How did your journey into journalism begin, and what sparked your passion for writing about music and style?

When I was twelve years old, I nagged my parents about us having to travel to London! We did, and the first thing I did was buy British pop magazines and Bowie's "Aladdin Sane". I loved music. And reading about musicians and their style. Even back then. I sat with a dictionary to understand articles and lyrics. So the step to start writing about music myself wasn't far. I got the chance to write for a magazine at 19 and realized that a journalist was exactly what I wanted to be. But in my own way! Only working with things I found fun. The so-called pleasure principle. And it worked!

Do you have any rituals or habits that help you think clearly or push through when a story feels stuck?

Nothing clears the brain quite like an afternoon nap.

What are you most passionate about in your work today, and what do you hope to achieve through your program "Stil"?

When we launched the "Stil" program in 2007, it sparked a range of negative feelings. Many viewed fashion as something superficial and commercial nonsense. What did it have to do with Swedish Radio's prestigious channel P1? So highlighting people and phenomena to prove how fashion and style have permeated most things throughout history (and still do today) has become a "pet project", something I truly care about. But I'm also quite generally very interested in trying to figure out why things become trendy or fashionable. Digging deep into the seemingly superficial. That's become my thing.

Who or what inspires your approach to journalism? How do these influences show up in your work?

My husband often throws up his hands when standing in the living room and says "but you can't rearrange the furniture, there are too many books". He might be right. But I LOVE acquiring knowledge by reading books in subjects that interest me. I'm really not anti-Internet. But it's often in non-fiction books and biographies that I find little gems in the form of facts or stories that I use in my work. Quite a few ideas also pop up when I read novels.

Describe your ideal working environment. Does your physical space affect how you work?

I need to sit by myself in peace and quiet to be able to write. Preferably completely alone. In silence. Otherwise I can't write a line. Or, that's not entirely true. My two cats, Frankie and Charlie, often keep me company. They never disturb. Quite the opposite.

How important is finding the right collaborators in your process? Can you share a memorable collaborative experience?

Even though I want to write on my own in solitude, it's pure gold to find colleagues you click with. I had a fantastic editor-in-chief when I worked as editor-in-chief at Damernas Värld. We complemented each other perfectly. We joked that we were a bit like Patsy and Edina in "Absolutely Fabulous", and that wasn't entirely wrong. But we worked hard too. And when I met Stil's first producer (Anna Åkerlund), we both felt that – this is going to be better than good. Finding collaborators with whom you can seamlessly switch between the professional and private is happiness.

What advice would you give someone starting out in journalism today?

When we get new reporters at Stil, I always ask them what they think would be fun to do stories about. Because my experience is that the more fun people have at work, the better results you get. Of course, you can't deviate from the program's subject too much, but surprisingly often you can "tweak" an idea so it fits the context. In short, it's important for all parties to try to be responsive and flexible. Then things can happen!