Behind the Groove: sagafelicia on Stilla Vatten, self-expression and discovering her place in music
We spoke to the Swedish singer/songwriter ahead of her new single.
De Lugnt, the second release from sagafelicia, instantly captured our attention. Surrounded by a dreamy atmosphere, elevated by poignant Swedish lyrics, it seemed like one of those records that continues to reveal itself with every listen. Since then, she’s released her debut En Ängels Tålamod and is returning this June with a new single, Stilla Vatten.
Sagafelicia, warm, thoughtful, and softly spoken, is talking to us from Stockholm. She frequently pauses before replying, choosing her words thoughtfully, but once music enters the conversation, a smile follows rapidly. It’s abundantly clear that writing music is not just something she does; it’s a process that has accompanied her for a significant portion of her life.
Born and raised in Västerås, her musical path took shape early through choirs, music school and theatrical productions.
“My parents aren’t musicians at all,” she laughs. “But they realised very early on that I loved to sing.”
Music grew into a constant part of her life from the age of five. Friends and family weren’t musically inclined, but Saga was naturally drawn to it. After completing high school, she moved to Malmö with a group of friends who were aiming for careers in music and began cultivating her own sound.
“There I started to learn to make my own music. I had a trained voice from choirs and things like that but hadn’t really made songs myself before then.”
While living in Malmö, she also had the opportunity to perform alongside the artist AYLA, contributing backing vocals and gaining valuable on-stage experience. Her time in Malmö soon came to an end, and then Stockholm beckoned.
“It felt like the place where things were happening, and I have met a lot of amazing musicians here and found a wider creative community here, which are the people I make music with today.”
Amy Winehouse, Veronica Maggio and writing in Swedish
When asked about early influences, Saga has no hesitation in answering.
“Amy Winehouse was huge for me.”
She reminisces about an uncle giving her an Amy Winehouse album when she was young, a record she would play for years and years.
“Not necessarily that I sound like her music, but more who she was-confident, stylish, artistic and unafraid to be herself.”
Swedish artists such as Veronica Maggio and Oskar Linnros helped shape her understanding of songwriting.
“I used to listen to Veronica Maggio’s first and second albums a lot when I was little, “Vatten och Bröd” and “Vinnaren”, produced by Oskar Linnros. The lyrics and music really appealed to me.”
Language plays an integral part in why she continues to write exclusively in Swedish.
“Swedish just feels more personal to me – it’s my native tongue, and it allows me to express exactly what I mean. I’ve written in English, and maybe I will in the future, but Swedish feels the most honest way for me to write right now.”
Looking back at En Ängels Tålamod
She describes En Ängels Tålamod, her debut EP from last year, as more of a “first chapter” rather than a completely formed body of work.
“I hear someone who is experimenting and working out things; some of the songs were actually written a very long time ago. It evokes more of a feeling of gratitude now than anything else. I’m just really glad that I released it.”
Then she shares an observation that maybe summarises the release better than any review:
“I’ve always been musical, and I have always made music, but I haven’t really ever announced that… Releasing the EP made me come out in a sense.”
This is a refreshingly truthful revelation; for Saga, the release was less about the music itself and more about taking on an identity she’d been keeping for a long time.
“It’s as if I’ve become more myself since then.”
Calm on the surface, chaos underneath
Her latest single, ‘Stilla Vatten’ taps into a very relatable emotional experience, particularly for many Swedish listeners:
“It is about the longing for more than what another person is longing for. And feeling that you want to express yourself, you want to make something clear about what you feel but you don’t do it and then let it pass.”
The translation of the single name is “still waters”, but underneath a seemingly peaceful surface, a battle of different feelings rages.
“That it can feel like you want to scream, ‘please, I want more than this,’ but let it go on.”
This is reflected in her personality as well.
“I’m a bit like that myself and just prefer to keep the peace, as opposed to create conflict. I can just let things go even though there is a lot happening inside.”
This conflict can be witnessed in her music as well; while a number of her songs are about sadness, uncertainty and the need for self-reflection, the instrumentation carries a soulful and uplifting quality.
“I find that the topics can be heavy because I have to draw from how I feel. I like the contrast where a song can sound joyful even when it deals with something very heavy.”
Building a world around the music
As a relatively independent artist, Saga wears several creative hats. Aside from composing her music, she feels responsible for giving each release a visual face.
“I always want to have some kind of world behind it.”
This can be through imagery, film or concept, and she feels that art offers yet another avenue in expressing her vision.
“I also like working with my hands and the more physical aspects; I enjoy drawing and working visually. If I had limitless amounts of time and resources, I’d love to explore larger visual projects with my music.”
As an independent artist, promoting music requires considerable effort.
“It’s so much to think about-press, social media, visuals. Everything is on your own shoulders and can sometimes be overwhelming but the rewards are huge when someone connects with your music.”
The future
One aspect sagafelicia wants to do much more of is performing.
“Much more live shows, actually, really, really, really more live shows!” she says, with a wide smile.
After all the work and commitment that goes into making and releasing music, it is meeting with listeners and engaging with them at live performances that truly appeals.
“That’s how you meet people and see their response. That’s my favourite part I guess.”
With Stilla Vatten scheduled for release on June 12 and new music already in the pipeline, her journey is just beginning.
“More music will definitely follow.”
And if this new single is anything to go by, we can all look forward to that.
