What makes a pop star: the songs or the package? For women, the answer is unequivocally both, or so (mostly male) record executives have insisted since the dawn of the music industry. FELIN, a Swedish pop star whose songs and performance are created by Elin Blom, plays the boundaries of what makes a pop star — and what a pop star with a perfectly manicured image, no matter how edgy, can say.
Blom, who provides the voice, face, lyrics, and brainpower of FELIN, may be the first thing you see and the only thing you hear. But the visuals, the design, the photos, the elements that make up all pop stars come from a pool of artists and friends of Blom who help shape FELIN into something more than a singular figure.
Song Intro: Boys will be boys, or?I dream of an equal future that’s secure for everyone, inclusive and non-judgmental, where everyone’s uniqueness will be celebrated instead of being questioned. Where girls can walk safely home at night, where boys can cry and show their emotions and be respected for it.
Because where there is vulnerability, there is true strength.My heroes are those who dare to express who they are, fully, with no holding back. This is about those heroes, this is their moment.
Felin shares, “what is masculinity? Who defines gender norms? The song ‘Dear Boys’is a letter to today’s men as well as future generations. I hope that parents teach their sons that vulnerability is natural and something beautiful for both men and women, so that we can have a future that’s secure for everyone, inclusive and non-judgmental, where prejudices are erased, stereotypes are crushed and everyone’s uniqueness will be celebrated instead of being questioned. Since the song mainly focuses on the societal norms and problems that exist today, we wanted the video to instead pay tribute to the men who already break gender norms, who dare to express themselves fully, who dare to be vulnerable. Because where there is vulnerability, there is also true strength.”
