Industry Talk: Henrik Overå

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your path into the music business?

My name is Henrik Overå, I am 30 years old, from Asker. I have a degree in economics from BI in Oslo, and I worked with shipping in the time after my studies. During this period, I met Amara by chance at an event, and we quickly got along. I had already heard a song he had made for his own russebus and thought that this guy really "has it". We met again for a coffee, went to his studio at Ensjø, and I quickly realized after hearing countless unfinished songs, that he was going to become something special.

Henrik was tired of suits and ties from the industry he worked in, and quickly realized that it was time to make a change.

Over the years, more people that I knew gathered and started working with music and art, and in 2019 there were a total of 13 of us who worked towards the same goal; to release cool music and art with the intention of entertaining. This became what is now known as "Rolig Records". Today we consist of artists, producers, graphic and clothing designers, film and management.

Tell us a little bit about Rolig Records?

"As mentioned, Rolig Records was established very organically. It started as a group of friends from Oslo, where everyone had a clear talent for either music, visual or administrative contributions."

Today Henrik and his team are sitting in brand new premises in Flytårnet at Fornebu, where they have studios, offices and social zones.

"Everyone has clear roles in the company, and we make music, clothes and photography as well as videographic pieces we release during the year."

What ambitions do you have internationally?

"Our ambitions internationally are that we want to take our music to international markets. The producers at Rolig Records maintain a high international level, something that was confirmed during our trip to LA in January / February / March. We produced with international artists in mind and are still crossing our fingers that they will reach all the way through. We are ready for more trips "across the pond", but also want to work elsewhere in the world with the same ambitions."

Tell us more about your recent trip to LA and your connections there?

"We were in LA to produce music for 5 weeks from the end of January to the beginning of March. This was a tour organized by of 444 with Nasra Artan and Nikolaj Gloppen, along with Rolig Records.

Our connection to LA is probably first and foremost the knowledge we have acquired before the trip, that this is a good place to make music to reach international markets. We also had Nasra Artan with us as part of our management team. She has been on countless trips in LA before, and not only knew the city well, but also had a lot of good contacts for us over there even before we arrived in the city."

What are you plans moving forward?

"The plan moving forward is to go back to LA, preferably already in the last quarter of 2022. We have built up a good network and made a lot of friends we want to continue working with in physical shape and not just online. We want to nurture these friendships, but also make new ones. On the next trip we envision camps that we want to arrange, to which we invite musicians and labels to create magic together!"

What are the international ambitions for your artist and producer Amara?

"Hehe, there are probably many people who wonder about this and who want to hear Amara in English. That's an interesting thought! When we were on tour earlier this year, he worked as a producer. He is incredibly skilled at producing, writing and adding top lines, in addition to being a talented artist in Norwegian. We made some songs in English over there that were really good, so who knows! Maybe we'll see this in the future."