Icona Pop to perform at Tulsa Pride 

By Zoe Travers
Journalism Intern

Icona Pop is an internationally famous Swedish electro-pop duo most famous for their 2012 hit I Love It (ft. Charli XCX), which has over 320 million plays on Spotify.

The duo, Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, have been praised in the British NME (New Musical Express), The Guardian, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork Media.

These powerhouse artists are coming to Tulsa Pride to perform on May 31 at 10 p.m.

In an exclusive interview with The Gayly, Icona Pop revealed what Pride means to them and chatted about how excited they are to perform in Tulsa.

Q: What are you looking forward to performing at Tulsa Pride?

A: We are beyond excited for this show. We wanna feel the energy and wanna spread some love together with all of you.

Q: How did this opportunity arise?
A: We´ve played at Pride festivals all around the world, and we got asked to play some here in the states. Music does something with our body, our mindset and a shift of energy. A lot of times music makes you feel stronger. Put on the best song you know, and walk around the city, and you´ll feel like the coolest person on earth. Put on a heartbreak song, and you’ll feel like you’re gonna throw up your heart. I guess our music makes people feel empowered, and it´s dance-friendly. We always hide some of the heartbreaks and sad things in our lyrics on a fun dance beat so you can choose to dance or dance-cry.

Q: What drew you to the Oklahoma LGBTQ+ community?

A: It’s always been very important to stand behind events like Pride. We are all about the freedom to love the sa.m.e gender, express yourself and equality. That is what makes us people unique, and that is something we should never change. Be proud of who you are. It’s important especially nowadays to be proud and screa.m. out where you stand. To show countries that are so far behind and are taking steps back that here at Pride we will make sure that change is coming, and people cannot scare us. For us, it’s criminal not to be able to love a person of the sa.m.e gender.

Q: You’ve performed at Pride events before. What do you enjoy about that experience? Is there specific energy you get from Pride performances?

A: We´ve done a lot of Pride [events] before, but never in Tulsa, so this is very exciting for us. Last year we performed at L.A. Pride, and we also joined our beloved bestie Tove Lo in both in L.A. and N.Y. The energy and also the connection you get with the crowd is a.m.azing. It feels like we have a performance together with the audience.

Q: Can you tell us about the new music you are working on?

A: We can tell you that dance music is not dead, and it’s coming for you hard this summer. We´ve been just locked in the studio to finish up music, and we´ll make sure that we´ll have our new song in the set for Tulsa.

Q: You’ve been called “gay icons” by the LGBTQ+ community. How would you respond to that, and why do you feel like your music is so empowering to the LGBTQ+ community?

A: Wow, two Swedish ladies that wrote their first song 11 years ago on a sofa in Sweden - this is definitely a drea.m. come true. We call our fans “icons,” because they are the reason we can do what we do. We would be nothing without our icons!

Q: Why do you feel so connected to the LGBTQ+ community?

A: It’s always been very natural for us, and we have a lot to thank the LGBTQ+ community for. They supported us and our music very early on, and we will always be grateful for that. The LGBTQ+ community has always been very one-hearted and loving. We feel a strong love for people who express themselves and dare to be who they are 100 percent.

Icona Pop will perform at Tulsa Pride on Friday, May 31 at 10 p.m. Leonardo Martinez and Laith Ashley will perform June 1 at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. For more information, see schedule at left or visit www.okeq.org.

TULSA PRIDE 2019

Interfaith Service Tuesday, May 28, 6:30 p.m.

Festival opens Friday, May 31, 5 p.m.-12 a.m.

Rainbow 5K Run Friday, May 31, 6 p.m. 

Icona Pop Concert Friday, May 31, 10 p.m.

Festival continues Saturday, June 1, 12 p.m.-9 p.m.

Leonardo Martinez June 1, 4 p.m.

Laith Ashley June 1, 5 p.m.

Pride Parade Saturday, June 1, 6 p.m. 

Pride at the Park Sunday, June 2, 12 p.m.-6 p.m.

MOREcolor Fine Arts Exhibition June 6, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

The Gayly 5/6/2019 2:07 p.m. CST