Dagny explores the journey of strangers to lovers and back again in her debut album

DAGNY is an artist from Norway who creates upbeat and energetic, slightly left-of-centre pop songs. “Basically, the same as in 2019 and 2018,” DAGNY expresses to Eat This Music on who she is. “Ha ha, but now I finally have an album! Yay!”

Dagny is doing very well at the moment, despite this Corona madness,” she expresses to Eat This Music. “I’m stoked about having finished the album,” DAGNY continues in our chat about her debut album. In fact, Dagny really hopes the world can go back to normal sooner rather than later though. “I miss hugging people, playing gigs,” she admits, “[and] not worrying about the world feeling slightly apocalyptic.”

The learning curve for Dagny has been steep throughout the process of her debut album. This is the first big body of work where she has actually sat in the studio throughout the majority of it. “I know pretty much every sound on this record,” Dagny assures listeners. “I’ve had to push myself to make a lot of decisions, and then stand by them.”

“It’s also made me even more excited about going out touring these songs and sharing them with all my fans.” — Dagny on her new album.

Dagny’s debut album Strangers / Lovers is an album split into two parts: “Side A is basically a chronological journey through the start and the happy times of a relationship,” Dagny tells Eat This Music in the first part. Where is “Side B is about the end of a relationship and post break up.” Essentially you are basically following the journey from strangers to lovers and then back to strangers again.

“Absolutely. But that also meant making some tough decisions and killing some darling in the process,” Dagny reveals on the creative process of her debut album. “I bet I could have made several albums about both falling in love and about the heartache and sorrow you feel at the end of a relationship.” Although Dagny only has six songs on each side to tell her story, there are obviously some other stories left untold, simply because those certain songs didn’t fit in with the rest in the finished product.

This album has been a long time coming for Dagny, as she reveals to Eat This Music: “I actually sat down and listened to about 250 demos I had on my computer,” she continues on the creation of the album. “I made a short list of my 12 favourites and I instantly knew what the concept of the album was.” From there, Dagny and her team spent about a year in a studio putting the album together. The album process was so inspiring that Dagny actually ended up writing quite a lot of new songs during that time, with some of them making it onto the album. “The visuals were a particularly fun part of the process, with the artwork and the music videos! We spent a lot of time on that,” Dagny adds.

“I always try to be honest in my music, and actually write words that mean something to me.” — Dagny on creating music.

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/782679826

“Some songs are definitely more personal whilst other songs are maybe inspired by things I observe around me or an amazing movie, you know,” Dagny expresses to Eat This Music on how much of her own life plays in the creation of the album. “My rule is that if I don’t feel it or believe it, I don’t think anyone else will either, so I try to always stay true when I write a song.”

Speaking on which songs off the album she recommends, Dagny tells Eat This Music that ‘Somebody‘ is a song that is imported, and not just because it is the lead single off the album, but because it is a good introduction to “the Dagny World” per se. “Being a massive Sex and the City, I’m also a sucker for ‘Coulda Woulda Shoulda“, Dagny continues. “Those who knows, know. I think the album has a variety of songs and moods, and I’m so happy I got to show more sides of me and my music on this project, so obviously I want everyone to hear all the songs – from start to finish.”

“I can almost remember the date, it was Easter last year (2019),” Dagny touches on why she wanted to release the album. “I just felt like now’s the time – and I haven’t looked back since.” The release dates were already set before the pandemic hit the world, and it was never an option to postpone the record. So Dagny figured people need music now more than ever, and her songs often work as a pick-me-up. “I at least hope they do!” Dagny expresses.

Since Dagny is unable to tour, she is considering working on the second album. “And hopefully do some writing for other artists too,” she adds. “Making this album has left me feeling motivated and inspired, so now is not the time to lay on the sofa with Netflix. Though I’ll probably do a little bit of that too, [laughs].”