Tove Lo
Sweden's darkest pop export delivering raw, autobiographical anthems to a global audience.
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, known professionally as Tove Lo, is a Swedish singer-songwriter born on 29 October 1987. Renowned for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music, she has earned titles like "the saddest girl in Sweden" from Out and "Sweden's darkest pop export" from Rolling Stone. Her career trajectory moved from a math rock band to becoming a highly successful songwriter before launching her own solo path. While she shares the industry landscape with Coldplay, having collaborated with numerous other major acts, her connection is defined by shared festival circuits and parallel success rather than direct studio partnership.
- Nationality
- Swedish
- Genre
- Pop / Grunge-influenced pop
- Debut Album Year
- 2014
- Status
- Active
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Tove Lo's journey began in the affluent Djursholm district of Danderyd, where she lived until age six after being born in Helsingborg. Nicknamed "Tove Lo" by her godmother at age three due to her love for a lynx named Tove, she developed an early passion for music. She formed the girl band Tremblebee with Christian Bjerring and other students from Rytmus Musikergymnasiet in 2006, playing bars across Sweden until the group disbanded in 2009. Following this, she pursued songwriting, securing a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music in 2011. Working with producers like Max Martin and Alexander Kronlund, she co-wrote hits such as Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" and Lorde's "Homemade Dynamite," building a reputation that eventually led to her own record deal with Universal Music, Island, and Polydor in 2013.
In Their Own Story
In 2014, Tove Lo rose to international prominence with her debut album, Queen of the Clouds. The record opened at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2016. Its lead single, "Habits (Stay High)," became a sleeper hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. This success followed her independent release of the track in March 2013, which had already garnered a substantial online following. Her follow-up album, Lady Wood, arrived in October 2016, debuting at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and spawning the hit "Cool Girl." She continued this momentum with Blue Lips in 2017 and Sunshine Kitty in 2019, the latter featuring "Glad He's Gone," which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. In 2022, she released Dirt Femme, including the single "How Long," which appeared on the soundtrack for Euphoria season two.
Reader's Guide
Tove Lo operates as a solo artist who writes and records her own compositions while also collaborating extensively with other musicians. Her discography includes four major studio albums: Queen of the Clouds (2014), Lady Wood (2016), Blue Lips (2017), and Sunshine Kitty (2019), plus Dirt Femme (2022). She has shared stages and credits with a wide range of artists including Alesso, Broods, Charli XCX, Flume, Nelly Furtado, Martin Garrix, Nick Jonas, Wiz Khalifa, Kylie Minogue, Seven Lions, and Urban Cone. Notably, she was featured on Alesso's single "Heroes (We Could Be)," which reached number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100. While she has not released a collaborative studio album with Coldplay, her career runs parallel to their major touring cycles, and she has performed at the same large-scale festivals.
Did You Know?
- Her stage name 'Tove Lo' was given to her at age three because she fell in love with a lynx named Tove at a zoo.
- She formed the math rock band Tremblebee in 2006, which played bars across Sweden for three years before disbanding.
- In late 2014, she underwent successful surgery on her vocal cords to remove cysts that had developed.
- Her song 'Habits (Stay High)' peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a sleeper hit.
- She co-wrote Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do,' which garnered Grammy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
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