He went to number one in the UK co-writing and producing Robyn’s “With Every Heartbeat” and took home a multitude of Swedish Grammy Awards. Now Stockholm’s super producer Andreas Kleerup is working with Lykke Li and releases his eponymous, self-titled debut album, jammed with epic, Scandinavian disco pop.    

Dazed Digital: What’s the story with the Meatboys?
Andreas Kleerup: One of my best friends and DJ guru Luciano Leiva started it. It’s a wicked name for a band that never really existed. It also featured Erik Wikström who mixed some of my album. Luciano is one of Stockholm’s unsung heroes. Him, me and my brother ran a club for a year and that’s how I re-learnt how to make music.

DD: What’s the secret of making epic, Swedish disco pop?
Andreas Kleerup: I always go back to the feeling of pre-teenage angst, coming home from school, listening to KISS and “Reason To Live”, so that I could carry on with what I thought was the right path. I guess that turned out to be right when me and Robyn got to number one…

The world needs more anthems and hair-metal was, and is, an excellent place for that. As far as Sweden goes, Brazil has soccer, Norway has black metal and we got supermodels and hit-making-producers and songwriters. When you have five meals everyday, too much sugar coated cereals and a lot of time to dwell… well, hence the Scandinavian twists.

DD: What inspires you?
Andreas Kleerup: Usually people who want to get out of bed and do something beautiful, bittersweet and life-saving. That’s hard to accomplish, so sometimes it’s enough just to record your favourite people and see what happens.

DD: What was it like working with Robyn and Lykke Li?
Andreas Kleerup: They are very different and thank god for that. Me and Robyn guested with Lykke Li on stage in Oslo, we did a couple of songs and then just went into this free jam thing doing old school hip hop with them both freestyling. You could see them both having the time of their lives and also the different energy they put across. Lykke feels like a little sister who’s always dancing, singing and wearing funny hats and that’s inspiring too. They both grew up with artistic parents. The main difference I guess would be that Lykke by accident ate a whole pot brownie when she was a kid.

DD: Let’s talk about the new album?
Andreas Kleerup: It’s basically a concept album of getting through all the shit a man in his twenty-somethings might go through. Relationships gone wrong, trying to save a relationship going wrong, blaming yourself, blaming the other. Guilt, hope and the belief that it’s going be alright in the end. And it was! I suppose I wanted to make an album that you could listen to from beginning to end. An afterparty, before-party or a soundtrack to being in bed with your chick all day. And show young people burdened with problems that if you do what you believe in and invest time in finding out what’s not functioning in your life, you will be just fine.

DD: Where’s good for eats in Stockholm?
Andreas Kleerup: Teatergrillen is really good for MILF hunting and it’s been a regular for writers and actors for a long time since it’s like 30 meters from Dramaten, the Royal Dramatic Theatre where Bergman used to work. And also the new Hotel Lydmar. And Tranan for their meatballs!

DD: Top 5 Swedish pop stars?
Andreas Kleerup: ABBA, Andreas Tilliander, Victoria Bergsman, Sven-David Sandström and Jocke Åhlund.

Kleerup’s Kleerup featuring Robyn and Lykke Li is out on June 1st on Positiva