Frida Hyvönen is dreaming of independence on her eighth album, aptly titled Dream of Independence. And yet, Frida has had this independence for a long time, having carved out her own path in traditional Swedish pop since 2005, not too far removed from the national icon that is ABBA. The album was recorded in Benny Andersson’s Riksmixningsverket studio, in Stockholm. Eleven songs in a rather calm, soothing atmosphere, however not in avoidance of a certain level of gravity, just like the first track that gives the album its title. On the other tracks, Frida Hyvönen, most often in piano-voice mode, recalls episodes of her life, turning them into pop rhymes that rarely exceed five minutes. She digs up a bittersweet memory of a funeral, A Funeral in Banbridge, and questions herself with Face Face... With no dissociation between her life and her music, Frida Hyvönen's songs are like short diary entries. On Flock, Kate Bush-like fantasies come to mind, even if here the daydreams remain a little wiser and closer to a certain normality. Dream of Independence is certainly a demonstration of maturity for her and it is also a return to English after more than ten years. “All of the songs on the album are about pieces of something broken,” she says, “which is something one thinks about a lot as a creator.” She feels the dissolution of the artist on the last track, Painter, which refers directly to the painting on the album cover. The painting was done by Sara-Vide Ericson, at Hyvönen's request, and reflects her own thoughts on distancing oneself from the myth of the artist as a genius or goddess... As you can see, Frida Hyvönen allows herself to be penetrated by complexity and signs off on her most accomplished album here. © Yan Céh/Qobuz