Hello everyone, it’s your host Tehillah from DULAXI, and today I’m delighted to be joined by Norwegian songwriter Hans Petter Stormoen, the creative force behind PLAYKNOW, to discuss the project’s latest single, “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” Released on 7 August 2026, the song brings together Adult Contemporary, Synth-Pop, New Wave and Retro-Pop influences, with renowned Norwegian vocalist Kim Rysstad delivering the featured vocal performance. Created in Hamar, Norway, PLAYKNOW continues to explore a broad musical landscape where different artists and musicians contribute their own character to each release.
Before we begin our conversation with Hans Petter Stormoen, here’s what you need to know about today’s featured project.
About PLAYKNOW
PLAYKNOW is a Norwegian music project created by songwriter Hans Petter Stormoen, built around a simple but important creative principle: the song comes first. Rather than restricting each release to one particular genre or formula, Stormoen allows the needs of each composition to determine its musical direction. The project’s identity is rooted in Nu-Disco, while also reaching into Adult Contemporary, Synth-Pop, New Wave, Retro-Pop, Funk, Soul and related styles. This openness allows different musicians and vocalists to become part of the PLAYKNOW sound from one release to another, giving each song its own character.
That approach is particularly clear on “Is It So Hard To Be Good?”, a single that began not as a conventional songwriting exercise but through an entirely different form of writing. In autumn 2025, Stormoen was developing a fictional opinion article about a society in which outrage, division and putting others down appeared to receive more public attention than understanding, respect and humanity. During that process, one question continued to return: “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” Eventually, the question became more compelling than the article itself, providing the foundation for a song about kindness, responsibility and the way people treat one another.
The resulting track does not attempt to provide a simple answer to its central question. Instead, it considers human behaviour through observations about public figures, leadership and empty promises before shifting attention toward the ordinary people who build, repair, care for others, raise children and look after the elderly. That movement gives the song a wider human perspective, placing everyday responsibility alongside the louder forms of power that often dominate public attention.
Musically, PLAYKNOW places these ideas within a polished contemporary setting that combines melodic elements of Adult Contemporary, Synth-Pop, New Wave and Retro-Pop. The production brings together electronic textures and synthesizers with the contributions of professional Norwegian musicians, including Frode Berntzen on guitar and mixing, Håkon Brynjulvsrud on bass, Børre Flyen on drums, Jakob Lund Paulsen on keyboards and synthesizer, and Morten Lund on mastering. Berntzen is also a regular creative collaborator within the PLAYKNOW world, helping bring together the project’s electronic and live musical elements.
At the centre of “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” is the distinctive voice of Kim Rysstad. Stormoen had Rysstad’s vocal character in mind from the beginning, hearing the song through a voice capable of bringing warmth, authenticity and emotional depth to its message. Rather than functioning as a conventional guest appearance added after the fact, Rysstad became an essential part of the song’s conception. His organic and personal vocal character sits against the polished production, creating a meeting point between contemporary electronic-influenced pop and a more human, expressive vocal presence.
Having this brief introduction to today’s featured project, I’m sure both new listeners and longtime fans are excited to hear directly from Hans Petter Stormoen. So, without further ado, let’s begin today’s interview.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Tehillah:
PLAYKNOW is the creative project of songwriter Hans Petter Stormoen, but your work brings together a much wider community of musicians and artists from release to release. What personal values or ideas have remained at the center of PLAYKNOW since you began the project, even as the sound and collaborators continue to change?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
The lyrics always come first. That is where it starts for me. From there, the melody, production, and choice of musicians or vocalist can change quite a lot from one song to the next.
Tehillah:
Your music draws from Nu-Disco while moving through Adult Contemporary, Synth-Pop, New Wave, Retro-Pop, Funk, and Soul, with the idea that every release should serve the song rather than follow a fixed formula. What does that philosophy mean to you in practice when you are deciding what a particular song needs musically?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I rarely start by thinking about genre. I normally have the lyrics first, then melody and mood. After that, we find out where the song wants to go. Sometimes that means more synths, sometimes more live instruments. Usually a mix.
Tehillah:
“Is It So Hard To Be Good?” began before there was even a song, when you were developing a fictional opinion piece about a society where outrage, division, and putting others down seemed to receive more attention than understanding and humanity. What happened during that writing process that made the question “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” become the line you could not let go of?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
The question simply became more interesting than the opinion piece. It is almost a naive question but maybe that is also why it works. I kept coming back to it and at some point I realised it should probably be a song instead.
Tehillah:
The central question of the song sounds simple, but the lyrics gradually move from public figures who make promises and fail to listen toward ordinary people who build, care, raise children, and look after the elderly. Why was it important for you to shift the focus away from those seeking power and toward the people whose everyday work often goes unnoticed?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
Because most of life happens there. We spend a lot of time looking at people with power and very little time noticing the people who actually keep society going every day. I wanted that contrast in the lyrics.
Tehillah:
One of the most striking lines is, “I’ve seen true strength in a gentle word,” followed by the idea of power that heals instead of hurts. What experiences or observations shaped your understanding of gentleness as a form of strength, particularly in contrast with the louder forms of power the song challenges?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I have always thought that real strength can be very quiet. Listening, staying calm and treating people properly can be harder than being loud or dominant. That is really what that line is about.
Tehillah:
You wrote the song in the autumn of 2025, at a time when its themes of division, public attention, leadership, and responsibility clearly carried a strong emotional weight. How did you approach writing about those subjects without allowing the song to become simply a political statement, and what did you want the listener to be left thinking about instead?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I was quite conscious about not naming politicians, parties or specific events. I did not want to write a political song in that sense. For me it is more about behaviour, responsibility and how we treat each other. The question is more important than any answer I could give.
Tehillah:
Kim Rysstad was not added to the song after it was written as a conventional featured artist. You had his particular warmth, authenticity, and emotional depth in mind from the beginning. What was it about his voice that allowed you to hear this song differently, and how did knowing his vocal character influence the way you wrote or arranged it?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
Kim has a voice you believe in. It has warmth, character and something vulnerable in it as well. I could hear him in the song quite early. Once that happens, it naturally affects how you hear the melody and the arrangement too.
Tehillah:
Kim is known for moving naturally between Norwegian folk music and contemporary styles, yet here his voice sits inside a melodic Synth-Pop and Retro-Pop environment. What did that meeting of his traditional vocal character with the song’s modern production bring to the emotional identity of the record?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I like that he does not sound like the obvious choice for a synth-pop track. That is part of what makes it interesting. His voice gives the song something more organic and personal against the polished production.
Tehillah:
The production brings together Frode Berntzen on guitar and mixing, Håkon Brynjulvsrud on bass, Børre Flyen on drums, Jakob Lund Paulsen on keyboards and synthesizer, and Morten Lund on mastering. With such a strongly live-instrumented lineup behind an electronic-leaning sound, how did you balance authentic musicianship with the polished production you wanted the song to have?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
That mix is important to PLAYKNOW. We use synths and modern production but I also want real musicians in there. We are lucky to have a very strong group of professional musicians around Hamar. Frode is the one who brings all of that together in the production.
Tehillah:
The song moves musically between Adult Contemporary, Synth-Pop, New Wave, and Retro-Pop rather than settling into one narrowly defined genre. When you were developing the arrangement, what specific musical choices helped you make those influences feel like one coherent song instead of separate styles competing for space?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
We did not really sit down and decide to mix four genres. It happened much more naturally than that. The groove, synths, guitars, rhythm section and Kim’s voice all developed around the same song so it never felt like separate styles to us.
Tehillah:
There is an interesting contrast between the song’s polished, melodic character and the frustration expressed in lines about false promises, rising ratings, and leaders who disappear when the cameras turn away. How did you use melody, rhythm, and vocal delivery to make those heavier ideas feel engaging enough to stay with the listener rather than becoming overwhelming?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I did not want the music to sound angry just because parts of the lyrics came from frustration. I wanted it warm and melodic. That contrast is probably what allows the message to stay in the song without taking over the song.
Tehillah:
Writing a song around a universal moral question can be difficult because it risks becoming too broad, yet the lyrics contain very specific images of people building, fixing, caring, raising children, and tending to the elderly. How important was that level of everyday detail in making the song feel human rather than abstract?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
Very important. Otherwise it can quickly become too general and a bit preachy. I wanted ordinary people and ordinary life in there because that is where the question becomes real.
Tehillah:
PLAYKNOW has always been built around the belief that classic musical influences and authentic musicianship can coexist with contemporary production. What did working on this particular song teach you about preserving timeless songwriting while still making a record that sounds like it belongs in the present?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I am not sure it taught me something completely new but it confirmed something I already believe in. Good lyrics, melody and musicianship do not really belong to one decade. You can build a modern production around that without losing it.
Tehillah:
The song repeatedly returns to “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” almost like a question that refuses to disappear, while the final lines admit that people are still hoping for someone who is real. What do you think that repeated question means emotionally by the end of the song compared with the first time the listener hears it?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
At first it may sound almost rhetorical. By the end I hope it feels a bit less certain and a bit more personal. I do not think the song should answer it.
Tehillah:
The response to a song like this can extend beyond streaming numbers because its subject invites people to reflect on how they treat one another. What kind of reaction from a listener would tell you that “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” had accomplished what you wanted it to accomplish, even if that reaction happened quietly and privately?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
If someone likes the song first and then the question stays with them afterwards, that is enough for me. They do not have to agree with me. If the question still lingers when the song is over the song has done its job.
Tehillah:
This release brings together your songwriting, Frode Berntzen’s production, Kim Rysstad’s voice, and the work of several accomplished Norwegian musicians, while continuing PLAYKNOW’s wider exploration of genre and songcraft. As you look ahead, what kinds of ideas, voices, or musical directions are you hoping to bring into the PLAYKNOW world next, and how do you want the project to keep evolving without losing its belief that the song comes first?
Hans Petter Stormoen:
I want PLAYKNOW to stay open. We have several new songs in development and they do not all sound the same. The lyrics will still come first. From there, we will keep exploring the space around nu-disco, synthpop, new wave, and adult contemporary with different musicians and voices. First out will be Hold On To Now featuring a female vocalist.
“PLAYKNOW takes a question that could easily become a lecture and gives it room to remain a genuine question, allowing the warmth of the music and the humanity behind the writing to carry its meaning long after the final note.”
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
“Is It So Hard To Be Good?” works through an appealing tension between its polished contemporary sound and the seriousness of the question at its centre. The combination of synthesizers, live instrumentation and Kim Rysstad’s distinctive vocal presence gives the song a strong sense of character, while the writing keeps returning to ordinary human behaviour rather than offering a political answer. Speaking with Hans Petter Stormoen makes that creative choice even clearer: the song is designed to leave the listener with something to consider.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
CLOSING
Our conversation with Hans Petter Stormoen offers a thoughtful look at the ideas and creative decisions behind PLAYKNOW’s “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” From its unusual beginning as a fictional opinion piece to the finished recording shaped by songwriting, live musicianship, modern production and Kim Rysstad’s distinctive vocal performance, the project reflects a clear belief in allowing each song to find its own musical identity.
Thank you to Hans Petter Stormoen for taking the time to share the story behind PLAYKNOW and for giving us a closer look at the thinking, collaboration and creative values that shaped this release. “Is It So Hard To Be Good?” is a song that can be experienced simply as music while also leaving its central question open for personal reflection.
We encourage readers to spend some time with the release and decide what that question means to them. Whether it prompts a brief thought or stays with you beyond the final note, that space for reflection is part of what gives the song its character.
Thank you for spending time with DULAXI. This has been Tehillah, and we look forward to bringing you more conversations with artists, songwriters, musicians and creative voices from around the world.