A Kind Of Man is the solo project of Danish songwriter and musician Bjørn Rosenquist. His new single, ‘Franceen’, is a fully charged indie banger loaded with slick guitar hooks, energetic drums and Bowie-esque vocals. The song tells the tale of a one-night stand, contrasting intoxicated romance with a sheepish sense of guilt the morning after.
Curious to learn more about his inspirations and artistic direction, I had a chat to Bjørn about his writing process, collaborations and the real reason why he’s happy being the night’s opening act…
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey Bjørn, how’s it going? Can you tell me about how A Kind Of Man came to be?
A Kind Of Man) Hi Annie., I’m great! Playing music, working hard but also eating a lot of junk food and watching silly movies. It’s just perfect! Well, after many years working as a photographer, I’ve always wanted to make music. So I finally kicked my arse hard enough and started writing some songs. One of them was called ‘A Kind of Man’, and I thought it was a perfect name for my solo project. That man can be anything – he isn’t bound to be anything specific. He can be whoever and whatever and whenever he wants. And that’s how I want to be.
The song ‘A Kind of Man’ will also be a part of the debut EP coming out on 29 November.
Congratulations on your new single, ‘Franceen’. What was the writing / recording process like for this song?
Thanks! It’s great to have it out, finally. I recorded the drums on a phone in a barn at my parents' place during the winter of 2016... I think. When I started to make the songs for the debut EP, I found the old drum recording and started working on some guitar riffs. The lyrics were inspired by a strange and incoherent one-night stand. I can be hopelessly romantic when I’m drunk and the day after I just felt like writing a messed up song of shame.
The video sounds really interesting and I love the single artwork. Is it important for you to collaborate with visual artists on your project?
Thanks! It’s the work of visual artist Nicolai Bruun. He’s pretty awesome! And yeah, I love working with other artists though It can be pretty tough sometimes to collab with other lovely freaks. Many ideas and arguments. But in the end it’s all worth it. The idea of getting Nicolai to make the ‘Franceen’ video started because his work briefly featured in the video for my first single ‘Teddy Love’, made by Meeto. You should check it out! It’s fuckin’ amazing!
If you could tour with any band in the world, who would it be and why?
Mercyfox, because I like playing before other bands so I can get hammered. And this band is not a starter... it’s the dessert, for sure!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a musician?
“Shut up and sing.” I’ve always wanted to say something cool in-between my songs when performing live but I’m simply not there yet.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? Any live shows coming up?
Me and the boys (A Kind of Band) played as support to Australian band Pond at Loppen in Copenhagen in October. It was amazing! The debut EP will be released on 29 November and, the day after (30 November), we’ll be playing a release concert at Huset in Copenhagen. After that, more singles, videos and live shows are planned for the beginning of next year.