A DAY'S MARCH: Hi Klara! You have a painting with a cowboy boot motif in the background. – Yes, I got it from my boyfriend as a birthday present. He painted my favorite pair of cowboy boots. A DAY'S MARCH: There's been a massive resurgence of Country music in recent years. Why do you think that is? – Hard to say. Music goes in cycles. It's a genre that's been around for a long time, built on human voices and storytelling, and feels timeless. But why now? You could speculate that with all the AI around, maybe people long for something more human and authentic. Do you have a typical country audience when you perform with First Aid Kit in the US? – No, there we're more indie. You don't hear us on the radio; we're outside the big, commercial country scene.

A DAY'S MARCH: Has Sweden had a particularly big country boom? – It seems international, like Beyoncé released a country album. But there's also been a long-standing fascination with that kind of music here in Sweden. And there are lots of nerds! It's been fun with our Country Club nights. We generally have a young audience but also older fans who are genuine country enthusiasts, which is great. They recognize the Gram Parsons songs I always want to play—ones the younger crowd might not know—and I feel like I get to introduce them. A DAY'S MARCH: Looking at the Country Club audience, people go all in. It's like a cosplay event. – Yeah, it's taken on a life of its own. We started with 600 people, and now it's up to 3,000. People dress up and go all out. The first time, a spontaneous line dance broke out on the dance floor after the concert, and I thought, "Yes, we did it!"

A DAY'S MARCH: What does working with Countryklubben give you that you might not get with First Aid Kit? – It's a lot more spontaneous. With First Aid Kit, we work on an album for a long time, then tour—everything is very planned, and we only play our own music. Here, I get to pick and choose from my favorite songs. It's a lot of work—you learn about 20 songs for just one night—but it's so much fun. And I get to work with all kinds of guest artists. It's such a joy to invite them into that world. A DAY'S MARCH: Who would be your dream artist to perform with at the Country Club? – Honestly, we've already had so many dream artists. But it's been especially fun to bring in artists who don't usually do country—it creates a cool dynamic. Like when we had Sebastian Murphy from Viagra Boys. He was incredible and brought tremendous energy. But looking ahead... I'd love to have Robyn sometime if she's up for it. A DAY'S MARCH: When I think of First Aid Kit, I think more folk than country. How do those genres relate to each other? – Good question. When you listen, it doesn't feel all that divided—you take in the music. For example, you could say there's more pedal steel in country. But really, country music is rooted in folk traditions. I especially love the storytelling lyrics—which both genres have in common.

A DAY'S MARCH: Would you say folk are more political than country regarding counterculture and such? – I'd say that's true. Folk music often has more political messages, while country music tends to focus more on heartbreak. A DAY'S MARCH: Since we're a fashion brand, I have to investigate the clothing side of things. Folk and country—do they have different styles, too? – Yeah, I think so. Country makes me think of jeans, Nudie suits, a bit more flashy maybe. Folk is more down-to-earth, more hippie. A DAY'S MARCH: You're deeply involved in this world—do you live the clothing style 24/7, or is it just for the stage? – It was much more a part of my identity when I was younger. I always wanted to dress the way I did on stage—lots of polyester dresses with colorful patterns. But then I got tired of that. I want to dress up for the stage and create a stage persona. It's part of my ritual to get into performance mode.

A DAY'S MARCH: Do you have a style icon? – Absolutely. I have a Pinterest board with country women from the '60s and '70s. Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris—I always come back to them. A DAY'S MARCH: How many cowboy hats do you own? – Just one. But many more cowboy boots. A DAY'S MARCH: You're going to be a mom. From personal experience, it'll often be terrible music-wise. You're going to hear a lot of bad music. Do you have a strategy for raising your child with good taste in music? – I think I'll do what my parents did—have no strategy. Just encourage music listening in general. Don't comment on what's "bad" music, but make sure to play great music. That's how it was for me—it was always in the background while I was growing up, and we found our way to it. But there is good kids' music, too. I've made a playlist of songs I'll enjoy listening to. A DAY'S MARCH: They're magnets for awful songs; just be prepared. – Yeah, I guess that's something you have to accept.