From Runaway, penned at just 11 years old, to Oasis covers and activist anthems, here are 8 must-listen tracks to soundtrack your winter
If the Northern Lights could make music, it would sound like the songs of Aurora. With beautifully crafted, nature-inspired lyrics and an ethereal voice to match, Aurora touches upon topics such as environmentalism, love, personal loss and death. After a traumatic funeral for a family friend, she developed a speech disorder that encouraged her to learn sign language. She has lost friends to suicide and a loved one was killed during the Utøya massacre in 2017. All of these experiences find their way into her music.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter taught herself to play the piano at the age of just six. Since celebrating her debut in 2015, she has received critical acclaim and even inspired a then 12-year-old Billie Eilish to make her own music. If you're still sleeping on Aurora, let us enlighten you with eight outstanding songs to work into your playlists.
'Conqueror'
This is your musical reminder that you can conquer anything in life. With all the devastating news around us, the world can feel like a depressing place and sometimes it all feels like too much. Aurora wrote this song to encourage us to be the hero in our own story. We don’t need someone else to rescue us. All we need is already within us, so just look a little deeper.
'Running with the Wolves'
This song needs to be on your workout playlist. Written under the blood moon of 2014, Aurora envisioned a world where we humans give in to our primal, animalistic instincts, without being burdened with rules, technology, and materialism. The song comes with a powerful howling melody that only intensifies as the song progresses.
'Half the World Away'
True, this isn’t her song, it's an Oasis cover, but Aurora masterfully makes it her own. A few years ago, her version was chosen to soundtrack the always anticipated John Lewis Christmas advertisement – and that is serious business in the UK. Of course, her take on the song received some criticism as well, mainly from Oasis fans, but be assured, she did it justice with a version that doesn’t take away the soul of the original. A must-listen.
'Runaway'
With 480 million views on YouTube, this is officially Aurora's most popular tune. In the video she is running through a gorgeous snow-laden forest and singing atop a mountain with a spectacular view. The setting makes your mind drift off to wintery Narnia or lust after that snowy winter escape in Lapland. And the most astounding notion of all, Norwegian singer wrote 'Runaway' when she was just 11 years old. It's a beautiful song about wanting to escape.
'The Seed'
While listening to Aurora's songs, you cannot help but envision Norwegian fjords, enchanting forests and misty landscapes. And the nature-loving singer wouldn’t want it any other way: the Scandinavia wilds play a vital role in her music. In this song, she focusses on the environment around us, really driving home the message that we can’t eat money. She advocates for immediate climate action and the change necessary to preserve our world.
'Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)'
This song from 2016 showcases Aurora’s voice like no other. The ballad tells a dark tale of a man who kills his lover “for mercy" and who "didn't mean to do no harm." The one note in the last chorus is hauntingly beautiful – trust us, you’ll know what we mean, when you hear it.
'The River'
Sometimes it just feels good to cry, doesn’t it? And yet, there is this misconception that emotional expressions by males are a form of weakness. This tune shines a positive light on crying. While the inspiration for the song came from Aurora reading about high male suicide rates, the song itself is freeing and joyous. So if you're looking for the soundtrack to your next blub session, you just found it.
'Everything Matters'
Earlier this year, Aurora released her latest captivating album, The Gods We Can Touch. On it, she sings about shame, guilt, sex, love and forgiveness: in every track we get to meet a new god. Aurora has stated that she is very into mythology and admires the Greek gods for their diversity.
Featuring French artist Pomme, who wrote the song's ending, 'Everything Matters' is all about the bigger picture. We so often focus on the big things and overlook life's small miracles. This song is here to remind us that, indeed, everything matters and is worthy of your time.