We first got a taste of CNTR last year with his haunting remix of GIMI’s In Case We Die. Now, the young producer and singer returns with his first single of the year titled Fire.
While CNTR may be influenced by the wintry landscapes of his native Sweden, Fire blends his new influences of London’s urban landscape to create a soulful and uptempo instrumental. A freckle of glitches pop with punctuated piano notes before CNTR begins singing about the anxiety, misgivings, and overwhelming dread that can consume us whole in a single flash of neurosis. The ruthless amount of pressure that you place on yourself coupled with the pressure you feel from exterior forces can be devastating as you carry your earthly corpse around with black holes for eyes and a lockjawed carbon smile. For CNTR, the best course of action is to set yourself on fire and start anew as his voice soars over the pit of suffocating self-doubt like a rising phoenix.
We had a few words with this bright young artist as we anticipate more gems like Fire in the coming year. Read and listen below.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a Swedish producer and singer living in London. I’ve been a musician for the most part of my life, playing different instruments and singing in several bands over the years. A few years ago I got into DJing and producing but after some time I realized that I missed singing so that’s when I started my solo project, CNTR.
At what point in your life did you realize that creating music was your passion?
Pretty early, I’d say. I started out at a young age, and I was instantly drawn to playing instruments and performing. I think after I had played my first gig with my first band, that’s when I knew.
What came first, producing or singing?
Singing. Production was something I got into fairly recently.
If it weren’t for music, what do you think you’d be doing?
Hmm… I really like film and video editing and stuff like that. I like cats too though…
What was the inspiration behind “Fire”?
Fire is about self-doubt and how hard it sometimes can be to listen to yourself and to not care what other people think about you. Musical and production inspiration comes from all over the place.
How do you pull yourself out of that spiral of doubt and anxiety?
For me, it’s about converting bad feelings into something good, so when I feel down, I write. I write lyrics, random text or I just play an instrument until I come up with something. After that I’m normally back on track again.
How’d you hook with GIMI for the “In Case We Die” remix?
GIMI and I met at University here in London and one day he texted me asking if I wanted to remix his single. I said YES!
What do you have in store for 2017?
I’ve got a new single coming out in a few months, followed by my first Ep and I’m gonna play more live shows.