Scandipop: February 2023

Swedish up-and-comer Paula Jivén is back with her first single since last summer’s excellent debut EP The Duality In Me. New release Can We Talk About Me? provides Paula with the ideal platform for channeling one of her most admirable traits as an artist: her engaging storytelling. Accompanying her lyrics are an endearingly eccentric pop production and a skittish melody that ascends and descends according to the beat, challenging us to come along for the ride, if we can take it.

Icelandic artist Daniel Oliver is out with a brand-new tune – Ready For Love. A rare feat in today’s Spotify playlist popscape, this track actually clocks in at just over four minutes. And in that time, Daniel has been able to compose a song that, almost exactly halfway through, switches from mega-ballad to arena-pop banger. Both genres showcase a change in direction for Daniel in this synthpop era of his, but they are blended together brilliantly.

As her previous single Summer Really Hurt Us takes off in the UK, Finland’s ALMA is now out with the follow-up Hey Mom Hey Dad. It’s a switch-up in sound for our Finnish pop icon as she takes a brief break from futuristic electronica sounds to slow it down to a retro-chic pace. Melodically, this sounds like it could be a rewrite of an old classic. But it’s actually the artist composing a new classic – which she seems to be doing a lot of, recently.

Sweden’s Seinabo Sey has just gone and delivered an unmissable listening experience. Her latest single Suzuki exudes an irresistible warmth that invites you in on the positive-vibes fest that it’s doing such a good job of hosting. Self-affirmation features highly in the theme of the lyrics, and the feel-good message is infectious. And really, who would turn that down right now?

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