Tag: Danish Music

New Music: Giift

Photo / Mikaela Grogan

If you’re a fan of soulful, mellow and introspective R&B then Giift may well be your next new favourite artist.

This South African born, Danish raised talent creates understated yet melodic masterpieces that are refreshingly minimal in tone – allowing for her unique vocal tones to deliver some of the sharpest lyricism you’ll experience today.

Remarking on the release of her debut EP ‘Archives’, Giift says:

“These five songs represent everything that I’ve experienced over the last few years. There’s a personal story behind every lyric, top to bottom, and so, it was natural for me to list them in order of when I experienced what and in the order of the emotions I was going through. ‘Archives’ is about falling in love, falling out of love, loving yourself and everything in between.”

Giift

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Freddy Madson – Feels Right (feat. Lleoh)

Photo / Therese Lærke

One of my favourite newcomers to emerge from Denmark this year has been guitarist & songwriter Freddy Madson. Today sees his return through a new collaboration that features the talents of fellow Danish artist Lleoh.

Just in time for the weekend, ‘Feels Right’ is a finessed slice of dreamy Scandinavian dance-pop – the kind that uplifts you in the most subtlest of ways.

“Imagine a club with an irresistible dance floor full of seemingly amazing people you wish you were partying amongst. But you don’t dance like them or fit their dress code and the music is anything but your taste. Anyway, here you are, considering to compromise with oneself to be part of the crowd. ‘Feels Right’ is about being true to who you are. It celebrates the outsider in every single one of us – all the flaws and peculiarities that make you and me unique and beautiful in our very own way” – Freddy Madson

Freddy Madson | Lleoh

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New Music: All Hard Feelings

Today marks the introduction for exciting new Danish alternative hip-hop outfit All Hard Feelings.

Refreshingly raw in character and tone, their debut release ‘Skibidi’ treats listeners to a huge-sounding production and an unforgettable hook.

This is a sound that feels future-forward, bold and unafraid to push boundaries – making the group one of the most interesting new Scandinavian talents to emerge this year.

All Hard Feelings

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New Music: Mads Koch

Photo / Amalie Holm Pedersen

Mads Koch is already an established artist and songwriter within the Danish music scene, having worked with the likes of Mø, Jada and Goss.

While noted for his collaborations with international pop artists, new single ‘The Lake’ sees Koch in a more intimate, almost ethereal setting. Served in an indie-folk style of sound, the track serves as a thought-provoking observation on life and death.

“I think a lot of us can gain a richer and more beautiful existence by practicing an openhearted approach to the transience of life. Not that we necessarily need to dwell on anxious contemplations about death but in away where we can get through this fear by surrendering to it. This is why ‘The Lake’ is a declaration of love to the little, quiet and seemingly uneventful situations, that our days and lives actually is made of.”

The song is released alongside Koch’s debut album ‘Fingers’, of which he says:

“‘Fingers’ is a declaration of love to the acoustic and clean sounds of instruments in an orchestral setting.The songs find themselves in a field between hope, calm and gloominess, while the lyrics reflects the thoughts that takes up a lot of space inside me.”

Mads Koch

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Mercedess – Back to Business

Photo / Marie Vindelev

There are very few emerging artists from Scandinavia right now that have the ability to construct lo-fi pop with such an effortless flair of finesse as expertly as Danish talent Mercedess.

Dreamy and understated, yet empowering in tone, her new single ‘Back to Business’ tells the story of moving on from a sudden heartbreak.

“Growing up, I’ve always been very sensitive and take everything in. I’m an introverted person in this fast moving, crazy world. But it’s cool. I enjoy my own company, the moments of silence and the creativity it buzzes and making music has created this atmosphere you can dream yourself into – a place, where you can escape reality.”

Taken from the debut album ‘Casa Fantasia’, out later this Summer.

Mercedess

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New Music: Sweet Tempest

Photo / Tina Dubrovsky

Berlin-based synth-pop outfit Sweet Tempest construct sounds that make an immediate impact – both sonically and lyrically.

The band carry an interesting ethos, in that they hope for people to dance to their songs, while also learning about the duo’s stance on inequality and prejudice through the lyrics.

Their hard-hitting new single ‘White Country’, for example, was created as a way to express the their outlook on the current racial climate in their home nation, Denmark.

Sweet Tempest

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Magnus Tempels – For You

Danish songwriter and producer Magnus Tempels returns today with a dark and richly atmospheric sound, in the shape of new single ‘For You’.

The song was inspired by those unsettling feelings that one gets when they sense that something is wrong in a relationship – but don’t know what it is.

Drawing on references from the likes of VETO, James Blake and Trentemøller, the song’s extraordinary production provides listeners with a sense of tension that perfectly sets the tone for the lyrics.

“I’ve experienced a stomachache on several occasions that refuses to leave me. A feeling that haunts me until I have admitted to myself that a relationship is coming to an end. That’s the feeling I’ve tried to encapsulate in ‘For You'”.

Magnus Tempels

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Soon – Not A Love Song

Copenhagen-based duo Soon return with an intimate and honest pop song in the shape of new single ‘Not A Love Song’.

Lead singer August Fogh delivers a heartfelt vocal performance over this acoustic and minimalistic ballad, which is all about denying the feeling of being heartbroken.

Soon

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New Music: Gorgeous

Danish duo Gorgeous unveil debut single ‘Divine’ today, and as their name entails, what you’ll experience when you press play is indeed very… gorgeous.

Crafting songs together as a team, these two talented musicians complement each other’s work while also being unafraid to embrace their human and musical differences.

The result is a shimmering pop sound that feels organic and understated, yet rich in emotion and character.

“Falling in love easily seems like a veil of euphoria, happiness and fascination. But at the same time, it’s a personal invitation into the life of a complete stranger – and the other way around – where you eventually will have to face each other’s story and what it holds of peculiarities, weaknesses, misfortune and tragedy. ‘Divine’ is about that total surrender – about showing the good and the bad sides when you bump into that “one in a million”-true love.” Maríe Louise, Gorgeous

Gorgeous

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JEONA – Paloma

Copenhagen-based performer, producer and songwriter JEONA returns with a captivating blend of pop and alt-R&B on new single ‘Paloma’.

As everybody curled up with their loved ones during the cold Danish winters, JEONA found himself on his own with nothing but a drink and the memories of past love.

The song describes how JEONA tries to find comfort and answers through the taste of something that his former girlfriend had introduced him to, while also struggling to understand what made him like the taste in the first place. Puzzled by his feelings, he concludes that he’s stuck in the past.

“I write songs about all the vibrant colours of life.”

JEONA

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New Music: Agnes Rangel

Photo / Freja More

Danish newcomer Agnes Rangel crafts an intensely unique and captivating blend of pop, jazz and trip hop. This 21-year old songwriter and musician releases her debut single ‘Blindsided’ today.

Her sound encapsulates complex human traits like infatuation and angry jealousy, all within an intimate space where honesty and feelings arise between herself and the listener.

“The song is about a beautiful friendship and how a one-sided love-euphoria can mess up everything. About how, what was meant to be a declaration of love between best friends, became a final, brutal quarrel and a recurring nightmare of total confusion and excruciating pain. I wrote ‘Blindsided’ in the middle of the night with all these emotions circulating around inside my body. I recorded it the morning after.”

Watch out for the upcoming EP, ‘Sexual Dependency’, which is expected to be released later this year.

Agnes Rangel

Asbjørn – STB x Boyfriend

Photo / Johanna Hvidtved

Consistently delivering some of the most interesting sounds to come out of Denmark, Asbjørn never fails to impress with his releases.

New single ‘STB x Boyfriend’ is a masterclass in pop – with a simple yet sleek production, an infectiously memorable melody, engaging lyrics and a fabulous vocal performance; this is one song worthy of being added to your playlists for the weekend.

“By the end of 2018, I was living in Los Angeles for a little while, wrapping up the album in a cute house in Echo Park, where roosters woke me up every morning at 4 AM. I was falling for a guy who lived there, and one night I dreamt of him. In the dream our love affair was soundtracked by ‘STB x Boyfriend’, but in this around-the-bonfire sing-a-long version. When the roosters woke me up, I grabbed a guitar and sat down on the front porch to rewrite the lyrics. The song found a different nerve and rawness with the rusty guitar, that somehow fit the rather naive chorus, about a relationship that was bound to end before it even began.”

Taken from new album ‘Boyology’ which is out now.

Asbjørn

WIINSTON – blood moon

Track of the week. Danish outfit WIINSTON has been on my radar for a good few years – and yet still they continue to surprise and impress with their releases.

‘blood moon’ is an immediately arresting piece of melodic alt-R&B that feels richly atmospheric and beautifully raw in tone.

WIINSTON is made up of producer/songwriter Alfred Thomas and singer/songwriter Daniel Richards; two longtime friends who write, record, and produce most of their music in Thomas’s one-room apartment. The duo rarely invite other musicians into their sessions – favouring one-on-one collaboration instead.

WIINSTON

Alexander Grandjean + ALEA – Kiss

Consistently delivering some of the finest indie-soul to emerge from Denmark, Alexander Grandjean returns with gorgeous new single ‘Kiss’. This is a sound that is dreamy, highly finessed and utterly sublime to experience.

Featuring vocals from fellow Danish artist ALEA, the song is taken from the new album ‘Coma’, which comes out in March.

This record represents

the current collective state of mind

This record

honors us, the people

trying but failing

to continue with the old normal

in a world that is in a coma

Alexander Grandjean | ALEA

New Music: Thyra Hilden

Photo / Jakob Valling

Danish visual artist Thyra Hilden is no stranger to the art world – with works already featured by media heavyweights like the BBC, CNN and Reuters.

During the pandemic of last year, Thyra also realised a passion for music-making, and so today sees the launch of new single ‘Touch’.

Proving herself as a gifted multi-faceted creative, the track has already been picked up by Danish Radio’s talent competition KarriereKannonen.

With its energetic, raw and youthful take on alt-pop, ‘Touch’ feels current and relevant while still maintaining a strong sense of individualism. On the song, Thyra says:

“Love and loneliness are basically chemical processes in the brain and body, and this knowledge creates a slightly absurd twist to joy, longing and devotion.”

Thyra Hilden

New Music: Skøien

Emerging newcomer Skøien is a Swedish born, Danish-Norwegian artist who is rapidly gaining traction thanks to an impressive fusion of dark pop and alt-R&B.

This is a sound that is sleek, well-constructed and thoughtfully produced – making Skøien one Scandinavian talent to watch out for in 2022.

Skøien

Elias Boussnina – Been Fru

Critically acclaimed artist Elias Boussnina has been at the forefront of the Danish R&B-pop movement for quite some time. This 27-year old Copenhagen talent returns today with ‘Been Fru’, which is taken from his new album ‘Intervention’.

“I’ve always tended to become really easily addicted to things – and without realising it myself. Addictions are very exciting to write about and pretty quickly I knew it was gonna be a recurring theme for the album. ‘Been Fru’ is pure thought-frenzy. It’s a look back on all the things that used to feel just right but doesn’t anymore –about finding your path in life.”

‘Intervention’ is out now.

Elias Boussnina