In the Summer of 2021, BIMM welcomed six students to Juniton Studios to record the ‘BIMM Album 2021’.
The album is being produced by Ben Schadow, who has over 20 years of experience working with a wide range of artists as a producer, songwriter and arranger, and is co-produced, recorded and mixed by Thomas Hannes, who has worked as a freelance sound engineer in the studio for many years. Philipp Welsing, who has spent time in New York City working at Avatar Studios and has founded Original Mastering will master the album. With genres ranging from indie-pop to guitar-driven rock the songs make a diverse body of work.
We caught up with each of the six acts featured on the record to find out more about the meaning behind their track. Here Feliks Divelli tells us about ‘4 A.M’
How would you describe your music?
In the past, I have focused more on acoustic elements, and I’ve tried to write very melodic songs. This is not something I’m abandoning in the future, but I am planning on getting out of the ’’mostly acoustic guitar’’-space and adding more elements such as beats and synths and other electronically produced instruments.
What made you become a musician?
It is something that has spoken to me through the years like nothing else has, and writing songs and performing feels really good, and so I thought it could be a good thing to have that as a profession. A lot of people in my family have also been musicians in the past including my father so I guess I’m also following a family tradition.
Who or what inspires you as an artist?
My first love was Coldplay. I first started listening to them seriously in 2009 after their Viva la Vida album, and I also saw them live that year in Stockholm. My second was a band called Angels and Airwaves, with Tom DeLonge from Blink-182. I used to watch videos of them playing live. I really felt that that was exactly what I wanted to do. Ed Sheeran’s first album was important to me because I used to sing those songs which really improved my vocal abilities. Then we can’t go on without mentioning Bon Iver. They have been a huge inspiration as well in regards to style and again using their songs to practice singing.
What’s the meaning behind the song you recorded for the BIMM Album?
It’s about being involved with a girl in a situation that you really shouldn’t, but emotions are very strong and intoxicating and so you don’t make any sensible decisions. I guess it’s a song about being in love, or limerence, a lot of complications with broken hopes and broken hearts.
Can you describe your songwriting process?
Yeah sure. Usually, I start with a chord progression or a riff. Then I either hum a melody to it or sing something with lyrics straight away, most often I sing some lyrics even if they’re just something quite random. Whether or not those initial lyrics stay or not is different from time to time. It has happened that when I come up with a song the lyrics I first sing are the ones I also end up using. After that there is usually a story outlined and then I continue building on that story.
What projects are you currently working on?
Other than ’’4 A.M.’’ I am going to be working with a producer on another song of mine called ’’Something’s wrong’’, and I am planning on making music videos for both of these songs as well. Other than that, I enjoy working out and learning about most things psychology. Jordan Peterson and Gabor Maté are probably the two I listen to the most at the moment.
What are your future plans as an artist?
My plans are to release singles and create music videos for them, and to build an image and a brand around myself as an artist together with a team.
