If Only I Was a Poet

Guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer, Staffan Carlén, is a Swedish musician who grew up in the city of Örebro, two hours west of Stockholm. 

As a force in the genre of indie pop rock, Staffan’s initial musical inspiration came from an unexpected source: hearing big Hollywood orchestral themes for films such as Star Wars and Superman. This led him to choose the French horn as first instrument, subsequently taking lessons for the next eight years.

With growing musical interest, Staffan began playing bass guitar in a band whilst in 8th grade, drawing influence from artists and groups such as The Beatles, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Nirvana and Rufus Wainwright.

In 2007, what started as a one week trip to Stockholm quickly turned into a three month period of crashing on his friend’s couch and writing music, and ultimately saw him make Sweden’s capital his permanent home. 

With Stockholm as a base, Staffan has developed a style that switches seamlessly between the happy rock of tracks such as “If Only I Was A Poet” and the more euphoric indie tones of songs like “A Little Deja Vu".