With Netflix superstardom ticked off, the Young Royals alum is vying for the crown in pop’s history books…and then some.
Omar wears full look DSQUARED2.
Omar Rudberg is toying with the idea of a new side hustle. “If I had the time…” the singer, songwriter, actor and beauty brand founder prefaces, “it would be cool to open up a really chic café or boutique somewhere.” It wouldn’t be some cookie-cutter establishment, but the it-spot in town. “I would want everyone to go there and everyone to want to be there because it’s the place,” the Stockholm-based 26-year-old says. The problem is, despite the sprawling Northern Hemisphere days of his city – when we catch up over the summer – hours are still something Omar Rudberg’s short on.
Our video call is wedged in the middle of a day devoted to chores. At the moment, he’s relaxed – sat in his bedroom, sporting a white cami, his cherry-cola locks in an orderly tousle. However, laundry, the gym and packing await. Tomorrow he’s bound for a gig at Gothenburg’s Way Out West festival. Having the diary space to fill with shows and everything else that comes with his primary passion – making fully-loaded, arena-sized pop – is still a reality Omar’s getting used to. Until last year, he was juggling pop stardom with a three-season run as the co-lead of Netflix’s Swedish sleeper hit queer drama, Young Royals. “I used to not really have the time to be in the studio that much,” he explains. “So now I’m just locked in.”
The show saw the turbulent, inter-class romance of Omar’s Simon and Edvin Ryding’s Wilhelm – a fictional Swedish Prince – beamed into the homes of teenagers the world over, decreeing international fame upon its leads in the process.There are now over 2M followers on Instagram and TikTok, respectively, following Omar’s daily movements. He also has a sell-out genderless fragrance line, OMR Beauty, to his name. “The show was a huge part of my life,” he reflects. “Now that it’s over, it feels like thousands of years ago, but at the same time, it feels like yesterday.” However, “My biggest dream has always been to do music.” It’s how life in the public eye – in Sweden, at least – began for Omar, just seven years after he and his mum emigrated to the country from his Venezuelan birthplace, Anaco. As one quarter of teenage boyband FO&O, Omar opened for Justin Bieber for three Stockholm dates in 2013, releasing a string of singles and an album before the group’s 2017 disbandment.
Omar wears jacket ARASCKA; jeans HOPE; ring CARTIER
“My dream has always been to become the artist I aspire to be,” Omar continues. “To do sick songs with sick artists. And tour… definitely tour.” The past year has seen him ticking off those goals in the way he’ll be firing through today’s To-Do list later. Last October, he released EP “Every Night Fantasy”, his solo major label debut. He followed up in February with cosmic gender fluidity anthem, “I’m Not A Boy”, coinciding with his 18-date inaugural European tour. “That was the craziest experience I’ve ever had,” he beams. He wants to hit the road again, “but I can’t talk about it yet…” His current international run of festival dates means he’s still having essential face-to-face contact with fans, though. “That is what makes it all worth it. You get a high from that. And I know how it feels being a fan, being at a show and feeling so many things.”
He’ll be making a beeline for the pit when he’s not onstage at Way Out West – specifically to see Charli xcx, MK.gee and Chappell Roan. “After my show it’s Chappell,” he smiles, “so I’m definitely partying.” When it comes to his own set, taking his next track for a spin – stark, vintage power ballad “Dying” – is a top priority. “[Fan reactions] are like candy for me,” Omar says. Whenever he releases a song or perfume, he finds himself glued to TikToks of fans critiquing his wares.“I could scroll through them all night.”
Any negative opinions of “Dying” are unlikely to sway his conviction for the track, however. When a demo was sent to him, “I didn’t even finish the whole song. I just stopped after the verse, and I sent a message to my team and said, ‘How can this song not be out yet? I feel like I’m listening to a huge song that’s been out for years.’ The piano, the chords, the lyrics, the melody. Everything was just big and huge.” His team agreed. So, “I made sure that it was mine.”
Omar wears coat FAYETTE/NORLING; boots CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
He’s perhaps well-primed to spot a hit because his own childhood playlists were so concentrated in pop power players. “I had a lot of eras in my life,” he tells me. Lady Gaga was one, Whitney Houston another. “Rihanna definitely made my whole teenage life.” And before he was opening up for Justin, Omar was simply a Belieber like much of his generation. “Justin takes me back to those feelings and those young days,” he says. He’s currently hooked on his July seventh studio album, SWAG – “Love, love, love.”
The performance stripes of more recent pop breakthroughs have also turned Omar’s head. He attended Tate McRae’s Miss Possessive arena tour in June. The 22-year-old former professional dancer is her generation’s flag-bearer for Y2K-indebted precision choreography (à la Britney, Janet, J.Lo). “Her dancers were just jaw-dropping,” Omar says. “I think dance in general is just so inspiring.” It’s the art form that most feeds his creativity when he’s not listening to music. “Whenever I can, I go to this dance showcase that is in a club here in Stockholm – twice, three times a year, maybe. I enjoy it so much. I just go and watch.”
When he’s not taking in the Swedish capital’s dance exploits, the pop history that seemingly courses through the city’s waterways is also a wellspring of inspiration. “There’s something about the melody here and the structure of a pop song that makes it pop,” Omar muses. From ABBA, to synth-pop doyen Robyn and inescapable 21st century songwriter Max Martin (Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande) – the city rivals only London as a European capital of the genre. As an artist working there, can he put his finger on that Midas touch? “It’s a hard question…” Maybe it’s a product of escapism – “Everyone’s depressed here most of the time during the winter as it’s so cold and dark,” he ponders. On the flip side, “The summer here is incredible, so maybe that inspires everyone.” Or “Maybe it’s the meatballs that everyone eats.”
Left: Omar wears vest HOPE; trousers DIORMEN; boots DSQUARED2; earring SIF JAKOB. Right: Omar wears vest LINDA DEKHLA;trousers VERSACE; boots CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN; rings MURKY, ENNUI ATELIER.
Whatever the secret ingredient is, it’s evidently aiding the Swedish knack for Eurovision, too – the country ranks joint second in victories across the contest’s almost 70-year history. The national selection process, Melodifestivalen – a televised, six-week-long, X Factor-style competition – was an entry point for Omar in the spectacle of performance. “It’s almost culture in Sweden to watch it. It’s just this cosy time in February, where winter is just horrific. When I was a kid, starting off, I took inspiration from the artists who were performing…I loved their songs, and I sang their songs a lot. I dressed up like one of them.” While now he looks for musical inspiration elsewhere, “That was when things started to spark a little bit.”
FO&O would later make it to the Melodifestivalen final in 2017. However, these days, flying the flag for his country on the Eurovision stage isn’t a possibility Omar’s drawn to as a soloist. “I will never say never. But I feel like [competing] gives me more anxiety than fun. I would love to guest [perform].” Honouring facets of his cultural identity in his art takes other forms, like releasing versions of some of his tracks in his first language, Spanish. “I feel like it’s a part of me, singing in Spanish,” he explains. “And I don’t want to lose that, even though I do pop most of the time. If it comes naturally and it works, then I will do it.”
Omar wears jacket & jeans ARASCKA; boots VAGABOND; necklace OLE LYNGGAARD; rings SEAMS
Such an embrace of his instincts is defining the next chapter of Omar’s story. While, for now, music comes first, eventually “I definitely see myself acting,” he says. Edvin recently graduated to the big screen with a role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. “I’m just so happy for him. He’s definitely on his way to becoming this huge star and I really want that for him. I get excited when I see him doing his thing and talking about his projects. I get some butterflies where I’m like, ‘Doing a movie would be incredible.’ So we’ll see. I feel like it’s the right time, right movie – whenever it comes to me I’ll know it’s right.”
The only burning question that remains is – should he ever find the time to cut the ribbon on that it-spot-in-waiting, what would the signature offering be? Matcha? Pâtisseries? He declines to divulge. However, the omission might actually be cause for optimism. “Actually, I do have an idea. So I’m not going to say it because I don’t want anyone to take it,” he smiles. “It could happen.” In the world of Omar Rudberg, the possibilities might just be endless.
Omar wears vest HOPE; earring SIF JAKOB; bracelets & ring CARTIER
Photography by Jacob & Yas at BAD LAND
Styling by Anna Sundelin
Words by Andrew Wright
Hair by Adam Lukacs
Make-up by Christopher Mørch Husby
Set Design by Cristian Lind
Videography by Gustav Svante Larsson at xodotstudio