Roxy Bourdillon talks to pop star Saara Aalto about letting go of her demons and learning to love herself
“At my worst I found my army strong, All my demons are gone, You can try and scare me now, but I ain’t scared no more.”
I’m on my way to meet Saara Aalto at a swanky Soho hotel. Her new single, Monsters, is blasting through my headphones and right into my soul. I make my way through the crowded London streets with an extra bounce in my step, invigorated by the infectious disco beat and empowering lyrics.
When the “snow fairy from Finland” arrives, rocking a sunshine yellow fluffy jacket and asymmetric undercut, she confides, “The song is about letting go of negative thoughts. I’ve always felt like an outsider. I’m from a very small village, and there was no one like me in my school. My flamboyant style and bubbly personality is just not Finnish!” But it was this irrepressible individuality, as well as her gorgeous “epic love pop” voice that won her the nation’s hearts and second place on the 2016 UK X Factor. “It was such an important thing for me, but I still sometimes had those negative comments in my head. It’s time to let go.”
Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Saara Aalto in the May issue of DIVA, available to buy in print or digitally here.
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