“And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?”
Has 2015 morphed into Anno Musica Norwegian Stylee?
Året av norsk musikk?? Min norske er bedre, ja ?
Susanne Sundfor, HighAsAKite, A-ha (again), my current favourites Dråpe, and now, newest kid on the block and top contender for clear crystal #NorwEnglish (takk Jonny) singer of the year, Aurora.
So just who is this new bright light of the Norwegian music scene?
“Aurora Aksnes is a 19 year old girl from Bergen, who strives to write music that can inspire people, through idiosyncratic tales of struggle, love, and all that lies in between.”
Signed to Decca in 2014, she released the track ‘Under Stars’ later the same year. This was followed by the song ‘Runaway’ in February 2015, which amassed an astonishing 1mill hits on Spotify within 6-weeks! WOWSERS.
“I was listening to the ocean
I saw a face in the sand
But when I picked it up
Then it vanished away from my hands”
Nice isn’t it.
It always fascinates me when I read reviews of Nordic music which fall back on that totally overused, and usually misapplied description, – “icy electronics”. I don’t hear icy – I don’t feel any chill-factor from this in the slightest. Maybe by “icy” the reviewers mean the sparkling synth loops, emitting twinkling musical fireflies that dance over hollow earthy percussive sounds, and beat their wings around Aurora’s ultra pure voice. Yeah, it’s probably easier just to say icy really isn’t it!
There is something wonderfully off the planet, pardon the pun, about the notion of “running off the world”. Aside: It brings to mind Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
Aurora has quite an off kilter, wacky imagination which, fused with the effervescence of youth, and a smidge of precocious ingenuity, act as catalysts for quite the musical concoctions.
“Og jeg kjørte langt unna Ville jeg kjøre av verden en dag?”
In April 2015, Aurora released the single ‘Running with the Wolves’ which was immediately picked up on by Beeb radio stations, particularly One and 6Music. Now sitting square in the sights of the Guardian Music and NME big wigs, her star had become very much the meteor. Summer saw Aurora take on the Festival circuit – Aunty Daunt to the most hardened acts – and triumph.
The description “run of the mill” doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue when seeking words to describe Aurora, the person, the persona or her music. There is a hint of the same vocal range and timbre as Susanne Sundfor, and a little touch of Ellie Goulding here and there, but Aurora, as my late Grandfather would have said – is like herself! A unique, highly creative, hugely talented vocalist, songwriter and artist.
There are two versions of her most recent single ‘Murder Song’ (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).
The first, available to view on YT, is an acoustic duet version whilst the SoundCloud edit is the electro-pop version.
The acoustic version is sublime, as graceful and delicate as the butterflies that adorn the singer in the video. The electronic edit is a vibrant, melodic merry-go-round.
It’s not often you get two diverse slices of the same pie is it?? Enjoy X
“He holds my body in his arms, he didn’t mean to do no harm, And he holds me tight. Oh, He did it all to spare me from the awful things in life that comes, and he cries and cries. I know he knows he’s killing me for mercy.”
https://soundcloud.com/auroraaksnes/aurora-murder-song-5-4-3-2-1
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I’ll leave you with the video for the latest Aurora offering to hit the ‘net. A live recording of the track ‘Lucky’ filmed at the Round Chapel, Hackney for Vevo Live. Cometh the hour, cometh the live performer – there ain’t not firmer proof of talent than the ability to control and command without the cover of the mixing desk or any musical airbrushing.
Aurora has roared into the musicverse at the speed of light. The only question is, will she be a star that will burn bright and die, or, will she continue to shine like the Northern Star that so many are convinced she is. Only time, and Aurora, will tell.
Best of luck to her I say. Lykke til og lykke til videre , Aurora.
Aurora is about to kick off a tour of Norway, starting with the Bølgen Kulturhus, Larvik, on 6th November; dates here. She plays London (again – she sold out a headline show last month!) and Manchester in Feb 2016, details here.
‘Murder Song’ is available on iTunes and Spotify
iTunes: http://po.st/AURORAMSYTi
Spotify: http://po.st/AURORAMSSCSp
Aurora’s Debut EP ‘Running with the Wolves’ is Ditto
Running With The Wolves is available to order now.
Order on iTunes: http://po.st/AURORAWolvesYTiT
Listen on Spotify: http://po.st/AURORAWolvesYTSp
dervswerve 