Sweden-born soul sorceress talks her new single "Emotional," working with Vince Staples and RZA, and so much more.
Snoh Aalegra transforms soul and R&B. Born in Sweden and now based in Los Angeles, this striking sonic sorceress breathes life into airy hip-hop production with vibrant, vulnerable, and vital vocals. Her debut EP, There Will Be Sunshine [Epic Records/ARTium Recordings], properly introduced this voice last year over elegant and artful soundscapes from producer extraordinaire No I.D. [Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas]. She's already collaborated with everybody from Common and Killer Mike to Cocaine 80s and Vince Staples. However, her latest single "Emotional" stands poised to ignite her career. We sat down and spoke to her in this exclusive interview about "Emotional" and so much more.
What's the story behind "Emotional"?
Well, it wasn't the typical process of how I make songs. I usually write or co-write everything myself. "Emotional" was played for me by L.A. Reid. I heard it and could not believe it was a new song. It sounded like an old song. It was played to me around Christmas time, and I was just going through what the song was about. I was going through a really bad breakup and the song just spoke to me. The hook kept saying, "I need somebody to hold me." I actually got it tattooed on my wrist, "Hold me." It was speaking to me and felt it was written for me. I knew that I had to do it, so I recorded my own version. I met RZA who created it. He was going to direct the video, but it didn't work out.
It's a powerful follow-up to There Will Be Sunshine. You can hear the sound morphing.
I'm all about the throwback sound, and it's very seventies. It spoke to me. I just love anything that sounds timeless. I also love those eras—the seventies, eighties, and nineties. It's a beautiful song I had to record it.
The DJ Dahi remix with Vince Staples has a whole different vibe.
Yes, definitely. It is really emotional, I love the chord choices, it really spoke to me and touched me. For the video, I had over 12 minutes of material with the slow-motion scene and thought, "Why not make a video for the remix," because there was a lot of material left over.
It seems like you and Vince have a great creative bond.
Yeah, Vince and I are really close, and I think we clicked the most together. It's a natural friendship, and we keep in touch. He is doing really well. I'm proud of him. He's really killing it.
Watch the video for "Emotional" from Snoh Aalegra [(DJ Dahi Remix) ft. Vince Staples]:
Yeah, it is very interesting. I don't do features just to do features. It is all about the song for me. I don't seek out people to collaborate based on their name, you know? I look up to a lot of people like Lauryn Hill. She was a rapper as well, but I loved how she did features with other rappers like Nas. Although I'm not a rapper, I have a lot of love for them. They are incredible lyricists, and I just love the way that they write. It is so on point; it's poetry. I write a lot with Malik Yusef from Chicago who works intensely with Kanye West.
Is it important for the songs to evoke visuals?
It's important to me, I am a very visual artist, so I see music videos in my head—or I see pictures of things. A lot of people say my music is extremely cinematic. I have been influenced by a ton of soundtracks growing up. I love the big feel of all the strings. Cello is one of my favorite instruments. Choir has always drawn me to it as well—maybe that's why it's so cinematic.
Are there soundtracks you come back to?
It's not really specific soundtracks. When I was a little girl, it was all about Disney. When I was in my early teenage years, all I watched was psychological thrillers. Then I got into horror movies, and now, I cannot even watch them. I don't want to be scared [Laughs]. One of my favorite movies is The Game, I love anything that Michael Douglas or Tom Hanks is in. I watch all different types of movies. The strings just conjure a lot of emotion in me.
Watch the video for "Bad Things" from Snoh Aalegra featuring Common:
I am working on finishing the album right now. "Emotional" is very unique. I think that the album will be very musical but not specifically niche for everything to sound like that. It is my own sound with a mix of everything that I love.
What's been inspiring you lately?
Something that has changed my thoughts is the fact I have been doing some live performances and being in a rehearsal spot with a band. It made me think differently about the album and how I want to approach live performances. When I'm doing songs, I think, "How do I want it to sound live?" It's different when you're on stage versus sitting and listening to your songs. It's hard to know what you want and need until you actually go out there and perform. That's been inspiring me and what I want or don't want on the album.
What's the live experience like?
So far, I've only done two shows with the band, and other stuff has been stripped down or acoustic. We do it live, and we keep the sound of the album. I want people to hear the production as it was initially meant to be. I just try to bring people into my world. I work with a visual artist as well. It's very good to put visuals along with the music. I want to understand the journey and explain that it is about me. "Paradise" is about me-going to school in Stockholm and taking the train every day for three hours. A lot of people did not realize that, and it's nice to be able to talk to the audience and explain this. I'd hear Lauryn Hill do that.
Watch the video for "There Will Be Sunshine (Stripped) from Snoh Aalegra:
I mean the biggest influence was Michael Jackson, of course. It was also a lot of big vocalists like Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder while I was learning how to sing. Michael Jackson and Prince are the best performers of all time. You hare hard pressed to see many people on this level. My tastes keep changing through genres and other artists. I love Damian Marley. He's one of my dream artists to work with. Lauryn Hill also truly says something in her lyrics.
What's next for you?
I'm excited to finish up the album. I want to tell my story. I'm also excited to do some more live shows. It is really fun and exciting.
The single "Emotional" by Snoh Aalegra is available on Epic Records/ARTium Recordings.
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