Norwegian pop star Aurora Aksnes, or just AURORA, has an unusual fearlessness. The story is that, as a child, Aksnes discovered an electric piano in the attic of her family’s home in Os, near Bergen. She started writing songs with a narrative orientation, Leonard Cohen a hero. After a school performance, Aksnes‘ friends shared Puppet online, leading Aksnes to court management deals. The singer-songwriter developed an individualistic, atmospheric and romantic electro-folk sound, attracting a fandom she calls her “warriors”. Aksnes broke out with Runaway. In 2016, she presented a debut album, All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend. Aksnes captivated critics by inverting Nick Cave with Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1), like a gothic Robyn cosplaying Arya Stark. Ironically, she enjoyed a UK hit with a cover of Oasis’ Half The World Away, cut for a department store Christmas ad.
Yet Aksnes has remained instinctively independent. She self-produces, demoing at home, or liaises with trusted studio cohorts. “I feel like the more people are involved in my art, the worse it gets,” Aksnes ponders. “I’m quite kooky in the way I write my own music, because I feel like I have everything inside of me already and that I don’t need anyone to get anything out… I scare people away sometimes, from coming with ideas, ’cause I’m so clear in my own vision.”
Last September, Aksnes dropped a surprise album, Infections Of A Different Kind (Step 1) – the first of two parts. The title song, about having faith amid global volatility and existentialist angst, was pivotal. Aksnes had been “feeling quite tired” and “uninspirational” following a hectic 2016. “I remember I didn’t really have any idea of what to do next – which is very strange for me, because I always know what to do next.”
Aksnes, 22, has long admitted to being “shy”, but she loves to talk. “You learn how to interact with people ’cause you have to meet, like, a million people a year.”
it was the lead single, Queendom, which generated buzz. Aksnes described Queendom as a bop inclusive of the “introverts”. But, more a song of fire than ice, Queendom is an empowering anthem, too. “I got a lot of amazing feedback,”.
Queendom is about celebrating all the differences in us. It’s about celebrating the women and the children and animals and the men also. The quiet ones and the introverts, where they can sing and be seen. It’s about the shy people and the lonely people and I hope it can be a place where we can come and be lonely together and then not be lonely anymore.
The Fat Angel Sings 