There's racism everywhere in the world; it's not just Sweden, it's everywhere, but other than that I had a pretty okay upbringing.
Snoh Aalegra
I lost my dad in 2009 and on my album 'Feels,' it's about all different feels.
In my music, I bare it all; it's really naked.
This lipstick by MAC called 'Kinda Sexy' has been a favorite for years now and is one of my essential beauty products.
Me and John Mayer met via a mutual connect, we were by the studio and he asked If I could play him my music. When he heard 'Under The Influence,' he asked if he could be a part of the track and of course, we made that happen.
No I.D. is actually married to my cousin, and my cousin is my manager. So I met him when she met him many years ago. I was in the studio and he hooked me up with a bunch of producers that he knew.
My name is actually Snoh, but there's a rapper with that name already out there, so I was asked to add something to it. I didn't really want to do it at first, but then I thought of Aalegra. It has a connection to music and means 'joy' in Italian.
I realized home is wherever you're surrounded by positive people who love and support you.
The entertainment industry can feel so serious. But at the end of the day, it's music and it's supposed to be positive and make people feel good.
As long as I don't have to compromise my art, that's the most important thing. It doesn't matter if I'm famous or not, it's all about the music.
I'm such a spiritual person and in Sweden it's a bit taboo to be too open with your spirituality; they always think it's a bit weird.
One book that I just think is absolutely beautiful is 'The Kite Runner.' I'd recommend that one to any and everyone.
I listen to rap a lot. I love Nas, Damien Marley, and Lauryn Hill.
I don't know exactly what genre to put it in, I just know that I grew up listening to a lot of soul music - Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Whitney Houston. I was inspired by all these great big voices, and I try to do music that's timeless.
I just want people to feel what I feel when I hear music that I love.
I speak three languages - English is my third language - so I take my time with lyrics. It's almost like having a conversation with somebody. If it's really important, you want to think about what you wanna say with that person, especially if it's for the last time.
I like to tell stories in my writing but I definitely use my own life experiences to tell that story.
In Sweden we have a jazz festival, and I would try to see all these people like Angie Stone there when I was younger.
We have a huge immigration population in Sweden, but when I was younger, I grew up in a small town and, at one point, I was the only foreigner in my class. I really felt different, and I thought I looked different. Sometimes it was a good thing, sometimes I felt insecure.
I've learned to really listen to your family and friends. Because they want the best for you. Even if it's not what you want to hear, they're gonna tell you the truth.
I'm definitely inspired by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Lauryn Hill.
Emotionally, I've always worn my heart on my sleeve.
I'm from Sweden, where it's winter, like, half the year. And it's dark - we barely have any daylight.
I actually got signed when I was 14 with Sony Sweden. Things didn't really work out with that, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to be exposed to the industry at a young age.
I don't like flying... it's a fear of mine.
With this career, it's hard for me to have a day to myself, so when I get them I really appreciate them.
It's been so inspiring to have complete creative control and to just have fun creating and collaborating with people I admire greatly.
When it comes to music, I'm such a fan of music and it makes me feel so much.
I believe things when it comes out 'cause I know how it is - things change all the time.
It's not very easy to impress No I.D., you really have to work hard.
My heart is always listening to the music I grew up with from the '70s and '80s to early '90s.
I sit a lot with my lyrics - I don't write just to write or put a line in just to have one. Everything has to mean something to me.
I've always been in my own world, even as a young girl. But I fell in love with music because it made me feel something that I can't explain.
I have both Swedish and Iranian cultures ingrained in me, so that's always there. Plus my love of the U.S. began early on. But growing up in Sweden as one of the few people of color around was not easy by any means.
I think being in the world of R&B creates a sense of home, and I think it's important to have that sense of home and spirituality within your music.
I've experienced industry politics and... people telling me I'm never going to make it. I'll never listen. I'm doing me.
I think it goes without saying that Logic has a strong and powerful message in his artistic deliveries and has a very beautiful mind. I'm so thrilled to have him be a part of 'Feels.'
With 'Feels,' I was in a really long relationship with somebody, so the songs were about that.
If my music can be part of the soundtrack to your day, that's such an honour.
I've been in situations, when I was younger, when I had people forcing me doing stuff that they don't want to do.
Sometimes I'm very feminine - I wear tight skirts and pumps.
I grew up looking up a lot to '90s supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. I just thought those women were such cool role models because they had a good body ideal, too.
This fragrance 'Parisienne' by YSL was my fave back when I lived in London.
We have a lot of indie artists coming from Sweden, not so much soul. The closest thing we had was Robyn when she came out, but it's a different kind of R&B.
I wrote my first song at the age of 9 and of course it didn't make any sense.
I feel like nowadays it's almost become a corny thing to say that you want to be a role model or do something good for the world, but the artists I've looked up to - like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Prince - were about something.
Above all, I'm very genuine with my music. I would never sing about something that I can't stand for.
Drake is super versatile. He always has a lot of emotional moments on his albums.
I just make music that I love. I'm kind of selfish when I make music. I'm like, 'Do I like this?'
I've been obsessed with music since I was a little girl. I knew I wanted to be a singer when I was 9 years old.
