Tove Styrke
Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke[1] (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈtǔːvɛ ˈstʏ̂rːkɛ]; born 19 November 1992[1]) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on Swedish Idol 2009, finishing in third place.[2] After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. She released her debut album Tove Styrke in 2010. The New York Post included Styrke in its list of "10 Artists to Know in 2011".[3] In 2015, she released her second album, Kiddo. Three years later, in 2018, she released her third album, Sway. Throughout the 2010s Styrke gained an increasing critical acclaim as an independent artist resulting in her single "Say My Name" being included in Rolling Stone's 100 best songs of the decade.[4]
Tove Styrke | |
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![]() Styrke performing in 2022 | |
Born | Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke 19 November 1992 Umeå, Sweden |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 2009–present |
Works | Discography |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
|
Labels | |
Website | tovestyrkemusic |
Biography
Styrke was born in Umeå, Sweden. She has two sisters, one younger and one older.[1][5] Her father, musician Anders Östman, scored a number one hit on the Swedish radio chart, Svensktoppen, in 1975 with the song "Vindens melodi" performed by his dansband Max Fenders. Her mother was a ballet instructor and Styrke took classes from her at an early age.
Music career
Tove Styrke and "Call My Name" (2009–2011)
After competing on Swedish Idol 2009 and finishing in third place, Styrke was signed by Sony Music label in December 2009.[6] In June 2010, she released her first single, "Million Pieces", which was co-written by Adam Olenius from Shout Out Louds and Lykke Li.[7]
![](../I/Tove_Styrke2.jpg.webp)
On 12 November 2010, she released her debut album, Tove Styrke. The album was produced by Patrik Berger, Lotus & 2manyfreckles, Peter Ågren, Janne Kask and Paw. It peaked at number 10 on the Swedish single chart, spending 35 weeks on the top album charts in Sweden.[8] It was first certified gold, then later received platinum certification in Sweden. The majority of the album was co-written by Styrke.[9] The album was later re-released in March 2012 in Germany with two new songs: "Call My Name" and "Sticks and Stones". Her second single, "White Light Moment", charted at number five on the Swedish top singles chart and received gold certification. It eventually peaked at number two.[10] "White Light Moment" was later nominated for "Best Song of the Year" at Grammisgalan 2012, the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards.
In January 2011, Styrke won the "Best Newcomer" award at P3 Guld.[11] At ceremony, she performed a remixed version of "Million Pieces" by Swedish record producer Familjen. In February 2011, Styrke issued her first EP, High and Low, featuring six remixes of the title track. In April 2011, Styrke was featured in an IKEA commercial, where she performed the Swedish lullaby "Byssan Lull".[12]
On 19 August 2011, the promotional single "Call My Name" was released on digital download. The song peaked at number six on the Swedish Singles Chart. "Call My Name" was later nominated for "Best Song of the Year" at P3 Guld.[13] That same month, Stryke joined other Swedish artists, collectively called Kedjan, to release a charity single called "Ringar på vattnet" ("Ripple Effect" in English), benefiting Radiohjälpen's charity efforts fighting famine in the Horn of Africa.[14] In September 2011, the Swedish band Caotico collaborated with Styrke on their single released "Brains Out". She also appeared in the music video for the single.[15]
Borderline (2013–2014)
In 2013, Styrke signed a contract with Sony Music UK. On 22 May 2014 she released her comeback single, "Even If I'm Loud Doesn't Mean I'm Talking To You", on iTunes in Sweden. On 9 October 2014, her next single "Borderline", the first from her upcoming EP of the same title, was released on iTunes. A remixed version of "Borderline" was previously released for the Swedish compilation album, F! on 22 April 2014 on iTunes in Sweden and for online streaming on Spotify. The music video for "Borderline" was filmed in Pyramiden in September 2014 and premiered exclusively on website, "Fader", on 15 October 2014.[16]
Styrke performed songs from the EP and new material at two debut UK shows in London on 5 and 6 November. The song "Brag" premiered exclusively for Nylon on 20 November 2014.[17] The Borderline EP was released for digital download on 23 November 2014.[18][19][20] On 17 November 2014, RCA Records announced that Styrke had signed with the label. The label confirmed Styrke's plans to release her first US album via RCA and Sony Sweden in the spring of 2015.[21]
Kiddo, Sway, and Hard (2015–present)
![](../I/Tove_Styrke_p%C3%A5_Malm%C3%B6festivalen_2018_01.jpg.webp)
On 23 January 2015, Styrke premiered the single "Ego" from her second album, Kiddo. The single was available for streaming via her official SoundCloud account and later was released that same day on iTunes. The music video for "Ego" was filmed in Tokyo and premiered on Styrke's Vevo channel on 2 February 2015.[22]
Kiddo was released in digital, vinyl, and physical formats on 8 June 2015.[23] The next single "Number One" was released for streaming on Spotify and digital download for iTunes on 13 May 2015 and was featured on the CW's Riverdale.[24] To promote the album, Styrke attended the annual SXSW festival in March 2015;[25] she later embarked on a small tour of the US in May 2015.[26]
Four days prior to its release, Kiddo exclusively streamed in its entirety for Spotify listeners in Sweden on 5 June 2015.[27][28][29][30]
On 23 July 2015, Stryke released a cover version of "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears as a single along its music video.[31]
On 28 April 2017, Styrke released "Say My Name", which would serve as the first single from her third album, Sway.[32] "Mistakes" followed as the second single on 15 September,[33] with "Liability (Demo)" being released as a promotional track on 15 December.[34] "Changed My Mind" was released as the third single alongside the album announcement on 2 February 2018.[35][36] Before the album's release, the single "On the Low" came out.[37] Sway was released on 4 May 2018 through Sony Music.[38] It was re-released digitally, including the single "Vibe", unveiled on 19 October 2018 ahead of a tour through United Kingdom.[39]
Through 2018 and 2020 she released several collaborations, including a feature on Alma's mixtape Heavy Rules called "Good Vibes",[40] "Last Goodbye" by Clean Bandit also featuring Stefflon Don from their album What Is Love?,[41] "Stuck" with Lost Kings,[42] "Been There, Done That" with NOTD[43] and "Love Me Back" with Ritual.[44] She also participated in the eleventh series of the Swedish reality television show Så mycket bättre.[45]
On 19 June 2021 she released the single "Mood Swings".[46]
Styrke's fourth album with the singles "Start Walking", "Hardcore", "Show Me Love", "YouYouYou", called Hard was released on 3 June 2022. On 23 September 2022 Styrke started her own headlining tour Hard Tour in support of her fourth album.
Influences
According to AllMusic, Styrke combines "the bubbling electronica of Robyn with the hipster synth pop of Annie and the hook-laden Euro-disco of September".[47] The German Kulturspiegel, a monthly extra to Der Spiegel, called Styrke's music "nonchalant, catchy boom-pop" and compared it to Robyn and Lykke Li.[48]
Personal life
Tove Styrke has been in a relationship with fellow musician Sanna Sikborn Erixon since at least January 2020.[49] In an Instagram story on 1 June 2022, Styrke identified as pansexual.[50]
Awards and nominations
Discography
- Tove Styrke (2010)
- Kiddo (2015)
- Sway (2018)
- Hard (2022)
Tours
Headlining tours
Supporting tours
- The Ark – Scandinavia tour (2011)[54]
- Years & Years – Communion Tour (2015)[55]
- Bleachers – Gone Now Era Tour (2017)[56]
- Lorde – Melodrama World Tour (2018)
- Katy Perry – Witness: The Tour (2018)
- Marina – Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land Tour (2022)[57]
References
- "Frågestund – del 1" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- Third place on Idol 2009
- "10 Artists to Know in 2011: New Music Musts". New York Post. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. 4 December 2019.
- "Tove Styrke hastigt sjuk" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- "Tove Styrke – Home". Tovestyrke.weebly.com. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- "Sony Music – Sony Music presenterar stolt: Tove Styrke" (in Swedish). Mynewsdesk. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- "swedishcharts.com - Discography Tove Styrke". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- "Swedish Charts: Tove Styrke". Swedish Charts. 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- Steffen Hung. "Tove Styrke – White Light Moment" (in Swedish). hitparad.se. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- "Best Newcomer" awards at P3 Guld
- "Ikeazzz nya kampanj" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- "Årets låt – P3 Guld 2012 | Sveriges Radio" (in Swedish). Sverigesradio.se. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- "Tove medverkar i Kedjans Ringar på vattnet" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- "Scandipop.co.uk – Caotico & Tove Styrke: Brains Out". 8 September 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- "Tove Styrke Travels To The End Of The World In "Borderline" Video". Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- "Tove Styrke Is Sweden's Next Big Music Export". 20 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- "Sweden's Tove Styrke returns with ballsy new single "Borderline"". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- "Här är alla artister på vår valskiva "F!"". Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- "Tove Styrke plays The Old Blue Last for sold out comeback show". Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- "RCA RECORDS SIGNS CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED SWEDISH RECORDING ARTIST TOVE STYRKE". Rcarecords.com. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- Feeney, Nolan (2 February 2015). "Meet the Swedish Pop Star You Need to Know This Spring". Time. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- "Kiddo by Tove Styrke". Apple Music.
- Fu, Eddie (15 October 2018). "Here's All The Music From 'Riverdale' Season 3". Genius.
- Darwin, Liza (24 March 2015). "SXSW Outfit Diary: Tove Styrke". Popular TV.
- McDermott, Emily (8 June 2015). "Tove Styrke". Interview.
- Lindqvist, Johan (15 June 2015). "Tove Styrke - Kiddo". Göteborgs-Posten. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- Kelly, Katie (1 May 2015). "Tove Styrke Speaks on Her Re-Emergence in Music and Her Upcoming Album and Tour". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- Day, Laurence (23 January 2015). "Tove Styrke announces sophomore LP Kiddo, streams new track "Ego"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- Åberg, Evelina (13 May 2015). "Ny singel från Tove Styrke". Västerbottens-Kuriren. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- Dunlap, Kelley (24 June 2015). "This Alt-Pop Cover Of Britney Spears' "... Baby One More Time" Is Everything". BuzzFeed.
- Smith, Thomas (28 April 2017). "New Music Of The Day: Tove Styrke: 'Say My Name'". NME.
- McNeilage, Ross (4 October 2017). "Tove Styrke Is A Runaway Bride In The Epic 'Mistakes' Video". MTV UK.
- Riddell, Rose (14 December 2017). "Listen: Tove Styrke covers Lorde's 'Liability'". Coup De Main.
- Bruner, Raisa (2 February 2018). "5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week". Time.
- "P3 Guld-vinnaren Tove Styrke släpper singeln "Changed My Mind" och releasedatum för kommande albumet "Sway"". Mynewsdesk (in Swedish). 2 February 2018.
- "Tove Styrke släpper singeln "On The Low" från kommande albumet "Sway" - på scen med Lorde sjungandes Robyn cover". Mynewsdesk (in Swedish). 6 April 2018.
- Ginsberg, Gab (4 May 2018). "Tove Styrke Talks New Album 'Sway,' Touring With Lorde and Katy Perry: 'Oh My God, Is This Real Life?'". Billboard.
- "Tove Styrke has released a vibey new single ahead of her upcoming tour dates". Dork. 19 October 2018.
- Moran, Justin (2 March 2018). "ALMA Is a Legend For Life". Paper.
- Beaumont, Mark (29 November 2018). "Clean Bandit, What is Love? review: A shallow, algorithm-friendly array of synthetic pop devotion". The Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- Maxwell (8 August 2018). "Maxwell's Music Video Cameo in Lost Kings' - Stuck". iHeartRadio.
- Bein, Kat (24 August 2018). "Notd & Tove Styrke Are Stuck on Love With 'Been There Done That': Listen". Billboard.
- Wass, Mike (29 January 2019). "Tove Styrke Teams Up With RITUAL For Massive Banger, "Love Me Back"". Idolator.
- "Tove Styrke ansluter till Så mycket bättre 2020". TV 4 (in Swedish). 20 May 2020.
- Kenneally, Cerys (18 June 2021). "Tove Styrke unveils first single of 2021 'Mood Swings'". The Line of Best Fit.
- "Tove Styrke – Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- Dallach, Christoph (2012). "Wumms-Pop". Kulturspiegel (in German) (4): 34.
Ihr... Debütalbum 'Tove Styrke', voller unterkühlt eingängiger Wumms-Pop-Songs... [Her debut album which is full of nonchalant, catchy boom-pop songs...]
- "Hon är Tove Styrkes nya flickvän". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- "Pride Month 2022 Instagram Story", Instagram, retrieved 1 June 2022
- "GAFFA-Priset 2015 – här är alla vinnarna". Gaffa (in Swedish). Sweden. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- Burström, Evelina (25 January 2011). "Tove Styrke ut på turné" [Tove Styrke out on tour]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- McDermott, Emily (8 June 2015). "Tove Styrke". Interview. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- Magnusson, Daniel (14 February 2011). "Tove Styrke öppnar för The Ark" [Tove Styrke opens for The Ark]. Gaffa (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- "Tove Styrke på utsåld turné med Years & Years" [Tove Styrke on sold-out tour with Years & Years] (Press release) (in Swedish). Sony Music. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2023 – via Mynewsdesk.
- Hassler, Abby (25 July 2017). "Bleachers Kick-Off Second Leg of 'Gone Now Era' Tour at Outside Lands". CBS News. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Herh, Kala (15 June 2022). "Tove Styrke Doesn't Hold Back, And Neither Should You". V. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
External links
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