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Scandinavian music If there’s one artist I’m hoping to hear a lot more from in 2022, it’s ILON – a name that every pop fan should be familiarising themselves with. The Finnish newcomer provided one of the most relentless earworms of 2021 with her single Tobacco, and now she’s back with another beauty – her latest single Dream. On it, the tempo may have been dropped considerably in comparison to its predecessor, but the emphasis placed on a great melody has not; if anything, it’s been ramped up. Dream takes its influence from ‘80s bigbeat ballads and modern day synthpop, and it’s just as dreamy as you would hope and expect from a song with that title. Across the border in Sweden, Melanie Wehbe has taken a quick break from writing Danish radio airplay number 1s, Melodifestivalen winners and Idol winner
singles – all for a selection of other artists – to focus on her own music. She releases her debut EP in early 2022, and new single Sugarcoat is an exciting taste of what’s to come from her. Staccato beats and dualpersonality vocals form the pillars of what’s a fresh and personal take on accepting the inevitable end of a relationship, resulting in Sugarcoat positioning itself as a new kind of break-up anthem for us to take with us into 2022. Two of Norway’s biggest pop exports – Astrid S and Dagny – have paired up for a collaboration that is so perfect for both of them, you wonder why it has taken them so long to come up with the idea of duetting. New single Pretty sounds like it could well have been lifted from the highlights of either of their most recent albums. It’s a feel-good slice of radio-friendly electronica about the
Chit-chat and snow problems In Sweden, the further north you go, the less people speak. This fact does not detract from the welcoming charm of Northerners – they’re just wise enough to save their energy for things that really matter, like working out where the roads end and the fields begin (snow problems) and layering wool jumpers (snow problems). There’s something comforting about knowing that you are unlikely to be accosted for a chat when you’re out and about, and can get on with your business in peace. Therefore, imagine our alarm when, a while ago, my sister and I were greeted by the sight of a man coming out of his house as we passed and striding purposefully in our direction. Our shock grew when we realised that he was not even appropriately dressed! In reality, he was probably just a few wool jumpers short of the required number, but the sight was so jarring that he might as well have been trundling through the snow in bare feet. 120 | Issue 138 | January 2022
By Karl Batterbee
euphoria that comes about from catching a mere glimpse of another half’s face. When both of these artists eventually get around to releasing their own Greatest Hits collections, Pretty will have pride of place on both. Web: www.scandipop.co.uk
By Maria Smedstad
strap, splitting his lip open. On seeing my sister, he likely hoped he could save himself a trip to the hospital, and all the bothersome social interaction that would entail. “You need a people doctor,” my sister advised and he shrugged, uttered some single-word reply like “Hmm” or “Oj”, before turning back the way he had come. We too carried on walking, without comment. That was enough chit-chat for one day.
By this point, the fact that his face was covered in blood only mildly added to the confusion. And then – sure enough – he addressed us. “You’re a vet,” he said to my sister, who is one. Then, pointing to his bleeding face, “Does this need stitches?” It transpired that he’d been out with his huskies and got injured by a loose sled-
Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. Maria writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.
