Electro pop singer and songwriter Aurora gained international prominence when she covered the Oasis song “Half the World Away” for the British retailer John Lewis’ Christmas commercial in 2015.
Aurora was discovered in 2012 after she had uploaded a personal song onto Norwegian Soundcloud, originally meant as a Christmas gift for her parents. It quickly found its way to the ears of an agent.
Aurora Aksnes born in Os outside Bergen, Norway, released her first single “Puppet” in December 2012. Her song “Runaway”, from her debut-ep “Running With The Wolves”, released by Decca records in February 2015, received 1 million views on Spotify in six weeks. Pop star Katy Perry tweeted, calling her music “new music that makes my heart flutter.”
Aurora’s music is also making the American rapper Jaden Smith feel all the feels. He has described her music as “cosmic conscious”.
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The 21-year-old musician (who records under her first name) is seemingly moving through the world without any particular pattern, drifting to whatever entices her. With platinum-blonde hair and an angelic accent, Aurora reminds us of a mythical creature where you almost can hear the birds chirping in the background. She began making music when she found her parents’ old electric piano in her attic, and at 10 she began writing her own songs.
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How does a girl from the mountains of Norway make it all the way to the world of stardom? Her melancholy and moody songs sound like they’re bending toward a light, and her lyrics are often surprisingly dark. When she sings her fingers flicker in the air, as if she’s literally trying to grab words out of the sky.
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“At first, I wasn’t really keen on the idea of me being on stage having to sing in front of people,” says Aksnes. “That’s why I made the gift for my parents in the first place — so they could listen to me without me having to be there.”
“I am definitely affected by energy,” says Aurora, “and that’s why I write mostly, to get rid of these energies so I don’t have to carry them around with me all the time.”
Mythical Norwegian Electro Pop Wizard from Oz, written by Tor Kjolberg