ARTIST SPOTLIGHT : FJUN
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
FJUN
We are so happy and excited to be releasing your Battery Life EP on DARKNET. It's also going to be our first official EP release! Please tell us what inspired you to write Battery Life, what's the story behind each track?
I'm also very excited to release this EP on your label and I really appreciate the work you do! The story behind this EP and many other songs of Fjun is about learning human life from a robot perspective, and slowly developing more human traits through the observations. In the first song "Chromosomes", Fjun is singing about the searching of a "Keystone" - the idea of consciousness - and wishes to become more human. "Surface" is closely related to this theme. It's about learning from experience and accepting previous mistakes to grow further - a step closer to the hopes for becoming more human. Moving on to "Good Night Winter", we hear Fjun's wish for brighter and warmer days. This could both be interpreted literally - a love for the beauty of nature - and symbolically, of longing for a more colorful life. And lastly, "Go Astray" is about Fjun being restricted to stay inside because of problems with getting lost in the outside world. The robot has a big desire to explore, but is limited to see the liveliness outside from a window.
How long have you been making music? What was some deciding factors that caused you to dive into the music production world?
I've been making music for roughly eight years. It started with my older brother buying Logic Pro and letting me play around with it. I found it to be very fun. I instantly knew that I had found my new hobby. The first songs I made were of course terrible, but after a few attempts, it started to sound pretty decent.
The art behind Fjun is very joyful, cute and happy! Do you make it yourself? Tell us little more about the character!
Yes, the art is all made by me! They're mostly hand drawn and later edited in Illustrator. I like the combination of the cuteness and melancholic music theme. I also like being able to work with a wide variety of genres to avoid getting bored with the music. Since Fjun is learning about the many sides of human life, there's a lot to explore and chose from.
Where do you get the inspiration for your music and art?
I think Soundcloud is the best place to find inspiration. There are so many talented producers on there. It's heaven for experimental and creative music. The community is great for be interacting with and to be getting to know other producers. When it comes to the art, I think the cartoon Adventure Time was what inspired me for creating Fjun. I really enjoy the cuteness of that show.
Tells us more about your creative process, what softwares or plug-ins do you use to get the specific FJUN sound?
The key to the vocals of Fjun is the flex pitch function in Logic Pro X. It's perfect for giving it the robotic sound. I also record every word separately. I have a JP-08 synth that I adore and some other strange instruments that I've collected throughout the years. I also like recording sounds from random objects I find at home. Other than that, I have stock plug-ins and synths from Logic. I use Alchemy VST a lot. I don't think gear is too important to make a good music.
Is Fjun your only project? Should we expect any collaborations with other artists?
I've released music under my real name Vilhelm Lizell for a long time. I started making music as Fjun because I felt locked in a certain style of music, so I wanted to try something new. I have a few collaborations in the making. They are very fun but I prefer working alone, mostly since I usually have a pretty clear vision of a song I'm working on. I would love to do more of them since the results often are interesting when you merge two styles together.
How far do you think you could take your art and where do you see yourself at the highest point of your career?
I have no idea how far Fjun can go, this project has already gone further than I expected. I've already reached my goal of 1k followers on Soundcloud. I'm blown away that it keeps growing. It really is a passion project and I'm so grateful for all the response I get!
How often do you perform and where could we see you live? Can you tell us a little about your upcoming shows?
I don't have any shows planned yet, but I would love to have some soon! I've played my other music with a band before, but since the Fjun music is more electronic, I don't know how I would preform live. I'll figure it out eventually, because I know it's a blast playing live!
Finally we would love to ask - What would you say to up and coming artists who want to pursue their passion?
It's important to make music for yourself and not for others. If you enjoy making the music, it will be heard in the song. If you care too much about what others think it'll effect your music negatively.
Check our Fjun's Soundcloud!
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