Interview with Tove Lo - Speaking to the Queen of the Clouds

Kicking off the festivities at Yasalam Beats on the Beach was Scandinavian Singer and songwriter Tove Lo, who burst onto the international scene with her debut album, Queen of the Clouds. Boasting chart hits with songs like Stay High (Habits) and Talking Body, the singer's UAE debut sure got the crowd's adrenaline pumping. I had the opportunity to meet with Lo and hear what she had to say about her music and the UAE.

Tell us about yourself.

Well, my name is Tove Lo. I am from Sweden. I am a singer and a sonqwriter. I started as a songwriter, and about two years ago I decided to release some stuff on my own. I thought it'll be something at an indie level, but then my song, Habits, took off and changed my life.

How are you feeling right now?

It's my first time here in the UAE so it is a new audience and you never know what to expect. But I'm very excited and a little bit nervous, too. But I know it's going to be fun!

When you decided to expand your music and try out new things, what did you think it would lead to?

The reason I started to expand my music initially was because I had all these songs that were so personal that I didn't just want to give them away. And I wanted to have something out there that's exactly the way I want it, because sometimes when you're a writer you have to compromise on what the artist wants, which, you know, makes sense for them. And that is why I decided to start my own indie project on the side but then it completely took over, so now I have no time to do any songwriting for others. But that's okay because I enjoy doing this for the moment.

What's the inspiration behind your songs?

The inspiration behind my songs is my life really.

The past album was basically about my past failed relationships! It's just the good and bad parts of love, I think. It dictates that very open-heartedly, I think. And it's also me admitting to my flaws and mistakes, in the music.

Do you think that makes your music more relatable?

Yeah, I guess it does, because sometimes people don't want to admit certain things about themselves, when asked directly. But in my music I can actually admit to those things when in reality I wouldn't in person. It's weird, I know!

How do you feel about singing at Yasalam Beats on the Beach?

I'm very excited. It was so cool today when we sound checked because you could see the beautiful turquoise water and it was a really amazing feeling. I've never been here before, but I found everything to be so beautiful.

What type of personality would you say you have?

I would say I'm adventurous. I would probably say that I'm very bad at following rules, so if someone tells me a rule, or especially if I come up with a rule for myself, I will most probably break it. Like if I tell myself to not do something for two weeks that will be all that I'm doing. So I'm kind of bad that way. But I'm curious about life and I love the touring life, because I get to see so many new places, people and cultures all the time. So I guess it suits me really well to be an artist and a curious person that way.

What's the craziest or most exciting thing you have ever done?

Of all the things, if we're talking about a music related thing, I would say performing with Taylor Swift at her show in a stadium with 56,000 people. I was so insanely scared and so excited at the same time and at one point I was just like, "Oh My God! My nerves are going to kill me!". And I had to come up out of the floor and she was singing the song with me and I guess that was one of the coolest and most exciting things I've done, music-wise. The craziest thing I've done would probably be the time I went to an abandoned train station rave in Rio, Brazil. That was especially crazy and although I did have a bodyguard with me sent by the label he was very unhappy about being there. But hey, it was a lot of fun!

How do you deal with your nerves and jitters?

I don't really get nervous in a bad way; it's more just adrenaline and excitement. But usually, when it's a new crowd you just have to go out there and do your thing, and kind of have to feel where they are. Over here, I feel like some people might not even know who I am, some might know one song, or some of these people might know each and every song of mine. So I guess I'm just going to do my thing and deliver the songs in the ways that I always do and sing my heart out and hopefully people will feel it the way I do.

What's your favourite song from the album?

It varies day to day, but right now it's Moments because I loved making that video and it's pretty crazy and dark, and I loved how it turned out. Making the video for the song was two of the most intense days I've had in my life so I'm really happy about how it all turned out.