Interview: William J. Öberg winds through melancholic confessions

There is a sweetness to the way William J. Öberg glides across his melodies. “I’m trying so hard to find my way / But I’m so easily led astray,” he laments through piano twinkles on “Neon Signs,” an exemplary showcase of great promise. Guitars swiftly swarm around his voice, of thick, reedy timbre and jagged edges, and the listner is soon swept away on an unexpected jet stream. Out of Sweden, the bright newcomer wields iron-forged lyrics like his life depends on it ⏤ and it surely does.

“It’s easier than ever to make music and make it available for others to listen to. But at the same time, I think it’s hard to get noticed among all the new music,” Öberg expresses to B-Sides & Badlands over email. “It really requires focus and persistence to avoid being distracted by things happening in real life and online.”

“Neon Signs” crumbles beneath his soulful confessions, yet it’s star-bound approach feels destined for the heavens. Having grown up in northern Sweden, and as is tradition, the young musician finds himself entranced by and beholden to a particular style of songwriting. “Maybe it has something to do with living [here] and the tradition of melancholic music that is common,” he muses on the song’s emotionally liquid core. “But a simpler answer could be that it is easier for me to write melancholic songs ⏤ and the major theme for the song is caution.”

Elsewhere in his catalog to-date, Öberg zig-zags from the pulsating starbursts of “There’s No Time” to jazzy echos embedded in “Anywhere the Sun Goes” ⏤ and he never seems to lose his way. With the year finally bowing out, he eyes a potential body of work, if he can stop writing songs that is. “I’ve written so many songs, more than I will be able to record, and new ones keep popping out all the time. So, maybe I will try to find a number of songs that would benefit from being released together,” he says.

Below, Öberg discusses his songwriting journey, emotional heft, and infuences.

What’s been your journey in finding your voice and breaking through in the industry?

When I started to perform, it was only covers, and as I learned more, I started to write my own songs and added one or two to the setlists. I got a very good response and that encourages me to continue to write my own music. The biggest challenge for me is finding time to mix and produce my songs. I already have far too many songs to be able to do all the work by myself.

“Driving All Night” carries a very sharp heaviness to it, but with a shimmering melody and production style. How did this one come together for you?

That’s very observant to notice. It is one of the few songs that I have rewritten and mixed up with ideas that were initially intended for other songs.

Do you find yourself naturally writing about being emotionally tortured?

Yes, it must be something in the water, as it seems to be very common among songwriters here in the north of Sweden.

“Why am I isolated from the world outside?” you cry on “See Me Now.” What are you searching for on this song?

In our society, there are norms about what is considered right and wrong. If someone does not follow the norm, some people think they’re weird. We must dare to face what is a little different then we would have a much more open and humane society.

Interestingly, such a song feels urgent and timely for what’s been going on in the world. Do you continuously uncover new layers to your own music?

I write a lot of songs and mostly I come up with an idea and try to stick with it. My challenge is, of course, that English is not my first language, and at times, I feel that it limits me. At the same time, it’s easier for me to write in English basically because it does make me feel less vulnerable as when I write in Swedish.

How have you been managing the pandemic and the resulting mental strain many of us have experienced?

It is really sad not to be able to see my grandparents. Luckily enough, we can now go to school at least. Being a performing musician is very hard as there are almost no gigs anywhere.

You’ve talked about how early on you wrote songs with your father. What did he teach you about songwriting?

He has taught me a lot about song structure and tips and tricks to avoid getting stuck.

Like many, you were surrounded by music growing up. What artists were you naturally gravitating toward? And how have they come to influence your approach to songwriting?

I have always listened to a lot of different music styles, so I guess I´m no different than anybody else in being influenced by anything from jazz and blues to pop and rock.

Since writing on your own, what’s the process been like for you to define your sound on your own terms?

I start by creating songs that I can sing and play on guitar or piano to make sure that I can perform them onstage. That gives me more freedom to elaborate and try different instruments and sound while recording, mixing, and producing.

You’re classically-trained. How does that inform your approach?

Not so much. Playing classical piano is more like training gymnastics with a well-defined program and set rules. Writing pop music is quite something else. But I guess that I may have some advantage of being able to play more
complex pieces and parts that would have been hard otherwise.

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