INTERVIEW: Sweden's Sarah Klang on latest single 'Worst Mom': "When I wrote it, I had absolutely no idea that it had an important message"
Image: Fredrika Eriksson
Sarah Klang may not have a name you instantly recognise, but over the last few years she has become one of Sweden’s biggest musical stars.
Her debut album, 2018’s Love in the Milky Way was a mixture of indie, rock, folk and country and won Best Album at the Swedish Grammis music awards. Her second album Creamy Blue received two Grammis nominations, while in 2021 she introduced 1980s synth-pop sounds to her third album VIRGO, which saw her win another Swedish Grammis award for Best Alternative Pop. All albums have received streams in the millions.
On October 20 she is set to release her fourth album, Mercedes. Named after her first child, it is an album that sees Klang leave her twenties behind and move into a new stage in her life, with her songs reflecting the associated challenges and highlights with her usual candour.
Last month she released the fifth single from Mercedes, ‘Worst Mom’. Set to a gentle, unobtrusive groove interspersed with bursts of piano, it outlines the way life totally changes when you have a child with honest and vulnerable directness. “It was important to me to show all the sides of motherhood,” Klang says. “The good and the bad days.” She ruefully sings of changes both physical and mental - “You came out of my body and every part of it changed / Now everything is hurting, I can't even walk the same” - but also celebrates the overwhelming love and wonder that comes with that side dose of pain: “But when you smile it feels like sunshine / How hard it hits me just like that first time.” It’s a gorgeously dreamy song that seeps into you and leave you floating on an audio sea of bliss.
Klang is a special artist whose music you will want to return to over and over again. There is power and strength in its calmness and subtlety, and her voice is nothing short of beguiling. From country infused indie, to new wave synth tinged pop, Klang is an artist for every one of your moods. Mercedes is promising to be an incredible album when it is released on October 20, and we recently caught up with Klang to chat all about her music.
Hi Sarah! So great to chat to you! How is life treating you right now?
Good! But I am so heavenly heavenly stressed and nervous, have just moved to a larger apartment and have a lot now before the start of my tour. BUT there is absolutely nothing I should complain about. I will be quiet!
You have recently released new single ‘Worst Mom’, it is such a beautiful song, congratulations! We really love the message behind it, that motherhood is a complex and challenging, as well as a rewarding, experience. Why did you feel it was important to get this message out there?
Thank you! I'm glad you like it. So when I wrote ‘Worst Mom’, I had absolutely no idea that it was "an important message" but I wrote it quickly right up and down in the studio. I just described how everything was right then and how I felt, in a straightforward and fun way. But now in retrospect, of course, I understand that many people have recognised themselves and been happy to hear it.
So much pressure is put on women to be the ‘perfect’ mother, alongside all the other pressures that society put on women, do you think with ‘Worst Mom’ you are making the song that perhaps could have helped you on your motherhood journey if you’d heard something like it years earlier?
I think there are already so many platforms and women sharing their experiences, so no. I rather had difficulty finding someone who said: ‘everything will be great, it will be fun, don't worry’ Hahah! So that's the kind of song I really should have recorded. Sometimes I think there is a lot of "whining" on social media about how hard it is to have children. It can actually be a little ... hard when you are pregnant to hear - ah just wait soon you will NEVER get to sleep again. You pray: okay!!
You have also released a music video for ‘Worst Mom’ which is both funny and heartbreaking. What was it like to make?
It was awful! I had a 39 degree fever and chills and was so angry and sad at Olle who directed it hahha! But in retrospect, I'm glad he made me do it.
Worst Mom’ will be on your upcoming new album Mercedes. What can you tell us about this album?
It's my coming of age album!
For those who might be new to your music, what is your musical background? How did you start you musical career?
I started a band in my teens, became obsessed with music, and decided it was what I wanted to do pretty early on.
Who are your musical influences, both when you were growing up and today as an artist?
I've listened to so much music, growing up with most of it. Today I also appreciate a lot of different stuff. I actually rarely play music at home, mostly listens to podcasts about .... history haha. But my boyfriend plays a lot of hip hop.
‘Worst Mom’ is out now. You can buy and stream here.
Mercedes will be released on October 20. You can pre-order and pre-save here.
To keep up with all things Sarah Klang you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Sarah Klang UK & Europe tour dates. Tickets here
October 25 - Latest Music Bar, Brighton, UK
October 26 - Oslo, London, UK
October 28 - The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, UK
October 29 - YES, Manchester, UK
October 30 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
November 1 - TRIX, Antwerp, Belgium
November 2 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 3 - Le Hasard Ludique, Paris, France
November 5 - Badehaus, Berlin, Germany
November 6 - lille VEGA, Copenhagen, Denmark
November 13 - Cosmopolite, Oslo, NO
November 14 - Katalin, Uppsala, Sweden
November 15 - Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden
November 16 - Frimis, Örebro, Sweden
November 17 - Plan B, Malmö, Sweden
November 18 - Gothenburg Film Studios, Göteborg, Sweden
