Photo by Jonathan Vivaas Kise
Who is it?
It’s Norway’s MATILDA, aka Matilda Gressberg, a 23-year-old singer songwriter who’s already two albums into her career, but is taking big steps into new artistic waters. Her 2013 and 2015 records, A Heart and Serendipity, saw her focus on peppy indie-pop, but 2016 single Ghost marked a move into electronic pop territory. Now she’s back with a new single, Illusion.
Why should you listen to it?
A couple of strands link Illusion back to her musical past, from the strings that echo Serendipity and the fact that it, like Ghost, is powered by a monster chorus. But Illusion is darker than those songs. Whereas Ghost was bright and summery, Illusion is tilted towards the nighttime, a song that showcases her continued desire to explore new styles. She pulls it off on Illusion, blending murky atmospherics, her powerful vocal and and sharp melodies to make a great pop song. MATILDA says of the song:
I wrote Illusion with two of my favourite people, Frida Amundsen and Kristoffer Tømmerbakke. The song is about how frustrating it can be when someone else has trust issues, and they question your good intentions
What’s next?
Illusion is out now on Sony Norway.
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.