NOSTALGIA AS A LOVE LANGUAGE - ISAK DANIELSON - BTB DIGITAL

ISAK DANIELSON HAS BUILT A CAREER ON TURNING LONGING, REGRET AND DEVASTATION INTO SONGS THAT FEEL ALMOST PAINFULLY INTIMATE. AWAY FROM THE STAGE, HOWEVER, THE SWEDISH SINGER-SONGWRITER IS DISARMINGLY FUNNY, SELF-AWARE, AND REFRESHINGLY UNFILTERED. WHEN WE CATCH UP, DANIELSON IS SPENDING A FEW DAYS IN AMSTERDAM, WHERE A NEW CRUSH HAS UNEXPECTEDLY REIGNITED AN OLD SMOKING HABIT AND LIFE FEELS EXCITING IN ALL THE MESSY WAYS IT SHOULD. AS HIS LATEST SINGLE STOCKHOLM PREMIERED – ALONGSIDE THE REVEAL THAT THE NEW ALBUM IS ALREADY FINISHED – HE SPOKE TO BTB ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR NOSTALGIA, DEALING WITH ANXIETY, AND WHY BARBRA STREISAND’S DON’T RAIN ON MY PARADE IS A PERFECT SONG TO PLAY DURING PLANE TURBULENCE.

Left Full look **Hermès**
Right Jacket, pants, shoes and shirt **Fendi**, tie stylist’s own

You're in Amsterdam right now. What are you doing there?

Smoking too many cigarettes. [Laughs] I don't know what happened last week, but since Wednesday, I've probably smoked a pack a day. I'm usually not like that. I think I just... I got a crush on somebody last week, got excited about life, and somehow smoking became part of that feeling.

Sounds fun! [Laughs] What’s on the agenda, then?

I have friends here, I'm just hanging out, and I love the city so much. I actually hate flying, though. The flight here two days ago was horrible – it was so turbulent. The woman sitting next to me started crying, and I had to comfort her while internally I was freaking out too. I wasn't crying, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. Other than that, everything's been lovely.

Do you have a go-to song when you're anxious on a flight?

I don't actually listen to calming music when that happens. If it's really turbulent, I want something that matches the chaos. Like Barbra Streisand's Don't Rain on My Parade. Something that makes me feel powerful instead of trying to calm me down.

Left Full look **Paul Smith**
Right Full look **Miu Miu**

[Laughs] You’re matching the vibe. Your new single Stockholm just came out. I read that you weren't immediately convinced you wanted to release the song when you first wrote it. What changed?

I think some songs just need more time. They grow on you. I also believe a lot in timing – whatever is meant to happen happens when it's supposed to. Maybe this was simply the right moment for this song to come out. I wrote it during COVID. At the time, I was very sad and deeply in love with somebody, but it was one of those relationships that was never going to work. A very destructive one.

The song is about imagining what life would be like if we were still together. It's about how someone who was once incredibly close can suddenly feel like a stranger. You wonder what it'll feel like the next time you see them, whether seeing their face will bring everything back. It's a nostalgic, sad love song about wanting to be with someone you can't be with. There's also some regret in it – thinking, “I didn't handle this well,” and carrying that with you.

Since it's been several years, does performing it now feel like closure, or does it still take you back to that period of your life?

It always takes me back a little bit. But emotions don't really disappear – they just attach themselves to different people and different experiences. I'm still very close to the emotions that exist in my songs. They're part of who I am, so it doesn't matter that they're based on something I experienced years ago. They're still accessible to me because they're mine.

Left Full look **Valentino**
Right Full look **Dries Van Noten**

Your songs are incredibly personal. Do you ever feel vulnerable sharing so much of yourself?

Honestly, I don't really care. [Laughs] The more personal I can be, the better. I've used voice notes from people in songs, I've said people's real names – I don't think too much about it. Of course, I hope people like the music and listen to it, but I don't overthink who's going to hear it or what they'll think. I overthink almost everything else in life, but not this part.

Do you ever struggle with creative blocks? If so, what helps you end it?

I get drunk and fall in love. [Laughs] No, seriously – I think everyone goes through periods where they're less interested in creating, and I think you have to allow yourself to have those periods. But inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes it's a film, sometimes it's another song. I've dealt with panic and anxiety for so much of my life that I spent years avoiding anything outside my comfort zone. Now it's the opposite. All I want to do is step outside it and face my fears. Whenever I do that, creativity wakes up.

Stockholm is your second single this year. Are these songs pointing toward a larger story?

The album is finished – I don't know if I'm supposed to say that yet – but yes, I finished it in Stockholm last week. The songs are all connected by nostalgia. I love nostalgia. I love heartbreak. I love sadness. That's just naturally where I write from.

Left Full look **Miu Miu**
Right Full look **Hermès**

Left Full look **Dries Van Noten**
Right Jacket and pants **Giorgio Armani**, shoes **Manolo Blahnik**

Do you have a dream venue you'd love to perform in?

I'd love to play the Royal Albert Hall in London one day. But honestly, I love intimate venues the most. I like feeling close to the audience. Theatres, smaller concert halls – those spaces feel right for my music.

Touring can be exhausting. What's essential for keeping yourself sane during that time?

Performing itself keeps me sane. I genuinely love doing it. That said, sleep is important. And I've learned not to feel guilty if I don't explore every city. Sometimes you need to stay in the hotel, recharge your batteries and be quiet. I also love yoga. That's probably the closest thing I have to a ritual.

Finally, what are you most looking forward to this summer?

Going to my parents' summer house on the west coast of Sweden. I want to waterski, barbecue, swim in the ocean and just relax. You should come!