Updog is an artist with an interesting name and an equally interesting background: growing up in the Netherlands, in a Greek family, he attended an American School, and has now recently moved to Copenhagen! We spoke to him about his new track ‘Impress You’, what he has lined up next, and some of the places he’s enjoyed discovering in Copenhagen.

Tell us who you are and what is your sound

I’m updog, singer/songwriter, a bit of a guitar player, a bit of a joke slayer. I guess my music has been defined as Rock-tronic so far, at least from what everyone has heard. It will change a lot in the next few songs and projects.

What exciting projects have you got coming up?

Well, ‘impress you’ is part of my next EP ‘bouncy boy’, that will be dropping in the new year with a few singles off it to follow the next few months. And as I write this, I’m already wrapping up my next EP. 

Where did you grow up and what music influenced you?   Grew up in the Netherlands, in a Greek family, while attending an American School my whole life and recently moved to Copenhagen. Music influences range along a wide spectrum. A lot of the undertone of my writing is inspired by the 00’s punk/pop rock/emo scene, but also a lot of the hip/hop from that era, especially inspired by Outkast. Mix in a little bit of dubstep, future bass, trap and then sprinkle a little bit of traditional Greek Music and Baroque era classical music, you got some weird combination of sounds that makes updog. What cool places do you recommend to visit in your city (bars, restaurants, etc)?   I’m pretty new to Copenhagen, but I’ve enjoyed a little cafe called Kaf. They make some mean vegan pastries and cakes. I’m also quite obsessed with Halifax + Max Burgers. One of my favorite places to go to get inspired is definitely ‘Tivoli’, loving the old school theme park aesthetic, I always keep that place in mind when trying to tap in my inner ‘weirdo’.   We love recommendations – what have you been listening to, watching, or reading recently? I’ve actually been getting a lot into old-school Mob Movies and slow burning movies (as they call them). You know, the movies that have a lot of talking and take 2-3 hours to watch. Just recently watched Goodfellas and The Godfather, such great movies. I’ve also been listening to Outkast’s ’Stanktonia’ again. Has helped a lot with my writing on this next EP. I also listen to this Spotify playlist called ‘Hyggelig Jazz’ a lot, always sets the mood right while I’m cooking.   Finally, what was the last thing that made you swear out loud? I was just biking in the pouring rain with the wind blowing against me, as common as it gets here in Denmark. A lot of threats were made towards the wind’s family

Interview by Alex Minnis