‎Infections Of A Different Kind (Step I) by AURORA

Mixing frosty electronic textures, spare beats, and clear, emotive vocals, Norwegian singer/songwriter AURORA works in a similar dark pop milieu as artists like Oh Land, Lykke Li, and Lorde. Born Aurora Aksnes near the city of Bergen, she began writing music and lyrics at a young age, eventually releasing her debut single, “Awakening,” in late 2013. Honing her live show and building on the momentum from the song, AURORA issued the follow-up single “Under Stars” in late 2014 and announced that she had signed with American label Glassnote.

Her debut EP, Running with the Wolves, was released in the spring of 2015. The young singer/songwriter then came to further prominence, having covered the Oasis track “Half the World Away” for the 2015 John Lewis Christmas ad before following up with her debut full-length, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, in 2016. It debuted at number one in Norway and charted across Western Europe. “Queendom,” the first taste of AURORA’s follow-up, was issued in April 2018. ~ Timothy Monger