Steve Angello from Swedish House Mafia on the release of his latest single "Hooligans," discusses the evolution of EDM, reflects on the success of “Don’t You Worry Child,” teases a new album from Swedish House Mafia, recounts his collaboration with The Weeknd, the creation of "One," shares the vision behind his Size record label, and more!
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00:00There's always a lot coming, you know, there's always, especially with us, the one had shocked us all, but, you know, we felt it, but you never know.
00:08We had an album, we scrapped it.
00:12Hey, this is Steve Angelo and this is Billboard News.
00:18We're here with Grammy-winning dance legend Steve Angelo.
00:21You may know him from Swedish House Mafia, but he has plenty of solo work and more to come.
00:26Your new single, Hooligans, is out now.
00:28Everybody feel it, come around with the rhythm, it's a sound, everybody get down when we give it to you.
00:32I was playing Coachella and I needed that energy and that old, ravey kind of Hoover sound.
00:40I'm getting technical, but like the Hoover sound, the kind of ravey sound.
00:43And then, yeah, it was like straight made for the show.
00:48It was to get an effect.
00:49Vocals was chopped up for the light production.
00:52So it was like super Steve Angelo show music, you know.
00:57And then I decided to put it out.
00:58And that was Coachella in 2022.
01:00Yes.
01:01I was there.
01:01Great show.
01:02It was a good show.
01:03It was fun.
01:04Very fun.
01:04And you teamed up with fellow Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso for Skip.
01:16Would you say those songs have a similar vibe?
01:18Yeah, I mean, it's like that clubby energy, right?
01:21It's like that ravey, clubby, gritty, a little darker.
01:26It's that energy.
01:27Why did the two of you link up for Skip instead of it being a full Swedish House Mafia track?
01:34I don't remember the process of it.
01:36I think we just, you know, studio one night made a song because we, you know, the history of us.
01:41Me and Axe used to do songs back in early 2000.
01:44Like we've always done together and all three and mix and mash, you know.
01:49So it's like, I just think we just had a good night in the studio and made a song.
01:53And we're like, let's put it out.
01:54I think it's been like, the guard's been down a little bit now.
01:57So it's like, since we came back with the band, we just want to make music and have fun
02:02and just like put that out there and just confident.
02:06Love that.
02:07And knowing that Skip and Hooligans are your two latest singles,
02:13is that a teaser of what's to come?
02:14Are you going to continue?
02:15There's always a lot coming, you know.
02:17There's always, especially with us, there's always a lot in the works.
02:20So I think it's like, we've made so much music the past couple of years.
02:27So it's like, we're just going to have this like flow of putting out records.
02:31Since 2003, you've released over 250 tracks on your own label, Size Records.
02:38Can you tell us about how Size came to be?
02:41Yeah, it's pretty easy.
02:42I used to send out demos as a kid and nobody would sign our music.
02:47Because back then, you had to invest quite a lot of money to put out records.
02:51So after getting rejected so many times, because we didn't have names, we were young kids,
02:59I decided to start my own label to put out the music that we believed in.
03:03And then that was the start of it.
03:05And you've had that label for many years.
03:08How has your vision of where it started from shaped to where it is now?
03:14It hasn't changed.
03:15I think the philosophy behind it has been like, nurture young talent,
03:18being myself as the young talent back in the day.
03:22And then kind of like always having that, helping young artists put out music.
03:27So it's never been like a business per se.
03:31It's always been like, I like people's music.
03:34Let's put it out.
03:35It's been pretty straightforward.
03:39And just have fun and be creative.
03:41And the artworks and videos and do the events.
03:45And it's been like really chill and it's good vibes and just put out good music.
03:50Good music, good vibes.
03:52Yeah.
03:52So how does one release a song through Size Records?
03:56How do you find the perfect Size Records release?
03:59Good question.
04:00You know what?
04:01I get a lot of music from people on Instagram.
04:04They send me a DM.
04:05They're like, listen to my demo.
04:07You know, and I go in, I listen to the demos and I find somebody,
04:11and I was like, okay, this track is sick.
04:12I play it out.
04:13I'm like, okay, let's put it out.
04:14It's easy, you know?
04:16In this day and age, everyone is learning how to DJ and learning how to produce.
04:23How has the landscape of the industry changed over time in your eyes?
04:27It's changed a lot.
04:28You know, I think when we started out, there wasn't any, you know, help.
04:34When you had to figure out how to make a song,
04:36you had to like sit there and put in the hundreds of hours to like figure it out.
04:40But with the internet now, it's like if you want to learn something,
04:46you just go online and you Google or YouTube or whatever it is,
04:50and you just say, hey, how do I make this sound?
04:52And it's available right there, you know?
04:54So I think it changed.
04:56I do like the old school of like sitting there and grinding and trying to figure things out.
05:03I like the process of discovery.
05:05But I also, I kind of like the new, what's happening now,
05:11because it gives artists a lot of time to be artists.
05:14And yeah, it's a good time.
05:17It's fun.
05:18Dance music is back.
05:19It is back and better than ever.
05:22Do you have any advice for young aspiring artists?
05:26Find your sound, find your thing, just go for it.
05:30Don't try to copy paste too much of what other people, successful people have done.
05:34I think it's going to make it a lot.
05:36I think the progress is going to take much longer doing what other people do.
05:41I think find your thing and just run with it.
05:43EDM is a genre that continues to evolve.
05:46You've seen that.
05:47And there's a lot of discourse about the state of EDM now at its most popular.
05:53How do you see the genre moving forward?
05:56I think it's in a great place.
05:57You know, you have a lot of talented artists.
05:59You have a lot of people doing their things.
06:00I think the walls are down between the sub-genres.
06:04I think you can collaborate with anybody.
06:06I think any genre can be mixed into dance music.
06:10So I think it's a bright future.
06:13I think there's more events now, less clubs, but more big events.
06:18More things happening in the big cities.
06:20Dance music is going to grow.
06:22And then in a year and a half, two years, we're probably going to see it bigger than we've ever seen it.
06:28So you've previously posted on social media about the newer wave of rap.
06:33And you've collaborated with a lot of prominent artists in the hip-hop space.
06:3707.0 Shake, Ty Dolla $ign.
06:46A$AP.
06:47A$AP.
06:48Just to name a few.
06:54Are there any artists you haven't collaborated with yet
06:57you'd like to?
06:59Yeah, I mean, there's always those, like, you talk to artists, you know,
07:02there's always artists out there.
07:03But I think for us, the magic happens in the studio.
07:07So it's like, it's more like an accident that you bump into an artist.
07:11So for us, it's like, we can be somewhere and someone is with somebody
07:16and they're like, you should meet.
07:17And then we connect and like A$AP.
07:20And then we connect.
07:20Same with Shake.
07:21And we were like, okay, this is fire.
07:23You know, like, let's, you want to get in the studio.
07:25Like, it starts off more like a friendly conversation about music in general.
07:32And then we kind of fall into the music situation.
07:36So it's not like we send a label to go pick someone up.
07:40It's always been very, very natural.
07:44So you never know who I bump into.
07:46Okay, we'll keep an eye out.
07:48Yep, yep.
07:49And one of your biggest collaborations that's very close to entering the Billions Club
07:54is Moth to a Flame with The Weeknd.
08:01Can you tell us about the whole process behind that song?
08:04Same thing.
08:05Same thing.
08:06You know, we were in LA.
08:08We're fans of Abel since the beginning of his career.
08:12He's been a fan of us.
08:15And we were like, let's go to dinner.
08:17Let's have some fun.
08:19And then we hung out that night, went to the studio.
08:23He wanted to play some songs from his album.
08:26And then that kind of transformed into Moth to a Flame the next day, you know?
08:32So it's the same thing there.
08:34It's like, you become friends and you find a thing.
08:38And then if you connect and if everything feels right, you just make music.
08:42You've performed on some of the biggest stages in the world.
08:45From Coachella to Tomorrowland, do you have a favorite stage to perform on?
08:51I think Coachella is one of the favorites, obviously.
08:55Doing the headline show with The Weeknd.
09:03It was insane.
09:04You know, just like the mix of us and just that stage is crazy.
09:10You know, the crowd and the vibe and the weather.
09:14You see the mountains.
09:15It's like it's more than just like a festival.
09:17You know, it's the whole atmosphere around it.
09:19So I think that's one of my favorite festivals.
09:23I mean, I played most of the big festivals.
09:27And, you know, everything has its own special, unique vibe to it.
09:31So it's hard to pick one.
09:34Is there one that you haven't performed on yet that you would like to?
09:38Yeah, Glastonbury.
09:39That would be interesting.
09:40You know, I think just a couple, I think.
09:45But it's like crossover festivals that I haven't been to.
09:49Most of the ones that we've aimed to play, we've played.
09:52But there's a couple still.
09:54Okay.
09:55And knowing that your sound is an ever-evolving situation
10:00and you've got some darker sounds in there,
10:03would you ever consider doing more of an underground show again?
10:06Of course.
10:07Of course, yeah.
10:09I mean, I do after parties and after-hour sets, which is more like that.
10:13You know, then I do back-to-back sets.
10:15You know, I played with Solomon last year.
10:18That was like straight dark.
10:21So, I mean, I do occasionally once in a while, you know.
10:23So you performed at the Brooklyn Mirage.
10:25You're doing some solo performing.
10:27How is that different for you from when you're performing with the group?
10:30I mean, I like it all.
10:32You know, I think there's different things.
10:34You have like a bit of a different playground when you do your own stuff.
10:38I play longer sets.
10:39I can go on different types of journeys, which I really love.
10:44And it's just different, you know.
10:46But I'm lucky in life.
10:49I have both, you know.
10:50So I can pick and choose and do all of it, which is beautiful.
10:55You're doing a lot of shows.
10:58You are non-stop.
11:00That takes a toll on the body for sure.
11:02How do you take care of yourself?
11:04And how have you discovered wellness over the years?
11:10Well, I'm sober, you know, since 13 years back.
11:14So I think that helped a lot psychologically and obviously everything else, you know.
11:21And I think it's a tricky one.
11:23It's hard when you tour.
11:24But you've got to catch sleep, you know.
11:26You have to like...
11:29The good thing is I have people around me all the time, even when we tour three.
11:32So it's like if you want to talk about something, you can talk about it, you know.
11:37So you need good people around you.
11:40And I think mentally it's more, you know, taking a toll than, you know, physically.
11:46So I think just talk to people and have good people around you.
11:50But obviously the not drinking part for me has been a game changer.
11:54You play a lot of late nights.
11:56How do you physically recover after all of those?
11:58You don't.
12:00No, you don't.
12:01But I mean, it's always on to the next one, right?
12:04So it's like I have a late show and the next early flights.
12:08And you just got to pick up rest when you can and just try to like relax and not be
12:14in too chaotic environments all the time.
12:18I hate vacations.
12:20It's the worst thing I know.
12:22Because I love working.
12:23And I say if I would take a three-week vacation, I would probably die.
12:27Because of like how much you've worked, you know.
12:30So you just got to keep the motor running, you know.
12:33What do you think the longest vacation is that you've taken?
12:36Probably like five days.
12:38Five, six days.
12:40Wow.
12:40Yeah.
12:41Do you ever get nervous about playing on your own?
12:44No, I don't.
12:45I used to.
12:47I get nervous when there's big production shows.
12:52But I don't get nervous about me performing.
12:54But it's more like if everything's going to work.
12:57So it's a different nervous.
13:00But DJing for me is like, it's so natural.
13:05And it's like the time when I express.
13:08So for me, it's like you're home, you know.
13:12Is there a different type of prep for your shows and tours as a solo artist
13:16than there is for a Swedish House Mafia show?
13:19Yes.
13:20Yeah, of course.
13:22The usual Swedish House Mafia show is a very big show, you know.
13:26And then when you come and you sell, you know, 20, 50, 100,000 tickets,
13:31people are expecting a certain type of set.
13:34Because they buy the tickets to hear certain types of music.
13:38Whereas for the solo stuff, I think it's a little more playful.
13:41And people are like, with the label history and everything, it's a bit wide.
13:47So they're like, oh, we want to hear from the label's past or whatever.
13:51So I feel like there's a little less of that pressure.
13:56But I mean, I have those shows as well.
13:58When it's like super like organized and structured.
14:01And then you have the playful ones when I can play for six, seven hours.
14:05And then it's like all over the place, you know, musically.
14:07But like I said earlier, I'm blessed to have it all.
14:12And we're blessed to have a ton of work between all your solo stuff and Swedish House Mafia.
14:17Getting into the SHM of it all.
14:21So you're in the Billions Club officially for Don't Worry Child.
14:24One of the biggest songs in Dance, period.
14:34Can you tell us about the impact of that song?
14:37Did you expect it to be as big of a hit as it became?
14:41No, straight up no.
14:44I think at the time when we were going to put those records out, the labels weren't supporting it.
14:52So there was more like a, this is not a big record, you know, type situation.
14:58And that was like Save the World.
15:05Old One.
15:11Don't You Worry Child and a lot of other records that we did.
15:14So it was always us like testing things out.
15:18And then seeing the reactions of the crowd.
15:20And basing our releases straight on the reactions of the crowd.
15:24And we were like, okay, this is big.
15:25We've got to go with this, you know.
15:28So you never know, but you feel that there's something special.
15:31Because when you play it, you feel the energy and the tension in the air.
15:35And you see what's happening.
15:37And I remember coming to Miami.
15:39I had played, this is Save the World now.
15:41But like I had played Save the World in Australia on a solo show.
15:45And that clip online went viral.
15:50And then we played in Miami a couple weeks later.
15:52And the whole crowd was singing the song.
15:54And I had only played it once.
15:57So it was one of those like, okay, this is big, you know.
16:02Oh yeah, Billion Club.
16:05It's nice.
16:06That song is 12 years old.
16:08Yeah, so it was almost before streaming then.
16:10So it's not bad with a Billion.
16:13So you said that you didn't know Don't Worry Child was going to be a hit.
16:17Now when you're making music, do you know?
16:19Do you know the magic is there?
16:23Yes and no.
16:24I think it's like, you can do like a commercially on paper,
16:34might be successful song.
16:36It's like ingredients wise, you know.
16:39But then it's also, if we would get to that spot,
16:42I think we would probably stare away from it, you know.
16:45Because I think it's a tricky one.
16:50You never know.
16:51I mean, you can feel that it's like when you're in the studio,
16:54you feel like your song is big, but that's for you.
16:56Otherwise, we wouldn't make it to finish it, you know.
16:59But I think nowadays, it's just really hard to predict.
17:04You know, you can, I've seen songs
17:08songs go off that nobody on earth would ever think would be a big record.
17:13So it's, you can feel it, but you can't really know.
17:19You're making music nonstop.
17:20And you know, there's a difference between making music
17:23for yourself as a solo artist versus a group,
17:25or even for yourself versus the crowd.
17:28Is there a song that you made for yourself
17:30that really took off in a way that you didn't think it would?
17:33When we did One,
17:39we made it straight for ourselves.
17:42Because it was like an experiment.
17:43We were like, okay, what happens if a kick drum becomes a bass?
17:46Like, and we arranged it like an orchestra
17:49with like synths doing different things.
17:52And we played it in the clubs and it was like rocking the clubs,
17:56but we never expected it to have the cultural impact that it had.
18:00So yeah, I would say One had shocked us all,
18:04but you know, we felt it, but you never know, obviously.
18:07So, but it was, it was crazy.
18:11Still today.
18:12Great song.
18:13What is the status of the new Swedish House Mafia album?
18:16Is there one in the pipeline?
18:18Yeah, that's like that question, right?
18:20Which is, we had an album, we scrapped it,
18:26and we put out singles.
18:27And we are still always working on music.
18:29When we feel like, okay, this is good enough for us,
18:33then we'll put it out, you know?
18:35But it's, there's always that in the air, right?
18:39Always.
18:39Not the scrapped album, no.
18:41But you know, as a creator, you're like,
18:44if you're not feeling something,
18:46you're like not gonna see the daylight.
18:48You're touring solo,
18:50but are you always talking to the guys about making music?
18:53Yeah, I mean, listen, we, the power of the internet, right?
18:57So it's like, you know, you send each other ideas,
18:59we're sharing Dropboxes,
19:00and we have all the arrangements of every idea and song,
19:04and we just jump in and people mess around,
19:06and like, hey, I found this thing.
19:07And it's like a very open and really natural,
19:12it's become very natural for us,
19:14because we've done it for such a long time.
19:15But the workflow nowadays is so much better
19:19than back in the days,
19:20because you don't have to physically be in the room.
19:22You know, there's like FaceTime and you can play.
19:25Like, it's really easy now, which is great for us.
19:29But most of the music we make is in the studio,
19:32and I see them Monday to Friday every week, so.
19:35Love that, you're still in the studio.
19:36Yeah.
19:37There's artists we've talked to who say
19:39they make some of their best music
19:40while they're in their car,
19:42playing it over a Tesla speaker or something like that.
19:44Yeah, I mean, it sounds like a Mike Dean situation,
19:47but whatever floats your boat, you know?
19:51It's like, I love, I have this weird thing,
19:53I like to arrange songs in public, if that makes sense.
19:58I can sit at an airport with AirPods
20:02and I have the arrangement.
20:04I won't mix, because I won't be able to do it properly,
20:07but I like to arrange it when I see people
20:10and traffic and hotel rooms,
20:11and you open the blinds and you're seeing a city.
20:15And I think everything that we do
20:17is you kind of drag inspiration
20:19and motivation through everything.
20:21Like, New York has a vibe and energy.
20:24I started a song this morning, I might play it, you know?
20:27So it's like one of those, you just grab it when you can.
20:31Are you ready to beat the buzzer?
20:33Yes.
20:33Okay, so in this game, you'll have 60 seconds
20:35to answer as many questions as you can.
20:38Okay.
20:39Ready?
20:39Yep.
20:41Let's start the timer.
20:42Sunset or sunrise?
20:44Sunset.
20:45Past or present?
20:46Present.
20:48Podcast or series?
20:50Series.
20:51Dine-in or takeout?
20:52Takeout.
20:53Going out or staying in?
20:55Staying in.
20:56Winter or summer?
20:57Winter.
20:58Coffee or tea?
21:00Tea.
21:00Text or FaceTime?
21:02FaceTime.
21:03LA or New York?
21:05New York.
21:06Long or short hair?
21:07Long.
21:09Miami or Ibiza?
21:10Ibiza.
21:11Friends and family, do you want them in the booth or the crowd?
21:15They want to be in the booth,
21:16but it's a better experience in the crowd, so crowd.
21:19Paradise again or until now?
21:22Paradise again.
21:24Cats or dogs?
21:25Dogs.
21:26Sweet or savory?
21:27Savory.
21:28Introverted or extroverted?
21:29Intro.
21:32How many did we do?
21:32Did we do good or bad?
21:33We did 19 out of 25.
21:36Fuck.
21:36Could have been faster.
21:37It's pretty good.
21:38Yeah, we can.
21:38Yeah, let's do it for fun.
21:39Okay, okay.
21:40Tattoos or piercings or both?
21:42Both.
21:43Early bird or night owl?
21:45Night owl.
21:46Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
21:47Star Wars.
21:49EDM in the 2000s or the 2010s?
21:512010s.
21:53F1 or football?
21:54Football.
21:55Sweet or spicy?
21:56Spicy.
21:57Done.
21:57Okay, we could have nailed that.