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| Foto: Jóhann K. |
Isländska Sjana Rut imponerar bara mer och mer på mig. På nya singeln Tell me får hon oss att dansa in i sommarnatten med en refräng som sätter sig som en fin bränna - både över huden och över själen. Som alltid är hennes texter eftertänksamma och jag älskar hur hon gör det dansanta lite djupare. Det blir som ett långt förtroligt samtal som blickar både framåt och bakåt samtidigt som en ljuv dans utspelar sig. Idag pratar jag med Sjana om nya singeln och om när relationer tar slut. Var tar människor vägen egentligen?
- The idea for Tell Me came to me several years ago. I had the hook and chorus mapped out and then put it away in my folder of unfinished songs to revisit later, that’s pretty normal for me since I write a lot.
The song always had this feeling of nostalgia and melancholy mixed with a bit of humour. When I came back to it, I did have a specific person in mind, looking back on memories of someone who once meant a lot to me, and that naturally shaped the lyrics.
- The title actually came quite spontaneously. My kids started calling it Tell Me, without thinking much of it, and it just stuck. I didn’t overthink it, I just went with it. They’re probably my most honest critics anyway and my favourite fans. I’m a bit biased of course, but that’s allowed.
In our last interview, you spoke about moving beyond survival mode. Do you feel that this more playful and danceable sound reflects where you are emotionally today?
- Yes, definitely. I’m in a very different headspace now, which has taken years to get to.
It really came down to letting go of doubt and worry and just allowing myself to be. Life doesn’t have to be as serious as we often make it out to be. Things don’t always go in a straight line, but I’ve learned to trust that they still move forward in their own way.
Tell Me feels both nostalgic and uplifting at the same time. Why are you drawn to that combination of joy and melancholy?
- I think that combination is just very human. Most of us carry it. We think about people who aren’t in our lives anymore, or places we grew up, or versions of ourselves we’ve outgrown.
For me it’s just a way of capturing that without making it too heavy. There’s also humour in it, which I think is important, it keeps it from becoming something I overanalyze or get stuck in.
The song wonders where people go after a relationship ends. Is that question something you've carried with you for a long time?
- Not in a fixed or lingering way. When I write about things like heartbreak or love, it’s not always as literal as it might seem, it can just as much be about other kinds of connections or moments in life.
I’ve always felt that people come in at the right time and leave when they’re meant to. I don’t see it as something painful I need to resolve. It’s more just how I understand life. Of course I’ve missed people, or wondered where they ended up, but I don’t really hold onto it.
The afrobeat-inspired rhythms bring a lot of warmth and movement to the track. What inspired you to explore those influences on this release?
- I don’t really start from genres, so I’m often not thinking in those terms when I create. I just follow what the song seems to want to be.
With Tell Me, it naturally leaned towards rhythm and movement, so it felt very instinctive to go in that direction. I knew I wanted to make a track you can groove to.
Your music often balances real-life experiences with a dreamlike atmosphere. How do you decide which memories to tell exactly as they happened and which ones to reshape through imagination?
- There’s always some truth in what I write, even when it comes from imagination. Fiction is never completely separate from reality, it’s usually just shaped by it.
It depends on the song. Sometimes I have a sound or feeling I want to build, and the lyrics have to exist in that space. Other times I realise afterwards that I was writing from something very personal without consciously planning to.
I don’t really separate it in a strict way, it tends to reveal itself as I go.
If someone listens to Tell Me while walking home on a bright summer night, what do you hope stays with them after the song ends?
- I hope it makes them want to dance, or at least feel a bit lighter.
And if it brings back good memories or gives someone a sense of closure, that would be really beautiful too.
Do you think some people remain part of our story even after they stop being part of our lives?
- Yes, I think the past will always be part of our story, but we get to decide what takes up the most space in each chapter.
People do shape you, but I also believe you have a say in how you carry that forward. I prefer to hold onto the beautiful parts and keep moving toward creating new ones, rather than staying anchored in what’s already behind me.
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