It’s the middle of August, and we’ve sat down with DJ and producer Naarly at his home located on Sweden’s west coast, overlooking the nearby paddocks and a small grove of birch trees. After picking up what Naarly claims are some of the best burgers around, the day slowly starts turning into afternoon. We sit down to talk about the years before Naarly, his breakthrough, what inspires him and where he wants to take the project next.
BEFORE NAARLY
Hello Naarly. Thanks for having us. We're sitting here together in southern Sweden now. If you were to describe the place to someone who isn't here, what would you say?
Naarly: Hi! Welcome! So, right now we're sitting in the middle of a little grove, surrounded by birch trees and horse paddocks. It's a calm day here. You can hear the birds chirping a little. Here we are, recovering after two days of partying and hanging out with Engeloop Records.
You're from Sweden, but today you live in Malta. How does it feel to come back to Sweden?
Naarly: I'm here during the summers. It's fun to be back here and get to be close to the family and friends you have in Sweden. And there's really nothing as lovely as the Swedish summer. I always enjoy being in Sweden when we're here.
Have the places you've lived in, meaning both Malta and Sweden, influenced the music you make in any way?
Naarly: Well, it's culture that has an influence, and everything you experience where you live. It influences everything you do. I definitely think Sweden has influenced me more musically than Malta has. I've also been very inspired by many Swedish artists, DJs and producers, like Max Martin and all those people who are big idols, you know.
If you think back, where would you say your interest in music began?
Naarly: I've always been crazy about music and consumed a lot of music since I was little, and it was one of the most fun things I knew, to, like, just sit and listen to music. To feel the feeling you got when you heard a good song.
In middle school-junior high, I started playing instruments. I played in an orchestra, and played the clarinet. Then also guitar, which I also played. I was actually in a little band that I think was called “Taco Reload” too. We were at some kind of gig or some little rock concert.
Taco Reload! What a fun name. Could you already imagine back then, when you were standing there on stage, that you would work with music in the future?
Naarly: I maybe hoped so, but I don't think I saw it as a realistic thing, that you could kind of work with it, even when I was little.
When did you start to see that music could still become more than an interest?
Naarly: Well, that was probably when I was like 18-19 years old. My friend Calle and I really went all in on becoming DJs then. We wanted to produce music, and we did it as a duo called “House Monkeys”. But I also had my own alias then, which was “Carl Mero”. There are actually some things you can still find on SoundCloud.
Would you say that was when electronic music entered the picture?
Naarly: Yes, that was when. We played at a few clubs, at a lot of 18th birthday parties and 20th birthday parties and things like that. That was actually the reason both Calle and I moved to Malta. We simply wanted to try becoming DJs there.
What was it that drew you to electronic music?
Naarly: It was actually when I went with some buddies to Christiania in Copenhagen to see Pendulum. It was drum and bass, of course, but it was still, like, all this stuff with the electronic side of things. It was my real moment where I felt “wow”. It was awesome. I became a big fan of Pendulum and The Prodigy. Then Skrillex after his big breakthrough there in 2010-2011 with "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" and that whole album. I discovered Porter Robinson too. And then, of course, around the same time, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia. That was when I became so extremely motivated to get started with my own DJ-producer career.
So, how did things go with the music when you came to Malta?
Naarly: It went to shit. As soon as we got there, we dropped that whole thing. Then it still came back a few times over the years, that I wanted to do something, and I produced a little. But I felt like I was too far behind, and above all I didn't know how to set up the strategy to actually make it work. I had no idea. It actually takes a lot of, like, business thinking to succeed and make a career out of it, and a lot of good decisions have to be made.
FROM PROJECT TO ARTIST
It didn't really go the way you'd thought when you moved to Malta, but now here we are anyway. The dream of becoming an artist came true, and things have certainly moved very quickly over the past few years.
Your song “What I Need”, which was released in December 2024, now has over 50 million streams on Spotify. What has it been like for you to experience that development in such a short time?
Naarly: It's been fun to see that the song has streamed well. I was very, very happy, of course. People started following me more and I noticed that something was happening. It kind of legitimized the whole “Naarly project”, from being a little more like a hobby to people actually starting to think it was cool. And of course it changed my own view of myself too, like: "Yes, this is more real now."
When you think back on the time from the end of 2024 up until today, what do you remember most strongly?
Naarly: It's been full-on, to say the least, since then. A lot of focus on this first song that did extremely well. It was a release we put out on our own record label Engeloop Records, and that also meant we had more money in the company. We could start investing more in expanding the team. We didn't have any real structure in this record label at the time, but we were well on our way. There was a lot of focus then on finding artists to collaborate with and finding different singers.
Another big part of being an artist for you is touring, and you've done quite a bit of it this year. Is there a show that has stayed with you a little extra?
Naarly: Both Portugal and Turkey have been fantastic. They have very good crowds that are very engaged. The people are very, very hospitable. And it seems like my music goes down well there too. I have more things coming up in both countries and it's above all the people who make me want to go back.
It sounds like people play a big role for you?
Naarly: Yes, exactly. I mean, the people who take part in the show and the event and so on. It's very important that I feel like I click with them. It's a mutual thing when I'm going to, like, stand there and play my music for them. If I notice that they're happy and hyped, and they make me feel welcome, then of course I enjoy it a lot more.
Has touring changed how you create music in any way?
Naarly: Yes, it actually has. Because I look a lot at what works when I gig. And that's something I take into the utmost consideration when I produce. I think about what kind of sound I think will work on the dance floor, you know.
Are there any particular artists you're inspired by right now?
Naarly: Right now I feel very inspired by Madeon. I like how dreamy his sound is. It would be the craziest thing to be able to collab with him in the future. It would be great fun to work with him, because he's so extremely talented and I think he has such a cool sound, really. It would be a dream. I also think ANOTR are fantastic and make such damn feel-good vibes that I really love.
It would be a dream scenario to do something with, like, Coldplay or sombr, you know. Considering that they also have some of this euphoria, feelgood and something very emotionally powerful. I mean, it's the kind of music you feel a lot from listening to. Collaborating with them would be incredibly cool. Mixing very emotionally powerful lyrics and very emotionally powerful melodies and making them danceable is something that I think turns out very cool a lot of the time. Lykke Li has her latest release with Swedish House Mafia, which is an example of that. Maybe doing something with her in the future would also be really nice.
Surroundings during the interview
You mentioned Engeloop Records earlier in this interview, which is a record label you started and still run. Have your experiences of running a record label influenced how you work as an artist?
Naarly: Becoming an artist used to be something I thought was a completely impossible thing that only happens to a few people. But now I think it's something everyone can more or less do.
I think it's much easier to run a record label while I'm an artist, than to be completely dependent on a bunch of external people's opinions and resources for how the songs should be released and so on. I simply think it's easier to control the whole process. And I have a very clear strategy of my own, so it almost required me to run my own record label.
Have you encountered any challenges?
Naarly: Above all now, with the way the world looks, there's a challenge with AI music that can go viral because people can generate viral songs. There is so much music being released and there is a lot of competition for streams.
But it is what it is, and you just have to accept it. I'm working towards making more hits and that's what I think is fun now. Now my big interest is, like: "How can we make the next big hit that becomes an appreciated song?" Making music that people like is my goal. The best experience I know is hearing a song that I love, and I want to make songs that achieve that feeling in people. So really, you just have to keep going.
Naarly in his studio with his dogs Stella and Luna.
LOOKING AHEAD & UPCOMING ALBUM
We've now moved from the grove outdoors into your studio because of a sudden invasion of flying ants. That's how it can go when you're having an interview outdoors near the forest!
Naarly: That's how it was. A flying ant came in here too, and just dropped down. Was it sitting on my cap or what?
Haha yes, it probably came from outside. But luckily there aren't any more flying ants inside. I imagine quite a lot of music has been made here inside the studio?
Naarly: Yes, that's right!
If we look ahead, what can we expect from Naarly during the rest of 2026?
Naarly: This year there will be quite a few new songs, hopefully better than other previous songs. I'm also trying to advance a little now, to make a sound that's a little more unexplored than what I've done before. There will be a lot of new collaborations with singers and artists, including a new artist on our record label named valdemar, whom we're very happy to have met.
Rumor has it there will be a Naarly album sometime next year. What can you tell us about the album?
Naarly: I can say that the album will be released on Engeloop Records. It's a compilation album that will be my debut album. When I think back on some of my songs, I feel that some of them really belong with life as it looked right then. And that's the kind of thing I can only see now in hindsight.
I think it will be nice to be able to say that “this is my album”, which I can show, and will be a bit more comprehensive about who I am. To, like, present songs as a whole. It will also be fun to release an album because I get to categorize the songs in a more fun way, and also add some new songs to somehow put a full stop to a period in life.
The album might potentially include songs like "LIFE" and "THAT HEALING". It will probably become clear a little further on which songs will be included and which won't, but I think they will be included. It will be what I feel belongs together with this period of time.
That sounds like a lovely Naarly story to get to experience in musical form. What do you think characterizes Naarly as an artist today?
Naarly: Electronic dance music that feels like a breath of fresh air that sweeps you along. And a strong hook. I try to keep that in my songs. It's hard to come up with a completely new style of music, but you still have to try to find your take on it.
What sets Naarly today apart from when you started?
Naarly: There's much more confidence in what I want to do. A clearer direction for myself. Knowing which direction I want to go in and also what it is that I want to do.
And what is your direction? What is it that you want to do?
Naarly: It can be so many different things. I want to be able to reach people commercially while still not compromising too much. I want to reach my audience, so they feel that when I release a song, there's a good chance they'll like it. And hopefully it becomes the kind of song they'll get stuck in their heads. I have to like it myself and I hope others do too. I'm trying to make the best of both worlds.
Trying to get the best of both worlds sounds like a fitting note to end on. Thank you for taking part in this interview.
Is there anything brief you'd like to share before we finish?
Naarly: Thank you so much. Yes, "Be nice, get lots of sleep, drink plenty of water". That's my word of wisdom. It says so on the poster here that Swedish artist Bobo Wallmansson made.
Naarly really wanted us to include this incredible picture of him standing in his pool. So we did. And with that said, we wrap up this interview. Thank you for reading!
// The Engeloop Team
