Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Fredrik Etoall

Stockholm’s FELIN represent all that one would imagine to coincide with the idea of Scandinavian beauty and the life that comes with being a musician and a rock star photographer. Comprised of singer/songwriter/pianist Elin Blom and photographer, filmmaker, as well as creative director Fredrik Etoall, the duo are presenting audible and visual mediums to the audience in the most chic and sleek way possible.

Although many people in Sweden may remember Elin Blom from Idol back in 2010, those days are gone and it’s all about the now. As FELIN, the duo took flight with their post-punk-inspired track ‘Revolt’ about a year ago. FELIN followed-up with the edgy indie pop record ‘Teenage Soul’, displaying their incredible ability to walk both lines. By the time they shared ‘In Your Arms’, it was clear that they were in their zone producing a sound that had a unique mixture of the previously mentioned genres, fostering the perfect soundtrack to sit side by side with the editorial style images that Fredrik Etoall was creating. FELIN went on to collaborate with Stockholm-based artist YAYA for the song ‘It’s Alright’ before unleashing their raw and pumping smash record ‘Bored’. An anthem for the restless, The song is that middle ground between gritty rock and massive sounding pop, showcasing FELIN in pure stealth mode.

With an EP landing this year FELIN is here to rock the world all the while looking fabulous in the midst of the process.

Conceptually the group is a combination of music and visuals which is truly unique. Can you talk about the origin and idea behind the formation of FELIN?

Elin – Fredrik and I met 3 years ago when I was working on another music project and wanted Fredrik to do a video for it. That first meeting actually turned into us starting to film the music video and Fredrik inviting me to a party a few days later…and the rest is history. We just clicked and started working together and became lovers. About 2 years ago we decided to start a band together. We feel that the visual side of an artist is of great importance and is such a big part of who the artist or band is. FELIN is basically a project where one type of artist meets another type of artist and create together; a space where we have full artistic freedom.

So we had started a band but we didn’t know what the name should be and Fredrik was hanging out with Kelly Cutrone at her country house in New York at that time, when after a few wines she had starting rapping something like “Elin, felin, yellin’, tellin'”. Fredrik immediately called me in the middle of the night saying, “I got it, I got it, I know what the name should be” – And since then we’ve been FELIN.

You have found the perfect sweet spot between pop and rock, with a consistency harking back to tracks like ‘Revolt’. Did you already have a clear direction on where you wanted to take your sound in the beginning stages?

Elin – I remember the first music video that I ever saw in my life. It was ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ by Blondie and I was just mesmerized, there was just something iconic about it. On stage I want to be able to feel everything at the same time, to have that complete outburst of energy and I think we both love the rawness there is in loud drums and distorted guitars. But at the same time I’ve always loved a good pop melody. One of the songs on the upcoming EP ‘Destruction Therapy’, was actually the first song that set the sound for FELIN. When I got home from the studio and showed it to Fredrik I think we both felt, this is the sound, this is what FELIN should sound like.

Elin you have such a strong presence both sonically and visually. In terms of music, where did your journey begin, as well as your love of fashion?

Elin – I’ve been singing and writing for as long as I can remember and I think I wrote my first song around the age of 8. When I was 11 I had my first real gig and since that I just knew that I needed to do music. I can’t see myself living a life without music.

And with fashion, I’ve always had a love for the visual side of an artist. And the way icons such as Grace Jones and David Bowie use fashion as a way to express themselves.

Fredrik, as a respected fashion and music photographer, I’d like to pose that same question to you. When did you first pick up a camera and also, how long it did take you to make that transition to video, or were they always side by side?

Fredrik – When I first stepped into the dark room to develop my first black and white picture I realized it was a date night that was going to be lasting love. The romance just gets more intense and the form of expression gets more interesting and more complicated as time goes on. My technique has always been to give the unexpected and unprepared a chance. There lies the realness and the magic for me. Even with bigger productions that are planned it’s chance and the unexpected that gives the last piece of realness to the work.

Filming has been like a disease that just started growing on me and has taken up more and more of my work. Something that just suddenly was there as a natural part of my creation process. I think of moving pictures the same way as I think of still pictures, which might be a different way of looking at it than how others that have started with video may think of it. It’s inspiring and scary, but it’s not about the title or knowledge, it’s about what you create, the result and the feeling.

Going into your latest song ‘Bored’. It’s such a great track. Lyrically it addresses a restlessness and a perspective of not getting enough to be satisfied. There is a line which says “I can’t get high enough”. What was the inspiration behind the song?

Elin – ‘Bored’ is about always seeking thrills. A song for all the restless souls out there, but also a reflection over the world today where everything has become so accessible that we become bored as soon as we have a moment to reflect. But also it can just be interpreted as a song about getting high with people you love and never wanting the night to end.

The whole song started with the intro guitar riff. I was in the studio working with Cecilia and Jenny Vaz and there was this out of tune, really shitty acoustic guitar and we were like “We must record the riff now”. The idea was to then record it again later with a better guitar and proper amp but when we did that we lost the rawness. So the intro riff is still the one that I just recorded quickly on this shitty guitar just to get that idea down. Like Fredrik said, the beauty lies in the unexpected and imperfect and it’s not about the tools, it’s about the result.

Elin you’re also a DJ. What has been one of your most memorable gigs?

Elin – Even though I love DJing, the most memorable gigs are always when I’m performing with a band on stage, that feeling can’t be compared to anything else. It’s just ecstasy.

But one of my most memorable DJ gigs was actually at a club in Stockholm a few weeks ago. We had been playing quite dark, hard deep house the whole night but when the place closed and they turned on the lights we decided to play one last song, and we just got a feeling that it should be ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston. The whole dance floor was just slow dancing with each other and singing along to the song. That was a really memorable way to end the night.

I think you two would be the perfect people to answer this question considering that you both represent the very idea of beauty, fashion, style and music that comes out of Stockholm. In your opinion what is it about that city per se that has established such a strong reputation for each category?

Elin – Well I grew up in Finland so I don’t know…Haha. No but I think music wise maybe because we have these long dark winters where you basically can’t do anything than just hover in your studio and create.

Fredrik – I agree with Elin, I think Swedes are freezing themselves to success. We don’t dress for the weather because we still want to look hot and gorgeous. This leads to the fact that we and everyone else in Sweden are so cold that we don’t wanna go out which then leads to us staying inside in the warmth and just working like crazy on new ideas. The winters are our success.

Finally, will there be an EP or LP coming soon and if so, what can we expect?

Elin – We’re releasing our debut EP in November and we’re so excited! It will be a lot of energy driven tracks in the style of ‘Bored’ and ‘Revolt’ but also darker and deeper slower songs on it. Distorted guitars, rage and sweat, but also tears and heartbreak. And there are more visuals and videos waiting to see the world.

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FELIN YouTube Channel
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