Meet STINA | Artist and songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with STINA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi STINA, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I feel like the funny thing about risks is that when you really want something, tend not to think too much about it and just do it because you want it to work out. When I was 19 I got accepted to a great music university in London, I had never lived or really traveled outside of Sweden by myself but still when I got this news I never really thought about the risk that came with doing the move I was just so so excited to learn more about something that I am very passionate about. I am a strong believer that everything will work out one way or another. This might come from me having had a very secure and protected upbringing, that I know that whatever happens, I can always turn back home and start over, knowing that, then risking everything doesn’t seem so scary.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A Scandinavian country artist is somewhat unheard of, but here I am. Coming from a part of the world, loving a music genre that never really is played has definitely been interesting. I would find a song that I absolutely loved with millions of streams that no one has heard or be the only one excited about the nomination for CMA has at times made me question if doing country would even be an option.

I remember the first time I really got into the genre years and years back, I was watching YouTube and stumbled upon an early Taylor Swift music video “You Belong with me” that had just been released and was hooked, Through that video I found her song “Tim McGraw” and remember wondering who this Tim McGraw was. I few days after I found his album “Everywhere” and new that this was the kind of music I wanted to play one day.

There have been years where I only did pop music simply because I wanted to make music that the people around me would like but when creating art for someone else it’s never really fulfilling so during COVID I decided to stop what I was doing and commit fully to country music. I think that growing up where I did gives me a unique take on such a classic genre and I am exited to continue exploring what my music can do on the American market.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am so in love with Santa Monica. I don’t know if this is because I grew up in the northern part of Europe where the day at the beach is limited or if it’s the years that I spent in London far away from any beach but being able to just walk a few blocks down from the city and be in the ocean is just the best.

I would definitely take my visitors to Starbucks both for them to hear the very creative orders that people tend to have in LA and also to get an iced latte to help cool down in the constant beautiful sunny weather. Another favorite spot is Malibu Farm and the 1000 Steps Beach. I am new to LA so I believe that my favorite spots are all fairly tourist-still. I went for an amazing dinner at Girl & the Goat where each dish was more a work of art than anything. When it comes to going out I have spent many weekends at the Victorian in Santa Monica, it has the perfect combination of outdoor area and dance floor, and if you’re early you can even have your dinner there before the party starts.

My absolute favorite part of LA is the number of shows you can go too, my time in LA has made me break my records for the number of shows I’ve attended in a year, with shows like everything from Kelsea Ballerini at the Greek Theater, Ed Sheeran at the SoFi Stadium and Ashley Cooke at the Roxy LA. There really is music in every corner.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my family and my best friend Amanda. Year after year, planning life around trying to make a dream happen often means not being able to plan things too far in the future, spending your money on music, promotion, photo shoots, flight tickets, and so on. It also often means being far away from home or at times being extremely busy and having to turn things down. Living this way and still only getting support in return is worth the world. The constant belief that my goals will come true and that I have what it takes is so important, especially on the days when my doubt is present. When mentioning that I wanna move to the US to be where country music is the most popular, my friend joined me in the move across the globe, and after having lived there a few months, my whole family took the time to come and visit me, what more is there to ask for?

Lately, another person has been playing a big part in my music journey, and that is the fantastic Anika Paris who has been coaching me in my songwriting and my artist development. She has an amazing way of knowing exactly the questions I need to be asking myself.

Website: https://musicbystina.wixsite.com/stina

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicbystina/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicByStina/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@musicbystina.

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gssPLF8Gxj89AFV7J28Gh Smart link: https://stina.hearnow.com/for-you-manhattan

Image Credits
Ece Naz Kızıltan & Zenon Samuels