The Swedish Pop Star You Need to Know: Tove Styrke is Much More than Lorde and Katy Perry’s Opener — Your Music Interview

When Grammy-winning, multi-platinum Lorde announced the world tour behind her excellent 2017 record, Melodrama, was coming to Houston in the springtime toting blistering hip-hop duo Run the Jewels and Swedish pop star Tove Styrke as openers, I looked up Styrke on YouTube and fell in love with her dramatic, minimalistic video for “Say My Name.”

It’s easy to see why Lorde sees Styrke as a kindred spirit – Styrke is a big deal in her homeland, having made a name for herself on Swedish Idol way back in 2009, and she’s become as popular as she has by sticking to her instincts as an eclectic pop star in the same vein as fellow Swede Robyn.

PaperCity was able to catch up with Styrke and talk her upcoming album, Sway (out May 4), collaborating with women, and astrology. She hits Houston Monday, March 19 at the Toyota Center. Doors open at 6 pm with tickets starting at $39.50. Styrke takes the stage at 7 pm sharp.

Tell me about your new album, Sway.

I’m so proud of this album. The way it came out – I had a vision of what I wanted to do, and I managed to make it that way, and I’m very proud of that. It’s like a collection of little love stories, some of them are super romantic and some are almost anti-romantic, because you know… life. I wanted to make it as minimalistic as I could.

If you compare it to [my last album, 2015’s Kiddo] it’s very different. Kiddo is very much broad-strokes, bold colors, but with Sway I tried to strip everything down and just keep just what’s needed.

How have you changed between albums?

I feel so much more secure and sure of myself, and that’s just a part of growing up. But as an artist, it’s the most valuable thing. To me it’s golden. I’m able to trust in my own abilities. That’s a huge difference from last time, and it’s something I also gained by making my last album – as a way of proving to myself that I could make something good, and I’m good at this, and now I know that. It’s such a freeing feeling.

What are you listening to?

Right now I’m on such a Robyn streak. I’ve been listening to Post Malone, I’m so in love with his voice. That vibrato is amazing. I’ve been listening to Blink-182. I’ve been listening to Kanye. It’s all over the place. Tons of pop.

“Teenage Dream” has been a favorite song of mine for years. And I’m going on tour with Katy Perry this summer in Europe, I’m so excited about that. This Lorde tour has already been a dream come true so to go from that to Katy it’s just like, what is this life?

What has been the most memorable part of touring with Lorde?

In Kansas City I was tweeting with some girls that were coming to the show and they asked, “Can we meet you?” I usually play small venues and I like hanging out with people after I play. So I was like, “yeah, let’s meet by the merch stand.” I thought it’d be five people, but when I got there it was a line of 75 people, and people kept showing up.

So then I kept doing it in every city, and it’s been the best thing. Getting to meet people, both fans who came to the show to see me and people who just discovered me 20 minutes ago on stage, it’s amazing. Now, I’m almost looking forward to that as much as actually playing.

Earlier you mentioned Kanye, and it reminded me of how in a recent interview you said you had little bit of Kanye in you, in terms of confidence…

[laughs] That’s the God complex!

It’s important for an artist that have that.

I feel like you have to be your own biggest fan. It’s good when you get appreciation from other people, but if you can appreciate and love yourself and appreciate your worth – that’s the most important thing.

Last fall your video for “Mistakes” came out, and it was directed by a Swedish director, Joanna Nordahl. There’s a powerful feminine energy in that video. It’s something I don’t think a male director could’ve done. How important is to you to collaborate with women?

I’ve come to a point now where I’m almost exclusively working with women on the visual side. Joanna, for instance, I brought her in as a creative director for that whole project, so we do that together now. That’s such an asset because I think it’s so important to find somebody who understands my view of things. Who understands why Britney Spears, for instance, is a key reference because I grew up with her, and Joanna, who is roughly the same age as me and a woman from Sweden, she grew up with the same things so I don’t need to explain anything to her.

That was such a change for me when I was able to work with women on the visual side from beginning to end. The retouch person for my photos is also a girl. My photographer, Emma, is amazing and my stylist and art director – they’re such a good, strong team. I love having that sort of unity.

I’m so curious to see what happens when you can have the same thing on the music side. It’s still very hard to find female producers, mixers, and people who master. The technical side. Like if Taylor Swift can have a whole record where the music was done by a woman and it ends with a woman, it’s going to be so interesting to see if there’s a change in what the music comes out like. I’m just curious to see what would happen if the planes were more even.

I think of you in the same lane as an artist like Charli XCX. Is that someone you’d consider collaborating with?

I love Charli! I would love collaborating with her! She’s a hub in pop music. She brings people together in a way that’s really cool and important. I look up to her so much as a writer as well.

You covered Lorde’s “Liability,” and my friend once said that song is a Scorpio anthem. Have you and Lorde have acknowledged you’re both Scorpios?

No! I just realized she’s a Scorpio! I didn’t know for a long time. It’s so funny.

A lot of good songwriters are Scorpios. Like SZA, I know you like her…

Is she?

Yeah, also Willow Smith, Carly Rae Jespen…

Oh Tove Lo, she’s a Scorpio too! Man, we got something!

Lastly, are there any other Swedish artists that we should look out for?

Oh there’s a bunch! I really love Cherrie. She recently put out a remix of one of her songs with Kehlani, it’s called “163 För Evigt.” She’s Swedish-Somali and she’s got the best melodies, the best voice. Ji Nilsson is another good one, she has an album Scandinavian Pain. She’s sort of like emo – very soft, but very sad. She has blue hair, that’s sort of her thing. [Laughs]

Interview conducted by Daniela Galindo.