Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Kris Jansson, Juan Carlos Verona, and courtesy of CRONICLE
Swedish artist Melanie Mohlkert aka CRONICLE isn’t one to fall victim to the constraints of musical boundaries. Whilst many fans remember her as the front woman of the Stockholm punk-pop band Tantrum to Blind, a group who graced the screens of MTV, her latest venture finds the versatile singer delivering a euphoric mixture of R&B, trap and pop that burns with the same flaming blaze that she has brought to the world of rock and even emo.
Making her debut as CRONICLE back in 2018 with the song ‘Head Up And High’, Melanie Mohlkert followed-up the single with a string of cuts including ‘Bruises’ and ‘Self Sabotage’, all a deliverance of sheer pop bliss. Her feature on the Alisky and NUJA track ‘It’s OK’ further cemented her reputation as an act who can pretty much do no wrong on various rhythms and instrumentation.
CRONICLE’s latest single ‘Need U to Want Me’ is the vocalist flying in optimal form, yet again pumping out a hot pop record rich in production and bold in performance. Based on her track record, Melanie Mohlkert is only going to keep raising the levels as sky’s the limit.
Before your solo venture you fronted Tantrum to Blind. Has your approach to music, in terms of the process, differed between being in a group and working as a solo act?
CRONICLE – It was definitely more of a one way process when I was in my band. Simon, our guitarist, and I usually wrote a song acoustically, then we brought it into the rehearsal space and shaped it as a band before making it into a record. Sometimes Simon would produce a demo during our writing sessions but in general we had a very smooth simple collaboration. We didn’t have anyone outside the band involved in any of the process. Since I started my solo venture, songs have come to life in a lot of different ways and I’ve involved quite a few different producers and musicians in the process. I’m most comfortable writing the core of the song on my own and then involving a producer who gets me and my vision for it. It kind of needs to be someone who is cool with me being pretty meticulous about where I want the song to land. I should learn to do the whole thing properly myself, really!
Musically your solo work explores R&B, trap, dance and more. Are there any elements harking back to your alternative, punk and emo roots that you bring to your current sound or perhaps stage show performance?
CRONICLE – Yeah I think most of all I’m still pretty raw in my lyric writing which is something that comes from my years living and breathing alternative/punk-rock music. In terms of the sound I tend to like a lot of layers of the different sound elements I use to really add that energy you get in rock music. Pop productions today are very minimalistic and I often have to fight for my guitar and percussion layers to stay around in the final mix hehe. Performance-wise, I think it’s noticeable for sure that I have a punk background. I still jump, headbang and put one of my feet on the stage monitors without really thinking about it.
While some people can be a bit critical of their fave artists exploring various musical styles, I would go on to say that some of the most cutting edge acts in music have all done that, whether it be David Bowie or even Janelle Monáe. Do you see it as a form of creative liberation in a way?
CRONICLE – For sure. We all go through different phases in life and (hopefully) develop as people. It’d be weird not to let your music change/develop as I grow. It’s more important to me to make music that resonates with me firstly, and where I am at the moment than to follow any sort of trend or do what’s potentially expected of me. If I get really into techno or Hip-Hop in the future I might end up sounding completely different. I don’t really see a reason to make music if what I’m making doesn’t excite me. If I don’t love listening back to a song I’ve made I’m most definitely not gonna release it under my name.
Can you talk a bit about ‘Self Sabotage’? You start the song off with “I’m empty when I wake up”, not to mention there are lines like “I stare at the ceiling trying to tap into my feelings’. What was the inspiration behind the songwriting of this track?
CRONICLE – Well hehe…I wrote it in the midst of a deep depression episode. Other than my life being a crazy roller coaster in general I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I’ve now learnt that living with this diagnosis for so long without getting proper help and treatment can develop traits of bipolar disorder. It’s been the core reason for my constantly returning dark depressive episodes over the past few years. It’s not very unusual that women with ADHD get diagnosed with bipolar disorder when there’s an underlying, untreated ADHD causing their mental illness. Self Sabotage was written when I was still completely unaware of my mental disability and I had become very ill. I felt completely useless, weak and totally unworthy of the privileged life I’m born with. I had so much self hate inside of me that turned into self sabotaging behaviours in all areas of my life. Just the fact that I was in LA at the time, surrounded by amazing people, living in a surf shop next to the Santa Monica beach where I could skate and surf every day made no sense at all. I was so depressed I couldn’t enjoy any of it although I was basically in my personal paradise. At the end of the trip I got a last minute session with producer James Rushent and it all just came out of me very naturally. I think it didn’t take me more than an hour to have the whole topline down.
You were featured on the Alisky and NUJA song ‘It’s Okay’. That is a fantastic record. How did that collaboration come about?
CRONICLE – Thank you, happy you like it! I ended up in the same group session as NUJA & Alisky on the last day of a Scandinavian writing camp last summer. Me and Mirjam of NUJA had a pretty special experience the evening before where she as a complete stranger walked into my room and dragged me out of an anxiety attack. Then we ended up on some rocks in the middle of the woods talking about life and music while staring up into the bright Swedish midnight sky. I’ve never experienced such a quick, awesome and genuine bond with someone like that. We were so stoked the next morning when we found out we were gonna be writing together that day and decided to make a tune about the previous night. Buzzing all day and having so much fun with it – it’s definitely one of my favourite writing sessions ever. I love the track and I’m very proud of it as a songwriter. Especially because it represents something so true and dark but with good vibes.
With your single ‘Need U to Want Me’, it deals with finally breaking free of the back and forth of a relationship that was turbulent from the start. What is it about a person now wanting the ex-partner once it’s finally over opposed to trying to show that love when there was actually a relationship?
CRONICLE – Oh if I knew that and could work my way around it I would probably not write as many sad heartbreaking songs as I do. If anyone has a theory that makes sense, please give me a shout!
It would be remiss of me not to mention skateboarding, which is something that you also do. When did that love begin?
CRONICLE – Haha…I’m pleased. Well my first boardsport love was actually wakeboarding, which I got really hooked on when I was about 13. I had tried snowboarding twice earlier but broke my arm on both occasions hehe. Then I got a longboard when I was about 14 and it became a part of me. I wouldn’t leave home without it and I loved going down steep hills and cruising streets whenever I wanted to. Throughout the years my boards have just gone smaller and smaller and for the past few years I ride a board called ‘Gren’ from the Swedish Skateboard brand ‘Urskog’. It’s a beautiful board designed by some amazing Swedish skate- and longboarders. The sexiest city cruiser in the world basically.
Having lived in Stockholm as well as London, how would you say the environment of each place influences the way you create music, or does it?
CRONICLE – Hmm yeah London’s incredible music scene has probably influenced me quite a bit. I’ve discovered a lot of amazing acts from going to shows and being exposed to such a wide range of music genres. The UK in general has got a vibe and a live scene that doesn’t really exist at all in Sweden. I’m not sure exactly how it’s influenced me as I don’t really analyze my creative process that much. I just make music that excites me from whatever tools and thoughts I have at the time.
With the world having to go through a pandemic lockdown over the past few months, how has that impacted you creatively? Were you able to write a slew of songs during that time at home?
CRONICLE – For me to create I either have to be alone in peace and quiet or in a room together with other people for a set amount of time (a tight deadline helps a lot too) and all those things haven’t really been possible during this pandemic. At first I was stuck in Sweden with all my equipment left in London and then I had to fly over just to move out of my flat and go back to Stockholm for the foreseeable future after 8 years of calling England my home. It’s been pretty damn stressful and I’ve had to work really hard to not fall into depression. I’m just about now starting to feel hungry to create again.
The music industry has definitely been affected by Covid-19. How do you see the future of music moving forward as we get through this?
CRONICLE – Damn I wish I had something great and clever to say here but I honestly don’t really know. I just hope things can get rolling again as soon as possible so we can not only fuel our souls with the best drug in life that is music, but also socialise face to face. It’s of course horrible how many lives have been lost because of this pandemic but I’m equally worried about people losing their jobs, being stuck inside and isolated. The whole structure of society has fallen apart and a lot of people’s life’s work and security have been shattered. Fingers crossed we make it through this and come out on the other side stronger somehow. Maybe, hopefully, this experience will teach us to value things differently from here and not take free healthcare, each other’s company and music for granted.
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