Øystein Skar is a Norwegian composer who began studying classical piano at six and later pursued jazz and improvisation under ECM pianist Misha Alperin in Oslo. After touring and recording in jazz and experimental music, he transitioned to electronic and pop, spending over a decade with Highasakite and collaborating with artists like Sigrid and Aurora. In 2023, he supported Joep Beving in Oslo, and in 2025, he will release HEM, his solo debut. Don’t miss our conversation with Øystein Skar, covering a career path as a composer, influences, creative rituals, new album HEM, upcoming projects, and life.

As a Norwegian composer, do you feel that specific elements of Norwegian music traditions have made their way into your own music, whether consciously or unconsciously?

I can’t point to any specific elements from the Norwegian music tradition that have directly influenced my work. However, it has likely shaped me subconsciously. What has had a more profound impact, perhaps not as a source of inspiration, but as a influence on my entire being - is my upbringing in a mountain valley in the Norwegian countryside, surrounded by farmers.

Every summer, from a very young age until my teenage years, my cousin and I would spend the entire summer with our grandmother on a remote mountain farm, high up in a national park. There, my grandparents ran a traditional cattle farm. We had no electricity and no phone signal. Our days started at 6 in the morning, herding the cows before moving on to barn work, and then bringing the cows back in for milking.

This experience shaped me deeply. It was incredibly sensory - hard physical labor but also engaging, where you created something tangible every day. It was a collaboration between humans and animals, with immediate, concrete results. The nature also of course heightened the experience, and there was a strong interplay between my grandmother, my cousin, the animals and nature, and myself.

These years has significantly shaped my mindset toward music and life itself, particularly in terms of discipline. I learned early on that you cannot rely on motivation alone - there’s actually very little work that you feel motivated to do every day. Instead, at least for me, it’s about discipline.


How did your classical training shape your approach to genres like jazz and electronic music?

It has influenced me greatly! Most importantly, it provided me with a solid technical foundation, enabling me to express, perform, and compose in ways that wouldn’t have been possible with weaker technical skills. Beyond that, having listened extensively to classical music over the years, its structures have naturally and unconsciously shaped the form of my own compositions.

As I mentioned earlier, classical training also instilled in me a strong sense of discipline, which affected how I used to approach different genres. It perhaps made me more analytical. I enjoy exploring and experimenting a lot, so without that grounding, I think I might easily jump around too much.

If you approach understanding musical structures and genres purely based on day-to-day motivation, you work in a different way. I’m not saying it’s better or worse - it simply leads to different results - compared to an more analytical approach. But everyone should do what works best for themselves.

I talk a lot about discipline, but I want to emphasize that, for me, it’s a positive and meaningful kind of discipline - something I associate with being constructive and fulfilling. I’ve encountered many environments where discipline carries a negative connotation, but that has never been the case for me. I see it as a means to achieve something important to me, and I’ve always perceived that as positive, even when it involves hard work.

I also want to say that motivation and enjoyment are, of course, crucial. 

Can you recall the first piece of music that really inspired you to pursue music seriously?

No, not really. But I remember getting a tiny Casio keyboard when I was three or four years old - I still have it, and it works! That little instrument ignited my passion for music. I would sit with it every day. By the time I was six, I started playing the piano very seriously.

Are there any non-musical influences—art, literature, or personal experiences—that play a role in shaping your music?

Yes, absolutely, many. Nature is a big inspiration for me, probably because I live in a country where vast, dramatic and uninhabited landscapes surround us. It’s a space that is always present and has a constant impact on my mind and work.

I’m also interested in art, meditation, literature, and different aspects of human processes. And, of course, we are all affected - for better or worse - by the external world and the society we live in. These days, it feels like an especially complex time to be both an artist and a human being.

Touring with bands like Of Monsters and Men and London Grammar must have exposed you to a lot of different styles. How did this influence your own sound?

Absolutely. But even before we did those support tours with Highasakite, I had already worked across many genres. At the state academy in Oslo, I studied and worked with contemporary music, jazz, noise, and electronic music before moving into pop and production after my studies. For me, working across multiple genres has always been rewarding, but it also feels very natural now to work in a more focused and narrow way.

That said, I’ve never been concerned with labeling genres. I’m more interested in music as a whole, beyond categories. My own music has absorbed elements from different styles. For example, I love clear, distinct melodies, which maybe come from my work in pop music. At the same time, I’m drawn to soundscapes that require close listening, which may stem from my background in contemporary and electronic music. And I like blending all these elements. 

I also improvise all my music, which is a direct influence from my studies in jazz and improvisational music.

What is your typical composition process? Do you have any specific rituals or habits you follow when writing new music? Do you start with melody, rhythm, or sound when composing?

I improvise absolutely everything, all the time. I never write anything down in notation unless I’m working with string players or other musicians who require a score. My process typically starts by pressing “record,” possibly setting up some effect loops on the piano and different synths, and then just playing.

I always try to capture that first idea, and I work quickly at that stage. Once the idea is in place, I go back later and work out the details. But I find that the core idea, that one moment in time, is always crucial.

I often take walks while listening to what I’ve recorded, hearing and visualizing the rest of the music. I also write a lot, and my studio is covered in notes, far too many, unfortunately!

Let’s talk about your upcoming album HEM. How would you describe its sound compared to your previous work?

It’s completely different from my work in the commercial pop industry, at least. I’ve returned to my roots, and the music is much closer to what I played with my mentor, ECM pianist Misha Alperin, at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. But at the same time, you can hear my journey through different genres reflected in the music.

I think of it as a blend of electronic music, modern classical music, and improvisational music, but also very melodic and harmonic. I strive to create clarity in my message and music - I feel that a lot of music today is somewhat hidden. Dont know why. Misha always told me to say what I had to say on the piano - out loud and clearly.

I also approach composing and improvising in a very visual way. People tell me that my music creates mental images for them, which I find fascinating. It mirrors how I experience the music when I create it.

What does the title HEM signify, and how does it relate to the themes of the album?

Hem means “home” in my local dialect. My dialect is actually quite weird for other Norwegians, and I felt that Hem was a fitting anchor for the themes of the album. The record is about identity, transformation, and transition. It’s the result of a long period of self-exploration, and Hem felt like a meaningful way to ground that journey - and also a small tribute to my upbringing.

Are there any particular tracks on HEM that hold a special place for you, and if so, why?

The track Runa is special to me. It was the first piece I made for the album, just a improvisation, but it gave me a clear sense of direction for how to shape the rest of the album. It was a huge relief, and things started falling into place after that.

Aside from HEM, do you have any other upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re excited about?

For a long time now, I’ve said no to all collaborations and external projects. This was absolutely necessary for me to immerse myself in an internal creative process without outside distractions. So, at the moment, no.

That said, I’m starting to reconnect with a few different projects now, so we’ll see. I’m very open to collaborations in general.

Finally, from your perspective, what is the meaning of life?

Difficult question.. and I think its different for everyone. For me, the meaning of life is to be well. That might sound simple, but in reality, truly being well is very complex, and few are willing to do the work required to achieve it. And being well doesn’t necessarily mean having it comfortable. For me, it’s about engaging with that process and truly exploring it.  And maybe that’s life itself? More and more, I feel that the journey is the goal, rather than reaching any destination. That was harder for me to see when I was younger. I often felt unfulfilled, as I’m a perfectionist and very goal-oriented. But I’m getting there I think...