Norwegian artist Peder Elias on working with Cha Eun-woo, growing Asian fan base
Norwegian artist and songwriter Peder Elias delighted his Filipino fans with heartfelt performances of his tracks, Row Your Boat, Who I Am, Hey Hello, and his latest single Call My Name at his recent first Manila concert.
Filipino singer-songwriter dwta and Singaporean artist LAYYI served as his front acts during his gig at the Teatrino Promenade in San Juan City.
Peder came from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and then the Philippines as part of his Southeast Asia tour.
His visit in Manila was his second time in the country as he previously came here in October to promote his music and did busking.
Aside from dwta, Peder also met other Filipino artists, such as Maki and the rock band Dilaw, during his stay.
He praised his Filipino fans as “very loving, very supportive and also quite energetic.”
The 28-year-old artist’s Call My Name, launched via Sony Music, is a song “about wanting to be there for someone, especially if they’re going through hard times.” He penned the ditty in London with Alex Charles, Ryan Bickley and producer Freedo (Zara Larsson, The Chainsmokers).
“The creative process was kind of I had the first, just the chorus (and) melody,” he told The STAR. “And then it was basically as simple as, ‘What three words sound good to sing?’ And then we tried some different stuff and then someone was saying, ‘Call my name’ and then everyone was like, ‘Oh, that felt like something.’
“And then, I also had for a while wanting to write a little bit like inspired by Bruno Mars’ Count on Me song. Just like letting someone know that you’re there for them. So, yeah, I’m very happy with how it turned out. And yeah, it feels very good. The song is finally out.”
Peder debuted in 2018 with Bonfire as his international breakthrough in 2020.
According to the media release, he gained millions of streams in Asian countries, including South Korea, Taiwan and China. He became the most streamed international artist in 2023 and 2024 in Taiwan. He also played in key cities of those countries and shared the stage with Bibi, TWICE, Jay B and MINA at the Asian launch of “Meta Loves Music” in Seoul in December.
He continued to capture the hearts of Asian audiences in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as Central and South America.
Love & Loneliness was his multi-platinum certified debut album in 2022, followed by platinum certified Youth & Family. He collaborated with BSS (Seventeen) for 7 PM and was featured in the Alan Walker hit Who I Am.
Meanwhile, The STAR caught up with the fast-rising Norwegian artist when he was in Manila and here’s what transpired during the interview.
Who are your musical influences?
“Oh, I have a lot. When I first got really into pop music, I listened too much to people like Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Adele, Ne-Yo, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and then, like the (last few years), it’s been a lot of Lauv (and other artists).”
Bonfire played a huge role in your breakthrough, especially in South Korea. Looking back, how do you feel about the way that song connected with people across the world during such a difficult time?
“Oh, it’s so touching, and it means so much. And it opened a lot of doors for me, like you said, COVID was a very depressing time for so many people in the world. And knowing Bonfire kind of during that time made people’s lives a little bit better, and also made my life better through it. It’s beautiful. Especially, like when everyone had to stay at home, and then the power of music, that Bonfire could still travel, even though we had to stay at home and it also did, so that was yeah, pretty cool.”
When it came to choosing a collaborator for Hey Hello, what made Cha Eun-woo stand out to you as the perfect fit? What qualities do you usually look for in a musical partner?
“I look for someone with a genuine personality and someone that I connect with. And me meeting Cha Eun-woo in 2022 and really having a great time together, I feel like I’ve been, we’ve both been kind of speaking about it and the whole thing ever since that we can do an official collab together at some time.
“And when Hey Hello came to life, also being a song about how you can be anywhere in the world and as long as you’re with good people, like, it’s all good. And that felt like the perfect kind of concept to have with someone like Cha Eun-woo. So, I’m very happy that it happened. And yeah, that one guy from Norway and one from Korea can write a song about being anywhere in the world, and then hopefully, the song is being heard all over the world.”
Hey Hello has such a feel-good vibe. What does this song say about your artistic identity and what you aim to share through your music?
“I feel like my personality is quite playful, and I’m like a positive guy that likes to make jokes and laugh a lot. And I feel like Hey Hello is also a playful song. I feel the production of the song is playful, and hopefully makes people smile. And I feel like that reflects that part of my personality as well.”
As a Norwegian artist gaining global recognition, how do you stay connected to your roots, while collaborating internationally?
“A few of my family, my friends, (and I) are living in Oslo. Norway is a huge part of me. I would say my family and friends mostly (keep me connected to my roots) because when I’m at home, I’m not like at work, you know. I’m the same person, I’m doing so many things like normal people in general, like normal Norwegian people do.”
How has social media influenced your career and the way you connect with fans and fellow artists?
“Especially in the last few years, I feel social media has just… because it’s just like becoming bigger and bigger basically, and the whole music industry, I feel now is even, it’s like, so heavily based on social media.
“And I think it’s an amazing opportunity to reach people through it and connect through it. Even though, like when I can travel somewhere for the first time and I feel that I already know my listeners and they know me, even though we haven’t met.”
- Latest
- Trending
