One of my favourite Scandinavian talents of the year, Dear Sara returns today with the beautiful ‘Stupid Things’, finely balancing elements of electronic pop with an essence of melancholy.
The song contemplates Dear Sara’s idea of love, while also opening up about her innermost thoughts, wishes and dreams.
“I hope that the listener can relate to the song no matter if they’re newly in love, just got dumped, single, married or just completely heartbroken.”
Another week, another hugely promising talent from Sweden! This time it’s the turn of Rallie, who’s debut song ‘Too Good’ delivers a refreshing twist on pop music.
Minimal yet eccentric, the production feels sultry and devilishly sexy, while the seductive lyrics look at all the exciting ways of connecting when two people meet.
Following on from his sensational appearance at Swedish Melodifestivalen (the country’s most watched music series), Patrick Jean returns today with a shimmering and captivating slice of synth-pop; taking you on an intergalactic journey of emotions.
“‘Gravitate’ is a tribute to that person you will always orbit around. With this song I went very conceptual and I let my mind run free with metaphors to describe that love you can’t stay away from.”
AWA is here to serve us tones of soul, brass and pop on ’24/7′. This is a bold and confident sound that creates impact in an effortlessly cool type of way.
Love Truls is the brainchild of 18 year old Swedish creative Truls Söderman Carlberg. Listening to new single ‘Tell Her’ gives you a glimpse at just how phenomenally talented this artist is.
A true Gen Z songwriter with an innate ability to absorb, filter, and distill various musical expressions, Love Truls also vividly depicts the experiences of a 21st century teenager.
“‘Tell Her’ started with just a nativistic guitar line and vocals; it has transformed and grown ever since it was written in 2018. It definitely has some classical music influences, and I wanted it to be powerful, which Röda Paradise really helped with, being able to take in real strings and shit. Shoutout Röda Paradise!”
Taken from the debut EP ‘Kantande Wanai’ which is out now via This Is Scandinavia.
Not only a talented singer and performer, Violet Days also has an enviable reputation within the songwriting world through her collaborations with the likes of The Chainsmokers, Shaun Frank, Cash Cash and more.
Today she returns today with the beautifully anthemic ‘Shut The World Up’, song that feels both melancholy yet rousing, and a prime example of Scandinavian pop at it’s best.
“This song was definitely born under the influence of anxiety. It’s been a frustrating year for all of us, It’s been scary and Ive felt pretty clueless overall. This song is basically my journal of this past year, struggling a bit with myself and some relationships. Sometimes you wish you could just push the OFF button on all the thoughts you cook up in your mind.. Listening to music has helped me a lot with this and I hope this song can be somewhat helpful for anyone out there that needs to feel like there’s more of us out here losing our minds.”
An infectiously vibrant blast of nostalgia from LA-based Swedish American artist Freddy Hale.
An already versatile talent with years of experience fronting rock bands like Kerbera and Rosie the Rage, he is now delving into the pop world as a solo artist.
‘Past Life’ peeks through a looking glass into old memories – both good and bad, while bathing in a synth-scape setting of tomorrow.
Taken from the upcoming debut album, which is planned for release later this year.
Kone Mara are a Swedish outfit consisting of three creative souls with three different creative backgrounds who, by chance, found each other both musically and artistically.
The resulting sound is a luxuriously dreamy and rich fusion of psychedelic indie and pop. ‘The Ordinary Place’ is a transcendental type of song, giving it a sense of timelessness that feels ethereal yet also humbling.
“We met at a breakfast table, and in the early morning hours, a friendship arose. We shared secrets and wrote music inspired by our stories. Coffee, poems, dreams and wishes.”
Swedish artist Joel Malka returns with a finessed yet intimate release today. ‘Monte Carlo’ fuses ambient tones of pop with RnB to create a sound that feels dreamy and mysterious, all the while carrying a beat that keeps you hooked until the very end.
”It’s about looking for fun distractions. To me, ‘Monte Carlo’ just represented this state of mind where you can get a break from all your worries for a while. I’ve definitely felt that I could use a break like that, especially in these times, so I hope this song can take the listeners there with me. Like just three minutes without a care in the world.”
Track of the week. To put it simply, Agnes is one of Swedish pop’s all time icons. Since her debut back in 2005, this phenomenal artist has been releasing hits that have not only become a part her country’s music history, but also achieving worldwide attention.
Now she’s back with a banger of a track that flirts with the classic disco concept, all the while injecting a heady dose of the future into it. It’s an exhilarating song that has been on loop all day.
Swedish outfit ViVii have long been a blog favourite for years now, thanks to their trademark indie style captivating listeners across the world.
Now they’re back with a new take on their sound, and it’s a flawless slice of uptempo hazy dream-pop that is perfect for the summer weeks ahead.
“We had enough mid-tempo songs and were eager to do something more danceable. What does it take to make a simple dancing song? We thought two chords at first but then we indulged in a third chord and suddenly it became complete! A tribute to our Swedish music heroes ABBA who we mixed with a little Fleetwood.”
Taken from the new album ‘Mondays’ which is out now.
Starting the weekend off with a belter of a pop song from Stockholm-based artist, producer and creator SOMA. ‘In The Night’ exudes good vibes, sleek beats and one hell of a catchy melody.
“This is a song I’ve had with me for the past 3 years. It has seen many phases, several different productional styles and finally found its form on the cusp of the pandemic that we’ve all come to know so well. In March 2020, I made the decision to put the release on hold. At a time when the world was, and still is, struggling to cope with deep shock, friends and family members losing their jobs, and some their health and lives, a song that so brutally celebrated the body felt like a sin.“
“Today, the same song that started out as a catchy tune with no remarkable depth, is nothing short of a tribute to our magnificent human bodies. Big or small, confined or free to move, in pain or in bliss, our human bodies are the containers and the pure expressions of life-stories. From our nearly unbearable intergenerational trauma to our secret one-night-stands.”
Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Make Me Human’ which is due on 27th August 2021.
The weekend has just gotten a little better after listening to SHY Martin’s new single ‘Feelings’.
A low-key pop banger, this track softly builds up before the chorus hits mild shots of euphoria into your blood stream.
“I was going through some major changes when we wrote ‘Feelings’ and felt extremely lost and exhausted. I wasn’t sure I wanted to release more music, so I stopped writing for myself for a while, but after writing this song I found myself listening to the demo every time I was working out or on my way to the studio. The lyrics were pretty much about what I was going through and had been feeling for a long time. It’s about the moment you realise you’re a few words from breaking something that means a lot to you because you’re caught up in feelings”
With a uniquely distinctive vocal tone and an ability to create infectiously catchy pop melodies, INA IVY is a new force to be reckoned with.
”This song is about when people are trying to make you feel beneath them in everyday life but where they can’t get to you because you know your own worth. For example, a clerk in an upscale boutique maybe treats you like a bum, assuming you’re only browsing since everything according to them is way too pricey for your looks not knowing that you are the pricey piece in the store.”
I first featured Swedish artist Ulrik Munther back in 2011, when the then-teenager was just starting out on what has ultimately became quite the career.
Having achieved viral fame with his cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ and competing at Melodifestivalen, Munther released three albums that all charted top-five in his native homeland.
Now he’s back with the beautifully sincere ‘Stay Awake’, a subtle fusion of indie and pop that feels deeply emotive and endearing.
“What I want to say most with this music is probably, be yourself and be honest. To think about things a little more.”
Taken from the album ‘Put Your Self Out There’ which is out now.
Sweden really is delivering some outstanding pop artists so far this year, with Hugo Andersson being another fantastic talent to emerge from the Nordic nation. A power-pop anthem with an infectiously catchy chorus, ‘Easier’ is all about that terrible feeling that comes to you after a breakup; when the person you’re used to talking to about everything isn’t that person anymore.
“I received a DM on Instagram from the songwriter and producer Isac Halldin after my debut release ‘Eleven’. Isac invited me and my companion, Rasmus Gustafsson, to come to his studio to write with him. Weeks after that we all met up and wrote ‘Easier’ that day, and after just one day it felt like we’ve known each other for years.”
It’s already been a busy year for Stockholm talent Julia Alfrida, having just recently competed at this year’s Melodifestivalen (Sweden’s biggest music competition) with the equally impressive song ‘Rich‘.
‘GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS’ is a Scandinavian pop banger in every sense; this is the kind of track that commands you to get up and dance your ass off!
Sublimely mesmerising and dreamy vibes from Swedish newcomer Noomi. This is the second single to drop from her upcoming debut EP ‘Life Aqua’, which is set for release on 21st May 2021. On the song, Noomi says:
“It’s an emotional tug-of-war between letting in or pushing away, between wanting to but not daring to, of that very first time you really let down your guard for someone and you share those amazingly intense, but somewhat claustrophobic first 24 hours like inside a cocoon breathing the same air in and out until you’re all intertwined. In true self sabotage manner you open windows for your fires just to see how long someone can still breathe inside there or if they’re getting choked by the fumes. It’s not me being scared about getting hurt, but rather that I will be the one who hurts, which always has and still continues to worry me a lot.”
