Watching the Iranian-born Swedish singer-songwriter, Laleh Pourkarim, perform really is something out of the ordinary. She floats around the stage like a fairy tale creature; her voice is so smooth it’s almost like she’s constantly singing, and interacting with the crowd. I saw her at Cirkus almost two years ago, after the success of her 2012 album Sjung, which, similar to most of her albums, received critical acclaim for her pioneering songwriting and beautiful singing voice.

In late 2013, the album Colors hit the shelves, with the title song making it’s way up the single charts. She became commercially famous through the popular Swedish television show Så mycket bättre, where she was introduced to a wider audience.

Even though her albums have had an eclectic character, from her Cornelis Vreeswijk inspired products to the more commercially adapted touch that is highly noticeable on Colors, perhaps this is a disappointment to some. Even though Laleh won many peoples’ hearts with her life story in Så mycket bättre, her most die-hard fans still seem to crave her independent vibes. Hopefully, Laleh will give the audience at Hovet something to remember her by.

Words by David Johansson

Laleh is at Hovet on Februrary 21.