ZIKAI | The Swedish Pop Sensation Who’s Written For the Likes of ZARA LARSON | We Talk Global Ambitions & Her New EP ‘MAKE YOU MINE’

Zikai chose to step back from her first offer of a record deal and chose to develop her experiences by working extensively as a co-writer before proving that the wait was worthwhile by impacting us with her debut track ‘Mountain Peak’. She quickly became a hot tip, performing at Sweden’s Grammy and Oscar ceremonies before she’d even released her first EP.

She has now released her long-awaited debut EP ‘Make You Mine’ accumulating over 7.5 million streams, so far she featured on Mullally’s recent single ‘Fire’ and co-wrote ‘Hush’ for Yellow Claw and Weird Genius. Her ascending status has been underlined with a nomination for Rookie Artist / Band at the Denniz Pop Awards, which recognises Sweden’s best new talents. Zikai will be looking to follow in the footsteps of previous winners of the award, such as Tove Lo.

Zikai’s sound resonates with global artists, but the overall artistry and attitude remain her own. Her songs might touch upon Snoh Aalegra’s cinematic soul, Brandy’s throwback R&B, Mabel’s crossover appeal, or Dua Lipa’s postmodern disco. There’s a palpable African pop element too, sourced from her Ivorian father’s love of the influential Afropop favourites Magic System, plus the star quality of early 2000s MTV icons Rihanna and Omarion.

Zikai wrote ‘Twenty-Something’ with Anton Hård af Segerstad (Iggy Azalea, JoJo, Fifth Harmony), who also produced the track.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW SINGLE ‘TWENTY SOMETHING’?

Twenty Something really symbolizes my experience of being in my early twenties. I literally came home from the club the night before writing it knowing that I would use the crazy things that happened that same night for this particular song. I wanted to describe that feeling of waking up and not remembering much at all from the night before except the mistakes you made (that you often seem to exaggerate the next morning) and maybe some failed attempts to reach some kind of euphoria. It’s about being in your early twenties not knowing exactly what direction in life you should take. I know it may sound a bit dark but the happy chords and my high-pitched voice in the chorus is my way of saying it’s okay to feel lost because we all do sometimes. 

WHAT WAS THE FIRST TRACK YOU PURCHASED?

It was Rihanna -"A Girl Like Me" Album  (2006)

YOU WERE IN A BAND IN SCHOOL AND SIGNED AS A SOLO ARTIST TO A MAJOR LABEL AT THE AGE OF 15 HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT, WHAT’S THE STORY?

I put out a cover on youtube of Justin Bieber's song "Take You" a couple of years after my time in the cute little band and somehow an a&R at a major music label found it and shortly after I signed my first deal.  I was very young and I didn't really know at the time what type of music I wanted to make or what type of artist I wanted to be so I naturally started to listen to what the adults wanted for me. Even if my journey started off like it did -  I wouldn't regret anything because it truly made me who I am today.

YOU’RE A SONGWRITER, WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS?

I usually start with a nice guitar riff or some nice piano chords and from there on I start humming an improvised melody and the melody usually comes straight from the heart. The theme of the song, whether it's a love song or a sad song, will totally depend on my mood that day. Hopefully, I'm not too moody, Ha!

YOU’RE FROM SWEDEN, THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF TALENT COMING FROM SWEDEN AT THE MOMENT INCLUDING ZARA LARSON, WHICH YOU’VE WRITTEN FOR WHAT’S THE MUSIC SCENE IN SWEDEN LIKE?

The music scene in Sweden is probably not that different from what people overseas think of it. We got some great pop acts like Zara & Tove Lo but we also got some amazing artists more towards the soul genre like Seinabo Sey and Sabina Ddumba. I love writing together with other Swedish artists. When there's so much talent around you there's usually also a lot to learn and a lot to get inspired from.

ARE YOU STILL BASED IN SWEDEN?

Yes! But my goal is to move out to LA when this Corona chaos is over. I write very well over there.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT PERFORMING?

Singing in the studio and singing live on stage are too completely different things and I love both. I also love connecting with the crowd and being face to face with them when I sing and tell my story. And dancing. I love dancing and moving around on the stage even if I don't have a full-on Beyonce choreography.

YOU’VE ALREADY PERFORMED AT THE GRAMMY’S AND OSCARS IN SWEDEN HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE?

It was awesome! I was so nervous but I pulled it together and did my best. I'm very proud of myself for doing those gigs so early in my career. Also extremely thankful I got to do that and hopefully I'll do more shows like that in the future!

HOW HAS COVID IMPACTED YOU PERSONALLY?

Like for many other artists I'm not performing in front of people right now and every writing trip has been canceled but for a completely understandable and fair reason. I've had time to work on myself and I've taught myself how to do a lot of the things my producers do, which has been great. I've told myself for 5 years that I have to buy my studio equipment and this year I finally did. In fact, a lot of women I work with have done the same thing this year. So I guess good things do come out of horrible situations.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC? YOU’VE BEEN COMPARED TO RHIANNA, ARIANNA GRANDE AND MABEL.

I would say it's a mix between pop and RnB. Being compared to those names are so crazy and amazing to me since they're great artists and women that I look up to.

YOUR MUSIC WAS FEATURED ON THE LATEST FIFA SOUNDTRACK WHICH IS PRETTY COOL AS PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD CAN HEAR IT. DO YOU HAVE GLOBAL AMBITIONS?

Yes, that was amazing since it's a game literally everyone I know plays. I do have global ambitions, one of them is to have a billboard top 10. Ok if I'm completely honest it's to get a billboard top 5.

YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING A LOT IN BOTH LONDON AND THE US WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU?

Getting to know Bizness Boi and FWDSLXSH meant a lot to me since they're two producers from the states / London whom I've been wanting to work with for a long time. In fact meeting new friends and people in general in the industry around the world is definitely the biggest highlight. We're all so different and were born so far away from each other yet we all speak the same universal language of music.

IF YOU COULD BE ASKED ANY QUESTION IN AN INTERVIEW THAT NO ONE HAS ASKED YOU YET WHAT WOULD BE?

If there's any song out there I wish I wrote...... and unfortunately I don't have the answer to that one right now. I'll have to think a little bit longer.

IF YOU COULD TOUR WITH ANYONE MAKING MUSIC RIGHT NOW WHO WOULD IT BE?

Drake. Drizzy Drake.

WHAT’re YOUR PLANS AFTER COVID 19 LOCKDOWN?

Hopefully, I'll be on the stage again singing my ass off and I'll be going places. I'm just excited for 2021 with better vibes and better days.

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Interview by Emily Burbidge

 Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
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Facebook

Interview by Emily Burbidge

 Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook

Interview by Emily Burbidge