Emerging from Copenhagen is 19-year old artist GR8SCOTT. This talented musician and self-taught producer has created one of the most charming and eccentric alt-pop bops of the week in the form of new single ‘Won’t Be Drinking’.
“I’m not a big party guy but I love to hang out with people and just have fun, and like everyone there is more than welcome to get drunk. I just don’t need it to have a good time, and I would hate not to be in control of myself so yeah, no from me. I just wanna have a good time.”
Track of the week. Showcasing a superb example of Nordic alt-pop, Lea Kampmann’s ‘In Circles’ is a slow burning and glistening masterpiece that blends house-inspired synths with thoughtfully constructed percussions.
The song was inspired by the need to go out and grab life, instead of waiting for it to pass by.
“The most important thing to me as an artist is to make pieces of art that people can see themselves in.”
Emerging Danish talent Gustaf returns with a charming and melancholic fusion of indie pop and synth. ‘on n off’ was mixed and mastered by Gustaf himself, along with fellow artist Daniel Joywho helped write and produce the song.
“It’s about having an on and off relationship with someone, and although you know that it’s probably for the best if you would let it go it’s difficult when you have the same friend group or go to the same school – and all your friends keep saying: ‘they are on and off’, like: ‘they can’t figure it out’. It is that feeling of being at a party, only aware of how you look, or what they were doing, what signals they are giving, but then at one point you might encounter the inevitable realisation: we’re running out of lies, this can’t go on, and then it just goes in circles.”
Gustaf was recently featured on one of Germany’s largest radio stations, bigFM as a newcomer to watch. With traction picking up across Europe, this may well be one of Denmark’s next pop exports.
Danish-Icelandic sister duo EYJAA (Sara and Brynja) return today with wonderfully moving new pop single ‘The Wrecking Crew’.
With subtle hints of folk and country added for good measure, this song is sure to touch a few hearts across Europe over the coming weeks.
“Going through life we all experience challenges that we tend to overthink or simply misunderstand within ourselves. ‘The Wrecking Crew’ is about how you are never alone with your thoughts. Really, it can be just as beautiful to be sad as it can to be happy. It’s just human emotions, and they are not unknown to any of us.”
Danish-Iranian talent DAYYANI creates a kind of RnB-pop that feels fresh, uplifting and so easy to vibe along to.
This is a confident and bold sound that feels inviting to any listener, thanks to it’s catchy melodies and sleek productions, as well as those distinctive vocals.
I’ve lost count of the number of times that I have featured Danish talent Elias Boussnina over the years.
Consistently serving some of the finest cuts of RnB-pop from the Nordic nation, it’s no surprise that his new single ‘Heroine’ is once again, a bop.
Written and produced with Danish London-based musician and producer Mont Jake, the song looks at love as an addiction.
“The song is about being addicted to another person – about the sickening feeling you can get when you love someone more than you love yourself or anything else. Is love really that much different from being addicted to drugs? To me, love is a fix we praise. But in a worst-case scenario, love can push a person all the way out there, where you completely lose yourself which ultimately can destroy who you are and become the end of everything.”
Hailing from Denmark, AMEA is a songwriter and artist who is crafting sleek pop numbers that have hit potential written all over them.
Catchy new single ‘Billion’ is inspired by 90’s RnB-pop, both sonically and visually, with the overall message being that there is ‘no such thing as too much’.
“‘Billion’ is your opportunity to dance on the table in stilettos and a sparkling dress while pouring champagne all over your friends and loudly proclaiming that you’ll handle the bill even though you’re aware that your money is probably better spent on something else.”
Danish pop starlet mags returns today with another hi-energy bop in the shape of catchy new single ‘as long as we’re both breathing’.
This powerful love anthem tells of a heartfelt story of love and hate, while also carrying one of the most explosive choruses to come out of the Nordic pop scene this year!
“I wrote ’as long as we’re both breathing’ as my modern take on the famous words ’till death do us part’. It’s about the declaration of love – to stay together for better or worse. ‘as long as we’re both breathing’ is a song that emphasises the importance of communication and understanding as the keys to balance between love and hate in any close relation –two very different feelings that are often very close to each other on the emotional spectrum.”
Fusing elements of that distinctive pop-rock sound from the 2000’s with a more modern twist, Danish artist Daniel Joy returns today with a new release in the form of ‘Gone Girl’.
A song about loving someone but not being able to be with them, the track carries a charming sense of melancholy and is sure to stay in your head all day.
“The song came out of nowhere. I must have spent a month trying to write about how I felt, and suddenly the chorus popped into my head. The song is about me not understanding why it’s not enough to love someone, about having nightmares where she’s found someone new and lastly a promise to my naive hopeless romantic self, that if you love someone enough, you can get back to them, but first you have to accept that they are gone.”
Emerging from Denmark, everBear serves as the alter ego for indie-folk artist Mathias Baadsgaard, who has been one of the most exciting new finds of the week.
Constructing deeply thoughtful pieces of music through gorgeously emotive soundscapes, everBear’s sound displays a sense of maturity and warmth while also being relatable to listeners.
‘End of the Line’ is a song about being young and free to do what ever you want to do. It tells a story about being in a place in the world where all of these things are possible; the freedom to find your own way in life.
Just in time for the weekend comes a fresh pop bop courtesy of Danish newcomer siné. While on the surface ‘2GOOD2U’ carries a punchy and fun sound, it also has a softer and more vulnerable side that juxtaposes superbly.
“It was really meant to be the ultimate break-up song. But while I was going all Girl Power and feeling free I was hit by the insecurity that always haunts you when you’re trying to leave someone for good. And so instead,I ended up feeling totally miserable about myself. ‘2GOOD2U’ is about the inner fight that comes with not being able to stand up for your ridiculous self when life needs to change. It’s a reminder that you are the one in your life who can make the chance to move forward from what might seem like a catch-22.”
Undoubtedly one of my favourite exports from Denmark so far this year, Mina Okabe is back today with not only a sensational single, but an entire album full of pop gems to delight your audible senses.
New single ‘Miss Those Days’ is a shimmering and emotive track, with a lyrical topic everyone can relate to at some point in their life.
“It’s about friendship – about a close friend of mine. We used to be together all the time but one day she had to move far away and even though we promised to stay in touch everything we had just faded out and disappeared. ‘Miss Those Days’ is about everything you take for granted and the wonder of sudden change.”
Taken from the new album ‘Better Days’ which is out now.
A rousing dose of alt-rock from Danish outfit The Malpractice. This is a sound that is boldly eclectic and unique, with falsetto vocals clashing over a raw and energetic production, leading you to the musical equivalent to a KO on the chorus.
Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Additional Purchase Incentives’ which is out on 17th September 2021.
Jake Lee serves Scandinavian electro-pop with a kick. This is a sound that is immediately relatable, yet carries a dark and intense undertone which is powerful and gripping.
This perfect summer power-pop bop comes courtesy of Danish musician, songwriter and producer Gustaf. The nostalgic yet relatable ‘Young Love’ was inspired by his experiences of first love, and the inevitable first heartbreak that comes with it.
“‘Young Love’ is NOT a love song, and yet… It’s about once first love and the pain when the relationship fall apart, the worst break-up and the shattered dream of the one and only, whom you thought you should share your life with.”
Take an extra moment to also appreciate the artwork; Gustaf re-decorated his own bedroom to make it look like a teenager’s, just to get that flashback feeling of being young and in love!
Danish-Cuban artist KING is back with a new single that showcases Scandinavian music at it’s finest; this is a vital and urgent song that hits hard and leaves a lasting impression.
“On ‘Angel Dust’ I felt like doing something very sensual – as opposed to sexual – in my artistic visual identity. So I just pushed it as one long foreplay with beautiful movements. We could be naked doing this stuff and it would still be sensual and not sexual: that was the mission with this visual.”
Denmark’s Asbjørn has been a pop stable in Scandinavia ever since his debut back in 2012. Consistently pushing the boundaries of the genre, this talent never ceases to surprise me with his releases.
‘Remember My Name’ is the new single, and if you have yet to experience this talent, then you certainly will after pressing play.
“I am generally pretty bad at being sad. And in my music I often contrast sadness with high energy, so my body can dance it out, rather than cry. I wrote ‘Remember My Name’ on top of the beatbox beat, and tapping into my frustration in the chorus felt very empowering at the time. The lyrics have a double meaning to me; ‘you’re gonna remember my name, the boy that got away’ could be sung to an old lover, yes. But it could also be directed towards the people who don’t believe in you.”
A story familiar to many of us, Danish artist Mattis never knew how to show or tell his feelings as a young man. His new single ‘Enough Of My Love’ marks the turning point in his life when he discovered the importance of being true to to his authentic self; and it’s a brilliantly rousing piece of Scandinavian power pop!
“‘Enough Of My Love’ is a love song that I feel I just now am ready to release. I have had a hard time expressing my feelings through life and lately I have taken some big steps towards becoming more authentic and brave enough to say ‘I love you’ to those I love. And what a perfect timing to release such a song going into the summer and with corona as a hopefully almost finished chapter in Denmark – and the World.”
If you loved the song then be sure to check out Mattis’ beautiful cover of ‘Everywhere‘ by Fleetwood Mac.
One of the most exciting Nordic talents to emerge so far this year, Faunea delivers a fresh approach to electronic pop that feels dark, eclectic and wildly captivating.
“I am an alien, born in a human body. I come from the planet Pluto, but was born in Nakskov”
‘Psycho Love’ was written out of a personal experience where Faunea was into someone so much that she almost chased him around, and includes Elektrik People as a guest feature.
