This time, we get to know Backman. His track "Way Home" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
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𝟭. Where are you from and what are your hobbies?
I am from Czech Republic - pretty small country in Central Europe. People often don't really know much stuff about Czech Republic, so just a quick recap: Prague, beer, Jaromír Jágr and Dominik Hašek or the word "robot". Also take a look at this: Miloš Forman, Madeleine Albright, Ivan Král, Franz Kafka, Ivana Trump and many more. All these people are from Czech republic soooo, yeah, Czech Republic rules! :-)
My biggest hobbies are, except googling famous Czech personalities and making music, all the good old things - books, movies, sport...you name it! I used to work as a video editor/maker so I would say that movies, both actively and passively, have my biggest interest. For many many years I was hoping for a career in a movie industry. I didn't quite give up on that, but at the moment, music has the lead.
𝟮. How did your get into music?
I was about 15 years old when I just got this strong urge to learn piano. As funny as it may sound, the song that got me to do that was Everything I do by Bryan Adams. Only god knows why I guess...I instantly fell in love with "making" music. Not knowing the scales or anything, I was looking at fingers of the players and I wrote numbers over the keys I drew on a piece of paper. It was messy, chaotic, one would say that it was stupid, but it kind of worked!
Not long after that we started a band, kind of ska-pop band. It was fun, but it didn't last for long. Since then I tried to learn a lot of instruments and now I kind of play on piano, guitar, bass, drums and I sing. I am not great in any of those tho, but it's so much fun.
I had many different interests for many years (I am 30 now), so music was always just something in the background. But not a long time ago I was participating in one electronic music production contest and I won. That was actually one of the biggest motivation boosts in my life so I focus on music much more now and I truly feel like this is it, that's the thing I want to do... I only wish I've made this decision a looong time ago.
𝟯. Who are your biggest influences?
This is really hard question and I don't think I have the answer. Because there's not one or two subjects, there´s probably houndreds of them and not just music-wise, the inspiration and influence can emerge from any direction - from movies, books, or just from a brief talk with friends...You just never know. So I guess my biggest influence is paying close attention to everything and anything.
Also I have to say, that I feel very influenced by anyone who has the confidence to stand up for themselves. I had a huge problem with constantly comparing everything to other's work and I've always felt really bad about how I do things. And I am much happier when I don't anymore, just doing my thing, being happy about it :-)
4. What are your goals in the music industry?
Also I would love to go full time in music, therefore make some decent money from it, obviously duh. The idea of making music for a living is something I strive for so baaad. Not necessarily millions of course, just enough to pay my bills and maybe buy some better equipment. It would make me really happy as I go from work to work for years and nothing really satisfies me. I was working as a bartender, waiter, factory worker, construction worker, translator, writer, Voice over artist, video editor...So, yeah, that's what my true goal in music is right now ;-)
And this probably sounds like so huge cliché but I would like to make a song that I'll be 100% satisfied with and I will listen to it a year later and I say "Still like it, wouldn't change a thing". Right now I would change everything after few day, and it's very frustrating. SO, my goal is to get better, more confident, and to make songs that are technically perfect. I would love to know that the listeners truly enjoy the music and that they can hear it as a professional song, not as a potentially good song from a bedroom producer.
5. If you could choose a location to perform at, what would it be?
I don't really like performing live and I don't have very big plans to do so. But I guess it would be nice to perform some acoustic songs in a cosy little club in San Francisco, sipping whiskey, having a hat, smiling at all 10 people there...I would enjoy such situation as a listener more then as a performer I guess.Actually just visiting San Francisco would do it. Well, I really think I don't have any particular place in mind where I would like to perform, sorry.
6. What is your all-time favorite song?
El Tango de Roxanne from the movie Moulin Rouge! I was 10 years old when I first heard it and I instantly fell in love with the song - don't know why, don't care, still love it 20 years later!
7. Most embarrassing moment?
Oh, there's so many! Let's just pick one. the weird one. One time, it happened in high school, like 16 years old, I was so bored that I got into this weird fantasy world and I pretended that one of my finger is very small fella and that at the end of the table a very deep abyss starts (like Barlog vs. Gandalf deep). And so I made this poor little fella to jump off the edge and I was moving my finger down to the ground very slowly, while quietly mimicking his yelling. Well, it wasn't that quiet and after like 2 minutes of this, I realised that the whole classroom, including the teacher, is watching me in total silence. Not cool, man. The teacher asked me WTF is going on, pretty angrily, and I just told her...I just told her the truth, that I pretended to be a little fella who has jumped off the cliff to the deep abyss...Not cool at all!
8. Proudest accomplishment?
It's probably the fact that I was signed up by a label from the USA. It happened about 6 months ago and I couldn't be happier. Also that my first song was released recently and so it means I am officially a musician haha! That's music related, but there is obviously more accomplishments, things I am proud of, like manage to live by my own like an adult, or having a cat. Also I am pretty good in drafting beers and once I got a lot of likes on 9gag. Also sarcasm, pretty sure I know how to sarcasm around.
9. What is something about you that might surprise someone who knows you the best?
Oh it would spoil the magic for them, wouldn't it! But honestly, I think that my passion for music would surprise a lot of people around me. I used to play a guitar and sing a lot with my friends, but I don't think they know, that it's actually something I would like to do professionally.
Anyway, people who knows me the best - my girlfriend Dita and probably few of my closest friends - know pretty much everything about my I suppose. Maybe even more than I do.
𝟭𝟬. What is your dream collaboration?
I have a list of people actually that I would like to team up with for at least one song. And those are mostly female singers. I would love to make a song with Olivia Merilahti formerly a singer from the band The Dø, now known as a Prudence. I just love her voice! And "A Take Away Show" where The Dø performs two acoustic songs is just the best...
Another would be Agnete Kjølsrud from Djerv and Animal Alpha. I am a big fan of their songs and of her strong, husky vocals. I would also love to work with Libby Lux from The Bridge City S;nners, with Mette Lindberg from The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, or with Kimbra (known best for the collaboration with Gotye), or AURORA (because she's a warrior!), with a lot of Czech singers as well...There's so many! :-)
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