Norwegian Music - New Music

MIIA – Skin of a Fool (feat. Vaarin)

Fans of dark melancholic pop will be delighted with Norwegian artists MIIA and Vaarin’s new collaboration, ‘Skin of a Fool’.

Quintessentially Scandinavian in its production style, the song’s mystifying soundscape lures listeners in to a world that is haunting and tense, while the powerful lyrics encourage us to break free from the insecurities that hold us down.

“I didn’t know Vaarin that well, but I admired her. Her truth was just so clear to me. Not only are her melodies beyond special and sincere – she also takes risks and isn’t afraid to make the listener a bit uncomfortable. We wrote “Skin of a Fool” during a vulnerable conversation about feelings we had felt surrounding not being good enough. Our producer, Joachim ‘J RYGGS’, already had these enchanting chords that immediately spoke to us. You need to allow darkness to ‘get out’ of it. And sometimes, in order to do that, you need to know that you’re not alone. You need to let love in – and only when you do that – you can finally be free.” – MIIA

Both MIIA and Vaarin have had exceptional rises to fame within their home nation and globally. MIIA has amassed more than 150 million catalogue streams to date, while Vaarin’s work consistently draws over 14k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

MIIA | Vaarin

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New Music: Nelly Moar

Track of the week. Hailing from the Norwegian city of Bergen is Nelly Moar, who rapidly building momentum as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting R&B newcomers.

A trained jazz vocalist, Moar delivers a style of music that fuses dark pop with dreamy, soulful R&B tones. The resulting sounds are atmospheric, intense and beautifully captivating.

Amassing more than 150k career streams to date from the release of just one EP, it’s clear to see that Moar is one Nordic star on the rise.

Nelly Moar

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New Music: Elfrida

Hailing from Norway is singer, songwriter, producer, technician and composer Elfrida (aka Grete-Johanne Torvholm), who is a rising talent specialising in a style of music labelled as ‘arctic electronica’.

Sonically sparse yet perfectly constructed, Elfrida’s work contrasts minimalist sounds with raw and sincere lyricism.

‘Descend’ is likely to be one of the most thoughtful songs you’ll experience this week. Inspired by the inner conflicts of a neurodivergent mind, the lyrics offer listeners an insight into the artist’s world.

“All my life I’ve been a bit different, stood out in a crowd. I was a curious child, and others saw that as an opportunity to try and break me. I have ADHD and ‘Descend’ describes how my mind works – typically on a bad day. I don’t believe you have to have ADHD to relate, I think everybody feels this way from time to time. Creating music is a therapeutic process for me, and my vision is that my music can help others understand themselves better, and consequently develop a healthier relationship to their mind, soul, and body.”

Elfrida

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Jouska – Fragrance

As one of Norway’s most exciting alternative starlets, Oslo’s Jouska has consistently treated listeners to eccentric sounds that push sonic boundaries while still maintaining some pop sensibilities.

Lifted from Jouska’s upcoming ‘Suddenly My Mind Is Blank’ album (out 17th Feb), ‘Fragrance’ presents us with a dreamy and melodic (albeit lyrically bold) slice of experimental electro-pop.

“‘Fragrance’ is probably the most honest song I’ve ever written. I was feeling like such a loser when I wrote it. Usually I like to play with metaphors and hide behind my words when I write songs, but Fragrance turned out really personal and direct.”

London-based fans can catch Jouska on the 15th March at Stoke Newington’s The Waiting Room – tickets can be found here.

Jouska

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New Music: NINV

As a rising artist and producer from Norway, NINV (aka Nina Ugland) is responsible for crafting some of the most interesting blends of electronica and pop to emerge from Scandinavia.

Inspired by the notion of just ‘letting go’, experimental new single ‘Only We Know‘ serves as NINV’s first single of the year, and as a taster for more releases scheduled over the coming months.

With support from the likes of Under The Radar and Norwegian national radio NRK P3, NINV will be one Nordic name to watch for in 2023.

NINV

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Sval – ANGELA (feat. Jimi Somewhere)

Norwegian starlet Sval teams up with frequent collaborator Jimi Somewhere on new single ‘ANGELA’.

In what is likely to be our favourite release from Norway so far this year, the track treats listeners to a sound that is both tender and vulnerable, but also euphoric in tone.

“‘ANGELA’ is a what if story. You fall in love, but you don’t have enough time to make it work. It’s about meeting someone and falling in love in a place where you know it’s temporary. To me the song feels nostalgic, about someone you don’t see anymore, but you still think dearly of.” – Sval

Elaborating further on the song’s creation, and her process with working alongside Jimi Somewhere, Sval explains:

“Writing this song was super easy, I just sang the first thing that came to mind. I only had a guitar loop and some drums and wrote my part on a late night in my living room, before bringing it to the studio with Jimi and Milo. Jimi’s verse really elevated everything, and I love having him as a feature. His voice really suits the song, and I love the story in his verse. It’s one of my favourites from my upcoming project and I hope people can resonate with it.” – Sval

As one of Norway’s newest alt-pop exports, Sval has received tastemaker recognition from the likes of Earmilk, Clout and Going Solo, while her most recent single, ‘GRENADE‘, has been streamed more than 200k times on Spotify alone.

Sval | Jimi Somewhere

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Botaii – Résumé

Artist and producer Botaii (aka Sander Askeland) has proven himself to be one of Norway’s most interesting and experimental newcomers.

‘Résumé’ continues to showcase this talent’s skill at crafting sounds that feel future-forward and unique in tone, while still maintaining a powerfully emotive essence.

With a style of music-making so original and bold, Botaii is one Norwegian talent to keep an eye out for in 2023.

Botaii

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New Music: Markella

As far as premium emerging Scandipop goes, you’ll struggle to find someone as impressive as Greek-Norwegian newcomer Markella.

‘Burn Again’ is a rousing and anthemic fusion of electronica and synth that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of melancholy which Norwegians portray so well in their music.

With more than half a million streams from just two singles, Markella will undoubtedly become one of the Nordic region’s biggest creative exports in the year ahead.

Markella

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New Music: DARKOWA

Norwegian starlet DARKOWA crafts a style of electronic pop that is future-foward and experimental, but still feels accessible enough for any listener to form a connection with.

‘Aquarius’ is taken from the rising artist’s debut EP, ‘Time Machine’ (out now), and showcases a dreamy sound that is somehow both ethereal and playful at the same time.

Supported by tastemakers as prominent as Wonderland and 730 magazines, DARKOWA is one of the most exciting Nordic talents to keep on your radars in 2023.

DARKOWA

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New Music: Bo Milli

Another week, another stellar newcomer to emerge from Norway. This time it’s the turn of Bergen-based Bo Milli, who has just unveiled her new single, ‘FOMO’.

Demonstrating a natural flair for writing catchy pop songs that carry with them intelligent lyrics, the track finds the 21-year-old starlet wondering how things would unfold if we were more honest with our feelings towards each other.

“I like writing lyrics that sketch out what someone would say to another person if they were actually honest. In that vein, ‘FOMO’ is about the breaking point in a casual relationship where I lose my cool — in a very literal sense: while that other person is out partying with cool people, I’m unable to hide my true feelings on the matter, unable to stay emotionally distant and hard-to-get. It’s about losing a game you’ve been engaged in with someone, because you care more. And it’s about the ‘fear of missing out’ that constant digital insight into other peoples life has fostered.”

With support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, The Luna Collective and When The Horn Blows, Bo Milli might well be one of Norway’s next big pop exports.

Bo Milli

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New Music: MAIH

Another new name to add to Norway’s ever-growing roster of impressive pop vocalists, MAIH introduces herself to the world through single ‘Let Him Let Me Go’.

With its perfected style of melancholic dream-pop, the song presents itself as an anthem for the broken-hearted, and feels emotive and vulnerable in tone.

It’s a sound that is so typically Scandinavian in style, but never fails to win us over. Keep MAIH on your radars for the year ahead – this talent may well be one of Norway’s newest exports.

MAIH

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MARBLES – World Inside Me

Norwegian outfit MARBLES are back with a spellbinding slice of dreamy synth-pop through new single ‘World Inside Me’.

Lifted from the band’s forthcoming LP (out early next year), the song was inspired by the emotions that come with loneliness.

“‘World Inside Me’ was written in our most isolated period through the pandemic. It tries to describe a feeling of loneliness that is mostly conjured by our own mind. Even though there are options and offers from the outside world, sometimes you just feel better in your own sphere. Living in your own little world (or bubble) can feel both pleasant and safe, but also quickly turn into a lonesome and desperate state of mind.”

Until their new collection of songs is released, fans of this emerging Nordic group can explore 2020’s self-titled album here.

MARBLES

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New Music: Natan Dagur

Norway continues to deliver world-class pop artistry through rising singer and songwriter Natan Dagur.

Initially gaining prominence from an appearance on Norway’s edition of The Voice, Dagur has since accumulated a significant following that has resulted in over two million catalogue streams on Spotify alone.

New single ‘Holding On’ treats listeners to a perfected pop sound that feels understated yet emotive in tone, and serves as a promising introduction to this exciting newcomer.

Natan Dagur

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Sval – GRENADE

Norwegian alt-pop talent Sval has graced our pages for a good few years now, and today’s release of ‘GRENADE’ continues to prove just how impressive this artist is.

Bold, intense and impactful in character, the song blends elements of indie-rock with pop – resulting in a sound that is raw and powerful yet still feels relatable to listeners.

“To me, ‘GRENADE’ is a self destructive and liberating song at the same time. It’s about embracing sadness and anger, and even though the song has a sad tone it’s something beautiful about owning those feelings completely Whenever I’m feeling sad, as long as I get to sit with those feelings for a while, I’m fine. The song has a certain kind of loneliness attached to it, thoughts of others not understanding your feelings. Hopefully people can release to that.”

Sval currently commands more than 84k monthly listeners on Spotify, and has racked up millions of streams since the release of her debut EP ‘Young Alien’ in 2019.

Sval

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Tuvaband – Something Good

If there’s time for you to play only one song today, make it ‘Something Good’ by Norwegian artist Tuvaband (aka Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser).

Truly, this is a stunning piece of music that sums up humanity’s need for hope, and is a perfect track to play when times feel tough and you need a reminder that things can get better.

“I wanted to find more songs that I could like, filled with sentences like this. So I decided to write the song I wanted to listen to.”

As one of Norway’s most notable indie-rock projects, Tuvaband has garnered more than 40 million career streams to date and earned a nomination from the prestigious Norwegian Grammy Awards.

Tuvaband

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Aleks Grey + Iselin – Five Minutes

Two of Norway’s most promising emerging musical exports team up on one of the most beautiful pop ballads that you’ll likely come across this month.

‘Five Minutes’ was inspired by the need for two people to switch off from the daily stresses of life, just so that they can reconnect together.

“Can we just listen to Holocene, and shut out all the noise that’s been keeping us down lately? Cause lately it’s been too much.”

Oslo-based artists Aleks Grey and Iselin have both gained significant momentum recently. Grey’s work has to date been streamed well over a million times on Spotify, while Iselin’s vocals were featured on Alan Walker’s mega hits ‘Faded’ and ‘Sing Me to Sleep’.

Aleks Grey | Iselin

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New Music: JOP

Another week, another impressive pop release from Norway. This time it’s the turn of newcomer JOP, who’s name initially came to prominence after going viral on TikTok, consequently accumulating over 15 million views on the platform.

With production from Aside and Hitimpulse, new single ‘What If’ is a beautifully emotive song that features an anthemic melody and powerful vocals.

Already becoming a noted name in his home nation, it seems imminent that JOP will hit the rest of Europe in a big way very soon.

JOP

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New Music: Maggie

Track of the week. As a nation rich in pop heritage, Norwegian musical talent has come to be known as some of the best in the world.

Newcomer Maggie continues with this tradition, and as you press play to ‘Paralyzed’ you’ll quickly understand why this artist is so impressive.

Written, performed and produced in its entirety by Maggie, this anthemic release is an exceptionally strong piece of music that feels powerfully moving – and serves as a perfect example of Scandinavian alt-pop at its very finest.

“It’s about a bad trip. Although you can interpret it in different ways. It could be about when you have an expectation about something and it doesn’t work out for you.”

Maggie

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New Music: Vorsen

We begin the weekend with a beautifully dreamy slice of electronic pop, courtesy of London-based artist Vorsen.

Created in the aftermath of a broken relationship, melodic new single ‘Real Life’ features Vorsen’s emotive vocals gliding over a production that feels melancholic yet full of interesting sonic textures.

The song is lifted from Vorsen’s forthcoming EP of the same name, which is out this year. In the meantime, fans can enjoy Vorsen’s work as part of indie-folk outfit NIGHT FLIGHT, who play London’s Jazz Cafe this September.

Vorsen

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New Music: Ira Nor

Norwegian talent looks set to take over the pop world once again – this time with the help of Oslo newcomer Ira Nor.

Freshly signed to noted record label 777 Music (home of boy pablo and Fur), Nor constructs a style of experimental electronic pop that pushes the boundaries of the genre, yet does so in a tastefully balanced way that makes her music relatable to most listeners.

Lifted from Nor’s upcoming ‘Swim Ira‘ EP (out 26th August), new single ‘doomed’ was written alongside Øyvind Glåmen, and is inspired by Nor’s mantra of trying to find the beauty from painful experiences.

“It’s about moving past a relationship that always was doomed; getting the power over yourself back, and letting go of an unhealthy relationship.”

Ira Nor

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