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Swedish country-folk-pop singer Maja Francis tapped her longtime friends and folk darlings First Aid Kit (sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg) for her single 'Mama', which appears on her debut album A Pink Soft Mess.
Sung from the perspective of a woman who couldn't understand her mother's suffering when she was younger, the song is a plea and a promise. "Oh mama, let me hold your hand 'til you're smiling again / Like you've done so many times", Francis and First Aid Kit sing together on the sentimental track.
Now, Francis has released a pink-themed music video for 'Mama'. It takes place from a pink bedroom, reminiscent of the little girl who watched her mother struggling but couldn't step in to help. Watch below.
Francis spoke with Holler about collaborating with First Aid Kit and where the inspiration for all that pink came from. It turns out: "pink is the new black".
How did the collaboration with First Aid Kit come about?
Klara and Johanna have become close friends of mine and were a big part in helping me find my voice again. I had a couple of years where music and me weren't in a good place. During those years, the girls took me under their wings and invited me to sing with them at all kinds of different events.
We love singing together and we do it even when no one is listening, so I was really excited when they said yes to a 'Mama' feature. It feels like such a natural thing to have their energy and voices on my debut album since they were such a big part of the whole process.
What was the inspiration for the video?
I’m on a pink satin bed on my album cover so I thought, 'What if that picture came alive'? I also liked the idea of singing in the bed — it might be a pandemic effect.
How long did it take to film and what was the experience like?
It was quite a dreamy experience. We recorded three songs on that bed in a day — a bunch of friends just having fun, singing, hanging out and eating pizza in a studio in the outskirts of Stockholm.
The set design is really something. Who came up with the idea for the bed and pink backdrop?
I had the idea of turning the studio into a pink bedroom and with the help from designer and stylist Emelie Eriksson we went all in. I love working with her cause we’re both like "more is more" and "pink is the new black" in our aesthetics.
Francis' debut album A Pink Soft Mess is out now.
