Jonas Bjerre
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Chris Hewlett PR
‘Hana Korea’ is the forthcoming soundtrack album by Jonas Bjerre, his first new music since leaving Mew, and is out now released digitally, ahead of a full Vinyl release on 20 November by Invisible Hands Music [IH101].
What is your earliest musical memory?
Probably this red wind-up owl I had hanging in my crib, it plays Brahms’ Lullaby, I still have it actually, but some of the tines have gone out of tune so it sounds pretty creepy now. I’m not sure if I actually remember it from my crib though, or just because I hung on to it.
When did you begin songwriting?
My parents had a really amazing wooden pump organ, it was quite large, with rainbow striped fabric, and I loved playing with It, just experimenting with how it sounded at a very young age. But I probably wrote my first proper songs when I was about 13-14 years old.
You have your new album ‘Hana Korea’ out now digitally and released on vinyl on 20th November 2026. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
Well it’s the soundtrack for the film Hana Korea, a film based on the true story of a North Korean woman who manages to defect to South Korea, and the struggles she goes through. Initially we wanted it to sound very cold and alienating, so at first it was entirely electronic, but after a while we started introducing string instruments and voice, culminating in the song Hike To The Sun which is a very singer/songwriter type song.
Where did you record the album and who produced it?
It’s recorded almost entirely in my own studio, with the exception of Korean singer Yeohee Kim’s voice on Hike To The Sun which she recorded in her studio in Berlin, and Sori Kim’s voice on Girl’s Night which was recorded in South Korea. I produced the album, but the direction of the music overall was a collaborative effort between myself and the film’s director Frederik Sølberg. Chief editor Denniz Göl Bertelsen was also a great contributor to figuring out what music worked out in each scene.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Not really, no. Most of it was just me by myself with my modular synths 🙂
I was really happy to receive Yeohee’s vocals for Hike To The Sun, they really lifted the song, and we weren’t sure at first how it would work out as a duet, so it was very gratifying to actually hear it as such.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
I started out using mostly my modular synths, but also an old Prophet VS and a Roland Jupiter 4. You can’t beat the Jupiter 4. I used a euclidean sequencer module to make a lot of tonal polyrhythms, that kind of skip and dance over each other, rather than simple arpeggios, which is evident on a lot of the tracks. I played and recorded all the strings myself, using mostly a Royer-121 ribbon mic and a Shure KCM137. For my own vocals I used a modded Wunder Audio CM7 which I’ve used for years and years and I really love it, but for Hike To The Sun I ended up using an old Grundig mic which sounds kind of narrow and vintage, it just fit that song better. It’s a pretty crappy mic by today’s standards but it has a very specific sound that I like and you can’t really EQ your way into that.
Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
The track called Bean Buns has this kind of optimistic and playful nature, although I’m not sure any of the tracks sound altogether happy.
The track Spanish Restaurant II (basically the background for a scene in a Spanish restaurant) is pretty upbeat as well.
The angriest track would be The Interrogation, which has a lot of unpleasant tension in it.
The most reflective, I would say Letter To My Mother (which exists in 3 different versions with different instrumentation).
Who were the musicians who were on the album with you?
Hike To The Sun has Yeohee Kim on vocals along with me, and Frederik Sølberg plays acoustic guitar and electric bass on that track.
Sasha Ryabina sings choir on The Biggest City I Have Ever Seen, and Sori Kim sings the vocals on Girl’s Night.
Apart from those I recorded it by myself.
Was it a difficult album to write?
Well it was quite a long process, because the film was still being edited as I started composing, and it took us a while to come to the realisation that the film needed more than the cold electronic sounds, that we needed to juxtapose it with string instruments and some human warmth. But it was a very pleasurable project to work on.
Who designed the album artwork?
The photograph was taken by the DOP of the film, Stephanie Staal, and the layout and writing was adapted for the album by Sean Maher, from the layouts for the movie posters, which were done by a company called Midnight Marauder.
One of the tracks is the single ‘Hike To The Sun’ featuring Korean artist YeoHee. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?
As they were editing, Frederik knew he wanted an actual song in the credit roll. It started out with this finger picking guitar part he had, which we then turned into a song, and Frederik had met Yeohee before, knew her from somewhere, so we met with her on zoom and talked about how to get her involved. It wasn’t a duet at first, but we really wanted Korean lyrics and voice on it, and were really happy with how it turned out. We kept it quite sparse, to make sure it depicted the vulnerability we needed. It’s written from the perspective of our protagonist Hyesun, as a call to her mother.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
It’s Copenhagen, Denmark. It changes with each season.
Do you have any further music releases planned?
Yes, I feature on a song called Terrified, which is on the upcoming Trentemøller album. The song came out Friday the 28th of August.
Apart from that I have some more elaborate projects in the works, which I can’t say too much about currently.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026/2027?
Not right now, but that may well change.
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
That I have moved the audience and that I have not made a fool of myself.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
I have a custom-made electric guitar crafted by Vuorensaku Guitars, which I really love playing.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
Oh boy, all sorts of things. In childhood a lot of 80s Pop and Beatles, then in my teens a lot of alternative rock, post-rock, shoe gaze… Nowadays I listen to a lot of different stuff.
I recommend the artists Lilito and Levina Storåkern, I listen a lot to both those artists currently!
What makes Jonas Bjerre happy and what makes you unhappy?
I love working, being in that flow. Spending time with my friends and loved ones. Great food and drink. Shared adventures.
There’s so much to be unhappy about, in our world. I really hope things will look up soon. For me personally, I try not to forget to be grateful for what I have, because I really feel very privileged and lucky to be able to do what I do.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Chris Hewlett PR
‘Hana Korea’ is the forthcoming soundtrack album by Jonas Bjerre, his first new music since leaving Mew, and is out now released digitally, ahead of a full Vinyl release on 20 November by Invisible Hands Music [IH101].
