COY Swede has been part of our go-to artists for a long time. We did a podcast with him three years ago. One thing that hasn’t changed is that he always has done everything himself. Well…, sort of.
He writes and produces his own music, and produces his own music videos to go with that same music. For a long time TikiKiti has been following the music world change from an industry directed by a few big companies to what it is today: A world where the individual musician now has control over the own career. If you ask many artists, this change has been both positive and negative.
Being in charge of every aspect of production and marketing can wear any one down. COY admits that sometimes he is ready to give it all up. Mostly because the difficult part of doing what he does is just getting through all the “noise.” He has to contend with those that just want to be famous versus the joy of just doing what he loves.
COY is expressing what many, if not most modern artists, admit to. That being the frustration of trying to build your audience, and get the notice everyone in this business wants — and needs: that is, know that people like your music. This is a similar concern another artists I spoke to last year confided when he said he just wanted to get another record deal with a big company. This is a refrain of what COY expressed. This new industry can really wear down an artist.
This said, COY is not ready to give up. At least not yet. Explaining how he discovered the process he needed to master to become more marketable, and then realizing this is something that all producers need to understand. It was a couple of years ago when this all came into focus for him. Traveling is a great inspiration for him so he continues to travel and looking for inspiration.
He found this inspiration recently after a long trip — finding the ideas and motivation to keep going and his creating new material. Music he calls retro-pop and synth wave. He is stoked and becomes very animated when discussing it. Additionally, his latest track “Coming Home” was added to an editorial Spotify list. Getting on one of these is very difficult as an independent artist. He jokes, “It took me only 6 years.” Unfortunately, he adds, the song only stays there for one week. But this recognition, and the reviews he got from this placement, is all he needed to keep going.
It’s not an easy journey, but, and an independent artist, the little victories add up to something much greater — the will and determination to keep going and doing what he loves.
