KOPS

From early on as a child, Oskar Kops Kronback was enthusiastic about music, sang in a boys’ choir and later dreamed of becoming a successful house DJ. Today, the 22-year-old musician creates almost all his songs in a studio located in a church tower in central Copenhagen. His songs are inspired by pop, dance and hip-hop beats and now he releases another musical masterpiece in “I Do The Best I Can”. Having to live up to expectations and dealing with stress – the song represents a personal, honest and inner turmoil we can all connect and identify with….

You were enthusiastic about music from very early on, even singing in a boys’ choir at a young age — can you explain your formative roots in music and how you eventually began to DJ and produce?

It all started at church when my dad played a song where he made a sound like a rat in a children’s song and I was amazed! I started getting more and more interested  in  music and when I discovered DJing through skateboarding I was sure that was what I wanted to do with my life. When I came to boarding school I started producing and writing my own material and I haven’t stopped since.       

What’s it like being able to work with OfficialMusicDK, the music-based artist collective you’re actively a member of?

It’s the absolute best. There is no competition between us and we are each other’s best friends. They are all considered family to me.

You produce your music in a studio that’s located in a church tower in central Copenhagen you refer to as “The Tower” — what’s it like having such a unique setup?

It’s pretty cool to have a setup so close to everything. Especially in this part of central Copenhagen there are people from everywhere in the world and it’s pretty amazing to be a part of this enormous cultural mix. 

Across all streaming platforms you currently have an impressive 14 million total streams to-date. What does it feel like to have your music reach so many ears in such a short amount of time?

I honestly had no idea that I had 14 mil… That’s insane! It makes me very happy to know that people are diggin’ it! Big love to everyone that’s listening<3

What is the Copenhagen electronic dance music scene currently like?

I honestly have no idea at the moment given everything that’s happened in the world haha

Your highly-successful debut 5-track EP Artwork I/II was released this March. What does it feel like post-release to have all the hard work you put into it finally pay off?

It feels so good to have it out there knowing that  I did my very best to make it as good as possible.

What was the production process like for your latest track ‘I Do The Best I Can’?

Looooong hahah I think there’s like 100 versions of that track. It went back and forward a lot.  But in the end, it was the easiest thing in the world to choose the right version.

 ‘I Do The Best I Can’ is full of poignant emotion and heavy, resonating lyrics. Can you walk us through how you decided on what the song would be about?

‘I Do The Best I Can’ is a song about feeling inadequate and being afraid that your absolute best is and never will be enough. I often feel like this when I feel any kind of pressure from my team or when something I’ve made doesn’t get the recognition I was hoping for this can come from radio stations, label people, my girlfriend/family and so on. The reason I wrote this song was because I felt like the walls were closing in on me and every track or decision I made didn’t feel just right and that sense of despair was driving me mad. Ironically the only thing that helped was writing a song about it. It felt like a huge pressure came off my shoulders. Almost like catching your breath after being underwater for as long as you possibly can. It’s so interesting to me how pressuring yourself when you’re under pressure can sometimes be just what you need.  

Hip-hop, dance, and pop are all genres of music you find inspiring — are there any particular elements from these three genres that you incorporate into your own music when producing?

I love the drums in house and hip-hop and if you combine those to it’s pretty much my most used go-to whenever I start a track. The simplicity a pop song can have makes everything much more interesting and if you decide to throw in a jazzy note or chord it just has more power in that context.

You’ve gotten your fair share of recognition throughout the years, having been granted the ‘New Name of the Year’ at the 2019 Danish GAFFA Awards as well as having your songs played out on BBC1 and Beats 1’s radio stations across Europe — what does it feel like to be able to see your unique sonic vision come to fruition release-after-release and to be validated consistently along the way?

It’s always humbling to get recognition from fans and gatekeepers.

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