A Rendezvous with Swedish Golden Boy, ELIAS

This post is sponsored by Warner.

For decades now, Sweden has been a breeding ground for musical talent, birthing the likes of Tove Lo, Avicii and Zara Larsson. Whether this phenomena stems from the crappy weather, the generous welfare system or just general boredom, is still a mystery. For a country with such a sparse population one would think that the talent well would have run dry by now, but alas it continues to deliver blossoming artistes. One of these rising stars is 20-year-old ELIAS, a concoction of James Blake soulfulness and Bon Iver potential. With an album under his belt and two singles hot of the press, we met up for a classic Swedish rendezvous, also known as fika, to speak about the Sweden democrats, the ultimate date and his musical future.

Tell me who you are.  I want to know everything.
Well, I was born at Södersjukhuset [Laughs]. I guess the beginning of my life… involved me wearing dresses a lot. I think I just very early on knew that I liked expressing myself. But I didn't get into music until later on in life.

Tell me about your love affair with music.
Partly it was the fact that I've always loved listening to music. But I had a very hard time singing and expressing music because I hated performing in front of other people. Which used to be a problem. But after a while, the love for music kind of took over and I started singing in front of other people. At least a little. And then I joined Tensta Gospel Choir, so I had to learn how to perform.

Your breakthrough single "Revolution" is quite political. 
Absolutely. I've always felt a huge disdain towards norms and socially constructed constellations. I feel suffocated. I don't fit the stereotype of a "manly man". And it's always been a bit of a struggle because I've never figured out how to fit myself into it. That mold you know? I've tried but never really succeeded. So I think that was one of the main reasons for me writing it.

The 'male stereotype', what does that mean to you?
Obviously there are all the basics, like things you were told that you were supposed to like when you were younger. You know? They've never really appealed to me. Another basic thing is what you wear, in comparison to what you're supposed to want to wear. But more than that I guess it's how you act, how you reason and reflect on things. Like with any role created by society, it suffocates people. So I guess it's an…

…expression of that?
Yes! But it's also individual, what your own personal revolution is. And also, I'm just so fucking tired of what our society has become. How we close the borders on living people. I wrote the song when the extremist right wing had just begun building momentum in Sweden. And at that time I was very politically active, so I was on the frontline of protests, against SDU for example.  But now I don't yell so much anymore – not outside of school buildings anyway. But I do it in other ways I guess.

I've been listening to your new singles "Down and Out" and "Making Me Happy".  they both have a completely different sound compared to "Revolution".
Yeah, I think it just kind of happened when I was writing them, but on the other hand they're part of an album. So when you hear the album as a whole, I think they make a bit more sense. Now it's just kind of like… "Where the hell is he going with this".

Tell me about the new album.
It's kind of like a platform. And that platform is me and my struggles. It's an array of different situations, aspects, and emotions, but the common denominator is a feeling of exclusion and alienation, and a longing for something bigger. Or maybe more of a search. A search for strength… and [Laughs] Wow, this all just sounds so depressing. So sad. It just sounded so fucking depressing out loud.​

When you speak of a feeling of alienation, is it something you've experienced yourself, or is it more of a general alienation?
Both. But of course mostly my own as I am writing from my perspective. And perhaps stemming from how I've felt growing up, in different ways. It's written in from the perspective of the person standing outside looking in. What that person sees, hears and experiences.

You're gonna be playing in Europe this summer, what gig are you the most excited about?
I'm pretty psyched about them all actually! But I would have to say Longitude… It's in Ireland, I think. Kendrick Lamar is playing there. Daughter and Kelela are playing there, too. The lineup is amazing. I'm really hoping to run into Kendrick backstage.

When I first heard you I thought you were James Blake's and King Krule's illegitimate love child. What have been some of your musical inspirations?
When I started with music I was 16, and I loved both King Krule and James Blake. I think you take in influences continuously, subconsciously even. So when you sit down to create something, I think those influences just kind of automatically seep through.

Describe yourself in three words.
I'd say I'm quite unpredictable to myself. My emotions fluctuate a lot. So I'm kind of like "Oh, ok, so this is what I feel today, wadda you know?". And then I'll act on those emotions. Then I'd say that I'm very loyal to those close to me. And I put a lot of effort into it. Lastly, I'd say I'm emotional. ​

Describe your ideal date. What would you eat, where would you go, what would you do?
We'd go to the beach and watch the sunset… [Laughs]. Only kidding. But on my date, there would be lots of fruit – watermelon, strawberries – I love fruit. And then different juices, sticking with the fruit theme. I like light things. Maybe a baguette. A little alcohol, red wine or beer. And a little weed. We'd sit somewhere high up, I like having a view of the city. Seeing rooftops. So perhaps we would sit on one. That's a perfect date.​