The charming chap offers up the kind of delicate harmonies and catchy melodies that’ll bring a smile to your face and stay in your head for the rest of the day. As I watched him play The Great Escape festival in Brighton, I came to the conclusion that he and his band would go down really well at The OC’s Bait Shop, with the gang standing in awe looking young and hot and cool. Keen to find out more about the man currently soundtracking life at i-D HQ, we sat Sivu down in a sunny Brighton park to confuse him with riddles and discuss his ascent.
First things first, why are you called Sivu?
I used to do acoustic stuff under my own name but I started working with a producer and felt like things were going in a different direction. I wasn’t necessarily writing about my life anymore so I wanted to separate it. My Dad’s side of the family has a really distant Finish background and I’ve always been a bit obsessed with things like the Northern Lights and I was on Google translate and wondered what was Finish for Page and turned out it was Sivu and I really liked it.
What does Sivu play?
I play guitar, a bit of piano and the omnichord. That’s it really… I can’t really do anything else but sing.
Word on the street is that you’ve been in many bands before. What genres have you dabbled in?
My first band was basically a Sum 41 tribute band. Then when I was 16 I left school and joined a band called Sometime Never. We were a hardcore band and loved Fugazi and At The Drive In so we toured with bands like The Ghost of a Thousand. We were rubbish but I did that for like four years – I was only the bass player though so I wasn’t that cool. When we split up I moved to London, met a producer called Charlie Andrew and started producing songs.
Have you had any embarrassing band names?
YES. The Sum41 band was called Drunken Summer, but we were like 13 and I’d never even had a drink before, let alone a drunken summer.
You’re from St. Ives, right? As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, each cat had seven kittens. Kittens, cats, wives. How many were going to St. Ives?
Oh my god… this is hard… Oh wait, is it just the man?!
Yes! Nice work. I first heard your music when you were touring with Marika Hackman. You guys did a couple of tracks together didn’t you?
Yes, we both work with the same producer, Charlie. I had this song I Hold that I’d been working on and I’d loved her stuff for ages and asked if she’s sing on it. Then she wrote a song called Skin that I sung on and we decided to go on tour together! It was so much fun.
Will you be doing anything else together?
I really hope so. She doesn’t know this yet, but I have this dream of us doing an EP together. She’s just the real deal and I find her really inspiring.
Jack Steadman remixed your latest track and it’s AMAZING. How did that happen?
I know Rae Morris and she’s done some stuff with Bombay Bicycle Club so she hooked us up. I passed some stuff over and didn’t really think he was gonna do it but he was up for it! I’ve only met him once but I was definitely a fan beforehand.
Do you always play with a band?
Last year when I started as Sivu I played with two string players and then we got a drummer in and we built it a little bit more. For the last month we’ve had a full band and it definitely feels like it’s one step closer to the final sound. People take notice more when you have a band. It’s a bit more immediate.
Where do you see your sound going eventually?
I’d like to see it going down a heavier route – sort of Death From Above style.
Your latest EP is called Can’t Stop Now. What can’t you stop?
I actually can’t stop drinking. I’ve been drinking so much recently. You know when you drink so much that you just get bored of it? Like, we were in the van the other day and we were like ‘well, the sun’s out… we might as well have a beer!’ Not in an alcoholic way though! Although maybe we’re all on that slippery slope? It’s tough though when you turn up to these venues and all your rider consists of is alcohol.
Slippery slippery slope. Imagine that both Kate Bush and Bjork really want to work with you but you can only collaborate with one… who do you pick?
That’s so hard! I think I’d probably work with Kate Bush… because she’s a bit of a legend. I’d love to make some really crazy kind of Baroque song with her. Then I’d consider Bjork later on, maybe.
If you were forced into karaoke right now, what song would you sing?
I would find someone else and do that George Michael and Elton John Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me song. I would do the Elton John part.
What do you have planned?
I’m going to be working with a brilliant producer called Eagles For Hands and then lots of festivals and touring. I’m just enjoying playing as much as I can.
Credits
Text Francesca Dunn
Photography Jade Sukiya
Sivu is headlining the Roundhouse Studio on 4th June.