Jens Lekman, born and reared in Gothenburg, Sweden, is a songwriter, adventurer and retired bingo hall employee. Across thirteen EPs and four albums of critical acclaim, Jens has repurposed the world’s great, lost pop hooks of past and present into songs of his own-making, breathing into them his droll sense of humor, romance and melody to give them newfound buoyancy.
With Ghostwriting, Jens seeks to turn your personal stories into song. Following a public call for story submissions, a diverse collection will be chosen with selected storytellers sitting down with Jens to share their tales of love, fear, and secrets. From there, Jens and his band will assemble the details of each conversation and quickly construct a pop song related to the shared moment. Once written, the songs will be immediately recorded and released online to the masses, each one serving as a celebration of the moments that shape us, and the world.
Ghostwriting comes as an extension of Jens’ commitment to write and record a new song for each week of 2015. These “post cards” are shared thoughts and experiences that invite the public into his artistic process as he assembles a catalogue reflecting where each week of the year has found him, both creatively and personally. For Ghostwriting, Jens reverses this role, offering an interested ear and megaphone for the idiosyncratic stories of everyday life.
“There are many reasons why we love Jens Lekman’s music, but perhaps the most endearing one is his charming storytelling ability. Throughout his career, the Swedish songwriter has tapped into a wide range of clever witticisms, shining light on hopeless moments, unveiling meaning in seemingly trivial matters and finding humor in the things he can’t control” – PASTE Magazine
Story submissions will be accepted from Friday, June 26 – Wednesday, October 28 at midnight. Only one story per person will be accepted.
Selected storytellers will be notified by Monday, November 2, at which time we will begin to schedule one-on-one talks with Jens. Conversations will occur between 10:00am – 6:00pm from November 16-19 and will take place at the CAC. All storytellers must be available to meet in person these days in order to be guaranteed a session.
Ghostwriting is presented in partnership with Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (GIBCA).
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