Today we’d like to introduce you to Salme Dahlstrom

Salme, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

When in 2008 The Wall Street Journal dubbed me a “savvy singer” and “music licensing queen” after I managed to license every track from my debut album “The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade” to various corporations and television programs I had no idea what an impact that would have on my career, or the rest of my life. I was getting noticed – a lot. Suddenly ad agencies were calling asking for my services, licensing companies were handing out awards and I went from being a struggling indie artist to having a full time job making music.

“C’mon Y’All”, the catchiest song on my album climbed Billboard’s Dance Chart and eventually received prominent placements in major ad campaigns for CoverGirl, Suave, and Kellogg’s that ran on primetime network television for months.

In tandem with my recording career I write and produce material for ad agencies, music libraries and other outlets. Last year, through my production company Kontainer Music I started a program where I help other artists achieve success in music licensing both on the production and business side – and by extension in their music careers – sharing my knowledge on how to write, produce and record music that has broad appeal while staying true to their artistic selves. Since I do it all from writing to recording, mixing and producing I am in a unique position to help each individual artist learn the pieces of the puzzle that they are missing. It’s an exciting new venture and I am looking forward to seeing it grow.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Starting out the challenge was to get noticed, to get a foot in the door and get people in power positions to listen to my music and give me a chance.The internet didn’t exist so the grind consisted of knocking on doors, mailing out CDs, making follow up calls. I talked to a lot of receptionists…:-)
Once the flood gates opened I had more work than I could handle. Then the challenge became to consistenly deliver high quality music on time. A lot of times these projects would have very short deadlines, sometimes just a few hours. I have found myself slaving away in the studio at 3 am in the morning on many an occasion finishing up a track to send to the agents before the sun came up.
Another challenge these days is keeping the music exciting and fun. Producing music is my job but I try to approach each session with a childlike playfulness. I don’t always succeed but I always try. If my soul is happy usually it translates to the music I’m making.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

As an artist I make music under the name Salme Dahlstrom and Saint SX, a new album is in the works; if you like trashy electronic pop with swagger and attitude I’m your girl!

Through my production company Kontainer Music I produce tracks for music libraries, ad agencies, movies, tv shows and alike.
I also run a program helping other artists get started producing for music libraries. I’m always looking for new talent – If you are an songwriter/producer/singer interested in working for music libraries reach out to me at [email protected] for more info.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?

Making a living on music, hearing my song on the radio, getting fan mail, getting hugs from strangers whose lives were touched by my music, getting a call from Junior Vasquez wanting to collaborate, seeing my sticker on the bumper of a car passing by, having a large guitar collection…and a jar of m&ms with all the brown ones taken out…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.salmedahlstrom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintsx_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintsx.music/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/acidcowgirl/featured
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/salmed
• Other: https://www.kontainermusic.com

Image Credits

Joanna Breitstein