Why I moved home. 

Hello everyone! My name is Anna Victoria and I'm here to present myself as a proud northerner (i.e., someone that lives just south of the Arctic Circle!). If you are reading this, you might be thinking, “why should I move there,” “how the hell am I supposed to survive in that rigid climate” or “is it actually possible to thrive in minus 45?!” 

First of all, I didn’t always feel at home here. I mean, when I realized at six years of age that my parents chose to live in this small town instead of the beautiful west coast of Sweden, where I'm born, my mind was set - as soon as possible, I'm getting the f*ck out of here! And so I did. Thus, please believe me when I say, somewhere along the way, I came to realize the beauty of this part of the world (after quite a lot of traveling!).  

And that led me to create the Annie’s Beauty of Swedish Lapland List:  

  • The fresh air (it’s actually healthy for my lungs to breathe the oxygen here, compared to the overly polluted air of larger cities). Every time you land at Luleå’s airport, an instant reminder of the very healthy environment strikes you at first breath! 
  • The clean and fresh water – it doesn’t taste of chlorine and there is ZERO need to buy bottled water. Just crystal clear, clean and delicious water right from the tap!   
  • The night skies! I live in the middle of town, and I can still see the stars and northern lights in the night sky (unless it’s during the midnight sun season of summer, which is an awesome phenomenon itself!).  
  • The creative community. As an independent artist, I must say there’s a very unique support system to nurture local growth within the creative scene in Luleå.   
  • The safety. The level of safety is high, even though I firmly believe the only true safety is self-reliance. Still, you can’t compare the feeling of being surrounded by grounded and compassionate human beings vs. stressed egomaniacs running too fast everywhere! Also, I can leave my house without being worried about burglars or crazy neighbors. Very cool.  

But, I have to be honest, I didn’t really plan to move back home. It was thanks to the travel ban in 2020 thart I couldn’t come back to my house in the most magical place in Europe - Ibiza. My home was there, my heart and my business. Suddenly, I was blocked. At first, I couldn’t really cope with the fact that I was stuck in the town I decided to say “sayonara” to 10 years earlier. So, I decided to go to an even smaller village, Gunnarsbyn, about 50 minutes outside of Luleå. It was in Gunnarsbyn where I healed and recouped - and also where I first met Chana and Markus, the co-founders of MindDig. Of all places on the planet, we met in a village of 150 citizens. What the hell? Ok, maybe the universe really wanted me to come back here. Sometimes one needs to obey the grandmaster in order to fulfill one’s deepest potential. Slowly my body started to embrace the situation and after being accepted to the music program at Luleå Technical University, I understood that yes, I’m going to be based here for some time.   

The last two years have been a time of exploration, and a chance to rediscover my roots with fresh eyes. I believe this region will attract people who are not afraid of their own company, people who seek to understand themselves from within, and people who value health rather than entertainment. For people who are never bored in their own company, and for those who feel the urge to build the future, this is the perfect place. If you really think about it, the soil here is so fertile right now - something is cooking beneath the surface - and that spice will spread to all dimensions of life. All levels will rise. Will you be a part of this journey with us?  

I’m Anna Victoria, a full-time DJ and producer, composer and songwriter. I play in a band and I teach others to learn the art of DJing. I’m producing sound designs for Kaunis Iron’s first podcast. Also, I’m quite passionate about cultivating the underground scene of electronic music in northern Sweden, but also to be present in the “overground” scenarios, like working with partners at Kulturens Hus, Ebeneser, and Norrbottensteatern. Even though I am based so far up north, it doesn’t stop me (anymore) from traveling to other epicenters of this universe. These days, I even think that it’s quite nice to be back in my home after traveling far. Hmmmm, imagine that. If you never try, you will never know. It might be worth it.