On Family Tree, Nanna Øland Fabricius aka Oh Land

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Interview with Greenland’s Oh Land

Interview conducted on September 26, 2019

by Dan Locke

On Family Tree, Nanna Øland Fabricius aka Oh Land transformed years of emotional life changes — a divorce, a baby, and a move back to her native country — into a beautifully intimate album. As a writer, she previously worked with Sia, John Legend and Pharrell and toured with acts like Katy Perry, to name a few. Coming from a background as a ballerina, Oh Land also recently created a ballet with the Queen of Denmark…Arthur Moon recently released the stunning “Reverse Conversion Therapy” from her debut album this summer, w/ support from BBC Radio, Spotify’s New Music Friday, Billboard, Refinery 29 and more.

Dan Locke: You were the child of two musicians. What was it like growing up with both parents having musical talent?

Oh Land: Loud! There was always singing and playing and a deep concentration around it. It was also a bit of a pressure that made me try to avoid becoming a musician until I couldn’t avoid it anymore (-:

Your great- great grandfather published the first zoological observations book on Greenland back in 1780. Do you have a love for animals?

Huge love for nature and animals and also a lot of worries connected to it. The way we exhaust nature with our way of living… It’s hard on my conscience. I’m trying to do what I can, while also being a person living in modern society which involves things such as the internet and air traveling sometimes…

Before you were into music, you were a dancer but had a little mishap. Do you feel you would have done great things as a dancer?

I permanently injured my back so even if I wanted to be a dancer I couldn’t. I loved dancing. It was a pure expression of my soul the way music also is.
I would have probably been a very happy and successful dancer but it’s a hard, hard road with very little praise and a lot of hard labor. I never expected more in life than loving what I do. I never expected success.

Your first release was under a label called Fake Diamond. How much independence did they give you?

It was a super small label and they let me do whatever I wanted. I had complete creative control.

How was it to do the late-night show circus in the United States?

That was a magical time. So much pressure and so many eyes and ears on it, but it was amazing to push myself creatively constantly and always be working on the next big thing

Tell me about your time on the David Letterman show?

We were let into the building at the earliest opening hour to set up our “scenography” which were a bunch of lit-up houses that were synced to the rhythm of the drums. It was super exciting and coooold. I remember freezing like crazy…

How was it to tour with Kay Perry? I met her at SXSW and she was very shy at that time.

Haha I definitely wouldn’t say shy. She would treat everyone on the tour so well. Like, book a movie theatre and take us all out. Very generous being.

How was it to be a coach on Denmark’s Voice Junior?

I love working with children and give back from everything I learned throughout my own career

I am going to name some musicians who are Danish. I would like to say something about each: if you can.

Lars Ulrich – Rock legend.
Median- Medina? R&b queen of Denmark
Victor Borge – American show business
Liz Sorensen – 80’s singer
Brigitte Nielsen – Isn’t she an actress?

You are now on tour. How is the tour going?