14-Year-Old IX Talks About The Challenges Of Being A Young Musician

The 14-year-old Swedish musician IX, real name Isabelle Keranen Simontaival, is working on a new album.

I think this is the youngest person we'll ever interview on The Musician. But you have to ask yourself: what are young people doing Twitter?

Anyway her name is IX, pronounced ‘Icks', she says. She's from Sweden and while she's at pains to describe what good music is, she's says it certainly has something to do with feelings.

‘I guess that if you manage to add "feelings" into the song whether it´s with your voice or with some tunes or rhythm that mirrors the kind of mood you´re after with the song.’

Although IX gets help from her father, what comes out strongly in this interview are the challenges of being young musician – a musician who's not really sure whether she's a musician.

If you’re a musician and also want to be interviewed like IX, start the process using the button below.

L. SOJINI (L.S): Can you tell us about yourself? Where you’re from and what kind of musician you are…

IX: My name is Isabelle, and my artist name is IX (it´s pronounced ‘Icks’).

2007 is the year I was born so I´m 14-years-old right now, fifteen later this year, and I´m living in Sweden with my family.

Besides school taking up a lot of my time, I make music and I like to draw.

I play the guitar, piano, ukelele and I sing. I´m pretty much self-taught.

What kind of musician I am? It´s a tough question. I don’t know if I see myself as a ‘real’ musician yet.

I guess I could consider myself as a singer/songwriter/producer/promoter as I write, play, record, mix and release the songs I promote by myself.

I´m getting some advice from my father though, who often listens to my music and tells me what I should think about and how I could change things. It happens that I listen to him from time to time (not always though).

L.S: How did you get into music?

IX: I started playing around with a keyboard my parents bought for me when I was about six to seven-years-old.

I started to sing to the simple melodies I managed to make from the keyboard.

A few years later my father showed me how the guitar works and I was hooked.

L.S: What do you think makes good music?

IX: I don’t really know. It´s difficult to answer as everybody enjoys different kinds of music.

I guess that if you manage to add ‘feelings’ into the song whether it´s with your voice or with some tunes or rhythm that mirrors the kind of mood you´re after with the song.

So the answer for me is probably feelings makes good music.

L.S: What are your strengths and weaknesses as a musician?

IX: I can easily pick up the guitar and start to play something and sing to it, probably like all musicians.

I have a dozen of half-done songs lying around in my head that I don’t really know how to start or finish.

That might be why some of my released songs can be pretty short (under two minutes). I’m working on it, though.

So strengths, I´m creative – always trying to find new ways to create my own sound.

Weaknesses, I tend to lack motivation or self-discipline to actually finish all the songs I make (I´m getting better at it).

L.S: What are you currently working on?

IX: I am currently working on some concept songs for a full album, trying to find some inspiration for a somber-vibed theme through the whole album.

I hope too have it done by the end of the year.

I am also working on two collaborations with two other artists, which is very interesting but difficult.

L.S: How do you approach music? As in, what’s your philosophy when it comes to making music?

IX: I often improvise on the guitar and when I find those melodies that sound like something I like I start adding vocals.

Texts are often taken from my little notebook where I ventilate my thoughts and feelings, so I guess my philosophy is that my creations are that whatever medium I make, they should make you feel something, whether it´s sadness, happiness, joy or anger… it doesn´t really matter if my creations make you feel anything, I believe that I have done something right.

L.S: What are you most proud of as a musician?

IX: That I actually dared to record and release my music for the world to hear.

It scared the living **** out of me. It still does but the reception has been quite overwhelming and everyone has been so nice to me.

L.S: How do you promote my music?

IX: Mainly through Twitter… word of mouth.

I´ve sent my songs to various internet radio stations and live review shows on YouTube. It´s a lot of work to get peoples attention to my music, but it works.

I don’t know how many ‘promoters’ that have contacted me about selling streams and subs and so on, but I don’t want to. It feels like cheating and not real. I will never pay for getting that kind of promotion.

I believe in the philosophy that hard work pays off. It takes time, but I know that those who listen and follow me on various streaming sites do it because they enjoy my music. That feeling can’t be bought.

L.S: Favourite musician? Why?

IX: My favourite artists would probably be a band called Get Scared.

It´s quite simple, I think they make awesome music with good interesting lyrics.

L.S: Advice to fellow musicians?

IX: Enjoy what you do, don’t let it go to your head. Hard work always makes the result worth the effort.

L.S: Can you recommend one musician you’ve worked with that The Musician can interview next? You can share their Twitter handle.

IX: The only two I know of are Kenshi (@kenshinoodles) and Yuki Sayanora (@SayanoraYuki). Both are wonderful individuals and awesome artists.

L.S: Thank you for talking to The Musician. Remember this is your home. Whenever you have something new to share, hit us up anytime. You can even drop your links here.

IX: Where can you find me? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/2007IX (Twitter tag @2007IX );

On Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/MJvU1;

On Spotify:

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWZGOYEmS-GB-pd5gqzeTwg/

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