In 2013, Stockholm artist Sibille Attar’s debut solo album Sleepyhead was released by the Swedish subsidiary of one of the three major labels, the Universal Music Group, now owned by multinational media conglomerate Vivendi Corporation. While well received, the praise and respect was not enough to go anywhere near making up for the confidence sapping experiences she went through at the hands of the industry and label men associated with recording and marketing the record. Recovering from the horrific experience of being a female artist on a major label where your music talent is subordinate to other concerns and you’re surrounded by sexist and condescending men can take a long time. The arrogance and disrespect turned Attar off creating music for five years. She recently had this to say to The Line Of Best Fit;
“To be honest life just happened. Created life for example. But also I had a rough patch, confidence-wise after the last album for some reason. Maybe because I was working with shitholes, that could be part of it. I was super surprised about how uninterested some people in the business seemed in whatever I actually could do with music. They seemed more interested in whether I looked pretty in photos the way they wanted me to or not, and that attitude took me completely off-guard. Maybe I was naive. Hence me putting the back of my head on the cover of Sleepyhead for example, haha! Always doing opposite of what I’m told. Anyhow, I got over that pretty fast, the lost confidence turned into fuel and here I am.”
That the behaviour shocked her despite that fact she’d being around music for a decade speaks volumes. Attar may call not seeing it naivety but nobody should apologise for expecting people to treat them with decency and respect. Sometimes it takes a dose of reality and shock to the system to realise real respect for artists and the notion of unfettered artistic freedom does not exist in the mainstream music world. But from such experiences can come great change and renewal. Where that respect does exist however is at the Swedish independent imprint PNKSLM Recordings which incidentally started its life the same year Sleepyhead was released. So it was great to see Attar and the Stockholm based label join forces for her return, the forthcoming six track EP Paloma’s Hand.
On the basis of the two singles released thus far, Attar is determined to represent life as it is and break down barriers created by stifling conventional wisdom. They are very different beasts musically too with first single ‘Run’ exuding a definitive darkness musically while latest single, ‘I Don’t Have To’, is delivered in classically uplifting pop style. Lyrically both reflect two subjects close to the heart of many women. ‘Run’ is a track about escaping from alcohol related domestic violence while ‘I Don’t Have To’ is a work of cathartic defiance and unflinching honesty in the face of societal expectation. The latter is arguably the best thing she has ever done. Paloma’s Hand is out on April 27. Listen to both tracks below and pre-order the EP on all formats here.
I Don’t Have To
Sibille Attar (SWE)
From the forthcoming EP, ‘Paloma’s Hand’, PNKSLM Recordings
Sibille Attar Facebook
Audio Stream
Run
Sibille Attar (SWE)
From the forthcoming EP, ‘Paloma’s Hand’, PNKSLM Recordings
Audio Stream