Norwegian healing

Raised in the small town of Kongsberg, Norway, composer/musician Hanne Hukkelberg developed an ear for unusual sounds at a very early age, thanks largely to her parents, who are both classical musicians.

Crafting an idiosyncratic blend of electronic folk, pop and jazz, which too often draws lazy comparisons to the likes of Björk, Emiliana Torrini and Stina Nordenstam, Hukkelberg has come a long way, expanding her profile by winning a Norwegian Grammy and contributing a track to the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Testing her capabilities as a multi-instrumentalist in high school, Hukkelberg played in a number of bands, ranging from jazz combos to a doom-laden metal outfit called Funeral before going on to study at the National Academy of Music in Oslo.

"I never decided to play so many different musical instruments," Hukkelberg tells The Prague Post. "My main instrument is my voice, but through doing music you learn that music has a system. And if you learn the system as I did at the academy, you can play almost any instrument on a basic level. If at the same time you learn to use your ear, it can be even easier to play the different instruments."

While realizing her potential, she began collaborating with fellow countryman Kare Vestrheim, the respected producer of the jazz metal fusionist band Shining, who agreed to help out with her 2005 disc Little Things. Expanding her style with the intelligent use of found sounds in the form of glockenspiel, theremin, various kitchen utensils, bicycle spokes and, er ... rain, the album showed incredible promise.

Hukkelberg says much of the inspiration for her songs depends on the atmosphere and vibe of the places where she chooses to write and compose her albums. Her second album, Rykestrasse 68, which includes the classic "Cheater's Armoury" as well as a cover of Pixies' "Break My Body," reflected Hukkelberg's time living in Berlin and is an introverted, soul-searching piece of work.

"Almost all of my songs are made up and created out of my imagination now," she says. "Of course, I use my personal life to write the songs, but I don't feel comfortable writing about my own private life. It also feels wrong toward my listeners. I think many of my fans have their own way of understanding the lyrics, and I don't want to spoil that connection."

With its dream-like hypnotic qualities, Hukkelberg's latest album, Blood from a Stone, is her strongest yet. 

"I think with Blood from a Stone, as a songwriter, I have become more interested in subjects that have to do with my surroundings," she says. "Before, I wrote about inner processes. But I'm always interested in people, animals, nature, philosophy, psychology, politics, existence, history and contemporaneity."

It has been said that the album also has "healing powers," but when asked about this, Hukkelberg smiles. "I guess someone has felt some healing power through my music. I can't say anything about that, but I'd gladly listen to someone else's experience about this! It's really wonderful that some people feel this listening to my songs," she says.

During her first trip to Prague, she'll be administering "healing" as a solo artist with help only from her sound engineer. "I'll have my voice, guitar, bass and my computer," she says, "I am totally alone onstage, and it feels a bit scarier standing there alone than backed up with a whole band, but it is also very exciting and challenging in a good way. I've just come back from New York, where I wrote songs, met loads of people and played solo shows, so now I feel more confident and love playing solo."

And forget the Björk comparisons. Hukkelberg says Prague "should prepare for something Hanne Hukkelberg-ish!"

Let the healing begin.

James Scanlon can be reached at
features@praguepost.com