The composition of a songwriter, according to Ike Rann

VINCENT TEETSOV

Photo: Patrik Tamm

It’s not every artist or musician who has seen their creations bring about danger for themselves or their family. But this is what happened to pianist and composer Rein Rannap at the end of the Soviet occupation of Estonia. After being harassed for the music he was making (particularly in the band Ruja), he escaped the KGB guards that were watching his moves on a tour in Italy and eventually made his way to Los Angeles.

His wife sent a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, requesting the family to be reunited with him in Los Angeles; and it was there that his newborn son, Ikevald Rannap, spent his first six years growing up. The danger has subsided, but the stories and music have remained. Ikevald Rannap, performing under the name Ike Rann, writes and records some seriously catchy rock tunes. Now based in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a BBC songwriting award and the album Synchronize under his belt, he told me about how he has grown his musical style.

Between living in the US, Estonia, Sweden, England, and now Denmark, how has each place formed who you are or how you write songs?

When we relocated to Los Angeles, California, both of my parents were studying music. I started playing the piano and wrote my first song when I was five years old, but as I grew older, so did my love for rock music. As a teenager, I started playing Nirvana songs on my mother’s guitar – that ignited something in me, and it wasn’t long before I started singing in bands.

In my early 20s, I started collaborating with musicians outside of Estonia, although my main residence remained there. Around five years ago, I packed my things and moved to London, and studied songwriting at Berklee. After that, I learned to compose melodies from Swedish songwriters while living in Stockholm. About three years ago, I moved to Copenhagen, where I’m living now. What I appreciate about Copenhagen is that there’s a lot of humility, trust, and curiosity towards different tastes and different cultures. And they don’t take themselves too seriously.

What do you think is the secret to making songs that listeners pay attention to?

It’s fascinating why some songs give us goosebumps or sometimes even make us cry. I have wondered why and I think that it’s a process of healing and releasing our emotional tension. I believe lyrics have more emotion and depth when they have “truth resonance.” That’s when artists are being honest and speaking from their heart – it gives songs a different kind of depth. The thing about vulnerability and being honest is that people can sense it.

What are you musically inspired by?

In the past, music has been a process of self-discovery and growing through the writing process, while putting out music that resonates with one’s inner values. I’m inspired by musicians from the 60s to the 80s, like Motown, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Wonder, and also bands like Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Imagine Dragons.

I think that artists are the conscience of our society and feel responsible for reflecting things that are going on in society. If we don’t do that, then that speaks about the values we uphold in our society.

You’ve assembled an amazing ensemble of brass players, a rhythm section, and strings, to make a full and funky sound on your last album Synchronize. How did this “mini-orchestra” come to be?

Jason Hunter also went to Berklee. He’s the one playing the trumpet and making the horn arrangements for my latest album. In Estonia, we were playing in a funk rock band called Rocket. In this band, we also had Mairo Marjamaa, who plays tenor saxophone, and later, Sten Valdmaa joined on trombone – he’s part of our brass gang. In addition, we have Silvia Ilves on cello and Katariina Maria Kits on violin. There’s also my core band with Valdur Viiklepp on bass, Stanley Love on drums, and Jaan Varts on guitar. And Madis Muul, who plays keys, ties in harmony in a very beautiful way.

Then there’s Carlo Di Beo, who was my guitar teacher, who played the song “Hit Me With Your Tears” that has a Latin and flamenco sound. It was a dream come true for me and a kind of tribute to our teacher-student relationship. To top it off, it was Ricky Delin, the Swedish producer who made everything tie together with magical balance.

The last album was an allaround journey inspired by three years of travel to 30 countries, where all I had was a backpack and a guitar with me. My debut album Synchronize was more reflective with its storytelling but the new album is going to have a different sound and vibe to it. It’s more like “let’s jump in this Mustang, crank up the volume, and see how fast it goes.”

So what do you have lined up for the near future?

I have a small team creating sound design and soundscapes for companies, and this experience has helped me learn about music production in depth. But mainly, I’ve been working on my upcoming album, so I’ve been in a serious studio mode.

My new album is going to be about finding yourself and embracing the chaos. It’s going to feel like a hurricane has been released in your two-room apartment while your toaster, kitchen table, and washing machine are playing a serenade, and you just can’t help but sing and dance along. Essentially, it’s about having fun and embracing this crazy world as it is.

I think it’s more important than ever before to stay joyful, stay grounded, and not depend so much on outer conditions, because everything’s changing. I hope this upcoming album will resonate and give people the strength to power through.

This interview has been edited and condensed in consultation with Triin Tammistu.