by MV and Carrie Alison
----Though she is considered the voice of Grey's Anatomy, there are far more accurate ways to describe Kate Havnevik. Her debut album's title, Melankton, is Norwegian for black rose, and that's exactly what she is: a raven-coiffed flower housing an otherworldly voice that soars with a loveliness that cannot be contained. During her tour with Air, Kate took a moment to answer our questions.
You've gone from an interest in classical and jazz guitar, to being in a punk band, and now record primarily with electronic-tinged soundscapes. That's quite a progression!
Oh yes, but I love all kinds of music and it's important to try new things. However I think it was good to start with classical and jazz to get some playing technique in.A common criticism of electronica is that it feels emotionally cold. Melankton, however, is a strong rebuke of that. Do you feel your varied musical background is a factor in the album's lushness?
I think my varied background has influenced my music a lot. I was definitely inspired by classical music for the string parts, and by electronic music for a lot of the beats and sounds, but I think all in all the melodies and voice are the main features on the album.You've worked with Moby, R–yksopp, Noel Hogan from The Cranberries, and claim Kate Bush and Radiohead as influences. Who would be a dream collaborator?
I love music by Danny Elfman! Especially all the music for Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Nigel Godrich would be another genius musician to work with. Philip Glass is also on my list of dream collaborators... All of these guys are just amazing at what they do and they all have a style, sound and originality nobody else has.Grace, though not on Melankton, is an extraordinarily lovely song. What's the story behind its use on Grey's Anatomy?
Well, Grey's Anatomy wanted me to submit a song for the final episode in Series Two and they gave me a short brief saying it should be a song expressing devastating loss. Ok, I thought and I started writing Grace . It was quite tricky to get the lyrics right, it's a sensitive subject and easy to fall into cheesy traps. But I think I managed to get it right. www.katehavnevik.com