Tove Styrke is the Swedish future-pop sensation makes her debut visit to Australian shores

“I began feeling as if I was changing a little bit because I started feeling more and more like the person in the song; as if I’m actually in the situation that I’m writing about and that’s kind of scary.”
Tove Styrke is like no other. First rising to fame at age 17 after coming third in Swedish Idol, Styrke went on to receive critical acclaim with the 2015 release of her debut album, Kiddo. Now, the 25-year-old pop star returns with the upcoming release of her sophomore album Sway.
Chatting with Forte, Styrke spoke of how she has altered her style of writing for the upcoming release.
“The main difference is; with my last album, it was introspective in a way but in another way it was very outrospective (siq)… because it was all about observing what was going on around me, it was very raw in its way of describing things,” she explains.
“This album is almost not at all about the world happening around you, but instead that connection you feel with another person. I wanted to make songs out of these inner dialogues that we all have, I appreciate songs like that a lot… Songs that I can listen too as if it’s ‘my song’, because I find it so personal and relatable that I feel the song is about me. That’s what I have tried to do more of on this album.
“A lot of my previous songs have been purely fictional, which is something very fun to do,” Styrke adds on. “I recommend it to everybody. It’s like making your own soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. This time around though I haven’t been inspired by (siq) other people so I’ve taken a much more realistic approach.”
The introduction to Styrke’s personal side can be seen on the albums first single release, ‘Changed My Mind’, which has also become a personal favourite of the pop-star.
“I think it’s a really fun song. It’s a very simple theme; ‘I thought I had made my mind up about you but now that I’m seeing you, I’m not too sure any more.’ I also made it so that it almost is delivered like a night out,” she smiles. “So that the part about changing my mind gets slurrier and slurrier, it’s the tipping over of me deciding it’s definitely what I want… But yeah, I like that one a lot.”
And Styrke is not the only person who has liked it, with the track already sitting on over three million streams and scoring her the support for Lorde’s huge American Tour.
After wrapping things up with Lorde, Tove Styrke will then be making her way across the globe for her first ever Australian tour and at this point, I can’t tell who is more excited, Styrke or the fans.
“Yes! I’m so excited,” she exclaims, “I’ve been wanting to go for years and it’s finally happening and I couldn’t be more excited! All of you guys have been so supportive over the years so I can’t wait to get to perform for all my Australian crowds!”
When & Where: Howler, Melbourne – April 12.
Written by Alex Callan