Habits (Stay High)

Tove Lo stepped into the spotlight with a track that balanced sugary melodies against dark, messy lyrics. Released in late 2013 as the lead single from her debut album Queen of the Clouds, the song quickly became a defining moment for Swedish pop music. Written by Lo alongside Ludvig Söderberg and Jakob Jerlström, the duo known as The Struts, the production team crafted a sound that felt both minimal and massive. They recorded the piece between 2012 and 2013 at Warner/Chappell Studios in Stockholm, refining a track that originally appeared under the simpler title Habits. When Universal Music Group signed Lo, they rebranded the release to Habits (Stay High) in December 2013, setting the stage for a global breakthrough.

The track stands out because it juxtaposes an upbeat, danceable electropop rhythm with confessional storytelling about using substances to numb heartbreak. Critics noted this contrast immediately, praising how the catchy instrumentation masked the heavy emotional weight of the words. What started as an independent drop in March 2013 eventually evolved into a sleeper hit that dominated charts a year later. It climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest position ever reached by a Swedish artist on that specific chart since Ace of Base topped the list in 1994. The Recording Industry Association of America later certified the record eight times platinum, reflecting sales exceeding 2.6 million copies in the United States alone. Beyond American shores, the song secured number one spots in Poland and Romania while landing inside the top ten across Austria, Canada, France, and Switzerland. [edit]