Profile: Britta Persson
Name: Britta Persson
From: Uppsala, Sweden
Sounds like: Sweet, sultry soda pop with a sobering dark fizz
Listen: Winter tour
Discography:
2004 – Demo 1
2004 – Demo 2
2005 – Found at home EP (Startracks)
2006 – Top quality bones and a little terrorist (Bonnier Amigo)
Links:
www.brittapersson.com
www.myspace.com/brittapersson
I have it on good authority that Britta is lovely. And adorable. And a hostess with the mostess. It doesn't take much stretch of the imagination to believe this is so. Her look – choppy bangs, oversize specs, wide, searching eyes – convey a lot. Her lyrics, even more so. A quick visit to her website, where she confesses "Last year was a bit chaotic and I often found myself wishing I was older, but I wasn't" seals the deal. Apparently, she's been around for a few years now, but only recently has she begun to attract widespread attention. A year ago, you could find her strumming her guitar for students at the University of Växjö, at a lunchtime concert during a week-long Love And Sexually Transmitted Diseases awareness event - "They tried to talk me into giving a speech on the subject. Of course I said no, but as I played my (often a bit sad) songs, I felt good and I realized I was the one to tell the people love and making out can be a real good thing. So I did." These days she can be seen doing studio sessions for TV4 (click here), or on MTV. Her debut full-length album, "Top quality bones and a little terrorist", has been rapturously received and she recently made a guest appearance on the new Camera Obscura album, "Let's get out of this country".
- Stacey Shackford
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Britta Persson, I'm 25 years old and I come from Uppsala, Sweden.
How did you come to make music?
There was nothing else I enjoyed doing.
"Top quality bones and a little terrorist". What?
...and a Diamond. And lots of things.
Near-sighted or far-sighted? And where did you get those glasses?
Near. A friend's dad bought them at a gas station in the seventies. I've had the lenses replaced.
Are those the Suburban Kids in your video? Who else do you hang out with?
Yes, they are. I don't hang out with them much actually, but since I almost had them killed, they've got a song and a special place in my heart.
How did you almost have them killed?
The road was very slippery and I was the driver. Turned out to be a not so good combination.
I also see you've been working with my Scottish pals, Camera Obscura. How did that collaboration come about?
I know their producer.
When was the last time you defragmented your computer? Your heart? Do you have a boyfriend?
I don't think it's possible to defrag your heart. No, I don't have a boyfriend. I needed to fall in my love with myself first. I'm about halfway there - at least I'm not on the hater's side anymore.
What do you do when you're not making music?
I sleep, eat, go for walks. Sometimes I work in a laboratory. I'm there right now... Oh, that's right, I should get back to work.
A lab! Doing what? My boyfriend is a plant scientist and spends about 12 hours a day at the lab.
I work for people like your boyfriend then. But I can barely spend five hours there at the time. It makes me frustrated. But then, maybe that's good for me. What I do? I prepare their samples, isolate the DNA, so they can look at it and use their skills to find out how to make a better world. It's similar to baking cakes all day long. "Add this much of that and put it in that machine and wait 7 minutes."
Describe your perfect day. Describe yesterday.
Sunny days are perfect days. Yesterday included a car trip together with top quality drummer Per Nordmark back to Stockholm from where we had been playing the night before. We had our standing discussion about life and music. It's funny really, we repeat ourselves every week and we still find it interesting. When I got home I voted for the Left Party. It didn't help.
What does the future hold for Britta Persson?
Peace of mind, happiness, a home, laughs, music, friends, love and those kind of things...