
Tête-à-Tête - MusicJun 21, 2018
Close Up: Molly Nilsson X U.S. Girls
Sweden’s Molly Nilsson and Meg Remy of U.S. Girls interviewed each other while they were separately touring overseas on opposite continents. Read up below to find out what they wanted to know most during their riveting chat!

Molly Nilsson: Hey Meg, nice to meet you (digitally at least)! I've been following your music for so many years now, I lost count. Although we never met, I saw you sort of parallel to me in another world. How has it been for you? How has your music changed with the world?
Meg Remy: As I age, the way I see the world becomes more nuanced and complex. My work seems to follow suit. As I evolve as a human, the work evolves. I think that’s the goal. I believe I am “succeeding”.
Molly: Of the whole process of work, from writing, recording to performing, videos, what part is your favourite house? Do you ever consider moving into that one house and settling down there?
Meg: I don’t believe I could ever “settle” in one medium. Where I do dream of settling is in a non-commercial sphere but does that even exist anymore? Death seems to be the only non commercial/commerce driven action you can take and even that can mean shopping for those you left behind.
Molly: Do you think the "music industry" has become a better place for women? Or is it just changing its way?
Meg: No, I don’t think the music industry has become a better place for women. I feel that the world in general is a hostile, inhospitable place for us.
Molly: I read in an interview about how you sometimes write from different perspectives using fictional women characters, do these characters of every day women live on with you? Do you revisit them after the song is done?
Meg: I feel deeply connected to all women even though I only truly know my personal experience of the planet. I have much to learn from the experiences of other women either thru imagining them or hearing it straight from the source. I cannot disconnect myself from any other woman (or human, or plant, etc.) on this planet. I see we are all connected regardless of choice.
Molly: I'm on a U.S. tour right now as a support; you got any advice from a U.S. girl?
Meg: Always locate your exits and be ready to run or play dead.

~U.S. Girls - Mad As Hell (Official Video)~
Meg: I was 10 when I got my period. How old were you?
Molly: I can't say I recall exactly when. My mother died when I was 10 years old and I know for certain I got it after she passed, I remember not being able to bond with her about it, to talk and ask about all that. I had excitingly anticipated those bloodstains, like all the girls, expecting some kind of medal, but when it finally came the "triumph" was overshadowed.
Meg: Do you mostly close your eyes or keep them open while you perform?
Molly: Oh, I keep them open. Regardless what I'm doing. When I'm performing I want to meet and see the audience. I wish I didn't have to sleep so much. I don't know about you, how many hours you like to sleep, but I'm like a 9-hour sleeper or else a mess, and I always envied people who can sleep less cause they get to live so much longer time with eyes open. But dreaming is great too and that's when the mind's eyes are open I guess so maybe it evens out.
Meg: You are a world traveller. Have you noticed any changes in nature/weather patterns over the past decade? Please detail them.
Molly: Let me think. I suppose I would notice changes like that more at home, where I know the climate better. That's also where I am often enough to notice the storms when the rush past or how seldom I see snow even if I stick around waiting for it. I haven't seen climate change in a very story telling way, luckily, yet. When I started playing shows in Europe it was the fall 2008 and the financial crisis had just hit and I could see it for myself in all the places I went to play, cities where young people lost work and ended up in the streets. It was something you could see with your eyes. Speaking of "world traveller", I find it's become harder for me to excuse traveling like I do. I have been flying so much the past decade I imagine my carbon foot print could be seen from the moon by now. I used to have another philosophy about it, where traveling was a kind of mission, to personally bring my songs to everyone out there and somehow the end would justify the means. But now I have to find a new way of doing this. I'm finishing this years travels and after that I have a more eco friendly plan for the future way of touring. After all, music shouldn't leave much waste behind.
Meg: Tell me your daydream for this time next year.
Molly: One of the first things in life I taught myself was to not share dreams too casually in written form. Dreams don't sign contracts and I try not to force them to. I have lots of ideas and hopes for the years to come especially one big long dream that's just about to take shape. That's all I can tell you, ha.
Meg: What does the word “family” mean to you?
Molly: I guess "family" is not a word I use very much. I never even thought about it much. When I was a child I felt like someone had just dropped me down on Earth and here I was. "Family" seemed to represent something apart from me. I should reconsider this now though, I think there are so many things and people and places that are my "family" by now. Thanks for sharing that word with me.

~Molly Nilsson - I Hope You Die~
Don't you dare miss Molly Nilsson at Bar Le Ritz PDB on September 27th and U.S. Girls at Cinéma L'Amour (!!!) on September 29th during POP Montréal!