Two months after pop singer/songwriter Mads Langer released his latest album, “Where Oceans Meet,” two tracks have already surpassed one million streams on Spotify: “Monsters in My Mind” with more than 3 million streams and the pop gem “Hanging With You” topping 1.3 million streams. At the same time, the album’s official single, “Lightning,” debuted at #35 on Billboard magazine’s Top 40 Indicator Chart.
This week we talk to Mads Langer about the songwriting and creation process of his new album, Where Oceans Meet, a collection of beautifully delicate pop songs about the dark and the light, love and hope, “Where Oceans Meet” was produced by Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Eg White (Adele, Florence and the Machine, P!nk, Sam Smith) and features songs co-written by Evan Kidd Bogart (Rihanna, Beyonce, Lizzo), including both “Lightning” and “Hanging With You.”
LEG: Congrats on the new single, “Lightning”! Can you take us through the songwriting process on the track.
ML: In many ways, I think “Lightning” is a song that represents that certain place on my album Where Oceans Meet. “Lightning” is a song about recognition. When I wrote this song, I thought about all those moments in my life where I really felt recognized on a deeper level– when I met my wife, when I looked my newborn daughter in the eyes for the first time, in concerts when my music meets the audience and it feels like we're all getting struck by the same lightning. Those kinds of moments.
LEG: What was it like working with the legendary producer Eg White (Adele, Duffy, Sam Smith)?
ML: It has been very inspiring and humbling. On this album I have had the privilege to work with some of my personal heroes. Eg White is high up there on my list of people that I always wanted to work with. He is a wizard in his own way and working with that kind of capacity has definitely helped me expand my own understanding and approach to music production and songwriting in general. Apart from that I have made a new friend. Eg is the kind of person that comes with absolutely no bullshit. He pushes me when I need it. He lets me do my thing when I need to. It has been a true blessing and I can’t wait to work more with him. We already have plans on putting in a lot of time together.
LEG: How long did the entire process take until you had the finished product?
ML: I recorded the album in Los Angeles, London, and Copenhagen. That triangle of cities has had a paramount influence on my life and on my music. I have lived in these cities and commuted between them since I moved away from home. I think my album sounds like a mix of the Nordic melancholy, the vibrance of London, and sunny California. The entire process took the better part of 3 years from the first songs were written til the release of Where Oceans Meet.
LEG: Where do you do most of your song writing? A specific location or wherever the inspiration hits you?
ML: Most of these 11 songs originates from the same place. There’s an old library in my house that I have turned into my studio. I call it Freedom Studios. When I enter that room, it feels like the world outside doesn’t exist. That is where I have written the better part of Where Oceans Meet. Surrounded by books, crystals, palo santo, guitars and all sorts of instruments.
LEG: How did the pandemic effect your songwriting and music making process?
ML: During the last 18 months I have slept in my own bed every night. For the first time in my adult life, I have had the chance to slow down, breathe and connect with myself in a way that I wasn’t familiar with before. I was so used to the nomad life and the constant change of scenery came with a different state of mind. Obviously, that also affected my songwriting process. I feel like i affected the process in a positive way. I would say that I have never felt more focused.
LEG: Take us through the range of emotions you have when releasing new music and letting your fans hear it for the first time?
ML: It’s a big mess of mixed emotions. Putting your heart on the slate is both exciting and nerve wrecking. I feel like the real answer from my fans is left for the moment that I play the songs live. One thing is comments on my socials but it’s a whole different story when you breathe the same air in the same venue. I can’t wait to meet my fans with this music. I have a feeling that it is gonna be a magic tour after this strange time of separation.
LEG: What’s one thing you hope your fans take away from “Lightning”?
ML: I hope that people will take the time to watch the music video for lightning. It is one big tribute to love in all the beautiful shapes and colors it comes in. I hope that people will feel recognized and think of the moments in their lives where they have felt like they were struck by lightning. Whether they felt struck by love, music, art, friendship or somethings else is something I’d be curious to know.
LEG: What’s one piece of advice for aspiring songwriters and performers?
ML: Always listen to your gut feeling. If it tells you no. You’re right. No matter how much pressure someone might put on you, you gotta stay true to yourself.
LEG: Growing up in Denmark, what’s one thing you miss about your home country while you’re in LA?
ML: My family. The time difference is really tough sometimes. When I go to bed they wake up in Denmark. That is hard.
LEG: What’s one thing you miss about living in LA when you’re back in Denmark?
ML: My friends in LA. I have met so many amazing people in LA. LA is so diverse and I have truly made friends in LA that I would’ve never found in Denmark.
For More Mads Langer:
website, Facebook and Instagram.
Listen to “Where Oceans Meet” HERE.
View the live video for “Hanging With You” HERE.
View the video for “Lightning” HERE (featuring actor Alex Høgh Andersen from “Vikings”).