It should come as no surprise that Norwegian starlet Sigrid was inspired by some of the strongest hooks in pop history while writing her Don’t Kill My Vibe EP, which was released on May 12 via Island Records. After all, her lead single “Don’t Kill My Vibe” shows a studied understanding of how to nail irresistible melodies, and the electropop number is rife with the type of clever and playful songwriting that you would only expect from an artist who has mastered her craft. That track is a rebuke of industry producers and writers who had doubted her song craftsmanship, but as you’ll see from her playlist, this is a songwriter who knows what she’s doing. From Adele to Zara, here’s Sigrid’s playlist of inspirations for her debut EP.
PLAYLIST
1. Adele – Rolling in the Deep
I discovered Adele when I was 13, and I remember asking myself how I could ever like another artist after hearing this song. It’s just a perfect banger! She’s probably one of my biggest inspirations, because her music taught me how to appreciate a good chorus.
2. Lorde – Green Light
I’ve been listening to Lorde since her first album came out, but I think Green Light is my favorite song so far. Damn, WHAT a tune. can’t wait to scream my lungs out at one of her shows!
3. Skepta – Shutdown
I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking “Ok, that sounded very aggressive in an elegant and calm way. How did he do that?” Skepta’s way of being snarly in a quirky yet cool way inspired me to scream “I tried to play it nice, but” right before the chorus hits in “Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Seriously, I tried to copy him, haha.
4. Rihanna – Needed Me
My favorite Rihanna song, but then again everything she and her team make is great. Greatness. Gah, where’s the fangirl emoji when I need it.
5. Grimes – California
I love her album Art Angels, and “California” is probably my favorite song on it. It’s smart, fun, and crazy pop. How can you not like that?
6. Justin Bieber – Sorry
I think this must have been one of the first songs I heard where I actually paid attention to the vocal melody. How smart, intricate, interesting and catchy it was. They probably could’ve gotten away with half of those vocal hooks, but nope – they just made a whole song without any boring melodies. I can’t get over how brilliant this song is.
7. Julia Michaels – Issues
I wasn’t really surprised when I fell in love with Michaels’ first single – after all she’s the topliner behind Justin Bieber’s Sorry. The first thing I thought when I heard “Issues” for the first time was “YES!”. It just felt so fresh! Julia Michaels + topline is probably my favorite combination.
8. Zara Larsson – Lush Life
Can we talk about the title of this song? It sounds perfect, and oh my the graphic possibilities dealing with two words both starting with L and both made up of 4 SYLLABLES/LETTERS. I wish I was a part of Larsson’s creative team and show some love for symmetry. #LL
9. Gabrielle – 5 Fine Frøkner
I’ve listened to this Norwegian songstress for a long time, it’s truly impossible to not like her tunes. They’re catchy, honest, cool, sassy, fun, big, euphoric. They’re everything to me, her music makes me feel.
10. M.I.A. – Paper Planes
The first time I listened to this song was with my older brother and sister doing laundry back home in Ålesund. I was around 14 or something, and obviously I looked up to them and their music taste. My brother put this on and I couldn’t believe how cool this song was. I hadn’t heard anything like it before, so it was definitely a special moment.
