Loreen radiates positive energy. After two Eurovision wins – with Euphoria Oh Tattoo – she is back with new music, a new album and a European tour.
PHOTO CHARLIE LJUNG

I have learned to stand up for what I believe in. What's fascinating is that when I haven't compromised, good things have happened. When I did Tattoo, there were no compromises; I felt it was ‘me’.

This album is my journey and it has taken a long time, says Loreen with a broad smile when INRIKES meets her via Zoom. She is sitting on the sofa in her living room in central Stockholm. She is dressed in black linen and a cap. Her right hand is adorned with several chunky silver rings. On the white wall behind her, modern art posters in bold patterns and colours can be glimpsed. It's clear that Loreen is a passionate and spiritual personality. She expresses herself with her whole body and gestures a lot with her hands and arms when she talks. There is a glow to everything she says and her laughter is big, spontaneous, and infectious.

– After Eurovision, so much was happening. I had an incredible amount to do. It was very fun, but there were so many places I had to be and even more places I wanted to be. My whole life was turned upside down with a lot of touring and other things. At the same time, I had to try and put together music for an album. Music that is good and represents me. I didn't want to make an album of: clap clap – songs just to get it done quickly. I'm not wired that way. She laughs heartily and adds that she needs time to work through the right feelings when she's involved in a project that requires creative output.

– I need to feel my way. When there have been quieter periods, I've been able to think about what I actually want to say in the music on the album – all of that which needs to be there so that I feel I'm channelling pure energy. I can't create if I don't feel there's something meaningful, something that is bigger than myself and my own experience of myself.

How free are you in your artistic creation, given your stature as an artist, with international management, a record label, and concert promoters investing heavily in your career? How much do you get to decide for yourself?

– My thing from day one – perhaps mainly because I'm a woman in the industry – is that I've had to compromise far too many times, especially at the beginning of my career. But I learned different lessons from the compromises I had to make. I've learned to stand up for what I believe in. What's fascinating is that when I haven't compromised, good things have happened. When I did Tattoo there were no compromises, I felt it was ‘me’.

Have you ever felt like you've been conned?

– Yes. Haha, haha! Yes! That's the only reason I can sit and talk to you now. There are clear moments where I wasn't myself; it even started when I was on Idol. I remember thinking: I'd better do as they want, to please others, because that person knows better, having been in the industry much longer than me.

Many people have asked me if I live in two worlds; in the world as an artist and in the world as a private person. But I see no difference between private and work. I don't see my job as a job.

Today I have a greater understanding of how the music industry works. The industry works by wanting to push you in a direction where they believe they can get the most out of their artists. That's the name of the game when it comes to anything business-related. I get it. I understand that the industry finds it harder to believe in what's new because there's a greater financial risk involved. Should we really invest in something that's never been done before? It requires an enormous amount of courage from the record label's side as well. Since I now understand more about how the industry works, I have a rather honest communication with my record label and everyone else I work with, and that has yielded a good
result. But it’s important to stand by what you do, because it won’t work if you pretend to be something you’re not.

How do you prepare for album releases and tours? Just the act of singing and moving on stage as you do, while simultaneously singing, must require an incredible amount of training, not only for your singing voice but physically and mentally too?

– It demands a lot. Firstly, travelling back and forth and being mentally connected. When I work on a project, I'm very disciplined, I have to be otherwise it won't be good. It demands a lot and I have to respect my body, because it's the one that has to take all the abuse. You can't just think ‘oh well'
’we're ordering a big bottle of wine' when I have a big show the next day. I can't be bothered with that, I need to go to bed early.

Do you have time for privacy?

– Monika. This is my life. Haha! Many have asked me if I live in two worlds; in the world as an artist and in the world as a private individual. But I see no difference between private and work. I don't see my job as a job, Monika. I have no private life, haha. I live in Stockholm and on Gotland, and when I'm on Gotland, I can be free and live more anonymously than in Stockholm. I spend most of my time on Gotland when it's not tourist season. Then I'll be puttying windows, going for walks and grounding myself by being out in nature and listening to bird song.

Many artists today have side projects alongside their music, ranging from clothing brands to perfumes. Do you have any side projects?

– I've done a few brand collaborations, but I don't just jump into anything. I have to be able to stand behind the fact that they're good products. I am a kind of creative director in my own machinery. You have to have that presence as an artist if you want it to be authentic. But what I've learned is that it's about finding the right kind of people who are a bit like me and who understand what I want to create. Otherwise, there will be the wrong kind of friction in the team. I work with a fairly large team, and it works fantastically well. Everyone is brilliant at what they do, and they have an understanding of what I want and don't want. For example, no one would ever ask if I would like to
to do an advertising collaboration with a casino, because the team knows that I would never jump on. When it comes to performances and choreography, I work very closely with my team and am involved in deciding every last detail. It's not worth letting everything go to someone else. I would hate myself if I did that, ultimately I have to be comfortable in my own body. In the end, it's all about the same thing: being true to yourself. And for Loreen, there is no alternative.

3 QUICK
… is listening to: the Icelandic musician and composer Ólafur Arnalds, with whom she also has the band SAGES.
… reading: She always has several books on the go. One of the most recent books she read was Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth.
… is watching: She watches quite a lot of interesting lectures, and among other things, she likes to watch and listen to Teal Swan, who is an American spiritual influencer and author.

Loreen
Full name: Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui.
Age: 42.
Bor Stockholm and Gotland.
Family Mother and six siblings.
Background in brief: In 2004, Loreen participated in Idol, where she came in fourth place. She had a major breakthrough in 2012 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Euphoria. In 2023, she won Eurovision again, with the song Tattoo. She has toured Europe and had hit songs worldwide. Her debut album, Heal, was released in 2012. The follow-up, Ride, was released in 2017.
Currently With the new album Wildfire and the hit single Feels Like Heaven.