Malou Berg releases new single, “Stay With Me”. A pleading ballad, full of beauty and desperation.

Malou’s talent takes many forms. Gospel records, singing, compositions, choir arrangements, the Pleiadian Suite, music salons, concerts abroad and a newly written book that is currently looking for an interested publisher.

Malou’s inspiration never seems to run out. Often, the songs come to her when she least expects it. This year, Malou decided to start publishing songs that came about during these creative moments. Songs that, while at as strong as her other material, haven’t found a home on any of her albums.

“Stay With Me” is the fourth release in this series of singles.

The origins of the recording can be traced back to the moment when Malou’s friend and collaborator, Lasse Nilsson of Nilento Studio, mentioned that he thought that a creative spark would appear if she did something together with pianist and composer, Jakob Karlzon.

“Lasse initiated a meeting and I brought some songs that I thought might fit,” Malou recalls. “Stay With Me” was one of them. We recorded it together in a spontaneous first take, with just grand piano and vocals”.

The recording has since been completed by Lars Danielsson on cello and a little backing vocals by Jenny Nilsson, Katarina Milton and Malou herself. Musicians from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra contribute strings in an otherworldly arrangement by Tormod Tvete Vik.

Lasse Nilsson himself participates on flugelhorn.

“I find it fascinating how this energetic multi-talented man, who is on top of everything technically, tirelessly bouncing around and editing recordings in record time, suddenly becomes completely calm and filled with stillness as soon as he plays his flugelhorn. It’s beautiful to watch. All the musicians involved do a fantastic job on this recording,” says Malou, her voice filled with gratitude.

The song in question feels like it could appear in the key scene of a musical, representing the dramatic moment when its protagonist stands alone and abandoned. Think ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story, ‘Pity the Child’ from Chess, or  ‘Send in the Clowns’ from A Little Night Music.

Over the decades, Malou has refined her expression as one of the Sweden’s finest vocalists. Her vocal performance in “Stay With Me” contains both beauty and sadness. She fills every word with a subtle intensity. That she doesn’t get more media attention remains one of the great mysteries of the Swedish music industry. She should be a household name.

Listening to “Stay With Me” probably raises many theories regarding what it’s about. There is no doubting the strong emotions, desperation and pleading therein.

“There have been a few different interpretations,” Malou confirms, “and it’s always interesting and fascinating to hear them. Some people think it’s a beautiful love ballad, others thought it could be about infidelity. I’m sure it can be interpreted in many other ways, too.”

The real background story to the song, however, is different.

“My mother had her own business. She was a visionary, often ahead of her competitors. In the song, she turns to a person who was very close to her – not as a love partner, but as a pillar and close friend. He was her legal advisor, providing both wisdom and pragmatism. Over time, he became more or less indispensable to Malou’s mother, and his sudden illness and subsequent death were a severe blow to her.

“She was full of despair and didn’t know how to carry on with her business, nor her life. It made a big impression on me and led me to write this song. The lyrics are a cry of desperation, where she pleads with him, from the bottom of her soul, not to leave her. That’s what the song is about for me.”

”What ever you see
Stay with me
There’s no better place than here with me
What ever you hear
What ever you find
Don’t leave me behind
Stay with me”

The words refer to the near-death experiences of many, where they see a bright tunnel. Malou’s mother asks him not to enter it, but to remain among the living – with her.

Malou sings the song with the kind of empathy and genuine musicality that characterizes an artist who knows how to mobilize her accumulated knowledge and experience in a single magical performance.

The B-side reactivates her previous single, the musical happy pill “Happiness Is Just a Smile Away”, whose life-affirming lightness provides a contrast to “Stay With Me”. Malou wrote the music, Susanne Wigforss the lyrics. The song has an airy production consisting of strings, cello, male choir, female voices and – at the center of the soundscape – Malou’s sensual and almost girlish lead vocals. An approach that fits the lightness och positive message of the song like a glove.

Musically, the song has an irresistible sense of swing; a meeting between New Orleans, gospel/spiritual feeling, and a modern, Amy Winehouse-related, twist on Sixties soul.

The single will be released on August 20 2025.

Music & lyrics: Malou Berg

Malou Berg – vocals
Jacob Karlzon- piano
Lars Danielsson – cello
Lars Nilsson – flugel horn
Xavier Desandre Navarre – percussion
Tormod Tvete Vik – strings arrangement
The Gothenburg symphonics – strings
Jenny Nilsson, Katarina Milton, Malou Berg – choir

Recorded produced and mixed by Lars Nilsson, Nilento studios