Last year, Swedish House Mafia, the hit-making dance music outfit comprising Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso, entered a new phase—the 3.0 era—which has brought a host of major moves, from bigger shows and more autonomy to greater control over how everything comes together.
Central to this year’s plans is their residency at Ushuaïa, an Ibiza institution that holds a special place in their hearts. In fact, this marks their fifth time headlining the iconic open-air venue. They’re currently in the middle of their June to September run, and it’s already shaping up to be one for the history books. During the residency, one of their sets coincided with the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina, creating an unforgettable atmosphere as fans watched the game unfold. Another key piece of the puzzle is their latest single, “Happiness Is So Sad” with Lykke Li, featuring co-production from Max Martin and Oscar Holter. “We had this idea of putting together a Swedish Avengers crew,” Seb Ingrosso said of the all-star studio line-up.
That momentum will continue on August 29 with a triumphant homecoming show at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium. It will be the trio’s biggest show yet and their largest stadium performance to date, capping off a year that has seen the group continue to push their vision forward.
Complex UK caught up with them to talk all about it.
COMPLEX: It’s been around a year since Swedish House Mafia launched the SUPERHUMAN record label and entered what feels like a new chapter for the group. How has this past year been for you guys?
Steve Angello: Well, it properly kicked off when we walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium and then the Plaza de Toros bullring in Mexico. Now we’re continuing that new beginning with our next stadium show at Ullevi in Gothenburg, which is going to be a crazy experience for us. It’s always special coming home and doing something on that scale. It’s amazing for us as artists. We’ve also got a lot of new stuff coming that we’re super excited about, and it’s all going to kick off very, very soon.
So, the main thing we’re also here to talk about is the Ushuaïa residency in Ibiza. How does it differ from previous editions? How’s it been received?
Steve Angello: Listen, we love coming here. This has been a home for us for more than 20 years. Everything we’ve done here has been a defining moment in our career throughout our history; we started out here when we were young and had some amazing experiences. We were one of the first acts to help open Ushuaïa, taking things into this big-format, 10,000-capacity outdoor venue, which was very different from the nightclub scene. That was a really important moment for us early in our careers. This time, it wasn’t just about finding a residency or having a place to play. It was about recreating the home we grew up with in Ibiza.
As we all know, culturally, Ibiza is the mecca of dance music. Everything happens here. All the artists are here. What’s really nice about Ushuaïa is that every week feels like a different chapter for us. It’s a new night, a different energy, new people arriving on the island. The weather changes, the atmosphere changes. We have the freedom to play around creatively after a weekend of big shows—both individually and together—and then come back on Sunday, meet up, and have a blast with our friends and everyone who comes every week. It’s a really nice feeling for us to have that home throughout the summer, and you can feel it in the fans and their engagement. You see people come once and then immediately want to come back to the island to see us again. You’re building a place where fans know they can find us all summer long, whenever they feel like coming.
Over the years, you’ve experienced Ibiza through so many different eras. Is there one memory or moment that you’ll always associate with the island?
Steve Angello: We have so many! I think that when Alicia Keys came to join us for the last closing we did, that was special. We used to have a residency at Pacha Ibiza as well back in the day, and we had guests like Florence & The Machine playing with us, Kylie Minogue, Dizzee Rascal, Miike Snow. There are so many memories. So many.
When you’re planning out a residency, are you thinking, “How do we top last year? How do we make it bigger and better?” Is there a lot of pressure?
Steve Angello: I don’t think so. It’s more about creating the best night for ourselves. Obviously, there’s the audience side of it, but for us, it’s really about asking: How do we make this feel right for us? How do we feel when we’re on stage? How do we feel when we walk off it? We’re not competing with ourselves; it’s more about how the experience feels. We want to try new things and have a really beautiful time together. That’s been the main focus: to make this place feel like our home. This place is magical, and you feel it every single day.
Seb Ingrosso: It’s bubbling. Dance music is on a high now, so it’s really nice.
Did I hear that you screened the World Cup final during your set? What was that like?
Seb Ingrosso: [Laughs] We had to! Spain was in the final. Everybody that works at the club, we had to do it for them.
The atmosphere must have been incredible.
Seb Ingrosso: Yeah, it was a pretty big thing. I mean, it was just a nice party—a great party. People enjoyed watching the game. To be honest, I thought people would watch the game even more, but the energy was on top. We actually ended our set because it was overtime, but you know, people were on a high.
How involved do you get with the stage design and the overall creative?
Seb Ingrosso: All of it.
Steve Angello: We’re extremely locked in. We’re moving into a new creative direction now with these upcoming stadium shows—we’re going all out—but Ibiza is a little different. We have a tilted screen hanging over us and a lot of visuals around us, but we’re trying to move away from a purely digital visual language and create more atmosphere and energy, to have more fun with the crowd and make the show feel more dynamic. But we’re involved in everything. I think everything we do is for ourselves. At the end of the day, when we’re creating something, it’s about making something we’re really proud of—something we can stand behind 100% every night. Then, hopefully, the fans and everyone who comes to see us feel that same vibe. We’re very, very tapped in, especially with how we release tickets, how things are talked about, the merch—everything! When it comes to all the creative surrounding Swedish House Mafia, it’s the three of us who dictate everything and have our finger in every part of it because we want it to feel like the Swedish House Mafia atmosphere. It’s really important that we don’t just hand it off to somebody else and let them take over.
On the subject of bigger shows, you have a homecoming show at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium on August 29. Your biggest show to date, right? Anything special we can expect?
Seb Ingrosso: It’s going to be crazy!
Steve Angello: First and foremost, I think we’ve evolved into this live aspect of the show, which has been really nice for us. It’s a big challenge, but it’s exciting to evolve into something where we can be even more creatively involved and change things on the fly. So there’s a real live element to the stadium show, and visually it’s going to be insane. I think it’s the biggest show we’ve ever done, and it’s going to be incredible just to stand there. We also really wanted to double down on bringing something special to Sweden. It’s a homecoming, and it’s the only stadium of that size that we haven’t played yet.
Seb Ingrosso: I’m not sure if you mentioned it, Steve, but we’re not doing a DJ show. It’ll be a fully live show.
Steve Angello: So it’s a whole new level for Swedish House Mafia, which is really nice—and exciting—for us.
So is this new level of autonomy a big part of what the 3.0 era represents?
Steve Angello: We’ve been in the business since the early 2000s, and I think we’ve finally gotten to a place where we can control every aspect of what we do. It’s not coming from an ego perspective; it just means that when we have a song, we can put it out straight away. We want to control everything, but not just for ourselves. It means we can keep ticket prices lower, and there are a lot of experiences our fans can benefit from simply because we’re independent and we don’t just outsource everything. We’re super-involved to make sure it’s the best experience for the fans and the best experience for us. It’s everything: from merchandise, to the brands we build, to the shows we create and the music we put out.
On the release front, “Happiness Is So Sad” with Lykke Li just came out. How did that collaboration come together?
Seb Ingrosso: I mean, we’ve been Lykke Li fans for a long time...
Steve Angello: —we just felt like we’d been wanting to make a song together for a long time, and this felt like the right moment. We met in Stockholm, wrote the record, and it was just a phenomenal day in the studio. Then when we came back to Ibiza, the record started to speak to us. It all fell into place here on the island, and everything just made sense.
How has the reaction been so far?
Seb Ingrosso: I mean, it’s been wonderful.
So, what else can we expect from the 3.0 era?
Seb Ingrosso: Just more.
Steve Angello: People who know us and keep an eye on us know that we’re always pushing. We’re always trying to evolve and move things forward. We’re constantly moving, pushing and evolving with everything that we do. We’re just staying honest to ourselves and making the music, moves and shows that feel right for us.
