Swedish House Mafia debuted their new Lykke Li collaboration ‘Happiness Is So Sad’ during their Ushuaïa Ibiza residency – watch footage below.
The Swedish electronic trio – Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso – premiered the new track at the White Isle on June 28, as part of their weekly Ibiza residency, and later confirmed that it would be released on July 31.
The track features additional production from Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Ingrosso describing the collaboration as a “Swedish Avengers crew”.
Speaking to Vogue Scandinavia about working with his compatriot Li, Ingrosso called her “one of the coolest artists ever”, adding that “her voice is so unique”.
Watch footage of Swedish House Mafia debuting ‘Happiness Is So Sad’ below:
Li added: “It’s always nerve-racking working with new people and writing something on the spot, but Sebastian completely put me at ease. His energy is insanely positive and infectious.
“When we found the riff we were all screaming with our hands in the air. Those melodies that pierce your soul, that make you want to cry and dance at the same time. We Swedes understand darkness but we love the light more than anyone else.”
The singer has long had ties to the dance world, most notably through The Magician’s huge remix of ‘I Follow Rivers’. The original song appeared on her 2011 album ‘Wounded Rhymes’, while the remix went on to become a European club staple and reached Number One in countries including Germany, Belgium and Italy. She later teamed up with Mark Ronson on the 2019 single ‘Late Night Feelings’.
Li’s sixth album ‘The Afterparty’ arrived in May, and before its release, she suggested that the record could be her last, saying: “It was a motherfucker to make.”
She also told NME that she wanted to make something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than 2022’s ‘EYEYE’, while the album’s release was preceded by the singles ‘Lucky Again’ and ‘Knife In The Heart’.
The latter was described by Li as “my brutalist nursery rhyme anthem – the emo girl in me, fully unleashed”.
In a four-star review of ‘The Afterparty’, NME described the album as “a brief but heady last round from the Swedish alt-pop icon”, adding that “with strings, beats and love, Lykke Li slammed down a heady shot to call time”.
Swedish House Mafia, meanwhile, will continue their Ushuaïa Ibiza residency every Sunday until September 13.
They have also announced a major homecoming show in Gothenburg for August 29, which is being billed as their biggest headline show to date.
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