I have previously posted about the track Moonstruck by the Sweden born, Canada located composer Marcus Moon. And now it’s time to get Behind the piano and get to know Marcus a bit better!
What’s your real name?
Marcus Lindström
How did you come up with your artist name?
The Moon is a great inspiration for me as an artist and composer. It felt absolutely natural to use it in my artist name. Plus it has a better ring to it than Lindström
Where are you from? And where do you live?
I was born and raised in Malmö, Sweden. Moved to Canada in 2006. I now live in Vancouver.
How long have you been playing the piano, and do you play other instruments as well?
I have only started playing piano in the last year, and I hope to develop my skills as much as I can. It will improve my composing process I am sure. Before the piano, guitar was my main instrument.
Tell us about how you started playing music.
I grew up listening to a lot of singer/songwriters, and storytelling has always been at the heart of my music. I picked up the guitar at a young age, like so many others, trying to be like my musical heroes of the time!
How long have you been making piano music?
About 2 years now.
Tell us something about that moment you realized you could make songs yourself!
I started learning music theory simply to improve my guitar skills. I got hooked right away on the process of creating new music, and I knew pretty quick that this would be my mode of artistic expression. It was something I had been thinking about my whole life, but i never had the confidence to do it. Starting out, I made myself a challenge where i was to write a piece of music every day for 100 days straight and post the result on instagram each day. It was an enormous task, but by immersing myself in it, I developed my skills at an incredible rate. After only 100 days I really felt like a composer, albeit with a lot still to learn.
What are your favorite artists in this “piano genre”?
To be honest, I still have a lot to discover when it comes to contemporary pianists/composers, but to give just one example, I have been listening a lot to Lera Auerbach recently. I find her to be quite brilliant. Look her up on spotify!
Is there one song which you play over and over again as soon as you sit down by a piano? Your own or someone else’s?
Yes. My own Moonlight Requiem from my upcoming album. I have a preference for playing sad songs, and simply because it’s one of the few songs I’ve mastered at the piano so far, haha.
What rules (in making music) needs to be broken?
Personally, I prefer to NOT break rules. The need to be original and ‘groundbreaking’ can really put a damper on the creative flow. I’ll leave that to the academics and the musical geniuses of the world. I believe that too much pressure to be original may keep a lot of people from writing music. Myself, I use the same composition rules that have been used for centuries. Sometimes I get comments that my music is not innovative enough, but that doesn’t matter to me. I will never win any awards for groundbreaking achievements in composition, but I just want to write beautiful music from my heart that touches people. I really believe in the power of music to change the world!
How do you record your music? Yourself? In a big studio? etc.
I recorded my first album in a beautiful venue, which was located in an actual barn on an actively operating horse farm. I had the fortune of working with some of the very finest musicians on my album. They really took my music to the next level.
Whats your take on sampled instruments?
Nothing beats a real musician, although I am very impressed with the progress of virtual instruments. I use them a lot in preparing demos.
The last question is asked by my 6 year old son:
Where do all your songs come from?
My songs come to me when I have a story that I want to share with the world. Usually, it’s a personal story, but not necessarily. I always write down the story first, often as a poem. Then I write the music that I feel best captures the spirit of the story. I am a storyteller first and foremost, and music is my language.
Thank you very much for this Marcus!
For more information, please check out the following links:
Facebook / Instagram / Website / Spotify