(photo: Evelin Johnsson)
What’s this? The debut EP from Swedish newcomer Paula Jivén – she’s out with ‘The Duality In Me’.
What’s on it? Five tunes that serve as an introduction to who has turned out to be one of Sweden’s best new artists of the last six months.
Highlights? Two earlier singles that we raved about on here – ‘Say That‘ and ‘What Are You Hungry For‘ – plus her brand-new single, ‘Rude Girl’. On ‘Rude Girl’, she seemingly lets her alter-ego out on a raucous night on the town – lit in neon, and with a pounding synth bass permeating the whole experience. It is the sonic definition of the fire emoji. Which is precisely what we want from our pop music.
What does Paula say? “The EP is a collection of songs I wrote while growing up and which have meant a lot to me. Today, I am 18 years old and somehow this EP becomes a crystallisation of my childhood. The songs are about things I think it means to be young today. Mental illness, bad friends and finding oneself. All five songs are things I wrote because I felt they were needed, and my hope is that the songs will be there for those who need them.”
More from Paula? She’s soon releasing a music video for latest single – ‘Rude Girl’.
You can find ‘Rude Girl’ on our Best New Synthpop playlist.