Norwegian pop star Erlend Øye adds Italian accents
Hong Kong-bound former Kings of Convenience star waxes lyrical about his adopted home
Italy has everything— great food, sunshine and a relaxed way of life — according to Norwegian indie pop star Erlend Øye. But there's one thing that puts him off the country he's called home for the past three years: the nation's notorious roads.
The former Kings of Convenience musician and collaborator with dance experimentalists Röyksopp is taking no chances, and has decided to take driving lessons in Bergen, Norway, while rehearsing for an Asian tour that will bring him to Hong Kong for the second time in his career on March 17.
"When Italians drive, they go crazy," Øye says over a crackly phone line from his hometown in Norway. "In Italy, people are such good drivers that they don't need to follow the traffic rules. If you are a passenger, it can be scary."
Øye's affection for Italy informs his latest work, the 2014 album, which features songs sung in oddly accented Italian that he plans to perform at Kitec in Kowloon Bay.
Whimsical and in thrall to his new home, the songs follow the jaunty, melodic style he made his own over the past decade with Kings of Convenience, the indie-pop outfit that had a minor hit with the catchy in 2004.
One of the key themes in his new musical direction is sunshine, an ironic twist in a career comprising gentle indie anthems whose easy melodies conjure thoughts of summer. "I now live in a country that has a real summer," the 39-year-old says. "A big reason for moving was the great weather. Summer, for Norwegians, is something that happens in the movies. In Italy, I feel like I am living in a movie — I am a movie star."
