Fresh off the release of her new album 'The Afterparty,' Lykke Li discusses the music that moves her, from Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, and The Verve to Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, Rusowsky, and beyond.
June 3, 2026
BY Jacob Moore
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For a while now, we’ve been running a social media series exploring the music taste of artists, actors, athletes, and other public figures that we suspect might have interesting musical sensibilities. That's always been one of our favorite ways to discover new music: simply asking people what they like.
In the past, we’d scrape through magazine features and interviews to find quotes, shout-outs, or references, but now that we’ve got our website back, we decided to take things into our own hands and turn Taste in Music into a recurring feature where we interview guests ourselves and actually ask them all about the music that has soundtracked their lives.
Who better to kick off the series than Lykke Li? The Swedish shapeshifter has been a Pigeons & Planes favorite since the very beginning of our blog days, and she’s offered glimpses of a distinct, genre-spanning taste in music through her own covers, collaborations, and influences.
With her new (and possibly, hopefully not final) album The Afterparty out now, we spoke to Lykke Li about the artists who inspired her, the songs she wished she’d written, her recent discoveries, and the album she was listening to when she got high for the first time.
Here’s a look at Lykke Li’s taste in music.
What were you listening to while making The Afterparty?
I was listening to a lot of Britrock. All the GOATs basically: The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, The Streets, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, The Verve. This album is basically me trying to be a male, dick-swinging rockstar, sadly. I’m a little ashamed that the list is so meninist. But I did discover my favorite Sinead O’Connor song while making this album: “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance.”
Are there any artists who influenced this Lykke Li era specifically?
All the above.
What’s the first album you bought on CD/vinyl/mp3/tape?
I bought The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill at a used CD store. A monumental experience.
Who’s an artist that soundtracked your teenage years? What were you seeking from music in those years?
I was really looking to be held and understood and Nina Simone really did that for me. Specifically the live version of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” Another song that completely ripped me open was This Mortal Coil’s “Song To The Siren.” It encapsulates what I wish I sounded like. I probably listened to that song a 1,000 times laying in the dark of my teen bedroom.
What song would you want played at your funeral?
Max Richter’s “Spring 1” by Vivaldi. They better cry!!!!
Who’s your go-to artist when you’re going through something or feeling down?
Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. That album is pure heartbreak. So beautiful, intimate, and tragic. “Re: stacks,” my god, it kills me. I feel like his music and especially how he sings is lent to us by God.
Who’s an artist you didn’t “get” at first but now love?
Radiohead. I’ve been playing the acoustic version of “Creep” on repeat for two years. It’s really the kind of song I deeply envy and wish I had written. I tend to feel really jealous when I hear what I think is a “perfect” song. That’s a horrible trait.
You’re put on the spot and have to recite a song’s lyrics (not one of your own) word for word, in front of a crowded room. What song are you picking?
“Creep”!!!
What’s the most recent concert you went to? How was it?
I really don’t go to concerts much at all but I wanted to see what Fakemink was all about at Coachella. The last concert that really blew my mind was Kendrick Lamar.
Who’s a new artist you discovered and can’t stop listening to?
Rusowsky. Me and my 2-year-old are obsessed. He’s always screaming for him from the back seat of the car.
What's an album you can play front to back with no skips?
Blonde. DAMN.
If you could collaborate with any living artist, who would it be?
Marina Abramović, Damien Jalet, and Denis Villeneuve.
Do you remember what music you were listening to the first time you ever got high?
D’Angelo’s Voodoo. TMI, but I also lost my virginity to that album.
Outside of the music itself, who's an artist who helped shape you in some way, whether that's your worldview, sense of style and identity, or the way you live your life?
I think being an artist is really about trying to become more yourself than anything, so the thing that really has shaped me is meditating and engaging with the source and the light within me, within all of us. I have David Lynch to thank for introducing me to meditation in a serious way. And to be honest, psychedelics. That has been the most profound discovery of my life.
What’s an obscure artist, song, or album that you love but you think 90% of people reading this won’t already know?
There are a lot of Swedish deep cuts that are some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. Even the lullabies—so sad, so melancholic. Kind of brings tears to my eyes. And oh, the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir. There is nothing is more beautiful than human voices harmonizing a cappella.
An alien lands on earth and you get to pick one song to play to introduce them to music. What song are you picking?
Prince’s “Purple Rain.” It would be unfair not to show the aliens human excellence.
What's a perfect love song?
A love song needs to be imperfect, just like love.
After the interview, Lykke Li shared this playlist with us, featuring some of the music that she mentioned and some other selections. Check it out below. Thank you Lykke Li!