Recognised for her earlier songs about heartbreak, love, and loss, Swedish indie-pop artist Sarah Klang’s fourth album sees a shift in dynamic. Described as a ‘second coming of age,’ the record, titled Mercedes after her now-two-year-old daughter, explores the transition from the wild, raucous parties of her 20s to turning 30 and becoming a mother for the first time. “Some kind of processing of my 20s needed to happen to be able to let go and move on,” she explains.
In what might be her most honest music to date, Sarah reflects on the heavy memories of her past while remaining hopeful about the future. Songs like Halloween Costume offer an almost uncomfortable look into some of her darkest days through stark lyrics and eerie vocals, whereas Magic Stone has an air of hope and optimism, written after meeting her daughter for the first time.
Despite the reawakening that motherhood brought, Sarah echoes the realism that comes along with it in the album’s latest single, Worst Mom. “I hope other moms will take a deep breath and just go, ‘Oh hell, I feel the same way!’” she says. Never one to shy away from speaking the truth, lyrics such as I feel like the worst mom today, I don’t even know where I end and you begin echo the feeling of lost identity, something so many new mums experience but rarely speak about. The track becomes lighter when layered with a melancholic synth sound and breezy vocals, reflecting the normalcy of such hard-hitting emotions.
As Sarah gears up to release Mercedes in October, we caught up with her on the album, her upcoming UK tour, and how motherhood has pushed her to be kinder to her younger self.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. How are you doing?
Thank you! I feel great! I have a lot to keep track of right now, but it’s fun.
Can you tell us about when and why you first started creating music?
I was very young when I started singing and writing my own songs. I don’t know what drew me to that particular art form. I guess for some of us, it’s just like a magnet that draws us there.
Your music pulls from so many genres – Americana, pop, folk, and a little bit of country – how would you describe your sound?
Exactly the way you described. It’s hard to analyse your own sound, or I have a hard time with it anyways. I try to make it have a nerve – something that really hits the brain. Nice for the ears kind of…
If you could go back to any musical era, which would you choose?
I’ve watched a lot of a series called Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, who is the former singer in the hair metal band Poison. Now I’m unfortunately obsessed with 80s leopard and leggings aesthetics!
You’re gearing up to release your fourth album, Mercedes – congratulations! It’s been described as a ‘coming of age album.’ Could you tell us more about the inspiration behind it?
When I got pregnant, a process started in me – some kind of processing of my 20s needed to happen to be able to let go and move on. It was something I knew I needed to do to be a good mom, so the record is about that.
Just touching on Halloween Costume – for me, this was one of the most gut-wrenching songs – the lyric about the backseat hits hard. What was it like for you writing and recording that track, and did you find it nerve-wracking being so open with the lyrics?
I felt like I needed to describe various events as simply and accurately as I could, and not wrap it up in fancy words or hide the story so that only a few people would get it. It was important that it got through to everyone, so that everyone understood.
You wrote the album’s title track, Mercedes, in the very early stages of your pregnancy, and it really reflects the hopeful fragility of that period of time. Could you tell us a bit more about the track and the story behind it?
I was a wreck during my pregnancy, and all your emotions get turned up to 100. I felt her presence extremely strongly throughout the time she was growing inside me, and so it was natural to write to her in that way.
Did you always have the name Mercedes picked out?
Yes, from the day I found out I was pregnant.
Do you feel like motherhood has changed you? How would you describe your time becoming a new mum?
Two years in, I’ve started to see a change in myself. I want to take care of myself more, in order to be good for her. I don’t have the same dark feeling of wanting to burn down everything nice when I feel bad, because those destructive feelings aren’t there anymore. It’s a feeling of wanting to be better all the time.
How would you say your music has evolved through your last three albums up to now?
It’s evolved as I’ve gotten older. A fun thing about releasing records almost every year is that you can follow a story and a development. In the first two albums, you hear about a dramatic young girl who only thinks about guys, love, and broken relationships, while Virgo and Mercedes start to be more about me, what I think about, and what I want.
Belly Shots is about leaving your 20s behind – when you look back on that period of your life, is there anything you’d tell your 20-year-old self now?
To take it a little fucking easy!!
What was that transition from 20s to 30s like for you?
It was nice. In some strange way, I felt like I could breathe again. I made it to the other side.
Belly Shots prompted a re-record of the album. Can you tell us more about that and why you went back and re-recorded it?
Belly Shots was easy and, above all, fun to write. We wrote it last out of the whole album, and it suddenly made us feel excited about the sound. The songs we recorded before felt slower and harder to relax into. Belly Shots was the start of how we wanted the album to feel – simple and straightforward.
Magic Stone feels like a really positive, hopeful track. Can you tell us a bit more about the inspiration for the song?
It’s about my first months with my daughter and how happy she was as soon as she arrived – how she shines. When she smiled, all my worries and terrible thoughts about the future disappeared. I know everything will be fine because she’s so strong and wonderful.
Worst Mom is the latest single from the album. I feel like it’s something many mums will relate to, but it’s not commonly talked about. What inspired you to write the song?
There is no song, as far as I know, that addresses feeling like the worst mom, and it made me wonder why because these are feelings that both men and women go through as new parents. Maybe because it’s not sexy to write about!
How do you hope people will feel when they hear Worst Mom?
I hope they’ll take a deep breath and just go, ‘Oh hell, I feel the same way.’
Is there a track on the album that feels the most personal to you? Were any of them more emotionally hard to write or record?
Halloween Costume. It was hard to be so straightforward.
I love your storytelling style and how you’re so open in your music. Are there any artists that inspire you for the way they tell their stories?
There are so many, but Phoebe Bridgers has an incredible way of describing emotions and events.
You’ve written about the struggles of going on tour without your daughter. How are you feeling about your upcoming tour?
The first time I went, she was three months old and it was terrible. Now she’s two, and it will be quite… nice!
You’re an amazing example of how women can do both! Did you ever have any moments where you felt like giving up touring, and if so, how did you work through that?
Of course, the thought crossed my mind many times, but I have an incredible partner, boyfriend, and father of my child. He’s taken just as much responsibility as me, if not more. But if I’d have been alone, I don’t know… It’s a trap for women in a different way than it is for men.
You’ve had some huge career highlights, but which achievement are you most proud of?
My two Swedish Grammys. That world has always felt extremely remote, and to be recognised in that way in my country’s music scene is huge for me.
Do you have any new music in the works for after Mercedes lands?
Yes! I will start recording a new album soon.
And finally, what’s coming up next for you after the tour?
Recording the new album!!!
Sarah’s new album Mercedes is out 20th October.
