Ellen Krauss on new single Look At You and QK Gala win: ‘It’s more important now than ever that we celebrate our history’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Having won a Swedish Grammy Award, the “LGBTQ+ Of The Year” award at the QX Gala, released two albums and toured extensively in Sweden and Europe, Ellen Krauss is quickly establishing herself as one of Sweden’s most distinctive and acclaimed singer-songwriters. 

After a few intense years of touring, Ellen took a break from performing and went straight into her newly built Stockholm studio to begin work on new music. Returning with new single ‘I Roll My Eyes’, she’s marking a new exciting chapter.

With new single ‘Look At You’ out now, and an upcoming album in the works, we caught up with Ellen to discuss the new releases, her creative identity, and how being part of the LGBTQ+ community has shaped her artistry.

Q: You recently released ‘I Roll My Eyes’ and just dropped ‘Look At You’ – who or what would you say were the main influences behind these releases?

Ellen: The main influences were the people in my life, honestly. My then-relationship and my family. Both songs are deeply personal and came to me after a long period of shutting down. If ‘I Roll My Eyes’ is the tip of the iceberg then ‘Look At You’ could be what was hiding below. 

How has being a part of the LGBTQ+ community shaped your perspective as a songwriter and artist?

I think it’s shaped my songwriting and artistry in a lot of ways. Being part of a sub-culture comes with this outsider perspective and a feeling of being misunderstood in some ways, and that I think has played a big role in my writing.  There’s this melancholy that I might never grow out of. 

Your music has always felt deeply personal and emotionally direct. How important is it to you that queer listeners can see aspects of their own experiences reflected in your songs?

It’s not the main focus but of course I wanna make music for people like me and I wanna tell our story. It’s not always pretty but it’s honest and real. I started making music of my own because I didn’t feel like there was anyone to listen to. Now times have changed and I love it. If people find my music relatable and comforting then I consider myself very honored.

You went straight from touring into taking time away from performing to work in your new studio in Stockholm. What did stepping away from the stage teach you about yourself as an artist?

It taught me to step back from time to time and reminded me that I’m not just a performer. I need space and time to sit with myself and be bored and just write. This constant throwing yourself out there can be pretty exhausting and takes away a lot of the genuine passion and will to create.

What did touring Europe alongside Joshua Radin teach you about connecting with audiences outside Sweden?

Touring with Joshua taught me the importance of keeping personal connection with an audience. Obviously bigger shows and stages are fun but it’s way cooler winning over a small crowd in a city you’ve never visited before. I loved touring in Europe and the UK – people go to shows in the middle of the week and explore new artists. That’s rare in Sweden. 

‘I Roll My Eyes’ explores the tension between craving excitement and unpredictability while also wanting security in a relationship. What made you want to explore that contradiction in a song?

I honestly didn’t; I was sort of forced to. My emotions welled up and I couldn’t stop them. That song came from nowhere and perhaps with the worst timing. 

You won LGBTQ+ of the Year at the QX Gala. What did that recognition mean to you personally, particularly at a time when LGBTQ+ visibility can feel both celebrated and politically complicated?

It meant so much to me to win that award. It was a sign for me that speaking up about who I am and my identity publicly really mattered. Some would argue that a gala like that shouldn’t exist if we were all really equal, but I think it’s more important now than ever that we celebrate our history and honor those who came before us. 

What do you hope listeners will take away from your upcoming album? 

That it’s okay not to be okay and that it’s important to ask for help. Being a young adult is fucking hard these days, but you rarely grow when you’re comfortable. 

With the release of this new single and your upcoming third album, it feels like a new chapter for you. What do you hope your next chapter as an artist will look like?

I hope to make an instrumental record! I’m so sick of myself, and I’m only 26… 

If ‘I Roll My Eyes’ and ‘Look At You Now’ are the first taste of this new era, what do you think it says about who Ellen Krauss is now?

Lyrically, I think it says a lot about where I’ve been. I’ve been looking for the answers in myself rather than others, like on previous albums but I’ve also accepted the fact that uncertainty is a part of life. Musically it sounds bigger and it’s a pop album! I’m very excited to play the music live.