Boy In Space – Career, Songwriting & His Next Chapter

Funktasy Magazine Exclusive Interview presents our one-on-one sit-down with Boy In Space, the Swedish pop visionary known for his atmospheric production, deeply personal songwriting and expansive vocal range. As he prepares to embark on his Running On Dreams Tour, we caught up to talk about his evolution as a solo artist, the inspiration behind his latest single “Who’s Crying When I’m Leaving?” and what fans can expect from his highly-anticipated debut album. Looking ahead to 2026, Boy In Space opens up about his personal growth, ambition and strengthening his connection with fans as he steps into what may be his most defining year yet.

Hi, my name is Grayson. Uh, welcome back to another Funkasy exclusive interview. Today I am here with Boy in Space. Thank you so much for joining us today. Uh, so I want to start talking about kind of your early career. Um, so before Boy in Space, you were actually part of JTR with your brothers. Um, and I think you experienced kind of a different musical career very early on.

What did stepping away from that group teach you about your own voice personally and artistically?

Well, I think looking back at it now and even like the whole journey of JTR was, you know, it was a journey I did with all of my brothers. Though it felt very safe, especially as I was I think I was 17 when we started like rehearsing songs together and like performing, and I mean it it was kind of a safe space for me to kind of learn what it is that I want to do and that was that was a very good experience for me, but I also learned pretty quickly that I have opinions about everything. I think especially if you’re like in that, in a group with your brothers, like you have opinions about everything and I’m the youngest so you can just guess how many of my opinions got to be uh like um I don’t know fought for or whatever. It was like they had a lot of opinions about everything and I did too but I was like okay I want to do something creatively where I kind of get to take the lead a little bit and I don’t have to like pass it by. It sounds very egotistical, but it’s like without having to be like, “Is it okay if we do this song?” Like, “What if we tried something like this?” And uh even when we were playing as a band, I would like start to like kind of dream and fantasize about what that would look like. And I was like, “Oo, I think I want to do something a bit moodier.” Like dare to talk about, you know, JTR was very positive. It was like very everything is perfect and cute. I think it was just like a very very boyband almost like very 80s of like everything has to be positive, right? like everything has to be have a positive message and which you know it it’s not a bad thing but but I think I was just longing for some type of, I don’t know, like an emotional space where I feel like people can actually connect to it where it’s not just like me selling a great uh like a positive message but like selling something that sounds so cheap but making something that feels real and authentic where people can go like, you know what? This is the music that I’m going to listen to right now because I can actually relate to it. And I wrote, Drown was the song that kicked off the whole thing. We tried doing Drown with the boy band really. And it was, it was terrible. Yeah. It was just not good at all. And like the energy didn’t like it it never clicked. And then I had that song with me and I was like, “Of course it’s a Boy In Space song.” Right.

Well, that’s actually a perfect segue. I wanted to talk about the meaning of your name. Uh you’ve kind of described it as these like emotional in between moments um kind of you know like heartbreak more just emotional um kind of deeper topics. Uh, now that you’re kind of further into your career, do you feel like that metaphor is still accurate to you or do you feel like the meaning of your name has changed?

I think it’s always been the meaning behind it has always been like it has an undeep version of it and like then a deeper like I feel like in the beginning for me it was like I love the energy of it and the feeling of that name. It’s like, I don’t know, it’s something about, you know, reading a band name or a band title or something. It needs to like inspire something within you. And that was what Boy In Space was from the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. I think Boy In Space was just for me, it drew it. It grabbed my attention. It’s almost like the beginning of a song. It’s like a melody that grabs my attention. I’m like, that’s cool. And then I kind of make a meaning out of it. And I think Boy In Space in the beginning wasn’t really a meaning, but it was drawing my attention towards it. And I like that. And then I guess in my life, how I kind of view it is like Boy In Space. I wanted a creative space where I could create my ideas freely and just maybe do it differently than what I did with the boyband thing because the boyband thing was like, what do people expect from a boyband? How does a boyband sound? How should we approach this? How do other boybands approach this? Which I feel like with Boy in Space I was like, what is my dream too? Like what do I want to facilitate and uh I think that’s the space that I’m the boy in I guess that I get to create right. It’s not super deep it’s not that deep honestly it’s a cool ass name. It is a cool name I will give you that, it’s just a cool alias like it’s just hey I’m in space hey it’s me I’m boy in space and yeah sounds like an astronaut or something.

Yeah, there’s a lot you can do with that name, too. Like I feel like actual like marketing wise, I feel like you’ve got a good name. And that’s actually been the funny part. We’ve never done anything space related.

No, cuz that’s where everyone goes. Everyone’s like, every meeting I’ve ever had with someone, they’re like, “You should make a music video when you’re in space.”

Well, you’re the boy in space. Maybe.

Or maybe it’s too on the nose. I don’t know. I’m being drawn back and forth.

Yeah. I’m going to keep an eye out for any space related things from you in the future.

Yeah. All right. You should.

So, I want to talk about your song, Cold. Um, it was kind of a breakout success for you in a way. I think it’s got around 90 million streams on Spotify right now, or at least last I checked, which is crazy. So did that kind of change, did that change how you trusted your instincts creatively and did it like create any new pressure for you moving forward into your career?

You know what? I’ve never had, at that time, I don’t know. I was so young and I really believed in those songs so much. Like I truly know that I love them and I had a really good gut feeling because I don’t know. I think every musician that makes music, you like kind of try songs with people. And I feel like when I started making songs for Boy in Space, I would get a different reaction. It’d be like if I played Drown, if I played Cold, if I played like all these songs that I ended up releasing, there would be a great initial reaction. And it’s also music that landed so well with me. Like Cold I wrote so quickly and it felt so obvious to me. So I had some sort of confidence going into it because it was like everything just aligned with it, if that makes sense. There was never like, well, why wouldn’t you try this kind of music instead? It was always just like, this is so cool and this is so new or this is, you know, so I felt very confident releasing it. And then I think that gave me the confidence to just continue making music in that way of like really leaning into what is it that I want to make. With Cold it was exactly that, like what is the song that I would want to hear on Spotify? Or like on the radio or whatever, wherever you listen to music. That just kind of put the stamp on, that is what I need to do with Boy In Space and that is also the thing that gave me the most success. So I was like okay, this is truly like a good formula. If I create something that I love, like if I don’t love what I make, how am I going to convince the rest of the world to love what I’m doing? It feels like such an obvious first step and it kind of became the proof that that is a good process for it all kind of, which you know can sometimes maybe have its faults as well. I’ve definitely released songs that I’ve loved that other people haven’t loved as much. So, but yeah.

Do you feel like listeners kind of understood Cold in the way that you intended it to be understood or do you think that they kind of connected with it in ways that you wouldn’t have expected?

I think it’s a funny song, in the way of, it’s such an emotional song, but it has that like kind of facade of like trap 808s and like beats and it’s like it has like a cool energy to it. Like when you listen to it, you like I don’t know, you want to ride around in like a car with like neon lights, but then it’s like literally just a heartbreak story. Yeah. So there’s, I think I like things like that. When I heard it, I heard the trap beat and it was Unheard who produced it and I got sent that beat and I was like, “Okay, I like this. How can I make this not feel like what it is?” I remember thinking, “How would Chris Martin from Coldplay approach a trap beat?” And I think initially Post Malone was definitely one of those uh I don’t know artists that kind of paved the way for that process of thought cuz it was like mixing the singing like emotional singing with the trap beats. But yeah, and I think it became exactly that. It became like, now when I’m playing it on my acoustic guitar, it’s just a great pop song. Like you don’t need the trap beat for it, but it’s a cool combination because it’s truly two worlds colliding. And I think that’s why it had all that momentum and that’s why I think it became special. It’s like a fusion dish at like a cool restaurant. It’s like, wow, I never thought this would work, but it works so well.

Yeah. Like two things that you wouldn’t expect to mix together well and it just works out perfectly.

Yes. Yes.

Awesome. I’m trying to think in my mind now. I’m thinking of Coldplay coming out with a trap remix of Sparks or something like that, playing in my mind.

Okay. So, as your audience kind of is growing and you know, you’re releasing more and more music, does it feel riskier at all to be more emotionally open or does it feel even more important to you now to get these kinds of feelings out there?

I think it feels necessary almost. And I think it feels necessary especially in the music climate we’re in today where music is becoming just more accessible and it’s like whatever is going on with AI, like I’m not too deep into it but making polished songs that don’t mean anything is easy today like I could, after this interview, I could make 20 of them in two minutes. Mhm. But to talk about a personal story that can only be lived, I think that is such it’s going to be the currency of artists. And I think I was so fortunate that I started like before I started doing this type of music, it’s the music that I fell in love with. Like I truly fell in love with the um Americana songwriting of like Jackson Brown for example or like just storytellers overall and uh like Simon and Garfunkel. And it lined up perfectly for me cuz I don’t have to fake it. I don’t have to like I had almost had like a preparation that I didn’t even know I was like needing. So now that I’ve like gone into this love of songwriting in a different way that isn’t, you know, the typical Scandinavian pop songwriting of “Let’s write a super smash-y hook and then cool words that go over it that everyone can relate to.” Uh yeah. Yeah. It’s just, it’s different. It’s like what can I talk about from my own experience, and hopefully that will find its audience. Hopefully there are people out there that can relate to my life story. And yeah, it’s such a fun space to be in. It feels very intentional in the best way. It feels like I’m doing this. It’s not like a brand. This is actually me. These songs are me. Like I think yeah, it’s hard to explain, but it’s different, but it’s the same. Like I do have personal connections to like all of my old music, too, because I would always kind of sprinkle little details of my life in it. I just think it’s different when you’re putting your heart out there. Um, and that is scary, but it also makes the reward so much better. Like when I released Who’s Crying When I’m Leaving, I was surprised that so many people could relate to it and I got some like really beautiful messages about like, “Hey, I’ve had to move because I’m studying and I miss my family so much and this song has like helped me now for the last week.” And it’s something, I don’t know, I didn’t think it would like connect to me as much as it did, but it’s true for me, too. And it’s like from a real place, it just means so much more in a sense.

That’s actually great. That’s actually exactly what I wanted to talk to you about next, was that song.

Great.

So I saw that you said that um it kind of helped shape the direction of your debut album. I wanted to talk to you and ask kind of what about Who’s Crying When I’m Leaving made it the one that you wanted people to hear first.

I think it has a vulnerability that sets the tone. It’s even in the second verse I’m talking about being ashamed of who I am. And I like when I sent that song to my dad for example, his first response is like, “Is this how you feel? Are you ashamed? Like, do you feel like a bad son because you’re traveling constantly and you’re not home?” And you know, it’s really at like the core. Sorry, what was the question? I kind of I kind of

Yeah, I was just asking what about uh Who’s Crying When I’m Leaving made you want to release it as the first single off the album?

Yeah. It just felt right. It had like an energy to it. Kind of like Cold, honestly. It has like a tempo and like a drive to it, but it also has so much raw emotion. And like I, I cried four times while writing that song. And I think that’s going to translate throughout the music. I hope people when they listen to it, and that’s my wish at least when people receive it, they can feel the vulnerability and I think it’s just a good strong song that also has so much vulnerability in it to start off with. It is setting a tone and there’s different tones of the album where I’m like you know the third single is going to throw people off a little bit cuz maybe like, there’s moments of the album where it’s not all the same, but I think the core theme is the honesty of this is exactly how I feel. Uh so, uh yeah, it’s going to be fun to see how people react at like all the different songs.

So, kind of looking ahead into 2026, what is it that you’re most excited for? Is it releasing more music, performing it live, going on tour, seeing how your fans are connecting with it? You know, what are you looking forward to in the next year?

I feel like I finally have my feet on the ground and I can start to run, which is something I’ve been waiting for for such a long time. I feel like I’ve been in this warm- up phase for such a long time to get back to who I want to be and who I feel like. And I think that’s what I’m really excited about, you know, going out on tour, actually meeting people, so the music that I make can become real in a sense. It’s so hard to connect to music through numbers and like, “Oh, this is how many people listen to my song,” like that. It’s so hard to see when it’s on like a paper or like just on like an app. But if you get to meet the people and like see the faces, it becomes so much real, so much more real. And I’m super excited for that. I’ve always loved that process of life. And I think that’s a part of my artistry that I haven’t been able to do for multiple different reasons for many many years. And I’m just excited to see, you know, after so many years of not doing it that there’s still like a want for me to go out there and play and that people are really excited about those moments in those rooms, where like music kind of gets to have its like magical moment where it’s like all the other things are kind of like the buildup to that moment. And yeah, that’s what I’m looking forward to and like doing more touring and you know, obviously also having the actual album out like that’s going to be such a fun, fun, fun feeling and just seeing how it’s going to resonate with people. It’s also scary to be honest.

Oh yeah, I know. I bet.

Um, is there anything you could tell us about your upcoming album or keeping it under wraps?

Um, there’s moments where it’s like I’m so vulnerable that it’s like, even I think there’s music on that album that is even hard to show for family because it’s so personal. And I think that’s the key to this album, and that’s how I really feel that it’s so real and has like this magic to it because it is so real, the whole thing. I also have like quite a sensual song which is weird for me. I’ve never had that before where it’s like a little bit, I don’t know, mature is probably the word for it. I’ve obviously become older and I feel like I’m growing into a sound as well, which is going to be fun to showcase. There’s like, there’s an energy shift for sure.

Okay. Okay.

I’m not 22 anymore, you know? I’m not in that bracket of life yet. Like I am, I’m definitely more comfortable in my own shoes and I feel comfortable talking about certain things and I know what I want which I feel comfortable with expressing in these songs. So, but that’s the bigger reveal. I don’t know. That is the bigger reveal.

All right. Well, yeah. Uh, is there anything else that I didn’t ask you about today that you want to talk about either about um, you know, the single, the album, the tour, anything at all that you want to chat about?

Well, I can just say, you know, it’s my artist career and my music career has been like a really long ride for me and I think that’s something I’m very thankful of. I’d gone through a lot of things. It’s been like a lot of mental struggle struggles, a few like physical as well with like just times that I’ve needed to heal from different things. And I feel very strong mentally and I feel very safe where I’m at right now in life. And I’m so excited to kind of not do it all again, but to do it like almost in a new way where I can be more consistent. I think I’ve always been consistent when it comes to the quality of music I make, but I think I’ve been waiting to kind of have that consistency when it comes to live shows and also when it comes to just like Instagram or like even like the social platforms, which it’s a boring subject, but it’s so real. It’s like I can’t wait to have a consistent relationship with the people that enjoy my music and I’m not chasing millions of followers. I’m just chasing my family. Like, it’s more of a like I really want just a consistency of people that love my music. And I don’t need the world. I just need the rooms where I’m invited to show up and that’s enough. And I can’t wait to facilitate those rooms and like keep feeding. Sounds so wrong. But you know what I mean.

No, I know. Sounds like I’m talking about a monster.

Keep feeding the monster. But like feeding the people that like want more music and want more like moments that are like uh live moments and stuff like that. It’s going to be super fun to actually get to do that because it’s been such a long time where that hasn’t been happening on all sides. And I’m super excited to just be in those spaces. All the spaces. Be in the spaces. In space. Be the boy in the spaces. Space. There you go. That’s the name.

All right. Um, actually, real quick, I just thought of something. 10 years from now, where is Boy In Space? If you could do anything at all, be anywhere in your career 10 years from now, what would you want to be doing? 10 years. Five years, I hope. Or 10. Five years. Five to 10. Five or 10 years. Okay.

I don’t know, wherever it wants to take me. I think before when I was like uh starting out, I was like, I had these like I’m going to play in this arena. I’m going to be here. Like I’m just so thankful that I get to do with music and that I get to have a healthy life. So I want to be like waking up next to my beautiful family, have a great cup of coffee, make music in whatever capacity that may be and like play shows and do all the different like avenues that I literally just talked about. Like that is my dream. Maybe I’ll have a little coffee shop somewhere as well. Who knows?

That’s good. Boy with coffee. Boy, the boy in coffee shop. Coffee space.

Yes. Yeah.

All right. Well, that is all of the questions that I had for you today. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I really appreciate it. Um, and yeah, I hope you have a good rest of your day.

Thank you so much.