All photos by By Ruben SznajdermanMapei is full of curveballs. The Rhode Island-born, Sweden-raised singer spent the last decade as a fixture on Stockholmâs underground rap sceneâbut on her debut LP, Hey Hey, sheâs mostly turned to pop. Itâs an unpredictable album, not just because itâs an experiment for Mapei as she road tests a new sound, but also each song is a stylistic turn as she swerves between her hip-hop roots, shiny hooks, and R&B.Tracks like âCome On Baby,â demonstrate Mapeiâs rap pedigree, cleverly rhyming âI got a pocket full of love and a car full of soupâ over a techno thump. While others like the soulful 60s-inspired âBaby Itâs Youâ and endearing ballad âBlame It On Me,â are sugary love songs. âDonât Wait,â Mapeiâs viral neo-doo-wop track from last yearâwhich Chance the Rapper later remixedâalso made the cut. But even if it hadnât, Hey Hey would be a strong debut. Producer Magnus LidehĂ€ll helped streamline her genre-skipping sound and his background working with dance-floor mainstays like Katy Perry and Kylie Minogue shines through on the albumâs big beats and swirling synths.Before heading out on a nationwide tour with Lykke Li, the singerâborn Jacqueline Mapei Cummingsâpassed through New York to do some press and to catch a set by Raury (who, like all of us, she canât get enough of). We stole some time with her to find out about her international upbringing, what it was like to collaborate with Chance, and how she went from dropping rhymes to belting out radio-ready anthems like âChange.âNoisey: Youâre heading out on tour with Lykke Li this week. Howâd that come about?
Mapei: Weâve known each other for a long time, but we hadnât really spoken in awhile. She wrote me on Facebook and was like, âCan you come tour with me?â I said, âYes,â and she said, âThis is going to be legendary, like Lou Reed vibes!â So weâre going to go on tour, and itâs going to be interestingâŠI hope her crowd likes what Iâm doing because we make such different kinds of music. I hope theyâre not weirded out.True or false: You guys used to be roommates?
Well, I had an apartment in Bushwick and she rented a room there. She came to one of my shows in Sweden and she asked me for advice about getting into music. I told her to go to New York, because thatâs where I learned to performed. I would go to this club called the Eclectic Ride, youâd see Mos Def freestyling. It was a very neo-soul vibe. Iâd see girls belting and singing their hearts out. In Sweden, girls are much more timid.So you grew up in Sweden, but youâve lived in the U.S., too. Whose music scene do you dig the most?
I fit in with more of a Swedish clique. Thereâs a scene there that does soul and hip-hop, and itâs very inspired by American music. Itâs even a little poppy. I can also be into the American scene, but Iâm a little more hood than the hipster community. I would travel to America every summer and chill in the hood and listen to loud music and watch basketball games, then I would write about it. Spank Rock, Amanda BlankâI can relate to that. Thatâs the kind of music Iâd do back in the day.I have one foot in America and one foot in Sweden, and thatâs how I would describe my life. I fit in in both worldsâŠor none of them.You were really into the underground hip-hop scene over there, and your new album is a huge departure from your old stuff. Why the change?
Itâs way more positive now. The music I did before had more of a dark side. Now, itâs more me. Iâve grown up and Iâm not trying to be cool, or make weird music. Stylistically and sonically, it all connects.I want it to be more feminine and pretty now. If you put out a certain energy into the world, youâre going to get it back. Iâm tired of being dark and angry, or trying to shock. I decided to challenge myself to do what I really want to do.What was the catalyst for the shift in tone?
It feels like my life has been a musical, and that Iâve been writing different chapters for it. I think in music. The way I approach things is very cerebral.Five years ago, you were a full-fledged rapper. Would you ever guess youâd be where you are now?
I always thought Iâd be where I am now. I never thought Iâd be in that hip-hop scene. I didnât know people would think I was so cool in Sweden, or that people would think I was a good rapper. Itâs not like I was as good as, like, Nas, but people really saw me as a rapper there.
I had heard that he liked my song. I went to his show in Sweden and met him, and thought, âMaybe we can get Chance the Rapper on my recordâŠâ So he did a remix on it, and he did a such a good job on it.Magnus LidehĂ€ll, whoâs worked with everyone from Sky Ferreira to Britney Spears, produced your record. What was that like?
He has incredible taste, and he understands me. He doesnât argue with me, he just helps me develop my ideas. Heâs a good friend who I can just tell my ideas to. Heâs a really cool dude.In your own words, the album soundsâŠ
âŠlike a rainbow. Itâs very colorful. Itâs like a little kid drawing a cute picture. Itâs as if Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were to sit down and improvise. Iâm not saying itâs as good as their music, but [it sounds like] if they were just to sit down, freestyling in the studio.Other than Stevie and Michael, who influences your sound?
Iâve been singing along to Mary J. Blige for a long time. Lots of different albums, too. It Was Written [by Nas], I love. I listen to Madonnaâs Ray of Light, and also [Radiohead's] OK Computer. If you listen to something on repeat, it stays in your blood.What was your childhood in Sweden like?
I grew up with different culturesâblack, white, Persian, French. One of my best friends was from Thailand. It kept me open-minded, but it was also very tough because I went through discrimination and a lot of racism. I was either exotic, or I was just weird. I spent a lot of time trying to find myself as a child.Did you start writing songs at a young age?
I designed album covers when I was 12. I had writing classes and I would try to write songs, but I donât really know how or where that came from.OK, I have to ask: Your style is rad, so is fashion something youâre into?
I donât put a lot of thought into it, but growing up as a girl, you follow fashion, you want to look good, you want to have swag. I like being cool on stage. I canât wear heels. I like to wear sneakers. I like the hippie style thingâlike, sixties stuffâespecially at festivals. I have mad clothes. Sometimes Iâll ask designers if they can hook me up, and I go to vintage stores to find clothes I can wear on stage.Casey Lewis is also a sneakers kind of girl. She's on Twitter - @caseymlewis.
Advertisement
Mapei: Weâve known each other for a long time, but we hadnât really spoken in awhile. She wrote me on Facebook and was like, âCan you come tour with me?â I said, âYes,â and she said, âThis is going to be legendary, like Lou Reed vibes!â So weâre going to go on tour, and itâs going to be interestingâŠI hope her crowd likes what Iâm doing because we make such different kinds of music. I hope theyâre not weirded out.
Advertisement
Well, I had an apartment in Bushwick and she rented a room there. She came to one of my shows in Sweden and she asked me for advice about getting into music. I told her to go to New York, because thatâs where I learned to performed. I would go to this club called the Eclectic Ride, youâd see Mos Def freestyling. It was a very neo-soul vibe. Iâd see girls belting and singing their hearts out. In Sweden, girls are much more timid.So you grew up in Sweden, but youâve lived in the U.S., too. Whose music scene do you dig the most?
I fit in with more of a Swedish clique. Thereâs a scene there that does soul and hip-hop, and itâs very inspired by American music. Itâs even a little poppy. I can also be into the American scene, but Iâm a little more hood than the hipster community. I would travel to America every summer and chill in the hood and listen to loud music and watch basketball games, then I would write about it. Spank Rock, Amanda BlankâI can relate to that. Thatâs the kind of music Iâd do back in the day.I have one foot in America and one foot in Sweden, and thatâs how I would describe my life. I fit in in both worldsâŠor none of them.You were really into the underground hip-hop scene over there, and your new album is a huge departure from your old stuff. Why the change?
Itâs way more positive now. The music I did before had more of a dark side. Now, itâs more me. Iâve grown up and Iâm not trying to be cool, or make weird music. Stylistically and sonically, it all connects.
Advertisement
It feels like my life has been a musical, and that Iâve been writing different chapters for it. I think in music. The way I approach things is very cerebral.Five years ago, you were a full-fledged rapper. Would you ever guess youâd be where you are now?
I always thought Iâd be where I am now. I never thought Iâd be in that hip-hop scene. I didnât know people would think I was so cool in Sweden, or that people would think I was a good rapper. Itâs not like I was as good as, like, Nas, but people really saw me as a rapper there.
How did Chance the Rapperâs âDonât Waitâ remix happen?
I had heard that he liked my song. I went to his show in Sweden and met him, and thought, âMaybe we can get Chance the Rapper on my recordâŠâ So he did a remix on it, and he did a such a good job on it.Magnus LidehĂ€ll, whoâs worked with everyone from Sky Ferreira to Britney Spears, produced your record. What was that like?
He has incredible taste, and he understands me. He doesnât argue with me, he just helps me develop my ideas. Heâs a good friend who I can just tell my ideas to. Heâs a really cool dude.In your own words, the album soundsâŠ
âŠlike a rainbow. Itâs very colorful. Itâs like a little kid drawing a cute picture. Itâs as if Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were to sit down and improvise. Iâm not saying itâs as good as their music, but [it sounds like] if they were just to sit down, freestyling in the studio.
Advertisement
Iâve been singing along to Mary J. Blige for a long time. Lots of different albums, too. It Was Written [by Nas], I love. I listen to Madonnaâs Ray of Light, and also [Radiohead's] OK Computer. If you listen to something on repeat, it stays in your blood.What was your childhood in Sweden like?
I grew up with different culturesâblack, white, Persian, French. One of my best friends was from Thailand. It kept me open-minded, but it was also very tough because I went through discrimination and a lot of racism. I was either exotic, or I was just weird. I spent a lot of time trying to find myself as a child.Did you start writing songs at a young age?
I designed album covers when I was 12. I had writing classes and I would try to write songs, but I donât really know how or where that came from.OK, I have to ask: Your style is rad, so is fashion something youâre into?
I donât put a lot of thought into it, but growing up as a girl, you follow fashion, you want to look good, you want to have swag. I like being cool on stage. I canât wear heels. I like to wear sneakers. I like the hippie style thingâlike, sixties stuffâespecially at festivals. I have mad clothes. Sometimes Iâll ask designers if they can hook me up, and I go to vintage stores to find clothes I can wear on stage.Casey Lewis is also a sneakers kind of girl. She's on Twitter - @caseymlewis.