Little Dragon, from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). Little Dragon's first release was the double A-side 7" single "Twice"/"Test", released in 2006. The following year, the band signed with Peacefrog Records and released their self-titled debut album, Little Dragon, in 2007. Their second album, Machine Dreams, was released in 2009, followed by their third album, Ritual Union, in 2011. Their fourth album, Nabuma Rubberband, is set to be released May 13, 2014 via Loma Lista. So far, Little Dragon has released three tracks from the album- "Klapp Klapp" "Let Go" and most recently, "Paris." Take a listen to "Paris" below.
Next month is an interesting time for Swedish singers, particularly female Swedish artists, like yourself, Lykke Li, and First Aid Kit. It appears to be a a good time internationally for Swedish singers. What do you attribute that to? Is there something specific about Swedish performers that is speaking to a global audience now, or is it just coincidental?
"I don’t know. I think there has always been a good music scene in Sweden. It’s pride. It’s Swedish pride. Just like Denmark has design, and maybe more fashion, Sweden can have music. I don’t know if it is specifically female artists to me. Swedish women are very strong, I think. Gender-wise we are pretty forward thinking. You can see that through The Knife. I think as a woman growing up in Sweden, you take pride in certain things. Maybe that role is more natural for us, not having to be that girl on stage to sell her beauty. Instead, you’ve grown up having a lot of gender rights. I guess that is often discussed in Sweden so maybe it comes natural for girls to be strong."
Yeah, I get the feeling that as artists—yourself and the others I mentioned—you aren’t really pushing your sexuality or looks, more your talent and songwriting. That’s often not the case, especially in America.
"We are quite sensitive to that. Of course, we have those artists, but every culture does and if people are quite sensitive to that, it feels very predictable. You don’t want that. Maybe it’s the norm in America, but in Sweden it’s more obvious."- Pigeons and Planes.
Next month is an interesting time for Swedish singers, particularly female Swedish artists, like yourself, Lykke Li, and First Aid Kit. It appears to be a a good time internationally for Swedish singers. What do you attribute that to? Is there something specific about Swedish performers that is speaking to a global audience now, or is it just coincidental?
"I don’t know. I think there has always been a good music scene in Sweden. It’s pride. It’s Swedish pride. Just like Denmark has design, and maybe more fashion, Sweden can have music. I don’t know if it is specifically female artists to me. Swedish women are very strong, I think. Gender-wise we are pretty forward thinking. You can see that through The Knife. I think as a woman growing up in Sweden, you take pride in certain things. Maybe that role is more natural for us, not having to be that girl on stage to sell her beauty. Instead, you’ve grown up having a lot of gender rights. I guess that is often discussed in Sweden so maybe it comes natural for girls to be strong."
Yeah, I get the feeling that as artists—yourself and the others I mentioned—you aren’t really pushing your sexuality or looks, more your talent and songwriting. That’s often not the case, especially in America.
"We are quite sensitive to that. Of course, we have those artists, but every culture does and if people are quite sensitive to that, it feels very predictable. You don’t want that. Maybe it’s the norm in America, but in Sweden it’s more obvious."- Pigeons and Planes.