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
On the Low
Tove Styrke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And try to like you less, it don't make sense to me
I don't wanna wait up, I don't wanna waste time
Just want you and I, with no space in between
Maybe I've been spending way too many nights with you
And I never shoulda intertwined with you
But what the hell am I supposed to do?
But I'm gonna end up so miserable
I can't shut it down, shut it down, down
'Cause you and me
We're too damn good to let it be
And I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
Yeah, you and I
We're too damn good and I can't lie
I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
No, I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
Why you need space now?
I don't wanna zoom out
Now, what's wrong with you being close to me? (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, why you wanna play it cool?
It's gonna make me hate you, me too
Sorry, I'm just saying what I feel (oh, oh)
But maybe I've been spending way too many nights with you
Having way too many good times with you
But what the hell am I supposed to do?
Maybe we should leave it as it is
But I'm gonna end up so miserable
I can't shut it down, shut it down, down
'Cause you and me
We're too damn good to let it be
And I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
No, I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
Yeah, you and I (you and I)
We're too damn good and I can't lie (I can't lie)
I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
No, I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
Maybe I've been spending way too many nights with you
Probably never shoulda intertwined with you
Maybe we should leave it as it is
But I'm gonna end up so miserable
And I can't shut it down, down
'Cause you and me (you and me)
We're too damn good to let it be (let it be)
And I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
No, I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
Yeah, you and I (you and I)
We're too damn good and I can't lie (I can't lie)
'Cause I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
On the low
No, I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
In "On the Low," Tove Styrke is grappling with the uncertainty of a budding relationship. She resists the urge to hold back her feelings or to try and temporarily like her partner less in order to protect herself from being hurt, even though it might seem like the logical thing to do. She wants to be with them fully and has no desire to waste time or keep their relationship a secret. Styrke acknowledges that perhaps she's spent too much time with this person, and maybe this has contributed to her confusion over where they stand. She considers the possibility of letting go of the relationship entirely, but ultimately can't imagine doing so without feeling miserable.
The hook of the song, "We're too damn good to let it be, and I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low," suggests that Styrke believes that what she has with this person is worth fighting for, and shouldn't be something that they hide or downplay. While there's an acknowledgement of uncertainty and even a hint of frustration at her partner's indecision, she refuses to let it hold her back from pursuing something real with them. Overall, the song is a refreshingly honest and vulnerable take on the challenges that arise when two people are unsure if they're on the same page romantically.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna hold up, I don't wanna slow down
I don't want to impede our progress or decrease the pace of our relationship.
And try to like you less, it don't make sense to me
It's illogical to try to force myself to like you less in order to avoid getting attached to you.
I don't wanna wait up, I don't wanna waste time
I don't want to delay our time together or waste any precious moments with you.
Just want you and I, with no space in between
All I desire is to be with you, without any distance or separation between us.
Maybe I've been spending way too many nights with you
Perhaps I've been spending an excessive amount of time with you lately.
And I never shoulda intertwined with you
Maybe I shouldn't have become so closely involved with you.
But what the hell am I supposed to do?
I'm not sure what action I should take in regards to our relationship.
Maybe we should leave it as it is
Perhaps it's best for us to leave things as they currently stand.
But I'm gonna end up so miserable
However, I know that I will be unhappy if we do choose to separate.
I can't shut it down, shut it down, down
I'm unable to just end our relationship abruptly and without feeling.
We're too damn good to let it be
You and I are too compatible to simply end things between us.
And I don't wanna keep it on the low, low, low, low, low, low
I don't want us to keep our relationship a secret or hide our connection from others.
Why you need space now?
Why do you suddenly require distance from me now?
I don't wanna zoom out
I don't want to pull away from you or distance myself from our relationship.
Now, what's wrong with you being close to me? (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'm questioning why you are hesitant to remain close to me when we have such a strong emotional bond.
Oh, why you wanna play it cool?
I don't understand why you're striving to appear indifferent or apathetic towards our relationship.
It's gonna make me hate you, me too
Your attempts to seem unconcerned about our connection are going to make me dislike you as well.
Sorry, I'm just saying what I feel (oh, oh)
I apologize if my honesty comes across as confrontational or emotionally charged.
Probably never shoulda intertwined with you
Maybe I never should have allowed myself to become so closely connected with you.
And I can't shut it down, down
However, I am unable to simply end our relationship without significant emotional turmoil.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Elof Loelv, Tove Styrke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adrien D.
Can't wait for her to get the recognition she deserves and completely burst the charts
Marco Cota Beautiful House Eugene Oregon
To be a star on the world market you have to be like Madonna behavior wise. Tove has a very deeply embedded moral structure in both her lyrics and behavior. After realizing what Borderline is all about you know she has a true and strong foundation. The Americans, well they are the music market of the world married to England, you have to be a part of that in all the nasty ways that Tove is not. Im just so pleased that there are many of us hanging on to our morals. This song >>> say's it all >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtmH6ZBuwYI&list=PLu1aZq6pUfS2GHImrES0se7cfnOtmZ9JM&index=25&t=0s
Sagar Dixit
Ohh god damn she does...!!! I only came here thru Alan walker
Sohil Ronagh
100% she is amazing, truly a high standard world class artist and she is not known outside Europe. At same time there are many many artists who are equally as good. It just come to her dedication touring marketing herself outside of Europe, getting good Representation, solid manager and publicist who knows how to get her into different doors internationally. Shes got to be hungry for it and push it, move to UK or US and hangout in different circles.
Like a Phoenix彡
She is awesome.. But underrated 😟😔
Mani Patel
Still waiting :(
RØMÏ
I love that there's bird sounds in like every Tove song 💖🌹 always makes me feel at ease 💕💗
gilberto gomez
Animal sounds are underused in songs these days.
CAM
@RØMÏ She also has the bird sounds in Walking A Line & Decay on her debut album :P
Md Belal Hossain Santo
She's crazy.😘