Becky and the Birds, the moniker of Swedish artist, songwriter, and producer Thea Gustafsson shares her new single and video, ‘Way back to You,’ out now via Young.
LISTEN / WATCH ‘WAY BACK TO YOU’ NOW
Produced by Gustafsson alongside Nick Velez, ‘Way back to You’ marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for Becky and the Birds. Built from the drums up, the track finds Gustafsson leaning further into instinct and experimentation, allowing rhythm to drive the song’s emotional core. Layered vocal samples, warped textures, and an aching sense of longing collide in a sound that feels both intimate and unruly, pushing her songwriting and production into exhilarating new territory.
Speaking about the song, Gustafsson says:
“‘Way back to You’ started with the drums, which is unusual for me. I built everything around that feeling and followed my instincts from there. I wanted the song to feel alive, a little unpredictable, and emotionally messy in the best possible way. It’s about longing for something you can’t quite reach, but continuing to move toward it anyway.”
For the visuals for ‘Way back to You,’ Gustafsson enlisted artist Ellen Nielsen to create two companion pieces inspired by the song, each offering its own interpretation and emotional response to the music.
Becky and the Birds – Way back to You (In for Me Out for You)
Over the last few years, Becky and the Birds has quietly become one of the most compelling figures operating between experimental pop, R&B, electronic music, and leftfield songwriting. Following the release of her debut album Only Music Makes Me Cry Now in 2024, Gustafsson has expanded her reach well beyond her own projects, building a reputation as a producer, songwriter, and creative collaborator with a rare ability to move between worlds. The buzz isn’t limited to her collaborators. Recently spotlighted by Pigeons & Planes as one of Stockholm’s essential artists to know, they put it plainly: “keep your eyes on Becky and the Birds for sure.”
Alongside being named Producer of the Year at the Swedish Grammis, Gustafsson has spent the past year lending her touch to projects across the spectrum, with recent production and songwriting credits including Amyl and The Sniffers and Fred again..’s ‘You’re A Star,’ Don Toliver’s ‘Pleasure’s Mine,’ and Dijon’s ‘The Stranger.’ She’s also become something of a cult figure online thanks to her connection to the long-circulated, unreleased Drake track ‘Stargazing,’ a collaboration that has developed an almost mythical status among listeners.
Onstage, she continues to push her own music into increasingly unpredictable territory. Recent highlights include opening for Robyn at Stockholm’s 3Arena, alongside appearances at Pitchfork Music Festival Paris and C2C in Turin, where her live show has evolved into something fluid and constantly shifting, rebuilding songs in real time through improvisation, manipulation, and experimentation rather than simply recreating them. Glimpse of her live performance here.
Written during a run of sessions in California with longtime collaborator Nick Velez, ‘Way back to You’ captures Gustafsson at her most instinctive. It’s a song that trusts feeling over perfection, pairing emotional directness with the kind of production choices that have made her one of the most exciting musical minds working right now.
Becky and The Birds
Way back to You
YOUNG
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