FLORA SUMMERS TALKS WHEN CHRISTMAS IS COLD
"Been in the holiday spirit a while now"
Daniel John
A quintessential summer girl, what led you from sweet summer feels to putting out a Christmas song this year?
(Laughs) That’s a really good question, it might seem a little off-brand for sure. I’ve been focusing a lot on songwriting this past year, which is something I absolutely love, and as a songwriter, I really like the idea of eventually having a song for every moment in my life. So it’s a piece of the big puzzle. Musically, the song and its vintage vibes feel very “Flora Summers”, I’m super proud of the production and the timeless feeling it has, the reason it’s coming out this year is simply because I actually wrote it last year, but didn’t have time to record it before Christmas was over (laughs). And I was a little bit uncertain if dropping a Christmas song would be the right move in this stage of my career but then I was like, ”I love this song, so why not?” And like, it kind of feels like everyone is a little bit extra nostalgic this year, so maybe this song wasn’t supposed to be out last year, maybe now’s the right time.
What feels were you going for when writing it?
I wrote this one in my student condo at Musikmakarna Songwriters Academy last Christmas after a year of long distance with my boyfriend and I just really missed him. I kind of wanted a Christmas song that felt relevant to me, the way I resonate with Christmas right now. Like, when you’re younger it’s all about Santa Claus and gifts which is so cute, but nowadays I just wanna spend time with the people whom I love. I so I really wanted to write a Christmas-song that feels like a hug. Nostalgic, dreamy, and warm.
Was the recording studio feeling Christmassy or were you still far from the holiday season at the time?
I recorded it in late October, so I’ve been in the holiday spirit for quite a while now (laughs). I guess you’re supposed to have your Christmas songs done by September if you want to stay on the major label timeline, but I really am a summer girl so it takes at least fall for me to get into the spirit.
It has a contemporary vibe yet also, as you say a timeless-quality, partly thanks to the real instrumentation. And it's actually your dad playing one of the instruments?
Thank you! I’m so proud of the production. I really wanted it to sound like those classics from the fifties- and sixties, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, you know, almost like Disney songs. My dad plays the piano, my friend Signe Hammar Levin plays the strings, and my friend Jacob Stribrny plays the saxophone and even a bit of flute. It definitely brought the song to a new level. I also love the “Bella Notte”-style choirs in the track, which I sang in a vintage way. And then of course there are lots of bells and chimes going on. I think I’m really inspired right now to make music that feels more timeless and alive. Maybe as a reaction to all the AI-generated music coming out. I just love when music feels personal and raw.
Born and raised on the island of Öland, what were your Christmases like, growing up there?
(Laughs) Well, my dad used to refuse to buy a Christmas tree because he thought he could make one himself. We had a row of spruce trees along the edge of the property, and he let the tops grow freely so he could cut one off and use it as our Christmas tree. And of course it always ended up being the ugliest tree ever, a truly pitiful thing, kind of like a bird that had lost all its feathers. So we kids always complained, and we covered the tree in as many decorations as possible, and there it stood all Christmas looking totally ridiculous. Then one year he ran out of treetops and was forced to buy a tree and he bought such a beautiful one to make up for all those years. We brought it inside and admired the symmetry, the fullness, the perfection, and then practically in unison said that it just didn’t feel like Christmas at all. So, after that, dad had to start working on his Christmas-tree plantation again!
What are your own favorite song obsessions this time of year, what songs make your December a little warmer?
(Laughs) I do get obsessed with things. I think Bing Crosby’s Christmas songs are all beautiful and Nat King Cole’s as well. For newer ones, Sabrina Carpenter’s 'A Nonsense Christmas' is a new favorite of mine, and Taylor Swift’s 'Christmases When You Were Mine' is so nostalgic to me.
We’re now just over two years on from you putting up your very first posters as Flora Summers. What did that open up, did that change things?
It is definitely a new chapter in my life, going solo after fourteen years in a pop–duo is a ride mentally, but I think I’ve been able to explore new sides of myself musically, that is probably the biggest change creatively. I guess I’m writing in a more personal way now, and I’ve worked hard to find my intuition in the writing process, so therefore it also takes longer before I ask for feedback, I’m doing it more for me now than before, maybe. I also started producing music because I was too shy to ask producers for help when I suddenly found myself alone, and that led me to learning that skill but also finding a new sound, and eventually getting into Musikmakarna which has been a dream of mine forever, so, I mean, there are times when I really miss being in a duo but it's also rewarding to challenge yourself and I think I've already learned so much in all kinds of ways.
Where do things stand with you and Elina and Isle of You today?
Oh, Elina is and will always be my best friend, and we have actually been able to spend more time together just as friends, without sending emails to bookers, record labels and PR-persons, which has been great. So I think in ways we are much closer now than before.
Between gifts and decorations and other festivities, what parts of Christmas do you most look forward to celebrating?
Oh, it’s definitely coming home to my family, taking a break from everything, and just spending time together. And I am going to sing at our yearly Christmas-concert in my hometown also, that’s always when Christmas really starts for me.
