Interview — Seinabo Sey
»I sometimes feel that I’ve sacrificed my integrity to a certain extent«
In Sweden, songstress Seinabo Sey is a solid star. With her new album »The One After Me« she now wants to conquer German stages. In the project, she has skillfully merged the two musical cultures from Gambia and Sweden, where she was brought up. We indulged with her in a fun interview that was just as experimental as her new record.
5. Juni 2023 — Interview: Katharina Viktoria Weiß, Photography: Frederike van der Straeten
She’s a one-woman-army: Swedish-Gambian singer Seinabo Sey has just released an album so experimental that it sounds like a bunch of different artists rather than one alone. The proud owner of four Swedish Grammys is famous for singing about grief, womanhood, racial identity, and body image.
Her new record — titled “The One After Me” — also features some confident and sexy tracks that hint at the level of maturity and diversity Seinabo Sey has now achieved. For each of the 14 new songs, we asked her an abstract question. If you want to know how these questions and their answers relate to the new tracks, you have to listen to their new album in its entirety.
»Sometimes I miss the time when things felt new.«
MYP Magazine:
“After” — what makes you smile?
Seinabo Sey:
My little sister. I love her, she makes me happy every day, I’m so proud of her — she definitely makes me smile.
MYP Magazine:
“Yes” — what time in your life are you most nostalgic about?
Seinabo Sey:
Sometimes I miss the time when things felt new. I can feel nostalgic about when I was 22 and first recorded and released an album and got to get on tour. I was scared, definitely. But I was also still so immensely fascinated by everything.
MYP Magazine:
“Need You“ — what is the most beautiful imperfection in your life?
Seinabo Sey:
That I’m a musician.
MYP Magazine:
“Romeo” — are you good with goodbyes?
Seinabo Sey:
I’m alright.
»In order to become a musician, I had to sacrifice my private life.«
MYP Magazine:
“Everything” — when was the last time you sacrificed everything for a specific goal and what did that look like?
Seinabo Sey:
I’m not sure about calling it sacrifice. But in order to become a musician, I had to sacrifice my private life. To answer what that looks like: It is a choice to use my private experiences publicly, in order for people to see they are not the only ones going through tough things. Even though I’m not a reality star, sometimes I feel that I’ve sacrificed my integrity to a certain extent.
MYP Magazine:
“Pretty Kids“ — do people always get it when you write a not-so-positive song about them, or do you always tell them?
Seinabo Sey:
No, I don’t tell them. And most of the time they don’t get it. Luckily, they don’t!
»I was in a very different headspace with every album run.«
MYP Magazine:
“Keys 2 The Moon” — when was the last time you had the feeling of being super close to something great, and how did you react to it?
Seinabo Sey:
I feel like I was super close to something great today. I recorded a Colors session. While singing, I was very at ease and felt totally calm. I was very happy and thankful about it, that was my reaction. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I was in a very different headspace with every album run. Now, this is the first time I feel cool and at peace.
»My ex is the best I can come up with.«
MYP Magazine:
“Maceo” — which episodes were an interlude in your life?
Seinabo Sey:
My last relationship. My ex is the best I can come up with.
MYP Magazine:
“Dream” — which nightmare is haunting you?
Seinabo Sey:
Simple things like failing and fucking up on stage. I sometimes think about tripping over my shoes and falling on my face during something important like live TV.
»I get bored very quickly, so I always need to keep moving.«
MYP Magazine:
“Coffee Remix” — what are you addicted to?
Seinabo Sey:
I am addicted to experiences and doing things. I get bored very quickly, so I always need to keep moving. Sometimes I wish I could change that because I feel better when I’m still and calm. But I have a tendency to pack a lot of tasks into my day.
»When men underestimate me, I don’t give a shit anymore.«
MYP Magazine:
“42” — how do you deal with people who underestimate you?
Seinabo Sey:
I get really angry at first. It happens quite often to women in this industry that people underestimate them. I still get very provoked, but I’ve become a lot better in calming myself down and not reacting. So, when men underestimate me, I don’t give a shit anymore.
»It’s difficult to make a song simple and fun but not like something you’ve heard before.«
MYP Magazine:
“Heavy” — what kind of songs are the hardest for you to write?
Seinabo Sey:
The pop structure of happy songs is the hardest for me to write. It’s difficult to make a song simple and fun but not like something you’ve heard before. It’s a challenge, but I enjoy it, nevertheless.
»I’ve decided that I don’t want to miss having a normal life.«
MYP Magazine:
“Before” — which achievements would you never want to miss, even though they might have come with some downsides?
Seinabo Sey:
I don’t want to miss out on becoming a mom. For a long time, I have not been sure about this as I thought it might not be very compatible with being a singer. But by now I’ve decided that I don’t want to miss having a normal life. I want to try to put it in there and prioritize it at some point to really make it happen.
»In a sense, we hold each other’s hopes in our hands.«
MYP Magazine:
“Constellations” — in which situations are you most creative?
Seinabo Sey:
Working with people I love. The best collaborators in the studio are my friends for real. They are my therapists and my fun time. In a sense, we hold each other’s hopes in our hands. And to feel comfortable in this situation, you have to give a lot of yourself, you have to be open and transparent. This is easier if you get to be with humans who make you feel air ease.
