The first time we met Sennie, whose real name is Clarissa Löwenström, she visited our store together with her mother and sister while home from London, where she is currently studying music. We took the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about her journey so far, her creative process, and what lies ahead as she continues to build her career. This is our conversation with Sennie.

Where does your artist name, Sennie, come from?

Sennie is my middle name, which I share with my grandmother. It means "gold" in Mano, a West African language spoken around the Mano River region in Liberia.

How did you get into music?

I've been writing songs and making up melodies ever since I was a child. I wrote my first real song when I was five years old—it was about my Dalmatian, Hector. My parents have been in a band for as long as I can remember, so music was always a big part of my life growing up. Being surrounded by it from such an early age naturally inspired me to start creating music myself.

What is your earliest musical memory?

One of my earliest memories is sitting on the swing in our garden after preschool, writing songs while keeping time with the rhythm of the swing, almost like it was a metronome.

What kind of music do you like to create?

Right now, I'm drawn to guitar-driven, dreamy soundscapes with influences from indie and shoegaze. I love the contrast between something soft and ethereal and elements of distortion and raw texture.

What was it like growing up in a family where everyone was involved in music?

Growing up in a musical family made creating music feel completely natural. Rather than simply finding music to relate to, I always wanted to write the feeling myself and bring it to life through my own songs.

We also had a recording studio at home, so I grew up with my dad's clients regularly coming by. Artists like Soundtrack of Our Lives, Freddie Wadling, Silverbullit, and Håkan Hellström were often around, which gave me an early glimpse into the creative process.

It gave me a very natural relationship with making music, but it also taught me the importance of holding on to your ideas. If a melody comes into your head, it's valuable—you have to capture it before it's gone.

What inspires you when you create music?

Almost anything. Nature, people, experiences, memories, colours, works of art, mythology, books, films, and dreams all inspire my songwriting in different ways.

What kind of music do you listen to yourself?

I have quite a broad taste in music, but lately I've been listening to artists like Jessica Pratt, Deftones, Oklou, and Amusement Parks on Fire.