Som forberedelse til Toppen af Poppen, skulle jeg øve med bandet. Jeg trådte ind i øvelokalet uden nogen form for forberedelse, overbevist om at det bare var nogle numre, jeg skulle synge uden for meget omstilling. Jeg spurgte hvad vi egentlig skulle gøre med det her Carl Emil “Frit Land”-nummer? Bandet lagde straks op med en idé – “Du skal lave det som rock.” Jeg var lidt skeptisk; det var 2019, og jeg havde aldrig tænkt mig, at jeg kunne synge rock. Men bandet var fast besluttede og sagde: “Jo, det kan du – du har det et eller andet sted.”
Så gik vi i gang. Vi startede med den helt usædvanlige lyd af kalimbaen, ledsaget af min helt tynde stemme, som langsomt voksede, imens bandet greb fat i de rå rockvibrationer. Med tiden blev det tydeligt, at jeg måtte give slip og lade musikken tage over. Det var som om min hjerne pludselig fandt tilbage til den autentiske rock-sound, jeg engang havde elsket.
I det øjeblik, da jeg begyndte at lade min stemme udfolde sig, begyndte indre billeder at flyde forbi – jeg forestillede mig selv stående på Woodstock, midt i en pulserende mængde, hvor jeg levede mig fuldstændigt ind i teksten om frihed og kampen på barrikaderne. Stemningen var intens og næsten magisk; jeg tænkte ikke længe over, hvad jeg præcist sang, for lyden kom spontant og naturligt frem.
Bandet var blæst bagover – det var jo ikke præcis den jazz, de var vant til, men noget helt nyt og gribende. Denne oplevelse mindede mig om, at nogle gange må man turde kaste sig ud i det ukendte, for det er netop her, de mest uventede og inspirerende øjeblikke opstår.
In preparation for Toppen af Poppen, I had to rehearse with the band. I walked into the rehearsal room without any preparation, convinced it was just a few songs I needed to sing without too much adjustment. I asked what we were actually going to do with this Carl Emil “Frit Land” song. The band immediately suggested an idea – “You should do it as rock.” I was a bit skeptical; it was 2019, and I had never thought I could sing rock. But the band was determined and said, “Yes, you can – you have it in you somewhere.”
So, we got started. We began with the unusual sound of the kalimba, accompanied by my very thin voice, which slowly grew as the band embraced the raw rock vibrations. Over time, it became clear that I had to let go and let the music take over. It was as if my brain suddenly reconnected with the authentic rock sound I once loved.
In that moment, as I started to let my voice unfold, inner images began to flow – I imagined myself standing at Woodstock, in the midst of a pulsating crowd, fully immersing myself in the lyrics about freedom and fighting on the barricades. The atmosphere was intense and almost magical; I didn’t think much about what I was singing, as the sound came spontaneously and naturally.
The band was blown away – it wasn’t exactly the jazz they were used to, but something completely new and captivating. This experience reminded me that sometimes you have to dare to throw yourself into the unknown because it’s precisely there that the most unexpected and inspiring moments arise.