Her latest album Run, Lucifer is without a doubt the most beautiful music I heard so far this year. And I was lucky; Adna granted me some time to meet spontaneously. Five minutes of preparation had to be enough.
“Music is like a tool I need to express sites of me that I can’t express in everyday life,” she says and smiles. Adna is only 21 years old, but her music sounds eternal. The songs feel like Adna does exactly what she was born to do.
Nevertheless, she did not realize what impact music will have on her life in the first place. It was just a coincidence. “Nobody in my family plays music. I didn’t really grow up with music. When I was nine or ten years old, I had to change the school because I was bullied”.
Her parents heard about this music school. Though Adna was not very confident about the application process she gave it a try — thankfully. And she began to study everything that music can offer. It was not a passionate thing back then but in her second year of music high school it changed. “It just happened. I saw something beyond the theory I studied since I was nine years old”.
Adna’s parents fled from the war in the Balkan to Sweden. In 1994, Adna saw the light of the world and grew up in Goeteborg. Two hearts beat in her chest: a Swedish and a Bosnian. “The religious music from Bosnia is very melancholic. And something in this melancholia feels very much like home. So every time I play music I feel like home”, Adna explains.
“I guess I am a melancholic person. But the thing is: I believe that everyone is melancholic. We all have darkness in our souls. Some people don’t have the same need to express it”. I ask her if people just deny this side. “Sometimes yes… Sometimes no. Maybe it’s easier to deny it. I just can’t ignore it”.
Though the title of her latest album might assume a religious background, Adna is not a person of faith at all. “Run, Lucifer was just a project name. First, I didn’t know what ‘Lucifer’ means — devil and light carrier. These are two different things. The light carrier is the opposite of devil”. Light and darkness are clashing in her life, the musician says.
Contrasts follow Adna everywhere. Whether it is light or darkness or just her appearance on stage. When Adna performs, it seems like there are two personalities on stage. There is this shy girl, folding her arms above the head, announcing the next song with this innocent voice. But as soon as she begins to play, Adna transforms into a strong and confident woman–invincible in the way she expresses herself. “I find it very hard to stand in front of an audience, mostly because I don’t see myself as a front person at all. The side of me appearing between the songs is just the one so grateful have been given music”.
Adna is a very humble person, trying to keep her feet on the ground despite the overwhelming response. “I’m happy to share my music. But if I’m honest it’s a bit weird because that music is my world. And in my world I’m just myself. It’s something I created only by feelings. But I’m aware this is also a privilege”.
And her eyes are sparkling when she talks about her plans. Not only wants Adna to release a new record next year, but she also wants to publish an album a year for a while. To accomplish this task, she always writes or records music. “I have my laptop and my headphones in my backpack. As soon as I get a minute to myself, I’m already mixing something. I like the expression of my voice, and I’ve found a style I’m very comfortable with. But there’s so much more to explore”.
Adna, a 21-year-old woman, full of contrasts, creativity, and kindness. This young artist should be one the top of your ‘watch list’. And her music is so compelling, that you are going to die a slow but beautiful death. Gentle music is a deadly weapon.
