When
songwriting becomes a life-style
If
you ask Claes Cem what kind of music he plays, he will
smile
and say “Modern Folk-Pop”.
Listening
to his guitar-driven songs, it does not take long to
realize
that his songs have been shaped by a life on the road.
His
work is heavily inspired by the lyrical world of singersongwriters
such
as Paul Simon, John Martyn and Darrell Scott.
It
contains no frills - just pure music .
In
search of these
folk
influences, Cem spent years in Scotland working the
grueling
grind of open mic nights combined with endless
club
and bar gigs. Following the return to his native
Denmark
in 2007, Claes coupled his energetic playing and
singing
style with his original arrangements and began
working
with other musicians who shared his passion for
original
music.The result both broadened and simplified his
outlook.“After
gigging with so many musicians and different
instrumentations
I found out that the songs, and their
arrangements,
were flexible and work well with anything
from
a solo set-up to a full six-piece band. This is exciting
as
it
gives me far more options when performing live”, says Cem.
In
addition to winning “ Best Singer ” at
the 2008's
Emergenza
contest in Copenhagen , Cem also returned to
Scotland
the following year for a 40+ concert series.
2009
also saw the release of a new single “Freak Without a
Frame”,
which brought Cem to the attention of Grammy
Award
winning engineer/producer Carlos Bedoya .
Bedoya's
past
collaborations range from megastars like Mick Jagger,
Missy
Elliot to Beyonce. Together the two have worked to
produce
the just released “Californian Babe” EP which echo
the
experiences Cem discovered on a recent trip to the
United
States.
As
he notes;
”Songwriting
is an adventure in human observation.”
2010
found Claes Cem, the modern troubadour, trekking
the
world musically sharing his inspirations.
Arriving
in Nashville , “ Music City ”
USA
– Claes met award winning music publisher ,
Gigi de Lugo.
After
hearing his songs and getting to know what a vibrant and
unique artist Claes is, Gigi signed Claes to a songwriter/publisher
agreement and a record deal through her Tropic Heat Studios
Entertainment Company.
Gigi is a fourth-generation islander
from the U.S. Virgin Islands, a once Danish Territory, and
her Tropic Heat Studios has plans to record part of Claes'
next album on the island of St Croix and simultaneously
launch his U.S. career from both the Virgin Islands and
Nashville,TN.
Claes
has already been co-writing songs for his next album
with
award winning songwriters in Nashville.
The
album is due to be released in Spring of 2011 through Tropic
Heat Studios in the United States and Your
Favorite Records in Denmark. Following the
release of the album a U.S. tour is being scheduled that
will take Claes across the U.S. and to Denmark , and Europe.
Kehlet
Guitars used by Claes Cem:
Kehlet
Folk Basic - Flamed Walnut
Kehlet
Koncert Deluxe - Brazilian Rosewood
