When it comes to intriguing pairings coming out of Sweden, you don’t have to look much further than Johan and Fanny. Taking their love of the theater, giving it an indie pop makeover and adding a dash of punk they formed Mother Mink. Now they’re set on playing the biggest festivals around. At least that’s what we talked about when we caught up with them. We also talked about what’s going down musically in Sweden, and more!
Kendra: You first caught my attention with your video for “Doobie Doobie.” Trippy is the best way I can describe it. Is that the vibe you all have always gone for with your style?
Mother Mink: Thank you. Trippy is a great description. We are high on life most of the time! Trippy is not the vibe we always go for in our style. We just want to create fun, interesting, imaginative art and music and it can take form in many different shapes. The song ”Doobie Doobie” is a tribute to the spontaneity and that is pretty much how we created the song and the video.
Kendra: With a very theatrical aesthetic, were any of you into acting before you got the band together last year?
Mother Mink: Yes. We have a lot of experience in music, art, and theater. The lead singer Fanny is actually touring with a theater for children when she’s not hanging out with Mother Mink. Johan is touring in different constellations, he has been playing almost everywhere, from the streets of Stockholm to the birthday celebrations for the Swedish king…
Mother Mink’s Favorite Place in Sweden: An ecologic hotel called Urnatur in Ödeshög, close to the biggest lake in Sweden, Vättern. They said, “It’s a magical place. We lived in a treehouse in the middle of the forest and cooked our food outside.”
Kendra: Now to switch things up to your hometown and Sweden. What’s the scene like over there in terms of mainstream vs underground?
Mother Mink: People say there´s a music studio in every basement in Stockholm. In other words, there´s a lot of musicians in this city which is very inspiring. You can find great and humble musicians in every corner. Maybe it has to do with the long and dark winters…? We have a lot of time to actually focus on the music in our small and dark studios. We can’t go out surfing, play volleyball and have a barbecue every day. We stay inside listening to music, playing music and light candles. In those terms, the underground scene is pretty big here.
The mainstream scene is huge! Sweden is a small country and the scene only got a room for a few people. It is always the same people on television or on the radio. That can be frustrating sometimes but it can also make you more focused to actually struggle even harder! We will show theme that our crazy music is awesome! Our main goal is actually to get in contact with people that like our music outside this country.
Kendra: Is there one venue there that you’d feel very accomplished as an artist if you got to step on that stage and play?
Mother Mink: We would be very satisfied if we played on the biggest festivals in the world. For example Glastonbury festival, fusion festival, Tomorrowland or Burningman. A tour in Germany or the united states would also be great
