If there is one thing we miss right now, it’s the beach. The soft crashing waves, the subtle sounds of seagulls in the near distance, the scorching sun beating down – it’s literally calling our name. While we wait for the weather to get better and restrictions to lift, singer Lexi Berg is taking us there virtually with her soothing new single “Into the Sea”. Drawing us in with dramatic and mournful strings, Lexi effortlessly croons over the piano-led production and delivers a heartfelt offering. Amplifying elements of sorrow and joy with slow haunting drums, the Nordic singer puts her unguarded emotions at the forefront of the single.

“Swedes have a mystical relationship to the sea,” Lexi says. “In the summer, we have the ‘morgondopp’ ritual: getting up early, putting on our bathrobes and clogs, and heading out into the sea whatever the weather. I think everyone who spent lockdown in a city felt a particular appreciation when they escaped into nature. I hope this song moves the listener and reminds us of nature’s ability to heal and restore us emotionally with its magic.”

Accompanying the single with a Drew Cox-directed video, we’re introduced to Lexi’s own emotional journey into nature, with shifting muted tones and scenic views. Unafraid to channel raw emotions, the Stockholm-born singer has been enjoying a new wave of discovery in recent months, with her warming ballad “What If” featuring in Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman. Ready to kick off the second half of the year with more tunes, we sat down with Lexi talking all things music and her upcoming EP.

Check out the single and interview below…

Hey Lexi! We’re almost six months into 2021, how has this year been for you?
I think alot of us were frightened by the third lockdown at the beginning of 2021, but I was very lucky to have been able to channel my emotions into my music.
Even though most of my sessions were on Zoom, I still managed to finish the EP. We even got to go into the studio and record live music. That in itself was such a treat after the many hours of zooming in 2020!

With everything that happened last year, do you think it has affected your creativity at all?
Being locked in on your own makes you face yourself in a new way. It drove me to want to write more than I ever have before. I think Covid and the lockdowns have radically changed all of our perspectives on the world. The process of making this EP gave me hope in dark times.

How did you first start your career in music, what is your earliest memory?
I first started playing the piano on our houseboat, which was docked in a shipyard in Stockholm, when I was five. I would write little lullabies for my sister and with my sister. When I was 13, I was scouted by some Swedish record producers and offered a recording contract. Though I didn’t take it, I got a taste of the world of music.

You spent months locked alone in a dark flat writing, why is this and why did you feel the need to be alone?
As the first lockdown started, our landlord put up scaffolding so we had no access to direct daylight and then after a few weeks my flatmate went back to the States. So it wasn’t so much a choice because of lockdown but I guess it was a good thing! I made a lot of music.

Congratulations on your new single “Into the Sea”, talk us through the production process and creation!
I wrote the song on the first day that I met my producer, Jimmy Hogarth, and co-writer Negin Djafari. I had just come back from Sweden, and all of us in that recording studio had grown up on the sea. After such a dark year we all felt such a connection with the ocean and its healing properties. When we recorded the song, we had the most amazing musicians come in and play their take of the song on top of the demo that we’d made. It was so moving to me because they all played from the heart, without sheet music or notes. The end result was magical. I hope listeners feel that too; and find comfort and meaning in the sea. Swedes have a deep relationship to the sea and nature and their power to heal our bruised emotions. It’s part of our Nordic tradition.

The video is stunning! What was it like filming?
Well, I nearly got hyperthermia as we filmed it in Margate in two degrees and not in Ibiza! We also had to be up at sunrise and stay awake until sunset, and I think we all went a bit crazy under the super pink moon, but the team were amazing and I’m very grateful for the experience.

Your last single “What If” was featured in Pieces of a Woman, what was it like hearing your song in the movie?
It was so exciting. Felt very honored to be part of such a powerful piece of film.

What do you want people to take away from your music?
All I want is for my music to hit the heart. For the listener to feel something. I hope my songs comfort and heal and celebrate at the same time.

Who would you cite as your musical inspirations?
I love listening to all types of music especially movie soundtracks and classical music. I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac and Abba. I have a particular love of strong female vocalists and musicians like Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Kate Bush, and Alanis Morisette.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited for?
I am so excited to release the rest of my EP.I think there is a song on there for everyone. I hope they acknowledge that people are struggling and mourning, especially with Covid still raging around in so much of the world. But at the same time, there is life to celebrate – in nature, isolation, love and music. There is still magic around.