Releasing ‘Make Us Never Happen’ last week, it’s been a busy 2019 for SHY Martin.
Between her own music and collaborations with the likes of NOTD and Boy in Space, the Swedish pop star and songwriter finds time to chat to CelebMix.
Q: Hi SHY, thanks for taking the time to chat with CelebMix. What are you up to today?
A: Hi! Of course, thank you for having me! I’m in L.A. at the moment doing sessions for two weeks so I’m soon heading off to the studio! After that, I might go out to dinner if the jet lag allows me.
Q: ‘Make Us Never Happen’ is out now. It’s a bit of a sad banger, what was going through your mind when writing it?
A: Thank you! Actually the line ‘make us never happen’ was the first thing that came up in the session and I think we all kind of felt it right away. We started talking about this relationship I had a few years ago where I fell in love with my best friend only to realize it was a big mistake. And as we talked about it, the song kind of wrote itself. It was quite scary writing it as honest as we ended up doing but I think we all felt it needed to be written like that.
Q: We hear there’s an EP in the pipeline. Can we expect more tracks like ‘Make Us Never Happen’ on that?
A: There will definitely be some really personal tracks on the EP which I’m very excited about. I really wanna be as honest as I can with my music and it’s something that’s become more and more important for me.
Q: It’s been quite the year for you with some huge collaborations! What was working with NOTD on ‘Keep You Mine’ like?
A: I mean, I absolutely love the guys! It’s just been such a fun release! Working with them on both ‘I Wanna Know’ and ‘Keep You Mine’ is something I’m super grateful for. Watching them growing into the stars they are and being a part of their journey is just amazing!
Q: And last month you teamed up with Boy In Space for ‘On A Prayer’. How did that collaboration come about?
A: My producer Freddy Alexander co-wrote the song with Boy in Space and Philip from Hearts & Colours in Palma last year. When he got home he played it for me in the studio and I immediately fell in love with it.
I’ve been a big fan of Robin (BIS) since I first heard his vocals in the studio. I added my verse and recorded my part on the song right away and I’m so happy how it all tuned out. Also getting to know Robin has been so much fun! I really love hanging out with him and we’ve become really good friends over the last couple of weeks.
Q: People might not know, but you’ve also got writing credits for the likes of ALMA, Matt Terry, Bebe Rexha and Kygo & Ellie Goulding. Does writing a track for someone else feel a lot different to penning solo material?
A: Not really. I think the most important thing is to really put your emotions into the song, whatever emotion that might be. I think it’s when you do that, people relate.
Q: You’ve also got a support slot for Nina Nesbitt in December at The Camden Assembly. How excited are you for that? Anything special planned?
A: I’m super excited! I’ve never done a full acoustic set before so this will def be more intimate. Most of the songs were written with only a piano or a guitar so I’m really excited about showing the songs how they were written. Also, I’m a huge fan of Nina and she’s such a nice person!
Q: Finally, after a big 2019, what’s next for SHY Martin?
A: I will release lots of new music. Both that I’ve written and that I’m performing myself. Some exciting collaborations and hopefully a lot more live shows!
SHY Martin’s new single ‘Make Us Never Happen’ is streaming now. Let us know your thoughts @CelebMix on Twitter.