Ida Lafontaine was born and raised in Stockholm. She is 17 years old and in her second year at Rytmus Music School. She plays both guitar and piano but her main talent is her vocals. Music takes up much of her daily life, but aside from that she dances at SDA (Scandinavian Dance Academy).
Ida started developing her music skills as a child and took every opportunity she could to sing and perform – performing in live shows and writing her own songs. Ida’s creative flair came to light as she was entering the fourth grade; her teachers found her in the restroom during class time singing in front of the mirror instead of solving math problems. Her family took the decision to give Ida an outlet for her talents and transferred her to music school.
In the first year at Sollentuna Music School, Ida received a request to sing the lead in Måns Zelmerlöv’s song Hold on which became a Swedish hit. Ida participated in performances with Måns and was slowly learnt how the industry works. She participated in Melodifestivalen with a custom written song, produced by Mattias Andreasson but it did not make it through to the final. Instead, Ida was signed to Warner Music at 15 years old and released the song Dancing for My Life.
The song went to radio but Ida quickly realised that she was not ready; her confidence, spirit and knowledge of music was not complete. She decided not to renew her contract after only one single and take time to develop as an artist and find her style.
During this, Ida released several cover songs and some digital singles. She has amassed over 4 million views on her Youtube channel and she is proud of her honest and upfront videos; she firmly believes that what you see is what you get and portrays this through her songs.
Who/what inspires you?
I have many inspirations. I think you should not just blindly look at the other artists as inspiration. I’m looking at other brands, talented athletes, dancers, etc.
But in music, it is obvious that Cher Lloyd is close to my heart. Another one that will always be special to me is Michael Jackson. The vulnerability and the presentation of his songs are absolutely magical. There will only be one Michael and it is important that as Pop artists we carry on his message.
Of course, I must mention Danny Saucedo who took me under his wing when I was 15 and gave me the opportunity to shadow him. He is a true role model. Straightforward, honest and he takes care of his fans. He has taught me the most, especially about the presentation of my music both on and off stage.
What has the response to your music been like so far?
Very mixed to be honest. At home in Sweden there are so many opinions about my music. It is easier in the United States because the Pop music that I like is very American. You can probably pick that up from listening to my song Anthem. But I get very good feedback and praise on social networking and from people in the industry.
I am especially proud when I hear feedback about my voice. I have worked hard with Zanna Hulten for 2 years to develop and improve my skills. It’s important as I dance too, so I have to be twice as good in some vocal techniques.
What are your expectations and hopes for this release and the rest of the year?
I hope you will like Anthem and hear the amount of work that went into the song. I take my time developing my sound and I want to try and expand into international markets. You need to have some luck too and I hope the song finds its own way on to the charts. Frankly, I would be my dream if Epic or Universal Music in the States would be interested. They understand my music and know what it takes.
I’m working on my upcoming EP, it will be released in late November. We will launch video, a feel-good version and a house version of the Anthem.
LINKS:
http://www.idalafontaine.com/
http://www.facebook.com/idalafontaine
http://twitter.com/IdaLafontaine
http://www.youtube.com/user/1997studio
