Nineteen year old Aurora Aksnes, who goes by her stage name AURORA, is a fearless up-and-coming electropop artist from Norway. In 2012, she released her first single, "Puppet" and in 2015 was praised in a tweet by Katy Perry for her song "Runaway."
Now, a year later, the young artist made waves during her American television debut on The "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" where, during the instrumental break of her song "Conqueror", she hopped off the stage to dance.
Perhaps one of the best things about Aurora's music is that it's catchy. She's easy to sing along to. Her style is refreshing and different than much of what currently plays on the radio and her sound is a satisfying combination of Lorde's delicate tones and Sia's powerhouse vocals.
Her album "All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend" is out now and showcases the young songbird wrapped in a cocoon-esque dress, barefoot, and with a pair of life-size butterfly wings. Like her music, the colors are subtle, and she allows the image to speak for itself.
Below are a couple songs from her debut album. Hope you enjoy.
"Runaway"
Katy Perry praised "Runaway" as "new music that makes my [heart emoji] a flutter".
The song begins gently, easing the listener in with hushed harmonies and a soft drum beat. The music then begins to swell as we see images of a forest and Aurora exploring the various surrounding landscapes as she sings, "Take me home where I belong, I can't take it anymore..."
It's beautiful and sweet, melancholy but with the subtle strength of a determined young woman desiring nothing more than to return to the familiar comfort of her home.
"Running With The Wolves"
The second track on her Soundcloud and third off of her album, "Running With The Wolves" is a trippy calling to embrace one's animal instinct. On her Soundcloud, she writes that this song, "is about having the animal instinct inside you come to life." In "Running with the Wolves" Aurora gives herself permission to be free, she writes on Soundcloud, "I think humans need to let go a bit more, shake their bodies more often, like the animals do. It's a beautiful thing, really."
The chorus surges in between verses like breaking into a full-on sprint through an open field of green grass. The drums, like a heartbeat, pick up before the pulse slows for the next verse. It's electric, invigorating, freeing, a personal permission granted to free the animal instinct contained by the humdrum of societal norm.
"Half the World Away"
Aurora's "Half the World Away" begins a Capella before she's joined by a tambourine and a simple drum beat. It's a tender take on Oasis's song of the same name that she recorded for a Christmas commercial and now presents on her album. In the commercial, a young girl named Lily sends the Man on the Moon a telescope to help him feel less lonely during the Christmas season while he is "half the world away."
Keep an eye out for more from AURORA.
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