Meet Tulle, a Norwegian artist truly out of the ordinary. One that embraces clowns, circuses, religion, death and the afterlife in her creative work.
One that took her name from a piece of fabric and who weaves her magic around captivating existential songs and whose ambition is to make music forever.
Read about her new project, JOKE, of which her new single, out today (25th April) – you’ll find it at the end of the article – is an early taster and of her move into visuals and multimedia.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right as one might say, with apologies to Stealers Wheel.
Learn how one of the artists she would like to collaborate with is the UK’s Last Dinner Party and how in another life she might be a potter…or a mortician.
Can’t wait any longer? Read on…
Hi Tulle, thanks for joining us. Let me start by asking you to tell us a little about yourself and your musical background.
Hi, thanks for having me! My name is Tulle, I’m a 26 year old artist and songwriter and I write ‘Apocalyptic-Pop’. I think of it as a mix between indie and alternative. I’m really interested in writing about ends and beginnings, the afterlife, folklore, grief and more recently, rage.
I’ve been a songwriter for as long as I can remember and I’ve been releasing music for about two years now under this project. I’m currently working on a larger project that’s set to come out this year. My current universe is a rundown old-fashioned circus, inhabited with burnt out performers, waiting to have their moment in the spotlight.
How did you get your artist name? Forgive my philistinism but I had to look it up and could only find a light, woven fabric and the town in France (which believe it or not I have visited!) I doubt that you named yourself after either of them! It translates from Norwegian into Fool in English but you aren’t anyone’s fool…
Oh I’m glad you asked! So you are actually correct, my artist name comes from the fabric Tulle, and I thought it was a brilliant way to describe my project; a little rough on the surface but also quite delicate. I really love the way the name sounds and looks. I actually found out after I chose my name that it meant ‘fool’ in Norwegian and that actually turned out so perfectly, because I dress as a clown a lot of the time and sing about feeling silly and misunderstood. I think everyone feels like a fool sometimes. I also didn’t know about the town in France, I definitely need to pay a visit there!
Your songs are often dark and brooding, replete with what you have described as eerie folklore, and often with religious overtones. Would you agree with that assessment? And when I first came across you last year, you were promoting yourself as an exponent of ‘Death Pop’. How did that come about?
Yes, definitely! Last year my main focus in my lyrics and music was death and religious undertones, and my very first release was a song called ‘Dead Dead Dead’. The song has organs and a lot of really fun, weird sounds and ‘Death-pop’ seemed like the best way to describe that. I’m now describing my genre as ‘Apocalyptic-Pop’, because I’m mostly writing about existentialism and dread, however I think my music will always have a deathly undertone to it, and ‘Death-pop’ will always be something that I come back to.
Are you religious? What did you do over Easter?
I am religious but usually don’t do very much over Easter! We used to have family lunches when I was growing up but I don’t live close to most of my family anymore, so I’m planning on having a quiet Easter. Maybe do some crafts.
You have also referred to “my world of intrusive thoughts”. Such thoughts can be beneficial, especially to an artist as they can generate fresh ideas and subjects but most people would think that phrase refers to something more disturbing. How do you handle such thoughts and channel them into a productive conclusion?
Oh, it’s honestly so hard. I have days when my head is spinning and it’s really hard to ignore those terrible voices in your head. On those days I usually force myself to write a little, whether it’s a song, some lyrics, or just journaling. I’m very lyric driven so I almost always find something to write about, and music has always been my escape, so it’s always the first thing I turn to when I need comfort or guidance. A lot of the time I’ll go for a long walk as well to let the thoughts settle.
Where do clowns (your website slogan ‘Your Silly Little Clown loves you’) and circuses (‘Circus performer of the century’) come into it? Many people find clowns off-putting and even scary, but circuses quite the opposite. Do they represent elements of the image you want to build for yourself or is it something else?
I actually first had the idea of bringing clowns into my project when I wrote my third release, Godforsaken City! It came out in 2023 and I actually wrote it about being rejected by somebody who I had big feelings for. I never got any closure from it and I felt really foolish for putting my heart out on the line for somebody who didn’t really care about me, so I decided for that release, I would embody a clown (or actually a French Pierrot). It took ages but I found the costume that worked and tried a makeup look that wouldn’t take me too long before shows. I actually really relate to the Pierrot because they’re usually known as ‘the sad jokester’, which is what I feel like a lot of the time because I use humour to deflect. It felt like a very relatable character that would create a clear image in my music.
I’ve expanded the universe into a full circus because I write a lot about what it feels like to constantly perform. Not just as an artist, but as a person I’m constantly ‘performing’, when I have bad days and I still have to go to work and be a human instead of staying in bed. It’s also scary to put your artist project out into the world for everyone to see, and know that not everyone will understand it. Life truly does feel like a circus at the minute.
What are your ambitions and how do you measure success? By ‘breaking’ America? Or by having a million Facebook followers? (Or Instagram, or Tik Tok etc). Or something simpler?
My ambition is to make music forever and to get to call it my full time job. It’s all I want to do and it’s all I think about. And sure, I’d love to ‘break’ other countries, but I would really love to go on tour with my music and my lovely band, and meet all the people listening and get to talk to them. I think my biggest dream is to build a community of people who understand and feel as deeply as I do. And I think that’s very possible.
Do you set aside a certain amount of time each day for writing or do you do it when you feel like it?
I actually started a challenge at the beginning of the year where I was writing one song a day, every day. It usually only took me about 15 minutes because I write fast and I was very inspired. I haven’t been so strict about it the last two months because I mostly started that challenge to build a routine and make a habit out of sitting at the piano and writing, so now I don’t usually set a certain amount of time each day to write, but I’ll write something every few days. I think it’s nice to have a writing routine but I also don’t want to force it every single day.
When you’re writing, how do most of your songs start life? A piano part? A chord? A melody? A lyric? Does inspiration simply come, or do you have to seek it?
Most of my songs start with a lyric or concept. I’m always coming up with ideas for lyrics so I have a million notes on my phone, so usually I always have something I want to write about or something to inspire me. If I’m writing with my producer, Truls, that usually starts out with a synth or a chord because he always has great musical ideas. I would say a lot of the time inspiration comes naturally but there have been times where I’ve had to seek it. I try to write down as much as I can when I’m inspired so I can always come back to it.
What other sorts of ‘writing’ do you do if any? Poetry? Prose? Shopping lists?
I wrote a lot of poetry in the past! I even have a book published under a different name but it’s out of print now ha-ha. I love journaling as well, and I’ve tried script writing too. But mostly songs at the minute.
Some musicians rise to the challenge of live performances like a duck to water. For others they are often too scared to put their head over the parapet and eschew stage performances. Which side of that fence do you sit on? What is your favourite live performance so far, and why?
I’ve actually grew to love performing live, and since putting together my band it’s become a lot of fun. Of course I get nervous, but I love being on stage and singing my songs. I think my favourite live performance so far was my live stream with vier.live, Sunday Service, last January. I loved performing in front of a camera in a church, I really felt in my element! My favorite performance with an audience was my last Halloween show; my band and I dressed up as bugs and I honestly just had the best time. I really want to perform again soon!
I don’t see any evidence of collaboration in your work to date. Have you any plans in that direction and if you have who would you like to collaborate with most of all?
My producer and I actually spoke about that a little while ago! We had some plans for collaboration but I actually haven’t thought about it so much, but I would really love to collaborate with Luvcat or The Last Dinner Party. I think we could make something really twisted and brilliant.
So many artists seem to have adopted a ‘Do it yourself’ approach these days. Do you do your own production and promotion or do you farm that sort of stuff out to ‘the experts’?
Yes, I’m really enjoying learning things on my own! I am not a producer, and my brilliant producer Truls has produced and mixed most of my songs. He really gets my sound and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And in terms of promotion I’ve started doing more and more of my own stuff. I really enjoy learning as I go along and seeing what works and what doesn’t, but I have occasionally worked with teams for promotion, because I think that’s the most time consuming bit for an artist and there’s so much that goes on. I do a lot of it myself as well though.
What is your favourite genre? And if you could pigeonhole yours, what is it?
Ooh, indie or alternative definitely! There are so many different sounds within those genres and I love listening to everything. I also love regular pop, grunge, and indie rock. Anything with lyrics I can relate to, to be honest.
My genre definitely lies between alt and indie, but let me know if you notice any other ways to describe it. (Other than Apocalyptic-pop, of course).
What is the next step for Tulle now, after the release of these new singles? Another EP? An album? Videos and multimedia? Some touring?
So these singles are actually building towards a larger project called ‘JOKE’. I haven’t said much about it but I have a lot coming up soon that I’m really excited about, so these first singles are a taste of what’s to come. Lots of cool visuals too! I have so enjoyed working on visuals for this project and it’s opened up a whole new world.
I would LOVE to go on tour. By myself, or opening for other artists.
Creatively, are you content with living and working in Norway or would you contemplate a change of scenery to generate a new challenge?
Oh definitely. I’d love a change of scenery.
If someone asked you to write a song for the Eurovision Song Contest (as happened with Amanda Tenfjord a few years ago – for Greece!) – would you take up the challenge?
I’ve been asked this before and honestly, yes. I’m really not sure if my style of writing would work for the competition but my songs could definitely make a great show, so I’d give it a try!
Which artists and bands do you follow personally and which Norwegian indie/underground artists should we be watching out for, in your opinion?
I love Lorde; I’m a subscriber to her email list and every time I get an email from her it’s like receiving a message from a friend. It’s the main reason I started my own email list. I also follow Phoebe Bridgers and Ethel Cain, Glass Animals, The Marias and Flower Face, off the top of my head.
There are so many great Norwegian indie/underground artists! ARY, Iben, Cherry Cinema, Metteson, the list goes on and on.
Do you/did you ever aspire to being ‘something else’ entirely (model, politician, footballer, train driver…?!)
I studied theatre as a Bachelor’s [degree] and I really wanted to be a theatre performer, not entirely different from what I do now though. I would actually love to be a mortician, or a potter.
What were you good at, at school?
I was pretty good at school in general, but I really liked history. I enjoyed writing essays for exams back then but it’s not something I’d really want to do again ha-ha.
The environment. Whose position are you closest to? Donald Trump or Greta Thunberg?
Easy question, always Greta. Never Trump!!!
Thank you again to Tulle for finding the time to chat to us. Her new song, ‘The Axe and the Tree’ is released on 25th April and is linked below.
It about the struggle to forgive and forget, especially when it’s somebody so close to you.
It is one of three new songs she has lined up to introduce her new project.
Find her on:
Website: https://www.tullemusic.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tullemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tullemusic/
