Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with blau
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I think my earliest memory connected to music was probably my primary school teacher. He used to play electric guitar, and I always thought it was really cool during our music lessons. After that, I really wanted to start playing guitar myself.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I remember going to guitar lessons as a kid, and I started with classical guitar. I think that was my mother’s idea. To be honest, I didn’t like going at all. First of all, I didn’t really get along with my guitar teacher, and I never did my homework. My teacher constantly asked me if I wanted to try a different instrument instead — probably because he wanted to get rid of me since I was such a
lazy student.
At the beginning, I really struggled with the basics of music and with learning the basic guitar chords. When you first practice those things, your fingers hurt and you have to memorize all these chords, and that just wasn’t my thing at all.
But the moment I realized that I could connect chords together myself and actually create something of my own, that’s when it started becoming fun for me. I think that’s where my passion for creating music really began, because from that moment on, I had the freedom to write my own songs.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My newest music project is an album called Wie das Meer (“Like the Sea”). The whole concept of the album revolves around the comparison between the city and the sea. In this project, I describe experiences from a period of my life that were very painful, taught me a lot, but were also incredibly beautiful at the same time. I tried to capture all of those different emotions and feelings in one project.
I kept asking myself what the best possible way would be to describe all of this, and eventually I realized that the city has a lot in common with the sea. It can be beautiful and aesthetic, it can promise you a lot and give you a lot. But the moment a storm begins to rise, everything can change very quickly — it can become chaotic and rough. And just like the sea, it can pull you down into its depths.
Throughout the album’s seven songs, there are recurring elements of the sea. You can hear waves in the background, you hear seagulls coming back again and again, and with those details I tried to really take the listener on my journey through this stormy, chaotic, but also beautiful sea that metaphorically represents the city where I was able to experience so much.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I’ve been asked this question a lot, and I find it difficult every single time, because I think artists are very open people. Personally, I always try to grow and evolve with every project, and I’m constantly inspired by different things, so my sound keeps changing as well.
What I can say is that I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock because of my stepfather. Through my father, I grew up with bands like The Beatles, Queen, and Supertramp. During my wild teenage years, I listened to a lot of hip-hop, but I also experimented with EDM music quite a bit.
Later, when I moved to Zurich, I played guitar in a soul band wich influenced my music a lot. At the end of the day, I’d say my music is heavily influenced by folk and soul as im an instrumentalist and that makes my music very warm, while still incorporating elements of pop, rock, and rap to keep it modern.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
One of the most impactful experiences that completely changed the way I make music happened when I moved to Zurich and got the chance to play guitar in a soul band of an artist called pilar vega. At that time, the band already consisted of three or four members. I already knew a producer and DJ who was playing bass in the band back then, and he recommended me as their guitarist.
That’s basically how I stumbled into the band, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by incredibly talented musicians who had a deep understanding of chord progressions, jazz harmony, and soul chords. Up until then, I had mainly written music using simple major and minor chords. In that band, I learned how to play major seventh and ninth chords, and I started understanding how adding individual notes to chords can completely change the character and emotion of a song.
That experience shaped me a lot because I was always the weakest member of the band — the one who knew the least about music. But because of that, I was also the one who got to learn the most. In the end, that experience had a huge impact on my own music and really changed the way I create songs today.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Throughout my journey in music, I’ve learned a lot and developed many tools and habits that make my creative process easier. One mistake I used to make all the time was trying to make everything perfect, even at the demo stage. I always wanted to use a professional microphone, plug in my guitar properly, and add great plugins just to record a simple demo.
What I’ve learned over time — and what completely changed my process — is that nowadays, whenever I have an idea, I try to get it into my DAW as quickly as possible. For
that, very simple tools are enough. For example, I often just use the microphone on my iPhone to record ideas immediately and bring them straight into the project.
Of course, that’s not the quality the final song will have, but it’s enough to capture the idea as fast as possible. In the past, I wasted so much time setting everything up and trying to make things sound professional right from the beginning. Today, I save that professionalism for the final version. During the demo stage, speed is the most important thing for me, and because of that, I use very simple tools to bring my ideas to life as quickly as possible.
My main instrument is the guitar, which I started playing very early as a child, so it naturally became my main tool for creating music. Most of the songs I write begin with just my voice and a guitar. When I sit down to write, it’s usually only those two things, and then I build everything else around them. The guitar feels the most like home to me, and it’s the instrument through which I can express myself best because I know it so well.
My stepfather used to play electric bass in different bands, and over the years he actually gifted me two bass guitars — the first one when I was a teenager. Because of that, I also got to learn a lot about bass and can now say that it’s an instrument I’m comfortable playing as well.
As a guitarist, you tend to think bass might come naturally to you since the first four strings are the same as on a guitar. But I had to learn that playing bass is completely different in terms of feel and approach. It’s much more about groove, and the bass acts as the connection between the melodies of the instruments and the rhythm of the drums.
The third instrument that I more or less play — and am still constantly learning — is the piano. I’ll never be as good at it as I am with string instruments, but I think it’s a fascinating instrument. I regularly incorporate it into my songs and always try to play it myself as part of my ongoing journey of learning and improving as a musician.
My main DAW is Ableton Live. My very first experience with music production software was actually FL Studio. I discovered it at a very young age and, if I remember correctly, I downloaded a cracked version back then. I started making beats with it, and I think FL Studio is very hip-hop oriented and super intuitive when it comes to beat-making. Even the visual layout of the program is designed in a way that really supports that workflow.
Later on, I met the producer who is still basically my main producer today, and he was doing everything in Ableton Live. From that point on, I downloaded Ableton myself and never really switched again.
I also completed a one-year continuing education program at the Zurich University of the Arts, where I took a synthesizer course that was taught using Logic Pro. But I never went too deeply into Logic itself.
So overall, Ableton Live is definitely the main tool I use for all of my own projects. At the same time, I know programs like FL Studio and Logic well enough to work with them, which also helps me a lot during sessions with other producers. I know many producers who work in FL Studio or Logic, so I’m very familiar with those environments as well. But in the end, Ableton Live is the program where all of my own music comes to life.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of SiR, XXXTentacion, and Thundercat. One song that’s been inspiring me a lot lately is Candy by Paolo Nutini.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I think, first and foremost, my personal experiences have changed the way I approach my projects. I would say that I’m not the same artist I was 20 years ago, 10 years ago, or even five years ago. I’ve changed a lot of my approaches, and I’ve also changed the way I look at my career.
For example, when I first started making music, I really wanted to become famous. Because of that, I often made music that I thought people would like the most. I jumped on a lot of different waves and trends to feel connected to whatever was current at the time. And honestly, that was important too, because it helped me experiment and, in a way, find myself as an artist.
But over time, I realized that success and fame can be very difficult — to the point where I’m no longer sure if I even truly want that. What I do want is to become better at what I do and to express myself honestly through my art. If success comes from that, then I see it more as a byproduct rather than the ultimate goal, because I think living in the public eye is not easy.
So over the years, I shifted my priorities toward skill, growth, and artistic vision instead of focusing purely on success and fame. Or maybe better said: I’ve learned what success actually means to me. For me, it’s not about being famous. It’s about evolving in my craft, becoming better at making music, and being able to express myself authentically.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
In my projects, I focus a lot on the emotions, experiences, highs, and lows that I’ve gone through in my life. I hope that people who listen to my music can build a connection with those experiences — something that inspires them and maybe even helps them express their own emotions and experiences.
With my music, I want to embody my own vision and my own way of approaching art. I also want to give people hope that, despite the fast-paced world we live in today, real skill and genuine passion still matter and are still appreciated.
A lot of people are trying to keep up with modern standards, satisfy the algorithm, and stay relevant at all times. But I actually believe that this mindset is often what prevents people from reaching their full potential, because good things take time and there are no real shortcuts.
I believe that longevity, growth, and true craftsmanship are what can really set someone apart from the crowd. At the same time, I think this approach encourages a healthier mindset
toward music and creativity — something that would genuinely benefit the music industry as a whole.
One important message that I also talk about a lot during my live performances is that it’s becoming harder and harder for musicians and artists in general to find ways to live from their art. With technological progress and AI, we’re also facing an oversaturation of music online, where endless amounts of content are being released every day.
That’s why I always encourage people to support local artists. Buy tickets from smaller artists, buy merch from independent musicians, and never stop being interested in music and artistic concepts, because the music and art scene survives through mutual support.
It’s up to us to support each other and create a culture that moves away from being purely stream-driven and instead focuses more on real experiences — concerts, human connection, and closeness between artists and listeners. Because while digitalization is taking many things away from us, one thing it can never truly replace is live experiences.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
In short, the more music I make, the more I realize how little I actually know. That’s something I find incredibly fascinating, because with music, I’ve found a passion for which an entire lifetime is not enough. It means that I’ll never stop learning throughout the process, and I’ll never truly be finished with learning either.
What I find especially interesting is the contrast that you can know so much about music, while at the same time you don’t actually need to know that much to create something beautiful. In the end, all that really matters is honesty and openness.
That contrast has always fascinated me, and it’s one of the things that motivates me to keep pursuing my passion for as long as I live.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I live in the city of Zurich, and when major artists come to the city, they usually perform at the Hallenstadion. Even though it’s not the biggest venue in the world, it’s probably the one that would mean the most to me as an artist, because I identify very strongly with the city of Zurich itself.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
That’s a very difficult question, because there are so many artists who inspire me, including legends who are no longer alive. But there’s one album that is probably my favorite album of all time — an album I can listen to anytime — and that is Chasing Summer by SiR.
If I could choose any artist to collaborate with, it would probably be SiR during the time when he released Chasing Summer, because that project had a huge impact on me creatively and emotionally.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
My website is the main hub where all of my links are gathered in one place. In the future, I want to expand it further and present my individual projects there in more depth, so I can give my community a deeper insight into the concepts behind my work. For now, though, it’s simply the easiest place to find all of my links and stay connected with my music.
Website:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/blau.indigo
Spotify:
si=yPD8qfXZTHGilIGPisg9Qw&nd=1&dlsi=d398998843264e61
Tiktok:
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Because I take a lot of time with my projects, I have the luxury that even though I’m currently close to releasing my album Wie das Meer, I’ve already been able to invest quite some time into the next album that will follow after it.
As things stand right now, my next album will be called Sonnenlicht. In contrast to my current album — which is very turbulent and describes a chaotic, painful, and wild period of my life — the next project will be more of a journey into something spiritual, almost religious in a way. It reflects another phase of self-discovery, where I’m stepping into a new chapter of my life.
During that process, I realized that growth also brings new painful experiences, especially when it comes to acceptance, self-discipline, and figuring out what a healthy lifestyle truly means for me. Those are challenges I’ve had to overcome — and still continue to overcome — and they will become the main inspiration behind this new album.
Right now, I already have eight demo songs that I’m incredibly proud of. Through these songs, I can already hear a lot of personal and artistic growth, and I’m really excited to eventually share both the music and the full project with the world.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope that, first and foremost, listeners discover something about themselves along the way. I believe that truly great art is timeless, and that truly great poetry has the ability to express very complex emotions in a simple and honest way.
For me, a truly great song works because the chances are very small that the artist who wrote it was going through the exact same situation that I’m experiencing at that moment. And yet, I can still deeply relate to it and identify with it, because the artist managed to communicate not just the experience itself, but the emotion behind it.
Even though human experiences can vary tremendously, the emotions behind them are often very similar. And I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about music and art — the ability to connect people emotionally, even when their lives are completely
