Fra Lippo Lippi’s Per Sørensen returns to Cebu after 14 years

When Fra Lippo Lippi vocalist Per Øystein Sørensen came back to the Philippines two years ago, he found it “odd and weird” that Cebu wasn’t part of his 2023 tour, which included stops in Parañaque and Laguna.

“Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. It’s up to the promoters on whatever venue is available and when is the right time to come back. I am just playing wherever I am asked to play, and I am looking forward to going back to Cebu,” the Norwegian singer said during a July 25 virtual press conference.

Sørensen is returning after 14 years since his 2011 show in Cebu. This time, he’s set to perform at TOPS on August 15 at 8:30 p.m, where he will be singing the band’s hits such as “Every Time I See You,” “Stitches and Burns,” “Beauty and Madness,” and “Later.”

“It’s about time I came back. I am looking forward to this. I have been rehearsing with the band, and it sounds fantastic,” he said. “The guys are good, and the music, as it always has been – the audience can judge if it’s good or s—. But we like it, and I would love to share this with every Cebuano who is watching.”

Sørensen, 63, noted that his voice has changed after performing for over four decades, prompting him to sing one note lower in some songs. “It’s more baritone than tenor these days, but I still have good range,” he said before quipping, “I don’t smoke anymore, which helps.”

He said he’s looking forward to performing for a Cebuano crowd. “If you walk out on stage, the audience wants to be part of the show, so it’s up to me to bring them on and sing and have a good time. If I forget some lyrics, it doesn’t matter because they are with me, and they want to have a good time.”

Fra Lippo Lippi was formed in 1978. Sørensen joined in 1982 when the band needed a new vocalist as their sound slowly transitioned from post-punk to pop.

“They were recording an album at that time (‘Small Mercies’) and Rune [Kristoffersen], who played bass and keyboards, said he shouldn’t be the one singing and that they must find another vocalist,” he recalled.

“I knew all the guys before, but their engineer called me and asked if I could give it a try. I popped into the studio, waited what felt like hours before I could sing the verse. They were post-punk-y at that time, and I thought, ‘If I sing this a little like me, and a bit like David Bowie, it will fit in the music really well,’” he continued. “It went on from there. Eventually, I started writing songs for the band, and it evolved from post-punk to pop material as the years went by.”

He believes that sounding like one’s musical idols at the start of a musician’s career can help them discover their own sound as they develop their identity. “If you are starting out, you mimic a lot of the artists you like, and if you do it really well, that means you are a musical person. Slowly, you will find your own voice and sound.”

He emphasized that artists should eventually find their own unique identity, a process that takes time and requires asserting full creative autonomy over their work. Sørensen cited fellow Norwegian artists Astrid S and Aurora as examples, praising how they took ownership of their music, which helped them become two of Norway’s most popular pop exports.

He described an artist’s songwriting process as a “triangle,” explaining: “You have the voice, piano, and the song in each corner of that triangle, and what’s inside it is the expression, the blend of those three elements. It’s about finding your own voice, but you can’t rush it. You have to do it slowly.”

When not performing on stage, Sørensen finds peace and clarity in nature.

“We have a lot of forests and mountains in Norway,” he shared. “I am often in the woods, hiking or running. It’s nice to be where there’s no one else but the birds you can hear, and it’s all quiet, depending on the season,” he said.

Tickets for his Cebu concert are available for purchase at the venue or at Montebello Villa Hotel, starting at P5,000 for Gold and P7,000 for VIP.