Born in Sweden in 1986, Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson is better known as singer and songwriter Lykke Li. She released her first album, Youth Novels, in 2008, and is celebrated for her gothic take on electro-pop and heartbreak, notably 2014’s I Never Learn and 2018’s So Sad So Sexy. Her music has soundtracked films including Twilight and The Fault in Our Stars; she has also acted in the crime thriller Tommy and Terrence Malick’s Song to Song. She released her fifth album, Eyeye, in May this year; a vinyl reissue of the album is out at the end of November.
1. Gig
Kendrick Lamar
He’s probably my idol – I think he’s the greatest contemporary artist we have. We were doing a lot of the same festivals, so I kind of stalked him all summer. Then I went to see him at Crypto in LA, which was special because it’s his home town – the energy of the crowd was insane. He’s a true master: he’s in such control of his craft, he doesn’t lose a beat. In the beginning he was controlled, holding back, then the show built until it was like an explosion at the end. It was inspiring to watch.
2. Book
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
I read this in one go. It’s about a relationship: in the beginning she is obsessed and head over heels, and then it turns destructive. I found it raw, honest, brutal and real – it shows how much we suffer just for the thought of having love in our lives. It’s refreshing to read a woman’s point of view, describing the complex relationship we have to our bodies, to food, to sex, and how easy it is for women to go down this spiral of obsession and desperation.
3. Documentary
The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (dir Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri, 2021)
It’s a documentary by two Swedish directors about Björn Andrésen, who played Tadzio in Death in Venice when he was 15. Luchino Visconti searched for the most beautiful boy in the world and found this boy in Sweden. The film follows his life, which had a lot of tragedy in it, and how he became this huge star in Japan. It’s a really interesting, moving view on male beauty and it stayed with me for a long time.
4. Choreography
Imre and Marne van Opstal
Theo [Lindquist], who I did all the videos and artwork with for my last album, showed me their work and I was floored. They’re siblings, so they’re working on a subconscious, intuitive level, and I’m enthralled by their work: it’s human and complex and emotional. There’s one particular movement in their show Baby Don’t Hurt Me, where she’s standing on her head and he’s holding her and spinning her around, that’s just the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
5. Art
Wolfgang Tillmans: To Look Without Fear at MoMA, New York
I just saw this show in New York. I love Wolfgang Tillmans’s work – it’s so personal and direct and also full of sexuality and beauty. I loved the way it was hung: it was a whole floor, with small photos and big photos plastered on the walls in quite a random way, and video installations. I always gravitate towards people and nudity, for some reason. I just think the body and people in general are so beautiful.
6. Restaurant
Brutalisten, Stockholm
My friend Carsten Höller, who’s an artist, opened this restaurant in Stockholm. The concept is brutalist: the decor is modern, with a huge, stainless steel bar, and the food is just one ingredient, like cured beef or raw peas or one fried egg. It tastes like the ingredient, which is revealed in its simplicity – it’s not hiding or covered in other flavours. I love to eat that way, where it’s focused on the produce and not adding a bunch of zuzh.
