Loud Tiger
Raw resilience meets artistic freedom — Loud Tiger emerges as a voice that is both fearless and deeply authentic. After writing for international artists such as Alicia Keys and Macy Gray, the Danish artist now steps into the spotlight with a project that is entirely her own.
With Cactus, a debut album blending cinematic textures with Americana and modern pop influences, Loud Tiger transforms her most personal experiences — from chronic illness to love and self-reconstruction — into a powerful and deeply human body of work.
In this interview, she opens up about her journey, her need for creative independence, and how she has learned to turn life’s challenges into artistic strength.
Photo credit: Morten Rygaard
Hi, how are you?
Hi I’m great thanks…how are you? I’m just super excited for my album to drop in April. I’ve been putting so much work into it and can’t wait for you to hear it.
What’s your story? How did Loud Tiger come to life?
Well, I was making a living writing for other artists and I was loving it. But I had songs that kept creeping through the cracks that didn’t suit anybody else but me..
And I really missed singing and being on stage.
You’ve written for artists like Alicia Keys and Macy Gray before stepping out as Loud Tiger. What made you decide it was time to ride solo?
When Covid hit us all, I was living in LA. My mum had just been diagnosed with cancer and I therefore decided to return home to Denmark to be close to her. When I got here, it was hard to keep up with everyone in LA and I just decided maybe it was a good time to try something else, and put myself out there.
So I decided to start releasing songs I had been saving over the years. I made my own record company cause I didn’t want anybody else dictating what I should sing about or look like. I knew how to write songs, but nothing about releasing them, so I’ve had to learn a lot real fast. Still only just scratching the surface ;)
Cactus feels very cinematic, almost like a desert movie playing in our heads. When did this western-inspired universe first start taking shape for you?
I’m not sure you know… I think whilst writing this whole album it just became more and more clear. I honestly didn’t set out with a clear plan for these songs. We shaped them and their universe as we went along.
The cactus is such a powerful symbol — survival, resilience, blooming in extreme conditions. At what point did you realize this image represented the album?
When we had finished the songs for the album I looked at the overall theme… and it just felt like Cactus represented so much of what I have gone through. It is a resilient plant that flowers even without water.
Having had a chronic illness since I was 15, surviving years and years of insufferable pain, I think it started to represent how resilient I feel.
You sing “Life is tough but so am I.” Was there a specific moment in your life that sparked that mindset?
I love joking around and Life is Tough was written as a fun little song about how shitty everything was at the time. But now that I sing it back it makes more and more sense to me. Life is tough, but so am I. I accept that life can’t be all roses and I will make the best of it, with what I have.
Songs like “Whiplash” explore love-bombing and emotional disorientation. Was it difficult to revisit those experiences while writing?
Well it was definitely harder to go through than to revisit ;) But I always feel like it is therapeutic to get tough experiences down on paper… that way they don’t linger in my body like some untold truth that eats you up inside. Writing things down helps you reflect on the situation and see things more clearly I feel.
“Good Company” feels like an empowerment anthem with dust on its boots. What does self-respect mean to you today?
It means that I won’t compromise my own sanity, safety or health for somebody else. I would much rather be alone, than be made to feel small. Or constantly worry and cry over somebody who clearly needs to work on themselves before they can be in a loving relationship. We all have shit to deal with … but it shouldn’t bring your partner down. I’m done trying to fix other peoples issues for them.
You openly touch on chronic illness and physical and mental pain in this album. How did those experiences shape Cactus creatively?
I suffer from endometriosis and adenomyosis and I think the pain that I have lived with since I was 15, has done its fair share of shaping me into the person and artist I am today. My creative outlet definitely stems from a place of wanting to feel understood but also from wanting to guide/help other people. Most people don’t know how much I have suffered, or the battles I have had on a daily basis. I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago which has made it impossible for me to have kids.
It has taken up a lot of space both mentally and physically and I guess I thought it was finally time to open up about it.
How do you take care of your mental health on a daily basis?
Oh man… so much haha. I practice being kind to myself every day. I practice not comparing myself to others, and to not cry about all the time I have wasted being ill. I practice believing a bright future and I really cherish all the small things in life.
I do hot yoga and lift heavy weights (important to do for females!!). I love taking long walks, have deep talks with my family and friends. I have been a practicing buddhist (nichiren daishonins buddhism) for 18 years now which I give a lot of the credit for staying as strong and as positive as I am.
You’ve lived in London and Los Angeles and worked at a very high international level. How have those years influenced the artist you are today?
It definitely made me better at my craft and it has been amazing to witness and be a part of the industry at that high level. Working with people like Alicia Keys, Jon Bellion, Macy Gray has been experiences I don’t take for granted.
The hard part about coming out as an artist myself after having seen this level of success, is having to start from scratch all over again. No budget, no label, no nothing. I simply don’t have the budget for making the visuals, outfits or shows I dream of. But it’s okay. All creations shouldn’t have to be perfect :)
You collaborated closely with producer Sune Haansbæk on this record. What makes your creative partnership work so well?
Sune and I have known each other for many years now and we just work really well together. We’ve can be ourselves in the studio without any fuss or pressure. We have the same weird humor and besides laughing our asses off in the studio we luckily compliment each other great musically :)
Your sound blends banjo, lap steel and classic Americana textures with bold pop melodies. How do you find the balance between cinematic atmosphere and catchy hooks?
Hmm I think having been so focused on writing hooky choruses for so many years, it has become a part of how I tend to write. But I love that we mix the genres and that each song gets to live in its own way without us trying to force it to sound a specific way. We don’t have to box ourselves and make an album where all then songs sound the same. That’s the fun part of being independent I think.
What is the hardest part about being an artist? And what is the best part?
The hardest part for sure is all the work I’ve had to learn doing, that I didn’t do when I was just writing songs. I do everything myself so I have to fulfill the roles of about 8 record company jobs besides being the creative.
The best part is writing songs and performing and meeting my fans and hearing their stories !! I have met so many amazing people.
If listeners could take just one feeling or message away from Cactus, what would you hope it is?
I hope they go away uplifted !!! We all deal with struggles in our own way, but I hope I can encourage people to still believe in the good, keep a smile, get back up and live their best lives. Life is tough… but so are you !!!
Xxx Viktoria (Loud Tiger)
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