In the land of intermediate milk, interesting characters can emerge. Loreen Talhaoui, one of Östermalm Saluhall’s youngest regulars, is a colorful songbird. Many may remember her from the fourth place the first season of the TV show Idol or most recently in the Melodifestivalen with the song “My heart is refusing me”. Loreen’s background, in a concoction of different cultures, is her strength and undeniably it has been an influence in the musical creation as well as it has influenced the attitude to life in general. “One big cultural mess” in a good way, as she explains with a laugh when we sit in the favorite place Roberts Coffee.
Loreen Talhaoui was born in Västerås, but with her Berber roots, she grew up far from middle-Swedish. The Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa and mainly live in Morocco. Loreen clarifies, however, that her origins do not originate from “tourist Morocco” but the family lived as nomads – they were survivors.
The immediate family consists of six full siblings and a half-sister, all younger than Loreen. She has had an all-Swedish stepfather for ten years and has thus grown up with a double culture in the home when it comes to everything from language to music and food. This concoction of cultures is something that Loreen appreciates growing up. Curiosity and lack of knowledge prompt me to ask what is characteristic of Moroccan food.
– It is, for example, couscous and stews. Lamb plum stew is hysterically good. Sour, sweet and salty! We use a lot of spices, more than in Lebanese food, such as basil and thyme. In Morocco we have thick loaves and more greasy food. Everyone eats from the same plate and we drink mint tea with lots of sugar.
We’re sitting at Robert’s Coffee in the Hall, where the staff nods in recognition when I show up with Loreen.
– I love coffee breaks (fika). It comes from the café culture in Paris, says Loreen. I like Östermalmshallen. I mostly hang out at Roberts Coffee in the entrance corner and since the studio is close, we often pick up food from Beirut Cafe. The sushi bar or Tysta Mari’s salad bar.
THE IDOL PROGRAM – A NURSERY
The musical debut began with the participation in the first round of the TV show Idol 2004, where Loreen finished in fourth place. It was the sister who signer her up when she thought Loreen would stop singing in the bathroom and do something about it.
– She is cruel at persuading, says Loreen. “Aren’t you going to try it heeere?” she always says
What has been the most fun during your journey until today?
– I started in Idol as a little doll six years ago. The people on the jury consisted of strong characters and were real themselves. It felt like a kindergarten in the beginning where I established my expression and what I wanted to say. But it was a more solid development and natural maturity afterwards. I took a break and traveled a lot.
Back in Sweden after traveling around the world, working with several producers and a mix of creative people, the aim is set to convey their message and create their own design language. This is a curious girl, with strong self-confidence and a lot of energy. Loreen loves to be creative in several ways while she likes to be in control and understand how things work. “Nobody puts Loreen in a corner”, that’s for sure! She belongs on a stage, but not because she wants to be seen, but there is an authenticity about Loreen as an artist and human being. Like her mentor Måns Zelmerlöw, she appreciates working with fantastic people, spreading positive energy just by being herself and entertaining her audience.
FAR FROM SCHLAGER
Loreen was one of the artists in Gothenburg’s competition of the Melodifestivalen 2011 with the song “My Heart Is Refusing Me”, a story about a relationship that is logically over, although the heart refuses to let go and move on.
– It is a very dramatic song with a lot of pain. It is a cross between the electronic world and the organic world with a lot of strings and emotions, Loreen says in an interview before the Melodifestivalen’s competition. I love pain and being able to do something about it.
The contribution was clearly one of those that stood out in this year’s Melodifestivalen, not only for Loreen’s sensational stage clothes which was a red creation with rivets created by star designer Bea Szenfeld.
For my own part, it was a fresh breath among the often standardized hit productions with somewhat colorless artists. The song was well produced and above all Loreen has without a doubt one of the best voices I have heard in a long time. Strong and emotional. But the skeptics wondered if it would be too difficult for the Swedish audience to absorb. With cautious expectations before the performance, Loreen was surprised but of course happy that so many had voted and that she thus went on to Second Chance. When asked why she thinks the song has grown, Loreen replied:
– I think it grows because everyone can relate to it. Then I am a drama queen and I think the phase that half of Sweden likes drama! Should it be so it should be, I want to spread!
Unfortunately it was not enough all the way in the Second Chance, though it was an extremely close vote. The single, on the other hand, has received a good response after the competition and on Spotify it is on the top list of most listened songs.
MENTOR MÅNS ZELMERLÖW
The artist Måns Zelmerlöw, also with a background from the TV show Idol, met Loreen through his mutual friend Moh Denebi. Moh is one of the authors of the song “My heart is refusing me” and together they became a small team. Curiosity grew to work more actively together and on the initiative of Moh, they signed Loreen via a newly started record company Mohito Music a little over a year ago. Loreen has expressed in interviews how much she appreciates the trust she has received as the first artist on the record company. She likes Måns because he dares to invest, because she sees herself as an odd artist.
– Måns knows that integrity is crucial for me, says Loreen. I do not want to be shaped. He knows how I work and that was important in the beginning. We sat and talked, and during that process the company was formed. Not through fixed rules, or routines, but this is how it should be. A collaboration that grows through the friendship and all the energy that is created in the studio.
For Loreen, it’s a lot about being surrounded by good people in the studio and it’s no coincidence that she works with Moh Denebi, who has been a friend for five years.
– We live by the same “life clock” and are very synchronized. Moh is a soulmate, as if he had been my siblings in a previous life. We also love the same kind of music, the one that touches the soul.
Who have you worked with before?
– I have worked with Brandy & Michael Jackson’s songwriters. It taught me a lot about creation and became a great source of inspiration, about how to, for example, “take a beat” and deliver a song or text directly. I also got an experience of how to work totally concentrated in the studio – to let go of the inhibitions and just create. Find its flow. Turn off the thoughts that sometimes disturb more than they help!
Do you have any musical role models?
– I loved Björk as a child and Coldplay who has smart lyrics, but I especially appreciate operas such as Maria Callas. I also sing myself, even though I started with soul first. But I found my roots in opera and using the voice I did when I was a child. I love it – opera is great fun and it really is! I like that all files on someone have an identity. You do not have to love the music itself!
Your advice to yourself as a teenager?
– Trust yourself! Do not take everything so seriously! Be playful, because we only live once.
Have self-respect and do not become a product – integrity is important.
To those who dream of becoming artists, what tips can you give and what have you learned during your first years?
– Stand on you! Do not try to shape yourself into someone else. Have self-respect and do not become a product – integrity is important. But above all, fight! Release YOUR music, you are your own creator. Do not just watch the record companies but use all available channels. It will be a way to get confirmation of what you are doing, which is good once you get to an agent. Do not wait for someone to do it for you!
What message do you want to convey through your music?
– We want people to dare to feel – that it is “a lot”. The record is very cinematic with a melancholic mood and pain.
What is on the horizon in the short term?
– First the single release this spring and putting together music for a show, but it should be exceptional. So far it is in the planning stage! I’m not aiming for the so-called club scene. However, preferably internationally, although more theater and to bring out the music to as many as possible!
• Original interview: https://issuu.com/lina_bielsten/docs/ostermalmssaluhall_magasin_2_2011_loreen
• Translation: via Google Translate, the translation may not be completely accurate
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