The air crackles with a different kind of electricity, an energy that seems to emanate from Loreen herself. Her voice, rich and textured, holds the echo of a seasoned storyteller, each word filled with experience, both joyous and harrowing. As the Moroccan-Swedish singer begins to speak, the room seems to shrink, the world outside fading away. Welcome to Loreen’s universe. “I don’t care about the industry and what it expects from me, because I’ve been on that path and it’s a waste of life”, she says, a glint of defiance in her eyes. “The biggest mistake out there is when we say ‘The industry, or all people, want us to be like this, so we should be like this’. The price that you’re paying is that you’re unhappy. It’s a big price”.

For Loreen, the only way to make music is being authentic. By baring her soul in her songs, she forges an undeniable bond with her audience, allowing them to join her universe. “Authenticity is just coming out and telling your truth. And if you do it, naturally, your people will come and they will find you. You know, you found me”. A smile plays on her lips. This philosophy has led her work to resonate worldwide: Loreen’s music found many people around the globe. Her discography sums up to two billion streams. She is the first and only woman to have won Eurovision twice, in 2012 with the club classic “Euphoria”, and last year, with the heart-wrenching electropop gem “Tattoo”, which has topped charts in 10 countries and is the third most played song from the contest. The music video for her follow-up single, Is It Love?, exceeded a million views in less than two weeks.

Yet, her measure for success lies deeper than statistics; the numbers are just a reflection of the power of staying true to her artistic vision.“Even though we see success, we don’t see all things. For most people success is like ‘Oh, she made it’, ‘she’s living the dream’. Success for me is experiencing. I want to experience everything in this life fully. I want to experience love fully. And I know that I have to go through pain fully to experience love”. She pauses for a moment, letting the weight of the statement hang in the air. “I want to know how it feels to not compromise, experience true freedom and be completely fearless. That is success.”

This journey isn’t a singular path. It’s a bridge, offering a glimpse into genuine experience. When she lays bare her truth, it becomes a mirror. “My purpose is to serve you whatever comes in. I try to give you something that is real. Because if I do, you give me back, and it goes like that ‘plim plim’”, she says, imitating magic as her hands, adorned with the long nails that became part of her visual identity, float in the air.

This connection extends far beyond the music. Loreen’s fans adore her. They compile videos of her saying “darling”, a term of endearment she adopted at last year’s Eurovision. They bestow upon her a title of highest honour — “Mother” — a testament to the safe haven she creates for the LGBTQ+ community. “Huge family, I have a very huge family, obviously”, she breaks into laughter. “Spiritual pop,” the fans’ insightful label to her songs, strikes a chord with her – a description she fully approves because it acknowledges that “there is no separation” between the artist and the audience. “I know that people go like “Oh, she’s so spiritual”, but I’m very much a science person. This is physics. If you ask a physicist what we are made of, they would say energy. Nothing is solid, which basically means that everything is collective, we’re connected”.

Liberated from expectations and immersed in the emotional spectrum, Loreen can fuel her creative fire. “The key thing for me is, where does creativity come from? It’s a moment before the mind is there, before you start thinking. The only thing I’m thinking is that I’m going to create. It just happens. It’s almost an automatic out of body experience: I let whatever comes out of my mouth happen without thinking, I’m not allowing my mind to be there at all”, she explains.

Cutting to the core: trusting your gut. That primal feeling, the one that whispers before reason throws up roadblocks with its “maybe you should do it differently” doubts. She’s honed the art of silencing that inner voice. A chord rips through the air, and she snatches the microphone. Sings. No overthinking, just raw expression. “And I don’t judge myself at all. The beauty is that once you start listening to what you’ve created, you can see that the subconscious mind knows exactly what it wants to say”.

And that’s how Loreen wrote the skeleton of her latest creation, the transcendent single “Forever”, out today. By trusting her instincts, she surrendered to the flow and energy of the studio. “They were playing the piano, I closed my eyes, took the microphone, and I sang the song from beginning to end. Listening back to it I was like ‘Oh my God, that’s a line’. The story was already within me. I did not question”.

Alongside producers Billen Ted (known for his work with Raye, Zara Larsson, and Armin van Buuren) and Zhone (whose credits include Troye Sivan, Paris Hilton, and Kim Petras), Loreen and her collaborators meticulously stitched together lyrics, shards of melody, and sonic details. Every element needed to fit seamlessly, telling a story set in the same world as “Tattoo”. “‘Tattoo’ is a representation of life. We struggle, we try to find our way, we’re confused, we’re angry, we’re happy, we’re everything. And ‘Forever’ is the conclusion of everything. What happens once you realise what everything is all about? The conclusion is love. I can create whatever I want in my life and nobody can control that. The awakening is that I can decide, I can choose to love. It’s actually my choice”.

The challenge then became how to deliver those feelings quickly. A ballad wouldn’t suffice. “How do I open things up and punch in some love?”, she ponders. The answer, she believes, is beat. “I needed speed. They asked me ‘Why speed?’. I told them: ‘I know why, just give me speed, it’s a spiritual thing’”, she says. “I am from the Atlas Mountains, so I know that you don’t underestimate sounds. There are sounds that open up certain parts of you, certain cells, parts of your spiritual body. A beat opens up the root chakra, the drums open up the root chakra, the speed of things…”. The final product? A fist-pumping anthem, raw with emotion, that throbs with the pulse of the rave.

Loreen’s life wasn’t a songbird’s melody. The world carved its lessons onto her young skin. Maybe that’s why her voice and lyrics carry such a weight of yearning: songs spun from the threads of hardship, a testament to the love that must bloom even in the cracks. Loreen’s mom was barely 14 when she landed in Sweden, fleeing Morocco to escape an arranged marriage. She gave birth to the star at 16, and tried to impose order on a packed and often chaotic household with five other kids. Singing became Loreen’s escape hatch, a way to find the quiet within the storm. At the age of 18, influenced by her grandmother and sister, she applied for Idol, a new TV singing competition in Sweden. Making it onto the live shows and finishing fourth felt like a huge accomplishment. But the experience itself was a trauma. The cameras, the constant pressure, the competition – it all got to her.

“I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but I was already very spiritual and sensitive to energies,” Loreen says. “And I was so shy that I hardly spoke to people, so imagine going into this situation where there’s cameras and lights and people asking you questions and judging you. I didn’t even know how a microphone worked. And all that anxious energy was a shock to my spirit”. After Idol, she spent her days as a TV producer and her nights learning the ropes in the studio. This dual experience provided a valuable foundation for crafting impactful and immersive performances.

Armed with newfound experience and technical knowledge, she launched her debut single, My Heart Is Refusing Me, in 2011. The song marked a pivotal moment in her career, going on to compete in Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s national selection for Eurovision. Loreen came fourth in her heat and missed the finals despite a second-chance effort. “It was the first time all my melodies came together in a song, but when I was performing it, I was still scared”, she recalls.

One year later, she conquered Sweden and Europe with “Euphoria”. A captivating electronic track that takes listeners on a journey of intense joy and emotional connection, the song’s soaring synths create a sense of unstoppable energy and momentum. However, the winner of Eurovision 2012 is more than just a club banger. The stark visuals and Loreen’s captivating presence on stage weave a sense of mystery and intrigue, further enhancing the impact of the powerful high notes. “There is something for everybody in the Eurovision community, and I think that with ‘Euphoria’, it was the first time that a bit of spirituality was introduced. When you connect with something, it’s because it’s resonating with something within you that is maybe missing or you already have”, she comments about the legacy of the track. “It was maybe the first song that represented something that maybe hasn’t been presented in that deepness. It is a reminder to connect with it, because it does exist in you. It is an awakening to certain energies”.

The victory unlocked a treasure chest of possibilities. Hits like “Crying Out Your Name”, “Statements”, and “Neon Lights” blazed onto the scene, marking Loreen’s blossoming as an artist. But the path wasn’t a straight shot. Disappointments, sharp and sudden, left their mark. Yet, she persevered, the fire within undimmed. And then, Eurovision’s embrace once more – a sweet redemption. “It’s been 11 years of mistakes, ups and downs. Life was really preparing me for ‘Tattoo’ and this was not only about the song. For 11 years, I was telling myself to be really strong in my beliefs. It was a development. Whether it’s people, industry, life, somebody had to test me and my beliefs. ‘How much do you believe in your stuff?’. It was painful, but everything was getting me stronger” she recalls. “At the moment, I didn’t like it. But now I love it. It brought me closer to you all and to myself. I’ve never experienced love this way. You think that love is only between a partner and you, that you can’t experience true deep euphoric love in a place? I did”, she says, describing what she felt when performing “Tattoo” on the stage: “I was looking at you and you were looking at me. In my heart I was thinking: ‘you are healing me right now’. The loving space was so amazing. Everything was connected”.

The second Eurovision win for Loreen etched her in the history of the competition. Still, social media was buzzed with a mix of celebration and discontent as people questioned her merits. In the crucible of the music scene, she understands the game: art, a battlefield of personal expression, defies critique. “Imagine I could force everybody to like me, what would be the difference between me and a dictator? I don’t have the right to force anybody to feel anything or see anything. I don’t have the right. If you like me, don’t like me, it’s your freedom”, she says. “What I ask is ‘Does this help me in my life?’ I think we should take all that energy to another point. Why don’t you take that energy and focus on your life, on how you can experience life in the most beautiful way there is? This is key”. Only the glint of genuine critique, a honed blade seeking betterment, earns her attention. “How do I deal with criticism?”, she repeats after my question. “I don’t listen.”

“At the end of the day there is no right and there is no wrong when it comes to art. It is whatever you want it to be. Can somebody give me that book of law that says this is the right art? I listen to constructive criticism: if there’s something that can help me and everybody else around me, I can listen to that”, she says. Years spent navigating the treacherous waters of the music industry have forged her resilience. She understands the fickle nature of fame, the sting of negativity, and the power of genuine connection. Yet, her spirit remains unbroken.

Not afraid to experiment, to push boundaries, and to embrace the idiosyncrasies of her universe, Loreen returns to the Eurovision stage this Saturday to premiere a world exclusive performance of “Forever”. “I’m thrilled to be performing at this year’s Eurovision final in Malmö. You make me feel like forever and truly blow me away every single time. This performance is dedicated to you, the community and fans who constantly give me love. It’s my appreciation to all of you”. Earlier this week, she announced her 2025 UK & European tour kicking off in the Netherlands on 15 February and wrapping in Ireland at 3Olympia Theatre on 27 March. “I want my connection to be true and authentic. I think you can’t fool people. We see authenticity, we feel it”, she claims about her new tour. Her heart, a wellspring of creativity, will continue to be her guide in this journey.