![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chaindlk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bodil-R-rtveit_Bodil-R-rtveit-bodilrortveitcap.jpg\" "\\"Bodil")
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As spring unexpectedly graces Bergen with sunlit warmth and curious birdsong, we\u2019re delighted to dive into Bodil Ro<\/strong>rtveit<\/strong>\u2018s world \u2013 a place where vocal explorations meet nature\u2019s whispers and inner peace takes center stage. Let\u2019s explore how her album \u201cDjupna\u201d<\/strong> transformed two years of wandering and improvisation into a journey through the deep, serene, and sometimes surprisingly playful landscapes of the soul.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Bodil](\"https:\/\/www.chaindlk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bodil-R-rtveit_Bodil-R-rtveit-Press-photo-1-BodilOystein-Haara-1.jpg\")
courtesy of Oystein Haara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nChain\u00a0D.L.K.<\/strong>: Hey Bodil! How are you doing?<\/p>\nBodil R\u00f8rtveit<\/strong>: I am excited! It is springtime, and the sun is shining in Bergen (which is unusual), the birds are singing \u2013 and I am looking forward to sharing my album Djupna with the listeners \u2013 after working on the project for more than two years.<\/p>\nChain\u00a0D.L.K.<\/strong>: \u201cDjupna\u201d means \u201cthe depth\u201d. What kind of depth were you exploring \u2013 emotional, sonic, spiritual, or all of the above?<\/p>\nBodil R\u00f8rtveit<\/strong>: I was searching for inward depths \u2013 how peaceful could I feel, how much could I be in touch with my inner, most authentic self, how grounded could I feel? And also how deep a connection could I feel with nature \u2013 both the forest and the ocean. And exploring how the music could be composed of that deep connection, trying to let go of any expectations and let the music come through me.<\/p>\nChain\u00a0D.L.K.<\/strong>: You describe this album as a search for inner peace. Did you find what you were looking for?<\/p>\nBodil R\u00f8rtveit<\/strong>: Yes, especially when I had some days alone at my cottage, wandering in the forest, improvising and recording. And interestingly when I was in the mixing process, walking around in Bergen, listening to the album on headphones \u2013 in general I was a bit stressed as you can be when you want to make something great, and you feel the pressure \u2013 listening to my songs calmed me down and put things in perspective. And then I realized I might be on the right path.<\/p>\nChain\u00a0D.L.K.<\/strong>: The human voice is the sole instrument on this album. What drew you to this radical simplicity?<\/p>\nBodil R\u00f8rtveit<\/strong>: I have always been drawn to the radical use of only voices \u2013 singing acapella from childhood in choirs and also in professional vocal groups earlier in my career. I also like having restrictions when I make music, to spark my creativity. It is based on my solo project, where my Loop Station (Boss RC-50) is my only accompaniment.<\/p>\nChain\u00a0D.L.K.<\/strong>: Your voice takes on an almost elemental quality, evoking wind, water, and birds. How did nature inspire your vocal choices?<\/p>\nBodil R\u00f8rtveit<\/strong>: I have been working with these nature-inspired vocal sounds in many of my composing projects. I have been listening to different birds, especially the blackbird has been a favorite \u2013 imitating it \u2013 answering it in the forest. Making my bird language. I also grew up on an island off the coast, so the ocean sounds are very close to my heart. The whale sounds came into my repertoire when I (together with an artistic team) made a big stage art project with plastic and pollution as the theme \u2013 with instruments made out of plastic garbage. Just before the premiere this famous \u201cplastic whale\u201d was stranded on the island of Sotra outside Bergen, and he died with his stomach full of plastic bags. As a tribute to the whale, we included whale sounds \u2013 singing through a traffic cone with a plastic tube connected to it. I have continued bringing in whale sounds in my later projects.<\/p>\n