Tove Lo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tove Lo
Lo in 2014
Born	Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (1987-10-29) 29 October 1987 (age 37) Helsingborg, Sweden
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2006–present
Works	Discography songs written
Spouse(s)	Charlie Twaddle ​ (m. 2020)​
Musical career
Origin	Djursholm, Danderyd, Sweden
Genres	Electropop synth-pop dance-pop indie pop
Labels	Island Polydor Pretty Swede Mtheory

Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born October 29, 1987), known as Tove Lo, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Rolling Stone magazine called her "Sweden's darkest pop export" because of her honest and raw style. She is known for her pop music, which has a strong, honest, and sometimes rough feel, like grunge music. The magazine Out called her "the saddest girl in Sweden" because her songs often tell stories about her own life and feelings.

Tove Lo grew up in Djursholm, Sweden. She went to a music school called Rytmus Musikergymnasiet. In 2006, she started a rock band named Tremblebee. After the band broke up, Tove Lo began writing songs for other artists. In 2011, she signed a deal with Warner/Chappell Music. She worked with famous producers like Alexander Kronlund, Max Martin, and Xenomania. While writing for others, she also started recording and releasing her own songs independently.

In 2013, Tove Lo signed with Universal Music Group, Island Records, and Polydor Records. Her first album, Queen of the Clouds, came out in 2014. It reached number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. This album included the popular song "Habits (Stay High)", which reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Another hit from the album was "Talking Body". Her second album, Lady Wood, was released in 2016 and reached number 11 on the Billboard 200. Its main song, "Cool Girl", became a worldwide hit. Her next albums, Blue Lips (2017) and Sunshine Kitty (2019), also did well. The song "Glad He's Gone" from Sunshine Kitty was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. In 2022, she released the album Dirt Femme. This album included songs like "How Long" and "No One Dies from Love". "How Long" was part of the soundtrack for the TV show Euphoria.

Besides her own music, Tove Lo has helped write songs for other artists. These include Lorde's "Homemade Dynamite" (2017) and Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" (2015). "Love Me Like You Do" earned her nominations for a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe. She has also worked with many artists, such as Charli XCX, Alesso, Broods, Flume, Nick Jonas, Seven Lions, Urban Cone, Kylie Minogue, Nelly Furtado, and Coldplay.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson was born on October 29, 1987, in Helsingborg, Scania County, Sweden. She has an older brother. Her father, Magnus Nilsson, helped start a company called iZettle. Her mother, Gunilla Nilsson Edholm, is a psychologist. Tove Lo got her nickname and stage name, Tove Lo, when she was three years old. Her godmother gave it to her because Tove loved lynxes. In Swedish, a lynx is called "lo." Tove explained, "There was this lynx at a zoo that was called Tove, and that I totally fell in love with. It was my dear godmother who decided to call me Tove Lo, after that lynx. It stuck."

When she was six, Tove Lo moved to Djursholm, a wealthy area north of Stockholm. She said her childhood was "very protected" and her family was "pretty posh." At school, she was good at social sciences and loved reading. She enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. She told the BBC, "Growing up so safe, I think I was looking for something else."

Tove Lo loved music and formed a girl band with her friends. She wrote her first song with them when she was about 10 or 11. By age 15, she had written many lyrics that no one had seen. She had also performed on stage twice. Later, she went to Rytmus Musikergymnasiet, a music school in Stockholm. There, she became friends with Caroline Hjelt, who later formed the band Icona Pop. After two years, Tove Lo graduated. She was sure she wanted a career in music, even though her parents wanted her to do something else.

Career Highlights

2006–2013: Starting Her Music Journey

In 2006, Tove Lo began writing songs with Christian Bjerring, a guitarist from her music school. They formed a math rock band called Tremblebee with three other students. They played together for three years in bars across Sweden. They also released some of their songs on their own before the band broke up in 2009. While in the band, Tove Lo loved performing on stage. She also met a Swedish production team called The Struts.

After Tremblebee ended, Tove Lo focused on pop music. She worked on her own songs, spending six months in her shed studio making a demo. She also sang for recording sessions to support herself. She learned to play the drums and learned about music programming and record production. Later, she lived with the duo Icona Pop near Stockholm.

Tove Lo met an A&R person (who finds new artists) at a party. She gave him her demo. They met again by chance in London. He liked her demo and introduced her to a songwriting group. This group included The Struts and Caroline Hjelt. In 2011, Tove Lo decided to focus on songwriting. She signed a deal with Warner/Chappell Music. This led her to Los Angeles, where she worked with Swedish producer Max Martin. In 2012, she worked with British team Xenomania and Swedish producer Alexander Kronlund. She helped write songs like Girls Aloud's "Something New" and Icona Pop's "We Got the World".

Tove Lo also decided to have an "indie career on the side." She recorded her more personal songs and released them on her own. She released her first song, "Love Ballad", in October 2012. Her second song, "Habits", came out in March 2013. This song helped her gain many fans online. In 2013, Max Martin and his fellow producer Shellback helped guide Tove Lo. She was featured on Lucas Nord's song "Run on Love" in June 2013. She also worked on "Strangers" by Seven Lions and Myon & Shane 54 for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie soundtrack. She also co-wrote Victoria Justice's "Gold".

2014–2015: Truth Serum and Queen of the Clouds Albums

Because of her online fans and the popularity of "Habits," Universal Music offered Tove Lo a recording deal. She released "Out of Mind" in October 2013. She then signed with Island Records and Polydor Records. Tove Lo then focused on an international singing career. Her first live shows in London and at South by Southwest in the U.S. received great reviews.

Tove Lo's first EP (a mini-album), Truth Serum, was released on March 3, 2014. It reached number 13 in Sweden. The EP was also praised by critics, and many news sources called Tove Lo "a pop star in waiting." It had three songs: "Out of Mind," "Habits (Stay High)," and a remixed version of "Habits" called "Stay High" by Hippie Sabotage. "Stay High" became her international breakthrough hit. It reached number 13 in Sweden and number six in the United Kingdom. Tove Lo was named a "You Oughta Know" artist by VH1 and an "On the Verge" artist by iHeart Radio. She performed "Habits (Stay High)" on Late Night with Seth Meyers in June 2014, which was her first live TV performance.

Tove Lo's first full album, Queen of the Clouds, was released on September 24, 2014. It received mostly good reviews. It debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 19,000 copies in its first week. It later became Platinum in 2016. The album reached number 17 in the United Kingdom and number six in Sweden. "Habits (Stay High)" became a huge hit in the U.S., reaching number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album's second song, "Talking Body", reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Her next songs were "Timebomb" and "Moments".

Tove Lo performing in Helsinki in 2014

Tove Lo was also featured on Swedish DJ Alesso's song "Heroes (We Could Be)". This song was a big success, reaching number five in Sweden, number six in the United Kingdom, and number thirty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100. In November 2014, Tove Lo opened for American singer Katy Perry on her Prismatic World Tour. She also wrote, produced, and recorded "Scream My Name" for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 movie soundtrack. In late 2014, Tove Lo joined Max Martin's songwriting group, Wolf Cousins. She co-wrote songs for albums by Cher Lloyd, Lea Michele, and Zara Larsson in 2014. She also co-wrote "What Are You Waiting For?" by The Saturdays. In December 2014, Tove Lo announced she needed surgery on her vocal cords because she had developed cysts. The surgery was successful on January 3, 2015.

At the 2015 Grammis (Swedish music awards), Tove Lo won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Habits (Stay High)." She co-wrote the 2015 songs "Love Me like You Do" by Ellie Goulding and "Sparks" by Hilary Duff. "Love Me Like You Do" was number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. This song also earned Tove Lo nominations for the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Critics' Choice Awards. The Swedish group Urban Cone's song "Come Back to Me" featured Tove Lo in March 2015. She also co-wrote and was featured on "Rumors" from Adam Lambert's album The Original High. On September 24, 2015, a new version of Queen of the Clouds called the "Blueprint Edition" was released. It included all the original songs, plus "Heroes (We Could Be)" and songs from Truth Serum. Four days later, she started her first concert tour, the Queen of the Clouds Tour. In 2015, she won STIM's Platinum Guitar prize for her songwriting. Tove Lo was featured on Coldplay's song "Fun" from their album A Head Full of Dreams in December 2015.

2016–2018: More Music and Collaborations

On February 19, 2016, Tove Lo released "Scars" for the soundtrack of the film The Divergent Series: Allegiant. The next month, she was featured on a remix of "Desire" by the English band Years & Years. In the same month, she was featured on Nick Jonas's song "Close". This song reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Tove Lo was also featured on Australian musician Flume's song "Say It", released on April 20, 2016. This song was very popular in Australia and New Zealand. She also co-wrote Ellie Goulding's "Still Falling For You" for the film Bridget Jones's Baby (2016).

On October 28, 2016, Tove Lo released her second album, Lady Wood. It was number one in Sweden and reached number 11 on the US Billboard 200. Its main song, "Cool Girl", was very popular. To promote the album, she released two short films, Fairy Dust and Fire Fade, which featured songs from the album. In late 2016, Tove Lo opened for Maroon 5's The Maroon V Tour in the United States.

Tove Lo co-wrote and sang "Lies in the Dark" for the film Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, released on February 10, 2017. She also opened for Coldplay on their A Head Full of Dreams Tour in 2017. Tove Lo co-wrote "Homemade Dynamite" for New Zealand artist Lorde's album Melodrama. On November 17, 2017, Tove Lo released her third album, Blue Lips, which she called a follow-up to Lady Wood. This album reached number 138 on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 in Sweden. She was also featured on "Out of My Head" by English singer Charli XCX in December 2017.

Tove Lo performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago in 2017

2019–2021: Sunshine Kitty Album

On May 31, 2019, Tove Lo announced her fourth album would be called Sunshine Kitty. The first song from the album, "Glad He's Gone", was released the same day. The album was released on September 20, 2019. Other songs from the album included "Bad as the Boys" featuring Finnish musician Alma, "Jacques" with British DJ Jax Jones, and "Really Don't Like U" featuring Australian singer Kylie Minogue.

In March 2020, Tove Lo released an English cover of Veronica Maggio's song "Jag kommer" for Spotify. In May 2020, she released the Paw Prints Edition of Sunshine Kitty, which included 8 new songs. In July 2020, she held a contest where fans could join her on her Animal Crossing: New Horizons island for a special DJ set. On February 5, 2021, Martin Garrix released the song "Pressure", which features Tove Lo.

Tove Lo made her first movie appearance in the 2021 Swedish film The Emigrants.

2022–Present: Dirt Femme and New Music

On February 11, 2022, Tove Lo released the song "How Long" for the soundtrack of the TV show Euphoria. On May 3, 2022, she released "No One Dies From Love" through her own record label, Pretty Swede Records. This marked her first release as an independent artist since leaving Island Records. On June 21, 2022, she announced her fifth album, Dirt Femme, would be released on October 14, 2022. The album includes "How Long" and "No One Dies from Love," as well as "True Romance." The song "Cute & Cruel" features the Swedish band First Aid Kit. Another song from this album, "2 Die 4," released on July 29, 2022, uses a sample from the 1969 hit Popcorn.

Tove Lo in November 2022

On October 14, 2022, Dirt Femme was officially released. The album explores themes of body positivity and femininity. On May 31, 2023, Tove Lo released the song "I Like U," followed by an EP of remixes on July 21, 2023.

Tove Lo's Music Style

How Her Music Sounds

Music experts describe Tove Lo's music as synth-pop, electropop, dance-pop, and indie pop. They compare her style to singers like Kesha, Lorde, Robyn, and Katy Perry. Sasha Frere-Jones from The New Yorker says Tove Lo's sound is "simple, spare, electronic, and unfussy." Her music is often called honest and raw. Rolling Stone called her "Sweden's darkest pop export." Tove Lo has a soprano singing voice. Peter Robinson says, "As a vocalist she hints at euphoria and melancholy in equal measure." She often uses the first few recordings of her voice to capture her true emotions. Her music often has strong drum beats, quiet parts, and loud choruses, similar to grunge music.

Writing Her Songs

Alex Panisch from Out called Tove Lo "the world's most brutally honest pop star." She uses songwriting as a way to express feelings she might not talk about otherwise. Her lyrics are mostly about her own life, including mistakes, love, and broken relationships. Her songs are known for being direct, honest, and complex. According to Tim Jonze of The Guardian, she often focuses on "the more intense side of love." Tove Lo admits her lyrics are often sad because she finds it hard to write happy songs. Her lyrics often bring topics usually found in punk and hip hop into pop music.

Tove Lo's first EP, Truth Serum, tells the story of one of her past relationships. Queen of the Clouds, her first album, is a concept album that describes different stages of relationships. Jason Lipshutz from Billboard called the album "blisteringly honest" and "unapologetically uncensored." Her second album, Lady Wood, is about "different kinds of rushes in life." It is divided into two parts: "Fairy Dust" and "Fire Fade." Her third album, Blue Lips, is a follow-up to Lady Wood and is split into "Light Beams" and "Pitch Black." When writing for other artists, Tove Lo tries not to use her own experiences. She told Paste, "My main goal is to say something how they would say it, even if I might say it in a different way that makes more sense to me." She explained her own songwriting process to Coup De Main: "Sometimes it starts with a random lyric idea that sets the tone for the whole song. Chords and sounds build from the lyric and rhythm, kind of. Sometimes it's a track I fall in love with... but writing my own songs, I rarely write on tracks. Then it's pretty much always 'the story' first. Then I add some chords and melody on my piano, or do a minimal production to get the sound right."

Who Influences Her Music

Tove Lo grew up admiring Courtney Love and was inspired by grunge culture. She loved the honest lyrics of Love's music and her band, Hole. She was also fascinated by Love's relationship with Kurt Cobain and the raw honesty of his music with his band Nirvana. In high school, Tove Lo developed a love for pop music and songwriting. She was mainly influenced by Swedish singers Robyn and Lykke Li. She says the simple and unique lyrics of French singer Charlotte Gainsbourg's album IRM (2009) were a big inspiration for her music career. She said it "opened a new world" for her sound. She tries to sing like Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley, and Mikky Ekko. Other artists she has mentioned as influences include Madonna, The Weeknd, and Silverchair.

Discography

• Queen of the Clouds (2014)
• Lady Wood (2016)
• Blue Lips (2017)
• Sunshine Kitty (2019)
• Dirt Femme (2022)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Achievements

After becoming famous, Tove Lo has received many awards and nominations. In Sweden, she has won six Grammis awards, including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Habits (Stay High)." She has also won four Scandipop Awards, which celebrate the best music from Nordic countries. For co-writing "Love Me like You Do" by Ellie Goulding, Tove Lo was nominated for the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Critics' Choice Awards. She has also been nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Swedish Act several times.

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Queen of the Clouds Tour (2015)
• Lady Wood Tour (2017)
• Sunshine Kitty Tour (2019–2020)
• Dirt Femme Tour (2022–2023)

Supporting Tours

• Katy Perry – Prismatic World Tour (2014)
• Maroon 5 – Maroon V Tour (2016)
• Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2017)
• Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia Tour (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Tove Lo para niños

• Swedish pop music