Pop's New
Björk?

There's another eccentric, electronica-influenced European pop star on the scene: 23-year-old Lykke Li. The Swedish singer's star is rising thanks to a well-received album ( Youth Novels ), a fan in Perez Hilton, and a big slot at last week's Coachella festival. Last week was big for Li in another way: her song "I'm Good, I'm Gone" was featured on American Idol . But before middle America heard Li's memorable voice, the soft-spoken beauty spoke to Advocate.com just hours before she stepped onto the Coachella stage.

With you, Robyn, and the vampire movie Let the Right One In , there seems to be a mini Swedish invasion. Do you feel part of a Swedish sensibility sweeping America? I don't really think so because my family, and myself, had such a different upbringing from the Swedish people (Li grew up in Portugal), and I've kind of been on the road always. I've been taking in a lot of Swedish culture, but I don't feel very Swedish.

What are your musical influences? My taste is so wide. I think what really shaped me is the variety of things I've listened to, everything from hip-hop to jazz to soul. Right now I'm listening to lots of doo-wop actually.

Is there any way to describe your music in a sentence or two? I always see my music as quite cinematic; the soundtrack to a really interesting movie.

Your videos are amazing. Who comes up with the concepts? They're from me, they're always from me. I'm very visual in the way I think.

I know Perez Hilton championed you a while ago. Was that a boost? Um, I don't really know -- I mean, I don't know so much about that world.

Is it too early to start thinking of a second album? It's in my head. I'm doing some investigation because my music always comes from my life experiences, so apart from all the touring I'm going to have to gather some more meat, you know?