Although Erik Hassle hails from the small town of Katrineholm, Sweden, his music has slowly crept into virtually every corner of the globe. Like ABBA, who rose to fame fifteen years before Hassle’s birth, Erik is determined to cement Sweden’s place on the musical map.
In August 2009, Erik Hassle released his debut album in Sweden under the Roxy Recordings imprint. And following the success of “Hurtful,” he landed an international recording contract with Island Records and Universal Republic, which will allow him to repackage Hassle in 2010 for international audiences. The re-release will be entitled Pieces.
Upon review of Pieces, Erik Hassle managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on his mother’s influence, the reason behind Hassle’s title change, and his transition from a drummer into a singer.
I read a feature in The Sunday Times that stated that your mother was a comic actress, as well as an amateur singer. What kind of early influences helped prepare you for life in the entertainment industry?
Well, both my mom and dad were big influences. We moved to the countryside in Sweden. Included in the house that we bought was another house in the middle of the gardens which they made into a venue, basically. They started to invite other comedians, bands, and musicians. Every weekend, every Friday and Saturday night during the summer, they invited the whole district to come to the house. There was almost always someone visiting my family who worked with music. So I started to perform myself in that venue in our gardens. So yes, they've been a big influence.
I also read that you picked up your first drum stick at the age of five. What made you gravitate towards the drums? At what point did you move from the drums to singing?
I always wanted to play drums. My mom had me playing the violin when I was three years old. I didn't think that was much fun. I had a Russian violin teacher. I could barely understand her when she spoke. All I wanted to do was to hit the drums. I kept on playing violin for a while, and then I said, “Mom, please let me play drums.” So I got to play drums.
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