Her father, the musician Anders Östman, scored a Swedish number one hit in the 1970s. He opened a music store after he stopped touring. Anders Östman introduced Tove to guitar when she was a child, but she preferred the piano, being encouraged by her piano teacher grandfather.
Her mother Anna, a former dancer and ballet instructor, is the manager of a ballet academy and enrolled her in dance classes at an early age. Tove has a younger and an older sister. Tove Styrke began performing as a vocalist in a local jazz band in her high school years. She also modeled for various publications.
Styrke was discovered by Anders Bagge during his tour for Swedish Idol 2009. On this competition, she performed songs by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, The Killers, The Sounds, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, U2, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Katy Perry, Sandi Thom, Eurythmics, Russ Ballard, Ted Gärdestad and Bobby Darin. She finished third in the competition, after Calle Kristiansson and the winner Erik Grönwall.
After this contest, she was signed by Sony Music in December 2009. In June 2010, Tove released her first single "Million Pieces", written by Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds and by Lykke Li.
In 12 November 2010, she released her debut album Tove Styrke. The album has been produced by Patrik Berger, Lotus & 2manyfreckles, Peter Ågren, Janne Kask and Paw. Most tracks have been written by Tove Styrke, Patrik Berger, Peter Ågren and Janne Kask.
The second single, "White Light Moment", charted at number 5 on the Swedish top singles chart and has been certified gold. In January 2011, Tove Styrke won the "Best Newcomer" award at P3 Guld.
At the end of February 2011, it was released High and Low EP which included "High and Low (2011 Remake)" and another five remixes. In April 2011, Styrke featured in an IKEA commercial, where she performed the Swedish lullaby "Byssan Lull".
On 19 August 2011, the single "Call My Name" was released on digital download. The song has peaked to number 28 on the Swedish Singles Chart. "Call My Name" has been nominated for "Best Song of the Year" at P3 Guld.
In September 2011, the Swedish band Caotico released the single "Brains Out (with Tove Styrke)". She also appeared on "Brains Out" music video.
In 23 November 2014, the EP Borderline has been issued. In 8 June 2015, she released her second album, Kiddo.
Official site: http://www.tovestyrkemusic.com
Beating on a Better Drum
Tove Styrke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I spend my days erasing you and everything you brought into my life, alright
My head is trying to keep up and I don't know, it's like it's hard to do when she's with you
I take a step away and throw myself onto another empty page, OK
I wanna keep you in my pocket for another day to take you out, if that's alright
We're gonna take a little trip into the woods and kill some precious time, OK
I dig a hole, I throw you in and put a stone on top to make it nice, goodnight
Beating on a better drum
Dancing right above you
Raving 'til my body pop
Shakin' up another one
Moving on without you
Come on, make my body pop
Trying to keep it together
Through the heartache
'Til the wall breaks
Beating on another drum
Better of without you
I wanna keep you to myself, a hidden place where no one else could come, deep under ground
If I can't have you no one else should ever touch you like I used to do
And every week I will be stopping by to tell you all about my life, my perfect life
And you'll be listening, wishing you could keep me in your pocket, head and heart, too late
Beating on a better drum
Dancing right above you
Raving 'til my body pop
Shakin' up another one
Moving on without you
Come on, make my body pop
Trying to keep it together
Through the heartache
'Til the wall breaks
Beating on another drum
Better of without you
The lyrics of Tove Styrke's "Beating on a Better Drum" depict the emotional struggle of moving on from a past relationship. The first verse describes the process of trying to let go of someone who was once significant - "I spend my days erasing you and everything you brought into my life" - and the difficulty in doing so when they are still present in one's social circle. The second verse reveals a darker obsession - the desire to hold onto the past so tightly that even in death, the other person belongs solely to the singer - "If I can't have you no one else should ever touch you like I used to do."
The chorus expresses the desire to move on and "beat on a better drum," to find new experiences and explore life without the burden of the past weighing them down. The repetition of "beating on another drum" highlights the theme of change and growth. The imagery of dancing, raving, and shaking off the past, culminating in "making my body pop," brings a positive, empowering tone to the chorus. The final lines of "better off without you" reinforce the importance of letting go and celebrating personal growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember when I had to choose if I should keep you in my head or heart, now we're apart
Looking back at the decision to keep you close whether heart or mind, now that distance has separated us
I spend my days erasing you and everything you brought into my life, alright
My present is about getting rid of the memories of you and all that you introduced, fine by me
My head is trying to keep up and I don't know, it's like it's hard to do when she's with you
My thoughts are struggling to cope, especially when you're with her
I take a step away and throw myself onto another empty page, OK
I decide to walk away and start afresh, treading on a blank slate
I wanna keep you in my pocket for another day to take you out, if that's alright
I desire to have you put away, to be pulled out whenever I want, is that okay?
We're gonna take a little trip into the woods and kill some precious time, OK
Let's take a short vacation to waste some valuable time, sure?
I dig a hole, I throw you in and put a stone on top to make it nice, goodnight
I bury you in a hole, cover you with a rock, so you'll rest well, goodnight
You'll have a good time in the dark and I'll be moving on into the light, alright
You'll have fun in obscurity while I choose to moving on to the bright side, okay?
Beating on a better drum
Creating a new sound
Dancing right above you
Celebrating above you
Raving 'til my body pop
Dancing and raving till exhaustion
Shakin' up another one
Mixing up another beat
Moving on without you
Advancing ahead without you
Come on, make my body pop
Let's make my body move
Trying to keep it together
Attempting to stay strong
Through the heartache
In spite of the pain
'Til the wall breaks
Until my built-up defenses shatter
Better of without you
I'm better off without you
I wanna keep you to myself, a hidden place where no one else could come, deep under ground
I want to protect you from others and keep you at a secret place, deep under the earth's surface
If I can't have you no one else should ever touch you like I used to do
If I can't have you, no one else deserves to feel you the way I did
And every week I will be stopping by to tell you all about my life, my perfect life
Consistently visiting every week to tell you about my good life, my perfect life
And you'll be listening, wishing you could keep me in your pocket, head and heart, too late
You'll listen and regret that you couldn't keep me as I did, it's too late now
Contributed by Juliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steven Borg
lovin all your music Tove!!! :))
CruiseControl09
classic electro... masterpiece....
ColinZeal
Sjukt porrig! Love this! =)
frediriiko
tackar!
uuilliamm
I do witchcraft to this song.