“I mean, what more can I say about my puss?” Cobrah asks with an innocent giggle. “Am I just going to beat this horse to death?” Her directness makes me blush. It’s 11am and the Swedish club queen is sitting in a central London café wearing a corset and high heels. A baby in a high chair is spoon-fed by its mother just centimetres behind her. It’s a comical scene, but, strangely enough, one that sums up the new, more personal direction she has taken on her debut album, Torn – a direction that sees her trade the fork-tongued vulgarities of her previous releases for something more personal.
You see, Cobrah has long been branded as a dominatrix: the succubus of Sweden’s club circuit that forces sexual partners into submission with her indomitable feminine energy. Her breakthrough moment came in 2023 with a thumping techno track titled “Good Puss”, and subsequent cuts were certified platinum in sex-positive nightclubs around the world. But, behind the scenes, Cobrah began to suffocate beneath the latex uniform that defined her musical persona.
“I felt like I was hiding behind the character of Cobrah. I could give very little of myself vocally, and I wouldn’t say anything that had any bigger meaning,” the Swedish star explains, before quickly catching herself: “Not that you have to! That [carefree hedonism] is part of the sound, but I feel like that culture caught up with me. People started to recreate it, and it became a thing. When I sat down to write this album, it just felt really boring. It wasn’t new and exciting anymore.”
“I tried to push those thoughts away and believe that Clara is Cobrah, that whatever I want to do and explore as a person is what Cobrah is,” she continues. This is particularly apparent on a trio of tracks at the heart of Torn: “Hush”, “Charming” and “Dog”, which all branch out into a longing for a love that lasts longer than the one night stands she previously wrote about. “I want a dog, I want a puppy, I want a life together you just want to fuck me,” she groans on “Dog”, inverting the connotations of a ‘dog’ as sexually submissive into something more homely.
This conflict between Clara-the-person and Cobrah-the-dominatrix is exactly why she named the project Torn. “I think that ‘torn’ sounds like you’re stretching something,” she tells me, miming the pulling of latex until it snaps with a gasp of relief. “For the cover, I was really into stretch marks. I saw these massive stretch marks on Tiktok and they had these beautiful patterns. I thought it was just so beautiful that you would get scarred because you’re growing or because pregnancy is scarring.”
While maximalist club production still forms the heart of Torn, this more personal subject matter manifests in a marked self-assuredness in Cobrah’s presence: she sings with confidence on the title track, lays her heart bare on “Charming”, and has found a renewed comfort in the skin-tight outfits she wears. Cobrah is quick to emphasise that this doesn’t mean the end of her succubus persona – “I love to bake and be a dominatrix at the same time” – but it does open the door to a more complete picture of who she is right now. It’s for all these reasons that her appearance in that central London café, corset pulled tight and baby (not hers) in the background, was so fitting: there’s more to Cobrah than just techno and “Good Puss”.
Deeper still, this newfound harmony has also led to Cobrah redefining her relationship to clubbing. “I figured out a way to club that works for me,” she explains. “It’s lots of Ubers, really nice clothing, and, obviously, I don’t queue anymore. Clubbing just gets better and better!” So, in this spirit, below, we ask Swedish club queen Cobrah to imagine her dream night out, from the pres to the post-club scran.
What day is this?
Cobrah: It would be a Friday, because you can be hungover on Saturday and still get a day off.
Where are you?
Cobrah: I think it would be in Paris because you have all of these outdoor bars, the drinks are really cheap, and you can get cheese and alcohol at the same time.
What essential supplies are you bringing with you?
Cobrah: I always bring – for real – lip gloss, tequila in a little mini bottle, and cigarettes.
Where are you pre-drinking?
Cobrah: In my dream, we would go to an extremely fancy place, like a Michelin-star restaurant. Massive amounts of teeny, tiny bites, and old-fashioned [cocktails] or something.
Where’s the venue?
Cobrah: Silencio [in Paris] is really nice, but when I think about the dream world where I would go, it would be to start a raid at Area 51. This is not even in Paris, we would fly there. That would be an ace place to do a party.
I figured out a way to club that works for me: lots of Ubers, really nice clothing, and, obviously, I don’t queue anymore. Clubbing just gets better and better!
Who’s on the lineup?
Cobrah: Yeah, I’m on the lineup. Me and the aliens are rocking out. I do a little Grammy performance, only one song so I don’t get tired. I need to party. But it would have lots of scenography. It would cost millions and millions of dollars, but it would be just like that Tarantino movie where the stripper does one dance and then turns into a monster – From Dusk Till Dawn!
I’d also book VTSS for the show, because she’s a good friend.
What song do you want to hear on the dancefloor?
Cobrah: I really like Ayesha Erotica’s “Literal Legend”. It’s just a sick track from underground club culture – I know every word of it. Oh, also, I’ve thought about this. Do you know what’d be really fun? “When You Were Young” by The Killers!
What are you drinking?
Cobrah: I always drink either really strong alcoholic drinks, like the Negronis and the Old Fashions, or tequila, because you don’t have to pee all the time. Also, if you drink strong alcohol, you feel the rush, so I like a good shot. Like, it needs to happen now!
When is the right time to leave the club?
Cobrah: Some people like to leave when it’s peaking. Obviously, you want to be there for the peak, but when there’s a sense that things are coming down, right before everyone else is leaving, I think that’s the perfect [time to leave]. Half an hour before the club closes, so you can get your jacket real quick.
Well, since it seems like you’ve got a private jet at your disposal, where is the best place to get food afterwards?
Cobrah: I would fly back to Sweden and go to the candy shop. I would get all the candy in the world, but mainly liquorice. It’s always on my rider, especially European liquorice. Some venues in America actually get it right; they actually get European liquorice!
Torn releases tomorrow (March 6).