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Wearing a sheer black Maison Margiela top, vintage Levis and two arm tattoos cloned from her favourite Mark Ryden paintings, Tove Lo is a force to behold. In person, the Swedish hitmaker redefines the word swagger with the way she presents and articulates herself. The six silver rings she is sporting (including one from her grandmother, one made by her best friend and one made by her brother) look like glamorous wrestling gloves. Which makes sense, since Tove Lo’s songs—from “Talking Body” to “Habits (Stay High)”—pack such a punch by way of their nonconformist hooks and lyrics. Her specialty—especially in her latest disc, Cool Girl—is unveiling truths about love and lust in today’s Tinder-driven romantic landscape. What is most interesting is the way Lo pairs choruses with videos and images that seem more suited to art gallery exhibits than YouTube or Vevo. More Sia than TSwift in her musical and visual approach, the 28-year-old talent isn’t afraid to offend anyone, and, in many ways, her rock ‘n’ roll ideals counter so much of what is going on in pop today. Her vision is proving to be just as controversial as her sound. Youtube recently banned her short film called Fairy Dust, which showcases videos from her current album, Lady Wood, simply because it had scenes where Lo was masturbating in the camera (the video has since been reposted). During a quick press trip to Toronto, FASHION caught up with the Swede to talk about how her incisive point of view and forward-thinking ways have informed her work.
Your latest hit, “Cool Girl,” is such an anthem for romantic fluidity. What are the benefits of being so open with love and striving to have no limits in a relationship?
So many to choose from! The song has a lot of layers, in a way. I’m being a little sarcastic in the song. It’s more describing the way we have these power plays in relationships. “I like you, so I’m going to make you feel insecure about how I feel about you.” That’s the reason why you want label anything—if you’re in a serious relationships or having fun. You need to define it. You can’t really trust what the other person is feeling because you don’t know. We don’t really let each other know. It’s almost as if the one who shows the least emotion has the control or power. It’s interesting me. If you’re just both fully honest, you don’t need to define it. If you’re comfortable and free with your emotions and you’re open about it, it’s just a fling…it’s almost like as soon as you define it, it comes with rules—the kind of rules that don’t make sense.
Do you think the rules of dating from five years ago are already old school?
Oh, yeah. I feel like you can be in this grey area or this free moment for a while when you just met and are showing your best side because you like each other. It gets to a state when you say, “What are we?” That’s when the rules change. All of a sudden you have all these expectations. “If we’re a couple, we should be this way.”
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Where do you think your independence comes from?
Being a girl or a woman always comes with expectations. For example, if you’re seeing someone, you’re supposed to want it to become serious. Every thing you do is supposed to mean something. You should want to be asked out on dates and be taken care of. I don’t know if the end goal is marriage anymore. In Sweden—compared to a lot of other places—we’re very equal. I’ve never had any thoughts of, “I can’t do this because I’m a girl.” My parents have always been a big part of it. They raised me to be whoever I wanted to be. They didn’t always agree with me, but they loved me no matter what. Being a performer has made me realize that I’ve had to stand up for myself a little more.
How so? What do you think you are most up against?
There have been a lot of situations where people have asked me, “Don’t you feel you should be a better role model for young girls? You sing about drugs and sex. You shouldn’t be doing that.” I say, “Would you ask a guy that?” I’m judged. A lot.
I was listening to Bret Easton Ellis’ recent podcast with Moby. He talked about how if you’re a freak or say anything against the norm, you’re torn down. Did you ever feel a Tove Lo backlash?
I’ve definitely felt it. In the beginning, I’d think, “What are people saying? Are they liking this?” Oh, my god, I saw so much hate. If I start defending myself, that means I’m taking in the judgment, which means I’m wasting my time. I’m not going to change myself. I’m going to keep doing what I do. I’m going to keep being very open. For me, music and sex are very connected and I’m very proud and honest about that. I’m not going to shave off those layers or polish those corners just because it’s pop. There are so many people saying, “Fuck yeah! I’m so excited that you do this!” I engage with those people.
