Swedish songwriting powerhouse SHY Martin opens up about her anxiety on “can I call you back?"

10 April 2020, 08:27 | Written by Matthew Kent

(Tracks)

(SHY Martin)

Having worked with some of pop's biggest hitters, SHY Martin's solo work is where we see the songwriter deliver her most arresting work and "can I call you back?" is just that.

SHY Martin, aka Sara Hjellström, has penned tracks for The Chainsmokers, Ellie Goulding, Bebe Rexha and ALMA, but it's the heartfelt moments she creates for her own project which do the most. "can I call you back?" is delicate and emotionally vulnerable in a way that we haven't seen Hjellström before.

“I’ve been struggling with anxiety and other mental health issues since I was 13,” Hjellström explains. The track's lyrics detail these struggles and her songwriting takes on a storytelling role making astute observations about her personal life. It's like she's knocking down every wall and breaking every window, letting fans know it's okay to reach out for help because things do get hard.

This is a big step for Hjellström, she admits “I’ve always been scared of talking about it, but I feel like it’s been such a big part of who I am that it would be dishonest for me to leave it out of my music.”

This is the latest track to be taken from the forthcoming second SHY Martin EP, with a couple of tracks left in the works from a productive six months in the studio. The EP will be the follow up her sparkling 2018 debut Overthinking.