Interview — ViVii
»In our state of life, everything feels like a warm hug«
ViVii, a multi-instrumental dream-pop trio from Stockholm, serves soul food for the ears. With »Mavidavilon«, they’ve just released a new EP — and we wonder if the fact that they are no longer wild teenagers but chilled adults makes their sound so melodic, peaceful, and cuddly. Our editor-in-chief Katharina Viktoria Weiß met ViVii for an interview about the benefits of getting older, making music a safe space for the soul, and the peculiarity of growing up in a church community.
3. Juni 2022 — Interview & text: Katharina Viktoria Weiß, Photography: Frederike van der Straeten
Swedish dream-pop band ViVii released their first songs in 2018 but have generated millions of streams on Spotify so far. In April the band visited Berlin for a live performance at Prachtwerk, a chilled music bar and cafe in the middle of the lively Neukölln district.
It was a night to remember because, on the one hand, the trio, which consists of Anders Eckeborn and the couple Caroline and Emil Jonsson, filled the room with timeless coolness (which refers only to externals). And on the other hand, and that’s the more important information, the way their sensual lyrics unfold to the shimmering music evoked bittersweet and sexy summer fantasies. The three musicians consequently flooded the bar with their dreamy, concise and cuddly sound, which was just beautiful to listen to.
ViVii have just released their new EP titled “Mavidavilon” — a good reason to get into the conversation because this record feels like a cozy bed that you want to fall into and never get out of.
»I didn't take too well to seeing the wrinkles in pictures of me.«
MYP Magazine:
In your song “Warp your arms” you sing following words: “Pandemic fever holding on / God I love the feeling of my own.” One might almost think you have embraced the sense of social isolation a bit. Have your feelings about this changed now that everything is open again?
Emil Jonsson:
I assume that many people around the world feel this way. When the lockdown was hitting us, beyond all the mixed feelings regarding our future as musicians, we really enjoyed that there was no pressure. Days lost their fixed structure, you didn’t have to meet up with family and friends. We are parents, all of us got kids. So, we love staying home and hanging out with our children. But of course, we are also humans, and we need social interactions. And we are musicians who need the stage, so it’s great to be out again.
MYP Magazine:
The track “Caramel Beach” is a tender hymn with words like „God is in my mind“ or „the last of my youth“. What is behind the mystery of the song?
Caroline Jonsson:
We are kind of old in this business. At around 40 years old, we’re often twice as old as other artists who are just starting out in the industry. The age thing has been kind of a problem for me because I see myself as young and full of energy. But I didn’t take too well to seeing the wrinkles in pictures of me.
Emil Jonsson:
We don’t care about your wrinkles.
Caroline Jonsson:
No, you don’t. But it is different for men in the music industry.
»We can deal with problems and challenges like grown-up people.«
MYP Magazine:
Sometimes being twice as old as some colleagues can also be an advantage…
Caroline Jonsson:
Yes, absolutely. We are healthier and more mature. Our relationships are stable. We can deal with problems and challenges like grown-up people. And we are really thankful for every opportunity to make music together and enjoy what we do.
Emil Jonsson:
We are releasing the parents right now and having a ball for 24 hours. A few weeks ago, we played in Austin, Texas, and now we are in Berlin. I’m sure young people also appreciate it. But in our state of life, everything feels like a bonus, like a warm hug. And tomorrow we are back, picking the children up from school in Stockholm.
MYP Magazine:
The catching phrase from “Vegas” is “I’m feeling filthy like Vegas.” What experiences is this statement based on?
Emil Jonsson:
People would think the obvious, right? That it is about Las Vegas. But it could also be a really dirty cat that Anders was having when he grew up, and that cat could have been called Vegas. We leave it up to your imagination.
»A woman told us that she named her child after our band.«
MYP Magazine:
What was the most interesting compliment ViVii’s new music received from a fan or friend?
Caroline Jonsson:
A few months ago, we received a direct message via Facebook. A woman told us that she named her child „Vivii“ — because she listened to us a lot when she was pregnant. That was crazy, we felt so cool.
MYP Magazine:
What’s a topic the three of you never get tired of talking about, especially when the nights get long and the bottles get empty?
Caroline Jonsson:
We talk a lot about emotions.
Emil Jonsson:
Feelings are always the core of it. The three of us are still processing how we grew up.
Anders Eckeborn:
This is the place where our thoughts go when we have long nights. Because we have known each other since childhood.
Caroline Jonsson:
We met at church because we all grew up in the same church community.
»Some churches are more extreme than others, which affects you a lot when you’re a kid living your life in that kind of rule set.«
MYP Magazine:
What did — and does — it mean for you to grow up in the church?
Emil Jonsson:
Our parents were part of a faith movement called Pentecostalism.
Anders Eckeborn:
Some churches are more extreme than others, which affects you a lot when you’re a kid living your life in that kind of rule set.
Emil Jonsson:
We also had a lot of fun with it. A lot of music and feelings of belonging. But on the other hand, we also discuss power structures. We are not as involved in the community anymore.
Anders Eckeborn:
But we are thankful that we have met each other as church kids. It was 1998 in a summer camp.
»It is very hard to be me every day.«
MYP Magazine:
When you’re in your artist space performing your stage personas, are you haunted by specific fantasies that you’re trying to fulfill?
Emil Jonsson:
I fell in love with music over Elvis Presley. Since then, he has always been on my mind. Same with Demis Roussos. I adore the 50s and 60s, we love the 70s.
Anders Eckeborn:
We all love the past; we are very nostalgic. “Chateau” is very inspired by Led Zeppelin. But even if these inspirations are with us on stage, we are very much within ourselves.
Emil Jonsson:
In my head, I have these pictures of all the idols I love. But I don’t necessarily want to be then. I’m just trying to be me. It is very hard to be me every day. But on stage I can just let go.
Caroline Jonsson:
In life we have so many things to follow. My main goal is to be totally free on stage.
»We share the same set of problems.«
MYP Magazine:
Emil and Caroline are childhood sweethearts that met each other at a summer camp. How does it feel to be the third wheel in a band?
Anders Eckeborn:
Everybody wants to know. But I feel very well with that situation, we have a great time together. They come to me for advice because I have also been married for ages, and I have two kids as well. We share the same set of problems.
MYP Magazine:
When you think of ABBA, Sweden has a pretty good history of bringing two married couples together. Are you still waiting for the love of your life to join the band — or is she already there, but a rather bad musician?
Anders Eckeborn:
The last option. (Everyone laughing)
»We lived quite a hippie life and took the day as it came.«
MYP Magazine:
Caroline and Emil, after a wild time as musicians and models in New York, you started a family in Stockholm. Surprisingly, Emil is quoted as saying, „When the kids came, structure came into our lives.“ Why was your life more chaotic before?
Caroline Jonsson:
We lived quite a hippie life and took the day as it came. But kids need to be fed regularly and you have to be awake when they are awake. So, we had to get our lives together when they came, and that also helped to organize the music projects better.
MYP Magazine:
What do you guys do besides music?
Emil Jonsson:
You would not believe it when looking at them, but these two are accountants.
Caroline Jonsson:
I would love to make music full-time. But on many days, I also like to go to the office and know exactly what’s coming up. And of course, you need money to live, and it’s great to have that security. Especially in the Corona times, it has become clear how fragile the music industry is.
»It is still valid to feel that everything is a mess.«
MYP Magazine:
The last few years have shown that we have entered — probably again — an era in which political issues and movements are taken up by the music industry much more than they did in the more apolitical Millennial years. How are you personally and artistically affected by recent events?
Emil Jonsson:
The time we are living in now is very special. But when I talk to my dad who was born in 1948, I am learning that this generation also had moments when they thought: Now it’s all going to end. It is still valid to feel that everything is a mess.
Anders Eckeborn:
In opposition to that, our songs want to be a safe space for the soul. There’s peace, love and understanding in our music.
