Laleh's 6 favorite inspirational songs

The Iranian-born Swedish singer-songwriter recommends tracks by Madonna, Cat Stevens, and more

Laleh
(Image credit: (Rickard L. Eriksson))

From the peppy disco beats of ABBA to the catchy, powerful choruses of Robyn, it's no secret that Sweden reigns supreme in churning out the type of uplifting pop songs that are successful the world over. But while the Iranian-born Swedish musician Laleh has her sights set on international success, something deeper permeates her sound, which juxtaposes anthemic choruses and playful production with sobering lyrics.

For Laleh, it's simply not enough to write a catchy pop song that can be listened to and then forgotten. Her breakthrough hit, the 2012 single "Some Die Young," went double platinum in Sweden and became a healing anthem in the wake of the 2011 terror attacks in Norway.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.