The Swedish music scene never stays still. Meet two of the faces currently changing the soundscape with their honest and compelling artistry.

Amanda Winberg/AMWIN
Amanda Winberg, aka AMWIN, is genuine and filled with energy. She contributes to the music scene with something fresh, new and powerful. This past summer, she did some live shows, something that has clearly got her buzzing: “I’ve been kind of on the low for a little while, as I’ve been focusing on developing my music and sound, so it was great to go out and meet the audience again!”

Winberg’s voice is clear and filled with poise: when she sings, you listen. She is daring in her lyrics and unapologetic about who she is – just take a listen to her debut single, Uber, or Living Mistake, released earlier this year. She describes the music as “a mix of all things I love – and sometimes don’t love. As I release more of it, it’s going to become even more clear who AMWIN is.”

Her artistry has grown over the years and is still evolving, taking on new shapes and expression. “I’m still growing as I’m getting to know myself and what I like even better,” she says. “I meet new people and learn new things every day, both in music and in life. It’s my goal to keep learning and growing, but I don’t think I’ll ever change.”

When it comes to fashion, Winberg reveals she is “obsessed” with FKA twigs – both her style and her artistic expression. Winberg also feels that need to express herself, to communicate and create. “To me, fashion is a tool for doing that. My style changes a lot, depending on the mood I’m in when I wake up. I’ve always been like that,” she admits. “I could show up at school as a punk girl one day, and in a preppy look the next. Fashion helps me connect and express all my different sides.”

Clearly, fashion and clothes work like an extension of her personality and mind, and she is a firm fan of Whyred’s edgy clothes. Their combination of being daring, stylish and wearable is something that suits her well. “I actually first fell in love with the brand for real a year ago, when I found this beautiful mint green suit with puff arms and oversized pants,” she says. “It’s the perfect oversized suit – I love to wear things oversize – with the perfect mix of cute and bold, two of my favourite things.”

It’s clear that the visual aspects of life are important to her: she is a visual person who sees by hearing. “I sometimes live more in my head than in the real world. So when I hear a song I immediately start thinking things like, ‘What does this song look like?’ To me, one of the most intriguing parts of working with music is making a song come alive,” she says. Of the process, she is a 100% involved, not just in the visual side of things – it goes for every part of her artistry. “I enjoy creating – it makes me calm and stimulated. I love seeing visions come alive, even though, like most creators, I always find at least a hundred things I want to improve.”

To challenge everything that is comfortable and neat is something that is important to her in order to evolve, even the seemingly small things. “It’s easy to set up rules for who you are and what you’re capable of, which are rarely true,” she says. “It’s important to challenge yourself with little things in your everyday life, or just change a routine you’ve gotten stuck in. I also think you just need to stop sometimes and take in your surroundings as well. I find myself sometimes stuck in my own mind, with my own thoughts, and when that happens I find the people around me to be a huge source of inspiration in a lot of different ways.”

Fortunately, there’s more to come from AMWIN soon – her new single is due to be out in October. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open.

Mapei
In 2013, Mapei made the world fall in love with her with Don’t Wait, her single that became an instant hit. Now she’s back to make us fall in love with her stunning voice and sound all over again.

She recently moved back to Sweden from Los Angeles, although she’s always seen the world as her home – “like a true global citizen”. But right now, Sweden is the place where she works best. “Plus it’s where most of my friends are,” she says. “It started with me doing one gig here two years ago and ended up with me staying. You never know where I will end up. As with most immigrants who come to Sweden and work hard, their dream is to build a house and go back to their motherland. My dream is to reside by the beach in Monrovia, Liberia, or somewhere, and open a small juice bar of some sort. I think I was built to chill and do art in some remote place, in order for me to come back to metropolitan areas and put my canvases on display, whether that be of art, music or theatre. Sweden is a place that uplifts artists without them having to live by a standard of not eating or sleeping.”

Living in cities all around the globe and the experience of meeting people going the distance with their thing has taught her a lot and influenced her sound and creativity. “Living in New York from the age of 18 taught me a lot about life. Watching artists on television from afar in Sweden left me in the dark about how the industry really works. It really is an industry, and when you conform to that, your art will be a product. I met artists doing their own thing, and that made me believe that I could, too. I think I brought a sense of independence to the table in Sweden. I’m definitely an explorer when it comes to music. A heavy bass never hurts, though. I grew up hearing music like Stevie V or Latin freestyle blasting out of cars, only to find myself in Stockholm, in a very melancholic setting, so I would say I am a mix of that.”

Being an artist has many sides to it – it offers the opportunity to express yourself but also demands a lot of hard work. And being a musician and artist is something that has changed over the years, Mapei feels. “Not only are you a artist nowadays, you are a model and an influencer, with the gab of a mayor,” she says, laughing. “Jokes aside, it takes balls to say you’re an artist and do what you love at the same time as keeping business afloat. It is such an abstract field that has existed for decades and there really is no blueprint.”

Mapei’s voice is powerful, timeless and warm, with that certain old-school glamour that is hard to pinpoint. It was when she noticed that she could hit the “Mariah Carey note” that she knew she could sing. “That’s when I was like, ‘Mom, I wanna be a star.’ Throughout the years I have learnt that being a star is not everything. It is the creativity that counts, and luckily I am gifted with writing songs, visual art, and so on. I am still learning, though… ”

Over the years, her sound has changed and gotten closer to her aesthetic. By creating pictures in her music of feelings and things she has gathered up seems to work as an outlet for her. “Music is like the love partner I cannot leave. It always calls on me, so I have accepted it’s love and I nourish it and make sure it reflects me,” she says.

Whyred has been a favourite of Mapei for some time now and, besides being in love with the name, she thinks their clothes and design always are on point. “Whyred is a legendary brand,” she says, although fashion is something that comes and goes in her life. “But there is no escaping the fact that everything is fashionable in or out of its context, which means anything can be fashionable. If we see a runway with naked people, nude will be the way to go. I hope… ” Mapei says, demonstrating her seemingly uncomplicated relationship with clothes.

Later this autumn, you’ll find Mapei on stage in both Copenhagen and Stockholm. While currently in the phase of working with new material, it’s hard for her to choose between the studio and being on stage. “The road is an external adventure and the studio is an internal one. I can’t choose between the two. I love sharing, so touring is the best way to do that.” He new single will be released soon, so get ready to welcome home one of Stockholm’s coolest voices.

Team credits:

Words by Amanda Båmstedt
Talents: Amanda Winberg, Mapei 
Photography by Dan Sjölund
Styling by Pejman Biroun Vand
Hair & Make-up by Lillis Hermansson
Special thanks to Whyred

Fashion credits: 

#1 Trouve Paisley Jacket  
#2 Francoise Jumpsuit, Showpiece Shoes 
#3 Showpiece Shirt and Shoes, Ruth Heavy Stone Jeans 
#4 Trouve Paisley Jacket, Babette Lux Trousers and Paul Shoes  
#5 Showpiece Jacket, Jeans and Shoes 
#6 Showpiece Dress
#7 Showpiece Jacket, Karolina Cherrie Shirt 
#8 Vincent Jacket, Showpiece T-shirt, Margaux Hat 
#9 Showpiece Jacket, Trousers and Shoes, Karolina Cherrie Shirt 
#10  Mills BD Paisley Shirt, Jeanne Trousers, Göthberg Shoes, Elroy Hat 

All looks by Whyred