LEA KAMPMANN – SEINFERÐ

Entschleunigung. Seinferð, bedeutet auf Färöisch ‘Zeitlupe’. Mit einer Mischung aus Folk und Singer/Songwriter-Pop vermittelt Lea Kampmann mit Songs  auf Färöisch  und wie man zu sich selbst zurückfindet, indem man sich in seinem eigenen Tempo bewegt.

Auf ihrem neuen Album Seinferð lädt Lea Kampmann die Hörerinnen und Hörer in einen musikalischen Raum ein, der das Gefühl hervorruft, sich im Inneren einer akustischen Gitarre zu befinden. In einer harmonischen Mischung aus Folk und Singer/Songwriter-Pop vermittelt sie die atmosphärische Stimmung der atemberaubenden Natur der Färöer Inseln durch die Klangfarben des Sounds. Seinferð, was auf Färöisch „Zeitlupe“ bedeutet, erzählt eine wichtige Geschichte darüber, wie man zu sich selbst zurückfindet, indem man sich in seinem eigenen Tempo bewegt.

Die dänisch/färöische Sängerin Lea Kampmann hatte bisher nur Musik in englischer Sprache veröffentlicht. Als sie jedoch ihre Großmutter verlor, wurde eine der stärksten Verbindungen, die sie zu den Färöern hatte, unterbrochen. Eine Möglichkeit, wieder „nach Hause“ zu kommen, war das Schreiben von Liedern auf Färöisch.

Die acht Titel des Albums wurden gemeinsam mit dem färöischen Musiker und Produzenten Teitur während eines Schneesturms in Tórshavn geschrieben. Während der Schnee gegen die Fenster peitschte, fanden sie gemeinsam die Inspiration für einen Aufruf, der Hektik, dem Stress und dem schnellen Tempo zu widerstehen, die unsere heutige Gesellschaft kennzeichnen. „Seinferð ist eine innere Rebellion gegen die Vorstellung, dass man so schnell wie andere rennen muss, wenn es sich für einen selbst nicht richtig anfühlt“, sagt die 27-jährige Sängerin.

Das Album ist der lebende Beweis dafür, dass Verletzlichkeit keine Schwäche ist, sondern eine Stärke, die uns erlaubt, etwas in uns selbst zu erkennen. Durch Verletzlichkeit hat Lea Kampmann Authentizität, Frieden und Natürlichkeit gefunden – sowohl in ihrem musikalischen Ausdruck als auch auf einer persönlichen Ebene.

Activism Around a Life in Slow Motion

„Lea Kampmann is an activist for taking things slowly and being proud of her sensitivity. The music is an exhalation, and I believe we’ve created a musical universe that invites the listener into a world of quiet contemplation and emotional immersion. Lea dares to live life at her own pace, and that is admirable,“ says Teitur.

In addition to co-writing the lyrics, Teitur also performs instrumentally and produced the album. The album was mixed by Philip Weinrobe, who has previously worked with artists such as Leonard Cohen, Alanis Morissette, and Adrienne Lenker, the latter of whom is one of Lea Kampmann’s greatest inspirations. The album’s Nordic sound and calm nuances are inspired by older Faroese songwriting traditions from artists like Kári P, Hanus G, as well as newer Faroese voices like Guðrið Hansdóttir, Guðrun, and Bartal.

One way Lea reconnected with the Faroe Islands was by delving into Faroese culture, nature, and language—the language in which she said „I love you“ for the first time. Songwriting became a form of spiritual healing from grief and longing, where music created calm amidst a personal whirlwind of noise, stress, and sorrow.

It was necessary for Lea to allow herself to be vulnerable and to process the loss of a close relationship at her own pace, which she has made a heartfelt mission to convey through her music on this album.

On the album, Lea Kampmann not only turns her gaze towards her own roots but also towards the roots of music. The production consists solely of acoustic instruments, apart from the odd synthesizer, which are a conceptual part of her call for slow motion. Instead of relying on technology, machines, screens, and all the quick fixes that the digitalized society offers, she chose to have the music reflect the slow, natural, bodily, and human as an essential prerequisite for keeping pace with the body, the earth, and nature.

Thus, it’s not just the lyrics that stand in opposition to societal trends of growth, speed, and profit—the musical and production expressions do as well.

Nordic Music Experiment Inspired the Promotion of Faroese Language and Culture

Another inspiration for switching to Faroese lyrics came in 2021 when Lea participated in the TV doc-umentary and Nordic music experiment Arctic Assembly, which took place in Greenland. The concept involved bringing together musicians from all the Nordic countries, each of whom had to write and present music in their native language with the aim of promoting Nordic minority languages through music.

The experience at Arctic Assembly was a spark of courage and desire that, combined with the loss of her grandmother, a battle with stress, and a longing to reconnect with her culture, language, and home, led her to release her first album in her mother tongue.

Lea was born in the Faroe Islands but moved to Copenhagen when she was five years old, giving her insight into both Danish and Faroese cultures. With Seinferð, Lea Kampmann hopes to spread her knowledge of Faroese culture and, most importantly, the Faroese language to Danes.

In the Faroe Islands, children start learning Danish in the third grade. But like in an imbalanced relation-ship, the Faroese language is not an integrated part of Danish culture. Lea often experiences a kind of alienation in her „second home,“ where people in Denmark, for example, think she is Dutch when she speaks Faroese.

With Seinferð, Lea Kampmann hopes to spread one of the Nordic minority languages across borders—not with a political speech, but through music and a language that is often overlooked on the Danish music scene, despite the Faroe Islands being part of the Danish realm and thus an integral part of Danish society and culture.

Lea Kampmann debuted in 2017 with the EP Common Blue. She has been nominated for four Faroese Music Awards and won the award for „Artist of the Year“ in 2018. In 2022, she released the album If I Ever Made You Cry, I’m Sorry, which was awarded four stars by GAFFA. Lea Kampmann has previously opened for acts such as Lucky Lo and Katinka Band, and earlier this year, she performed at SPOT Festival.

MUSICIANS: Lea Kampmann: vocal, guitar / Aske Frydenlund-Vad: guitar / Kern Westerberg: violin / Thea Jørgensen: violin / Martyna Kulpinska: viola / Lone Meinich: bratsch / Teitur Lassen: piano, synthesizer, lap steel, percussion / Mette Termansen: oboe / Tórleik Mortensen: bass / Daniel Rye: clarinet, bass clarinet

RECORDED BY: Teitur Lassen & Jens L. Thomsen at Lisu in Hoydølum December 2022 – March 2023

PRODUCED BY: Teitur Lassen

MIXED BY: Philip Weinrobe at Sugar Mountain in Brooklyn, NY

MASTERED BY: Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in Brooklyn, NY