Michael Sele

What did it take in your case for you to develop so beautifully as a musician?

As a Swiss musician, you grow up with many influences from abroad due to the size, language and circumstances of the country. In my case, English-language music from England and America has always held a great fascination for me. It was therefore essential for me, on the long and difficult road to finding my own style and musical language, to set off again and again to discover my own strengths and idiosyncrasies abroad and from a distance, so to speak. For me, finding my own roots was one of the keys to achieving the greatest possible authenticity.

Are the conditions in Switzerland conducive or detrimental to musical development?

That's a difficult question and I would say "neither".
The fact is, however, that in our small country there is a pronounced focus on pop music produced for the mainstream. An enormous amount of money is invested in this area, which is a bit of a shame, as international competition is overwhelming in this area and there are hardly any opportunities for local artists. In contrast to this, artists and bands in various genres have repeatedly managed to celebrate considerable international success, even coming from the independent sector, who have made their way with relatively little financial means and hardly any support from the domestic music industry. But significantly less is invested in these careers. I have played over 250 concerts with my band in 25 countries in the last few years, but this is not even considered in the Swiss Music Award for the best live band, for example, because it is not pop music. The winners are bands that perform within a few kilometers of each other, as long as it's pop music. In the alternative or less commercial music scene, there is also a lack of sufficient local festivals or performance opportunities, but also a lack of music journalists and experts who deal with more challenging topics and have the appropriate background, a lack of special programs, radio or TV formats or even good networks.

Is it essential for musical self-realization to go abroad?

Absolutely, but you have to be aware that as a Swiss musician or band you won't get any advance praise abroad. I've even found that it's viewed rather critically, especially in Germany, and that it takes a lot of perseverance to assert yourself. You can still sense a lot of prejudices. Switzerland is not so much associated with good music, but unfortunately still mainly with wealth, money, chocolate and cheese. Also, the tradition of successful Swiss artists is simply not yet in people's heads. Bands from Scandinavia, for example, have a huge bonus here.