Meet David Henriksson

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Henriksson. 

Hi David, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
“Born in ’88. Learned how to operate my dad’s vinyl player and started playing violin in ’94. Switched to acoustic guitar in ’97. Got my first electric in ’01. Heard Stevie Ray Vaughan for the first time and more or less decided to dedicate my life to guitar in ’02. I’ve loved music and been fascinated by numbers for as long as I can remember. I suspect you’re more interested in the music though, so I won’t specify every year certain stuff happened from now on. Well, I’ll try at least… 

After diggin’ deep into Stevie Ray’s music and blues-rock guitar for a couple of years, I studied at Sweden’s biggest music high school called Rytmus. This was a fantastic time to connect with like-minded people and to get some more formal training and a great foundation in music theory that I felt really helped my understanding of music. I played with an original band called The Events and in addition to both regional, national and international gigs we also released 2 full-length albums where I was part of writing all the songs, recording, producing, and mixing. 

Since playing original music won’t pay the bills quite as easily, I also started two cover bands called Pure Pleasure and Cassius Clay. Around the same time, I also studied a Bachelor’s Degree specially for ”Electric Guitar Teaching” at the Stockholm University College of Music Education. 

As I was halfway into my 20’s, I realized making a living playing guitar and having some of the finest gear I could imagine didn’t really cut it. I wanted MORE. I felt like music was my job and that my passion was slowly fading away, but I wouldn’t let it happen. Inspiration was what I needed, and I decided to go for a trip somewhere. I sold a bunch of gear, inherited some money from a distant relative, and was very grateful to receive the Hagström Award from The Royal Swedish Academy of Music. With a decent budget, I headed to United States of America for an 11 week-long trip, this was one of the most important decision I’ve ever made. It changed my life completely. 

After a road trip going through amazing cities such as New Orleans, Austin, Dallas, and Memphis I finally set my foot in Nashville and everything just felt RIGHT! I loved the music scene and I ended up getting great connections with industry professionals in just a matter of a few weeks. I decided I wanted to try to use all the connections I made in the states and the only way to be able to work legally is to get a work visa. It’s NOT an easy process though… 

I left my cover band after the summer of 2015 to widen my resume and at the same time, I got in touch with a lawyer to help me with the incredibly tricky visa process. Almost everything I did was with the final goal of moving to Nashville to continue my career over there. I grew new connections, backed up up’n’coming artists, started recording demo videos for different companies and more or less everything that came my way that I thought could help me reach my goal. It sure took longer than I thought it would, but after almost 2 years I finally got my visa approved and a couple of months later I relocated to Nashville. 

After 6 weeks in town, I got hired as a lead guitarist for 90’s country icon Tracy Lawrence. Within 4 months, I had made my debut at Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium, and in national TV. It was a crazy experience, but it was such a great feeling that all the hard work finally paid off. I’ve traveled with my guitar and played in 36 American states, with 12 Billboard-topping artists, and played guitar solos on catwalks in front of 30.000 people – I’m quite happy I learned how to handle that vinyl player and was drawn to guitar-based music when I was 6 years old. 

Identify your dream, make up a plan, work hard, be patient and I’m quite sure good stuff will come your way as well. Don’t give up!” 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Getting my first work visa took me almost two years, it’s a very bureaucratic, time-consuming, and expensive process. I reach out to a lawyer in August of 2015 and May of 2017 I got my visa approval, in July I made the move overseas. Then I had 2.5 amazing years in Nashville, it was quite a smooth road I must say! Then I applied for another visa, got the documentation approved but had to go home to Sweden to attend an interview at the American Embassy in Stockholm. I arrived home on February 19th, 2020, less than two weeks later the devastating tornado hit Nashville and another two weeks later the global pandemic was a fact. Since then, I’m in a limbo regarding getting a new visa and getting back to Nashville. Enjoying life in Sweden right now though, and it’s been good to be in my home country during the pandemic but of course, I miss Nashville a lot! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work? What sets you apart from others? What are you most proud of?
Since I was 20 years old, I’ve made my living through music. Mostly as a guitarist, playing concerts and teaching. I specialize in genres such as blues, country, and rock but consider myself a versatile enough musician to take on most challenges thrown at me. I’m proud for chasing my dream to work on another continent, in such a competitive city as Nashville, and making it come true. I tried to be the best version of myself and take every gig seriously and that certainly paid off. During my first year and a half in Nashville, I played onstage with 12 artists who’ve had #1 singles on the country Billboard chart, including 90’s legend Tracy Lawrence and today’s megastar Luke Combs. After achieving this I stepped down a few notches on the career ladder and started playing with my friend Kyle Daniel and tried to help him grow his career and brand as a country/southern rock artist. During all of this, I used guitar gear almost exclusively built or designed in Sweden, which really helped me stand out among all other guitarists in Nashville. I use gear from and have relationships with Sonnemo Guitars, Olsson Amps, Lundgren Guitar Pickups, Slickbag, One Control and also proudly endorses the world’s biggest string manufacturer D’Addario, however, they’re based in the US. 

I’m also proud to be a featured educator for TrueFire, a company dedicated to online guitar lessons. They have some of the world’s best and most well-known guitarists in their crew. In Sweden I studied a Bachelor’s Program specifically for electric guitar teaching, I feel like that helped to set me apart as an educator in the US where such programs don’t exist. 

I released my first solo EP entitled “Reminiscence” last fall; it was recorded in Nashville in the spring of 2019. And now when I’m back home in Sweden I’ve started my solo project called “David Henriksson & Daze Delight” – we’ve created a musical smoothie with ingredients from blues, rock, country, jazz, and Swedish traditional folk music. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
When chasing a dream, it will not happen overnight, but good things will come your way if you keep on fighting and staying focused. And it will be worth it. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/davidhenrikssonmusik
• Facebook: facebook.com/davidhenrikssonmusik
• Youtube: youtube.com/davidhenrikssonmusik
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/7ybLzi3tgYzvfTD3UNmqXN?si=ngHTboe9Q3KQM_zZJwWF4g

Image Credits:
Niklas Palmklint
Timothy Hiele
Sean Marshall
Closerimagesphotography