Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Cazzi Opeia
really go out of their way to show their appreciation for what we have created for them.”
Life as a producer Carlebecker Forssell works as part of a close-knit team of four in a studio in Stockholm, but travels around the world – predominantly to South Korea – for songwriting camps, where groups of songwriters gather to create music during intense sessions. The artists aren’t involved in the studio process, and when they do meet them, Carlebecker Forssell admits that it’s a pretty big thing. “Once, when I met the massively popular K-pop band Red Velvet, I was so nervous that I reached out my hand and said, ‘Hi, I’m Red Velvet’! Oh my god,” she chuckles. Inspiration comes from everything around her – nature, events, people – and tends to strike when you least expect it. “I came up with the Twice song Dance the Night Away while standing in an escalator; it just popped into my head and my instant thought was ‘wow, I need to record this’. Fast-forward to today and it’s a song that millions of people listen to and love. It’s an incredible process,” she says.
The future of Cazzi Opeia and K-pop Despite their relative anonymity in the west, the songs that Carlebecker Forssell has written for K-pop bands such as Red Velvet, Itzy, TXT and BTS have earned more than one billion streams on Spotify combined and awarded her eight Billboard hits – thus far. She was nominated for Musikförläggarnas Pris (the most prestigious award for producers in Sweden) in the International Success category not once but twice, in 2018 and 2019, alongside Robyn and Avicii – a clear indicator of her importance as a contributor to Swedish music export. “Swedes are remarkable in their melodic language,” she reflects. “We have a certain style, and we are very good at creating hooks that stay with people and last a long time. Just look at ABBA, Max Martin, Avicii...” She believes that K-pop is moving onto the commercial, western pop stage, and artists are starting to open their eyes to the genre: the boyband BTS only re44 | Issue 134 | March 2020
Moa creates fun and sparkly pop music that has made a great impact in the world of K-pop. Photo: Christian Coinbergh
cently announced a new album with Ed Sheeran and Sia co-writes – and, obviously, Cazzi Opeia alongside Ellen Berg. Her career may have taken a natural upward turn within K-pop, off the back of her success in the genre, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she is restricted to it. She is currently busy with a variety of projects, so the future forecast for About K-pop: K-pop is a pop genre originating from South Korea, incorporating a wild range of influences such as rock, jazz, hip-hop, folk, country, traditional Korean music roots and more. K-pop has grown from a sub-culture in the ‘90s into a multi-billion-dollar industry and was named by Time as South Korea’s greatest export.
Cazzi Opeia looks exciting. “I will always work hard to evolve and learn new things, and I hope that I can continue with my music for a long time ahead. My focus is always on staying present, being happy with what I have and writing from the heart while working with amazing people. As long as I can do that, I believe that the universe will sort out the rest,” she concludes. The stars are aligning... Cazzi Opeia’s favourite K-pop tracks she’s written:
– We are Bulletproof: The Eternal with BTS – Dance the Night Away with Twice – Peek-A-Boo with Red Velvet – Psycho with Red Velvet – ICY with Itzy www.cazziopeia.com Facebook: Cazzi Opeia