Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Ylva & Linda

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

We’ve always loved music since we were children – it’s a part of us – and we actually started singing when we were only 1 year old and our mum said we could sing in tune with the music already then. We started writing songs when we were 7 years old and we also started watching Eurovision and Melodifestivalen by that age which became our big inspiration. One early TV memory is from 1983 when Carola won Melodifestivalen when she was only 16 and became a star overnight here in Sweden. She influenced us as little girls with her voice and energy.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

Our passion began very early through having an ear for music, singing, being part of choirs and then moving on to performing, playing the piano and songwriting. Music has always been our first language – especially melodies, chords and rythm – and this has been the most natural way for us in which to express emotions through the good and bad times when we grew up.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

We are always working on several simultaneous projects; our owns songs, releases and gigs like the new single “Oops! Oh My Bad” that will be out soon along with social media content. We do several ongoing collabs and preparing for song contests and live performances with other artists as songwriters. And aside of all this we are working on expanding on our music cards (or merch), which are positive affirmation cards combined with our released music to inspire our followers to listen and to positive thinking.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

We write International melodic pop/dance/folk music with strong melodies and harmonies, for radio, TV, film, Internet, single releases and music competitions. We work independently and closely with artists, co-producers, mixers and musicians around and outside of Europe. 

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

We believe that authenticity is important. The more honest and emotionally connected we are in the creative process, the stronger the music becomes. People feel when something comes from the heart.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

We play the piano/keyboard as an instrument, but usually we are more digital when creating music and we use digital production tools and recording software. We have our own set of home studios with everything we need to create music and many times we had recording sessions with artists at home. When we started off as writers and producers it was quite unusual for females to do this, and to even sit by the computer. You were supposed to be only the singer and this has surely been a challenge for us when wanting to be so much more than just the typical female singer. We also had our own PA to be able to perform gigs very early on and have an interest in technology. 

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Generally we get inspired by songs and artists that make us feel something instantly through strong melodies, rhythm, atmosphere and great production. Right now we’re also inspired by how new creative tools and even AI are opening up new ways of thinking musically. We want  to be pushed creatively and inspired to keep evolving and perfecting our own unique music style and sound, to reach our highest goals.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

Having worked with numerous artists and co-writers both within and outside Europe, as well as travelling and competing abroad for TV performances and live gigs, this has definitely shaped us both personally and artistically. Being independent songwriters without a management during all these years, has taught us to constantly evolve, adapt and look for solutions, but still find a way to stay true to what we believe in. We think that music is so much about other areas than just being creative these days. 

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

We want our listeners to feel inspired, uplifted and emotionally connected through our music. We hope our songs can bring the same emotional feeling that we ourselves experience when creating them. A lot of our released music feels timeless to us, and the lyrics are usually positive, emotional and filled with hope, energy and imagination. We also hope that we can inspire by being who we are, and the long journey we have taken on especially since we started competing as independent female songwriters in Eurovision selections, now having competed with 70 songs in 19 countries since 2013.  

 What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Music has taught us resilience, patience and having to step out of our comfort zone and never give up. We’ve learned the hard way, that this industry requires a lot of hard work, persistence and passion, and for us the results have come when working hard and focused and having to juggle between a regular job and our passion for music, that requires equally as much attention. We had to take on all the roles ourselves; creators, backing vocalists, lead singer, producers, arrangers, editors, managers, publishers… etc. This taught us how much dedication goes into every step of the journey. 

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

We still aim for the big Eurovision stage and also Sweden’s Melodifestivalen one day, having competed on many national Eurovision stages over the last 14 years. We also love appearing at other TV broadcasts. E.g. we had a milestone met in December last year when we performed an original Christmas song live that we wrote and released with the Swedish opera tenor Rickard Söderberg, at the well-known TV program “Bingolotto”, broadcasted at TV4.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Experienced artists or groups with a strong identity, stage presence and creative vision, who takes a collab seriously and genuinely appreciate collaboration and teamwork. For us, the best collaborations happen when everyone respects each other’s ideas, communicates openly, plans seriously and works together towards a shared goal. Since we are independent songwriters and not acting as a label, we see every collaboration as a true team effort where everyone contributes with their commitment, time, creativity, professionalism and passion to achieve the best possible result together. Especially in contests and music projects where there often is no guaranteed financial reward, it’s important that everyone involved truly believes in the project and is willing to give their full energy to make something meaningful and memorable.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ylvalindatwinflame
Spotify (Ylva & Linda): https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GoBPMynY8z1i2APFg66km?si=ppygaA0qRtGFIKiw2vwQGw
Spotify playlist with all our released songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PkRMz0IShp6EadIL4WBMl?si=ec9ad1fd7fc74fc9

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ylvalinda/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ylvalindatwins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ylvaandlindatwinflame

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

See the previous answers.
Also to grow our own fan base as independent artists and songwriters, and since we’ve worked on so many collabs since 2012 we would like to give ourselves some more creative space to feel more inspiration again. We think the industry moves faster every day and we believe that its important to find ways to bring out more authenticity again, but at the same time find new creative tools to work smarter and faster. 

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

That we create from a genuine place. Beyond the music, we hope people discover the heart, emotions and intention behind everything we do. As twin sisers we were born unique and we share a connection that has shaped the way we create and communicate through music as one voice. When younger we felt that we wanted to blend in and not stand out, but with the years we have learned to embrace our individuality much more, allowing ourselves to shine in our own way, which we hope can inspire people to embrace more of their uniqueness too.

If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂

Here is our playlist with all our competing songs, cowritten and coproduced by use in national selections since 2013 in 19 countries:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS_XSN-SaO7V0B8VLVH4klQX7zhabniQ4

The song “Frosten” is one of our own songs and most popular videos on Youtube: