Reykjavík Grapevine - Jun 2021, Page 18

18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06— 2021Music
gpv.is/music
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The Possessed
Flowerchild
Possimiste shares her ethereal space creations
with our earthly world
Words: Alina Maurer Photos: John Pearson
Album
Check out ‘Youniverse’ online at
possimiste.com/youniverse. It'll be
available on all streaming platforms
at June 25th.
"I have always felt that it was my
destiny to channel music to this
world from the ethereal space
around us that words cannot
yet explain,” Possimiste — also
known under her terrestrial name
Leeni Laasfeld — explains in a vel-
vety voice. The 28-year old artist,
originally from Estonia, is on the
cusp of releasing her debut album
‘Youniverse’ on June 25th, follow-
ing a slew of galactic electro-pop
singles over the
last few years.
While other art-
ists simply write
their songs, Possi-
miste channels her
creations from an-
other space outside
of our imaginable
world. Her title is,
therefore, fitting.
The word Possi-
miste comes from
being possessed by
some kind of magical spirit, which
then accesses an extraterrestrial
space where her music origi-
nates—one that, as she details, is
out of this world.
Seriously, she's from
Sirius
Possimiste finds her inspiration
in visions and dreams, and ‘Youni-
verse’ is a compilation of her most
meaningful ones. “I feel all the
time that I'm not from [this Earth];
I never feel 100% home,” she eluci-
dates. In fact, she contends that
her alter-ego Possimiste is actu-
ally from the bright star system
Sirius, which is also the name of
the first—and the artist’s person-
al favourite—song on the album.
“Sirius is the home that everybody
wants to reach.”
“[I hear] melodies, even some
of the lyrics, [in my dreams],” she
smiles; her eyes twinkling. “Some-
times it's some kind of gibberish
and then you start decoding. If I
hear a flute, I really need to put
a freaking flute there! I cannot
change it.”
The song “Freefall” exemplifies
the fusion of Possimiste’s unusu-
al sounds. The song begins with
a wave of slow melancholic 80s
synths underlined by bird calls. It
all feels very mysterious—like a
foggy valley wait-
ing for Possimiste
to wander through.
By the middle, it
coalesces into an
explosion of upbeat
drums fitting of a
joyous carnival. It’s
a sharp contrast
that leads to her
chanting the words
“Freefall” over and
over like a mantra
at the end—and
you can tell she’s just ecstatic to be
in the midst of it.
At all points, ‘Youniverse’ has
an ethereal tone, with the tracks
varying from blissful to dark and
gloomy. A certain otherworldly,
powerful mood prevails, making
Possimiste’s creations unique and
electrifying. It’s easy to let yourself
be carried away to Sirius with her.
Decoding dreams &
unlocking magic
The album will come out along-
side an online experience avail-
able on Possimiste’s website. Ev-
ery “dream”— as she refers to her
songs—will be observable, with
visuals and written prose describ-
ing the origin of the track.
Possimiste calls her listeners
“secondary dreamers” and believes
this more interactive experience
will allow them to decode her
messages, or dreams, more easily.
She hopes that her album will be
a conversation starter about what
music means to people. “It makes
us feel shivers, it makes us cry, it
just has so much power,” she says.
“It's the closest thing to magic that
humans can ever experience.”
Foreign from the whole
world
Being a foreigner in Iceland has
also coloured her experience as
an artist. “I think Iceland is such
a great place for artists. There is
a cultural scene, there is funding
and there is support,” she explains.
“I feel like music is such an inter-
national thing, but more like an
intergalactic thing. So, let’s not
classify!” That said, while she calls
Iceland her home, it’s more a tem-
porary one—or rather, a temporal
one. “I'm not connected to being
foreign here,” she smiles. “But rath-
er [foreign] from the whole world.”
Even though Possimiste might
be, as she explains it, a foreigner
to the world, she hopes to change it
for the better. ‘Youniverse’, she em-
phasises, should inspire kindness.
“Visualize the songs and get lost,”
Possimiste concludes. “[...] Then I
want the audience to do something
good.”
Alongside wanting to bring good
to the world, Possimiste also hopes
that with her dreams, she can in-
spire listeners to be more childlike.
To be astonished by the wonders of
life again—just like when they were
young.
“You need to take care of the in-
ner kid,” Possimiste beams.
Beam me up, Possie!
“[Music] is
the closest
thing to magic
that humans
can ever
experience.”