Tungevaag talks about his latest release “‘Young Summer” and his future plans

Hey Tungevaag – thank you for taking your time for this interview! It’s great to have a first chat with you.

How have you kept inspired during the past year in lockdown?

I have got in touch with people I never could get in touch with in a busy normal world.

2. What’s your usual process when making a record?

It can start in so many ways.:

It can be that I am doing some chords which vocalist can write to.
A producer sends me a cool idea that I continue working.
A vocalist sends me a topline that I like, and I work on an instrumental for it.
We meet together in a studio and doing a session with a vocalist, producer and 1-2 songwriters.

I had not done a lot of physical sessions until 2018, but for instance my track “Peru” we wrote in a session in Oslo, the engineer tracked the vocals in the same session and I finished the track in my studio.

“Knockout” started with one of my co-producers Henning Olerud, in his studio, without any vocalists. We had a lot of back and forth, and I continued the track in my studio, later the result was this really cool instrumental. We couldn’t write a good enough topline ourselves, so I brough the instrumental into another session with a vocalist and songwriters, and after totally 3 sessions, we got “Knockout”.

“Play” with Alan Walker and Mangoo, started with that DJ Mangoo asked me to help him to make a new verson of his 20 years old track “Eurodancer”. I immediately thought about Alan Walker-style with shuffle bass and melody. I took the tempo on the “Eurodancer” melody from 150 bpm down to 100 bpm and started to build the full arrangement. I sent it to Mangoo and he loved it. I told him we need to get Alan Walker onboard for this, he will like it. Before we showed it to his team: Me and Mangoo took the first flight to Oslo and had a session with Halvor Folstad and Alexander Pavelich, which I knew from before. We four had a couple of sessions to set the ground fundament and most of the ideas of the track, topline and arrangement, before team Walker finalized it

3. Can you tell us the driving forces behind your revival of ‘Young Summer’?

The new single ‘Young Summer’ is a track I have been working on for more than 1.5 years It has been done over 30 different “drops” and productions. It was Tommy LaVerdi who sent it to me. He did the topline together with Jesper Borgen and Iselin Solheim (from Alan Walker – Faded) and I fell in love with it. Jesper Borgen also helped me with guitars and instruments in the track. I felt there was something very special from the first time I heard it, and later now, I was informed that this topline was actually a pitch to Avicii back in the days.

4. You’ve been on a roll with releases, how do you keep your productions fresh?

I try to combine solo releases and collaboration. In that way I get inspired, learn and enjoying this ride together with more than myself. Too many producers have a big focus on that you need to do everything yourself and if you get some help on the production, “you are using a ghost producer.” Even if you credit everyone involved. We are in 2021. I am looking at this like a football team. Certain people have their roles and are better than other on something, that’s why they are a good team. In the end I want to make music that I like. If there are 5-7 songwriters and 2-3 producers on the track, it doesn’t matter for me, cause we together created something that would never been created without these people combine

5. How has your music style evolved?

I think I never have found “my style”, I like several genres within the EDM category and like to release whatever keeps me excited. If its future bounce or more pop-electronic with rap verses doesn’t matter as long as I enjoy it. I try to stay within the EDM sound and keep it “melodic” ish so that I am not all over the places.

6. Who are the legends on your bucket list to collaborate with?

Kygo, Kshmr and Don Diablo.

7. What do you have in store release wise and are there any other exciting projects on the horizon?

There are more excited releases than ever planned, but unfortunately, I cannot say anything more about it than it’s with much bigger artists than myself.

8. Finally, do you have a quick message to your fans?

Thank you for your huge support, response and I love to be in contact with you. That’s why I’m always trying to reply to all direct messages in Instagram, reply on all comments on all social media platforms and chat with you. Thank you!