Utan gränser

On February 18, Heléne Hellmon releases the single “Utan gränser” (Without Borders). It’s an upbeat pop song that is about the equal value of all people and their right to a place in our society. The lyrics were created during a concert that Heléne organized during the election year of 2018. The theme was “democracy and humanity,” and the concert was called “Nära” (Close). That’s when the lyrics were written to the melody of Uno Svenningsson’s song “Under ytan” (Under the Surface), but now it has a new melody and a different sound. Heléne describes the timing of the song’s release during the election year of 2022 as both rewarding and exciting.

The inspiration for the lyrics came from the concern that arose in connection with the increasing influence and attention given to xenophobic opinions and parties in Sweden (and also in the rest of the world). “The lyrics reflect what I feel and where I stand regarding the right to everyone’s equal value, that everyone should have a place in our society, and the right to love whomever they want,” Heléne explains. “One of the lyric lines I often come back to, which is probably my favorite in the song, is: ‘En enda värld tillsammans, med samma värdegrund. Tänk om man kunde få låtsas det bara en liten liten stund.’ (One single world together, with the same foundation of values. Imagine if we could pretend that just for a little while.) We live in this world together and need to learn to accept and respect each other’s differences.”