Angelina on Stargate.

In an interview in “American Songwriter”, published Nov. 9, 2020, on the occasion of the release of “Million Miles”, Angelina told about her collaboration with Stargate:

“What is so special about working with such a producer as Stargate is that I feel so comfortable. They understand my music and from the moment I met them, we had that chemistry to make the songs. That’s the most important thing, I believe.”

In the same interview Angelina also tells that Stargate was instrumental when signing with Republic Records:

When I was finishing the song in the studio, one of the producers played the song for [founder and CEO] Monte Lipman. He wanted to sign me to Republic, to give me the opportunity to share my love, my music. I believe at that moment Republic saw my vision and understood me.”

Angelina has repeated in several other interviews how well she feels collaborating with Stargate:

In VG (published Feb. 20, 2021) Angelina is quoted:

- I quickly noticed that we spoke the same musical language. It was as if it said "click". They have given me support and security to be myself. Had it not been for the corona pandemic, I'm sure we would have made 100 songs together, she says and laughs a little cautiously.

And in “The Honey Pop”, published Mar. 23, 2021:

To work with Stargate has been an amazing experience because they understand my vision and most importantly, they allow me to be myself. We clicked so much that we could create many more great songs together.

About the collaboration on 7th Heaven Angelina told (Stage Right Secrets, Mar. 22, 2021):

The initial idea for ‘7th Heaven’ was that I love the number 7, and ‘heaven’ is such a powerful word and makes you dream away,” she explained. “I collaborated with Stargate to create ‘7th Heaven.’ The background story of making this song was that I had this melody that I played for Tor and Mikkel and it turned out that they loved the idea and it went pretty smooth from there to the finish [the] song.”

Jordan and her team kept tweaking the song until it was perfect and ready for release. “We definitely tried many different elements to feel the right sound to it,” she said.

Stargate on Angelina.

In an interview during Nordic Oscar weekend 2021, Apr. 21-24, 2021, Boris Palenovski took the opportunity to ask Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate about their collaboration and how they first met:

Tor Erik Hermansen:

I heard about Angelina when she was a little girl in Norway and she won Norway Got Talent, I think.

And then. But you know at that point she was just a kid and I said “This is amazing” and then I guess years passed and then somebody reached out to me and said: “Hey do you know this Norwegian girl is on America Got Talent and it is going viral and it is blowing up and it is this amazing thing. Click on the link and check it out!” So I, like the rest of the world, was just blown away by her voice and her emotion and her natural feel and musicality. So that’s really what sparked it. And she was in LA and we were in LA so we set up a meeting and I said: “I just wanna hear and see if this thing is real, if she is as good as it looks like she is… and she walked through the door and started singing… we sat down at the piano and I started playing something and you know.. it was UNBELIEVABLE… what comes out of her.  So that’s really how it started.

And we did.. We wrote the songs together, everything that we have coming out and that has been coming out. I think that it is two songs so far, but there are a few more in the pipeline and it was all from that meeting where we sat up a few weeks. She walked in with her diary. She basically took the lead what she wanted to talk about and we sat down at the piano and wrote it in a old-school way, you know similar to the way we would write with Sam Smith for instance. It is the same way he likes to start from scratch, not too many instruments or production going on, just focus on the song first and then produce after. And that is how we did it.

Boris also asked if there had ever been any disagreements with what they were writing or about what the sound should be:

Of course, the main focus in an Angelina Jordan song should be Angelina. It should not be about the beat, it should not be about the cool sounds, it should be about the melody, the lyric and her vocal performance. And that’s the focus that we have started…

You know, it suits us well, because we have always been minimalists, you know.

Of course, we have had some big, over the top, pop productions too, but I think the essence of our sound has been to try to distil it into the central elements

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen was interviewed on Norwegian radio NRK Trøndelag on Nov. 10, 2020 by Odd Rune Wolden and Ellen Flå:

NRK: We can listen to a result of your collaboration with the Trondheimsoloists. We received this in our inbox from L.A. last friday. Here is Angelina Jordan: Million Miles.

(Playing Million Miles)…..

NRK:

Wow, I got some chills….

Yes it is beautiful. Angelina Jordan, who became known in 2014 in Norway Got Talent. At the time she was only 8 years old and afterwards she became an international artist. She gave us all goosebumps as an 8-year old. Now she is 14 and this sounds really nice.

What do you think Mikkel Eriksen?

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen:

Yes, I think it turned out really beautiful. She is a fantastic artist, vocalist and songwriter. We are going to hear a lot from her in the future, I believe! That’s for sure. NRK: And it is you in Stargate who have released this song for Angelina Jordan. and she is
Norwegian.

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen:

Yes, she is Norwegian, but also very diverse. Half Japanese,I think, yes, a good mix. NRK: And we can say this production is a bit from Trøndelag. Not only you are from Trondheim, but also we can also hear the strings form the Trondheimsoloists in an arrangement by Knut Anders Vestad. We called their boss to ask if he thinks you, Mikkel, did a good job on this one…

Steinar Larsen:

I think this is fantastically good. It sounds incredibly beautiful. People have to listen for themselves, but I think it is a natural part.
NRK: A satisfied Steinar Larsen. He sends you the following message: Steinar Larsen: I just want to say thank you for inviting us in on this one. It is very rewarding for us as an orchestra to be allowed to work with Mikkel and Stargate and their artists. It is very rewarding for us. And we want more! We are hoping to continue the collaboration.

NRK:

Do you have something more in the pipeline?

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen:

Very well possible we have some more waiting. It is nice to cooperate with Steinar and Knut Anders did a fantastic job with the arrangement for this song and this is a top-level orchestra in the world.

NRK:

How do you cooperate? You are over there while they are here? Do you exchange emails?

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen:

Well, first we talk together over the telephone or in a videoconference/facetime and then we just send files back and forth, discuss directions. And so it was Knut Anders Vestad who proposed an arrangement. Again some discussion back and forth and then they recorded it
in a studio in Trondheim.

NRK:

Stargate, Trondheimsolistene and Angelina Jordan. This song was released just before this weekend. What kind of reception did it get?

Mikkel Storleer Eriksen:

So far it has been a very, very good reception. I have seen a few reactionvideos on YouTube by people who have listened to the song, and it has been a very, very good response. They tend to be very touched by the song. I believe the timing at this moment, with everything which has happened. Many have maybe lost somebody and they might feel this song talks to them..