Darin keeps promoting "Ta mig tillbaka". This time he visited the Swedish radio program RIX MorronZoo where he performed an acoustic version of his brand new single after being interviewed. We translated the interview for you (performance on the bottom of the page).
Welcome, Darin!
“Thank you!”
There’s been a lot of focus on Måns Zemerlöw’s (Melodifestivalen winner) super body recently. And not enough focus on Darin’s super body.
“I’ve kept it secret. No, I don’t know if I have a super body. I just try to be healthy.”
I host the TV show Ninja Warrior, together with Mårten Nylen, your personal trainer. So I tried to make him reveal something about your workouts, but he won’t say anything. Finally, I said, “Darin seems to be fit and strong, do you think he’d pass the obstacle course in Ninja Warrior?” He said: probably. This means that there is more than just a regular body underneath your loose shirt. Take it off! (laughs) No, but, you work out a lot?
“Yes, I’m in that kind of period right now. I eat healthy, get up early in the morning, work out. Then there are those periods when things are completely different, but right now I have gotten used to this.”
But can’t you brag about something for us since Mårten didn’t. How many pull-ups do you do?
“It differs from time to time. I do them in intervals.”
But how many? 50?
“More than that. But not all at once, we do them 3 times and split it up, by then it’s more than 50.”
When you’re not working out, during lazy times, what do you do then?
“That’s probably when I’m on vacation, in another city and it’s not as easy to work out and think of what I eat.”
What do you do during those times? We seldom see Darin stumbling home late at night.
“There are days like that as well.”
But not in Stockholm? You seem to be careful about that. “Sometimes it’s in Stockholm. I usually don’t drink huge amounts, but I go out and have fun until late. I’m a night owl, so I often stay up late.”
Do you sometimes just eat pizza and play video games?
“Of course! I did during Christmas.”
On your new single Ta mig tillbaka you miss old times and want to go back. Go back to where? Were things better then?
“Some things were, yes. I love electronics and stuff like that, but at the same time I miss the old times when you went outside and played, knocked on friends’ doors and were more social, in a way. You experienced more, it felt like time was longer. Today it feels like time goes by so fast when you’re on your smartphone and computer all the time. Also, back then everything hadn’t been done already. Now it feels like you can only redo things that have already been done. Everything was so new; from video games to new music and new music genres. I remember that getting a new CD was so much bigger back then, you walked around longing for it to be released.”
But are you really longing for Nintendo 8-bit?
“Yes, I still play it sometimes. I bought a gaming console a couple of years ago, so I play it pretty often.”
You have just recorded your music video for your new single which you will perform later. You have made several music videos over the years. What’s the strangest thing a director has asked you to do in a music video?
“The music video recordings have been pretty cool, but more strange things have happened during TV-recordings. Back when I was in Idol, they asked me to dance with my cat. “Why don’t you dance around with your cat?” No, I don’t think so. (laugh)”
I have to ask, when you hear the jingle for Idol, do you still feel something special?
“Yes, I get the feeling that I’m about to perform on stage or something like that.” (the jingle is played, Darin and Laila Bagge (host/current Idol judge) agree that they both get a tingling feeling in the stomach)
It’s been 10 years since you released your first single, and you’re only 27 years old. How good was it?
“The song? I still like it. It’s a good pop song.”
What’s the highlight of all these years?
“There are many of them. I’ve done so many things: tours, music videos, songwriting in the studio… I’ve had so much fun and it’s difficult to pick one thing.”</
But could you name a special moment?
“All those times that I’ve written songs in the studio; I’ve had so much fun writing with others, and I love being creative. That’s probably my favorite part, besides performing on stage.”
And then Madonna enters the studio…
“Madonna? What?”
That moment when you’re being creative in the studio and Madonna enters because she’s heard a good song of yours. I want you to namedrop! (laughs) Has anything like that happened?
“Not Madonna at least...”
But something special?
“Well, my breakthrough was of course a great memory. As well as Så Mycket Bättre, I had so much fun that week. My gig at Stockholm Central Station in 2006 for my third album… Every time I perform on stage, basically. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Now we will ask you 10 yes/no questions. You have to be honest, and we get to ask one follow-up question afterwards. Darin, are you ready?
“Yes.”
Have you ever playing video games naked?
“(laughs) Yes, almost naked.”
Yes or no?
“Yes.”
Is fishing the funniest hobby in the world?
“No.”
Have you ever smoked a jazz cigarette?
“No.”
Have you ever had a psycho fan who stalked you?
“Yes.”
Was the flirt with Maja from The Sounds made-up?
“No.”
Is Laila Bagge (host) a good and competent judge on Idol?
“Yes.”
Do you have any enemies?
“No, not that I’m aware of.”
Do you have any piercings?
“No.”
Have you ever been hunted by the police?
“No.”
Final question: Do you love Markoolio (the host/artist asking these questions)?
“Yes.”
You have to tell us more about the psycho fan!
“She showed up at a music video recording, among other stuff. It went on for a while.”
She stalked you? Did she show up at your home?
“Yes. The creepiest thing was when she showed up at a music video recording where I was supposed to lay on a bed, and the team went to get some stuff for the recording. So I just lay there alone, and we were at an old hospital so there was a window to the other room. She stood there staring at me through the window. Then she disappeared and nobody found her.”
She just disappeared?
“Yes. And of all places we were at Beckomberga, an old mental institution. So it felt like a horror movie.”
Are you sure that she stood there?
“Yes, others had seen her too. But they couldn’t find her after that.”
That’s so scary! But how did you get rid of her, if I may put it like that?
“I haven’t heard from her in years now, I don’t know what happened.”
Time for live music! Laila Bagge: He has such an infallible sense of pitch! You get a golden ticket Darin! (ticket to move on to the next round in Idol)
“Finally!”
You can listen to the full interview (in Swedish) at this link and watch Darin's performance of "Ta mig tillbaka" right below.
Welcome, Darin!
“Thank you!”
There’s been a lot of focus on Måns Zemerlöw’s (Melodifestivalen winner) super body recently. And not enough focus on Darin’s super body.
“I’ve kept it secret. No, I don’t know if I have a super body. I just try to be healthy.”
I host the TV show Ninja Warrior, together with Mårten Nylen, your personal trainer. So I tried to make him reveal something about your workouts, but he won’t say anything. Finally, I said, “Darin seems to be fit and strong, do you think he’d pass the obstacle course in Ninja Warrior?” He said: probably. This means that there is more than just a regular body underneath your loose shirt. Take it off! (laughs) No, but, you work out a lot?
“Yes, I’m in that kind of period right now. I eat healthy, get up early in the morning, work out. Then there are those periods when things are completely different, but right now I have gotten used to this.”
But can’t you brag about something for us since Mårten didn’t. How many pull-ups do you do?
“It differs from time to time. I do them in intervals.”
But how many? 50?
“More than that. But not all at once, we do them 3 times and split it up, by then it’s more than 50.”
When you’re not working out, during lazy times, what do you do then?
“That’s probably when I’m on vacation, in another city and it’s not as easy to work out and think of what I eat.”
What do you do during those times? We seldom see Darin stumbling home late at night.
“There are days like that as well.”
But not in Stockholm? You seem to be careful about that. “Sometimes it’s in Stockholm. I usually don’t drink huge amounts, but I go out and have fun until late. I’m a night owl, so I often stay up late.”
Do you sometimes just eat pizza and play video games?
“Of course! I did during Christmas.”
On your new single Ta mig tillbaka you miss old times and want to go back. Go back to where? Were things better then?
“Some things were, yes. I love electronics and stuff like that, but at the same time I miss the old times when you went outside and played, knocked on friends’ doors and were more social, in a way. You experienced more, it felt like time was longer. Today it feels like time goes by so fast when you’re on your smartphone and computer all the time. Also, back then everything hadn’t been done already. Now it feels like you can only redo things that have already been done. Everything was so new; from video games to new music and new music genres. I remember that getting a new CD was so much bigger back then, you walked around longing for it to be released.”
But are you really longing for Nintendo 8-bit?
“Yes, I still play it sometimes. I bought a gaming console a couple of years ago, so I play it pretty often.”
You have just recorded your music video for your new single which you will perform later. You have made several music videos over the years. What’s the strangest thing a director has asked you to do in a music video?
“The music video recordings have been pretty cool, but more strange things have happened during TV-recordings. Back when I was in Idol, they asked me to dance with my cat. “Why don’t you dance around with your cat?” No, I don’t think so. (laugh)”
I have to ask, when you hear the jingle for Idol, do you still feel something special?
“Yes, I get the feeling that I’m about to perform on stage or something like that.” (the jingle is played, Darin and Laila Bagge (host/current Idol judge) agree that they both get a tingling feeling in the stomach)
It’s been 10 years since you released your first single, and you’re only 27 years old. How good was it?
“The song? I still like it. It’s a good pop song.”
What’s the highlight of all these years?
“There are many of them. I’ve done so many things: tours, music videos, songwriting in the studio… I’ve had so much fun and it’s difficult to pick one thing.”</
But could you name a special moment?
“All those times that I’ve written songs in the studio; I’ve had so much fun writing with others, and I love being creative. That’s probably my favorite part, besides performing on stage.”
And then Madonna enters the studio…
“Madonna? What?”
That moment when you’re being creative in the studio and Madonna enters because she’s heard a good song of yours. I want you to namedrop! (laughs) Has anything like that happened?
“Not Madonna at least...”
But something special?
“Well, my breakthrough was of course a great memory. As well as Så Mycket Bättre, I had so much fun that week. My gig at Stockholm Central Station in 2006 for my third album… Every time I perform on stage, basically. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Now we will ask you 10 yes/no questions. You have to be honest, and we get to ask one follow-up question afterwards. Darin, are you ready?
“Yes.”
Have you ever playing video games naked?
“(laughs) Yes, almost naked.”
Yes or no?
“Yes.”
Is fishing the funniest hobby in the world?
“No.”
Have you ever smoked a jazz cigarette?
“No.”
Have you ever had a psycho fan who stalked you?
“Yes.”
Was the flirt with Maja from The Sounds made-up?
“No.”
Is Laila Bagge (host) a good and competent judge on Idol?
“Yes.”
Do you have any enemies?
“No, not that I’m aware of.”
Do you have any piercings?
“No.”
Have you ever been hunted by the police?
“No.”
Final question: Do you love Markoolio (the host/artist asking these questions)?
“Yes.”
You have to tell us more about the psycho fan!
“She showed up at a music video recording, among other stuff. It went on for a while.”
She stalked you? Did she show up at your home?
“Yes. The creepiest thing was when she showed up at a music video recording where I was supposed to lay on a bed, and the team went to get some stuff for the recording. So I just lay there alone, and we were at an old hospital so there was a window to the other room. She stood there staring at me through the window. Then she disappeared and nobody found her.”
She just disappeared?
“Yes. And of all places we were at Beckomberga, an old mental institution. So it felt like a horror movie.”
Are you sure that she stood there?
“Yes, others had seen her too. But they couldn’t find her after that.”
That’s so scary! But how did you get rid of her, if I may put it like that?
“I haven’t heard from her in years now, I don’t know what happened.”
Time for live music! Laila Bagge: He has such an infallible sense of pitch! You get a golden ticket Darin! (ticket to move on to the next round in Idol)
“Finally!”
You can listen to the full interview (in Swedish) at this link and watch Darin's performance of "Ta mig tillbaka" right below.