First catching our attention with her Borderline EP in late 2014, then dropping one of the standout albums of 2015, Swedish singer Tove Stykre has been a P&P favorite since reinventing herself after a third place finish on Swedish Idol as a 16-year-old.
Now, returning with her first new music since Kiddo, Styrke shows the courage to start from scratch again and push herself in new directions, telling us, "I love this sound and that it’s quite the opposite of what I did last time. It’s important for me to always keep reinventing myself and challenging myself creatively. I think that’s important in life in general."
On the back of a bright, funky little ukulele riff from producer Elof Loelv, her new single "Say My Name" is a reminder of the magic Styrke can make with unique, deceptively simple pop production. With breezy pop energy and her usual addicting melodies, this feels like a summer hit.
Listen below, and continue for the rest of our conversation.
This is your first new music since Kiddo back in 2015. Can you share a little about what you've been up to since then?
Absolutely. I’ve been hard at work in the studio for the past two years. It took me awhile to find this new direction, but when I finally found it everything just clicked for me. I love this sound and that it’s quite the opposite of what I did last time. It’s important for me to always keep reinventing myself and challenging myself creatively. I think that’s important in life in general, like, you don’t wanna feel like you know yourself. You should surprise yourself constantly.
What about "Say My Name" made you want to choose it as your first single back? What made it stand out to you?
For me it was a no-brainer to go with "Say My Name" first. It was the first song me and Elof did together and I feel like it really raised the bar in every way. Like ”how are we gonna even top this one?!” I’ve simply been mad for it since the beginning. I think it has a vibe to it that just makes it cool and approachable and simple at the same time. I love that.
That bright little riff that opens "Say My Name" caught me by surprise, but immediately hooked me. This is a catchy pop song, but it manages to stay unique. Can you tell me what it was like working with Elof Loelv and what you guys were going for?
Yeah I know right? I had to fight a little bit to even make him hit record for that riff. It’s a crappy little red ukulele, Elof plays it. I think him and I are very in sync with what it is that we want to do. We wanted "Say My Name" to feel effortless and at the same time grab your attention. And it’s nice to geek out completely with somebody. I try to not leave any stone unturned, I wanna make sure that every part of the song really is the best we can come up with. It usually takes us a long time to complete a song but in the end it’s so worth it.
