FEATURE:
Revisiting…
Snoh Aalegra - Ugh, those feels again
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I have been following the career of…
PHOTO CREDIT: Jillian Sollazzo/WWD
the wonderful Snoh Aalegra for years now. I was especially interested when she put out her second studio album on 16th August, 2019. Following her 2017 debut, FEELS, - Ugh, those feels again is a really accomplished and memorable album that I think should have got more attention. Her latest album, and possibly her most acclaimed, is 2021’s TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES. Cinematic, sweeping and soulful, maybe some people have not heard of - Ugh, those feels again and Snoh Aalegra. The U.S.-based artist was born in Uppsala, Sweden. She is an artist who has named the likes of Brandy, Prince and Whitney Houston as influences. Someone everybody needs to follow. I want to spotlight -Ugh, those feels again, as this is an album that I really love. It peaked at number three on the Billboard R&B Album Sales chart, number six on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and number seventy-three on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. I am going to come to a couple of the positive reviews for -Ugh, those feels again. I want to come to a couple of interviews around the time first. I will start with an interview from Elle in September 2019:
“Last month, the Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter returned with -Ugh, Those Feels Again, the follow up to her 2017 debut, FEELS. Over gleaming, jazzy melodies and somber piano arrangements, Snoh spills her guts in a smoky, feather-soft voice that walks the line between Amy Winehouse and Sade, soaked in a vintage VSCO filter. -Ugh's fourteen tracks capture, by turns, the wavy adrenaline of a crush, the weightlessness of love that's fully matured, and pit-in-your-stomach agony of heartbreak. Her self-described "cinematic soul" sound is deliciously dramatic and, to me, it's already the unofficial soundtrack to Sad Girl Fall.
Snoh Aalegra laughed when I told her this, shortly after -Ugh's release. “I’m Sad Girl Queen?” she said, “I’ll take it.” Talking from her home in Los Angeles, where she is on doctor-ordered voice rest, Snoh, 32, explained that she views making music as "scoring [her] own life." “I’m heavily into movie soundtracks," she said. "I'm very involved with production—live instruments, the arrangements and every little sound that you’re hearing. I'm in the mixing room tweaking every little sound." Her influences include the movies of her childhood—The Neverending Story, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast—and the choir arrangements, strings, and synth pads of Michael Jackson.
Those filmic sounds get paired with Snoh's heart-wrenching lyrics, which are so intimate it feels like she's handed over her iPhone passcode. "I know that I don’t make things clear," she sings on the breezy lead single, "I Want You Around. "I fall for you every time I try to resist you." The next track finds Snoh stuck in a "Situationship," with lyrics that sound like wine-drenched, late-night texts that you'll regret sending in the morning. "The moments that I’m with you I forget about the issues," she pines. Other songs offer catharsis, like when Snoh chucks up her middle finger to a former lover on "Nothing To Me" and "Njoy."
Heartbreak feels vivid and fresh on -Ugh, but Snoh said it took a long period of self-reflection to get there." The previous album, Feels and the EP Don't Explain were about this one relationship I was in that ended over a year ago. On this new album, I just took my time being on my own, just becoming my own best friend in a way," she explained. "Writing about the feelings I've been having and reflecting back on the old relationship made me feel really great. I feel good."
Ahead, Snoh Aalegra opens up about her upbringing, heartbreak and how to stay optimistic about love.
When did you fall in love with music?
I want to say I was six or seven years old. Music always made me feel so emo. I think I was very young when I started to feel these emotional, deep feelings. I've always been a sad girl—I'm just going to own the title now. I very vividly remember how Whitney Houston made me feel when I saw The Bodyguard and when I heard "I Have Nothing." I was glued in front of the TV, just watching and dreaming away that one day I would make other people feel that way that music made me feel.
You grew up in Sweden and were raised by Iranian parents. What was it like melding these two worlds together?
The Iranian culture is very warm and lush and 'more is more,' and they love beauty; the language is so warm and poetic and the culture very welcoming. It's very open. But the Swedish culture is very 'less is more,' very simple. I get my taste from both. I love simplicity. I love simple cuts even in how I dress. My taste is more Swedish. Coming here to US, I really embraced this culture here because here I feel like no dream is too big or too crazy. In Sweden, you're not allowed to dream big.
Did you find it difficult to find your own sound and identity in music or did it just come organically?
I had a hard time. Maybe it was my upbringing and culture but honestly, I was very naive when I was younger. I was a big dreamer and I always love to see the good in people. I got a bit used when I was younger by people that said they were trying to help me out, but they really didn't. It was a long journey for me to really find my real sound and really trust myself and stop being a people pleaser. I was scared to say no.
You sing about all the stages of love, from the honeymoon phase to the rocky periods, to heartbreak. Did one relationship inspire this album or a mix of experiences over the years?
They're about a few different experiences and different people, but mainly about my previous one-and-a-half-year relationship. Once that relationship ended, I started to talk to people. Love became fun again because the first phases are always exciting. That's how songs like "I Want You Around" and "Situationship" came about. I started seeing somebody and, literally, he tried to kiss me and I told him, "I don't want to kiss you yet. I just want to feel you." We were out in a club. He jokingly said, "You should put that in a song," and I did. If I'm seeing somebody, even if it's just a flirt, whoever it is, they become my muse.
On other songs—"Whoa," and "Find Someone Like You"—I wasn't writing about anybody. Those songs were the first time I was imagining what I want for myself, which is a mix of my love for love and my love for music, how music makes me feel. I've never put the same effort into visualizing what I want from a man in a relationship [the way I do with music]. I've always been in toxic and bad relationships and been with the wrong type of person. I decided one day I had enough and I was like, "Let me just visualize what I actually want and grab onto that feeling”.
PHOTO CREDIT: I.P.W
I am going to move on to Wonderland. from August 2019. They asked Snoh Aalegra how she wanted people to feel when they heard the album. – Ugh, those feels again was undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2019. I am glad that it got a bit of press, though I feel more sites and sources should have tuned into it. A beautiful and evocative work from a remarkable artist:
“Congratulations on the album release! Does its title – Ugh, those feels again follow on from your previous project FEELS?
Yeah, it’s definitely a continuation of my last album. It just felt right, and it was a little bit funny at the same time…
What’s changed for you since then?
When I did FEELS and the project before, I was in this really long relationship with one guy for about three years and now that relationship is over. So this whole year of being single, I took time to do some soul searching and really analyse myself, kind of trying to understand why I took so much shit in the past. I’ve found myself in some really toxic situations when it comes to relationships. I really took the time to become more at one with myself.
Is that reflected in the new music?
My music is like a time capsule – you really know where I am in life and what I’m going through. I’m making music the way I usually do, but I just noticed I’ve never been more free. I’ve been having so much fun in the studio and laughing so much making this music. Two of the three singles I [first] put out are happy and more positive, and that’s because I’ve been in a more positive place. I’m also going to touch on other subjects in the album, so it’s not all jolly and happy.
Is it intimidating to put such personal material out into the world? Or therapeutic?
It’s therapeutic to me to reveal more and more layers about myself. I’ve had panic attacks for ten years that I live with, severe anxiety that started when my Dad passed away. That’s something I never really talked about, so I talk about that on the album as well and express those feelings. Its a mixture of everything.
What inspired the track “Find Someone Like You”?
When I wrote “Find Someone Like You”, I was in the really toxic relationship and I kind of had enough one day. I wanted to do something I’ve never done before, which is to visualize what I actually want in a relationship. I’m so good at visualizing what I want out of my career, but I’ve never really visualized “what do I do deserve from a guy in a relationship?” So the song is basically about meeting the opposite guy of what I usually attract. “Find Someone Like You” is dedicated to that future man that I haven’t met yet. It’s not that I’m with someone now and I’m super in love, because that’s what people seem to think…
What do you want people to feel when they listen to the album?
When I listen to music, I love something that I can cook to, that I can listen to in bed, that I want to have on when I do my makeup, or when I’m out. My own taste is very broad, I love everything. But as a musician, I like to think “ok, what should a fan take away from it?” Hopefully it will help them in some kind of way. It will make them feel something, just like the title… Hopefully it makes you feel good or you can relate to something I wrote about; it can comfort you or help you. Honestly whatever you take away from it, I appreciate it. People can do their own thing.
PHOTO CREDIT: I.P.W
What’s your process for creating the visuals?
Most of my videos – almost all of them – are shot on real film. Texture is always important to me, that’s where I go from. Also, what will make the song feel better when you watch a visual for it? How do you make the song come to life even more? I think like that, and don’t overthink it much more. Sometimes you can just keep it super simple.
Are you excited to perform the album live on your upcoming tour?
Absolutely, yeah. I can’t wait.
What else have you got planned next?
Preparing for tour! Hopefully I get to go to Sweden soon to visit my family really quick before I start touring. Swedish summers are so beautiful. And I have a dream that I want to visit Japan this year, I want to go to Tokyo”.
Let’s finish off with a couple of reviews for - Ugh, those feels again. I really am fond of this album, and I would confidently recommend it to anyone, regardless of your tastes. CLASH had their say about an engrossing and wonderful album from Snoh Aalegra:
“Snoh Aalegra’s sophomore release, ‘Ugh, those feels again’, probes further into the forward-facing synthetic soul of her 2017 debut ‘FEELS’, better expounding her emotional psyche post-relationship. The heady high and fragrant evocations of love in full bloom are tempered by a charged melancholy, with interdependency, isolation and self-worth coming into play as a breakup looms. On ‘Ugh…’ Snoh humanises her feelings, her experiences and ingratiates the listener to her brand of heartbreak soul, hence the album title.
Aalegra and long-time collaborator No I.D. – at the helm as executive producer and label head – keep the beats bare and distilled, an augmentation of Snoh’s virtuosic, versatile voice. Yearning has never sounded more heartrending and Aalegra knows which strings to tug at.
From the one-two guttural punch of the intro ‘Here Now’ seamlessly transitioning into the velvet majesty of ‘I Want You Around’, the strength of this set is that succeeds in meticulously threading together doo wop, nu jazz, neo soul and gauzy R&B, all the while foregrounding the delicate contours of Snoh’s incredible voice. Sparse, low-slung number ‘You’ – where Snoh can best express and emote her angst through a lattice of galactic chords and strings – encapsulates the overarching soundscape of the record, threaded together by UK’s Joel Compass.
‘Ugh, those feels again’ isn’t a maudlin affair, however. ‘Toronto’, the strongest track on offer, reins in the heartfelt elicitations, instead ramping up the sexual tension as Aalegra vocally climbs the octaves to mirror her climax, on the brink of overflowing. ‘Nothing to Me’ is a much-needed placeholder for Snoh’s feistier side, where internal affirmations come by a confrontational takedown of an ambivalent ex, a snarling Snoh listing all the areas he came up short. It’s a Snoh we need more of.
What’s most admirable about ‘Ugh, those feels again’ is that Aalegra isn’t seeking dominion over the charts. Creative self-sufficiency and artistic integrity, instilled in her by her mentor, Prince, has meant she’s eschewed big label money and payola deals. Her output speaks for itself; authenticity is her calling card. With adistinct indie sheen, Aalegra navigates her way out of starry-eyed amorousness into self-cultivated autonomy, where a sense of permanency has to come from within.
Album closer, ‘Peace’, embodies the appeal and evolution of Snoh Aalegra – a bridge between the referential sounds of monolithic icons with the corporeal face of contemporary R&B. She’s past and future, concurrently. With that in mind, the Swedish-Iranian singer may have released one of the definitive breakup records of the year - 8/10”.
Highlighting the insightful lyricism and Aalegra’s reflections on commitment and the ambiguity of complex relationships, there is a blend of the very personal and universal that runs right through - Ugh, those feels again. If the album’s title suggests that reluctance to fall in love or go through a potentially difficult relationship and tough commitment, there is plenty of endeavour, openness and searching through the album from our heroine. The Line of Best Fit said this when they sat down and reflected on the strength of - Ugh, those feels again:
“The Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter first broke out with 2017’s FEELS, an exploration of identity that encouraged praise from critics and musical contemporaries alike, one shining example being Prince who mentored her before his passing away. Two years later, she returns with a collection of songs that conjure the image of an outsider coming into their own and learning to love oneself while others slip away.
The album’s title says it all: - Ugh, those feels again is an immediately relatable sentiment, a reluctance to put oneself through the difficulty of falling in love once more. Aalegra vocals are characterised by sultry tones and an old-school R&B husk, paired with an effortless coolness. Yet there’s a vulnerability to her lyrics from the beginning, as filtered vocals open the album with the line, “Even if we catch the sunrise/ It's only a moment passing us by.”
This theme of uncertainty carries throughout. The track “I Want You Around” features smooth jazz instrumentals while Aalgra’s voice glides through singing, “All I wanna hear is Innervisions on replay / And sit right next to you, you / I try not to show how I feel about you / Thinkin' we should wait, but we don't really want to.” The anxiety of letting a guard down seems echoed in “Situationship” which draws on images of ambiguity, and not wanting to make a wrong move, “The moment I met you, I knew I would let you down/ And so many times you and I made love in my mind, don’t wanna regret you.”
Nevertheless, there are moments of strength that shine through. “Nothing to Me” acts a conversation, as she reassures herself, “Why you always say you ready for me? That ain’t it / When you know you ain’t ready for me. That ain’t it / We aint friends, if we fucking homie. That ain’t it / Come around and don’t do nothing for me. That ain’t it.” Playing with repetition and stop-start pacing to really, she creates an anthem of consolation and self-worth.
With buttery vocals and perfectly-paired suave jazz instrumentals, - Ugh, those feels again is slick in its depiction of enigmatic love. While it may not be breaking boundaries sonically, the album’s saving grace is Aalegra’s thoughtful lyricism in which she encapsulates fear, loss, heartbreak and self-growth with tenacity and an empathetic tone”.
I was eager to spotlight - Ugh, those feels again. It got some deserved acclaim and attention when it came out in 2019. Some of the songs did appear on radio playlists, though I feel there are plenty of tracks on the album that should be played today. Some really incredible cuts that would enrich any playlist. - Ugh, those feels again is Snoh Aalegra near the absolute peak of her powers. Such a staggering talent who I have been a fan of for years now. Her second studio release is…
SUCH a brilliant album.