In “Så mycket bättre” last year, she sang interpretations of Eldkvarn’s, Markus Krunegård’s and Helen Sjöholm’s songs. Now Loreen has taken the next step, to make her own songs in Swedish. First out “Sötvattentårar”.

She’s in the middle of the studio work on her upcoming album. But the first single, “Sötvattentårar” (Freshwater Tears), has just arrived.
– We write and produce music and it’s great. We have come a long way. There will be five singles during the year that come with two months in between. Finally in Swedish! she exclaims.
Finally … have you not been allowed to decide for yourself?
– Well, I have an international fanbase that I have had to take into account. It is important to communicate with them. It has been exciting to sing in Swedish.
Of course, Loreen has sung in Swedish before. But something happened in “Så mycket bättre” – the performance last year when she made the interpretations her own.
– It is special when you sing live. Then you are forced to relax. It’s someone else’s song, but through my filter. At the same time, I don’t want to change too much, but still have my expression. “Så mycket bättre” became a door opener for lyrics in Swedish for Loreen.
– I learned myself again. But at the same time, English is not my mother tongue: Swedish is. And it’s a bit funny, because the English lyrics take time to settle down, but with the Swedish it happened right away.

Artistic integrity
Since the big breakthrough in 2012 with “Euphoria“, the Eurovision winner, Loreen has emphatically shown what artistic integrity she has.
– What many do not understand is that when I grew up in a large family with a single mother, music and songs were a sanctuary, a sacred “space”. The music is closely linked to me and my identity, she says, having a hard time compromising.
– The times I have done it, it has hurt body and soul. But sometimes I have had no other choice.

Roads stand for themselves
But a trick to survive in the artist world and dare to stand on their own is to learn how the industry works and how TV production works. She has been both a program presenter (“Not so good“) and a TV producer.
– I am one hundred percent self-taught. But I have been like a sponge and had mentors who probably didn’t really understand that they have been mentors. I did it to protect center. There are so many girls in this industry who get run over because they don’t understand how it works.

“The music is closely linked to me and my identity.”

LOREEN

Is: 37. Singer, songwriter and lyricist. Has worked as a program presenter, TV producer and actress. Got her big breakthrough as an Eurovision winner with the Swedish contribution “Euphoria” in 2012. Was one of the participants in “Så mycket bättre” in 2020.

Lives: In Stockholm, where she also lived her first years. Grew up in Västerås with five siblings and a single mother.

Current: With the single “Sötvattentårar”, the first of several songs in Swedish, coming out this year.

• Source: https://pdf.mitti.se/magazines/read/c642badb-06bd-47cd-ab93-d8d6f05e6268 (p. 38)
• Translation: via Google Translate, the translation may not be completely accurate