Icona Pop Brings Ritual Tour to Lincoln Hall
Review by Allison Horvatin – Photo by Sterling Hightower
Audiences waited in line outside Lincoln Hall, warming themselves during the first crisp day of Chicago autumn. Security greeted every guest with a smile and didn’t shy away from friendly small talk.
Warming up the audience was Zeetus Lapetus, who showered the audience in flashing rainbow lights and disco.
A manifestation for Icona Pop’s set.
On stage, there was a table with unlit white candles and incense. And in the corner of the stage was a metal bowl with water and two conch shells. The candles were lit. Sounds of birds chirping played. Sounds of howling wind crescendoed as the beloved pop duo took the stage from opposite sides of the table wearing knee-high black boots and leather jackets. They began with the tour’s namesake, Ritual.
They brought out folding fans and sunglasses to bring the summer beach vibes into the hot, sweaty darkness of the audience.
Icona Pop are best friends and had been taking audiences on their musical journey for 17 years.
Icona Pop expressed that they had to spend time apart from each other to create their latest album, and it was hard, but they were thankful that that time made them stronger.
They gave ‘hand hearts’ to the audience and the audience gave them back. Icona Pop sang to the audience; they held out their microphones, and the audience sang back, with just as much energy and love.
Their attention then drew to the metal bowl on the stage floor, filled with water and two conch shells. Icona Pop got on their knees and took the water from the bowl in the conch and poured it on themselves, like a baptism washing them clean of anything that is not this moment.
As the show ended, the audience begged for another song. Icona Pop did not prepare another song, but sang “We Got The World” a cappella anyway. A labour of love that will not be forgotten.
There was nothing else in the world that matters as much as the music and the dance in Lincoln Hall that night!
Thinking back, I remember pounding my fists to “I Love It” in my car seat with my sister as a kid, and now I was able to experience the same fist pounding energy live. I listened to their music all the way home and didn’t want the concert to end.
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Gallery:
Icona Pop Tour Dates:
October 23, 2026 – Pustervik – Göteborg, Sweden
October 24, 2026 – Mejeriet – Lund, Sweden
October 30, 2026 – Vulkan Arena – Oslo, Norway
November 6, 2026 – Arbis Bar & Salong – Norrköping, Sweden
November 7, 2026 – Berns – Stockholm, Sweden
November 13, 2026 – Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, Denmark
November 20, 2026 – TBA – Las Vegas, NV
November 21, 2026 – Moroccan Lounge – Los Angeles, CA
Icona Pop Biography:
Icona Pop has always represented the ultimate freedom of expression for its two members and longtime friends: Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo.
Their freedom as women and artists has underscored their thriving impact and influence as one of pop music’s most innovative and irresistible multiplatinum chart-topping forces of nature. However, their third full-length album, Ritual, is actually about ownership. They are owning who they are as mothers, creative partners, entrepreneurs, leaders, sisters,and women.
This feminine reclamation manifests across the record, carving out a safe space for emotion, release, and transformation. Truly inclusive, it’s there for anybody who’s willing to open up to the sound as well. Throughout this process, they’ve reshaped the dancefloor into a holy space guided by the spell of music with dancing and body movement as the ultimate catharsis. Life may have changed, and the industry may have changed, but their friendship is stronger than ever.
Caroline and Aino went from being club kids in Stockholm to commanding clubs, arenas, and festivals from the stage. They’ve watched one another fall in love, fall out of love, and find love again. They’ve been there for each other through heartbreak, success, sickness, and anything else that two decades of friendship could throw at them. They even both became moms within days of each other, passing this bond onto their children. Through love, divorce, anxiety, success, and reinvention, they’ve grown stronger.
Now, the spirit of sisterhood shines brighter than ever on Ritual. The LP is a late-night conjuration of expertly crafted emotional electro-pop rooted in bubbly growing synth architecture and based in euphoric tension, yearning for climax through melodic maximalism. It invites you into a world of late-night conjuration of club-ready rhythms, emotional synthesizers, bittersweet pop melodies, and lyrics that are both raw and vulnerable. It’s the sound of two women at the height of their emotional intelligence and creative confidence as the regain ownership of their artistry and lives.
“It’s always been us against the world,” Caroline says. “But now, it feels like we’ve built a world of our own. We let each other grow; and we want each other to be happy. It’s beautiful to have somebody with you through the hardest times, but also the greatest times. We don’t take it for granted.”
Aino elaborates, “No matter what different period of life we’re in, our friendship grows stronger every time we go through something. We’ve learned to know each other through music. It’s beautiful how Caroline is even more than a sister to me—she’s like the twin I never had.”
A season of changes set Ritual into motion. The onset of motherhood marked biggest and the most beautiful change. At the same time, moving back to Sweden after many years in Los Angeles would be significant as well. Caroline went through the kind of heartbreak that flips life upside down. Simultaneously, Aino had quietly struggled with overwhelming anxiety. Still, they leaned one another through constant communication.
“Looking back we were both struggling in our own way and had different needs to heal. I think it was very beautiful that we gave each other that space to work on ourselves while still being there for each other,” says Caroline.
She elaborates, “The whole journey with Ritual was us being in the studio with people that made us feel safe enough to stay in the uncomfortable and explore. We had no rules making this album. All feelings were welcome, and that felt very liberating. That’s why the album sounds so honest. Writing the album became very therapeutic and important to be able to move forward and heal.”
This honesty defines the single “Hurt Me.” Lonely keys flicker in the distance as a chopped-up vocal loop flutters in the foreground. The momentum picks up, and a confessional chorus takes hold, “Although you hurt me, everything comes to an end.” Shaking off the sadness, the track races to the finish line on a pulsating bass-heavy outro.
“We were absolutely crying in the studio,” Caroline remembers. “It’s written from the perspective of let go and starting to move on. It’s a vulnerable track about the process of saying goodbye. The message is, ‘Even though you hurt me, I’m still alive. I can look back at memories and think they were beautiful. I wonder if you see it the same way. I hope you do’.”
She adds, “‘Hurt Me’ is not an angry song about revenge. It’s a song about brutal acceptance of being left by the one you love. It hurts, but you’re realizing that you’re going to be fine and you’re letting go. When the song reaches climax at the end, it almost feels like you’re out on the other side dancing with your friends again still hurt—but also happy.”
“Dance To This” channels O.G. Icona Pop with its chanting choir hook and edgy verses punctuated by clever couplets like, “I kinda wanna get a drink, but I don’t wanna pay the price. I kinda wanna take you home, but I really gotta hear this song. I kinda wanna burn a bridge, kinda wanna be a bitch, kinda wanna take a risk, kinda wanna dance to this.” It spirals into the embrace of a body-moving sweat-soaked dancefloor-ready refrain.
“The production definitely reminds me of old Icona Pop,” smiles Aino. “We could perform it live, but we could also put it in a DJ set.”
“Lyrically, it’s one of those nights when you’re finding yourself by going out,” Caroline reveals. “During a healing process, you have to slow down and think, but you can’t work on yourself 24/7 for too long. You need to get out and see what happens. If you mess up, you mess up. It’s the moment you see yourself dancing and connected to your essence. For the night, you’re not thinking of everyone else; it’s just about getting into the music.”
Then, there’s the epic title track “Ritual” featuring Daya. A rickety bassline wobbles beneath cinematically ceremonial verses where “a medicine man in New York City” offers up sagely advice. As the production twists and turns, the hook simply intoxicates, “This is my ritual. Yeah, I do it to survive.”
“‘Ritual’ explains what the album is all about,” Caroline notes. “You’re searching for answers and wondering, ‘Who am I? How do I move forward?’ It’s very spiritual and true. One of our closest friends visited a medicine man searching for answers, and he looked at her and said, ‘Your body is cold. You need to dance and eat warm food. You need to make your body feel alive’. We had to put that in the song, and Daya was amazing on it!”
“It spotlights these small rituals we rely on to get through everyday life,” Aino elaborates. “You have your little walk, brush your teeth, put your hair up, or drink your coffee at a certain place. Caroline and I work very differently, which is why we’re a good team. I’m a slow thinker; she is a Ferrari! Our differences are a superpower.”
Futuristic synths and a snappy beat underscore the cheeky and catchy “Butterfly Feelings.” The hook asks, “My heart is beating, do you feel the same?”
“It’s a little song about falling stupidly in love,” laughs Caroline. “We were thinking of all the times when we had that feeling. You try to deny it in the beginning, but you can’t stop thinking of this person.”
For Icona Pop, there’s ultimately no better ritual than friendship.
“It’s okay to not be okay, but still go out and dance,” Caroline leaves off. “It’s okay to be where you are right now. Find your rituals, find your friends, and find your energy.”
As if finishing Caroline’s thought, Aino concurs, “Go dance, move your body, meet people, hug, kiss, and don’t hide.”
Icona Pop Links:
Official: https://www.iconapop.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iconapop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconapop/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iconapop