Karen Gwyer

Google chat interview by Basje Boer
Photos shot by Dan Wilton in London, UK

Growing up as an only child, it wasn’t all that surprising that loop-based electronic pop artist Karen Gwyer would become a solo artist rather than part of a band. Since having a child herself, Karen is rarely by herself any more, yet all the more lonely.

Do you think growing up as an only child had something to do with you becoming a solo artist later on?

Yes, I’m sure it has a lot to do with it. To get exactly what I want, I relish doing it on my own. I’m good at being democratic, but when I was in a band, I sometimes toed the line rather than speak up if I thought something was a bit crap. Not always, but it didn’t give me that satisfaction of owning the sound completely.

What do you mean by ‘owning’ a sound?

I suppose for me it’s being able to think about the sound for a long time, let it develop in my head and then get it out, play around with it, record it, play some more, hone in on it, go a bit deeper still and finish it off. All without needing to take anybody else’s opinion into account. That’s pretty satisfying!

“Now that I have a child, the biggest change in my life has been waiting days and days for a couple of hours of time alone”

Is it hard to maintain that feeling of ‘owning’ your sound when you’re on tour?

It’s like when you go to a really amazing gig and you’re totally engrossed in the music, yet there’s a part of your mind that’s ticking away, thinking, Yes, I’m going to add a bassline that feels like ‘X’ right after the drums fade out… I’ve had that a lot. I guess I’m just assuming I’ll be able to keep focused and hopefully even improve as I hear what the other guys are doing.

How important is it to get feedback? And – can you handle criticism?

Criticism sucks. But hey, to each his or her own. I certainly go on rants about certain pieces of music, so if I can dish it out, I can take it. Although I refuse to dish it out in public. I feel embarrassed for music critics sometimes. I wouldn’t want that job. Ever.

Is it important to share your music while you’re developing it? Or is it a private process?

I share it at home with my husband, because I have so much respect for his taste and thoughts, but the minute he says something I don’t agree with, I tell him to zip it. Other than that, no: it’s totally private. It’s almost impossible to share something that is missing half of it, and that half is in your brain still. Because there’s no way to explain how something will sound.

At what times do you feel like being by yourself?

If I could be by myself for two or three hours a day, I’d be a very happy lady. The biggest change in my life has been waiting days and days for a couple hours of time alone now that I have a child. My brain is so over-packed by the time I get it, it’s just kind of heavy reaching that point where I can say: ‘Right, now what should I do first?’ There’s so much pressure and so little time!

“Criticism sucks. But hey, to each his or her own. I certainly go on rants about certain pieces of music, so if I can dish it out, I can take it”

So, no time to go out to dinner by yourself anymore, I presume. Did you ever and did it make you feel awkward doing it?

I don’t feel awkward, I love to people watch! On the occasions long ago when I did dine alone, I felt a little odd, but nothing a big glass of wine didn’t cure.

Do you ever feel lonely any more? Or maybe you even miss the feeling of loneliness?

Ha-ha, I feel enormously lonesome now. Not in a really depressing way, but I largely exist in a bubble where I’m cut off from the world. I’m with my son all day every day and he can’t talk yet, so some days I really live for that five-minute chat with another mother when I’m out and about. This is a big problem in London. It takes an hour at least to go see friends. So I just keep babbling to my kid!