There’s a great series on Netflix called “This Is Pop” that dives into the history of pop music. It’s got episodes dedicated to autotune, the impact of music festivals on charts and the special place in music history that is held by boy bands. There’s also an entire episode about Sweden’s impact on music.
That’s not just because Abba is one of the best bands ever, it’s also because of the sheer number of hits that were written in Sweden. Tracks like “Baby One More Time,” “Blinding Lights” and “Shake It Off” all owe some of their origins to Swedish songwriters.
It turns out there are entire hit factories in Sweden dedicated to making international singers sound more polished and poppy. But when Swedish artists aren’t writing tracks for the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift or The Weeknd, what do they do?
The answer is they sing songs as Miike Snow. This Swedish group was formed when two people who have written number ones for Britney Spears, Sugababes and even Madonna, partnered up with American singer Andrew Wyatt.
Sure, the songs might not sound too much like “Toxic,” but they’re boppy, synth-filled indie anthems that should brighten any morning. So give ‘Paddling Out’ a listen this morning, and see if it helps put a bit of pop star magic on your commute this morning.
