ALMA PERSSON TALKS COMPANY

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Did you know early on that you wanted to make music?

I can’t really recall a specific moment when my eyes were opened to music, it’s just always been there with me. When I grew up, music was something that constantly kept me occupied, whether it was spending hours after school watching MTV or singing karaoke games on PlayStation over and over again. We actually just found a notebook at home from when I was a kid, where I had written down lyrics about how one day I would become an artist. It was pretty funny to read now, as I’m about to release my very first song. So the dream has always been there.

Much has unfolded for you in such a short time. From everything with TikTok, to your first fashion shoots and now fronting major fashion campaigns and releasing your own music. What would your ten year-old self think about all this?

I haven’t always been the best at pausing to reflect on all the fun things I’ve gotten to experience. But if you’d asked my ten-year-old self, starting out with music would probably be the most shocking part of it all. Even though it's always been something I wanted to do, I was a bit shy when it came to music. Hardly even my family and friends had heard me sing before this, so the fact that everyone can now listen to my song feels very surreal.

Even more surreal than having 1.6 million TikTok fans?

No, it is hard to grasp that there's real people behind the numbers. Even though TikTok has given me many amazing opportunities, I wouldn’t say that my life outside of it has changed that much. Which makes it even harder to take in how big of a platform that I actually have.

Do you remember a specific moment when followers really started pouring in?

I’d say I’ve been really lucky with my TikTok. The very first videos I posted got hundreds of thousands of views, and things just kept rolling from there on. Then, of course, a few videos went especially well and brought in lots of followers but I can not really think of one specific moment that really stands out.

What is this single about?

'Company' for me is about being in an unstable relationship where the drama and the turbulence feel essential for it to feel alive and passionate. Deep down you know you should let go, but instead you find silly excuses and ways to make the person stay.

Even though music came into your life much earlier, for many this is their first introduction to your music side and there are, certainly, worse ways to make a debut than alongside ADEENA. How did it come about that you made your music debut together with her?

After feeling like I had not really found my sound in music I was paired up with Adeena and Isak, the songwriters behind 'Company'. It was kind of like starting over from scratch, being a part of the entire process made such a difference. To me everything Adeena and Isak work on turns out incredible, so getting to witness their creative process and release my debut single with them is something I’m really grateful for.

ADEENA has her heart in music with strong eighties vibes, what would you say are influences you stand on?

There are so many artists that inspire, and influence me. I think that also why it’s been a bit hard to like know exactly what direction to take with my own music in. I have always been a hardcore fan of Beyoncé and Rihanna. Stevie Wonder has also been with me for a long time. These days, I draw lots of inspiration from artists such as Madison Beer, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish.

When do you think you’ll bring your TikTok dances with you to the live stages?

We’ll see when I dare to take that step. (Laughs) Being able to combine singing and dancing, and go all in on the whole “artist thing” would probably suit me really well, so hopefully that is something we’ll see in the future!