Emerging from Sweden is Graham Lake, is a Stockholm-born singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who is still just 20-years old.
Today sees his debut, and boy is it something to behold! Released via EMI Sweden, ‘Focus’ was co-produced by mentor Linus Eklöw of the iconic duo Galantis.
A flawless fusion of rap and electronic pop compliments Graham’s distinctive vocals over the instantly memorable hook, ‘I’m gonna keep focusing on me.’
One of Iceland’s absolute finest pop exports from recent years, Glowie returns with a beautifully honest release that looks at her experience with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Patrik Jean’s new single ‘NUMB’ has to be one of the biggest pop releases to come out of Sweden this week. This is a power bop that’s all about reaching a point where you can’t take any more feelings.
Now commanding over 290k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, it’s safe to say that the world is finally waking up to this hugely talented singer and songwriter.
Emerging from Iceland comes una schram, who’s approach to pop is refreshingly playful while still maintaining a certain sense of finesse.
‘Crush’ is a sugar-coated gem that was mined from her hometown of Reykjavík, with some funk tendencies and lyrics that tap into the consciousness of most late teens and early twenty-somethings.
Hailing from Norway, 21-year old independent artist Ash Olsen has already been picking up attention since the release of her 2020 single ‘KITKAT’, with praise coming from the likes of NRK P3 and P3X.
With a highly unique approach to rap, this artist is one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the Nordic region of late, and well worth keeping an eye out for. On new song ‘VIBE KILLER’ she says:
“My girl killed my vibe right before I hit the studio, so I went in with good inspiration. PS. don’t be a vibe killer.”
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 Joy who 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.”
Acclaimed Swedish darkwave duo Pink Milk return today with a haunting and ethereal sound in the form of new single ‘Everything Must Die’. The song is about lovers reaching the point of no return, where everything must simply just die.
Since returning to Sweden from packed shows at Iceland Airwaves and the Reeperbahn Festival in 2019 (just before the pandemic broke loose) Pink Milk have been hard at work finishing their upcoming album ‘Ultraviolet’.
Swedish outfit I don’t speak french craft a refreshingly original and wildly exciting sound that combines a multitude of genres together to create something unexpected and fun.
‘Skate in Barcelona’ is the story of a wannabe social influencer monster, much like the band’s own mascot ‘Bob’ the monster who tries desperately to build a facade of coolness.
“No song should sound the same, I rather have the listener jump out of their seat than having to repeat myself”.
Members of the band can also be found in Stranded Mermaid, and Swedish Red Elephant (the alter-ego of Håkan Persson and Louise Lindenger), where they write, produce and collaborate with artist such as Lucas Estrada, Matisse & Sadko, farfetch’d, Timmy Trumpet and more.
American-Swedish starlet Rhys returns today with a supreme sound that fuses pop and rock tones together in both a balanced and nostalgic way.
Taken from her next EP (due early next year), ‘Thanks a lot now I can’t smile’ incorporates that style of early 00’s American punk-pop, which in many ways shaped Rhys while she was growing up in Portland.
“I was quite depressed for a year and felt incapable of socialising with others without killing the vibe. Walked around thinking ‘well, I’m gonna feel this bad forever, thanks a lot! When being in the middle of it, it was hard to see it, but in retrospect it was sick liberating to write a sarcastic song about that time.”
Norwegian MC Pasha has been steadily building a global fanbase ever since NME highlighted him as one of the most promising artists in the world back in 2017.
Since then he’s sold out shows, had regular listings on Norwegian national radio P3, and been featured on respected tastemaker publications like Clash and Highsnobiety.
Produced by Mogilla and Pluto, ‘Bad Trips’ delivers a chilled atmosphere lifted by bass riffs, rhythmic guitars and a hook that easily makes you wanna sing along.
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.”
Swedish alternative RnB artist Hannes releases his debut EP today, and along with it comes a spectacular new single.
Stylistically taking inspiration from high school marching bands, ‘I Feel It’ was written about the journey of being heartbroken, while at the same time being on the way to something new.
“It’s about that first moment when you realise that everything might actually work itself out for the better in the end. The first feeling of hope after a harsh heartbreak.”
The debut EP ‘When the City Sleeps’ is out now.
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.”
LA-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Gryffin has teamed up with Swedish artist LOVA to create one of the biggest dance bops of the month so far, showcasing these two pop talents at their finest.
Harnessing the dance-pop sound that Gryffin is rapidly making his own, ‘Piece Of Me’ blends euphoric piano chords, uplifting horns and LOVA’s mesmerising, pitch-perfect vocals.
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.
A melancholic pop anthem from Norwegian starlet Torine. ‘Olivia’ is modern-day heartbreak song with a raw edge that perhaps many of us can connect with!
“Music has helped me through some difficult times during my life, and my biggest desire is that my music can do the same for other people”.
