Q: Your song “Belly Baby” is a celebration of all shapes and sizes. What was your breaking point that led you to writing this dance floor hit?
PALMU: A Couple of years ago I suffered from severe anxiety. By that time I lost a lot of weight and people in the music industry were complimenting my shape a lot. However, I wasn’t feeling like myself in that body and my mental health was in the worst place of my life. When I started to get better and I started to gain weight again, that’s when I realized that certain beauty standards and your wellbeing don’t always go hand in hand. After that, I wrote Belly Baby. I feel like there are a lot of body positivity songs in this world but for me it was very important to not just write a song about self acceptance but also to write a song that would make you feel confident and sexy even if you wouldn’t be size 0.
Q: After facing scrutiny from peers about your body image, there was a period of time you endured extreme anxiety. Is there any advice you can offer to those facing the same obstacles?
PALMU: What helped me a lot was meditation and therapy. The first thing I did when I woke up was a guided meditation for 10 min. Also reading about anxiety and accepting that as being a part of me were huge factors of me getting better.
Q: Though you felt better than ever after gaining healthy weight during your healing process, why do you think people around you still passed judgments on your image? How did you stay sound minded during this time?
PALMU: I didn‘t actually get a lot of judgment when I gained weight. It seemed though that people were more worried about my health when I started gaining weight than when I was losing it. And yes, I did once hear a comment “nobody wants to see a fat pop star“ from a person from the industry but this was during the time when I was still “skinny”.
Q: What does it mean to feel good in your own skin?
PALMU: To not try to fit in some box that is not natural for you. Accepting and loving your body and who you are including your insecurities. What helped me a lot in accepting my body was to follow body positivity accounts and more mid- size/ plus-size girls.
Q: Many of your song lyrics are super uplifting and self affirming. What inspires you to be so positive?
PALMU: I feel there‘s so much sadness in the world, especially now with Ukraine and Iran. I wanna bring joy and confidence to people ‘cause we sure do need it.
Q: Is it easy to separate your comedic and cheerful take on songwriting from the thought processes of those you’re writing for, or do you find that your personal creativity molds well with the songs you put your pen to?
PALMU: Yes, it is quite easy for me to separate them. When it comes down to my own music I’m very precise about the concepts. I can take even weeks to fine tune them before bringing the idea to a songwriting session. My music is very much based on my personal life so it’s also a lot about self expression rather than writing a “hit” with some random lyrics that sing nice.
As a songwriter, I’m more open to different kinds of writing styles and melodies and it’s very fun and rewarding to help other artists tell their own story through music.
Q: You co-wrote an EM-song for the Finnish Women’s National Football team that has now been featured in Volkswagen ads all around Finland. In addition, your songwriting has captured the likes of many top European song writers/ producers. Has there been a time you’ve turned the tv or radio on and heard your music?
PALMU: Unfortunately after moving to Berlin I wasn’t able to see this Volkswagen ad on TV but my friends in Finland were sending me videos about them seeing the ad. Also once my dad called me and said that he just put the TV on and suddenly there I was being interviewed. That was pretty funny 😀
Q: What can fans expect next from PALMU?
PALMU: I just had my first gig after the pandemic so definitely more live shows, new music and funny TikTok’s for sure 😉
Interviewed by Molly Byrne
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