Setbacks and New Beginnings for A. S.

Happy New Year! Said the voice almost a month late on a blog threatening to die in loneliness. The voice is mine, and I do hope it will be a happy year. The reason why I keep falling into silences here is that I am never clear on what I can and cannot say on my own Astrid Swan blog. Today, encouraged by this post somewhere else in the world of endless blogging, I feel like writing again. I do admire transparency and the ability to keep no secrets – secrets make me sick in the heart. So why keep them?

Last autumn brought many crucial changes to my life as an artist. After Johanna Kustannus (my ex-label) had been sold to Universal Finland in the spring 2010, I got the boot just like most other artists who sing in English and aspire to have an international career. Friends and relatives asked if this was a blessing or a curse for my future, I did not really know how to answer – to experience rejection is hard, but at the same time there was a side of me that did not believe in a future with a record label whose bathroom wall is covered by 5x4meter Gaga face.

So now I am a free agent finishing my Pavement cover album at home! Yes, a bunch of Pavement covers will be the next thing I put out. Later I'll get back to the question why... If you are a label guy/girl and would like to release these covers somewhere in the world, do send me a line. And if you are just curious, keep your ears pricked.

I'm also working on making the fourth Astrid Swan album with original material. We will begin recording this coming spring. The major challenges occurring there are how to make no compromises without a real budget (a record label used to provide that luxury), and the songwriting – I am being pretty slow and demanding on this one.

This was a greeting from the extended hibernation necessary for recording and songwriting.
If there is a particular Pavement song you want to hear me sing, let me know now – I'm still recording for a week or two.