Hailing from Sweden, singer/songwriter Linae has a smooth and sultry voice with a sound that is reminiscent of r’n’b from the late 80s and early 90s. This sound can be partially attributed to a mother who introduced her to the likes of Sade, Prince, Angie Stone & The Brand New Heavies, while she herself was drawn to artists such as Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot and Toni Braxton. This fascination with artists that are strong performers as well as singers is something that Linae is trying to incorporate into her shows.
While music was ever present in her early years, Linae’s first creative outlet was dance, that she practiced from age 6 until 16. It wasn’t until she met her producer Luki that she decided to focus on music. “I always listened to a lot of music and I think I always knew I wanted to do something with music, but when I met my producer Luki 2 years ago, that’s when I knew I wanted to do music for real.”
Her first release, a cover of Maxwell’s ‘Don’t Ever Wonder’ was a spontaneous production that came out of listening to a large variety of music in studio. “We played the song and looked at each other and said let’s do something. So, we did it the same day, and it just felt right.”
Her first self-written single, ‘Sweet Sweat’, on the other hand was written over the course of a week. “We wrote a few songs before it, but when we wrote ‘Sweet Sweat’ it just felt like it was going to be the first single. It was kind of simple, it felt right, but at the same time it was fun and sensual and it felt like it was a good start to show who I was as an artist.” Based on the feeling of crushing on someone, the song comes from a real place for Linae. “Luki sent me the beat late on a Friday night and as soon as I heard it I started writing lyrics and melodies. At that moment I had a crush [on someone] so it came naturally.”
The video is a creative collaboration between Linae and her friends, with Linae working on directing, styling, choreography and makeup alongside Sara Dehlin as director and editor, and Cornelia Hallberg as producer. “We wanted to do something that was fun and genuine. We just wanted it to feel soft and sensual. That’s why I wanted to have a lot of dancing in it and the choreography was an important part.”
While comparisons to Sweden’s Robyn are inevitable, Linae has her own approach to the sound she is aiming for. “I try to pay tribute to classic material, rather than just copy stuff from now. My goal is to know what a Linae track sounds like. I want people to remember me for me. I’m trying to be real.”
While her releases thus far have been singles, Linae is currently in studio working on new material that will form part of either an EP or album. “As an artist, I think you need to hear more songs to get to know me. I think you need to be in my world to understand me.”
As an artist, Linae stands for positivity and believing in yourself and she hopes that listeners take that from her music. “I’m trying to give people a message to be real to yourself and the only person you need to please is yourself. I believe that anything is possible, you just need to work hard to reach your dreams.”
Credits:
Photography: Ollie Nordh
Styling: Linae
MUA: Bessan Cewers
