Thorsteinn Einarsson

“We almost lost our minds in Iceland”

Visiting the "Krone": chart topper Thorsteinn Einarsson.

(Bild: klemens groh)

Ten years ago, his career began on "Die große Chance" and with the song "Leya". Now Thorsteinn Einarsson has not only returned to the ORF show as a jury member, but has also produced a sequel to his former chart success, "Hotel Heartache". He tells us why this has helped his mental health in the "Krone" talk...

"Krone": Your new single "Hotel Heartache" has just been released. What's it about?
Thorstein Einarsson: It's the second part of "Leya", my very first song, which I released ten years ago. That was on "Big Chance", where I'm now on the jury. There had to be a sequel. I wrote "Leya" for my older brother, who sadly passed away in December 2022. I thought that instead of just writing the song for him, "Leya" would live on in my fictional universe and conquer her demons. I didn't want the song to end as tragically as reality. It was also very good therapy for me. And I'm surprised how well it goes down with people because it's a harder subject.

Visiting the "Krone": chart topper Thorsteinn Einarsson.

(Bild: klemens groh)

Why do you think that is?
Probably because a lot is produced for platforms like TikTok these days and you can really feel that lately. That's why I think it's cool that people appreciate something like that, because it's very different. It's like a movie, it has western guitars. I'm really shocked that it's going down so well.

Speaking of "different". You were recently back in your native Iceland and immersed yourself in the darkness of winter there...
Yes, I was writing songs with my producer Hille (Lukas Hillebrand, note) and Alfie (Alfie Jackson, note). We rented a cabin together for a week... or ten days? Without daylight, everything becomes so blurred. We were there and almost lost our minds - and wrote cool songs.

Almost lost our minds because...
... it was so dark and it was a wooden hut. We were just in a wooden hut and only went out to do the shopping. We took a day for tourist attractions, but after an hour we wanted to move on again. It was an awesome experience, but the guys looked really exhausted afterwards. I thought to myself: they couldn't live there. But to be honest, neither did I anymore. As an Icelander, it also affected me more than I expected. So winter in Iceland is not always recommended. But genius and madness, as they say, are always close together - maybe flying to Iceland and making a bit of art is the right thing to do. But then back to Austria for mental health.

Thorsteinn Einarsson at a concert in 2022.

(Bild: Daniel Scharinger)

And the result?
You'll hear that soon. It will all be on an album and I'm curious to see how people react to it. There will be really different things - not just three-minute pop songs. Long guitar solos, modulated opera effects - things I've always done but never released before. I'm a big Queen fan and I also like listening to classical music and because I've already produced three pop albums, I thought: do something different! I hope people will accept that.

Speaking of "accept": you are now also on the jury of the ORF show "Die große Chance", which is where your career began. How does that feel?
It's a weird experience because it feels like I've only just got there - on the other side. The first time I saw myself sitting behind the button where I was on stage ten years ago. It's a full circle moment, so the circle is complete. At first you think to yourself that you don't deserve it, but then you look back on your musical life. Between the two moments was "Leya", "Kryptonite", three albums, lots of ups and downs and then you think to yourself: alright, maybe I did deserve it. Once I accepted that, I felt comfortable with it. And now I see it as maybe I've been able to help others with their careers. I've tried to be constructive, because nobody benefits from putting others down.

Einarsson sat on the jury of "Die große Chance" with Barbara Meier (center) and Missy May.

(Bild: ORF)

Do you see that as a responsibility?
You have to be careful, but you can't be shitty either, as stupid as that sounds now. I also have to have the courage to say: "I didn't think it was good enough." But there were some really great candidates, new and very talented people who followed. Really cool. I hope that I can sit in the studio with them one day or write a song for them.

New song, new album, live performances, jury member on a TV show - anything else?
Otherwise I spend a lot of time in the gym and go ice swimming in Lake Traunsee. I keep myself busy and that's important. I've had a difficult few years mentally and my best friend is being busy and having a routine. I really underestimated that as a young adult. You're 18, independent, nobody tells you that you have to get up or lie down now. That completely messes up your internal clock. Now I always get up early and go to bed early and I feel so much better. I'm slowly becoming an older gentleman... (laughs)

Thorsteinn Einarsson live dates

• June 29, 2024 - Moccamioi Open Air (Wimpassing)
• July 10, 2024 - Burgarena Finkenstein (Latschach)
• July 12 & 13, 2024 - Star Night at Lake Wörthersee
• July 26, 2024 - Seebühne Bürgeralpe (Mariazell)
• July 27, 2024 - Vienna City Hall
• August 14, 2024 - Roch den Lift (Rapottenstein)
• August 24, 2024 - Hoamat Open Air (Haibach)
• August 30, 2024 - Heinfels Castle (Heinfels)
• August 31, 2024 - Open Air (Salzburg)
• September 05, 2024 - Live in Klein-Neusiedl
• September 06, 2024 - Eichenwald Open Air (Horitschon)
• September 12, 2024 - Stadttheater Berndorf