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Originally from Stockholm, Sweden Åsa Orbison had a fondness for music at a young age, where she attended music school in Sweden. Into adulthood, she then transitioned into working in marketing, but later came to the realization that music was always something she ultimately gravitated to and wanted to pursue. Åsa decided to make the move to America when she found love with now husband Roy Orbison Jr! She came back to her musical roots when working together with her husband (whom she collaborated with on her new album). As a huge feat, Åsa received a platinum record award for singing backup vocals on her father-in-law, Roy Orbison’s ‘Unchained Melodies” in 2019. The “Blue Bayou” album is Åsa’s first album and passion project, recorded at Roy Orbison Jr’s “Pretty Woman Studio”, Nashville A Team member Wayne Moss’ “Cinderella Studio” and Jack Clement’s “The Cowboy Arms Hotel And Recording Spa”. “Blue Bayou” album is a stunning representation of Åsa’s Jazz/Pop soft, breathy singing style with her top singles “Blue Bayou”, ”Green Eyes” “Unchained Melody”, & “Satin Doll”.
Åsa resides in Malibu, California with her 4 adorable children and husband Roy Orbison Jr. In her free time, she enjoys music, running, Pilates and hiking. Åsa is also passionate about supporting causes that are close to her heart including, Music Cares, Operation Smile and BabytoBaby.
Åsa, you have such a unique background, transitioning from marketing to music. What inspired you to make this significant career change and return to your musical roots?
I sang and played guitar and piano at Tallåsskolans Musikklasser in Sweden. Music, baking, and babysitting were my favorite things to do growing up. When I met Roy I was very career-focused working for the biggest marketing agency in Scandinavia and spent most of my awake hours at the office. We fell in love and that meant that in addition to a lot of late nights and red roses, I found myself surrounded by music. I was singing again. And soon enough baking together with my own children. It’s truly a beautiful love story that brought music and my childhood interests and dreams back.
How has your experience on ‘Below Deck: Mediterranean’ influenced your music career and personal life?
Below Deck has influenced our lives because it’s such a big TV show! We can’t go in big crowds without someone yelling “Below Deck!” or asking “What is Captain Sandy really like?”. It is so much fun to do the show and the fans are all super sweet!
Your cover of ‘Blue Bayou’ has a distinct jazzy, Scandinavian touch. Can you share more about the creative process behind reimagining this classic song?
In 2019 We were working on my father-in-law Roy Orbison’s album “Unchained Melodies” with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, on which I sang background vocals. It is one of the great honors of my life. My husband Roy and I were rehearsing a lot and had so much fun.
Roy was playing around with jazzy chords and we came up with the rearrangement on the spot. Roy’s good at that kind of thing, I guess it runs in the family. Together with my “Swenglish” approach to the lyrics and vocals, it became something we are really proud of.
Collaborating with your husband, Roy Orbison Jr., must be an incredible experience. How do you balance your personal and professional relationship while working on music together?
There is no balance! It’s 100% all-in on everything. We do everything together. In our ten years, I can count the days we’ve been apart on two hands. So at this point, the things we do together come more naturally and easier than doing things individually, and it for sure is a lot more fun. I trust Roy on everything. Especially in music where he has a lot more experience than me, I simply just trust him and things tend to end up great!
You’ve received a platinum record award for your work on ‘Unchained Melodies.’ What did this achievement mean to you, and how did it influence your current music projects?
This was the first musical project my husband Roy and I worked together on. The whole family contributed, Roy 3 played guitar, and little Bo tambourine. All of our platinum records hang in the kitchen where we have breakfast every morning. So it means a lot to all of us and was the spark for this album.
Can you tell us more about the upcoming release of ‘Love Is Strange’ and your experience working with legendary guitarist Wayne Moss?
I have loved this song ever since I watched the movie “Dirty Dancing” and it’s a dream to put my take on it together with my husband. Roy and my version of “Love Is Strange” is a playfully updated version of the classic duet song by “Mickey & Sylvia” from 1956.
We had the honor of Wayne Moss laying his guitar on it. He is a living legend. Among other things, he came up with the famous “Jolene” riff for Dolly Parton. More so he was a dear friend of Roy Orbison and played on the original “Oh, Pretty Woman” recording in 1964! So here we were, 50 years later, playing around in the studio, Wayne laying his guitar on this duet – goosebumps – rock and roll, and music goes down through the decades and is immortal.
Your full-length album is set to release on August 13th. What themes and styles can fans expect from this album, and what message do you hope to convey through your music?
It’s a sexy, jazzy collection of love songs put together by me and my husband Roy Orbison Jr. All the songs are different snapshots of our life.
“Blue Bayou” and “Unchained Melody” came out of sessions we were doing for the 2018 Roy Orbison album “Unchained Melodies” (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) that I sang backup vocals. “Blue Bayou” is his dad’s hit song from 1963 which was a #1 for my hero Linda Ronstadt. “Unchained Melody “sung by Roy Orbison was our wedding song. Roy Jr has green eyes, so we did this great unknown jazz classic from 1946 called “Green Eyes”.
Roy loves jazz and I know a lot of the songs he plays through a Swedish singer, Monica Zetterlund. So we added some songs in the Swedish language like “En bedårande sommarvals”, “New York” and “Monicas vals”.
Recorded in intimate sessions in Pretty Woman Studio.
Whatever it is to the listeners – only time can tell. I believe we all have our “Blue Bayou” and “Green Eyes” we long for. What does it mean to you?
As a mother of four and a musician, how do you manage your time between family and your music career?
My children always come first. I am above all a mother. However, I do see how working to achieve my dreams benefits us all and makes all of us happy. But practically, I run a tight schedule and rehearse, write, and work as soon as the babies are napping. It’s my one window every day to do work. That 2-3 hours a day gets you pretty far if you’re consistent and disciplined.
You’re passionate about supporting causes like Music Cares, Operation Smile, and BabytoBaby. How do these philanthropic efforts influence your music and personal life?
We are interested in musical philanthropy. Both artistically and for charities. Artistically we are trying to bring jazz to a younger audience. Playing music for charity events is a fun way to bring attention to great causes.
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