'It can be 4am and I wake up to record in bed - that's what it is to be a creative'
New Nordic: Podcast, single and Kygo tour talk from Fred Well, heartbreaker from Moyka, a new O.Martin single, plus JOA, Sigrid, MAIH and Aurora
Flick your Spotify onto Surrender by Kygo and you’ll soon hear the lung bursting voice of Fred Well filling the air. It’s unmistakable. Around four million people streamed it this month as the album caught fire.
Today Kygo is back with his latest song, Hold On Me with Italian born Swedish singer singwriter Sandro Cavazza. If you are one of the DJs 6.85m followers on YouTube, go ahead and check the credits.
Fred was co-writer on the lyrics too. In fact, writing songs is his super-power and possibly even obsession.
“Sometimes I wake up at night, like it could be 4am and just start to record stuff in bed,” he grins, “My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts sometimes, but, yeah, that's how it is to be creative, I guess.”
That creativity has just delivered his own new song too, Little House, released just a few days ago before we met to record the Good Stuff In Between podcast (Ep 17).
He said: “We just wanted to write a song about when we all wanted to chase our dreams but we always want to remember where we were coming from. Chase your dreams, but always know the road that leads you back home again.
“I'm from the countryside half an hour outside of Bergen, so there's always these little houses around. So that was the whole picture and the idea of it. We've experienced a lot, but always remember that little house where you're from.”
You can listen to, or watch, the full episode now at Good Stuff In Between.
Heartbreak again
🎬 Moyka is back with a special Movies, Cars & Heartbreak ‘Heartbreak Edition’ EP which also include a video premiere (above) tonight for Already Gone.
It includes collabs with none other than Iris. You can listen to the reworked Never Say Sorry here.
Self Care
💔 MAIH's debut EP entitled For All Of The Times I Broke My Own heart is slated for release on November 22, capping what has been a transformational year for the artist from Dale. She explains:
“Each track represents a moment of healing from a moment where I pieced myself back together after losing sight of who I was It’s a raw journey through heartbreak, self-doubt, and the messy beauty of growth. These songs are about reclaiming the parts of me I thought I had lost, and finding strength in the scars."
Listen out for the uplifting "What I Know Now" to the crying-on-the-dancefloor vibes of "Close To Dying" and "Your Terms", and as yet unheard tracks "Nobody Gets Me" and "Star:Crossed".
Fest For Success
🎪 Sigrid’s festival diary is fast filling up as expectations of new music from the Ålesund singer songwriter grows with every tease on Instagram.
She’ll be performing Live at Leeds on Saturday May 24, Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington on Sunday, May 25 with other dates around Norway and Europe already penned in.
Here’s a video from when she chatted to NME about her last album at Glastonbury to get you in the mood.
Sax Appeal
🎷Norwegian musicians are showcased at this year’s London Jazz Festival starting from tonight. Check out the full list of Norwegian jazz players at this link.
Moon Shot
🪐 Talking of Jazz, the excellent debut EP Bad Mantras from Orbits - Natalie Sandtorv, Lars Horntveth and Erlend Mokkelbostis - is out today.
Available as a vinyl-only EP, a full-length album is due to follow in February 2025.
Taking Control
❤️ Oslo-based JOA recorded a special performance for the fabulous Monitor Sessions, including her latest track Let Go. It’s a must watch.
Busy Bee
🚊Another beautiful new track this week from O.Martin with Old School Lover. He explains:
A song I wrote with @lapsleyyyy a few years ago. The story takes place in Manchester, where two lovers part ways, having one last night out together. Beautiful vocals and backing vocals by @selmafrida . A huge thank you to @haakonaase for his beautiful violin playing, @trondkallevag for his crazy pedal steel skills, and @kimfuruhaug as always, for the amazing drums. Produced and mixed by me. Mastered by Alex Wharton at legendary @abbeyroadstudios
Hard hitting
MaVe is releasing what has been described as a “bruising” new single next week in the shape of Tolerate.
“It’s about finding strength in an impossible situation. When there’s no other choice than to endure and get through it," says the artist.
The cover for the new single, shot by Bergen based Vegar Moe Media, looks like this:
Curve Ball
💃 Check out this cinematic live performance of When the Dark Dresses Lightly from Aurora for Amazon Music as part of its new Curved performances project from its Creative Studios.
Dog Days
🐾 Skaar has popped up on Instagram to confirm that she’s writing more music and having fun with four legged friends.
She’s also been confirmed as the first artist named for the line up at Middattsrocken in July.
Horsing Around
🐴 Hollywood Hills by Anna of the North is out everywhere now, and sung in Norwegian, her first all Norwegian song.
Landmark Event
🎤 If you are lucky enough to be in Bergen tonight, check out Bo Milli who is playing live at Landmark.
Winning Feeling
🏆 And finally …. following agreement in how categories will be accepted, entries for the prestigious Spellemann awards have been extended until 28 November.
The full list can be found here.