Lykke Li

Swedish pop figure Lykke Li (born Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson) grew up in an artistic family; her mother was a photographer and her father a punk musician. As a child she traveled frequently; by her late teens she was alternating between New York and Sweden, and had begun recording demos. She posted a few of these online and began drawing notice. The sound was modern dance pop with a bit of old-fashioned, bachelor-pad elegance. She teamed with Bjorn Yttling (one-third of the pop trio Peter, Bjorn & John) to produce her debut, Youth Novels, released when she was 21. Its blend of modern and classic pop elements won her international attention; a 2009 Coachella appearance with Kanye West confirmed her standing in pop's new in-crowd. With her songs becoming fixtures on US TV soundtracks, Li spent three years on the followup album, again working with producer Yttling. Released in 2011, Wounded Rhymes had a more pronounced '60s pop feel harking back to the Brill Building girl groups; she even began referencing the Shangri-La's in interviews. She toured more extensively, hit the major American late-night shows, and even made a single ("I'm Waiting Here") with film director David Lynch. During 2014 she also did a guest vocal on U2's album Songs of Innocence. Her third album I Never Learn was designed to complete a trilogy about the experiences of a woman in her 20s. Lyrically it was clearly a breakup album, she confirmed in interviews that a major romantic breakup had informed the songwriting. The 2018 followup so sad so sexy was her first real shift of gears, inspired by the trap style of EDM. Her first work without Yttling, it featured a star team of remixers and electronically tweaked vocals, but her grounding in classic pop remained.