“I do think love is the greatest thing in life,” says Swedish pop phenomenon Zara Larsson, claiming that all she sings and writes about is love, adding the self-explanatory statement: “To me, the meaning of life is to feel love”. As Larsson, at the age of 22, has already had a career spanning more than a decade, one could say that this international sensation has spent half her life celebrating and revering what she finds most important. Seeing that she has the entire world of pop eagerly listening to every word she sings, and says,the message of love’s greatness has found an equally great medium. What the world needs now – if not always – is, undeniably, love.

Speaking of the world of pop, Zara has described herself as both a “prisoner of pop” and a firm believer in “the power of pop”. When asked about her personal definition of this wide but not so easily explained power, the conversation returns to the lovely message encompassing not only her musical effort but evidently also her whole life. “Pop music has always been a way for me
to step into a world that is entirely my own, ever since I was singing in front of the mirror in my childhood room,” Zara reminisces. “I love how pop music can be allowed to be simple, and accessible to anyone.” Considering the fact that she is of the opinion that love exceeds all else, her view on the visceral influence of pop music can easily be translated into a belief in that the significance of love is best preached to one, and all, simultaneously. The simplicity of pop carries within it the possibility of individual and collective change, and love is simply an excellent way to change the world in reverence of life. “Even though there aren’t any clear political statements in my music, I believe I can change lives just by making pop,” Zara says, with her voice enveloped in an invigorating hopefulness.

Apart from the lives she has probably changed, her own has definitely changed because of pop music. Starting her musical journey in the public eye at the age of ten, she has now become one of the foremost poster girls for gender equality in the pop world. Fittingly enough, her upcoming, third full-length studio album is entitled Poster Girl, expected to be released in early 2021. Asked once again for her personal definition, this time of the phrase chosen for the record’s title, Zara gives a straight answer, however open to interpretation: “The title track is really about weed, another love song so to speak, as I don’t want to be the poster girl for it, but I do love it. The album title itself refers to me wanting to be the poster girl for many things, while also being a private person my Instagram followers don’t actually know. There is a complexity to a person that cannot be printed onto a poster, but then again it’s not up to me whether I’m a poster girl or not.”

On the subject of Poster Girl, her first release since 2017 hit-filled album So Good (not counting the numerous successful singles put out over the past three years), Zara gives a reassuring description of the album’s musical direction: “If you like what I have released before,” she says with characteristic confidence, “you will also enjoy Poster Girl. I have given this album a lot of thought, and now I finally feel ready to release it. Poster Girl has highs and lows, just like life, and I have written it with people whom I really love.” Not only does Zara Larsson’s music itself forward the message of love, but the actual creation of her work leaves traces of it.

Getting back to the term “prisoner of pop”, Zara doesn’t see such an imprisonment as the limitation one might think it would mean. “I listen to all kinds of music, but I love to sing pop because it is such a versatile genre. It changes all of the time, which is fun for me, seeing as I usually collaborate with other artists and DJs – in that way I can do almost anything.” Saying that Zara has worked with some of the most popular performers of her time is almost an understatement, and keeping her bar high, she lists a few of her dream collaborators, rapidly and enthusiastically naming great names as if they were her next-door neighbours: “Ariana Grande would be fun. I would really like to work with Kehlani, and Snoh Aalegra, and maybe PARTYNEXTDOOR. I like testing the waters, making different types of pop music.” Obviously, she is as committed a fan of her beloved pop music as she is a purveyor of it.

Rightfully sporting high hopes, Zara has always thought of success as a final goal for her career, ever since those childhood times of singing in front of the mirror. “Before even understanding what it meant, I knew I wanted to be the best, the biggest,” she remembers. “That’s just my personality, I want to be number one. I’m very competitive, but as I get older I realise what is really important. Success to me is feeling pride and being happy about my music, which I do more and more through becoming more involved in it. ”Certainly, success has many faces, but it seems that Zara Larsson has found her own path to a very personal sense of what success means. and guided by love, success is always near.

zaralarssonofficial.com; @zaralarsson

Team credits:
Words by Filip Lindström
Photography by John Scarisbrick
Styling by Fernando Torres
Make-Up by Elvira Brandt
Hair by Catherine Lethonen
Fashion assistant: Katija Hirsch

Fashion credits:
#1 Jacket by Acne Studios, Earrings stylist’s own
#2 Zara Larsson wears Blouse by Saint Laurent @ Nordiska Kompaniet, Vintage Leather Vest
by Katharine Hamnett London, Shorts by Ganni, Shoes by Balenciaga @ Natalie Schuterman
#3 Zara Larsson wears Bodysuit by Calvin Klein, Sweater by Jacquemus @ Natalie Schuterman, Shoes by Christian Dior @ Natalie Schuterman
#4 Coat and Vest by Burberry @ Nordiska Kompaniet, Turtleneck by Weekday, Tights by Swedish Stockings, Earrings stylist’s own, Shoes by Malene Birger
#5 Zara Larsson wears Jacket and Pants by Matilda Åberg, Shoes by Acne Studios
#6 Top and Pants by Jade Cropper, Earrings by Jade Cropper @ The Forumist Shop,
Gloves by Humana

Pale Honey

Awakening listeners from their dull, everyday life with its raw and uncompromising sound, Pale Honey’s music starts out mild, but escalates quickly to a roar that’s impossible to ignore.

The duo behind it, Tuva Lodmark and Nelly Daltrey, tell us their fascination with music began when they got to know each other at school and started to play together. “A brand-new world opened up for us,” says Lodmark. “One that took us from mindlessly hammering an instrument or playing a bit carefully, to getting to know a new person and instantly creating songs together. That time is full of special memories – sneaking out of class to try out a distortion pedal together, or getting tangled up in guitar leads from jumping around with happiness at getting a great idea.”

Lodmark and Daltrey have been the critically acclaimed darlings of music journalists since the release of their eponymous debut album in 2015. It’s not hard to understand why, since their tunes change from smooth and slow to fascinating thunderstorms in the blink of an eye. Any artist’s second album is often described as the “difficult” one, and Lodmark and Daltrey explain that they have taken their time with theirs, which they’ve called Devotion, and dared to trust their gut feelings.

“We made a decision not to get stressed about the making of it, which has felt good,” says Daltrey. “Many of the songs on the debut album are ones we made as teenagers and made it to the album as we didn’t dare mess around with the material. We have done it the other way around this time and been careful. That has meant spending more time testing ideas and, at the same time, giving each other space to do other things.”

There’s a recurring theme in many of the tracks on Devotion, which is out on October 13. In many ways, it’s a personal album – it’s about love and being close to someone, the kind of love that makes the heart burst, as well as the opposite. The pair say the process has involved angst and self-doubt mixed with moments of feeling incredibly good.

“We have always done music for our own sake,” says Lodmark. “We are the ones who put the biggest pressure on ourselves and, in the end, we are the ones who want it to be something great that reflects what we stand for. This album has taken its time to grow into its final 10-track collection, and we are incredibly proud of ourselves. We have our favourites on it and we’re not concerned if it doesn’t appeal to listeners – we have spent our time and devotion doing something that we love.”

Pale Honey nail it when it comes to synchronising their style with their sound. Often seen in all black in photographs, as well as on stage, they describe it as “a work uniform that reeks of rock’n’roll”. The duo don’t have any specific style icons but say that they would go for a more Alex Turner kind of vibe than Lady Gaga. When it comes to favourite clothes, Daltrey mentions a wonderful oversized yellow Whyred T-shirt that she likes to thrown on: “It’s been a real favourite for a while.” Their guidelines when it comes to clothing seem to be the same as when it comes to their music – they trust their gut feeling. “We have a very minimalistic and comfortable style,” Daltrey continues, “and it’s important that it feels right and personal. Basic clothing is key, but the fit is what separates the gold grains from boring, plain clothes. We do also like dresses a lot, but they’re a bit hard to wear when you’re sitting in front of a drum kit.”

Side Effects

The psychedelic Stockholm quartet side effects started their rise to fame at a very young age, recording and releasing their first record, A Walk in the Space Between Us (2013), during their late teens. The band is made up of guitarist and vocalist Billy Cervin, drummer and vocalist Hugo Mårtensson, organist and vocalist Elias Jungqvist and bass player Joacim “Jorba” Nilsson. They started out together with a heavily retro-orientated look and musical style, as heard on that debut album. Without losing their personal sound, side effects have since taken a walk in the period between records, landing in a more synthesiser-friendly and arena-compatible realm with terrific singles such as Wanna Lose You and I’m Falling. The new EP, Feels Like Walking on Sunshine, will be released on October 20, and perhaps the changes will speak for themselves.

“Back then, only ’60s-inspired psychedelia really mattered,” says Cervin about the period the album was released. “The biggest difference between then and now is that we’re not afraid to experiment. There are few things more boring than artists and bands getting comfortable.” Clearly, psych music plays a less significant role in what the band does today. “Our energy and the way we play is difficult to ‘wash away’, even though we’ve found new synthesisers and sounds,” says Mårtensson. Needless to say, side effects are devoted to keeping the genuine feeling of their music, which a band of talented musicians that has played together since they were young shouldn’t have much trouble doing – and for this group in particular it seems easy to keep the spark alive. For now, they’re hoping for a more hectic future for the band, in which it won’t take long to create new albums.

All members play in other groups, too. For example, they play in The Indigo Children with The Soundtrack of Our Lives frontman, Ebbot Lundberg, of whom they have always been great fans. Right now, side effects are starring as the house band on Lundberg’s TV show, Ebbot’s Ark, where they sail the seas and play cover songs with Sweden’s brightest stars in every harbour. Looking like the cast from The Life Aquatic… in red hats and blue shirts, the band is a pleasant addition to the show’s set of a picturesque sailing boat.

Another project featuring some of side effects is The Hanged Man, who once performed a gig in a Whyred store. Jungqvist tells the tale: “Jorba and I played in the store, so we have seen it from a bird’s eye perspective. The payment was clothes, and when you’re wearing them you feel really cool.” Jorba agrees: “Sweden is so good at design, and Whyred in particular have always had great clothes. Tasteful, if you know what I mean.”

Having moved on from a rear-view-mirror approach, side effects dress a bit more contemporarily today. The question is, then, what really is contemporary fashion, and is there even anything contemporary outside what reflects the past? Cervin tells us about the style the group used to have. “There was something of an unwritten rule that we should all wear blue paisley shirts for gigs and photos. That ended quite quickly when we got signed and the label thought it was a good image – the teenage defiance kicked in and I don’t think anyone has worn a blue paisley shirt since.” Nilsson agrees that the band’s style of clothing is not as defined now as it once was: “But it’s easier to look back and frame a vibe that existed then. I don’t know, maybe we’ll be labelled in retrospect.”

With their dedication to not getting too comfortable in either their sound or their style, the future of side effects should be interesting to witness, no matter if they are looking backwards or straight ahead into the future.

Team Credits:
Words Pale Honey by Amanda Båmstedt & Side Effect by Filip Lindström
Photography by Dan Sjölund
Styling by Hilda Sandström
Hair and make-up by Lillis Hemmingsson
Special thanks to Whyred
Studio: Peas & Understanding Studio

Fashion Credits:
#1 Jannine jacket, Vanya T-shirt, coat, trousers and shoes catwalk pieces.
# 2 Mondie T-shirt, coat and trousers catwalk pieces.
#3 Vonya Horror T-shirt, jacket and trousers catwalk pieces.
#4 Jacket Art Piece, trousers catwalk pieces.
#5 Art Heavy Mouth jacket, Rita skirt, jacket and shirt, catwalk pieces.
#6 Art Yelloe T-shirt, Syd Black jeans, jacket Art Work piece.
#7 Murry Space T-shirt, coat, trousers and shoes catwalk pieces.
#8 Art Heavy Mouth T-shirt, coat, trousers and shoes catwalk pieces.
#9 Vionet sweater, Stone Washed-Poplin shirt, trousers catwalk piece.
#10 Bast Rag top, Syd Black jeans, jacket catwalk piece.
#11 Stone B.d Washed Poplin T-shirt, Steve Padded jacket, knit catwalk piece.

ALL BY WHYRED

Elena Wolay is a person who is good to keep close to you, especially if you are into music that can be seen as experimental or not at all streamlined. Her project Jazz Är Farligt (directly translated to Jazz Is Dangerous) celebrates and supports music and culture that usually doesn’t have a platform, often kraut rock, free jazz and poetry, since six years back. Included in the venture is a fanzine, an annual one-day festival at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg and numerous cultural happenings arranged during the rest of the year, things that share time in Elena’s busy schedule with her touring as a DJ and working as a freelance journalist. If you live for things like these and are working your way up the same way that Elena has done, she is an incomparable inspiration and motivation.
Elena’s Liseberg festival is going on its fourth year in 2017 and there is a thought behind which acts are being booked.
– One act from every genre, so there are all the branches that Jazz Är Farligt represents in one package, says Elena, counting the different genres: One local act, one kraut rock act, one poet, one act from the experimental rock scene but maybe with a horn section of jazz musicians, one definite jazz act and one noise act.

A regular Jazz Är Farligt night, whether it is one of Elena’s DJ sets or a concert that she has put together, dives into one or several of these genres at a time. The annual festival is the time of year to bring them all together, to display Jazz Är Farligt in its entirety.
This year’s poetry act is a man that has stood up for resistance, equal rights and music that otherwise was pushed aside, none other than Jon Sinclair. Being the manager for Detroit cult band MC5, one of the activists behind the White Panther Party and a spokesperson for legislation of marijuana, among many things, Sinclair has played an important part in cultural history. At first, one might think his involvement in the White Panther Party, many might think that it was a counter action against the Black Panthers, but it was not. Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton was once asked what white people could do to support his party, and he answered that they could form White Panthers with equality as a goal. Sinclair and his panthers were far more left wing and free spirited than Huey P. Newton and his strict vendetta against injustice, The White Panther Party demanded free dope, fucking in the streets, freeing all imprisoned comrades and total downsizing of all corporate power hold in society. The Black Panthers were a fascinating organization. First of all, they were the world’s best dressed revolution, and the story of how they fought against oppression and was destroyed from the inside by the FBI is extraordinary. There is room and need for a movement like the Panthers, both Black and White, today as well. What Newton and Sinclair tried to stop is still going on.

Liseberg gives Elena the chance to book legends that she says »has inspired the younger generation«, so she can give thanks to the ones that built the experimental and underground music scene. The before listed genres represented and celebrated during the festival makes for a definite culture clash when staged in an amusement park, where children and their tired parents interact with green, fuzzy rabbits – Liseberg’s mascot. There is something spectacular and beautiful in having happy-go-lucky family entertainment right next to experimental and heavily political bands like Amon Düül II, one of the acts lined up for this year’s edition. Bringing all of these legendary acts together demands a large amount of work, described by Elena in one sentence.

– That is the impossible mission that I have to make possible.
At least some parts of that impossible mission must have been accomplished, because the Jazz Är Farligt festival has grown bigger and bigger since it started four years ago. More important than the number of visitors is that it brings people together.
– Last year I noticed that many people from an older generation, who had heard of Jazz Är Farligt, stayed throughout the night and saw Arthur Brown. What was fun was that they felt like equals and understood that our generation likes both Arthur Brown and [Swedish Jazz saxophonist] Gilbert Holmström.
Understanding each other – across the barriers of generation, through the power of music – is rewarding for everyone involved. A person that grew up with the sounds of Brown and Holmström might not expect that an individual Elena’s age would appreciate such music. The downfall of predetermination often leads to exciting new connections being made between people.
Elena Wolay’s influence on her surrounding is undeniable. People write in her fanzine, they DJ at her events and they participate in her festivals. Why? Because being just a tiny part of her creative universe lasts half a lifetime for any artistic person.

Credits:

Words by Filip Lindström in collaboration with Profet Musik

Cousins Adam Odelfelt and Benjamin Lavén and their longtime friend Carl Hjelm Sandqvist have been playing their brand of synth pop together as Tella Viv for more than two years. Like many groups from Stockholm, all members have played in several bands already. The term “Stockholm band” means more than just a group from Stockholm – there’s a scene going on that’s difficult to define. Singer Hjelm Sandqvist muses on the subject: “I think we have a very Swedish sound in Stockholm – it’s about small things like phrasing and the way you produce. There is a lot of interest in Swedish bands abroad and when there are references to ‘Swedish bands’, people are usually talking about groups from Stockholm.”

Outside of the band, Hjelm Sandqvist works as a model (he’s currently on the books at Nisch Management), something that often becomes the focus in interviews with Tella Viv, bringing both positives and negatives with it. Hjelm Sandqvist views it with mixed feelings, saying that nobody know what the focus may be in a year from now, so it’s important that the music remains the main objective. Odelfelt and Lavén don’t see it as a problem, either – “As long as it doesn’t take anything from what we’re doing or change the perception of us, as if I were a solo artist [they don’t mind],” says Hjelm Sandqvist. “I find it interesting to do interviews with people who don’t know anything about that side of my life. Some weeks, in some cities, I can be recognised in the streets, but otherwise I’m very ordinary. No one usually has any idea about what I do – they think I’m a dopehead rather than a model.”

Having one foot in fashion and the other in music is not unique for Hjelm Sandqvist or Tella Viv. He feels the relationship between the divisions of pop culture has changed recently. “I guess the lines have been blurred. There is the opportunity to do both. Musicians are expected to be seen in fashion. Many people want to style artists and it’s very important that the artist’s integrity is kept in mind. Bands can get a bigger response when they become figures that the fashion industry wants to work with.”

Another artist connected to the fashion world is Sarah Assbring, who released her first album as El Perro del Mar more than 10 years ago. Some things have changed since then but some have not. Assbring has always tried to create what feels true to her rather than what will please the masses, but with her new album, KoKoro (meaning “heart” in Japanese), she has shifted her perspective from herself to the world around her. The subject of the record is the equality of mankind – how we are all born the same and should therefore be viewed as equals.

A key element of El Perro del Mar’s lengthy existence is that Assbring’s creativity also encompasses fashion and art, which influence everything she produces. “Everything runs parallel through what I do. I almost get more inspiration for my music from other forms of art than I do from music. It has always been that way, from photo art to architecture and sculpture, among others. When I’m gathering ideas for a new album, those are the art forms that I create a referential library with. I make a mood board before I start writing, which is like a palette that becomes the emotional foundation of what I want to write.”

Fashion has recently become an even more prominent part of El Perro del Mar: while making KoKoro, Assbring has been working with stylist Nicole Walker, who runs Amaze, a springboard for experimental fashion, and who has also worked with Hjelm Sandqvist.

“My and Nicole’s thought behind the visual idea of what I am, or who I am, is the free image of an assembled identity,” says Assbring. “Both high and low, beautiful and ugly, which gives me new freedom to portray myself in different ways. We are both uninterested in classic fashion photography and the image of a pop artist, so that makes Nicole even more cut out to work with me.”

To present El Perro del Mar as an amplification of Assbring, a lot of thought is put into the clothes she is wearing – something more than a good look is required, something that will show who she is and go well with her music. Walker’s input has been instrumental in helping her achieve that.

“Through Nicole I have gotten the opportunity to meet young designers – some of whom are still at school – who are incredibly talented and whose garments I’ve worn both on and off stage. I feel that there are many newcomers who are really pushing things forward at the moment, drawing up completely new guidelines to what fashion can be.”

In Aniara, Harry Martinson’s classic book of 1956, there is an all-knowing computer that has stored the entire history of humankind in its memory. Almost viewed as divine, the computer, called Miman, is worshipped by the characters in the book. Nicole Sabouné chose to name her hit album of 2015 after it, which puts the music in a great context. The eight tracks on the record portray humanity’s shared history and are accompanied with an atmospheric, grandiose sound. The result is as compelling as Miman itself.

“I chose Miman, because it is a very strong, symbolic character in the book, with nice features and force,” says Sabouné, whose own force and drive has seen her creating waves on the music scene since she was 21 – veteran members of the music press talk of her powerful voice as “taking no prisoners”.

Through Miman, Sabouné has learned more about herself as a songwriter and producer. She worked with the same band as she did on her debut album of 2014, Must Exist, which has been described as being full of “gothic darkness”. Each member of the group contributes to the sound with their own personal touch, but the last word is always Sabouné’s.

“I’m building a stable foundation to stand on, a way to work,” she says. “I hope I will stay brave enough to keep on evolving and take risks. Right now I am in a flow where I write by myself and experiment. That is how songs [from Miman] like Lifetime and We Are No Losers came to be, while a song like Rip This World was written from the start with Niklas Stenemo. Sometimes I write without understanding anything. Sometimes I write and understand way too much. Sometimes I write and think it’s worthless and sometimes I think it’s totally okay.”

Creating by herself and with others is something Sabouné does outside of her music as well. She has worked with in-demand brands such as Nand and her presence is just as captivating when it comes to magazine photoshoots. For ours, the rebellious spirit of Dr Martens seemed a perfect match for her style and music.

“I’m not always comfortable with modelling,” she says. “I enjoy it more when the concept has been created by me and my friends, or people who inspire me, where I am in control and can co-work in a different way. But it’s always a challenge and you learn a lot from doing things outside of your comfort zone.

“I don’t dress in the latest fashion, but try to find clothes I feel comfortable in and look good in. But I do like clothes that I wouldn’t wear otherwise, and it’s interesting how a garment can look completely different in a photo. Of course, there’s a limit – sometimes, people want you to wear something based on the assumptions they’ve made about you, but they might not always get it right. That can get tricky.”

As for the summer, Sabouné has several big festivals coming up, so there’s lots to look forward to – for her and her fans. “This summer is going to be fantastic. Stockholm Music & Arts is the show I’m most nervous about, but it’s also the one I’m most looking forward to. I’ve wanted to play that festival ever since it started. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”

Miman is out on Woah Dad! Sabouné will appear on the Trädgårdsscenen stage, Stockholm Music & Arts, on Saturday, July 30

Credits:

Words by Filip Lindström

Photography by Jasmin Storch

Styling by Josef Forselius

Special thanks to DR. MARTENS

Hair: Karolina Liedberg / LinkDetails

Make-up: Josefina Zarmén / LinkDetails

Photographer’s assistant: Cornelia Wahlberg

Pascal 8-eye boots & Core Polley T Bar by Dr. Martens

Katarina Bangata 15, Stockholm

Fashion Credits:

1 Hoodie by Acne Studios, skirt by Back

2 Dress by Ida Klamborn

3 Blouse by Ida Klamborn, skirt by Back

4 Sweater by Ida Klamborn, skirt by Back

5 Shirt and skirt by Josephine Bergqvist

6 / 7 T-shirt by Ida Klamborn

Ana Diaz has a lot on her plate. Since the release of her debut album, Lyssna del 1, in early February, she has done tons of interviews and photoshoots, all while still working as a songwriter and running her own label, WINWIN Recordings. When we meet, it’s in an industrial studio, where one of these many shoots has been going on for at least four hours, and it looks as as though she’ll be there for several more. When she breaks for lunch, I ask what she thinks of the clothes, which at that stage of the shoot means an all-white ready-to-wear outfit. “If I could take this with me, I would,” she says. “I usually just wear black and comfortable clothes. I know what I like, but I have no interest in searching for it.” She enjoys the transformation, but couldn’t imagine the life of a model, being constantly judged by appearance. The relaxed, natural feel of Lee Jeans she wore for The Forumist’s shoot seems a perfect fit for her in more ways than one. “It’s interesting, a different perspective on the music business,” she says while we wait for the photographer to return to the desolate studio.

Diaz has written songs for international artists for years, including Wyclef Jean, Sounwave, Britney Spears and One Direction. She talks about their “sessions”, the meetings with other writers, where their mutual talents fuse together. It can be an intimate moment, writing with a stranger, who is then replaced with a new stranger the next day. It sounds intense.

Diaz has lived in Detroit, London, LA and Seattle, but has now moved back to Stockholm, which she calls “a mother”, a comforting place for her. Does her writing change depending on the city she is living in? “No, I don’t think so. The colleagues change, but I stay the same. I still recognise my own work, although I’m a part of all these different constellations. I’m always good at starting collaborations up,” she says. “Detroit sometimes feels grimey and London can be draining, Seattle is quite peaceful. One thing I love about London, which I don’t see as much of in Stockholm, is the diversity. In London you can hear 13 languages on your way to work in the morning.”

While living in London, Diaz booked visits back to Sweden for writing sessions for her solo work.
The poet Daniel Boyacioglu was one of the main collaborators for what eventually became Lyssna del 1, a pop record with trap elements and revealing lyrics in Swedish. Boyacioglu, who features on the track Simma Själv, has previously released music through Robyn’s label, Konichiwa Records. He’s a talented poet and artist who could be called Sweden’s answer to Saul Williams, the American rapper known for
his blending of poetry and alternative hip-hop. Diaz thinks so, too, and says that boosting Boyacioglu’s music career might be the next item on her to-do list.

Before that can happen, though, there are many things still on the agenda: the follow-up solo album is being finished – shaped by about 12 producers; and she is working on Snow Culture, a duo she has formed with Oskar Sikow, a former member of electro group Kate Boy. Diaz plays a Snow Culture song on her phone and we remark how the Kate Boy sound in the industrial electro pop seems noticeable.

“I think it is Oskar that is noticeable,” she says, encouraging us to listen closely as the track goes in to a Phil Collins-esque guitar solo. “We’re shooting a music video in LA in March and then I’m coming back to Sweden for the release of my second album. After that, Snow Culture will do an EP.”

Diaz describes the work of a songwriter as “being Robin to someone’s Batman”, assisting someone else with your own talents. Ever since she chose to start making music of her own, instead of being the eternal Robin, she has been asked the same question: “What’s it like being known now?” Just because Diaz has stepped into the limelight and put on her Batman suit, it doesn’t mean we know anything about her.
“I am in constant motion, I’m changing all the time,” she says. “No matter how much of me I share, my inner sphere will never be seen by anyone but myself. I could publish a diary and still not be seen for who I really am.”

Credits

Words by Filip Lindström

Photography by Oskar Gyllenswärd

Styling by Emma Thorstrand

Hair and Make-up by Lillis Hemmingsson

Special thanks to Lee Jeans

Fashion credits:

1 Oversized Rider Jacket and Bib Skirt

2 Bib Logger in White Denim and Classic One-Pocket Shirt in Tencel

3 Slim Rider Jacket in Moon Wash and a Lighter Shade

4 Classic One-Pocket Shirt in Light Denim and 5-Pocket Boyfriend-fit Shorts

5 Oversized Lee Tank Top with stripes

All items are available at Lee.com

After trying hard to find the right address in a freezing cold December Stockholm, B.A.R.T and I meet up with Adam Kanyama and Ivory in a home studio just outside of the central city. In the other room from where we sit, Adam’s colleagues from rap collective OIAM (One In A Million) are testing new beats and Adam is eager to get in there with them. Since his rise to fame as a 15 year old in Sweden’s version of X Factor, he has proven himself to be a hard working new comer with several successful projects such as OIAM and solo work. In 2014 he met Ivory, a renowned rapper with numerous releases already behind him, at a party where he arrived with OIAM band mate Samboii. Ivory remembers that Adam at that time had grown a lot taller than when he first saw him on TV and that the free style rap that he performed at the party was truly impressive.

Ivory and Adam agrees that there are differences between them, other than the 7 year age gap (Adam is 20 years old and Ivory 27), for example the artistic focus in their respective solo projects. “Ivory is very clear on which genre he does, Trap and Cloud,” Adam says, “where as I do some Boom Bap. Trap had just started coming in when we met so I thought, if I’m going to do it, why not do it with the one who does it best? It is actually from Ivory and Tony From Sweden [Ivory’s manager] that I even know about Trap, without them I would have thought it was just 2 Chainz” he says, lastly referring to the Georgia rapper known from Playaz Circle.

When speaking of the video, both parts of the duo are very pleased with the end result, although Adam compares the shooting, which took place in the middle of the woods late night in November, to The Blair Witch Project. The rap pair met B.A.R.T on the set of their first video, a hilarious depiction of the song “Baba”, where he helped out his director friend Natan Gullström. When B.A.R.T later pitched some beats to Tony From Sweden, the idea for the “Panasonic” video was sparked. “One of the first things they said,” B.A.R.T remembers”, was that they wanted a spooky, eerie vibe to the video”, and obviously they succeeded since Adam thought even shooting it was frightening.

“I asked Adam for the lyrics” B.A.R.T continues (originally from L.A/San Diego, having only been in Sweden for a year, he did not understand the Swedish rap). “But I never received them, so I decided on writing and directing the video without knowing what they were saying, except for the hook ‘Ingen Panasonic’ (No Panasonic)”.

Working with production company Lillasyster (with Måns Lorentzen as his producer), B.A.R.T claims that “Panasonic” has been one of the best executed productions he has ever done. Apart from directing and co-producing the video, he also styled it, a line of work he does along with other projects, such as a music career. B.A.R.T describes himself as the key, with a liking for a mono-chromatic look, often used in the IVOxAK video. “Panasonic” is B.A.R.T’s first collaboration with Lillasyster and his second with Ivory and Adam Kanyama, but hopefully time will give us more from this exciting mash-up.

Credits:

Words by Filip Lindström

At the age of 17 Cleo, born Nathalie Missaoui in 1987, moved from her hometown Umeå to Stockholm in order to attend an education in theatre. When asked about the music scene in Umeå she explains, “There was a certain DIY-spirit going on, Umeå was a real Mecca for Punk Rock at the time.” The Punk Rock movement was led by hardcore heroes Refused and the Do It Yourself mentality was a fact, something that was also present in the local Hip-Hop scene. “I was fascinated by the Hip-Hop sound the first time I heard it, I loved the way it allows you to express yourself” Cleo says and continues to tell me about Random Bastards, an Umeå skate and snowboard crew turned record label and clothing line.

“Today Random Bastards distributes my music, and Femtastic is my management” says Cleo. Femtastic was founded in 2010 by herself and Vanessa Marko and was born through a club event, featuring only female artists, at Stockholm’s Södra Teatern. “The clubs are still the heart of Femtastic, but we have grown so much since the start. Our two main goals are still the same though; we want to create a platform for women in music and we try to inspire young girls to raise their voices.”
Cleo carries out the latter of the goals with an urban music workshop, called Tell Dem, where she teaches women the subtle arts of rapping and performing, to boost their self esteem and to help create an equal music industry. “When I came to Stockholm from the male dominated music scene in Umeå and met other women in music, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one who had been treated badly because of my sex. What I want to do with Tell Dem is to challenge the norms of society; sometimes the desire to be free from the norms is stronger than the fear to break them.”

This kind of injustice is a common topic in Cleo’s music, one particular song that carries the message is Looptroop Rockers’ track “Hårt mot Hårt” from their 2013 album “Mitt Hjärta är en Bomb”. The song was of personal significance to Cleo, her featured verse was her very first in Swedish, after rapping exclusively in English since her debut EP “Yes, She Do” from 2010. “I hesitated at first about rapping in Swedish but Mårten [Edh, “Promoe” from Looptroop Rockers] said he could hear my voice on that track, and when I did it the verse became something of an anthem.”

Ever since the collaboration with Looptroop Rockers Cleo has made music in both languages, and her co-operations with other recording artists has continued. One such collaborative effort is the newly released single “240” that features starlet Alina Devecerski. The title refers to the Volvo 240, a popular vehicle in suburban Umeå culture, and is Cleos homage to her roots. “Being ‘real’ has always been important in Hip-Hop, and Umeå has always been my reality”. The realness of Cleo is hard to deny when you hear her speak from the heart about her true faith in a future where the music business and our society at last may be free of inequality.

”Cleo’s new club ’Cleo & Friends’ premieres 9^th of October at Stockholm club Marie Laveau and she can be seen in the Tv4 show ‘Lyckliga Gatan’ this winter”

Credits:

Words by Filip Lindström

Photography by Simon Younan

Styling by B.A.R.T.

Make-up by Maurine Tugavune