Unreleased Letter: Exit 4

Outside a subway station in 잠실 (Jamsil), I saw an 아저씨 (uncle) selling laminated four-leaf clovers. There was something about the image of him that moved me and made me write a song.

Lyrics:

You’ll find luck if you’re lucky,
But if you are not
And you struggle to thrive
With what little you’ve got

If luck won’t deliver,
Take the train, cross the river
To see uncle fortune at exit number 4

You can never be certain
Of what you’ll find,
And it’s easy to think
You should leave it all behind 

If luck is elusive,
Bad thoughts are intrusive 
Go tell uncle fortune at exit number 4

His options are many:
A thought for a penny,
A wish and a prayer are roughly the same
And if you pay double
and stay out of trouble
This fine four-leaf clover will carry your name

If luck is a thing that you need to restore
Just ask uncle fortune at exit number 4

A Change of Pace

When I went to South Korea in 2023 I had no idea that the impressions I gathered there would fill my songwriting, recording and releasing schedule for almost two years straight. Normally I dwell on songs for a long time. Often I hold onto songs for more than a decade before I start the production process – which is why I have a considerable backlog of fully written songs. To take brand new inspiration and run with it has been different and a lot of fun. Two EPs and a tour later, my mind and heart still wander off to Korea from time to time. With every new visit, the list of songs is bound to grow.

My 2025 South Korean tour was titled Letters From Dragonfly Garden. I am still writing letters, and one day I hope to gather all these musical letters on a full album with that very name. But right now it feels appropriate to change the pace of my Korea themed project ever so slightly. That way, I can also attend to those decade-old songs that have been waiting patiently for their final arrangements.

My studio time going forward will be mostly dedicated to another music project (that I will talk more about some other time!). However, I will also continue to work on writing and sharing songs about Korea. Normally I keep my unreleased music to myself until the compositions have found their official form, but I figured that letters are better sent shortly after writing. I have decided that in-between other music work, I will aim to make some simple acoustic recordings of my new Letters From Dragonfly Garden songs and upload them to YouTube.

These videos will not be well rehearsed or polished. You might say I am sending you the new letters written on plain notepad paper, instead of on the ornate stationary paper of my two latest EPs. Rather than carefully planning and drawing each letter with fine ink, I am scribbling with a pencil and no eraser.

The unofficial letters might not be as pleasant to the eye and ear, but I hope my ideas and the rhythm of my words still make for a meaningful piece of communication.

EP Announcement: Dragonfly Garden

Now that spring has arrived, it is time to let you know that for the past few months, I have been working on a few new songs. On March 28 I will release my fourth EP: Dragonfly Garden.

It has been almost two years since I went to South Korea to look for inspiration for new music. Last year I released three songs about Seoul, but I have not yet shared much about the experiences I had in other parts of Korea.

With the three upcoming songs I wish to show you more of this beautiful country that I visited. I hope you will join me as I reminisce about my summer in South Korea!

No er våren komen, og det er på tide å meddele at eg dei siste månadane har jobba med nokre nye låtar. 28. mars kjem EPen Dragonfly Garden.

Det er snart to år sidan eg var på inspirasjonsreise til Sør-Korea. I fjor gav eg ut tre låtar som tok utgangspunkt i inntrykka eg samla meg i hovudstaden Seoul, men eg vitja òg andre stader i landet. Her var det endå meir inspirasjon å hente.

Med dei tre nye songane, ynskjer eg å syne dykk endå litt meir av reisa mi i Korea. Eg håpar de vil følgje med på ferda!

Another Newspaper Appearance

Once again the local newspaper wrote an article on my musical endeavours – this time it was about my collaboration with MoonMoon. I still have not grown accustomed to talking about my music, but it’s getting easier each time. The journalist – who by now might be considered my regular journalist, we joked during the interview – was such a joy to talk to and she put my ramblings together so nicely in the paper. Thank you for taking the time to write about it.

«Sunset is My Achilles’ Heel»

Korean singer-songwriter MoonMoon (문문) is someone whose songwriting truly impresses, challenges, and moves me. That is why it feels very special to announce that I am featured on his final album, 나의 전쟁.

Track number 16 is called «일몰은 나의 아킬레스건» (or «Sunset is My Achilles’ Heel») and is a song MoonMoon and I wrote together after he visited Norway back in 2022. To reflect on his experiences during this trip he asked that I wrote and sang my parts in Norwegian. So I did!

Please listen well.

고맙습니다.

Celebratory Cake

I realized I never shared pictures of the Seoulidification EP cake. On the day before the EP release, I invited a group of friends to celebrate. Of course there had to be cake! The cake was pretty much the main event, but we did endulge in an exclusive pre-listen of the songs and a round of the Korean game of 윷놀이 (Yutnori).