Olle Hammar -whose real name is Cedrik Hammar- is a new rising artist from Sweden re-introducing himself as Lionman. Since a young age he decided that music was all he wanted to in his life and following this dream, he took part in the Swedish talent show “Idol”, presenting himself to a wider audience.
Recently, Cedrik released his debut solo single called “Don’t You Dare”, an inspiring song which fits perfectly his empowering come back under the pseudonym Lionman, emphasising on ‘integrity, respect and acceptance’.
That was the moment when SounDarts.gr got in touch with him in order to find out more about the artist that got everybody singing “Don’t you touch my hair”. Cedrik went through some difficult periods in his life, which -as he explains- made him what he is today, while music was his way to understand better himself, but also to show to people his true self.
His sincerity and inner strength built up his character today, creating a solid work of art in his music. Thus, Lionman through this interview shares among different topics an insight on his thoughts and career decisions, while he also talks about his future plans.
Just before we start, would you like to say few things about yourself, to introduce yourself to the Greek audience? Who is Olle Hammar?
My name is Cedrik Hammar, 22 years old soon to be 23. As a little kid Ι ran around and sang with made up words, which made my dad to notice my interest for music. And from that moment music has been a part of my life in many ways. All from choir-school, boys choir, church choir, gospel choir, Swedish “Idol”, music school with focus on singing, back vocals for other artists and song writing which led to what I’m doing now as Lionman.
Back in 2011, you took part in the Swedish Idol. How did you take the decision to participate in that competition and what were your thoughts/goals? Do you think a reality talent show, like Idol, helps an artist to present himself/herself widely to the audience?
One of my friends got recommended to the production and they asked her to bring some of her friends along. I was one of them. By that time the only thing I knew was that I wanted to sing. But during the competition something dark grew inside of me and Ι ended up being less happy every week of the competition. What I realized was that music for me is something sacred. It’s about expressing who you are in other ways than how people see you in a normal situation. And that’s really hard to do as a 16-years old kid who just wanted to sing something that felt right while being in a competition. You have barely 30 seconds of talking about the song and 2 minutes of singing per week. That’s no time at all compared to the amount of time you need to actually show others who you are -both good and bad sides.
According to your experience, how does it work for a person that in a moment finds himself/herself in front of the eyes of thousands of viewers?
I think that was one of the hardest things for me, I didn’t feel that the viewers saw who I really was and somehow when the image of me was set, it was even harder to show and convince that I’m so much more than what they saw. Idol was fun and I made friends for life. But mostly it became a very important lesson about how the extremely commercial side of the music industry works.
Looking back now to that experience as a whole, is there anything you would do differently?
Mostly I would’ve stood up more for myself and done everything to convince the production that I knew what was right for me. But if I knew then what I know now about that experience, I would’ve tried more and harder to find a way without doing idol.
Moving on, I would like to ask you about the song ‘Elephant’. It was a particularly nice song that you shared with your fans back in 2014, accompanied by a simple video, with you playing the guitar. Was there a story behind this song? What were your plans in that period of your life?
The “Elephant” was one of the first songs I ever wrote. It represented a naive part of myself that I look back to. It was a side that I both envied and felt a little bit sorry for (laugh). Cause that ‘Elephant’ created his own world, chose to see the good side in everything, but couldn’t see that some things he put himself through could hurt him. The song is the conscious part of myself trying to protect the unconscious naive side of me. I wrote this song one month after Idol so I still had a few years left in school, but I knew a little bit more about what I wanted to write about and how I wanted to present myself as an artist.
Today, we see Olle Hammar re-introducing himself as Lionman. Would you like to tell us few words about this empowering comeback?
It feels really good!! This is the first time I feel like I’m giving myself an honest chance to present who I really am through my music.
Could you please tell us also a few words about your debut song “Don’t You Dare”? The song carries a strong, but at the same time, sensitive meaning. How do you feel about this?
“Don’t you dare” is a song about integrity, about accepting yourself instead of focusing on others’ opinions. I’ve often felt that I quite not fit in and that there’s been a gap between myself and the majority of the people around me. It has taken a long time for me to accept every inch of my body and be proud of who I am. I’m giving myself the chance to be everything I am. It’s like I’m saying in the song; ‘it’s not about us and what we see in each other, it’s not about you and your expectations, it’s not about what I want, because I just want an honest chance, so don’t you dare judge me before you know who I really am.’ That’s the message.
You wrote through social media that this song is about ‘integrity, respect and acceptance’. Why is that?
I think a lot of people’s first impression of the song is that I don’t want someone to touch my hair. But from a bigger perspective, it’s just a metaphor. My hair is a symbol of my persona, everything I am and everything I stand for. And when you’ve already struggled with the feeling that you don’t fit in, just because of how others have been treated you differently, in a disrespectful way it can compromise the emotional structure and the acceptance you finally built up. Like the golden rule; treat others like you want to be treated. The line “Don’t you touch my hair” could be translated to “just let me be who I am”.
What are your next steps? Do you have any plans of what is about to follow the release of “Don’t You Dare”?
For the moment there is a lot I wanna do, it takes time though (laugh). The music video of “Don’t You Dare” is gonna be released soon and another single will follow. So that’s my main focus for the nearest weeks. But, I’m always up late planning what I wanna do next, listening to several versions of the material, I’ve got to find different angles and ways to present everything as I really want.
Generally, what is your definition of music or, if you prefer, what music means to you?
Music for me has been a way to canalize my emotions. And at the same time learn and understand more about myself from a bigger spectrum. It’ s a way for me to show who I am and all of my different faces and give a chance for an honest understanding of my emotions and what has shaped the person I am today.
Do you believe that music could be the vehicle to help creating a better world for people?
I believe that different tales and personal stories, both good and bad, can help people to find themselves or understand others and hopefully get inspired to be or act for the best.
Are there any singers/artists you look up to or you gain inspiration from?
There are a lot of artists I look up to like Salem al Fakir, Seinabo Sey, Matt Corby, and many others. But my biggest inspirations are the ones I got closest to me. Jonathan Lavotha & Molly Hammar has been two of my biggest inspirations since we were 10 years old and went to school together. Joel Gunnarsson (Ourchives), Maja Keuc (AMAYA) are also artists that just make me find peace in myself every time they do their thing. They’re all so extremely talented and unique in their own way. But, they also got their hearts in the right place. It really means the world to me being surrounded with such beautiful souls and get inspired every day, both musically and emotionally.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Five years is a long time from now (laugh). Hopefully I’ll be doing the same thing I do now with the same passion I feel about it. Of course, I would like to be standing on bigger scenes, meet more people, release more songs and share my emotions. But for now, I’m taking it day by day.
Interview: Eleni Kefalinou
