What life experience inspired “What If I Run”. It sounds very personal in nature.

When I began writing this song I was reflecting on a past relationship where I often felt like I wasn’t enough. I found that my mind was often tangled up in a state of fear. I was afraid that things wouldn’t work out the way I had hoped … or that maybe they would, and that frightened me, too.

As this song continued to grow it became more and more about fear as a whole. Fear of failure, fear of success, and ultimately overcoming it. This fear I’m sure many people struggle with inside the safety of their own thoughts.

In the end, it’s about not running from that fear, but speaking to it directly.

“What If I Run” is a very real question I’ve asked myself at many points in my life. “What if I leave first so I don’t get hurt?” “What if I give up quietly so no one can judge?” “What if I accomplish my biggest goals?” “Will I feel fulfilled?”

It’s about asking yourself the difficult questions.

The video has a minimalistic vibe. What made you want to go with a stripped down feel for this clip?

This song comes from such a vulnerable place that it felt fitting to do the video in a very simple and honest way.

I’m always drawn to clean, and minimal, visuals so when a group of us talked through the concept with director Andrew Hatling, and cinematographer Cherith Simmons, they knew exactly what I was going for.

I love that this video allows for the words to come through and carry the weight.

What do the plants in the video represent to you? Does their growth represent your growth?

You’re exactly right. The plants are meant to symbolize growth, a slow and patient growth to be exact. It’s meant to reflect the growth we see in ourselves when we turn off that little voice in our head telling us to be afraid.

Tell us about the project “What If I Run” is off of.

“What If I Run” is the title track of the full length album I released in February.

This album is a very personal collection of songs reflecting on my life and experiences thus far. It gave me an opportunity to share my story in a deeply healing way.

My main goal with any music I create is to help someone feel understood. I can recall so clearly much of the music that changed my life at a younger age, songs that felt like they could have been written specifically for me. I hope my listeners feel that same sense of belonging.

Your life has taken you from Sweden to Minneapolis, two distinctly different hotbeds for music, one known for pop, the other known for soul. I know you moved from Sweden when you were just six, but how do you feel having both of those places in your personal background have helped shape your music?

As you said, I was only six years old when I moved from Sweden to Minneapolis, so it’s hard to say if there’s been any direct influence from Sweden in my music. However, there are so many incredible musicians coming out of Sweden, which makes me even more proud of my Swedish roots. Little Dragon, Jose Gonzalez, and Tallest Man on Earth are a few I listen to regularly.

Minneapolis has an amazing music scene, and I’m lucky to have grown up in it. Everything from soul, pop, experimental, electronic, jazz, you name it. I think you can really hear Minneapolis’ influence on this record.

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