Can you tell us bit about yourself and where you are from?
My name is Sansa and I live in Helsinki, but originally I am from a little town called Seinäjoki. I was closer to twenty when I started to write my own songs and my childhood dream was to become a professional soccer player. I also took piano lessons when I was ten but it didn’t work out… I skipped the lessons.
Music became my cup of tea when songs started to came out naturally, of course it was very confusing. Music sneaked under my skin and seduced me with its charm, secrets, and strength. It was a way to cope with life and myself. Savior is my third album to date and it’s also the most personal work in my career.
At the moment, right now, I’m finishing my BA, specializing in film sound design.
Savior has just been released in the UK, it covers an array of styles – who would you say is your major influence?
It’s album-specific. When I started to work on it I was inspired by loads of styles such as trip-hop, disco, pop, folk, and country. I listened to things like Ace Of Base, Massive Attack, and Dolly Parton… just to name a few.
I also worked with different methods when writing songs for this album. I used a sequencer, looper, keys, and guitar. Sometimes changing the approach and tools give lots of variation in the material.
We really like your rendition of Sabrina’s track “Boys” at TVDUK. You have transformed it from Euro Disco into a beautiful summer pop song. How did this come about?
Thanks, I’m glad you like it! I love to do covers, it’s very inspiring. I always try to find my own interpretation when I cover a song and usually it comes naturally. I also need to relate to it too. “Boys” is a song that has been around since my childhood, and before it was recorded I played it at my gigs and people went nuts, so I thought, why not record it?
Are there any other songs you’d love to cover, and do you have any plans to do so?
Last time I was in the UK I recorded “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles. I’m also working on “Something Got Me Started” by Simply Red.
Previously you have supported some pretty big names: Robert Plant, Genesis, and Bryan Adams to name just three. Do you have any special memories from your time supporting such legends?
All those supporting gigs have been huge experiences! I’m extremely thankful for getting to play in front of so many people. It was wonderful to exchange a couple of words with Robert Plant who I admire a lot and also great to receive a big (BIG) flower delivery from the crew of Genesis. It was also amazing to get a call to support Bryan Adams on the very same day. I was asked: “Sansa, do you have some plans for the evening? Would you like to support Bryan Adams?” I said: “I have an aerobic lesson but I can cancel it.” I have been very fortunate.
When will you be over in the UK playing live?
I’ll be performing at the Ja Ja Ja Nordic club night at The Lexington in London on May 31 with my drummer and keyboardist. I’m looking forward to coming over!
If you could have one special item in your rider, what would it be?
A bottle of Moét & Chandon would be great!
What are your plans and hopes for the next eighteen months?
In the summer I’m playing gigs and writing new songs. For the first time in my life I can fully concentrate on my music since I’m not student anymore. I’ll head into the studio in the Autumn and plan to release my next album during the Spring, 2013. There’s lot of work to do. I wish to do more shows in Europe and find new audiences.
Name one thing no one knows about you?
I started working five days a week when I was 12 years old as a paperboy. I finished the job when I was in second grade in high school. By the way, I heard that Robert Plant used to do the same job when he was a teenager.
Vinyl? CD? Digital?
All of them.
