What is your name?
My name is Trygve Wiese-Haugland and my artist name WIESE obviously stems from this, which is just too long and complicated for an artist name. I just can’t imagine that anyone would remember it and even less know how to spell it. WIESE’s still causing some problems though, as people tend to mix up the letters and struggle to figure out how to pronounce it. Correct pronunciation is neither Waiz nor Wiz but ‘Vi:Se’.
What is your genre of music?
I make commercial electronic pop music, inspired by EDM and deep house artists such as Imanbek, R3hab, Martin Jensen and Hedegaard. But it can also be inspired by other genres, as long as it’s catchy melodies and powerful beats. To be honest, I don’t care if the music is defined as one or the other genre, or if people say that I waver between genres. Whenever I make a song, I tailor it the way I feel is necessary to bring out the vibe and feeling I want to convey, regardless of genre. I make music to emphasize and amplify emotions, not to adapt or satisfy predefined genres that by the end of the day means nothing.
Give us a little bio about you.
I’m a songwriter, producer and DJ from the beautiful country of Norway. I live in Oslo but was born in Stavanger and grew up in Bergen – both on the West Coast of Norway. Kygo and Alan Walker also grew up in Bergen, so let’s just say the shoes are way too big to fill.
What made you go into music?
I have always been interested in music and I have been playing instruments and making music since I was a little kid. I cannot remember any moment that I decided to pursue a musical career. I guess I have just set bigger and bigger goals as I have reached them, and as time has passed, it has just happened to develop into some kind of a career.
Who are your influences?
I’m really going to reveal discrepancies in my musical tastes here but ever since I was a kid, I’ve listened to everything from Eric Clapton to Eminem and Green Day. Not to mention high-school-favorites such as Backstreet Boys, Westlife and Spice Girls. In recent years, it’s hard not to mention DJs such as Avicii, Kygo and Alan Walker. When it comes to vocalists, I’ve always been a huge Green Day-fan, so I also got to say Billie Joe Armstrong. He’s got so much power in his voice and a stage presence like nobody else. And obviously Justin Bieber, who has a very recognizable and tender vibe in his voice. I really like his story and I’ve got great respect for everything he has achieved. Those two together would make an interesting piece of song, that’s for sure.
Are you signed?
I get a lot of offers from various labels but so far, it hasn’t been clear to me why I should sign any of them and what I get in return for it, apart from giving away most of my rights and royalties. If a label come to me with concrete plans and it’s clear to me what they bring to the table, I will certainly be interested in signing. At the time being, however, I do everything myself, which is a fun and learning process that gives me valuable insight and experience in how the industry works, at the same time it’s very time consuming, and obviously that’s time I could’ve spent on the music itself.
You released your single ‘Hear Me’, tell us more about the single.
‘Hear Me’ is a bright pop, deep house tune exploding in colour and life. It’s a summer breeze, bursting with exotic flavours and tropical soundscapes. The main synth melody is catchy, carrying a flow of energy and keeping you feeling happy and alive. After a year in lockdown and finally starting to see things opening again, the vibe I felt was uplifting, energetic and happy.
What is the meaning behind the single?
‘Hear Me’ touches on the freedom after post-lockdown confinement and the excitement at the prospect of travel and adventure coming back into full swing. The song is telling a story about what lockdown has done to us as human beings, our ability to be close to each other and our need to explore things the way we used to.
What was the writing and recording process like?
On ‘Hear Me’ I started playing around with different sounds and melodies in my studio before even thinking about what the lyrics might be. That’s the way I like to go about it, because more often than not, the lyrics tend to fit better when it comes as a consequence of the vibe in the melody. After a year in lockdown and finally starting to see things opening up again, the vibe I felt was uplifting, energetic and happy.
And then for the lyrics, I actually wrote most of it sitting on a train on my way to my mum’s cabin in the mountains. So when you hear the line “Norwegian hills is the place that you wanna go” in the first verse, that’s where it came from. And then in the second verse it goes “Hollywood hills is the place that you wanna go”. That one came from laying on the sofa in the cabin watching a late night movie with my mum.
Describe the track in two words.
Pulsating explosion.
Who did you work with on the single?
I worked with a great and super-talented guy named Conner Edmunds or Callen which is his artist name. He’s located in Nashville, so we’ve had some awesome video-sessions to finish the song. He’s also the guy who brought in the girl who does the female vocals on the track. Her name’s Erin Jarvis, she’s also located in Nashville and her voice was exactly what I was looking for; tender yet powerful. Like Conner, she’s a true professional and I’ll definitely work with both of them again. Who knows, maybe we’re already onto something?
Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect?
Who knows, let’s see what happens.
What else can we expect in 2021?
I like having the flexibility to be impulsive and, in this business, you never know what’s going to happen. However, I’ve been working on a bunch of new songs so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see new music coming. As things are opening, I really want to cease every opportunity to play live again, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully I’ll be able to do both, as I really think people deserves uplifting music and great gigs now.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
If there’s one thing the last year has thought us, it is to enjoy and live in the moment. To be honest, I haven’t thought too much about where I’ll be in five years. Music is an important part of me, so it would be great to progress and experience new adventures related to that. It would also be great to start a family and have children but if it happens within the next five years or not is not important to me. The most important thing to me, is to stay healthy, happy and to keep friends and family close.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Just do it.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Sure, first and foremost people should follow my Spotify-page to keep up with all my new music and the playlists I make. Then of course I’m pretty active on my Instagram-account which is where I spend most time with my followers and where it’s easiest to contact me. Obviously, I also have a Facebook-account, a Twitter-account and a YouTube-channel for my videos.
