Today we have a special guest – Peter Ehrling, the man behind Me & Melancholy. If you have not heard of him, then sit back, relax and let me introduce you to him. Peter has been active in the electronic pop genre from the year 2022, blending elements from the past with those of the present.
Picture this: Depeche Mode and The Cure were the parents and New Order was the cool uncle, so to speak. That’s kinda what Me & Melancholy sounds like. Peter is from Stockholm and has been dominating Spotify with nearly 10k monthly listeners. The crazy part?Autodidact – everything: producing, mixing, and all of it.
His last released album is “Illusio Veri” and it will really make you think. It has got these profound messages that will make you reflect, all set to electronic music. From cheery songs such as “My Bucket of Things to Do Before I Die” to mellow tunes such as “When the Morning Comes,” Peter has this capacity to share stories through music.
We are going to talk to Peter about the process of creating his songs, what inspires him in this process and what life situations he reflects in his songs. Whether you are an enthusiast of synthpop or just interested in the genre, I believe you would find Peter’s words interesting. Well, sit back, grab your favorite beverage and let me introduce you to the mind behind Me & Melancholy!
Listen to Illusion Veri
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What is your stage name
Me & Melancholy
Is there a story behind your stage name?
The name came up pretty late one nigth. I was all done with the song The price was too high and I was going to distribute it when I got an idea to send the song using a new name. I have always loved music with a melancholic touch and I was thinking about something that could describe that. Me & Melancholy popped up as a tought like ”yes it’s me and that melancholy Guy I always bring with me”. Anyways I thought I sounded good, so I took the desicion there and then to distribute it as Me & Melancholy.
Where do you find inspiration?
I most often find inspiration to lyrics from something that have happened in my personal life or something that is happening in the world right now that I get engaged in. For the music I usually just start playing around with some synth or guitar and sometimes it doesn’t result in a whole new song but maybe a chorus to a song or just a cool riff or beat to save for later (I have 100s of such 🙂 Latest months I have got lots of new inspiration by using more hardware synth. You get another feeling when turning actual knobs and buttons.
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
Music have always had a big part in my life and I was feeling the music and always wanted to drum to the beat with my hands or anything that could be used nearby.
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
Not a musical family but my father was a magician so I followed along to many of his shows and sometimes was a part of it.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
i am not sure if it was any particular person, but when I started my first band I was listening alot to New Order and wanted to make songs that sounded like them all the time.
How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
When I was young I took guitar classes many years but when it comes to writing music it has mostly been a trial and error approach buy my self.
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
I think I was 12 or 13 and I watched Erasure perform and I was a huge fan. I was not old enough to go by myself, but my kind big brother followed me to the concert.
How could you describe your music?
It is synth based and I think almost always with a melancholic touch. It has often a focus on the rythm.
Describe your creative process.
I described it partly above but I often start a new session after work when I am kind of tired of talking to people all day and just put on the headphones and start playing around with different sounds and rythms. If I get into the flow I could stay in the studio until 02 or even 04 to complete something I really want to complete. But of course some nights you don’t feel inspired at all and just realize you should go to sleep instead 🙂
What is your main inspiration?
Currently I can’t say I have any main inspiration and I don’t have so much time to actually listen to that much music, but I have in the past listened alot to New Order, Depeche Mode, Pavement & Radiohead and many more bands. But even though I might not have listened to much synth bands after say 1995, I think I am inspired by how I remembered that sound was in the 80s and 90s and probably mix in inspiration from more indie rock sound from the 90s.
What musician do you admire most and why?
If I must say one musician and think about what music has had the most profound effect on myself I would say that is Joakim Berg from the Swedish band Kent. I have listened to all their songs so much and still love almost every song they have released.
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
For Me & Melancholy I think the style may not have changed so much. I guess I have learned and evolved since the first song produced, so the sound have probably changed a bit but I think it mainly sounds simular.
Who do you see as your main competitor?
I honestly don’t think of fellow musicians as competitors. I am usually a competitive person but when it comes to music I don’t think that way at all.
What are your interests outside of music?
I like to watch movies. Love sports, especialy fotball until just a few months ago I still played fotball 2 times per week. I have also worked with system/product development my whole life so I like to develop something just for fun too.
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
I already have another main career within development but if I could wish i would have liked to play professional football 🙂
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
I think the hardest part, at least as a independant musician, is the promotional part. It takes time to learn and maybe not something I actually enjoy.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
I would be nice to get more more paid as an independant musician.
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
The title of the album Illusio Veri, meaning the illusion of truth, came after thinking abount a theme of a new album and a though I had was that there is so much things that are being said by governments and media and we are are often bying everything without a second though. But when you dig into things deeper there might be an alternative truth.
What are your plans for the coming months?
The next coming weeks I will probably have just some time off, but since I have had some really productive weeks after being done with this album you never know if there might be something more after this summer.
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
I have done some collaborations before and I have some in the works right now and more planned for later.
What message would you like to give to your fans?
Thank you so much for supporting me, love you!
