Theresa Andersson’s DIY Soul

Swedish-born, New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Theresa Andersson became an internet sensation a few years ago after she posted a video of her song “Na Na Na” to YouTube. Standing barefoot in her kitchen, surrounded by an array of instruments, Andersson plays each one, using a loop pedal to construct a breezy, effervescent pop song with a big sound.
Andersson may make it look effortless and fun, but being a one-woman band is no easy task. “It’s kind of like having a flight manual, and I check off everything in my head, like a little list,” Andersson tells Kurt Andersen. “Sometimes I have to start and stop the pedals at the same time, and that’s when the balancing act gets a little out of hand.”
The DIY sound that made her 2008 record Hummingbird Go!, sometimes leads to happy accidents. “Just the other night I was playing and somebody yelled out something in the beginning of one of my loops and it came back every time,” says Andersson. “Anything the audience does becomes part of the show.”
Theresa Andersson’s new album Street Parade will be released April 24.
(Originally aired: September 19, 2008)
  
Bonus Track: “What Comes Next” (ft. Peter Moren) from the new album Street Parade

Bonus Track: “Hi Lo” performed live in Studio 360

Video: Theresa Andersson in Studio 360