A Chat with Nils Bloch (28.07.24)
Elegantly capturing the intricate connection between existentialism and the metaphysical, singer-songwriter Niks Bloch blends humanity, reality and spirituality in his moving music. Hailing from Denmark but residing in Belgrade, the artistic singer-songwriter shares intimate narratives in his songs like an old friend sharing secrets. We speak with Bloch about his debut album From My Armor, superpowers, upcoming plans and more.
OSR: What drew you to music? Why did you decide to pursue a career in music?
Bloch: There is something about the state of being immersed in a song that I can’t really compare to anything else. To me, it’s like the world pauses and, just for a second, everything that ever existed becomes crystallized in those sounds and words. In terms of making music myself, I like the process and the satisfaction I get when I’ve worked on a song until it’s exactly how I want it to be, and I feel like I can get behind every line and every note. There’s enough music in the world, so I always feel like I shouldn’t pollute it further with songs I don’t care about. If I put something out into the world, I want it to be something that, at least I think, has some value and uniqueness.
OSR: I see you have a degree in art history and have worked in the art world, does your experience as an art historian and being in the art world affect your music?
Bloch: It predictably means that I pay a lot of attention to the visual presentation of my music. In a more roundabout way, I think it has been important in my journey to becoming the musician I am in that, growing up, I was always drawn towards art, but at the same time, I had this sense that art was a secluded area that I somehow wasn’t allowed entry into or that was reserved for people who possessed some deeper understanding. I don’t really know where that idea came from, but being fortunate enough to get an understanding of the academic side of aesthetics has made me realize that art is as mysterious to anyone as it was to me and that academia is just one way of approaching art, but certainly not the only and not always the most meaningful one. I think that journey was very necessary for me to gain confidence in my intuition and taste, to be able to trust that I could have something of value to contribute.
OSR: After your EP In Amber Light was released, you relocated from Berlin to Belgrade. How has this move affected your work as a musician, and does it contribute to your debut album?
Bloch: It has had a huge impact on the creation of the album. Belgrade is an amazing city, and being surrounded by this (to me) new architecture, language, history, etc. definitely pushed me to explore different sensibilities. A big thing that happened when I moved was that I didn’t know as many people who were involved in music as I did in Berlin – obviously not because they weren’t there, but because I was new in town and didn’t know that many people. But I think that made me encounter different types of communities than those I was used to, and it changed my perspective on a lot of things.
Serbia and the Balkans in general have a really rich cultural history, so there was so much to dive into, from music to food and nature, all of which I think bled into the songs on the album. Also, no longer being surrounded by a culture that was familiar to me meant that the hierarchies and scenes that can become really internalized when you live somewhere for a long time completely vanished, and so I was able to create relying only on my own intuition versus having people around me to influence me with certain aesthetics, music, etc. That felt very scary and liberating at the same time.
OSR: Speaking about the debut album, From My Armor, what can you tell us about it? What is the backstory of the album?
Bloch: The songs were collected over the last couple of years, mainly after I moved to Belgrade. They don’t, as such, have an overarching conceptual framework, but the album is sort of woven together by certain topics that appear in different guises throughout: isolation and communication, distance and closeness, redemption, love, memory.
OSR: What do you hope people take from From My Armor, and what do you take from it?
Bloch: The album still feels very fresh to me, so it’s hard to say what I take from it. Maybe when I get some distance to it and it becomes part of my personal history or mythology, I’ll be able to see what it means to me. But for now, I think it’s too close to say.
Regarding the listeners, I hope people will experience some kind of intimacy. The album has an ultra-confessional tone, not only in the lyrics but also in the arrangements. All the instruments and my voice were really close-mic’ed and softly played and sung to achieve a sense of listening to a friend whispering in your ear.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Bloch: Music means beauty.
OSR: What makes you unique as a musician?
Bloch: I guess that’s for other people to say, really. I do think I have a way of singing and playing that is very direct and unguarded. Whether that’s good or bad is for others to decide, but I think there is some unfiltered honesty in my delivery and songwriting that’s unique. I sort of lack the musical sophistication to veil anything, haha.
OSR: Random questions: if you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
Bloch: Probably flying. I periodically levitate in my dreams. In those dreams, I need to convince myself that I am able to fly, the second I start doubting it, I start falling to the ground. I guess there is some fridge magnet metaphor in there somewhere.
OSR: What is your greatest achievement, and it doesn’t have to be music-related?
Bloch: In terms of musical achievements, I am indescribably proud of the fact that I was able to make this album. I wrote and recorded it all by myself with very limited equipment and very little outside input. I just had a vision and trusted it. I’m honestly so amazed that I was able to materialize this thing that my mind knew was floating around somewhere in the ether.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Bloch: More music. I’m already working on new material, but it’s too soon to say when it will be ready to be released. Right now, I’m just really enjoying being in the earlier part of the creative process after having worked so hard on putting the finishing touches on From My Armor.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Bloch: I hope you will go check out my new album. I hope you will let it into your hearts, if only for a moment, and that it will afford you some comfort, exploration, joy, or whatever you may need right now.
Many thanks to Nils Bloch for speaking with us. Find out more about Nils Bloch on his Instagram and Spotify.
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