Scan Magazine

By Emelie Krugly

Branded the “Stockholm Wunderkind” and even referred to as the next Robbie Williams by British journalists, the 21-year old Swedish Erik Hassle has become the UK’s newest pop phenomenon. His contract with Island Records  is considered to be one of the biggest deals signed in the last few years and his first album Pieces is predicted to become “as big as his hair” when released in the UK in November.

So, who is this shooting star? A small town boy who grew up in what is supposedly Sweden´s most boring town Katrineholm and the youngest of five children, Hassle was forced to play the violin at the age of three. At 11 he was pushed to perform in front of his teachers by a mother who desperately wanted them to see that her son was not just the noisy kid in the class. At the same age Hassle had what he describes as “an incredibly strong experience” when he first heard his voice in a microphone.

When Scan Magazine meets Hassle at Café 1001 in East London, it’s a cloudy day and Hassle sips a cappuccino. We are only a stone’s throw away from Hassle’s new home of just a few weeks. “I still haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that I’ve moved to another country, I feel really at home already,” says the singer.

It also happens to be Hassle’s 21^st birthday, so I congratulate him “It’s kind of a big thing over here, isn’t it, turning 21?” he remarks.

This extraordinary looking young man obviously has more to celebrate than most 21-year-olds. His penetratingly soulful voice was discovered during his final year in Upper Secondary School and three years later he released his first album Hassle (named Pieces in the UK) with music which Erik himself describes as “arena soul.”

You pretty much became a celebrity overnight. What do you think made people open their eyes?

My hair! Well, seriously speaking, I think my album has twelve very strong songs where you will find soulful vibes and emotional lyrics but not too poppy. It’s all made by somebody who is genuinely passionate and grateful to be making music.  Even though the breakthrough has happened quickly, we actually worked on the album for three years and that was an important process and necessary, a whole lot of love has gone into it.

 How do you find the British audiences and the music industry here so far?

Well, it’s all very different over here. Firstly, of course, because everything is a lot bigger; for example, instead of having one consultant dealing with my PR I have three or four people. It’s after all one of the biggest music export countries in the world and the possibilities here are enormous. So far it has been absolutely amazing and the response has been overwhelming.

 Your song Hurtful is your biggest hit to date; did you have a gut feeling about this?

The first time I sang Hurtful I think we all had a feeling that it was special and could be a success. It was the second song I wrote when I was 18 so it was a big thing for me at the time.  Since then I’ve sung it at least 3,000 times! I don’t sing it in the shower any longer, but it’s still growing on me and it’s still amazing to play it live. In fact, I was listening to it on my iPod the other day and that was kind of mad!

 You are predicted to be the new “heartbreaker”: how do you feel about that?

I suppose I’ve always wanted to be become a heartbreaker in the sense that I want to touch the hearts of people with my music. The attention is of course quite nice, but at the same time having girls coming up to me in the street is bizarre, it’s still something I’m trying to get used to. We did a festival in Sweden during the summer and it went hysterical, I jumped down from the stage to sign autographs and was almost killed!

 Now you’re based in London, what do you think you will miss the most from home?

Probably the nature and the silence. I’m hoping to own a house somewhere in the country of Sörmland, where I grew up. And of course I’ll miss my family, I’m a real family type of guy and love hanging out with my folks.

Hassle’s album Pieces will be out in the UK on 9 November.

Five things you didn’t know about Erik Hassle

*I’ve got a dog waiting for me back home called Bella and she is 11 years old and a real old lady.

*I’ve got ten tattoos and I’m planning to have some more done!

*I’ve got shoe size 11

*My all time favourite song is I’m in Love by Wilson Pickett

*I give my tongue a massage every day with a towel to keep it soft and in good shape. Since I’ve never really had any professional vocal training this is a way I’ve learnt for me to keep my most important tool in good condition and it really helps to be able to hit the high notes!