FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
in Modern Heroines, as she recently released new singles, Mood Swings and Start Walking. I am a fan of the Swedish singer-songwriter, and I have been following her career since her eponymous debut album of 2010. She is a wonderful talent who I think will be making music for many years to come. An inspiring and original Electropop/Pop artist, I am going to start with press and interviews around her most-recent studio album, 2018’s Sway. I will work up to her new single and a fascinating interview that Styrke was involved with. In 2018, Women in Pop spoke with an artist who has high-profile fans including Lorde:
“One of the biggest fans of the song is Lorde, who instantly added it to one of her Spotify playlists. “Oh my god, I didn’t believe that at first”, the 24-year-old exclaims. “I admire Lorde so much. She’s such a great songwriter, and it really made me happy.
I would love to just meet her, and I’d really love to pick her brain. I don’t understand how somebody so young can write those lyrics.”
As a teenager, Styrke was obsessed with Björk; these days though, she also loves Rihanna, Beyoncé and Britney Spears (her complex, throbbing version of ‘…Baby One More Time’ almost rivals the original). At the age of 16, Styrke was a finalist on Swedish Idol, and although talent shows usually don’t have a stellar track record of creating internationally successful artists, she says, “For me, it turned out great. I got my first deal and I’ve been working with my label and we really get along. But, that might not be the case for everyone. I feel like the reason my career has been successful, or at least one that I’m happy with, is because I write my own material and I love working. Everyone is different, but my main advice for people who want to make music is pretty simple: just make music!”
In the eight years since she released her self-titled debut, Styrke has witnessed some big shifts in the music industry, especially when it comes to equality for women. “Right now, I feel women make the most interesting pop music. I think the landscape is getting better for us, and I can definitely see a change from when I started to now, especially in terms of the kind of questions I get asked. I feel like I no longer have to explain in every interview that I write my own songs.”
While Styrke believes there’s a better equilibrium in the gender stakes, she says, “There’s always stuff to achieve. It’s not like we’re done. However, I do feel like my job is getting easier. For example, when I’m on tour, I don’t want to have all guys in the crew. I don’t want an all-girl crew, but I feel people perform better when it’s mixed. It used to be difficult for others to understand how important that was for me, but now it’s a very natural thing and people don’t think twice when I ask for it.”
Styrke will release her third album this year, although she admits she initially suffered from writer’s block after the success of her second album Kiddo, which Spin named as one of the top 25 pop albums of 2015. “It’s was tricky”, she says. “For me, the second album felt a lot like a debut album. You know when people say that everybody has at least one book in them; it’s a little bit the same with music. Everybody has a need to get something off their chest, and with that second record, I just had to scratch a little bit underneath the surface and it all came out and I wrote it really fast. This time though, I had to dig a lot deeper to find some friction. I had a fear that maybe I don’t have any creativity in me, that maybe the inspiration is gone. It was really scary, but then when I wrote ‘Say My Name’, something clicked. This is new and interesting, and it’s a place where I can start digging, and it’s been a really exciting journey for me”.
Prior to coming onto a review for Sway, there is another interview from 2018 that I want to bring in. WONDERLAND. talked with Tove Styrke about the visual side of her music, in addition to how Sway has been received:
“Who would you most like you collaborate with?
I think Rihanna would be the coolest. I feel like she’s a modern day Madonna, she can do no wrong. There’s so many interesting up and coming artists as well that I would love to collaborate with. I’ve really love Whack World, the audiovisual album that Tierra Whack did; I love that she’s doing her thing, and the visual side of the album is so cool.
Are visuals important to you as an artist?
For me, it’s important to keep this sort of vibrant, bold, very pop, but also interesting and unique visual language. But at the same time, it’s important that the core of the music needs to be real. The story needs to be real, and told in a way that feels genuine, that people can relate to.
Is it important to you that people connect with your lyrics?
Yeah, a big part of why I even do this is because I want to connect with people. I want to write it in a way that people can relate to it, and take that song, live with it, apply it to their own life, and recognise themselves in it. That’s where we connect and find common ground. For me, that’s such a comforting thing.
What’s the reception for Sway been like so far, have you had that kind of feedback?
I’m so grateful that people really seem to love these songs. Walking on stage and realising that people knew every word to every song brought me to tears the other night. And I’m not that person, I’m not emotional like that in public! It’s this complete understanding between me and them and it’s so amazing, it’s like I’ve found my people.
How do you want people to feel at your shows?
I want the show to be a space for people to celebrate. I want everybody to feel like their best self. It’s such a positive energy, not just for me, it’s a back and forth thing. My fans are the coolest people, they’re so smart and funny and they come to the shows with so much to give, and that makes it possible for me to give so much back to them.
How do you approach styling your outfits?
I love dressing up and I love doing my own makeup, that’s like my meditation before shows. With the clothes, I want to create a superhero version of myself, to feel like a larger than life version of me. For instance, I’m wearing an amazing cowboy hat that’s sparkly and pink, and it’s got my logo and name around the brim. I love it so much, it’s the corniest thing but my favourite thing and it makes me feel like I’m a cool anime figure.
PHOTO CREDIT: Emma Svensson
Looking forward, have you got any plans to release more music?
Yes, I’m releasing a new song on Friday! It’s called ‘Vibe’. To me it’s very much like an ending but a new beginning at the same time. It’s definitely in the same world as the other songs from Sway, but it’s got a little bit more heartbreak. And I’ve been wanting to do a guitar-heavy song for a long time, I’m so excited about it.
What’s it about?
The lyric is “I thought we had a vibe”. Like, you really thought that there was something, but things just didn’t work out. I feel like a lot of the songs on the album are about beginnings, before you know if it’s going to work out or not. It was interesting to take it a little bit further into the future of knowing someone, where it actually pans out.
Where would you like to see your career going?
I want this project to keep growing. I want to keep expanding, keep exploring, keep being curious and challenging myself. Over the past two or three years I feel like I’ve gained so much confidence, and that confidence gives you a lot of freedom. I really feel like I can do anything – I mean, everybody can do anything. It’s a very good place to be in”.
Just before coming up to date, it is worth getting an idea of how Sway was received. I think it is one of 2018’s best albums. It proved what a remarkable talent Tove Styrke is. This is what NME about to say about her third studio album:
“Tove Styrke has been at this for almost a decade. In 2009, aged 16, she competed on Swedish Idol (eventually placing third), putting out her debut single the following year. Since then there have been two albums of euphoric electropop; but if these first releases were an extended introduction to the star’s quirk-pop, ‘Sway’ is the one that’ll cement Styrke’s place as nouveau-pop royalty.
Crafted over the past 18 months, Styrke’s third album is a soundtrack to falling in love and navigating its complexities. From early crushes and drunken lust to romantic vulnerability, rejection and not knowing if it’s what you really want, ‘Sway’ encompasses it all. Fun and empathic, this is music to listen to with pals and bellow out of a car’s open window as much as it is music for a snotty, post-breakup cry.
PHOTO CREDIT: Arvida Byström
Each of the eight tracks is expertly crafted. From album opener ‘Sway’ – where bold, staccato vocals cut through neon-bright production – to the sweet whispers on stripped back ‘On the Low’ (which Styrke described as “the heart” of the album), and her intuitive cover of Lorde’s ‘Liability’, this release shows off Styrke’s full range, both as a vocalist and as a song-writer. Equally at home on a made-for-radio chorus (dancehall infused ‘Say My Name’) as on the vocoder manipulated vocals of ‘I Lied’, you’re left with no doubt that Styrke’s is an force to be reckoned with. And then there’s ‘Mistakes’, the glorious musical equivalent of getting butterflies in your stomach. Shimmering, percussive production is punctuated by Styrke’s robotic vocals boldly declaring its mischievous chorus: “You make me wanna make mistakes.” It’s pure pop perfection.
Clocking in at just 26 minutes, ‘Sway’ is a succinct but comprehensive statement from Styrke – one that demands attention and declares her as a musical tour-de-force. The release of this album comes in between a string of dates with industry darling Lorde and this month’s shows with pop behemoth Katy Perry. Although Styrke is supporting them now, ‘Sway’ proves it won’t be long until she’s standing shoulder to shoulder with them”.
Mood Swings announced a sort of comeback and new phase for Styrke. It is an amazing track that will provoke many to ask whether another album is coming. After that single, she released another in the form of Start Walking. It seems that an album is coming together. After the release of Mood Swings, The Line of Best Fit spoke with a stunning artist about what her future plans are:
“On comeback single “Mood Swings” the cult favourite delivers a frantic preview of her new project, which she describes as a “happy vomit” of influences from every corner of pop. The punchy verse begins with Styrke stuttering over a percussive synth beat, claiming “I got two sides, one I call Jekyll, one I call Hyde,” the new song offers a look into the pop star’s psyche once you dig under the surface.
Over the years, Styrke has risen through the ranks to be one of pop’s most trusted and consistent artists. Based in Stockholm, and raised in the northern city of Umeå, Styrke gained attention originally thanks to Swedish Idol. Competing in the 2009 season she placed third having performed covers of everything from Kylie to U2 through to Katy Perry. The next year she shared her self-titled debut album which boasted collaboration with Sweden’s top songwriters including Lykke Li, Noonie Bao and Patrick Berger.
Since the release of Sway in 2018, collaborations with RITUAL and Lost Kings have tied fans over, as did a return to Swedish reality TV late last year when Styrke made her debut on Så mycket bättre. The show’s title translates as So much better and sees artists reimagine their co-stars’ songs. Eurovision stars Loreen and Benjamin Ingrosso were part of the line-up when Styrke appeared, previous notable contestants include Kleerup, Icona Pop and Albin Lee Meldau.
Behind the scenes, Styrke didn’t stop either. She’s been working on her next project since the completion of Sway, and despite having scrapped almost an entire album’s worth of material, restrictions around movement due to the pandemic opened up new virtual doors for the Swedish star to collaborate. During her self-imposed lockdown, she taught herself how to play the guitar, to a level she feels comfortable stripping things back on an acoustic for solo performances.
BEST FIT: Welcome back. I can’t believe how long it’s been since we spoke and you had new music to share. The world has literally completely changed. How have you been?
Tove Styrke: It's been the weirdest. I feel like everything in my life has never been this extreme. Like ever before. Not even going through puberty was like this. And you think that's gonna be like the worst ever? You get a pandemic and fuck, shit got real. Like, oh my god, humanity… we could die.
Before the pandemic hit did you get a chance to take a break and relax before starting work again?
I actually started writing immediately and I was trying so many different things. Then Corona happened. And all of a sudden, there was this shift, none of it really felt relevant anymore. It's not that the new material has anything to do with the state of the world, but this shift of what felt important, made it feel completely irrelevant.
But, I’ve been working a lot on Zoom and that’s one of the things I’ve discovered that I love. It’s bliss and I know a lot of people hate it, but I love it. It’s so much more effective and because I'm the kind of person who is really introverted at first, but I could never make stuff on my own, I have to interact with people to feel like I exist.
Going to LA and hanging out for 12 hours [to make a song] takes so much energy for me and being able to do the same session, get the same outcome with the same people and like, make the same song is great. I can go and have a snack. And I can go and breathe in peace and come back with a restored battery. That’s so nice.
I have also been able to work with people who are not based in Stockholm because all of a sudden people are actually working on Zoom, if they're in London, LA or New York and that's so so great. Otherwise, you're working with people who are based in Stockholm and everybody's in the same pot, like just rolling around. It's just so nice to be able to be here and still live my normal life and have all these different, creative outlets.
So “Mood Swings” is the first taste we have of new music. How did this one come together?
This one was actually crazy. So I started working on all these new songs and then I got sent a really early demo of [“Mood Swings”]. And immediately, I loved it. I don't usually like taking on songs from other people, but I've actually done that more than just with this song. I guess you go through different creative phases.
I loved the vibe and could totally envision exactly what it was going to be when it's finished. So, I rewrote a bunch of stuff and chopped some stuff off and reproduced it and everything, so it’s been a very creative and fun process. With my last album, [and] a lot of my music my M.O. has been spending a ridiculous amount of time, sitting with a headache in the studio. And I just felt like that's not the most, that might not be the best way to spend my time. I feel like it’s better to try a bunch of ideas and change things.
Maybe I love it or hate it, but now, I can say let’s write a country song and try that. I’m trying things out and I’m less scared of it being shit because I'd rather just keep going. I feel so much more inspired and it's been a more productive way for me to work.
You mentioned Sway having this really distinctive, cohesive sound, and it feels like that minimalistic approach to pop was everywhere after you put the record out. Do you feel like it had a big impact on the pop world?
It was so crazy. I can't tell you how many times it happened, that people texted me like ‘yo, I'm in a session, and everybody brought your song’, because every time you're in a session everyone asks what you’re listening to and everybody brought [my] fucking song. People were obsessed with “Say My Name” and “Mistakes”. Shawn Mendes was texting me like ‘this song is amazing!’ He was talking about it for a year after it came out as well, he couldn’t let it go. I was like I don’t know what is happening, but it’s so cool.
I'm so happy that it was successful like that, and that people appreciated it because we spent so much time making it that perfect. I'm so glad that it was worth it. It doesn't really matter how big it got, or how many streams it got because that will always be like a medal for me. It’s something I really take pride in and I'm so proud to have that album in my discography. It's such a good album, and it will always be that.
Speaking of openness and fluidity, over the last year or so you took a big step and started to embrace your queer identity, at least publicly, for the first time. That’s definitely breaking down a barrier, does it feel good to be able to share this with fans?
I've always been completely honest. with who I am. It's just now I'm in a relationship with a woman and I think it's very cool that you don't have to come out, and like I said I hate being put in boxes, I have such a difficult time with labels for me. I understand that they've been so helpful for people, especially in the past, and it's important to have names for things to be able to talk about them. I really respect that. I think it's really amazing that I can come out on my social media and be like, ‘hey, this is my girlfriend’ and everybody's like, ‘oh my god, that's the most awesome thing ever’ and in a way, I feel like they’re just like relating to me more if they are queer and I think that's really cool.
I was on this panel, a while ago, where we were [discussing] LGBTQ+ experiences in the music industry. I was mainly like listening because this side of things, being openly queer, is new to me. It was really interesting to hear, some of the age differences were so big, some people have been out since the ‘70s. I was really taken by that, like, so many have fought for people like me to just be here now and be like, yeah, I don’t like discussing labels can’t we all just love people. I’m so, so grateful for that. So many people have put in that work for me to be able to be as free as I can.
I know things are still up in the air, but you must be planning what the live shows will be like in this era. Can we expect anything soon?
I'm playing something, but I can't tell you what it is yet. You know what I really wanna do? Like one-hit-wonders used to go, you go to a festival and perform your one hit like three times in a row. I wanna do that with “Mood Swings” so bad. Go with my full band and have amazing clothes, in character as the grey one, plain Jane, and do this huge intro that promises so much and then do the single. Then you go again, and people think you’re crazy, and then you do it one more time.
But drums are gonna happen. I used to hate drums because they're so hard to control, the sound of, in a space, they can take over. You know, me having been such a control freak, I didn't like that. But I've been loving them more and more. So that's gonna happen. And also like, I don't know, I just feel these songs since they're so different. There are so many different vibes. I think the shows are gonna be incredible. it's gonna be so much fun to play them”.
I reckon we will see a new album from Tove Styrke in 2022. She is an artist that I love, and feel is among the best around. Someone who has a long and busy future ahead, it is interesting listening to her albums and seeing how the music has evolved. I am ending with a playlist that collects some of the best songs from the amazing Swedish-born artist. It only takes a few songs to realise what an amazing talent…
TOVE Styrke is.