Totally Stockholm 1
project, it became extremely expensive, and it wa
s a strange way of working, but the results show it was worth it. It’s well produced and has a timeless sound. Sonically, I feel it goes back to my first album. All my demos were something different. I wanted to leave what I felt was plastic behind, and go into something more ‘wooden’,” she says before continuing. “I want people to listen to it thinking ‘when is this from exactly?’, whether they hear it now or in ten years from now. It’s very different from Living Life Golden. Mark was given free reign with the songs and he picked what he wanted. Then I spent three months in his garage, hanging out with his four children, and emptying his beer fridge once a week. When we were finished with the songs, I added a backing choir and some gospel vocals. I think the songs feel a lot more finished. And unique. It’s for people who like music and enjoy listening to songs many times over.” I think many of the tracks are really nice, but I don’t know that much about music really. Neither do I, and I think that can be an ace up your sleeve. There are way too many people who supposedly know about art. I hope this will hit home, that it has some recognisable themes. One of the strongest musical experiences I have ever had was hearing Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen. When you hear it, you understand that this is a moment that has happened between two women in his life. It’s something that’s happened, but it’s not explicitly stated, so it leaves a lot to your imagination. I want to write like that. I don’t want to spell everything out for people. The idea is that there should be something there, for a lot of different people. I really want to showcase a fragile person, here inside this strong Elliphant shell. A lot of it is about my relationship with alcohol and drugs. and the feeling of existence. It’s not an overly easy record, it’s not super happy. What kind of music do you want to create after this? The last track I will release from the album is Emily, and that shows how I want to continue. “I really want to showcase a fragile person”. 10 It’s kinda punky. Yeah, it’s punky. A statement piece, if we were talking fashion. It’s like a large weird jacket on the catwalk, that no one wants to buy, but that you think is really cool. It’s my bridge over to my next project. I’m currently sitting on some demos that I want to finish, and they’re from the same world [as Emily]. I have this feeling, that it was fun to sing and whatnot, but now I have a need to yell. At the same time, I don’t want to rewind, and make myself dependent on all those DJ guys again. I want to be independent artistically, but at the same time deliver a lot of energy. I want to be heard and there was a reason why Elliphant got heard – it was because I was yelling. I think it’s a gap there to be filled, there aren’t enough screaming women.