Eik says Estonian lyrics may lead listeners to poetry

Estonian musician and poet Eik believes relatable lyrics in Estonian can encourage people to read poetry, ERR reported. He has released seven full-length albums but only recently published his first poetry collection, “Mis edasi, see alles selgineb” (“What comes next will only become clear”).

The book includes songs written over the past decade as well as previously unpublished poems. Eik said putting the texts between book covers had finally allowed him to let them go.

“At last, these texts have really made it between covers,” Eik told Sirp. “I can now say that a summary of the past nine years of artistic maturation is complete and move peacefully on to a new chapter.”

Eik said his relationship with reading had changed in recent years. In one song, “Mini Cooper,” he refers to having failed to read “Arc de Triomphe” and “The Mandalas.” He said he had read both works over the past three years.

He added that the rebellious carelessness expressed in “Ma kastan lilli” (“I water flowers”) and “Mini Cooper” had since been replaced by a feeling that there was actually a great deal worth losing. “Every day I am learning to love the world and myself a little more,” he said.

Although he still believes he reads considerably fewer books than the average Estonian, Eik said literature had played a role in his journey towards self-love. During the spring and early summer, he read Kairi Loog’s novel “Tantsi tolm põrandast,” Riste Sofie Käär’s poetry collection “APS!” and Danish classic Tove Ditlevsen’s “Copenhagen Trilogy.”

He said he read slowly and with pleasure whenever he found a free moment between travelling around and organising events. The books had helped define how he would remember a difficult period in his life, he said, adding that books and music had kept him afloat.

Eik said the fragility of life could create panic that there was not enough time to experience all the legendary albums, books and films. At the same time, his school years had left him with the anxious feeling that every book was an obligation to be completed on time, while reading with an imagined literature teacher’s questions and the “correct” interpretation in mind.

“Now I take everything a little more lightly and dare to read for my own pleasure,” he said. “But I have not become a complete book person.”

Eik said fans had mainly been pleased that their favourite texts had finally appeared on paper. He believes his Estonian lyrics can help direct listeners towards poetry because they offer opportunities for identification.

“At least that is how it happened for me,” he said. Eik added that he had gained the impression that a large share of his listeners were also poetry lovers.