Q&A: Icona Pop
Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt are Icona Pop, the electro pop
duo from Stockholm whose single “I
Love It” has become anthemic. Their euphoric and infectious music lends itself
to partying, which is, coincidentally, how these BFFs met in 2009. After moving
to London , Jawo and Hjelt dropped
their self-titled full-length debut in 2012, followed by their second studio
album “This is Icona Pop” in 2013. Icona Pop tunes soon appeared on TV shows
like “Girls” and “Glee,” and the duo made the rounds on “Late Night with Jimmy
Fallon” and “Good Morning America.” The sexy Swedes are currently opening for
Miley Cyrus’s Bangerz tour and will partner up with Katy Perry later in the
spring.
Q: Your bio says you met on a Saturday and booked your
first show the following Monday. How did Icona Pop happen so fast?
Aino: It is quite weird. I was dumped and our mutual
friend forced me to go to a party at Caroline’s place. We kind of fell in love
with each other. The energies between us were amazing. We were talking about
music—and it happens a lot when you’re out that you talk with people and want
to make music with them and then it never actually happens—but we knew
immediately that we would go through with it.
Q: You told Interview that Icona Pop is synonymous
with “fuck it mode.” What does that mean to you?
Caroline: “Fuck it mode” is a state of mind that we
end up in when we’re together. We just do our thing and we do it one-thousand
percent and we don’t care what other people think. We don’t even think about
the consequences of what we do, so we have to deal with them the next day. So
that’s the “fuck it mode.” You’re very present and you’re very now.
Aino: That’s when Icona Pop is the best.
Q: Partying is a theme in your music. What makes for
a great party?
Caroline: A great party is me and Aino in a room with
music. We call that an awesome party.
Aino: [Laughs.]
Caroline: For us, it’s about bringing all of our
friends. That’s more important than where we are. And music that makes you move
your hips and you can’t stop. And some beers. Yeah, that’s all we need for a
party.
Q: What has been a highlight of your tour with Miley
Cyrus?
Aino: The whole tour has been crazy. The first show
is always epic because it’s such an experience. In Vegas, it was a very special
night. We had a lot of friends come over and we had this massive after-party.
It was magic.
Q: How do you recover from partying in time to go onstage
again? Do you have any tricks?
Caroline: It’s kind of a rule that you shouldn’t try
to be king during the night if you can’t be king during the day. If you’ve been
having a really good night out, and you’re hungover as hell, it doesn’t matter.
You get energy from a good night out. But if you’re staying home and you know
all of your friends have a lot of fun, you wake up the next day feeling not so
satisfied. Sometimes it’s better to go out there, get energy from having fun,
and, yeah, you might be a little tired but you can still laugh about the things
you did.
Aino: It’s not about drinking beer. We’ve been out
several times without drinking. It’s just a thing where you’re meeting people
and listening to music and having a great night.
Q: Your biggest hit thus far was “I Love It.” What do
you love, other than music?
Aino: That is a hard question. We love gorgeous men.
They always give me a lot of energy. We love nature and animals.
Caroline: Yeah. We love food. We love eating.
Q: What kinds of food have you had on tour? Anything
exotic?
Aino: We got Mexican food.
Caroline: That’s our favorite.
Aino: Mexican is our favorite right now. But it’s
always different. We get hang-ups. We eat it until we can’t eat it anymore.
Q: You’re both into fashion. What are your top picks
for Spring?
Caroline: I don’t think we’re the best ones following
all the trends. We can’t keep up with everything. But we love clothes and we
love buying shoes. I think when it gets a little bit warmer, it’s perfect for a
leather jacket, a pair of great sunglasses, and maybe you should treat yourself
with those springy high heels.
Aino: Leather jacket is one of the main things we
always have. And a pair of nice sunglasses can make you look cool no matter
what you’re wearing.
Q: You collaborate often with other artists and
producers. Why is that important to your music?
Caroline: We love collaborating with people just
because of the fact when you go into the studio with another person, it gives
new energy to the songs you’re writing. It’s super fun, especially when you
work with people like us that don’t have any rules and aren’t scared of trying
new stuff.
Aino: We have a couple of collaborations coming out,
but we can’t really tell you. We’re excited.
Q: If you weren’t musicians, what careers would you
pursue?
Aino: I would be an astronaut.
Originally published on Vita.mn in March 2014.
Originally published on Vita.mn in March 2014.
