Bara få va mig själv

"Bara få va mig själv"
Single by Laleh
from the album Kristaller
Released6 April 2016 (2016-04-06)
GenreIndie pop
Length3:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Laleh Pourkarim
Laleh singles chronology
"Sol, vind och vatten"
(2015) 		"Bara få va mig själv"
(2016) 		"Aldrig bli som förr"
(2016)
Music video
"Bara få va mig själv" on YouTube

"Bara få va mig själv" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh, taken as the first single from her sixth studio album, Kristaller. It was written by Laleh, Gustaf Thörn, Gino Yonan, and Frank Nobel while being produced by Laleh. It was released on 6 April 2016 through Warner Music Sweden.

It is her highest-charting song on the Sverigetopplistan, peaking at number five, and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2017 Grammis.

Background and composition

After a period of work as songwriter and producer in the United States, where she worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly and Adam Levine, she returned to Sweden and released "Bara få va mig själv" as the lead single off her sixth album Kristaller.[1] The song was first released exclusively to radio stations and Spotify on 6 May 2016, and was made available on all platforms two days later, the same day that tickets for the Kristaller Tour went on sale.[2] All of her previous lead singles had been in English, with this marking her first in Swedish.[1]

Laleh said the song was "a story about finding your own voice and the difference between learning from others and being controlled by others" while A Bit of Pop Music described it as "one of the most poppy and upbeat things she has released," adding that it was a "sure-fire hit."[1] Scandipop called it a "rousing, beat-driven pop number."[3]

Commercial performance

The song debuted on the Sverigetopplistan Singles Top 100 at number 16 on the chart dated 15 April 2016 and later peaked at number five on its sixth week, becoming her highest-charting song. It remained on the official Swedish chart for a total of 68 non-consecutive weeks.

It also reached number one on the Svensktoppen on 3 July,[4] a spot it sat in as late as October, and peaked at number five on the DigiListan chart tracking digital sales on 22 May.[5]

In December, it was announced that Bara få va mig själv was the year's most-streamed Swedish song on Spotify, with over 30 million plays.[6]

Music video

The official music video, directed and edited by Laleh herself, was released on 8 April 2016, the same day the song was released for digital download.[3][7] It was filmed in Los Angeles, where Laleh had recently moved to.[8] As of August 2021 the video has over 15 million views on YouTube.

Awards and nominations

Organization Year Award Result Ref.
P3 Guld Awards 2017 Song of the Year Nominated [9]
Gaygalan Awards Swedish Song of the Year Won [10]
Grammis Awards Song of the Year Nominated [11]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2016) Position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 17

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Sweden (GLF)[14] 4× Platinum 160,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Single Review: Laleh – Bara Få Va Mig Själv". A Bit of Pop Music. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Laleh släpper nya singeln "Bara få va mig själv" och åker på arenaturné med popband och symfoniorkester i höst". My News Desk. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b "VIDEO: Laleh - 'Bara Få Va Mig Själv'". scandipop.co.uk. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Svensktoppen 2016-07-03" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. ^ "DigiListan 2016-05-22" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Lalehs "Bara Få Va Mig Själv" är årets mest streamade svenska låt på Spotify!". My News Break. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. ^ Alexed, Johan (8 April 2016). "Laleh – Bara få va mig själv (Video)". popmuzik.se. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Premiär för videon till Lalehs "Bara få va mig själv"". Örebroguiden (in Swedish). 10 April 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Alla nominerade till P3 Guld 2017". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 2 January 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  10. ^ "QX-galan 2017 - Vinnarna i alla kategorier!". QX (in Swedish). 7 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  11. ^ Brännström, Linus; Martinsson, Daniel (15 December 2016). "Tunga vinstchanser för Laleh på Grammis". Bohusläningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Laleh – Bara få va mig själv". Singles Top 100.
  13. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Veckolista Singlar - Vecka 21, 26 maj 2017" (in Swedish). Grammotex. Retrieved 17 August 2020.