MICHAELA ÅBERG TALKS FIRE LET ME THROUGH

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

'Fire Let Me Through' is what many would call the “difficult second album,” following your debut 'This Is Fine' from spring 2022. How was making this record different compared to the first one?

I would probably say that the previous album was harder. On the debut, I was more worried about the red thread, keeping a consistent theme, and setting a tone for how I should sound. When album number two was to be written, I did not feel that pressure at all. And I could allow more playfulness into the process.

What have you written about on these eight songs?

I’ve written about relationships, that’s probably what I always write about. My own and others’, and a mix of real and fictional scenarios. It’s also partly about different kinds of courage within relationships.

Two of the songs here are in Swedish. What was it about them that didn’t quite feel right in English?

The two Swedish songs on the album were lyrics I wanted to use, but they couldn’t be translated into English. Sometimes I write in Swedish first to later translate into English but in this case I felt that would ruin the text. So it wasn’t really a deliberate choice, but I’m glad it turned out that way.

How do you know when something is good enough to stop working on, and if a song is exactly where it should be?

I try to avoid finishing things entirely on my own because then I can get stuck forever. I involve my band when the songs are still loose sketches and use their help to put a full stop. Then I am usually so limited by my time, their time, and money that you simply have to finish within a reasonable timeframe.

Are there any songs that, for one reason or another, didn’t make it onto the album?

There are always songs that don’t make it onto the album but they’ve been left unfinished at an early stage. Everything that made it into the studio ended up on the album.

Aside from a bit of childhood drumming, it was not until you joined a band at twenty-one that the fire really started burning. What was it like to suddenly become an artist then, especially since you had not thought about it at all before?

It was a strange experience, and completely natural at the same time. I was afraid of most things surrounding being an artist, performing, singing, delivering in the studio, being watched, but not at all of the writing itself. Since I’d always been writing I started trying out lyrics, and that was when I discovered that I could hear melodies while I wrote.

Many artists tend to say their songwriting is like therapy. As someone who actually also works as a psychologist, what’s your take on that idea?

I think musicians mean very different things when they say that writing is therapeutic. I might not have used that exact word myself, but I would absolutely say that music is a good way to be close to and express emotions. But there’s also another part of writing that’s more about building an exciting world, like finding the right soundscape, rhythm, choice of words, and structure in the song. So, both yes and no, maybe.

Your album is out now and it’s even been released on vinyl. Is there something special about being able to hold your work in your hands. Does it make it feel a little more real?

Having a physical album in your hands is wonderful! Everyone who has the chance to press an album should do it at least once in their life. I also think the graphic design part is lots of fun, so for me, it’s been really nice to get to work more with that.