Exclusive Interview with RASMUS NELAUSEN

Rasmus Nelausen, is a Danish singer and songwriter and is 28 years old. He has been navigating the music business since 2016, and his journey has taken him to more than 200 shows in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Germany, as well as live performances on Danish national television. With the release of his debut album, “September Weather,” in March 2020, he established himself as a songwriter to watch. With reviews like “… this could be a neo-classic” (GFR) and more than 2.5 million streams on Spotify alone, the album received international attention and received positive reviews. His second studio album, titled “Diorama,” is scheduled for release in May 2023 with assistance from KODA Kultur.
The first single from Rasmus Nelausen’s upcoming album is titled “Diorama.” It also happens to be the album’s title track. It’s his second studio album; the first one was a huge success with streaming, garnering more than 2.5 million Spotify streams.

The mellow, indie/alternative pop song “Diorama” captures the uncertainty and positioning of your own ego in relation to another person. Do you have room in your life for more than one person? Can you create the room and self-discipline necessary to embrace another human being? Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: I come from a rural area of Denmark. I’ve attended Waldorf school my whole life, playing instruments like violin, clarinet and saxophone until settling on the guitar at age 11. I didn’t write song until I was 22. It started as a way to express my emotions and worries, but I quickly found out that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. At least for a little while longer. I never had any ambitions, I just wanted to make music. That also means that I get overly exited every time something cool happens!

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: I’ve had two different guitar teachers in my younger years, for a couple of months, but I’m not very good at taking instructions. I like to learn things my way. Disclaimer: That is not the most effective way to improve. I often think about how good I could have been if I had just practiced. But then a got a lot of other stuff done, so it doesn’t bother me to much anymore.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘RASMUS NELAUSEN’?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: First influences was blues legends like Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy etc. My uncle introduced me at got me into playing guitar. My horizon has expanded a lot since then.
Rasmus Nelausen is my legal name, and I figured, since I’m writing music about what I feel and what impacts me, I might as well go with that. Rasmus Nelausen is not a made up persona, it’s just me.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: I think people resonates with my honesty. I don’t know. It just feels like people listens a little bit more when they can feel that there’s something at stake. And there is in my music I would say. But I’m also really biased.
I don’t know how I would describe my sound. Bipolar maybe?

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?

RASMUS NELAUSEN:

I’m still very much searching for “my sound”. I don’t know if I’d even realise if I found it. We get exposed to so much great music all the time, and it gets harder and harder to separate things I feel. I’m beginning to just think of it as “good music” and that’s what I wanna do. And I think I’m getting closer and closer.

6. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

RASMUS NELAUSEN:

I love playing in the studio, trying out crazy stuff. It’s the closest thing I can come to the childhood playground experience and I think that’s important. But what keeps me going is performing live. I love making people laugh in between the song, connecting with them and I love when people, once in a while, come up to me and say that my music has given them something. Helped them through a tough time, a breakup or a roadtrip. You can’t put a price on that.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

RASMUS NELAUSEN:

On an emotional, ego level, I get back what I send out ten fold. No doubt. I love performing in front of a live audience.
There’s always the money side of the business and it would be great if, somedays, the scales tipped a little bit more to the center in regards to streaming.
I didn’t choose to keep pursuing this lifestyle because of the money, so I feel like a lot of it is up to me to keep writing songs, keep booking shows, keep engaging with my audience and keep pushing my limits. Some days I don’t do any of those things. Some days I do everything. It’s a hard thing to balance.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

RASMUS NELAUSEN:

Up until the creation of the forthcoming album, I wrote and composed everything myself. I’m really bad a co-writing.
But this time I’ve partnered up with to amazing human beings, Daniel and Jonas, and we’ve written, composed and arranged these songs together. It’s been amazing and insanely difficult for me but I’m glad we did it this way.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: The past 2 years has really made all prior obstacles seem like pebbles. We’ve suffered two passings in the family, I’ve struggled a lot with my own mental problems like low self esteem and anxiety. Time management has been tough as well. I’ve put a lot of miles on the car and I haven’t slept enough.
But it’s getting better. Life goes on and we try to keep up, right?

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

RASMUS NELAUSEN: I was strangely proud to hit 3 million streams on Spotify. It a really weird thing. But it’s cool. I’m also really proud of the work I’m putting into my house at the moment. I just renovated a door and it turned out amazing. It’s easier for me to be proud of that than it is to be proud of my music. But that’s my self esteem talking.