Scandipop is a fascinating genre for music lovers, with its blend of electro, pop, and other influences making for a unique listening experience. Each song adds something interesting to the mix, which keeps the listener on their toes.
However, for even the biggest Scandipop fan, there are some things they may not know about their favorite artists. Things like where one of Tove Lo’s biggest hits came from, the curious place where Lykke Li lived as a child, and other intriguing nuggets of info.
With that in mind, here are five facts about Scandinavia’s much-loved pop world that you may not have heard before.
Lykke Li lived on a Portuguese mountain top as a child
Lykke Li may have famously sung about rivers, but she grew up on another natural landmark. From the age of five, the Swedish singer lived on a Portuguese mountain with her artistic family.
Her dad, cited as one of her main influences, plays world music and has mastered almost every instrument, while her mum is a photographer.
The rural surroundings and natural beauty must have inspired the star in some profound way, as many of her songs reference nature and the power of it.
Li’s parents still live there now, and the singer makes frequent visits there – a far cry from her native Scandinavia!
Tove Lo’s ‘Habits’ came about because she refused to join a Buddhist movement
Songs are inspired by all kinds of things, but perhaps even Tove Lo didn’t anticipate her hit ‘Habits’ to come about because she turned down the chance to join a Buddhist community.
Her relationship with her ex hit the rocks when he insisted that she followed him into a world of spirituality. Lo declined, mainly because of her music career, but the break-up sent her into a spiral of depression, in which she turned to various vices.
The song she wrote about the experience is not just about habits that we hear about every day, such as problem gambling or, in Lo’s case, drugs and alcohol, but is also about becoming addicted to a person.
The result? Well, the song hit the top spot in the Canadian, Polish, Romanian, and even the US Mainstream Top 40 chart. It was also a sleeper hit in several countries, meaning its sales started off slow, but it turned into a popular anthem.
Proof that good things do sometimes come out of bad situations.
Sigrid’s first performance ended in tears
When Sigrid burst onto the scene a few years ago, her energy and confidence captivated a huge number of Scandipop fans, with several in the music thing calling her the ‘next big thing’.
It was all very different to the Norwegian singer’s first public appearance as a five-year-old when she had to be taken off the stage after bursting into tears in front of 200 other children.
She managed to recover, though. By the time she’d reached her teens, she was performing Nirvana covers with her older brother (Tellef Raabe, also a musician), and releasing her own music. ‘Sun’ became her first single, which scored well in the Scandinavian charts.
Thankfully, her school concert’s loss became Scandipop’s gain!
Anna of the North makes notable guest appearances
Scandipop’s a lesser-known genre compared to others, but you’ve probably heard Anna of the North, otherwise known as Anna Lotterud, in some pretty famous places.
Take Tyler, The Creator. The US rapper asked Anna, then part of Anna of the North when it was a duo with Brady Daniell-Smith, to appear on two of his tracks on his album Flower Boy in 2017. Rex Orange County and Frank Ocean were her fellow guest stars on the two tracks.
If you’re a fan of Netflix movies, then you may have also heard the star in the movies To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in 2018, and its follow-up three years later.
It’s an impressive run of appearances for someone from a small town of Gjøvik in Norway, and it feels like just the start.
Zara Larsson was a ‘miracle baby’
‘Miracle baby’ is a term that gets used a lot, but in Zara Larsson’s case, it appears it really is justified.
In an interview, the Swedish star revealed that she was technically ‘born dead’ because of nuchal cord. This is when the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the baby’s neck and chokes them, depriving them of oxygen. Thanks to the quick actions of the medical staff at the Karolinska University Hospital, Zara was resuscitated and went on to make a full recovery.
The star has no lasting health problems from the episode and has grown up to be one of Scandipop’s biggest stars.
