Photo by Modu Sesay
Who is it?
Norway’s next big pop sensation and a true testament of the possibilities of digital musicianship. The joint venture between Zealand-born producer Brady Daniell-Smith and Norwegian singer Anna Lotterud is one that bridges the distance of an entire planet although Daniell-Smith seems to get used to the Norwegian setting as Oslo marks his first lyrical encounter with the city although he never been there before. Meeting a group of homesick Norwegian friends in Australia started the process of writing about Oslos as he explains: ‘It seemed so untouched and really captured my imagination. I met Anna soon after and we finished it together — she brought an authenticity to it that makes it feel like a love letter to the city.’
Why should you listen to it?
ANNA OF THE NORTH manage to perfectly capture that frosty Scandinavian melancholia while turning it into a bittersweet catchy pop tune, just like artists like LYKKE LI or AURORA did before. Her musical companion who prefers to work behind the scenes delivers the fitting musical foundation for Lotterud in the form of sparkling synthpop that delivers radio-friendly authenticity without sounding to pretentious. The simple but effective video for Oslo underlines that feeling.
What’s Next?
It looks like 2017 will be the year for ANNA OF THE NORTH following Millions of Spotify streams last year and a successful tour with tropical house prodigy KYGO. The single is out now and a full-length debut is only a matter of time, right?
Everyday we’re adding NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION‘s Daily Tune to our ongoing Spotify playlist, packed with all the hidden treasures by those talented newcomers you need to know. Listen and follow right here.
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