Klingande Talks Debut Album, Overcoming Writer’s Block, and Tomorrowland

Klingande opens up about the release of his debut album, as well as how he avoids writer’s block and why Tomorrowland is one of his favorite festivals.

Klingande is no stranger to the dance music scene. “Jubel,” his iconic tropical house anthem, was released back in 2013 and gained international acclaim and dominated parties, backyard BBQs, and Spotify playlists galore. The success of that track catapulted Klingande into the spotlight, which is where he’s remained ever since – despite having only released his debut album last Friday.

Appropriately titled The Album, the release is a two-sided culmination of Klingande’s career thus far. The first disc is entirely new music, including his most recent single “Messiah” featuring Bright Sparks. The second disc pays homage to his earlier days, packed with classic fan-favorites like “Pumped Up,” “Rebel Yell,” and of course, “Jubel”.

We had the chance to catch up with Klingande to discuss his debut album release and what it means to him. Grab a copy of The Album for yourself and read on for more insight into this exciting milestone, as well as how he avoids writer’s block, his production process, and more!

Stream Klingande – The Album on Spotify:

Hi, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today! To start off, let’s talk about your debut album The Album. After so many years of anticipation, how does it feel to finally be releasing this album?

Wow, it feels great! I always wanted to release my own full-length album, and here it is. We started this project 18 months ago, changed my touring plans to do writing sessions, and spent a lot of time in the studio recording and producing everything with my team. It has been a long process, but I wanted each song to be special. And I hope people will feel that when they listen to it.

Featuring your classic hits like “Jubel” and “Punga,” as well as new tracks like “By The River,” this double album showcases many different sides of your production styles. Can you talk about what your production process looks like today versus what it was like back then?

Absolutely! That’s why the album has two sides. I wanted to offer a kind of “compilation” of my “old” songs, alongside the album with all new songs. Back in the day when I worked on “Jubel” and “Punga,” I was working in my bedroom without the best tools and with my young skills.

Now it’s a very different process. I’m able to record vocals and musicians in amazing studios and I have a team of musicians, writers, and producers around me. I love to work with them, it makes the process faster, I learn a lot, and I can achieve exactly what I want in my music. I think the quality of my music has improved but the melodies and feelings I put into it are still there.

Your latest single, “Messiah” featuring BRIGHT SPARKS experiments with a less upbeat production style than most of your other tracks. Where did the inspiration for the making of this song come from and how did you land on BRIGHT SPARKS for the vocals?

I received the song from Bright Sparks through our management team who are in contact. The first time I listened to their vocals, I fell in love with it. I immediately had the idea to do something different production-wise to bring another element to the album. The song is slower than my other tracks, more melancholic and mellow, with a tech-house bassline. We also released a remix from Tony Romera and an acoustic version. I’m really happy with the result, it’s probably my favorite song on the album.

Are there any vocalists you haven’t worked with yet that you’d love to team up with for a release in the future?

Of course, always. I’d love to work with Cobi, Gregory Porter, Julia Stone, Jacob Banks, to name a few!

When you’re sitting down in the studio to write music, do you ever suffer from writer’s block? Can you share any tips or tricks for when you get stuck?

When I’m doing writing sessions, I always team up with at least one musician and one topliner. This is very helpful because if we are stuck on the lyrics, we go back to the music and listen for cool riffs, explore guitars or keyboards for inspiration, and move on to something else.

Let’s talk about touring. You kicked off this year with the North American and European legs of ‘The Intimate Tour’. Do you have a favorite memory that stands out to you from your shows?

The tour was great, it was a reconnection with my fans in smaller venues where I got to play songs from the album. The sold-out show in Brooklyn was incredible. The energy between myself, my musicians, and the crowd was fantastic! The room was grooving as one and I loved every second of it. Another favorite memory was, of course, Paris, a day after my birthday where my team planned a surprise for me on stage.

As well as the tour, you also played Tomorrowland for the sixth year in a row this summer! What makes this festival a special one for you?

I love Tomorrowland, probably one of my favorites every year. I’ll be at Tomorrowland Winter next year in March as well. It’s special because the Tomorrowland team always builds an incredible universe, you dive into a whole new world every year. It’s really amazing and exciting to discover it, and, of course, there are so many artists and friends around. It’s a real family gathering every summer.

Since you’ve been playing for both North American and European audiences, what major differences do you notice with the crowds?

[Laughs] I’m not sure, there is no big difference when everyone is happy and dancing together. We are all young people having fun and there are no boundaries to that.

The last time we had a chat was back in 2018. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist this year and with the new year on the horizon what goals do you hope to achieve?

That’s true! I think mostly I learned a lot about myself and the music I want to do in the future. I’ve also improved my production skills, spending hours and hours in the studio. My goals for next year are to go back on tour everywhere, meet more fans, and create more music but with some surprises.

Finally, when you’re not making music or on tour, what does a typical day look like for Klingande?

A typical day doesn’t happen so often! [Laughs] So I’d say it’s mostly spending time at home, seeing family and friends, watching TV, and taking the most I can from these days “off”.

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