Step into Anna Leone's daydreams via her uplifting and soul-baring song "If You Only"

Having already amassed a ton of attention for previously released songs "My Soul I" and "I Never Really", the Swedish artist has once again proven her ability to write incredibly raw and honest songs. Her latest track "If You Only" carries a real sense of escapism, where anything and everything is possible. There are no boundaries to Leone's daydreams and the endless opportunities stretch beyond what the eye can see.

The song opens with delicate folky guitars and Leone's smokey vocals, but it's the chorus that erupts into something all the more mighty. Leone's vocal soar as she whistfully sings "Won't you wake up / From your dreaming / Every now and then", firmly encouraging a sense of exploration, of reaching outwards and taking a chance. It's uplifting and heartwarming, and is further exacerbated by the epic sense of solitary adventure that is pictured in the accompanying video.

We caught up with Leone to learn more about her upcoming EP Wandered Away and how discovering music helped her to navigate her teens.

BEST FIT: What was the main inspiration behind your new track "If You Only"?
ANNA LEONE: I thought about the fact that many people get disconnected from reality and sometimes only focus on what’s missing instead of what‘s actually there. I also daydream a lot. There’s a bit of everything thrown in there but it’s mainly about that.

You have said that you wrote "If You Only" at 4am in the morning - do you find this is the best time to write songs for you?
I’m inspired by quiet moments overall and that can get very intense at night, so that’s when I feel most receptive. My only problem is that I have to stay awake! But if I manage to find a good vibe I get lots of energy from that.

You've also said that music helped you deal with your emotions as a teenager - in what ways did it become an outlet for you? Was there any artist in particular that helped you overcome any challenges?
It just made it easier to understand some things, and put thoughts into words. It’s also like keeping a journal, you channel your emotions into something else and sometimes that takes the edge off. I listened to a lot of music during my high school years and that’s where I discovered a lot of the contemporary artists that inspire me today. Sufjan Stevens, Lana Del Rey, Matt Corby, to name a few. I used to listen to slow-paced, quiet songs almost exclusively but now some of my favorite ones are really upbeat. My inspirations have roughly stayed the same though.

Who directed the video and what was the original concept?
The video is directed by the same people that did "My Soul I" and "I Never Really" - Victoria Lafaurie and Hector Albouker. So this kind of feels like the third part in a trilogy. The idea was to show an empty city where I, as the song implies, exist in a kind of naive reality, running through empty streets. It was cool to highlight my natural environment and try to reflect my personality as well.

What can we expect from your upcoming EP Wandered Away?
More songs that exist in the same universe!

What was it like working with Bryan Wilson [Florence and the Machine, Wolf Alice, Arctic Monkeys]?
I love working with Bryan, we get along really well. We both think we’re comedians. He’s really good at creating worlds that fit my songwriting and he’s great at hearing sounds that seem strange on their own but that turn into something really powerful once in the song.

What does success look like to you?
Being happy and proud of what I’ve created. As well as earning billions of dollars.