Today we’d like to introduce you to Sune Rose Wagner
Hi Sune Rose, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town near the German border called Sønderborg. I got a drum kit for Xmas when I was five. My cousin was an excellent drummer and she taught me how to play. I picked up the guitar when I was 14 or so after seeing Dire Straits perform at Wembley on BBC. My mom bought me my first Dylan album Before The Flood and I decided I wanted to write songs. I had multiple bands in high school. After high school I went to Copenhagen with my band Psyched Up Janis and shortly after we landed a record deal. We were part of the new wave of bands in Denmark in the 90s and had a great run. We’re now considered legendary:) I ended the band in ’99 and traveled the US extensively looking for my next thing. I started writing songs for what would become The Raveonettes while living in NYC, Seattle and LA. I went back to Denmark and met up with Sharin and the rest is history.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing is smooth in this industry. You need to learn how to cope with failure. Failure is a driving force and you use it to your advantage either as a revenge tool or as something to better yourself by…We were rejected by all major labels and our first album Whip It On got horrendous reviews. This was when we were still living and playing in Denmark. We quickly decided that someone in the world somewhere would love our music. We fired our agent to get on a festival in Denmark where David Fricke(senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine at the time) was to hold a speech. I knew Fricke would understand our music if he got a chance to hear it and he did. He raved about us at his speech not knowing who we were. The Danish industry was puzzled since not that many had heard of us. We booked a show ourselves at CBGB’s in NYC and Fricke showed up with a handful of other curious punters and wrote a magnificent review in Rolling Stone and then all the labels started calling.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a songwriter/producer/mixer and multi instrumentalist. I write all the songs for The Raveonettes and for other artists as well. I also write for film and TV. People know me for a sound that blends the romantic with the dark and noisy. I love a healthy dose of light and dark all mixed together. I’m very proud of all my work with The Raveonettes, my contribution to the Netflix show Altered Carbon and writing the score for the Oscar nominated movie A War. I draw from a huge ocean of inspiration and love mxing up different genres and moods. I work very fast and have the spontaneity of a Beat poet.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love books! I have a huge library with over a thousand books. Books and movies will always be my main inspiration for writing music. As I am a diverse person I love a podcast called Heroes and Humans of Football(soccer), highly entertaining and I absolutely loved Blockbuster podcast/show, whatever you call it. The James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas stories are told to perfection. I’m also obsessed with the news and the Pacific Ocean.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/theraveonettes/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunerosewagner/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theraveonettes
