When we were first introduced to Viktor Ahlgren a couple years back, we had no idea how impressive this guy’s résumé was. While we only knew of him as Vik from indie/electro duo LACEI, he steadily became one of TDL’s biggest supporters and friends.
Aside from LACEI – who will have a new single out with friends SWIMM soon, along with new material that has been described as “more rock-infused/influenced by artists such as The Neighbourhood, Santigold, Bloc Party, and Pink Floyd” – Ahlgren’s other project Deeps will be releasing their debut single “Hurts” later this fall, followed by their debut album early next year. His solo project, Vik Mikael, will take flight soon as well with a Halloween-themed instrumental track titled “Nightmares” – influenced by a time where he was experiencing night terrors and sleep paralysis.
As Ahlgren prepares to go further with his career, we were rather curious about his experiences within the industry. Needless to say, we knew his story needed to be told and we are excited to be the ones to tell it in this TDL exclusive interview!
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You have a pretty impressive résumé! I’m actually pretty jealous. Can you share your experiences in the music industry thus far? Anything eye-opening within the industry worth sharing?
Oh, thank you very much. So far, my experiences in the music industry have been good. I have been lucky to have met great musicians that are even better people, and I hope that it will continue like that. What I love about the music industry is that you learn so much every day, and that is what it is all about. Always look to learn something new from someone that knows something you don’t. Knowledge is extremely valuable. Make sure to connect with the people you meet too because knowing the right people can sometimes take you a long way. What is eye-opening to me is how small the industry is, you’re often only one person away from anyone. So once again, connect with as many people as possible and keep in touch with them (no matter big or small). You never know who they will end up becoming or who they might know.
Can you give us a brief breakdown of your journey of growing up in Sweden up until now? What ultimately made you want to come to the US? Has your experience here changed your perspective in any way?
I was born in a small town in Sweden called Jönköping. I lived there up until I was 18 years old (except for 2 years when I lived in Spain with my family), and then moved to the US. Growing up I was very active in sports and it took up most of my childhood (mainly soccer). However, I always felt that I had a special calling to music and therefore decided to move to the US to pursue that passion. But ironically it was soccer that made it all possible since I got a scholarship to play for a university here.
In the year 2000, I was visiting Boston and New York with my family and fell in love with the country straight away. Everything was so much bigger and new. Ever since then, I always knew that someday I would move here. I was originally supposed to move to the east coast but changed to LA by coincidence. I’m sure glad I did lol, otherwise who knows what would have happened. It’s crazy how life works sometimes.
My perspective has definitely changed when coming to America. I feel like any time you experience a new culture your perspective can change. The pace of life is much faster here, there lots of traffic lol, and there are different societal norms.
You’re currently in two groups right now who are killing it – Lacei and Deeps – along with some upcoming solo side projects. How did these opportunities come together? What are the differences & similarities between both projects?
Aww thank you so much! We’re working very hard and trying our best!
LACEI, which is my main project. started out in college when I met my bandmate, Jessica Lombardozzi, in a music business class. We both were looking for someone to collaborate with and decided to start our joint project “LACEI.”
Deeps is a songwriting/production duo I started with a friend of mine from Sweden (DaKey). Our first project is a more folk, soul, and ballad type project influenced by artists such as Bon Iver and Swedish Folk-pop artist Oskar Linnros. Although, we are going to release different projects with different sounds each time.
My solo project “Vik Mikael” is solely focused on myself as a songwriter and producer. I will do different projects that will range between everything from rock, hip hop, pop, folk, cinematic, etc. lol. I am a very diverse music listener so I will make themed projects that are influenced by everything I listen to.
The difference between these projects is the genre. I love all types of music so it is fun & selfishly rewarding to be able to write different types of music. The way they are similar is that they are all indie? Haha. But seriously, I think one way they are similar is that I take influences from all these different types of genres and use them to equally influence the music I am writing for all projects.
You’re currently working with Grammy-winning/nominated songwriter/producers DJ Dahi and Brian Alexander Morgan as their assistant producer, songwriter, guitarist, and engineer. Dang! Tell us what that experience has been like and what have you learned along the way from these two masterminds?
It is awesome! Both are such talented (but different) musicians and it is a blessing to be able to watch them work every day. Dahi is more of a programming genius who is amazing with choosing sounds and making stuff knock a certain way. He is great with drums, bass lines, flipping samples and loops, chopping them, and turning them into something completely new. Brian is a more old-fashioned musician and a chord-god. Watching him build and play chords as well as structure a song from the beginning is crazy! He also has perfect pitch and can hear things most people cannot. I feel that working with these two musicians gives me insight into both worlds and greatly improves me as a musician. It is the perfect mix of old school ways of making music vs. new school ways (both equally beneficial and important).
You’re well-versed in the DIY life and all things independent with your work with LACEI. What’s it like producing your own music vs. producing for others? Do you feel you take on a certain responsibility or sense of pressure when it comes to other artists rather than when you’re working on your own music?
When producing my own music, I often have a clear vision of what I want it to sound like. While producing for other people, it is not about what I want, but their vision I must follow. There is more pressure when working with other artists because you have a responsibility to understand and produce what they want. There are sometimes differences of opinion, so it is always important to express your ideas. However, the artist always has the last say. With that being said, there is a different kind of pressure I put on myself and my own music. The saying “you are your worst critic” is extremely accurate, and sometimes I feel like the greatest pressure is my own.
It’s no secret the music industry is ever-changing. What are some of your likes and dislikes of the industry, and what would you change, if anything?
I like how easy and accessible music is today. Almost everyone can have access to a vast amount of music wherever and whenever they want. I remember the first MP3 players could only hold 5 to 10 songs, or having to switch CDs on your portable CD player haha. With music being so easily accessible, it is also easier to discover “new” artists. There is so much content out there, you can find upcoming artists that you can get inspiration from and sometimes even network with.
On the other hand, it is kind of a double-edged sword. There is so much content out there and it is easy to get lost in the mix. It makes it tremendously difficult to promote yourself and make an impact. I also do not like how quick something can appear and disappear today. It is like listening to whole albums does not exist anymore. In order to “stay relevant,” you need to release something new every other month. Call me old-fashioned, but I still like to listen to full albums rather than singles. In all honesty, I am not good at keeping up with the latest music haha. Finally, I’ve also noticed that the industry is extremely focused on sales and numbers! Amazing music can sometimes be ignored, simply because it exists an artist who can sell a mediocre song. But maybe that is because of the consumers rather than the industry…?
With so much going on in your life creatively, how do you find time to unwind before it all gets overwhelming, if it all? Has burn out ever been an issue for you?
Yes, it has. I have experienced exhaustion/depression from stress which happened about 2 years ago, and which I still feel effects of today sometimes. When it happened, I was finishing my Master’s Degree as a full-time student, working 20 hours/week for the school, helping both DJ Dahi and Brian Alexander Morgan, working on LACEI and Deeps stuff as well as my own music (looking back now it was a little much lol). At that time, I was also crashing on people’s couches and did not have my own place; so, that did not help either. Stress is very harmful to your body, so for everyone that reads this, please take care of yourself and find time to sit down and relax every now and then. Also, make sure to exercise a lot! It absolutely helps to relieve stress. Now when I feel like it is too much I just say no to everything and take a day off here and there to recover myself.
I hear you’re an active humanitarian. What types of organizations fill your heart and how can readers follow in your footsteps and give back?
Two of my favorite organizations to give to is UNICEF and Save The Children. I also worked in Sweden at a youth refugee camp with teenagers who came to Sweden without family. One goal I have is to one day become an ambassador for an already existing organization, or to create my own. This is what I studied in school. I have an MBA, but with an emphasis on global and community development. Most of us, all have something we believe in and stand for. If someone is interested in giving back, they should research organizations that represent their values. It is also easy to give back to the community as well. Sometimes cities have local food drives for the homeless, community clean-up events, helping at local animal shelters, assisting at the boys and girls club etc. Lastly, I am also a strong supporter of environmental organizations.
If you could work with anyone in the industry that you haven’t already worked with, who would it be?
There are so many lol, but definitely The Neighbourhood. I think they have a cool and unique sound and I would love to get some guitar tips from them. I assisted during a session with Dahi and them once, and they are also super chill and genuine guys! I would also like to work with Kele from Bloc Party; that would be super dope!
Let’s just put it out there: What are your goals for the future?
I really want all the music and projects I have been working on for the past year to come out. I’m super excited about all of them! It’s LACEI stuff, Deeps stuff, Vik Mikael stuff, and stuff I’ve been working on for Brian and Dahi as well as other artists. I am also excited to come out and perform more frequently. Hopefully, these projects will help with that!
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