wisdom gained from their life lessons so that maybe, just maybe, we won't have to learn the hard way.

Brooklyn-based Danish artist Emma Grankvist, more popularly known as eee gee, has crafted an intimate, daring, and honest album with her latest release Winning. Masterfully demonstrated throughout the album is Grankvist's ability to tell a story, her story. Singing honestly about recollections of her past and revelations about her character are what make this album so captivating. It also helps that her voice is so euphonious. This album oozes confidence in all the right ways, a feat evident on tracks like "Killing it" and "Favourite Lover." You could pull a line anywhere off this album and use it as an inspirational quote.

With a delightfully eclectic mix of indie-pop, folk, and soul, Winning is a thoroughly fantastic listening experience, not only for the nuggets of wisdom you can mine from the lyrics but because it contains a range of tracks that will move you, as well as make you want to move. On the track "Favourite Lover," Grankvist states, "I don't care what you're saying about me" - but after listening to Winning, it will most assuredly only be good things”.

Before getting to a feature about eee gee’s amazing new single, ghost house, Rolling Stone UK wanted to find out more about an artist who refuses to put her music into one. Someone had to compare with anybody else, it is great that she got this nod and spotlight. Let’s hope that even more people discover her music. It is a true revelation:

“It’s a ghost house, dating’s haunted, everyone’s scared, to catch feelings,” comes the snappy chorus of ‘Ghost House’, the commitment issues synth pop banger that marks the first taste of She Rex, the latest album from Danish star eee gee.

The singer, real name Emma Grankvist, deals in whip-smart lyrics and striking melodies that offer a refreshing perspective on the world around her, all wrapped up in a package that’s brilliantly tough to pigeonhole.

“There was a big moment for me when I started realising that I could write songs in different genres, because I love Banks, but I also love Joni Mitchell,” she tells Rolling Stone UK.

Now, She-Rex will take that sound in further directions, with the singer promising a disco-tinged element too.

We first you saw supporting in Arlo Parks on the Rolling Stone UK stage at The Great Escape earlier this year. How was that experience for you?

It was amazing, because it was our first show outside of Denmark where we didn’t bring all of our equipment, so that presented the challenge of having to play on a smaller setup which was really fun. We’ve always been curious about that was going to work, but it’s a fun way to do things.

You were raised in Denmark and you’ve said that singing in your native tongue could help you go to the top there? Why didn’t you choose to take that path?

Phonetically it suits my personality better to sing in a language that’s a little softer, Danish can sound a little harsher on the syllables and the vowels. It’s a beautiful language, but singing in your own language means there’s no filters between you and the audience. Personality wise I’m more of an introvert so having a small sense of a cloak between me and the audience helps a little bit. But now I’ve lived in New York for two years, I actually feel more connected to the language which is interesting as I’m growing a little bit more mature and a bit more confident in music. That cloak is starting to fade away, so I do feel that I’m beginning to connect with people even though it’s not my native tongue.

There’s multiple sides to your sound. Some parts are full pop whereas others are perhaps a bit folkier. How did you land on these sounds when first writing?

It’s funny because I had a project before this one with a producer that was definitely leaning way more towards like alternative pop. And I remember we started out writing and sounding like acts like Beach House, but we really wanted to start writing more commercial pop and I listened a lot to Banks in that time and I was really into like that very melancholic dark electronic pop thing.

But when we started playing live – I don’t know if it was a combination of the key and the chords and the production and the melody – I just, it just didn’t feel like it was vibrating with me.

So when we ended that project, I just knew that I had to start over again and really investigate what genre felt authentic to me and where I’m from and really make sure that it felt like an extension of me instead of just being something that was trending or felt cool. There was a big moment for me when I started realising that I could write songs in different genres, because I love Banks, but I also love Joni Mitchell.

Also, I started thinking about how Copenhagen and Denmark takes in so many global influences, because we love Beyonce and Frank Ocean and Adele. We’re so influenced by all of these genres that are not really authentic to where we’re actually from culturally.

So I just really felt the need to, to investigate more of like the folk genre which I feel like is way more, you know, authentic to where we’re actually from.

It’s funny that people have been saying it sounds like Lana Del Rey because I love Lana but it was never like a thing I was going for.

Do your live shows help that connection to grow?

Yeah. I’d played my first shows and festivals for a year and it’s very easy for me to feel a strong connection when I’m on stage. Look, I wouldn’t necessarily put my music on for like, you know, going out and the peak of the party, but it definitely could be there at a pre party or coming down from a party. That’s the same vibe I’m really going for at festivals.

Your second album She-Rex arrives in September. Where does it take your sound and what can you tell us about the title?

It’s interesting because on my new album I’ve experimented with disco, so maybe I am getting closer to the songs that get played at the peak of the party and the peak of festivals!

The title is a rather sarcastic response to my first album, that was a very emotional record and about never really knowing where you’re standing with yourself. You know, trying to work with all the self care and self awareness in a world that is trying to pull you apart.

It’s an extension of that and, you know, T-Rex represents a primal and aggressive instinct. There’s a softer touch on the record too, but it has that I want to conquer the world feel, which felt very appropriate for a second album.

It’s also funny that Rex in Latin is king, because of course they had to give the biggest dinosaur male characteristics. I thought it was funny to make it into a She-Rex. The She King! It’s a fun word play and it has a strong base in humour and tongue in cheek lyrics”.

You might be aware of eee gee’s new single, ghost house. I hope that you do go back and listen to her previous music. Another awesome cut from the Danish innovator, maybe we will get an E.P. or another album fairly soon. There is definitely a huge demand for what she is putting out there. CLASH had this to say about her latest gem:

“Danish alt-pop voice eee gee has shared new single ‘ghost house’.

The songwriter’s 2022 debut album ‘Winning’ was a supremely intelligent dose of synth pop, blending witty lyrics with some superb melodies. She’s on a hot streak, too, with eee gee set to release a follow-up this year.

New album ‘SHE-REX’ will be released on September 1st via Future Classic, and it finds the songwriter – real name Emma Grankvist – broadening her vision. As she puts it: “I make music for the introvert, who is constantly pushed into the uncomfortable extrovert way of how the world works.”

Take new single ‘ghost house’. Out now, it blends superb word play with rippling electronic melodies, building to something irresistible. A song about love and betrayal, she sings: “Did he just use me as a build-up in a song / That never gets to where it could belong…?”

eee gee explains…

“I have a good friend who fell in love with this guy – a cliché of a cool, free-spirited surfer-dude with nice hair and that one-in-a-million look. They went all in on what seemed to be a match made in heaven. He even talked about her on the phone with his mom. However, one day my friend found out that he was actually dating several other girls and that he was anything but ready for a serious relationship,”

She continues: “Dating is haunted. If anyone should ever have a chance to find real love when looking for it, you probably need to break up with your own bad habits and expectations of what you think you need first. Ask yourself, why do you want to fall in love? If you find the answer, I believe you’re most likely able to meet new exciting people with the right intentions”.

Although I am new to eee gee, I have been listening back and getting a better and bigger sense of what her music is about and who she is. This is an artist I can confidently and thoroughly recommend. In a very busy and varied scene for new music, she is someone who stands out. If you are in search of some fascinating new music to get your ears around, then I would like to point you in the direction of…