Sondre Lerche picks Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" for 2022 Christmas pop cover

Every year Sondre Lerche releases a cover of one of the biggest pop hits of the year as a festive gift for fans, and after mentioning Taylor Swift in the title-track of his 2022 double album back in February, Lerche has picked Swift's Midnights lead single "Anti-Hero" for this year's festive pop cover.

Lerche wrote: "As tradition would have it, today Matias [Tellez] and I gathered at his studio in Bergen and picked a huge, great hit from the year that’s passed us by to record a version of. I think we both felt less up to speed with what the big songs of the year were, as we’ve both been preoccupied with our own music moreso than ever in 2022. I’m not always sure what makes me want to cover one song, and why I’m less interested in another. It doesn’t always make sense. We considered «As It Was», which we both enjoy, along with the rest of the world. But if you squint that recording already sounds kinda reminiscent of some stuff we might have been doing some years ago. "Break My Soul" is fab, and an exciting/terrifying idea. Without those amazing Big Freedia samples, I could only let myself + the world down. I woke up thinking I was gonna do "About Damn Time" but by the time we were rolling, we were going elsewhere. Although this year’s choice has been plenty covered and talked about, Matias and I felt a certain pull towards it and obeyed our instincts yet again. We wanna be sexy babies too!

"Just a little over a year and a half ago we recorded "Avatars Of Love", the title track from my album, right here in this studio. Among the albums I mention in that song were folklore and evermore by Taylor Swift, along with a myriad of songs and artists I deeply appreciate and admire. So please accept this strange full circle in the form of this year’s holiday offering. And gratitude to Taylor Swift for keeping it coming and for indulging (or suing) us."

Last year Lerche chose to cover Doja Cat and SZA's "Kiss Me More".