The Man Behind the Music: You’ll be surprised by what you don’t know about Jimi Somewhere

Photography: Anisha Noor / anisha__noor

Words: Erna Džaferović / ernadzaferovic

Born and raised in a small town called Hokksund, near Oslo, the young Norwegian musician is definitely a 2020 Must-Know. His new single "In My Car” has just been shared in anticipation of the release of his debut LP, Nothing Gold Can Stay, which will be out on February 5th, 2021 via Next Wave/Ultra Records. The 22-year-old singer has accumulated over 14 million Spotify streams and has been featured on the “New Music Friday”, “Oyster”, “Fresh Finds” and “Lorem” playlists.

Waiting for his next successful move, we dove deeper into his life, his passions and his dreams. Today we try to discover what is hidden behind the stage name Jimi Somewhere / jimisomewhere and who Benjamin Schandy really is, the man behind the character.

What is the story behind your new single ‘In My Car’?

I wanted a song with a car theme on the album because driving means so much to me. Coming from a small place like Norway and growing up in an even smaller town, you get bored a lot. So you drive. That's literally all we would do. I've made so many beautiful memories in cars and this is me sharing one of them.

You started composing music growing up in a small town in Norway and now you have over 14M+ cumulative Spotify streams. How have your style and attitude changed over the years?

I think i've just become more confident and more focused. You start out a little naive and blinded. Quickly you learn about how annoying and weird the music industry is and it makes you rethink some things. I just become very aware that I need to only put my energy into the music and art.

Where does your musical inspiration come from?

It's a mix between growing up on Eminem, Dr. Dre, Coldplay, and My Chemical Romance.

If you could choose one artist to collaborate with, who would you pick?

Off top right now, Colbie Caillat. That would be fire. “Bubbly” is still a hit.

Your producer Milo Orchis is also one of your best friends. Tell us more about
this friendship.

It's a special one. We met in eight grade and connected instantly. I truly think Milo is my soulmate if I got one. Ever since that day in eight grade we’ve been inseparable. So lucky we share the same passion and drive, as well as humor and values. It's a rare, but beautiful thing.

What made you choose the stage name ‘Jimi Somewhere’ and why you decided not to make music under your real name?

I wanted some sort of character I could play with. If I went by my real name, I'd feel much more obligated to tell the truth all the time. The meaning behind the actual name is not that deep though. I was a big odd future fan and wanted a name like ‘Frank Ocean’, ‘Earl Sweatshirt’ etc. Then bam! Jimi Somewhere!

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

I think just accepting that everyone's path is different. With the internet it's so easy to compare yourself to kids your age doing bigger things. You gotta remind yourself that there's no rush.

As a young musician, what is your definition of success?

I feel successful right now. The goal was always to be able to make a living doing what I love. Everything else is bonus points. You can’t get too caught up in the idea of glory and fame I think. Focus on genuine relationships and passion.

At the end of this summer you released the single ‘Jesus (feat. Kacy Hill)’. What was it like collaborating with her?

So easy. She’s literally so nice and genuine. She came by the studio and listened to a lot of our demos and “Jesus” was the one she liked the most. We actually fucked up the first studio session because my interface didn't work. I was so scared she would hate us, but she was chill about it and came by another day and did the bridge. It's amazing because she sounds like a literal angel which is fitting on a song like “Jesus.”

Where would you like to be in 10 years?

Hopefully me and Milo will be in a big house with big windows and a studio with all the equipment we want and some great albums under our belts. Maybe I'm working on my first movie. That would be sick.

In one of the interviews you said you love movies. Which fictional character do you most relate to?

Maybe Sam from Moonrise Kingdom. He just wants to be on a beach with the girl he loves.

What are you working on at the moment and what are your next plans?

Right now I'm just busy rolling out this album and working on the next one! We are already pretty deep in. Finishing the first album there's been a lot of technical boring stuff these past months so it's so fun to try new sounds and experimenting again. Maybe I'll go country on album #2.

Tell us something that people don’t know about you.

I once met 50 Cent in an electronics store in Norway and got him to sign my “Get Rich Or Die Trying” CD. It's my most valuable possession.