fbpx

ELECTRO POPSTAR TOVE STYRKE ON THE FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Tove Styrke – The Untitled Magazine #GirlPower Issue – Photography by Jeaneen Lund. Tove wears a bralette by Chromat, a cape by KTZ, trousers by Topshop for Adidas Original, and sneakers by Nike.

“All people should just have the same opportunity to be who they want to be, and that’s not the case today.” -Tove Styrke

The boldness exuded by twenty-two-year-old Swedish songwriter and electro-pop artist Tove Styrke inhabits more than her vocals and bass beats. She’s an unapologetic feminist using her gifts as a catalyst of change. The world was introduced to Tove Styrke after she placed third in Swedish Idol in 2009. Of the experience, Tove described it as: “Really strange, to be honest…you have so much to prove musically, ‘cause that kind of competition is all about popularity, it’s not about music,” she says. “And when you’ve done that, you sort of have everybody’s eyes on you while you’re taking the first baby steps trying to make something…but it worked out alright for me.”

For Tove, it’s worked out more than alright. Growing up in her hometown Umeå, Sweden, Tove was a fan of artists such as Patti Smith and Björk. Hailing from an artistic family, her mother, her sister, aunt, and cousin are all dancers. Her father, musician Anders Östman, scored a number one hit on the Swedish radio chart in 1975 and exposed her to music at a young age. Following her Idol claim to fame, Tove was signed by Sony Music in December 2009. In 2010, she released her self-titled debut album, which went platinum in Sweden.

tove-styrke-jeaneen-lund-the-untitled-magazine2

Despite her fast track to success, she felt it was best to take a breather and reconnect with her roots before releasing her debut US album, Kiddo. “I really had a vision in my head of what it was I wanted it to do.  I had a goal.  I had so many ideas that I wanted to try…so much creativity came from that break really.” Tove exudes a freedom of spirit expressed through her music, “There are definitely a lot of electronic textures to it, but I really try to stay as free as I can, sound-wise, and not to strain myself.” As a young woman in the spotlight, Tove has witnessed gender inequality and abuse of power first hand. “…Especially in Sweden, you tend to think that we’re equal. We’re not. People have to go through different things to get to that stage of whatever space that you’re aspiring to claim. And that’s really unfair.” She speaks about her raw experiences and lessons learned on Kiddo. “There are songs about gender and equality. There are songs about love. There are songs about abuse of power.”

Tove has just released an energetic live performance video of her celebrated track, “Borderline.”  When explaining the process behind the hit single she says: “I guess it’s a lot about my anger and my frustration towards society being the way it is. I mean you’re brought up to be something, and people expect a certain thing off of you, whether you’re like a girl or a boy or whatever, and I think that really frustrates me because it holds people back so much. It’s about breaking free from those rules.” From her ambitions to lyrical message, freedom rings – a cause she believes is worth fighting for. “I really hope that people aren’t afraid to keep using the word ‘feminist’…we need to keep on fighting.”

Read the full interview with Tove Styrke and editor-in-chief Indira Cesarine for The #GirlPower Issue below.

_mg_0849rtf
Tove wears a a bralette by Chromat, a mesh top by Monreal London, a necklace by Bond Hardware, a jacket by Richard Chai Love, and earrings by I Still Love You New York.

Indira Cesarine: Tell me about your early days of music. How did you get started as a musician?

Tove Styrke: Well, I started out in a different kind of way, I guess. I was on Swedish Idol when I was 16, and I came in 3rd.  I mean that was kind of a weird way to get into music, but thats how it started.

IC: How was it being a contestant on the show?

TS: Really strange, to be honest. I mean, I said its weird but it really is because when you do that kind of thing, you suddenly get all of this thing but you have so much to prove musically, because that kind of competition is all about popularity, its not about music. And when youve done that, you sort of have everybodys eyes on you while youre taking the first baby steps trying to make something. Its different, but it worked out alright for me.

IC: I understand that your father is a musician. Did he impact your career at all?

TS: Well my dadyeah, hes a musician. He owns a music shop where they sell instruments in my hometown, up north in Sweden. I mean, he used to bring home a lot of instruments when I was a kid. And I guess that was probably a good environment to start from.

IC: So your mother was a ballet teacher. Do you feel like that inspired you to dance and have a career as a performer?

TS: She wasnt a ballet teacher, my mom was a dancer teacher for a while, but most of my life, shes been working in the office at a dance school. But I mean my whole family are artists; my mother, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin are dancers. My cousin is in the Borderlinevideothe one with the dark hair and bangsthats my cousin, who dances. My dad is into music, and my grandfather is the same, so I guess Im from a creative family. And that must have had like some impact on me. But I dont know anything else.

IC: And so how would you describe your sound in your own words?

TS: Well, there are definitely a lot of electronic textures to it. But I really try to feel like to stay as free as I can, sound-wise, and not to put strain on myself. So there are a lot of different things, sprinkles of fun electronic.  Im also influenced by so many different things, its not just music. Im inspired by movies like Kill Bill, I was really inspired by that in the beginning of the creative process.  And I ride a lot on the trains.

IC: You obviously have a lot of different influences. Do you have any particular musical performers that have inspired your work? Any favorite musicians?

TS: Im inspired by so many. Its really hard to pin down a few, because theres literally a hundred. But I mean Bjork was really someone whomusic I fell in love with early. I think I was 10 or something when I discovered her. And Ive always loved her. I love Patti Smith, shes a great lyricist. I love M.I.A. Theres so many. And Im a huge Beyonce fan also, you know. Theres a lot.

IC: Beyonce is pretty amazing. Everybody loves her, dont they?

TS: And Im one of them.

IC: Do you ever feel like you have had a difficult moment in your career? You know, when you were like ‘I dont know if I can do this’I mean, obviously, you did Swedish Idol, so that set a bit of a tone for your career. But at the end of the day, were there moments when you werent sure if you really wanted to be a musician?

TS: Well I did actually3 years ago, I decided to take a break. I needed some distance between me and the music industry. I moved back to my hometown. I needed to explore music on my own for a while without any pressure to sell it. Also needed some time to really get to know myself because Ive been doing this since I was 16. Its a big job when youre 16. Looking back on that, I spent almost a year away from everything, and I realized how extremely important that time away was. Because I dont think that I would have made this record if I havent taken that time away.

IC: Did it give you a refreshed outlook on the whole thing?

TS: It definitely did. I really needed to touch base with myself and get to know myself as a grown-up, and reflect on the world, and my part in it, and from that place, I was able to make music with a completely solid foundation to stand on. And with this record, I really had a vision in my head of what it was I wanted it to do. I had a goal. I had so many ideas that I wanted to try. The whole thing— so much creativity came from that break really.

IC: What about your song, Even If Im Loud It Doesnt Mean Im Talking To You”—tell me a little bit about that song. What inspired that?

TS: Its just that I had that line. Usually, I come up with lines when Im on busses or on trains. They just come to you. We were sitting in the studio and we came across this drum beat. Suddenly, this whole rant just came from nowhere. I was writing it so fast, but I could barely keep up with my fingers on the phone. It was so many things that I needed to say because that song is really about just claiming your own space, that this is me, this is what Im going to do, and I dont care if you dont want to hear. I dont care if you think what Im doing is irrelevant or not, Im still gonna do it. If you dont want to hear it, then you dont need to listen.

IC: I like that attitude.

TS: I needed to tell myself that and I need to say it out loud. Ive been in the industry for, what is it now, like 5 years and you know, especially in Sweden, you tend to think that were really equal, but were not. People have to go through different things to get to that stage of whatever space that youre aspiring to claim. Thats really unfair.

IC: So tell me about your last album, Kiddo.

TS: Well, the album is quite all over the place. I think in a good way. The songs differ a lot from each other, every song is sort of its own story. With every song, Ive tried to enhance the core in the meaning or the initial idea of the song as much as I can with the sound and everything. So there are songs about samurais. There are songs about gender and equality. There are songs about love. There are songs about abuse of power. Theres so many different things in it. I feel like this record is very very personal to me—so many things that I think about, things that make me happy or sad or furious are on there because I sort of deal with my emotions by writing about them.

IC: Your song Borderline, can you tell me about the inspiration for that?

TS: My initial idea was to describe, or try to describe, the patriarchy as the Matrix— something that you could wake up from, and could realize that this whole thing, is made up, and it doesnt need to be this way. I guess its a lot about my anger and my frustration towards society being the way it is. I mean youre brought up to be something, and people expect a certain thing of you, whether youre a girl or a boy or whatever; that really frustrates me because it holds people back so much. Its sort of about breaking free from those rulesbreaking free and deciding for yourself who you are.

IC: Thats pretty inspirational, very important.

TS: Yeah, its really, really important. I mean, that message is such a simple thing. Its so obvious that this is wrong and we should aspire for something else that I think people forget to talk about it.

IC: This is our Girl Powerissue, which is focused on empowering women. And Id love to ask you, do you consider yourself a feminist?

TS: I do. I definitely do!

IC: I know youve spoken out about gender and equality in previous interviews and I read a few of those where you talked about male and female stereotypes and how you wish society reacted differently to women. Can you elaborate a little bit about the opinions on the subject for us?

TS: I think its really simple. I mean all people should just have the same opportunity to be who they want to be, and thats not the case today. If you’re a girl people expect something of you and if you’re a boy people expect something different out of you, and if youre in between, I guess its really hard. I mean, its just messed up. I really hope that people arent afraid to keep using the word feministand being feministand to keep spreading the knowledge of what the patriarch is and what our society looks like. We need to keep on fighting.


Tove Styrke photographed by Jeaneen Lund for The Untitled Magazine’s #GirlPower Issue
Stylist: Karen Levitt

Hair by Clay Nielsen
Make-up by Georgina Billington
Interview by Indira Cesarine

This article originally appeared in The #GirlPower Issue of The Untitled Magazine (2015), pick up a copy of the issue in our online store today!


Where Art, Fashion & Culture Collide

Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Tiktok

Member Login

Forgot Password?

Join Us

Password Reset

Please enter your e-mail address. You will receive a new password via e-mail.