Arny Margret: Wrapping a lot of Little Coincidences into a Great Opportunity

Iceland’s Arny Margret will open for Julian Lage at the Music Hall on Tuesday, March 19th. The Granite Rodeo sat down with her for a conversation about her music, her new record, and what she appreciates about running around the world playing and chasing music.

Granite Rodeo: How was your first showcase at SXSW last evening? I hope it went well!

Margret: Went well, after a lot of traveling I would say really good.

Granite Rodeo: Your music is instantly captivating. Mellow and contemplative with a tasteful amount of texture to keep things interesting. I’m struck by it. When did you start playing guitar and singing songs? I imagine it’s a pretty cathartic experience for you and a means of trying to make sense of life…

Margret: I was 14 when I got my first guitar, I learned by myself. But I had been in music school doing piano lessons since I was 6 and added flute and soprano saxophone later on.

Singing also came around the age of 16.

Yes, it’s always been a way for me to say things I couldn’t say out loud to anyone.

Granite Rodeo: Let’s talk about “dinner alone.” What were your goals for this new record? What did you learn through the process of making your debut, “they only talk about the weather,” that perhaps informed how you approached recording this new batch of tunes?

Margret: My first EP and album are both pretty raw, I recorded everything with guitar and vocals at the same time, so it’s not super produced. But I think it was just the way for me to do it back then. I think I’m getting a bit more open to different things now and I’m excited to do more band stuff and bigger sounds, which is exciting.

But it’s always going to be me and the piano and guitar in the beginning. It’s always going to be music that feels true to me and what I like making.

Granite Rodeo: There’s a line in the single, “waiting,” that goes, “…words always come to me afterwards…” that completely summed up my entire existence. As a word’s person, the best ones always hit me after the fact. I’ve always struggled with it. I love that line. Thank you for it. How’d that particular line find you?

Margret: It’s just how I feel, if I find myself in a tricky conversation where I want to make a stand, but I don’t know how to express it. The words always come to me afterwards and I’ll always know how I feel about it when I’ve processed a bit.

It’s a very honest and true line.

Granite Rodeo: What do you appreciate about alliteration as a means of spinning a dialogue? You’ve got some really great moments throughout your catalogue that lean into a bit of alliterating.

Margret: I literally had to Google what this means! hahaha

I guess I don’t think about it. I just write what feels right to me.

Granite Rodeo: When did you start writing songs? Is it an easy or arduous process for you? What ignites the action of putting words to paper?

Margret: I think I was around 16. Sometimes it’s easy, takes a few minutes and other times I have to work for it or wait for it.

I can’t really control it; it’s a weird process.

I basically just write something when I find words that I like or get some sudden inspiration. I always have my phone on me so it’s easy to just write a few words down.

Granite Rodeo: Why music? Why do you seek it? Why do you create it?

Margret: It’s just a need for me. I can’t control it and I need to do it sometimes. Also, when I finish a song it feels like a birthday to me, it’s so many things for me and you also get to share it with other people which is nice.

Granite Rodeo: Was there a moment or experience in particular that has led you to trying your hand at perusing music as a full-time occupation?

Margret: It kind of just happened, a lot of little coincidences, and I hope I get to do it while I can. Sometimes I think it’s the only thing I’m at least a little bit good at.

Granite Rodeo: What’s the rhyme or reason of not capitalizing any of the titles of your tunes?

Margret: It was just a feeling; everybody capitalizes the first letter in their songs. I like doing things different, also makes the songs not feel as big. I don’t know how that makes sense, but it was really important to me that it was written that way.

I think I’ll change it up maybe next time, we’ll see.

Granite Rodeo: Back to “waiting…” This verse is particularly heavy: “I’m starting to think that if I died no one would know / Oh, I’d disappear, and the plants would still grow.” What has spurned you dwelling on such a dark topic? I mean, I feel like a lot of us have had similar thoughts, but gosh, you’re barely into your 20s… haha

Rest assured, with the voice you’re sharing with the world, I doubt you’ll ever be forgotten.

Margret: I think I was alone in my hometown when I wrote that, nobody had called me for a few days and I hadn’t really met anyone, besides going to the store and things like that. It was just the way I felt, and it is quite dark, but it is honest, and I meant it. I think some of us feel like that sometimes.

I often feel like nobody really cares or people just go on with their lives without you, and it’s easy to spiral into things like that when you’re all alone, and worse if it’s a few days.

So, I try to surround myself with good people and take better care of myself.

Granite Rodeo: Speaking of sharing, you’re heading to New Hampshire to play a gig at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. What excites you about the show? What do you know about our quant seaport town?

Margret: Honestly, I haven’t thought about it, things go so fast, and I usually just follow the schedule of where I am going next. All the shows excite me and I’m excited to see all these new places on this upcoming tour. But I’ll check that out! And I’m just excited to meet people that also love music.

Granite Rodeo: Do you like singing your songs to rooms full of strangers, or do you find some comfort in winning over the collective ears and heart of the audience?

Margret: It can be hard, but I’ve grown to like it more. I like challenging myself into being truly myself on stage, to really use my voice like no one is around, because that’s always been the hardest part. Sometimes I get quite anxious, other times it’s the most natural thing, it really depends on the day and how I’m feeling.

But I always give it my best and try to be fully myself.

For further information, check out www.arnymargret.com, and for tickets to the show, visit www.themusichall.org.