Hard work to build up a fanbase

they haven’t said no to one single mission, summarizes Klemet Anders Buljo

By Klemet Anders Buljo May 21st 2019, from Tel Aviv, for Altaposten.no
Translated by Linda Karina Rasmussen/KEiiNO Fangroup Official

Demanding: Klemet Anders Buljo is impressed by KEiiNO, who has worked early and late to get success. Photo: Reiulf Grønnevik

So it became a 5th place for Norway, but KEiiNO was a clear-cut viewers-favourite

I have walked the streets of Tel Aviv, heard people from other countries joik and sing “Spirit in the sky”. They are curious to what this is, curious of this exotic culture from up North.

Up early: Fred René Buljo and KEiiNO have been on the move the past months. Now they are planning future concerts and albums. Photo: Terje Bendiksby/NTB Scanpix

While I today, the very last day, has been sitting in my room and jotted some words down on paper, the neighbor next door has played “Spirit in the sky” several times and the taxi-driver hummed the song all the way while he drove me yesterday.

KEiiNO is said now to be one of Europe’s largest pop-bands. They have everything; great performances, catchy pop-tunes, handle media well and are good with social media. They haven’t said no to one single mission. But is it this easy? I can’t answer anything else but describing the business a little superficial here.

Around the world, the major record companies like Sony, Universal, and Warner, have laid down who are played on radio channels, etc. Not least because they have the resources to promote and artist, set the agenda to which artists are mentioned in the media. After streaming services like Spotify, Apple, Google, YouTube, etc. have become the world’s largest distributor of music, it has become a lot easier to have your music distributed.

Meanwhile, it has become a lot more difficult to promote artists, since there are so many chasing the bone. It takes enourmous resources like capital, knowledge, network and not least time. KEiiNO has so far worked really hard for months by themselves, which means they are not signed to any large company. It is possible to get out in the world with the musical road without being signed to a major company, but it takes a lot of resources. Not least – do they manage to follow up their monster-hit?

The band has really worked from 6 in the morning and often until 2-3 in the night. Showed up for all kinds of events, both for media and performances. Every possible chance is used to sleep and have a break. What is clear is that it can’t go on like this in the long run, so also here is a future challenge.

We also know that artist are exposed to temptations which are meant to make them “relax”, and here I am thinking of alcohol and drugs. This is, sadly, facts, who have not read about the daemons of the entertaining business? I have, with great annoyance to my son, punched him in the head about taking care of his mental and physical health. Rapture tears you out after a long while – and many try to overpower that feeling in ways mentioned above.

KEiiNO has built up an enormous fanbase all over Europe. But they have also created huge emotions. Things like strong criticism for taking part in ESC which is arranged in Israel, harassment on the net, and the Devil’s grandmother. In some environments in Norway, they are being marked as too commercial. So, suddenly THAT is wrong?

As parents, we are happy when our offspring harvest success. They are all adults and make their own choices. But because they are Europe’s large pop-sensation and creates commotion, at least I as dad am worried. Children are the largest joy in the world to parents, but can also create the largest concerns. It doesn’t matter if they are adults and pop-heroes.

Klemet Anders Buljo