“Dare to be a little crazy” Spotify-founder launches own perfume house

First things first, who is Martin Lorentzon?

I would say that I’m an incredibly curious person who easily gets obsessed with my hobbies. I’m a software entrepreneur which happened naturally thanks to my early interest in computers and computer games. I can still get lost in those worlds as it’s an outlet for my creativity and problem solving abilities. I’m passionate about developing things that aren’t yet available but which I feel can create big exciting changes for the world. That’s probably what sparked Spotify. And now MA|LO.

That brings us to the next question! After amazing success with Spotify you’re now launching your own perfume house, so why perfume?

I was never really interested in perfume before I met Tara (Derakshan) who spoke deeply and heartfelt about the world of scents. When Tara paired up with Lisa to start Sniph, I immediately started subscribing and found many fantastic perfumes that I’d never heard of before. For example, Electric Wood, Fortis, BSX and Celluloid. I began exploring many different types of scents so when the opportunity arose to accompany Tara and Lisa to Paris to meet up with different perfumers I needed to take the chance. I asked them to create scents based on the notes I knew I liked, both darker, more complex and lighter molecular scent notes. It became a new obsession to adjust these creations together with Sniph and after many iterations Padre and Spirit were born. I think both scents are divine and use them both daily in different ways.

But my interest didn’t end there. Now that I had gotten a taste for the process behind creating perfumes and the incredible possibilities, we kept on creating together with the perfumers and ended up with four more scents to add to the MA|LO collection – Wizard, Flower Hour, Skin Bouquet and Queen Flora. It’s been a long process to create the perfect scents. We’ve been going for at least two years. But I wouldn’t change a drop. They’re absolutely perfect.

Which is your strongest scent memory?

I’ve heard that Marcel Proust, one of the great legends, locked himself in a room and got fed through a hole in the door to dedicate himself completely to writing about his childhood. Sensations which let him explore his memories once again. Perfume is similar in that way. Everybody want sto smell good but scents also create memories. Detergent, laundry, grass, P.E halls – all these scents reminding us of childhood. I think scent as a medium will grow stronger in the same way sound has since we started Spotify. It’s an important ingredient to living a life fully connected to yourself, your memories and your surroundings.

To answer your question I’ve got three answers. The perfume Fahrenheit by Dior takes me back to my teens and school discos. The scent of freshly cut grass brings out the image of my father with the lawnmower. And lastly, oranges decorated with cloves which my uncle’s wife made every year for Christmas. These scent memories are so strongly connected to my childhood that I can feel them at any time.

What was your biggest inspiration when creating these six scents?

As I mentioned earlier the two first scents, Padre and Spirit, were created from a wish to explore the scent notes I was the most obsessed with. A combination of the perfumes I found which spoke to me, but with a unique take. It’s much more complex than one might think to create perfumes as scents act differently on each wearer. The scent notes develop and change which makes it all very fascinating. All six scents are created to bring out the same obsession I felt when starting to explore the enchanting world of scents.

Who do you see as the bearer of these scents?

Myself, of course. And my dream woman. I really love all six scents. My favourites right now are Wizard and Padre which I use all the time. I feel as though feminine and masculine no longer defines us and scents are especially unisex. I love gifting my perfumes to those around me and there’s no definite correlation between who loves Padre or Flower Hour more based on gender. We’ve come further than the idea that complex scents are for men and light scents are for women. MA|LO represents something beyond brand and marketing – the scents are what matter and we’ve done a terrific job with that.

How do you use scents in your everyday life?

I use scent constantly and vary a lot depending on where I’m headed. I give away scents as gifts, talk about perfumes with friends and I’m always curious to learn more. Discovering perfumes through Sniph has been truly eye-opening and I always read the card that comes with each scent. I guess the complexity and scent notes to see if I’m right. Right now, I’m obsessed with Padre and Wizard though.

Which part has scents played in your life?

Just as with sounds, perfume didn’t have a big impact in my life until my interest was sparked. I wasn’t thinking about music or audiobooks before I began with Spotify either but as time passes both sound and scent play bigger parts in my life. I smell everything now, even myself!

Do you have any tips for doing your own thing and discovering new paths?

You have to dare to try things out and take chances – dare to be a little crazy. Don’t do too much, focus on one thing – and test test test. See if you can find someone who shares your passion because it’s lonely to be alone. Reach out to the three f’s – friends, family and fools!

Lastly, as scents are so connected to memories, how would you like to be remembered?

As curious, different and exciting!