Tove Lo Says "It's Okay To Be Messy"
The Swedish star opens up about her new album ‘ESTRUS,’ self-sabotage and the beauty of not having all the answers.
Tove Lo has never been one to shy away from the messier side of being human. Across a decade of diaristic pop, the Swedish singer has made a career out of turning sex, heartbreak and self-destruction into something you can dance to, and her upcoming sixth album, ESTRUS, is no different.
Named after the biological term for an animal in heat, the record finds Lo leaning into her most primal impulses, from the urgent need for validation to the inner saboteur that keeps getting in her way. But beneath the horny, chaotic energy is a newfound willingness to look inward. “I still cause drama,” she laughs, reflecting on the destructive behaviors explored throughout the album, “there’s a vulnerability in admitting that.” But she adds, “Now I’m giving more nuance to my emotions.”
Written between LA and her native Sweden, ESTRUS is a record about embracing contradiction: feeling powerful and fragile, wanting control while craving release and learning that you don’t always need to have an answer. Ahead of its release, Tove Lo talks to Hypebae about finding her way back to herself, working with Stromae, her perfect night out and why sometimes, it’s okay to stay messy. Read on for the full interview.
Your new album Estrus is coming out soon. Can you tell us a little bit about the meaning behind the title?
It’s the biological word for an animal in heat, ready to procreate. I think the reason why I chose it is that it’s kind of horny; it’s about primal feelings, but it’s also when you’re in a state of having a lot of conflicting emotions. You’re feral, but you’re also feeling quite fragile and sensitive, with anxiety and unrest. It’s sort of where I’ve existed emotionally and physically during this album process.
You released the track “I’m your girl right?” earlier this year. The title feels quite insecure but familiar for a lot of people. What was the inspiration behind it?
This track also has the contradiction of urgency, feeling like you want to hunt, quite dominant and animalistic- but also has these very needy lyrics coming in. Looking for validation and making sure that the other person is where you are is such a funny feeling that I always get. There’s this attraction and passion; you’re feeling really confident in yourself, but then you just get hit with the thought, “But you feel the same, right?” It’s about getting bounced between those two feelings. I wanted to embody all that in one song.
This is a really honest output. Were there things that you wrote about on this record that felt more vulnerable than anything you’ve shared before?
Yeah, I feel like I’m really just putting it all out there. This time, there was a sense of not really having any answers, and also taking accountability for my actions in terms of my destructive behavior. These are things that a lot of people wouldn’t want to admit to without blaming someone else. In the past I’ve thought, “I feel this way because of you, it’s your fault,” or, “I act this way because of you.” I think now I’m giving more nuance to my emotions. I mean, I still cause drama, so there’s a vulnerability in admitting that too I guess. There’s definitely a bit of maturity, so that’s good, a slight growth [laughs].
You went back to Sweden to write a lot of this project. Did being there influence the subjects that you were writing about?
Yeah, definitely. When I started this process, I started in LA with Ludwig [Söderberg], who I’ve done so many of my albums with. Usually, we’re itching to get back into it and we both come with inspiration from life and music. This time we felt all that energy, but when we went in I thought, I don’t know who I am or what I want to say. I felt the pressure of this being my sixth album, like I needed to have a message. Writing from that place does not work well at all for me. I wasn’t ready to open up. Then I realized I actually don’t need to have a message; I just need to write from my heart. It sounds so simple, but for some reason it always takes me a while to remember that again, every album process.
So, I felt like I had to go to a place where I could shave off all the artist layers and just be Tove. That place in Sweden, I spend every summer there, even if it’s just for two days, just to put my feet on the ground, go in the water and feel like I’ve connected to it. It’s where I had my first kiss, first love, first heartbreak, first summer of depression, insomnia, every good and bad first I’ve had there. Some people would avoid those places because it can be triggering, but I feel like I invite the triggers to kick back into those emotional places; it helps me create.
You’ve mentioned a few of them, but can you tell us any specific memories from your youth that inspired you in this record?
There are a few songs about the inner saboteur on the album. “Idiot” is one, and then also “If I Could I Would.” It sounds like I’m singing to a person, but I’m actually singing to the girl that I’m battling, the two sides of me. One side is very perfectionist, type A, and wants everything to be the best at all times. The other is sort of destructive, a bit messy and looking for trouble. I’m always gonna be falling in between both of them, but actually I’m happiest when I’m leaning a bit more to the messy one, because she’s more forgiving. So this song is me singing to the perfectionist girl who’s kind of harsh and cold, but I still want her approval.
You’ve mentioned being a little messy and chaotic, and I think that really shows through in the album, both sonically and emotionally. What advice would you give to all the messy girls out there?
I think I would just say you’re doing great. It’s okay to be a little messy; I think we should all lean into our vices a bit here and there. Balance is good, though; don’t let it fully take over, but I think always avoiding your fun impulse makes you sick in the end if you never let yourself fall into it. So yeah, stay messy.
There’s a track with Stromae, which I love. Can you tell us a bit about how this collaboration came about, and what it was like working with him?
Thank you, I love it too! I’ve been a huge fan of his for a very long time. I’d been hinting and politely reaching out, saying, “Hey, if you ever want to work together, I’m here.” He finally just sent me some tracks out of the blue and I was in shock and so excited. I was in New Zealand at the time and had my portable studio with me, so I just locked myself in a room for three days, and then the “des fleurs” track really stood out to me, with the piano and the beat and how it’s more of a waltz tempo than the classic four-four. I thought, “This feels fun and challenging musically and something I’ve never done before.” So, I sat, wrote and recorded it and did a lot of the vocal production there in New Zealand. I sent it over to him and thought, “I hope he feels this,” and luckily he did; he loved it!
Sometimes when you do these collaborations, your visions aren’t aligned, but I think for our visions on this, we were 100% aligned. I didn’t even properly meet him until we did the music video in Paris. It was crazy to work like that and still feel like we were on the same page. He’s so lovely and warm and he’s got such an artistic energy.
Who’s someone else you’d love to collaborate with?
Oh, so many! Slayyyter, Doechii. I’m a huge fan of Doechii. Megan Thee Stallion, obviously. I’m still waiting for her to call me back. That’d be awesome; she’s been such a big part of my life since her saying my name went viral. I just think we need to make a song. But yeah, I mean the list is long, but mostly women, apparently.
How would you describe your perfect night out?
Ooh, I’m actually gonna describe one I had recently that was just so fun. I was in Paris during Fashion Week, and I had my hubby and our best friends with me. We started by going out to a super late dinner; it was the heatwave and we were sitting outside drinking a bunch of wine, smoking a bunch of cigarettes. Then we went to Silencio, and I DJed for an hour to a bunch of lovely, cute Paris fans and then we just literally stayed in that club for like seven hours and danced and talked and smoked. I love when you get in that sort of delirium where you’re thinking, “How long have we been here?” and you’re just rolling around in the same space, forgetting time. Then the four of us went home and ate cheese and baguettes and kept drinking and having a mini afterparty, just us. I love when you don’t need to think about what’s coming next; you’re just so present.
Do you have a favorite lyric from the album?
Ah, it changes all the time, but I think right now, it’s in “F.A.M.T.” in the chorus. It goes, “I should be working on myself right now. Don’t wanna know, don’t wanna figure it out. I’d rather fuck away my tears somehow.” That first line, “I should be working on myself right now,” feels so familiar; we’ve all been there.
I love that I just got a little live rendition from you as well; thank you!
Oh yeah, sorry. It’s fun; I’ve just been rehearsing in Stockholm for a week, getting my voice back in, and I realized how long it’s been since I used my voice to its full capacity. I forgot how much it makes me feel good and makes me feel like everything is okay in the world, or in my world at least. So now I’m just singing all the time.
What’s one thing that you hope people take away or feel from your album when they first listen to it?
Oh, good question. It’s not an album for advice or answers, but I hope that when you’ve listened through, you feel a bit more understood. I hope that you leave it feeling like when you watch a really intense movie or you’ve seen a really amazing show. I want everyone to feel how I felt after I watched FKA twigs at Coachella, where I was just completely like, “What was that? That was so amazing and beautiful and my heart is ripped open,” but also like there are sparkles in there. That’s what I want.
My final question for you is, what’s next?
In the very near future, I’m going on tour, starting with a release run in North America, and then a big Europe one. Then it’s just gonna be a lot of touring and more music, as always, because that’s just how I am. I’m gonna keep fighting to keep this dream alive that somehow happened to me.
