Genre:Pop
<p>2015 is the year Swedish dark pop sensation XOV had his European debut. He released the smash single “Lucifer”, the critically acclaimed album “Wild”, sold Gold and Platinum, had his first show in the US, had the honour to headline a concert at the legendary Berghain in Berlin. He’s been touring all over Europe, doing talked-about shows in Oslo, London, Stockholm and at festivals like Way Out West in Gothenburg and Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. He stood on stage in front of 1,5 million people on the streets of Berlin during NYE at The Brandenburg Gate. He traveled to the arctic wilderness and shot the music video for “Lucifer”, that just passed 3 million views on Youtube. He partnered up with director Phil Griffin (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Rihanna) on the music video for “DTTM (Don’t Talk To Me)". He was streamed over 30 million times on Spotify and gained 3 million new listeners. Between all of this, he went back and forth to Lesbos (Greece), the epicenter of the global refugee crisis, where he founded the praised help organization I AM YOU. 2016 has just begun but XOV is already in the studio working on his sophomore album (late 2016) and preparing for gigs at South By Southwest in Texas and fashion week in Berlin, Milano and Stockholm during the spring.</p><p>XOV Biography
<br>Born in Iran, and forced to become a refugee, XOV and his family fled to Sweden in the late eighties during the Gulf War. They settled in Tensta, an immigrant suburb west of Stockholm. His family unit soon crumbled as he lost his father to drug addiction. XOV started expressing himself through poetry at an early age, becoming a published child author of Swedish poetry when he was only 9 years of age. From the very first poem, the phrases were dark and metaphorical, expressing XOVs inner journey as a child. Shortly thereafter, he started playing the piano which slowly evolved into making beats in his bedroom. Poetry turned to rhymes and Hip Hop music, and XOV spent most of his early teens performing as an aspiring rapper. It wasn’t until his early twenties when he found his voice and started singing his rhymes, becoming the artist we know him as today.
<br>The debut album “Wild” (2015) tells the full story story of XOV, from early childhood to the violent years and the stardom that followed. Expect an emotional journey into a dark, deserted world where inner thoughts and battles have been translated to hard-hitting pop music with an urban touch.
<br>In 2014, superstar Lorde reached out to XOV. She had heard the early demo of his hit single “Lucifer” on Youtube and wanted him to contribute with a track on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack, which she was curating at the time. Originally, Lorde picked Lucifer as one of the potential singles for the movie, but the film studio pulled the plug in the last second, claiming the song was “too dark” and explicit for the soundtrack. Instead, XOV came back with sinful R&B banger “Animal”, which was released on the soundtrack in November 2014. MTV Buzzworthy also discovered the demo of Lucifer and put it on the #1 spot of their “the best new songs of 2014” list. They wrote:
<br>”Surrounded by dark, gloomy synthesizers, XOV croons his bloody, autobiographical tale along huge pop radio-friendly hooks: ”Once upon a time, I was a fool / too cool for school, gangster cruel” he croons, recalling a cross between Lorde, Robyn, & The Weeknd."
<br>XOV’s writing-style is dark and packed with metaphors, wordplay and inner thoughts. The melodies are big and the beats heavy. In a recent interview with i-D Magazine, XOV explains:
<br>XOV Biography
<br>"All my music is autobiographical. I really admire people who can write a good song that's not connected to real life. But in my case, I've been through a lot, and I haven't had therapy.”
<br>Although each song is different from the next, the darkness is a reoccurring theme in XOV’s music, gaining him the title as ”The Dark Horse Of Swedish Pop” (i-D Magazine). The sound is perfectly completed with hand-made artwork, film and photography that further draws you in to XOV’s unique artistic world.
<br>In 2014, XOV partnered up with Swedish LA-based producer KONO, creating the imprint Everly and crafting the production sound. Influences include Kanye West, Bon Iver and Phil Collins, to name a few.
<br>In 2015, XOV gained much recognition and praise from the humanitarian community for his work with refugees on the Greek islands. Kimberly Emerson is a US diplomat , a Human Rights Watch board member and wife of the US ambassador to Germany. After working with I AM YOU in Greece under XOV’s leadership, she wrote the following:
<br>“XOV spends his non-spare time building his relief organization I AM YOU in Lesbos, rescuing refugees coming in perilous condition across the Aegean. One of the many volunteers who has made a life-or-death difference for innocent victims fleeing violence and war in the Middle East.“</p>