An interview with Musician Carl "Calle" Lehmann

Please introduce yourself to the readers:

Hi My name is Carl "Calle" Lehmann and I'm a 23 year old singer/songwriter.

Where are you from and did you always dream of coming to the US to pursue music?

I'm from Stockholm which is the capital of Sweden and I've been dreaming about moving to the US to pursue music for as long as I can remember.

How and when did you first get into performing?

I was humming stuff before I could even talk, but the tipping point was when I was 5 years old. My parents took me to a children's doctor because I would completely freak out, start screaming and hide under my bed whenever the ice-cream truck would come by our block. The doctor said that the only possible explanation he had to this was that the jingle the ice-cream truck played was out of pitch and that's what bothered me so much. He made a joke that I had good pitch and they should put me in the church choir. So they did. I was singing along with records and singing in choirs but it wasn't until around 7th grade that I really started playing in a band and playing gigs. I've been doing it ever since.

Who were some of your biggest inspirations growing up?

I listened a lot to Queen and all the Motown artists when I was growing up, so that will always be a huge inspiration to me. When I started playing guitar, my hero was John Mayer. But right now my biggest inspiration would have to be Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Coldplay and The Kings Of Leon.

What kind have training have you done?

I started singing in a choir when I was 5. When I was 9 years old my family moved to Stockholm, Sweden. I enrolled in a Musical Elementary school where I sang for 2 hours every day as part of the curriculum. In high school (Grades 10-12 in Sweden) I studied the vocal program to Rytmus which is a Musical High School where you could study as much as 16 hours of musical subjects every week. After Rytmus, I studied one year at RML (Rock Musicians Program) In Stockholm. After that, I moved to LA and received my Associates Degree in Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Independent Artistry from Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music.

What has been your favorite gig to play so far and why?

My favorite gig to play so far, was when I got hired to sing for and with Stevie Wonder for his private birthday celebrations at The Sayers Club in Hollywood. It was my favorite gig because Stevie Wonder is one of my all time musical heroes and it was something that I couldn't have imagined doing even in my wildest dreams. It was amazing.

What performances do you have coming up?

I have been working at The Sayers Club in Hollywood headlining their main night "The Sessions At The Sayers Club" as the lead singer of "The Sessions Band" so I will continue working with The Sayers Club as we expand and open new locations. I'm also in the process of finishing my new album so as soon as that's finished, I plan on going on the road to promote that.

Who would you most love to collaborate with and why?

I would love to collaborate with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and producer Brian Eno. Another artist I would love to write music with, would be Taylor Swift.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future is to finish my album and to keep working with The Sayers Club in our new endeavors. I have also co-written a song for artist Sammy Adams that is set to be released in the coming months.

What is your advice to other aspiring artists?

My advice to other artists is to just keep working. Learn to do things on your own and don't expect other people to do things for you. Work hard, keep at it and believe that your passion and determination is strong enough to take you where you want to go.