PopCrush Presents: Luke Faas

Every week at PopCrush, we’re putting the spotlight on one up-and-coming act you need to know about. Why? So you can get on board early before everyone else and their mother jumps on the bandwagon…and so you can be that one friend in the group who’s always like, “Um, actually, I prefer their earlier work.”

Ever felt like you were starting to outgrow your surroundings? Luke Faas did. Growing up in Stabekk, Norway, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist moved to Oslo to become a journalist.

But instead, fueled his love of words into lyrics and penned tunes that look back on pivotal moments of his life as well as make them relatable to anyone who listens. Faas just released his EP, Apathy on June 16, featuring buzzworthy songs like "Why Bother" and "Should've Seen It."

Learn more about this artist on the rise below.

You’ve been writing songs since you were young. What was your first song about?

The first song I remember writing was about hanging out in a basement. My friends and I really loved That 70s Show that was on sent on TV every afternoon, and I just wanted to write something cool that my friends would like. It was written over a bass guitar riff, because I’d started taking lessons in order to fill the only role in our primary school band that no one else had taken already.

You moved to Oslo to pursue journalism but are now a musician. When did you shift? And what inspired it?

My music interest has been around a lot longer than my interest in writing. But going out of high school, I knew I wanted to explore other things than just music. Journalism is a very good way to feed your curiosity and maybe broaden your perspective a bit. Anyway, there hasn't been a dramatic shift between music and writing, they get to exist alongside one another for now. But going into this project, it just feels really natural to dig deeper into music and spend more time creating tunes than texts.

What was it like working with Nicolay Tangen Svennæs?

I’ve never enjoyed working with anyone as much as Nicolay. He’s the perfect producer: great work ethic, taste, musical talent, and most importantly, he’s a nice guy. For me, it’s really important to be involved in every step of the musical process, and with Nicolay that feels really intuitive and frictionless.

"Should've Seen It" has been getting a lot of positive attention. How does that feel?

I didn't know what to expect, but all in all, it’s just been a positive experience for me. Drawing on all the feedback and attention, I can’t help but feel privileged and happy.

What is "Why Bother" about?

I wrote the song about a relationship that just drained energy and never gave back. It just feels wrong and frustrating to keep that kind of thing going, when the energy is much more well spent elsewhere. I also tried to capture the relief of letting it go, focusing on positive influences rather than bad ones.

Apathy explores your life in your hometown. Can you talk about how and why you've done gone this route?

Any songwriter will tell you this, but mostly, you just have no choice but writing about the environment around you. With that said, I’m the kind of person that likes to keep my circle wide, so the EP draws on a lot of different experiences and relationships I’ve had over the years.

What was the most difficult song for you to write for this EP?

That must be the title track "Apathy." The song is about watching someone you care about struggle with something, and not feeling able to help or make a difference for the better. For me, the song is about the relationship between me and my dad after he had a stroke, but I think people can relate to it in a lot of different ways.

Who are your dream collaborations?

I’m glad you asked the question in plural, because I wouldn't be able to pick out just one. Frank Ocean, James Blake, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar and Robert Glasper is definitely up there, as well as Norwegian artists like Sigrid, Lido, Coucheron and Astrid S.

What's next for you?

First of all, enjoy the ride and write more music. I can’t wait to get in the studio again this summer and write some more songs that people hopefully will enjoy.

And for more from the up-and-coming artist, make sure to follow his journey on Twitter and Facebook.

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Next: PopCrush Presents - Minke