Alumna Nike Sellmar impresses in this year’s edition of Idol

Alumna Nike Sellmar impresses in this year’s edition of Idol

Nike Sellmar is a musician and artist, currently making waves in this year’s edition of Idol. She also used to study at the School of Music in Piteå. Here she comments on her time at the School of Music, how her education influenced her career and how she has found a home in her love for Piteå.

What did you study at the School of Music in Piteå at LTU?

I studied the studio musician programme 2018–2021.

What was the best thing about the programme?

The best thing was getting so many contacts. We did our internship in Stockholm and got to meet several producers. We were also able to try different instruments and had good equipment, and we had a good connection with the sound production students as well. Generally, one of the best things with the School of Music is that there are so many other students you can collaborate with.

You’re from Stockholm but chose to study in Piteå. What was it about the School of Music that interested you?

It was the studio musician programme. It was specifically that programme I wanted to study. It’s the only programme of its kind in Sweden, that I know of. It was a great choice, and that’s why I wanted to stay and finish the programme.

How has the programme helped you in your career?

It’s helped me enormously. I’ve made contacts who I still meet up with to write songs. I’ve also found amazing musicians who I’ve started bands with and play with. First and foremost, it’s fantastic to just surrender yourself to music for three years.

Was it important to have Studio Acusticum, a concert hall, next to the college?

Absolutely! It’s a stage that’s open to all, and that people in town recognise. It helps a great deal. It gives you stage practice and brings attention to students from the school who do concerts. You get taken more seriously when you’re able to perform in a place like that. It’s also a venue with good sound and light equipment.

You perform in this year’s edition of Idol. How has your time in Piteå and Norrbotten shaped you as an artist?

My artistry was created in Piteå. I found myself, and who I want to be as an artist. All that happened in Piteå. That’s why that time means so much. What I needed to find to do what I want, I found in Piteå. It’s really beautiful.

In earlier interviews you’ve expressed your love for the north of Sweden in general, and Piteå in particular. What is it up here that’s got a hold on you?

People are so nice and lovely. There’s a different sense of family. It’s a permissive, open and welcoming society, and I think that’s wonderful. People know each other, and there’s safety in that. You meet people in town, you say hi and sit down for a coffee. Life is more spontaneous when you know people who live nearby. It’s something you can’t have in the same way in a larger city. Some think it’s hard work and that it stops you from doing what you want, but I feel the opposite. I feel free.