Swedish group Little Dragon are said to derive their name from singer Yukimi Nagano's short fuse. Her vision for the band? To be furious and gentle, she tells Tony Clayton-Lea
Your name is Yukimi Nagano, and you have a very interesting background – your mother is Swedish-American and your father is Japanese. You live in Gothenburg and you grew up listening to American folk. That's one cool mixture.American and Canadian music was always in the house when I was growing up – everything from Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell to Bob Dylan and Neil Young. I really liked it and I get very nostalgic whenever I hear it again. It's the music that was around me, and I have a lot of positive memories of it, even though it's not like the music I'm making now. Yet it has influenced me greatly, from writing lyrics to, I suppose, just wanting to be original, like so many of those artists.
How was the music of Little Dragon formulated? Through well-thought-out plans and strategies? Or did it form naturally?Very naturally, I think. We all met in school, and we all had a deep passion for music. As teenagers our dream was wanting every day to live for our music, and so it was our way of spending time together. We all had – and have – a dedication, a common goal, that binds us together. We admired each other, too, as musicians, which was important.
The band's name is derived from your reputation for having a temper. True?Well, that's the story, and to be honest there is truth in it. We've gone through a lot together – traumatic moments, painful moments, joyful times. I think, however, that I probably lost my temper more eight years ago than I do now. I'm so much calmer these days, and it's safe to say that that's good for us all.
You have described your music as "dreamy but not always in a pleasant way". What do you mean by that?I love music to have two sides to it. It can be beautiful but perhaps uncomfortable. It can be a dance song but also serious. I love images and ideas that are haunting, but maybe that's all been a part of my life, and perhaps that's why I want to reflect on that through the music.
Speaking of which, Little Dragon's music has enjoyed quite a broad reach, from Grey's Anatomy to collaborations with Damon Albarn and Gorillaz. When you first started, did you think it would travel so far?Not at all. When we started making music we never even thought we would share it with anyone, even though we were really dedicated to it. I recall, when we played it to people in the early days, we were quite vulnerable. Maybe that's the same for most musicians, but it's something we noticed, nonetheless. The reach of the music initially confused us, as did some of the descriptions of it – from trip-hop to soul to indie-electro. Ultimately, the most important thing is that we love making it, that it feels interesting and new for us. You have to let it go and allow people to put it where they want, whether it's on television shows or somewhere else. It's a good thing that our music is not going in one specific direction.
You've been described as "a breathy, smoky-voiced pixie". How true is this?To each their own interpretation. Yes, why not? How would I describe myself? Personally? Hmmm, let me tell about how I could describe the band first. We have a vision and the willpower to want to be playful, to make furious and gentle, heartfelt music. It's also about doing something in our time, music that is new, otherwise there's not much point, is there? And personally? Well, I work hard and I'm extremely lucky, because I get to do what I love most in the world every day.
Little Dragon play Crawdaddy in Dublin on September 29. Their latest album,
Machine Dreams
, is on Peacefrog Records
