Darin at Mix Megapol on 30 January 2013


We say good morning to the aerophobic film nerd who loves italian food. He has written a song to the Swedish crown princess couple and been complimented by Beyonce. After the success in Så Mycket Bättre, today he releases his sixth album. We say welcome back to Darin Zanyar!
Thanks, good morning!

Are you nervous? It's the release day!
Of course I'm a little nervous.

I saw an article about you in Expressen (a Swedish newspaper) where you were on a full page. Have you still don't gotten used to stuff like that?
No, exactly when you don't know about it. You're reading the newspaper and see yourself in it, and like "oh, there I am..." It's the same thing when I hear myself on the radio. It takes a few seconds, then I get that it’s me. "This song, oh, it’s me".

"What a good song, oh right, it’s me!"
Exactly! (laughs)

Are you "nervous" like when it's your birthday, when you release a new album?
Yes. It's even a little worse. It's been a while since I released a new album now, so it feels more now then it did then.


We're gonna talk to Darin about the new album, we're will hear the new single, you will sing live in the studio and we have to talk a bit about Så Mycket Bättre. We will also talk about when Darin "got into silence" and how he got out of it.
(Darin's version of Astrologen is played)

We heard this song in Så Mycket Bättre. It's a great interpretation and it's already a classic.
Thank you!

I saw when you did this one live, was it the first time after the show?
Yes, you were there.

Yeah, you were so good. I couldn't tell that it was the first time.
It felt pretty good because it was a good atmosphere and it was intimate. I did it acoustic with two guitars.

And now you're coming with us to Sälen, with Fjällkalaset. Can you promise that you can do it again then?
You'll see, it will be a surprise. I can't reveal the songs I'm gonna play!

Will it be only acoustic or electronic as well?
I'm not sure. I haven’t decided what I'm gonna do yet.

You must be incredibly tired of answering questions about you and Maja Ivarsson. Or...?
Yes. There are quite many questions about that.

There was an absurd focus on you two.
Yes, the first days I was a little uncomfortable with the cameras. Especially when I was eating, I wasn’t used to cameras following me. You have to think about what you're doing and how you eat and stuff. But after the second day it felt better actually.

Sylvia Vrethammar was very nice to you. She was like a little grandmother.
Yes. Or...?

Have you made out with Sylvia Darin?!
No I haven't.

Look at me!
I promise. (laughs)

The new album, Exit. How would you describe it? What kind of album is it?
It's more urban than before. I’ve worked much with a producer called Jim Beanz, who produced lots of stuff with Timbaland, Nelly Furtado's album Loose..

When you say urban, what do you mean with that?
More r'n'b. But there are also ballads and mid tempo songs, but at the same time the album is more pop with urban and r'n'b, a little more soul.

I saw at Aftonbladet.se that people could follow you into the studio and see how things worked out. It feels like you can let us, and your fans, in more in the whole process this time.
Yeah, that was something that I wanted to do from the beginning. When I went to the US to write the album we had a camera with us to document everything that happened. We did a one minute-long episode for each song.

Is that because of your participation in Så Mycket Bättre, that you have the guts to do it or that you want to?
I haven't done it before and it would be great to do it now when I for the first time write the album in another country, USA, with other songwriters whom I haven't worked with before.

Have you gotten a new, white-haired audience, because of the show?
It feels like that. At least much wider than before. After the show there are only retired persons. Haha, no, but I noticed that I've gotten a new audience that I haven't had before. People who comes forward to me now and talk maybe wouldn't have done that before.

Darin will play in Cirkus in Stockholm, Trädgår’n in Gothenburg and KB in Malmö. We have tickets to Stockholm and Malmö, and if you want to win them you have to listen in a little while.
Soon you're about to sing live in the studio. What are you going to sing?
One song from the album that’s called F Your Love.

Darin, present the song to us. What does F mean, I don’t get that?
F... Guess.

Aha... Fuck your love, or?
Mhm.

The song may be speaking for itself?
Yes it does. Actually it wasn't not supposed to exist because we had finished all the songs we were going to have on the album. It was 10 PM and I was so jetlaged, but I decided "I will not fall asleep now, let’s write one more song". 5 AM it was finished.

Who is it about?
I won't answer that. It's an old story.

Oh, Sylvia?
(laughs)

(Darin sings an acoustic version of F Your Love)

It's such a fine song! You must have felt like you got something out of you as well? But it must be hard for the person you're singing about...
Yeah that's true. But I felt that it came naturally when I wrote these songs. I felt that it would be nice to write some more personal lyrics.

Did the song overwhelm you now when you sang it?
Yeah, that happens when there is something sensitive.

I could tell. It’s really good!
Thank you!

Will you play this song on your concerts?
Yes, of course!

Thank you for being here and singing for us, Darin!
Thank you guys!

We will see you in Sälen.
Yes, and at the concert I hope!

Tranlsated by Nathalie Pentler.