Becky and the Birds

Thank you!

I knew of the Beggar's Group. I've always been a fan of XL and Young. It used to be Young Turks, but now it's Young. I used to listen to Purity Ring and Grimes. I remember sitting in the studio years ago, and I looked them up, because I was curious to see what label they were on. And then it was 4AD, so it kind of felt a little manifested.

The A&R there, she heard the first song that I released by myself on SoundCloud. So it felt very stereotypical, like an old school way, like early 2000s almost, she just hit me up, and eventually she came to Sweden, and I played her some music. Then I went to their office in London and I met everyone.

I think it was just so much happening at that time, so I was just taking it all in, but at the same time not, because there was so much happening. There were more labels reaching out and it just felt right to begin to know them, because I appreciated how much they cared about the art and the music. I appreciated their artists roster and their back catalogue. It just felt right. For me, the art and the music will always come first, that is what I care about at the end of the day. Other labels feel like they don't really care about the art and the music [like they do], so it wasn’t interesting for me.

To me an alter ego or a different name than your real one is the best way to be strong in your creative vulnerability but still protecting it. It has provided me a safe space that's secluded from everything else.

Yes, the first EP was released by myself and this was one the first released on a label.

No, it was the first EP, Trasslig, and then the debut album, but I did do some features, both singing and producing, like for instance Dijon, he's a great artist, and the R&B Soul artist Spencer who released on 4AD too. So I did some feature collabs. But apart from that, it was just the two EPs and now my debut full-length.

I wanted to keep Only music makes me cry now, very creative, and quite open. When I wrote Trasslig, it was the first time that I released something as a signed artist and that first time came with more pressure for me, in a way. I had to find my voice while still having other voices around me for the first time, especially some people’s inputs telling me what they wanted. So Trasslig was a process of battling how to use my voice in the midst of everyone else's. However, this time it was quite nice, because I had already passed that stage. I felt like this was more like a creative release for me.

Yeah, exactly. With the two first EPs, the main goal for me was to prove to myself that I could produce everything myself and get that done. Because in the first two EPs, I did everything myself, I even mixed the first one by myself, too. I love to get into that sort of technicality. With this new album I had that proven to myself, which helped me let go more and be just open and bring in some friends to help me during the process. In a way, I was more creatively free.

Basically, I went through a breakup. I was in a relationship for about six years, which means that throughout my entire adult life, I had been in a relationship since we got together when I was 18. When we broke up, it marked the start of a whole new era for me, trying to figure out who I was as an adult on my own. It was also a process of trying to forget not just them, but also who I was in that relationship, to rediscover myself. I think this album has been with me throughout that entire process. I was experiencing new things, dating new people, and learning more about myself and who I am, all while writing. It began with me recording myself a lot. I would capture myself playing piano and singing on my phone, doing this as I navigated through these experiences, a very stream-of-consciousness flow. I was improvising. Afterward, I used all of those samples, chopped them up, and built them into the foundation of the new songs. It became the base of the album, and I layered production and wrote more on top of that. It all started with recording myself on my phone, capturing everything I was going through, which ended up being the groundwork for the album.

For Trasslig, I invested in a lot of high-end equipment, like a vintage U87 mic and a Neve-Preamp, thinking it would bring everything to perfection. But for this album, I discovered that the moments where I felt most creatively free were when I went back to my roots — just sitting at home with an SM7 mic and a cheap sound card, recording in that environment. It might not sound perfect, but it captures the emotion. With Only music makes me cry now, I wanted to focus on capturing the feeling instead of striving for perfection. I used a lot of samples and played freely without a set BPM, which meant some were even out of tune, but I embraced that imperfection. I think this album is a return to where I started. When you begin, you don’t have anything to prove, and that freedom is so valuable. As you progress, you get access to bigger studios and better equipment, but I find that creativity thrives within limitations. When everything is possible, I can get overwhelmed, and that doesn’t spark my creativity the same way. So, for me, this process started with buying expensive gear but ended with going back to the simplicity of what I used at the beginning.

Yes, I'm very production-oriented. I would say that my main focus is always the production. Then I add melodies most of the time, and then I add lyrics. But I'm so production based. I think it’s just in my nature. I’m so passionate about production. It's so fun! That’s where I really get lost sometimes. I could spend three months perfecting a kick drum [laughs].

Yes. Growing up I was very, very, nerdy about it. I would practice for hours. If I would split up my life in things that I've done, I would say that vocal training is like 50% of everything that I've done. I've been trained in opera, musical training, musical vocal training, and different techniques. So I'm very, very trained-oriented. I'm very nerdy about it. I used to be even more, though. Now I feel like I have it so naturally, but it started off with a lot of hours. I read many books about how to sing, and learnt a lot from that. I also had CDs with different training techniques. I was listening to things like that.

I actually like to start with the piano. But then, if it's not the piano, it needs to be something that is off. Kind of a weird process maybe but that just triggers me to think outside the box. I would say either I go super duper simple or I start off with a sample that doesn't have a key or BPM. But it's one of the two.

I got an internship with Avicii at his label and publishing.

Yes. First I went there when I was 18. I went to a production school in the north of Sweden and from there I moved to Stockholm to start my internship.  I was at Avicii’s studio for a year, but besides that opportunity, for me at least, I always knew that I didn't want to live in Örebro.

I really need a bigger city. I get bored easily (laughs).

I did this through him, but it was on his label and publishing. I got to be in his studios and sit and develop my production skills, basically. It was really cool.

No, not really. He was more like mentoring, I would say. But he was around anyway. I got to see the whole business side of it, obviously it wasn't really the music that was the most interesting for me doing that internship. The music that came out of there was not really the music that I wanted to do, but it was still interesting. Well, I guess that’s what an internship is, right? To me it was interesting to see that it actually could work with music, that nothing felt impossible, he started just with his laptop and, from there he built an empire. That was really an empire. When you were in their offices, you really had the sense that it was an empire like he had golden toilets and everything upholstered in Louis Vuitton. Just to be around these amazing parties — it was oysters and champagne everyday — it was just kind of incredible to me. Those were the things that I had only seen in newspapers or TV shows. That's how I thought Stockholm would be like for the rest of my life. Just champagne and oysters. Which it wasn't (laughs).

I think Sweden is still great at following a formula that sells. Whether it’s fashion, music, or design, Swedes are talented at creating things that look or sound expensive, polished, and precise. We’ve perfected pop music, making it glittery and shiny. But what I’ve missed is more rawness and edge — that’s what I find more interesting. Sure, we have artists like Little Dragon who push boundaries, but I don’t think the average Swede is as open to that as people in places like London. Swedish artists have also become a bit predictable, repeating the same patterns. However, there’s a shift happening, especially with Gen Z. A new scene is emerging that feels more fluid, and the music is becoming more experimental than ever before. It’s no longer just Swedish music focused on pop or rock. It’s evolving.

Yeah, it's finding new ways. It happens in the rest of the world too. Especially with the younger generation, the lines are being blurred, which is what excites me, actually.

There will always be an abundance of music and noise, and I think it’s a good thing that so many people now have the opportunity to create and release music. While not everyone can do it, the accessibility today has opened doors for many. The beauty of this shift is that music that might not have been noticed or released in the past now has a chance to be heard. Some of the most interesting music I’ve found has less than a thousand streams on Spotify, and those are often the ones I love the most.

With that EP, it was my younger phase in adulthood. I was still in a relationship, trying to figure out how to be. Growing up, there’s this pressure to be perfect, to do everything well, to be a good girl. I started challenging those expectations and asking, Who am I if I don’t live up to society’s norms? Am I allowed to just be myself? That period of young adulthood was a little messy.

It’s always a transition and a journey of self-discovery. You learn different things about yourself at different points in your life. Trasslig was about who I was then as a young woman, while Only music makes me cry now is about being an independent woman, figuring out adulthood and freedom. It’s like putting a puzzle together. Trasslig is one piece, and Only music makes me cry now is another. Maybe the next album will be the final piece, or maybe not (laughs).

Break-up is definitely a key theme, tied to self-discovery. It’s like a diary to me; I was writing everything down. Vulnerability is another important theme.

I blend a lot of genres, but what ties it all together is the vulnerability and openness, breaking away from traditional boundaries. I've always been drawn to sample-based music. Even if listeners don’t catch all the samples I’ve used — since they’re often woven subtly into the production — my work is undeniably rooted in sampling. It’s an essential part of my process because it’s something I’m deeply drawn to.

I listen a lot to jazz, old jazz singers will always be my main influence, like Ella Fitzgerald, and well, many more. Also Monica Zetterlund, she’s a Swedish jazz singer.

I absolutely love her. Among newer artists, I’m deeply inspired by those pushing boundaries. James Blake, though, has always been my ultimate inspiration — my god, so to speak. He’s a producer first and foremost, and when his work emerged, it completely transformed everything for me. He’s the GOAT in my eyes.

The first music video When she holds me, it's just me and my partner making out the whole video. The story for the second video was that me and my friend were going to Åland in Finland. It’s a very Swedish thing to do. I did it when I was a child, I had to go with my parents. I hated it (laughs) all the grown-ups were just drunk and the whole sleazy vibe. Buying alcohol. I hated it. I thought it would be so fun to film this because we, as Swedes, are so used to this but for someone else, they might see it differently. We jumped on that boat and then my friend brought their DV camera, and we just filmed on the iPhone and that little camera and we just improvised, really.

I felt the collage-like and DIY vibe really complements the music, which has that same fragmented and raw feel. As I mentioned before, perfection wasn't the goal, I wanted it to feel a bit rough, authentic, and real.

I'm playing in Stockholm next on December 13th, we’re discussing some dates in London but I think it will be all more towards the summer with different festivals in Europe.

Yes. It's only me because for me it didn't feel quite right being there just with the mic singing because I’m so involved in the whole making of the music, so I wanted to bring the production up on the stage, me programming and improvising live on stage with a bunch of equipment. For instance, I had a home show at Fotografiska in November, I work with this creative collective called PH-ANY they’re amazing. They built a bed for me on the stage, because I produce so much from my bed (laughs) so we wanted to bring that up on stage, we threw some clothes on it because we wanted to make it look like a dirty bed, and then we had this dirty laundry chair (laughs). Then I invited my dad, who’s an accordion player, to come up on stage with me. He sat on the laundry chair (more laughs). I’m definitely thinking of making something more visual than just being alone on the stage.

Yes! I remember hearing about it years ago for the first time. I think I heard it in relation to artists like Clairo.

There's definitely elements of the whole DIY vibe that I use in my music as well. And the fact that I'm making a lot of my music from home and from my bed. But I wouldn't put myself in the category per se. I think it's hard putting my music into any specific category and that's what I like about it. I'm always pushing away from all kinds of boxes or labels.