We had the pleasure of interviewing Flora Summers, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: I love your soft vocals! What’s your favorite vocal warm-up?
SUMMERS: Thank you so much. To be honest, I don’t really have one, vocal warm-ups kind of bores me so I just hope for the best when I open my mouth. But I like to get rid of tension in my body before singing, so sometimes I do a little neck stretching, rolling my shoulders, and so on. 🙂
Q: What inspired “Obsessions”?
SUMMERS: What inspired “Obsessions” is the feeling of being too invested in another person for the relationship to be healthy. It has always been hard for me to do something half-heartedly, so I easily get lost in people that I fall in love with. And suddenly, I no longer know myself without that person by my side and I end up feeling almost like a dog, just waiting around, not being able to survive on my own haha.
Q: In what way(s), do you think your style has evolved since the beginning of your career?
SUMMERS: I think my own style really started to take shape two years ago when I started to produce my own songs. Then I could try my craziest ideas, break the rules and start experimenting with sounds, instruments, and melodies. I recorded all the vocals in “Obsessions” through the computer microphone because I thought it sounded so much cooler. I don’t think I would have suggested something like that before when I only was the topliner in the room.
But overall, I think my style has gone in cycles. I started out very singer/songwriter oriented, took a sharp turn to 80s synthesizers and right now I’m here, in the alt-pop, warm organic indie-land. I love all kinds of music, so as much as wanna establish my own sound, I kinda hope I never will get stuck in one sound or one genre.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the Swedish alt-pop music scene?
SUMMERS: Currently, what’s dominating the charts in Sweden is mainstream pop with Swedish lyrics, alongside Swedish hip-hop, so I would say that the interest for alt-pop in English, in general, is quite low. But we do have a lot of amazing upcoming artists that are super talented. I’m a big fan of Augustine, Winona Oak, Bavé and Leon. We also have amazing rule models, who have paved the way, such as Tove Lo, Robyn, Tove Styrke, and Lykke Li, who all are great songwriters and artists. To see them make it outside of Sweden is a big inspiration!
Q: Apart from making music, what are your interests?
SUMMERS: Hmm… I think I have to say food. I really enjoy plant-based cooking! I find it very relaxing to be experimenting with different flavours and textures. I also love to go to restaurants and try new dishes from all over the world. It’s like catching a glimpse of another culture. So I eat out way too often.
Q: I read you have a debut EP coming out soon. What’s your favorite song on it and what does this EP mean to you?
SUMMERS: I do! I’m super excited about it. It’s hard to pick one favorite song, all of them are very personal to me. But I would say ”Little while longer” is my personal favorite, I think the chorus sounds just like the feeling I tried to capture. Still, Obsessions is probably the song that I’m most proud of.
This EP means so much to me. I’ve done it all by myself, every single word and note, and I’m so fucking proud of myself for doing that. For finishing it and putting it out in the world and finding the courage to be proud of it.
I started working on it when I was in a quite bad place in life, and I also had no clue about how to produce music. Making it kinda helped me to get my self-esteem back and to sort out all of my bad thoughts and feelings. Like a really good friend! So it’s probably full of beginners mistakes but it’s made out of true love for music.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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