Swedish artiste TeeTwerk feels her soul is Jamaican
Sweden might be ranked among the happiest places on earth, but for Swedish dancehall artiste TeeTwerk, real happiness comes from being right here in Jamaica.
"In Sweden, I feel like Matilda (referencing her given name Matilda Sundbaum)," she shared honestly. "And every time I come to Jamaica, I'm TeeTwerk. It's just a transition. I just feel like I can be that without having to explain myself, even though I grow into being that in Sweden as well. But here it just comes naturally because I'm in the environment of it."
For almost five years now, TeeTwerk has been travelling back and forth to the island. What started with twerking and being featured in music videos became a deeper connection to dancehall culture and its freedom.
"Sweden is so different from Jamaica because here [in Jamaica] you are allowed to be sexy and fierce and nobody is bothering you about it. So I felt a connection with doing the twerking which is quite explicit where I come from," she explained.
"The norm we have there [Sweden] is very squared [and] anybody who steps out of the norm, people might be a little bit like, 'What's going on? She's crazy,' or 'Why she's doing that?'" Weekly, TeeTwerk now teaches about 100 students back home how to twerk .
"I help them to also become fearless of owning their sensual and sexual side and feminine energy. I think that I'm being a part of growing people outside the norm even though the norm is quite squared," she said.
Despite Sweden's happiness ranking, TeeTwerk said the vibe she feels in Jamaica is completely different.
"Which is crazy to me because in my world now, it's the opposite," she pointed out. "My family is very supportive because when I started twerking and when I started doing the type of music that I do, they have been supporting me. My brothers, my sister, my mom and my dad, and all my nephews and nieces. And I'm like, wow, I didn't count on that in the beginning." Food has also become part of the cultural exchange.
"When I've been home in Sweden, now I've been cooking a lot of Jamaican food. So I bought spices to take home last time," she said. "I made a brunch for my nephews and nieces and I made beef patty - they loved it! It turned out so good." She laughed as she shared her more daring culinary moments.
"First thing I tried was chicken foot because I've been drinking the soup but didn't like the toes sticking out. So I said I didn't like it and then I was angry at myself because I said I don't like it without even trying it. So now, I tried it, but it just still look a way," she said, laughing again. "And I can't bother with the cow skin. But other than that, I try a lot of different things."
There are still a few Jamaican habits she's had to adjust to, particularly the high sugar content in many recipes.
"That's a struggle, but I'm doing my best, I found green juice at one of these natural restaurants," she said.
TeeTwerk admitted that she is wrestling with the idea of fully moving to Jamaica.
"In my mind, I'm having an internal battle because it's so easy for me to work with the music here. You can literally just pull up to the studio every day, any time and people are ready to work," she explained. "In Sweden, I have to travel more to go to the studio and plan more." But ultimately, the island keeps pulling her back.
"It might sound weird, but I used to feel like my physical body was born in Sweden, but my soul is from here in a sense, and it's like it's finding its way home and I feel whole, like the last piece of the puzzle."