Playing at the BIMM end of year concert on 7.12, Ritzy Park gave indieBerlin an exclusive interview.

Ritzy Park went from jamming at a party to playing live shows. With frontwoman Karolina B. Beyer, deep vocals and rock influences, Ritzy Park sounds like a blast from the past making its way to the future, grunge meets 70s Hippy.

We sat down with the singer and asked her a few questions. She and her band will be performing at the BIMM end of year concert this Thursday 7th December.

Indieberlin: How did you get together as a band?

Karolina: The beginning of our band started at a party, which funny enough was held at the place of Per Monstad, who would soon become the bass player of Ritzy Park. I and the drummer Ylva Brandtsegg met each other at this party for the first time and started talking. I told her I was a songwriter looking for a band, and she told me she was a drummer.

We liked the same kind of music, and a week after the party we arranged our first band practice. I had just moved to Berlin to study songwriting and didn’t know many people outside of my school, so I randomly asked Elias Graversten and Per Monstad to join the band simply because I knew they played keyboard and bass.

I had never heard them actually play and had hardly hung out with them in person, so I had no idea how this band practice would turn out. Chris Crabtree came along after a while as first guitarist. Musically, It really clicked and we’re all still in the band today one year later.

Indieberlin: Tell us a little bit about your musical background

Karolina: Well, I learned my first guitar chord when I was ten, wrote my first song when I was 12 and from there on it’s been a passion to this day. I joined my first serious band as a shy 17 year old, a rock/blues band. I am mostly influenced by rock, grunge, folk music, and alternative pop/rock.

I LOVE film music. I studied and joined in some musicals when I was 16, but that was not my thing, so instead, I changed school and started learning more about arrangement, leadership in bands, music production, music theory (BUUU), etc. And today, I’m studying Songwriting and have two projects: Ritzy Park and myself as a solo artist, Karolina B. Beyer.

Indieberlin: How does the songwriting process work for you / in your band?

Karolina: Either me or Elias, who are the songwriters of the band, come into
the rehearsal with a more or less finished song. Together in the band, we try out different arrangements regarding instrumentation, dynamics etc. Usually, we help each other and come with suggestions, but the original songwriter has the final say.

Indieberlin: What was your biggest stage fuck-up?

Karolina: In my last band, when I totally forgot the name of the drummer during a presentation and didn’t hide it very well: ”And on drums, uhhhmm……” Was quite a long, awkward moment.

Indieberlin: What was the nicest compliment you once got?

Karolina: I’ve gotten many heartwarming, nice compliments- but one that always makes me laugh when I think of it is ”you have really proportional ears”

Indieberlin: With whom would you never share the stage with?

Karolina: Donald Trump

Indieberlin: In ten years you look back to today and think…?

Karolina: Either ”Holy shit, that band Ritzy Park I had a while back did NOT end well” or ”Holy shit what a long, great journey I’ve had in Ritzy Park, and will continue having!”

Indieberlin: Tell us a secret about yourself.

Karolina: My plan for a while now has been to get really famous so I can get introduced to Bruce Springsteen’s son and marry him (he’s two years older than me, I did my research).

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