What are your names?
Kim André Bjørkesett, Håvard Olsen, Eivind Jøranson and Asle Bråthen ocke

What is the bands name?
The Factory

How did you come up with the bands name?
That’s a really embarrassing story we like to keep to ourselves.

What is your genre of music?
Pop with influences of hip hop and R’n’B.

Give us a little bio about you.
The Factory started out when the members were no more than ten years old. Since then they’ve gone from writing terrible rock songs about boring teenage problems to becoming a band that writes and produces modern pop music with influences from hiphop and r’n’b. For several years the members have been living together in the same apartment with the same goal; making world class songs. Laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, excitement, frustration, and last but not least, thousands of hours of songwriting, jamming and producing have become the lives of these four childhood friends from Stavanger, Norway.

What made you go in to music?
We actually started the band when we were just ten years old. We played together for a long time and had lots of fun over the years. Then comes the 20’s and you have to make some hard choices. We decided to go for music and move to Oslo together, all of us in the same apartment! Insane, but it actually worked pretty well, and still does. Over the years we’ve just become more and more certain of our choice and now music is what defines us. People around haven’t always quite understood what the heck we’re doing, but we have, and that’s what matters.  st

Are you signed?
No we’re not signed to any label (yet).

You’re set to release your new single ‘Too Close To Get Closer’, tell us more about the single.
It’s our second single from our EP ‘Closer’. This is an uptempo track with good vibes and energy that will make you move. It’s basically a feelgood song about a feel bad theme; which we love! ‘

What is the meaning behind the single?
Eivind: As a lyricist I have always been fascinated by songs with a lot of contrast between music and lyrics. ‘Fuck you’ by Lilly Allen beeing one example. So when I first heard the catchy feelgood track we were putting together I thought; I need to write something sad on top of that. We were talking about the song in the car on tour and the title ‘too close to get closer’ came to us. From there it was pretty straightforward writing process and the lyrics came pretty easily.

Describe the track in two words.
Playful and funky

What was the writing process like?
The writing process was really short! This might actually be the shortest time we’ve ever spent on making a song, which usually is a good sign. It was brought to rehearsal as an idea, we jammed on it for half an hour and then it was basically done. Lovely!

What was the recording process like?
Pretty smooth! This was a song we quickly knew where to go with. It was just a matter of spending some time on the details and nailing the performances. Our studio is actually in Håvard’s (guitarist) bedroom, so it’s a short distance to food, toilet and of course his very comfortable bed.

Who did you work with on the single?
We basically recorded and produced the track our self. We always get feedback from our great mentor Stephane Detrez and it got mixed by the awesome American mixer John Rausch(Taylor Swift, Florence and the Machine, Pink etc.), and finished by our friend Thor Legvold who did the mastering.

Will we see a music video for the single?
Yes you will, and it will be a different kind of music video too! Funny and filled with good vibes in a Yes you will, and it will be a different kind of music video too! Funny and filled with good vibes in a different and maybe a little embarrassing way (for us).

Will we see an Ep or Album and If so what can we expect?
Our plan is to release three EP’s before the summer, and ‘Closer’ being the first of them. The album will contain all the songs from the EP’s, plus even more songs. The EP’s will have each of their own emotional theme all describing our journey as individuals and as a band.

Do you have any shows coming up?
We just had a fantastic show in Oslo celebrating the release of our new EP “Closer”! We will play in our hometown Stavanger during december, but 2020 is still open for us. We’ve been so focused on finding ourselves musically and recording our new music this year and we will continue recording and promoting new music over the next year. But we love playing live, so any shows coming by we will eat up.

What else can we expect in 2019?
Music video for ‘Too Close To Get Closer’, and more videos for the other songs on our EP ‘Closer’. Also a bunch of different stuff on our social platforms! We love playing acoustic so you never know, we might post our own songs in different versions, play some covers or stream an unplugged concert.

Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up-coming artists?
Maybe, we’ll see…!

Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
Oh yeah, of course! You can find information on our facebook-page, website or just DM on Instagram.

Do you play any instruments?
We all have our respective instruments(guitar, bass, drums, keyboards) and in addition we sing. Also, Asle plays the tuba which is awesome.

Who are your influences?
So many! As a band, Maroon 5’s first album “Song about Jane” has always been a major influence on us. It has always felt like the perfect combination of pop, rock and funk. Red Hot Chili Peppers is also a band we really love. Such good songs combined with their intense energy! In more recent times it’s everything from Bruno Mars, DNCE, Sigrid, Billie Eilish to Twenty One Pilots.

How do you get inspiration to write songs?
We find that the inspiration for us often comes from relationships. Whether it be a romantic, between two friends or for example the relation we have to each other in the band. Every relation is unique, and that’s what makes it so interesting. 

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Touring around the world and meeting a lot of interesting people. And by then we would have written some good songs about life which hopefully some people have connected to. 

When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
To sum up the four of us; Running, making the perfect sourdough bread, watching drum videos on Youtube, spending some time at the local flea-market.

What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more into the music scene?
Every song on Maroon 5’s first album “Songs About Jane”

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Our mentor Stephane Detrez really made us understand what it means to work hard. That’s an advice right?

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Don’t make music with the thought of going to “fit” in the market. You will most likely end up losing your authenticity. We’ve been there and it doesn’t work. Get inspired by the music that you love listening to and don’t try to be something you’re not. 

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“Together we are dynamite!”

Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
Grünerløkka, where we live! Amazing place filled with a unique spirit. Just take the time to wander off in this part of Oslo and you will find so many great places. And bring a camera! 

Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first? To rehearsal! Joking, to bed.
2/ Who do you see first? Family and friends, or netflix…?
3/What do you eat first? A delicious and simple piece of bread with brown cheese on it. Nothing fancy.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
A new T-shirt. You sweat like crazy on stage.
Deodorant! You sweat like crazy on stage!
I’m sorry to say, but someone always have to bring a phone charger these days.
A beer never taste as good as right after a show.
Clean underwear! (drummer)

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
on Instagram where we constantly give you updates.
You can also find us on facebook
On tiktok we are also under the name @thefactoryband ms