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Nov 19, 2013 NONONO By Laura Studarus

NONONO producers-turned-band members Tobias “Astma” Jimson and Michel Rocwell have been working with hip-hop luminaries for over 10 years in their native Sweden. So perhaps, on some level, it’s appropriate to say that Swedish pop trio NONONO arrived with significantly more experience than the average musical newbies. Even so, Astma says that the transition from producer to musician came with a notable learning curve.

“We’ve never done this sort of thing before, where we’ve become artists,” he notes. “We’ve always been behind the scenes, in the studio and producing and writing. For us it’s a big step, stepping out into the light. We tried new things, challenged ourselves, and got better at playing our instruments.”

Astma cites burnout as a major factor in his and Rocwell’s decision to enter the dance pop world. But it wasn’t until they were connected with vocalist Stina Wappling that the project truly begun to take shape. Introduced by mutual friends, the freshly graduated psychology major says that working with Astma and Rocwell was such a comfortable process that she didn’t realize the partnership had become a full-fledged band. She laughs nervously while attempting to dredge up the hazy memory of when the guys made it official.

“I felt like we grew together,” she recalls. “But apparently they asked me. And I said yes. Maybe I was so overwhelmed and happy it just became part of a weird dream.”

The trio quickly found their sweet spot: combining Wappling’s icy soprano with Astma and Rocwell’s upbeat electronic compositions that sometimes resemble fellow Swedish acts Robyn and Icona Pop. Their single “Pumpin Blood” may feature whistling whose enthusiasm is rarely heard outside of the Peter Bjorn and John single “Young Folks,” but there’s a notable autumnal undercurrent to NONONO’s perk: Wappling’s lyrics carry with them an “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” resonance.

With a full-length slated for release in early 2014, all three band members say that their music has already earned them a few unlikely fans—their parents.

“This is the first time they’ve ever played our music at home,” Astma reveals. “Me and [Rocwell] have mostly been doing hip-hop stuff. That doesn’t appeal to them as much. I don’t think they can relate to it as much as ‘Pumpin Blood.’ It’s a song that’s instant. They get it straight away. It’s not too complicated.”

Wappling says her parents had a similar response to her burgeoning career.

“When you’re playing the piano they’re like, ‘Oh, this is good,’” she interjects, miming a supportive but slightly bored parent. “And then when you’re on TV they’re like, ‘Oh!’”

For three people who can’t discuss their music without accompanying smiles, NONONO seems, at first, like an unusually negative band name. Wappling acknowledges the implication, noting that there’s another, more important side of the equation.

“For us, it’s really positive, saying ‘no no no’ to the things and people that are taking your energy,” she says. “Bad situations and things like that. The freedom to say no to the things you don’t want to do…. Often people want you to say yes. People want you to take a job or people want you to be in a relationship. You have that tendency to make other people pleased. It takes energy to say, ‘No, this is not for me.’”

Rocwell confirms that weeding out the extraneous elements of his career has paid off.

“I was becoming negative at the end before we started this,” he says. “I was becoming tired of it all. This is a real turning point for us. This reminded us why we started in music in the first place. I’m so happy.”

(www.facebook.com/nononoofficial)