Raimond Nurmilampi is better known these days as pop singer/songwriter Rain on Monday. The Kiruna/Uppsala, Sweden-based musician has only recently just released his debut single Kill My Love and recently had a chat with AMNplify about it and so much more – check it out below!

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

A memory that always comes back to me is when I was young. My sister and I were watching a concert on MTV with U2 from their ZOO TV tour they did in Sydney 1993. I remember how I thought they were so cool and that’s when my music dreams really came to me. It was also then I picked up my dad’s old acoustic guitar and started to learn how to play.

Can you describe your sound in one sentence?

A friend of mine once said that my music calmed down a stressed dog that she took care of.

Who are your main musical influences?

Other artists that inspire me are for example Ryan Adams, Feist, Kurt Vile and of course U2 (my all time favourite band).

What is the inspiration behind Kill My Love?

Kill My Love is a simple song about unanswered love and when you ask the person you can’t stop think about to give the death blow for your emotions. The song is build around the song title and the chorus melody which were the first things I wrote when I was strumming on my guitar.

What inspires your song writing more broadly?

I get inspired by emotions that come to me and life in general. Music has always been a good therapy for me and it’s a world I can disappear and dream myself away into.

What makes you different to similar sounding artists?

I would say that my voice makes me kind of different. I don’t think I was born with the perfect singing voice but with a lot of hours playing guitar and singing for myself, I’ve finally learned to like my voice and way of singing.

What would you be doing if you weren’t involved in music?

Probably aim more for a sports career as a soccer player. I’m glad I played a lot of soccer and music when I grew up, it was fun to have two different kind of interests and in the end music is what I’ve chosen to dedicate myself to.

What has been your most memorable career highlight to date?

With Rain on Monday everything is still fresh and new so I’m excited to see how things will develop. Over the years I have been lucky enough to do some fun stuff with my old bands. Last summer, I went on a mini tour in New York and I’ve also done a small part in a Swedish movie. In addition to that I’ve also played at lots of music festivals here in Sweden.

What is something you would like to achieve career-wise that you haven’t done yet?

Well, the dream still lives – to be able to live as a fulltime songwriter and musician has always been there. As long I get something out of the songs I write and people are enjoying my music, I’m open to see where it takes me.

If you could play any venue in the world, where would it be and why?

My dream venue is going back to my hometown Kiruna in the north of Sweden and play live on a  outdoor scene in the midnight summer sun in front my family and friends. I’ve played many times in Kiruna before, but never as a solo artist and that is something I’d really like to do and always have imagined myself doing.