Today, Swedish artist and renowned songwriter Elina (real name Elina Stridh) has released a brand new single titled "Free."
A folk-inspired ballad bursting with lush melodies and self-reflective lyricism that shoots straight for the soul, "Free" tells a heart-wrenching story that is all too relatable. Elina reveals, "I had a bittersweet feeling writing 'Free.' We tend to live our lives in all places but the present, chasing after everything we don't have and forgetting what's right in front of our eyes. The story of the song is about losing yourself in the memories of a love that has ended, wishing you'd seen the beauty of it while it was still yours. Love is never easy or flawless, but you had a true version of it. In the rearview mirror you're looking back at it with different eyes knowing that being with this person was the greatest freedom of all."
"Free" is Elina's first new song since her May 2019 debut EP, In Hindsight. The EP was a bold first statement for the budding artist, with standout singles "Wild Enough," "Champion," and "Here With Me" sparking a run of 60 million+ Spotify streams and counting.
Before debuting her artist project in April 2018, Elina had already made an impression as a highly sought-after songwriter, penning hits for artists such as Zara Larsson, Astrid S,
Maroon 5 / SZA "What Lovers Do," among many more. In total, her songwriting catalog has generated over 1 billion streams.
Growing up in a small village in southern Sweden, Elina began exploring creativity and story telling at a young age. She learned to play guitar in 8th grade and was eventually admitted to renowned Swedish songwriting academy Musikmakarna (whose alumni include LÉON, Skott, NEIKED) where she developed her skills at a higher level.
With a razor-sharp lyrical sensibility, Elina's songs tell delicate stories of the vulnerability and uncertainty that makes us unapologetically human - beautifully flawed and courageously resilient. Inspired by the strong history and tradition of Swedish songwriters (Björn and Benny [ABBA], Max Martin, Cheiron, et al) Elina's craft has not gone unnoticed, garnering multiple awards including the 2018 ASCAP Pop Award for Maroon 5/SZA's "What Lovers Do," Best Singer-Songwriter in the Ivor
Novello Awards and a Denniz Pop Award nomination. She was also honored with the Swedish Publishing Awards' 'Song of the Year' for "Sexual" by NEIKED (which she co-wrote).
The transition from songwriting to her own artist project has been a vulnerable yet ultimately enlightening path for Elina, who notes, "I had written a few songs I really loved but hadn't been picked up by any artist, so I decided to release them myself. Creating this artist 'persona' and everything is still very alien but making music on my own terms has been such a healing experience."
With an upcoming sophomore EP, of which "Free" is the first taste, Elina is set on continuing to explore the depths of human emotion in the most raw and human ways. As she describes, "It's important for me to try and shine more of a light on the value of self-esteem, especially with the pressures we all face in today's society. I want to continue exploring that down the road with my next EP and hopefully reach a point where I can make a real difference using the platform I'm lucky to have."
Photo Credit: Hampus Hjellström
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