What is your name / stage name?
Axel Farden
Where are you from?
Jakarta, Indonesia
What are some of your biggest musical influences?
ZAYN, Chris Brown, The Weeknd
How would you describe your musical style and sound?
Contemporary R&B, Indie-pop
Can you walk us through your creative process?
Inside Axel Farden’s World: Where Songs Are Born
It usually starts late at night.
Everyone else is asleep, but my mind isn’t. That’s when the silence gets loud
— and I feel everything I’ve been trying to ignore. Regret. Longing. A flicker of
hope. Sometimes love. Sometimes the ghost of it.
That’s when I reach for my phone or my keyboard — not to create something
perfect, but just to feel something real. I hum a melody, let it loop, and I sit
with it. No pressure. No expectation. Just me and the feeling. If it still lingers
after a few minutes, I know it’s something I need to write about.
Most of my songs are pieces of me I couldn’t say out loud. Things I was too
scared to admit — even to myself. Writing is how I process what I’ve been
through. Singing is how I release it.
Sometimes, the words come fast, like they’ve been waiting for the right
moment. Other times, they show up slowly, one by one, like someone
knocking on my chest asking to be let in. But once they do, the melody and
the emotion start dancing together — and suddenly, I’m not just telling a story.
I’m living it again.
Recording is a whole different world. When I’m in the booth, I don’t just sing
notes — I relive memories. I remember the way she looked at me when she
said she didn’t feel the same. I remember the nights I felt invisible. I
remember the mornings I found peace in my own reflection again. I let all of
that bleed into the mic.
Because for me, music isn’t about sounding flawless — it’s about being
honest.
Every track I release is a timestamp of who I was in that moment. A song I
once made in pain might be something someone else finds comfort in. That’s
the beauty of it. We write for ourselves, but we end up healing others too.
And maybe that’s the whole point of what I do: turning my chaos into
connection. Letting people know they’re not alone in what they feel. Because
I’ve felt it too.
That’s how Axel Farden writes music. Not from the mind, but from the soul.
Can you tell us about your latest project/album/single and the inspiration behind it?
Axel Farden – Alive: A Story of Dying, Loving, and Coming Back to Life
Alive wasn’t just an album I wanted to make — it was something I had to
make.
For a while, I didn’t feel much of anything. I was going through the motions,
making music, living life, but inside, I felt numb. Disconnected. Like part of me
had died quietly without anyone noticing — not even me.
Then came love. Complicated, beautiful, painful love.
It cracked something open. Suddenly I was feeling everything all at once —
the joy, the fear, the ache of wanting someone who might not stay, the hope
that maybe they would. That flood of emotion was terrifying… but it was also
the first time in a long time I felt alive.
That’s where the album was born — from the collision of death and feeling. Of
being emotionally buried and then slowly rising from it. Every song on Alive is
a chapter of that journey: the denial, the heartbreak, the quiet hope, the
desperation, the letting go, and the rebirth.
I didn’t want to write songs that sounded polished or perfect. I wanted them to
sound human. You’ll hear the pain in my voice. You’ll hear the questions I
didn’t have answers to. You’ll hear moments where I sing like I’m clinging to
something I’m scared to lose.
Musically, Alive blends my R&B and soul roots with cinematic textures, glitchy
atmospheres, and raw melodies. It’s soft, it’s heavy, it’s vulnerable. It feels like
watching your life in slow motion and realizing how much beauty you missed
while you were trying to survive.
This isn’t just an album. It’s a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt broken and
kept going. To those who’ve been hurt but still choose to feel. To those who’ve
died inside but somehow, through love or pain or both, came back to life.
I called it Alive because that’s what I finally felt — not perfect, not healed, but
real. And that’s enough.
What message or themes do you try to convey through your music?
A Message to My Listeners
To anyone who’s ever felt too much, too deeply —
My music is for you.
It’s for the ones who’ve loved so hard it hurt. For those who’ve sat in silence
with their own thoughts, wondering if anyone else could possibly understand.
For the ones who’ve broken, healed, and broken again — but kept going
anyway.
I don’t make music to escape the pain. I make music to face it. To hold it. To
turn it into something that makes you feel less alone. Every lyric I write comes
from a real place — the heartbreak, the hope, the numbness, the longing to
feel alive again.
If my songs have ever made you cry, or comforted you at 2AM, or reminded
you that your feelings are valid — then we’ve already connected. And that
means more to me than words can say.
So thank you for listening. Thank you for feeling. And thank you for letting my
music be part of your story.
Stay soft. Stay real. Stay alive.
Can you speak to any collaborations or features you’ve worked on?
Axel Farden x Tru The Artist: Incapable
Some collaborations happen by chance. Others feel like fate. When Axel
Farden met Tru The Artist, it wasn’t about chasing a trend or ticking boxes —
it was about two artists who saw the world through the same lens: honest,
raw, and unapologetically emotional. Both Axel and Tru had built their sound
around vulnerability. Axel with his moody R&B textures and introspective
storytelling. Tru with his soulful delivery and poetic honesty. So when the idea
of working together came up, it wasn’t if — it was when. The studio became a
confessional. Long conversations about heartbreak, identity, loneliness, and
healing flowed into melodies and lyrics. They weren’t just making music —
they were building something real. Something that felt lived in.
How do you stay inspired and motivated as an artist?
How I Stay Inspired – by Axel Farden
Inspiration doesn’t always come in loud moments. For me, it often shows up
in silence — in late-night overthinking, in the quiet after a conversation that hit
too deep, or in the ache of something unfinished in my heart.
I stay inspired because I feel. Sometimes too much. But that’s where the
music lives — in the in-between spaces where words alone aren’t enough. I
write when I’m in love. I write when I’m in pain. I write when I don’t know how
to explain what I’m feeling to anyone else.
What keeps me going is knowing that somewhere out there, someone might
be listening to one of my songs at 2AM, feeling understood for the first time in
weeks. That’s the real motivation. Not the numbers. Not the charts. But the
connection.
I remind myself often: I don’t need to have it all figured out to write something
honest. I just need to show up — heart open, walls down. Some days, the
melodies come like magic. Other days, it’s a struggle. But both are part of the
process.
When I feel stuck, I go back to why I started — that kid in his bedroom writing
lyrics on a cracked phone, not for fame, but just to survive the heaviness
inside. That version of me still lives in every song I make.
And truthfully, my listeners — you — keep me inspired. Every message, every
“this song got me through something,” every person who tells me they cried,
healed, or just felt something because of my music… that’s fuel.
At the end of the day, music is how I stay alive. And as long as I’m breathing,
I’ll keep creating.
How do you use social media and online platforms to promote your music and engage with your fans?
I use Instagram and threads mostly to engage with my fans and fellow people,
I posted about teasers and projects, or behind the scenes. (@axelfarden)
How do you maintain authenticity and individuality in your music?
How I Stay Authentic – by Axel Farden
It’s easy to get lost in all the noise — in trends, algorithms, and the pressure
to sound like what’s working right now. But from the beginning, I made a
promise to myself: don’t fake it just to fit in.
I’ve always believed that the most powerful thing an artist can be is honest.
And for me, that means writing from the deepest parts of who I am — the
heartbreaks I don’t talk about, the insecurities I hide, the love I still carry for
people I had to let go. Those moments where I feel like I’m unraveling —
that’s where my real sound is born.
Staying authentic means saying no to the easy path. I don’t chase viral
formulas or copy what’s trending just to keep up. I’d rather write a song that
speaks to ten people’s hearts than one that gets a million plays but means
nothing.
My individuality comes from my story — from growing up in Jakarta, learning
to produce my own songs in my bedroom, writing lyrics in the middle of
emotional chaos. It comes from blending genres without worrying if it’s
“marketable.” It comes from staying close to why I started: to turn my
emotions into sound and make people feel less alone.
Sometimes that means releasing music that’s not “mainstream.” Sometimes it
means people don’t get it right away. But I’ve learned that the ones who do —
the ones who feel it in their bones — are the ones I make music for.
Authenticity isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s soft. Sometimes it’s broken. But
it’s real. And that’s all I ever want to be.
How do you balance your personal life with your music career?
How I Balance My Personal Life and Music – by Axel Farden
To be honest, balance is something I’m still learning.
Music isn’t just my job — it’s my therapy, my identity, my way of breathing
through everything I feel. So it’s hard to separate it from my personal life,
because they’re deeply connected. When I go through something painful, I
don’t run from it — I write it. When I fall in love, it becomes a melody. My life is
my music.
But I’ve learned the hard way that constantly pouring out can leave you empty.
There were moments I gave so much to the music that I started losing parts of
myself — friendships faded, family time became rare, and I forgot how to be
present without thinking about the next project or song.
Now, I try to set boundaries, even small ones. I take walks without
headphones. I leave my phone in the other room and just exist. I make time
for the people who remind me who I am outside of Axel Farden the artist —
just Axel, the son, the friend, the human.
The truth is, I don’t always get the balance right. But I try. I’ve realized that
taking care of my personal life actually fuels my art. When my heart is full —
with love, with stillness, with real connection — the music flows more
honestly.
At the end of the day, I don’t want to lose myself chasing the dream. I want to
bring my whole self into the dream — grounded, open, and real.
And that’s the balance I’m working on, every day.
Can you describe any milestones or turning points in your
career?
The Turning Point: When Axel Farden Chose to Feel Again
There was a moment — quiet, unglamorous, and far from the spotlight —
when everything changed for Axel Farden.
He was sitting alone in his room, surrounded by unfinished lyrics, old voice
memos, and the kind of silence that doesn’t feel peaceful. It was after a
heartbreak. After the kind of emotional spiral that makes you question why
you do what you do. Music, love, even life — it all felt distant. Numb.
For a while, Axel stopped writing. Not because he didn’t have anything to say,
but because everything he felt was too heavy to put into words. He was
drowning in emotion, but silence was easier. Until one night, he pressed
record. Not to make a hit. Not for anyone else. Just for himself.
That one raw, tear-soaked voice memo turned into the first line of a song that
would later become the heart of his album Alive. It was in that moment he
realized — pain was never the end. It was the beginning of truth.
That night became his turning point. Not just as an artist, but as a person. He
stopped hiding behind perfection. He stopped editing his feelings out of his
music. He let the chaos in. And for the first time in a long time, it felt honest.
From that point on, Axel didn’t write to impress — he wrote to connect. To
speak for the quiet hearts, the late-night overthinkers, the broken and the
healing. And people started to listen — really listen. Because they saw
themselves in his pain… and in his hope.
That moment of emotional surrender was more than just a milestone — it was
the moment Axel Farden stopped chasing a dream and started living it.
Can you speak to any personal experiences you’ve shared
through your music?
A Personal Experience – by Axel Farden
There was a time I thought I had to be okay all the time — for the people who
believed in me, for the ones who listened to my music, and for myself. But the
truth is, I wasn’t.
I remember one night in particular. I had just finished a performance, and on
the outside, it looked like everything was going great. Smiles, applause, lights.
But when I got back to my room, I sat on the floor and just broke down. No
cameras. No sound. Just me and the weight of everything I had been
carrying.
I felt like I was losing myself — not just in the music industry, but in the
expectations I had placed on myself. I kept thinking, “How can I sing about
healing if I haven’t even healed?”
That night, I didn’t try to write a perfect song. I just opened my voice memo
app and spoke — shaky, honest words about feeling numb, about love I let
slip away, about trying so hard to be strong when all I wanted was someone to
hold me. That voice note turned into a verse. That verse became a song. That
song became truth.
Since then, I’ve promised myself one thing: I’ll never create to impress — only
to express. Because someone out there might be feeling the exact same thing
and need to hear that they’re not alone.
My music is my diary. My therapy. My way of turning wounds into something
beautiful. And every time someone tells me, “Your song said what I couldn’t,”
— I remember why I started.
This journey isn’t always easy. But it’s real. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted to
give you.
Can you describe any long term goals or aspira for your music career?
Long-Term Vision – by Axel Farden
For those who feel too much, and carry it alone.
When I think about the future — about what I truly want from this journey —
it’s not just awards or numbers. It’s impact. It’s about being a voice in
someone’s silence, a companion in someone’s darkest hour. Because I know
what it’s like to carry pain quietly. I know how heavy it gets when no one sees
what you’re going through.
My long-term dream is to create more than just music — I want to create
space. A global safe space where people can feel seen, heard, and
understood through sound. Whether someone is struggling with heartbreak,
loneliness, depression, grief, or simply trying to survive another day… I want
my music to be a reminder: you’re not alone, and you never were.
I want my songs to be the kind you turn to at 2AM when the weight gets too
much — not because they fix everything, but because they sit with you in it. I
want to lessen that weight, even if it’s just by a few ounces. Even if it’s just
one lyric that makes someone feel understood in a language deeper than
words.
I dream of building platforms that go beyond streaming — emotional
communities, collaborations with mental health initiatives, live shows that feel
like healing spaces, and creative projects that give people the language to
express what they couldn’t say before.
I want my name to stand for something bigger than me. I want Axel Farden to
represent hope. Real hope. Not the shallow kind, but the kind born from pain
— the kind that says, “I’ve been there too, and I’m still here with you.”
In the long run, my goal is global — not for fame, but for connection. To reach
hearts in every language, in every country, because pain is universal… and so
is healing.
So if you’re reading this and carrying more than you can say — I see you. I’m
making music for you.
And one day, I hope this music finds its way into every corner of the world
where someone is hurting — not as a solution, but as a companion.
Because sometimes, that’s all we need.
What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
The message and the point of the music, lyric and feelings.
Who invited you to this link?
Steven Middleton
one crazy thing about you that not many people know..
I love playing video games and watch movies or tv series because sometimes
my music was inspired by the stories inside them.
