FSC Norway

[Malagant]

FSC July 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway - July 2016 - Alan Walker ft. Iselin Solheim - Sing Me To Sleep​

Representing Norway in FSC July 2016 is the talented young, very popular British-Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer and artist Alan Walker featuring the Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim on vocals. Here is some more information about them.

Alan Walker (born 24th August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian Record Producer and artist in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM)-genre. Born in Northampton, England of an English father and Norwegian mother, he and his family moved to Norway in 1999 at the age of two. He has since (for 17 years) lived in Bergen, Norway and has made his music career here.

Growing up in the digital era, Alan Walker found an early interest in computers which later turned into a fascination for programming and graphic design. In 2012 he started making music on his computer laptop, and with the help and online following and feedbacks, his own produced songs soon caught the attention of the record labels.

His worldwide digital song and EDM-hit "Fade" gained attention after its release on YouTube via the label NoCopyrightSounds (NCS). The song was then released on a compilation called ‘Uplifting’. The tracks "Spectre" and "Force" followed in 2015. He then signed with MER Musikk under Sony Music Sweden and his first single under that label was "Faded", a remastered vocal version of "Fade", released in December 2015. "Faded" included vocals by the Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim. The song topped both the Norwegian singles chart and Swerdish chart and was a top 10 hit in Finland and Denmark as well as charting in other countries.

After the song and the video for "Faded" were released, they gained worldwide attention. As of June 2016, "Faded" had over 356 million views on YouTube, an incredible feat. On 24th May 2016, he then released a teaser for his new song "Sing Me To Sleep". Featuring once again Iselin Solheim on vocals, this new EDM-song was finally released on 3rd June 2016. "Sing Me To Sleep" is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC July 2016.

Alan Walker has this summer 2016 been chosen as warm-up act on several of world famous artist Rihanna’s summer-concerts in Europe, an honour and a recognition for the soon to be 19-year old British-Norwegian young man.

He is certainly a talented young Producer/artist in the EDM-genre with huge popularity on digital media/YouTube and similar online sites, from whom we will without doubt hear much more in the future.

Iselin Løken Solheim (born 20th June 1990), artist name Iselin Solheim, is a Norwegian singer-songwriter in the Pop genre with elements of folk and electronic music. She was born in Sogn og Fjordane county among the fjords on the western coast of Norway, and started singing at a young age. After Norwegian high school she studied music and began writing her own songs. In 2010 she attended The famous Institute for Performing Arts in Liverpool, England. Here she developed as an artist and performer, starting with new projects and cultivating her own sound. Back from England she released her well-received debut-single “What’s Happening”. It was followed by the single “The Wizard of Us”. She was signed to the Bisi Record label. She has additionally performed vocals on Alan Walker’s famous EDM-song “Faded“ from 2015 and on his new 2016 EDM-song “Sing Me To Sleep“. Iselin Solheim is a talented artist, with a very characteristic voice, from whom we will hear more in the future.


The Norwegian entry for FSC July 2016, “Sing Me To Sleep”, is alas a melodic ‘summer-vibed’ EDM-song by British-Norwegian Alan Walker ft. Iselin Solheim on vocals. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Alan Walker in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for July!

Alan Walker ft. Iselin Solheim - Sing Me To Sleep

Wait a second, let me catch my breath
Remind me how it feels to hear your voice
Your lips are movin', I can't hear a thing
Livin' life as if we had a choice

Anywhere, any time
I would do anything for you
Anything for you
Yesterday got away
Melody stuck inside your head
A song in every breath

Sing me to sleep now
Sing me to sleep
So sing me to sleep now
Sing me to sleep

Remember me, no time cannot erase
I can hear your whispers in my mind
I've become what you cannot embrace
Our memory will be my lullaby

Sing me to sleep now
Sing me to sleep
Won't you sing me to sleep now?
Sing me to sleep

A-anytime, I would do
T-time away, Yesterday-day
A-anytime, I would do
T-time away, Yesterday-day

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC August 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway - August 2016 - Mørland - Skin​

Representing Norway in FSC August 2016 is the talented Norwegian songwriter and pop-artist Mørland. Here is some more information about him.

Kjetil Mørland (born 3rd October 1980) - artist name Mørland - is a Norwegian songwriter and Pop-artist from Grimstad on the Southern coast of Norway. Music was a passion for him from an early age. When he was older he moved to England where he lived for many years.

While in England he fronted the band Absent Elk from its 2008 inception, releasing the album “Caught in the Headlights” in 2009. The band supported bands such as The Script, The Hoosiers and Girls Aloud on UK tours before going on to tour the UK themselves in summer 2009. Several singles from the album were released including “Sun & Water”, “Change My World” and “Emily”.

In autumn 2014 Mørland moved back to Norway and established himself in the capital Oslo with a plan for a solo career under the artist name Mørland. A self-titled EP with a single had been released, but it was with his participation in the Norwegian MGP in 2015 that he became truly known to the Norwegian public. He took part in a duo with the singer Debrah Scarlett with a dramatic ballad called “A Monster Like Me”, a song which had its admirers from the start, and it ended up winning MGP and representing Norway in the ESC in Vienna in May 2015. There, in the ESC-final, it ended a very respectable 8th.

Later in 2015 Mørland released a solo-single called “No Firewall” which was to be included on his debut solo-album to be released in 2016. In February 2016 another single was released, the melodic and emotional Pop-ballad “Skin”, which quickly became a fan-favourite and popular on the Internet. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC August 2016.

His album “Make a Sail” was finally released in May 2016, preceeded by the title-track single, and it included all his newer songs. Some have called him a ‘Master of Melancholy’ and his music is certainly very emotion-based and with much (sombre) feeling. In interviews he has said that he wants to try and ‘make something beautiful out of the pain’.

There is little doubt that we will hear more from this very talented Norwegian songwriter and Pop-artist in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC August 2016, “Skin”, is a melodic and emotional Pop-ballad written and performed by Mørland. He wrote it after the tragic passing of his mother from illness and the lyrics are both mournful (great sadness) and hopeful (life must go on). The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Mørland in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for August!

Mørland - Skin

A crowd of people standing in
A row to let the family know
How sad it is to see her go
And between the roses, yeah, I swear
There must have been an angel there
I heard her as clear as day:

"Although I'm not in my skin
I won't miss a thing
Don't you ever cry for me, my boy

Although I'm not on my feet
I'll walk down the street
Where, wherever you may be
My boy, my boy"

And the whisper in the autumn leaves
The swallow sailing over me
It feels more like a dream
And the sky in deeper shade of blue
And naked trees in solitude
I need you here with me, here with me

"Although I'm not in my skin
I won't miss a thing
Don't you ever cry for me, my boy

Although I'm not on my feet
I'll walk down the street
Where, wherever you may be
My boy, my boy"

Walk on, she's waiting for you
Go on, son, she's waiting for you
And my love is waiting on the other side
On the other side

"Although I'm not in my skin
I won't miss a thing
Don't you ever cry for me, my boy

Although I'm not on my feet
I'll walk down the street
Where, wherever you may be
My boy, my boy"

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC September 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway - September 2016 - Kygo ft. Kodaline - Raging​

Representing Norway in FSC September 2016 is the popular Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer/DJ and artist Kygo ft. Kodaline. Here is some more information about them.

Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born on 11th September 1991), with the stage name Kygo, is a hugely popular and talented Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer/DJ and artist. He was perhaps best known in the EDM/club-community for his well known remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran (a famous English singer-songwriter), which some statistics show has been played around 28.2 million times on SoundCloud and around 42 million times on YouTube. Kygo has accumulated over 200 million views of his music on Soundcloud and YouTube, very impressive numbers indeed.

After several original works (songs) in 2013 and a subsequent breakthrough in 2014 he was asked by Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin to create a remix for the song "Midnight". He has also supported the famous Swedish EDM-artist Avicii at Findings Festival in Oslo, Norway the same year. He scored a huge record label deal with Sony International and Ultra Records in the summer of 2014 with also a view to a subsequent international promotion.

In December 2014 he then released his first single, the very popular and internationally successful EDM-single "Firestone" which featured vocals by Conrad (Conrad Sewell). This was the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2015.

In February/March 2015 he released a second single, titled "Stole the Show" (ft. Parson James) which also gained great popularity. More singles followed later that year, among them “Nothing Left” (ft. Will Heard), “Here For You” (ft. Ella Henderson) and “Stay” (ft. Maty Noyes). Kygo continued work on his debut-album to be released in spring 2016. Preceeding the album in 2016 were the singles “Fragile” (ft. Labrinth), “I’m In Love” (ft. James Vincent McMorrow), and “Raging” (ft. Kodaline). “Raging” is alas the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC September 2016.

In May 2016 Kygo finally released his CD-album called “Cloud Nine” which included all his new singles as well as a host of other songs, some in his typical EDM/Tropical House style and others in slightly different music styles. The album got decidedly mixed reviews in the national press, but has become a worldwide sales success, showing his huge popularity among his ever-growing world fanbase. Kygo has promoted his new album on the world stage this summer and will continue to do so in the coming months.

There is little doubt that we will hear more from this talented EDM-Producer/DJ and artist in the years to come.

Kodaline are an Irish Rock band that originated as 21 Demands in 2005. In 2011/12 the band changed its name to Kodaline. As 21 Demands, the band first came to attention in November 2007, when they participated in the fifth series of RTÉ talent show ‘You're a Star’; finishing as the series' runners-up. On 3rd March 2007, 21 Demands released their own single called "Give Me a Minute" through digital7 downloads on the RTÉ website. They made chart history when the single topped the Irish Singles Chart, becoming the first independently released track to achieve this feat. The quartet released their debut extended play - ‘The Kodaline EP’ - on Friday 7th September 2012.

In 2013 they released their first studio album called “In a Perfect World“ which included several popular singles. In early 2015 they released their second studio album called “Coming Up For Air“ which entered the UK Albums Charts at number 4. Several successful singles were subsequently released from the album. And then, in 2016, the band, with their lead singer Steve Garrigan, featured on vocals on Kygo’s new single “Raging“ from his new album “Cloud Nine“. They were also involved in the writing of the song. More will be heard from Kodaline in the future, of that there is little doubt.


The Norwegian entry for FSC September 2016, “Raging”, is alas another melodic EDM-song by Norwegian Kygo ft. Kodaline on vocals. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Kygo again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for September!

Kygo ft. Kodaline - Raging

Standing in the cold in the frozen wind
I'm leaving you behind but it's not the end
No, no, no
Walking on a plane as I hold my breath
It's gonna be weeks 'till I breathe again
No, no, no

I know that you hate it
And I hate it
Just as much as you
But if you can brave it
I can brave it
Brave it all for you

Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Lost among a million changing faces
Every day our hearts keep trading places
We've got a wild love raging, raging

Raging, raging
Raging, raging
Raging, raging

Checking into hotel loneliness
It's not what I've been used to, I confess
To wake up three times a night
Talking to a stranger's nothing new
She knows how to smile but not like you
So I wait for you all night

I know that you hate it
And I hate it
Just as much as you
But if you can brave it
I can brave it
Brave it all for you

Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Lost among a million changing faces
Every day our hearts keep trading places
We've got a wild love raging, raging

Raging, raging

Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Rolling on the wind with you forever
Holding onto us for worse or better
We've got a wild love raging, raging

Raging, raging
Raging, raging

Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC October 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway - October 2016 - Elsa & Emilie - Au Volant​

Representing Norway in FSC October 2016 is the talented young Norwegian Pop-duo Elsa & Emilie. Here is some more information about them.

The Pop-duo Elsa & Emilie consists of the Norwegian singers and songwriters Elsa Søllesvik and Emilie Haaland Austrheim, both 19 of age from Haugesund, south-western Norway.

Since they were 13 of age, these two girls have been writing songs that has impressed all those who have been lucky enough to get a sneak peek into their wonderful but deep and mysterious pop-song world. After several great local acoustic live-performances, where they showed their talent with matching, harmonious voices and interesting melodies, the duo managed finally to get a national record deal with Sony Records in 2014, when they released their debut-album ‘Endless Optimism’ to critical acclaim.

The album included the popular single ‘Run’, as well as the title track and the song ‘Another Day’, all getting a fair share of national radio-play. Their sound was termed ‘poppy’ with a Nordic edge’. They received a nomination for a Norwegian Grammy (‘Spellemannspris’) as ‘Best Newcomer’ for their album. After this they continued with live-performances at various gigs and smaller concerts around the country, and also moved to the capital Oslo to start the next stage of their music-career.

In 2015 they started work on their second studio-album, opting for a slightly darker edge to their music, and the first ‘taste’ of their ‘new sound’ was the new single ‘Au Volant’ which was released on 22nd August 2016. It was a beautiful, mystical Ambient Pop-ballad which immediately got critical acclaim and radio-play both nationally and abroad. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian FSC-jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC October 2016.

Their forthcoming album, their second, is expected to be released in 2017.

There is little doubt that we will hear more from this young talented Norwegian Pop-duo in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC October 2016, “Au Volant” (which means ‘driving’ in English), is written and performed by Elsa & Emilie. It is mystical in nature and very atmospheric in style. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Elsa & Emilie in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for October!

Elsa & Emilie - Au Volant

You were the bad boys in the crowd
Wanting out, wanting out
You were the ones in the driver’s seat
Now please repeat, please repeat

I got my mind set on a sunny place
Where we can rest our case
I got my mind set on a sunset
Where we can go and push reset

And call it home

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
I’m sky high

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
I’m sky high

With you

And all the pretty lights, we pass them by
There’s no limit line, but time
With you

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
The boys on the car

The boys with the car keys
Know how to speak
How to speak

Yeah the boys with the car keys
Know who to reach
Who to reach

Saying you should have your mind set
On a sunny place
Where we can rest our case

You should have your mind set
On a sunset where we can go and push reset

And call it home

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
I’m sky high

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
I’m sky high

And all the pretty lights, we pass them by
There’s no limit line, but time

With you

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
The boys in the car

All those late nghts while driving
Passing all the pretty lights
All those late nghts while driving
Passing all the pretty lights

With you

All those late nghts while driving
Passing all the pretty lights
All those late nghts while driving
Passing all the pretty lights

And call it home

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
I’m sky high

Who do you think got me this far
Got me this far
The boys in the car

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC November 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway – November 2016 - Hilde Selvikvåg - Karusell​

Representing Norway in FSC November 2016 is the talented young Norwegian singer-songwriter Hilde Selvikvåg. Here is some more information about her.

Hilde Selvikvåg, born in 1991, is a young and talented Norwegian singer-songwriter from Bryne on the south-western coast of Norway. Interested in music from an early age, she wrote her first music for an EP called ‘Løvetannfrø’ in 2010, at 19 of age. It was released in May 2012. It included 5 songs in the Norwegian Folk-song genre and she sang all songs in her local Jæren-dialect. In 2011 she participated in the Norwegian pop-IDOL competition on national tv and though she impressed several of the judges she did not make it to the final.

In 2013 she then released a single called ‘Medmenneske’ and also her first released song in English, ‘Red is the Man’. In late 2014 she released a single called ‘Min Engel’ which was followed by ‘Sjarmør’ in early 2015. She released several more singles in 2015 and also her first full CD-album ‘Sleep meg fri’ in March 2015, which gained good critical acclaim and included many of her singles. The album was subsequently nominated for a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemansprisen) in the category ‘Folk-ballads¨.

In February 2016 she released a Norwegian version of John Legend’s song ‘All of me’ called ‘Alt for deg’ which became popular on various media-platforms. That month she also released a brand new song, which she had written herself, called ‘Karusell’. A catchy Norwegian Pop-song, it instantly became a popular radio-hit and a fan-favourite. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC November 2016.

In August 2016 she released another new single called ‘Indie’ which has also become popular on national radio.

Hilde Selvikvåg is a talented singer-songwriter from whom we will without doubt hear more in the coming years.

The Norwegian entry for FSC November 2016, “Karusell” is written and performed by Hilde Selvikvåg. It is a melodic and catchy Norwegian Pop-song performed in Norwegian (dialect). The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Hilde Selvikvåg in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the Norwegian lyrics (in dialect) for the song and a translation into English. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for November!

Hilde Selvikvåg - Karusell

Du kan fylla meg, trylla meg, hylla meg / You can fill me, spell me, praise me
Dæ bare sånn du æ / That is just the way you are
Du kan brekka meg, knekka meg, svekka meg / You can break me, shatter me, impair me
Du får meg te å læ / You get me to laugh

Åsså går det sånn det går / And things happen the way they do
Det kan bli salt i våre sår / There can be salt in our wounds
Men me leve og holde på / But we have to live and keep going
Sjøl om daga blir te år / Even if days become years
Mæ djube drag og gråe hår / With shallow breaths and grey hair
Æ eg mæ deg kor hen du går / I am with you wherever you go

Om eg konne sagt det te deg / If I could have told you
Sko det blitt nå i kveld / It would have been tonight
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’
Om eg konne gå på vatnet, sko eg spronge øve te dæg / If I could walk on water I would run to you
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’

Æg kan glømma deg, gjømma deg, dømma deg / I can forget you, hide you, judge you
Te dagen glir forbi / Until the day passes by
Mens du bære meg, ære meg, lære meg / While you carry me, honour me, teach me
Så glad at æg æ di / So happy that I am yours

Åsså går det sånn det går / And things happen the way they do
Det kan bli salt i våre sår / There can be salt in our wounds
Men me leve og holde på / But we have to live and keep going
Sjøl om daga blir te år / Even if days become years
Mæ djube drag og gråe hår / With shallow breaths and grey hair
Æ eg mæ deg kor hen du går / I am with you wherever you go

Om eg konne sagt det te deg / If I could have told you
Sko det blitt nå i kveld / It would have been tonight
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’
Om eg konne gå på vatnet, sko eg spronge øve te dæg / If I could walk on water I would run to you
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’

Hold i meg fast så hardt du kan / Hold onto me as hard as you can
Sveve me høgt så dæ går an / We fly together as high as is possible

Om eg konne sagt det te deg / If I could have told you
Sko det blitt nå i kveld / It would have been tonight
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’
Om eg konne gå på vatnet, sko eg spronge øve te dæg / If I could walk on water I would run to you
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’

Om eg konne sagt det te deg / If I could have told you
Sko det blitt nå i kveld / It would have been tonight
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’
Om eg konne gå på vatnet, sko eg spronge øve te dæg / If I could walk on water I would run to you
Om eg konne dansa mæ deg / If I could dance with you
Sko me dansa karusell / We would dance ‘the carousel’

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC December 2016 - Norway

FSC Norway - December 2016 - Sirenia - Goddess of the Sea​

Representing Norway in FSC December 2016, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the popular Norwegian Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal band Sirenia. Here is some more information about them.

Sirenia, named after the Sirens of Greek mythology, was founded in 2001 by the Norwegian musician Morten Veland (who also has a one-man Metal-band called Mortemia), after he left the Norwegian Gothic Metal band Tristania due to musical disagreements and personal differences.

The band has had several changes in members over the years, but the current members of Sirenia are:

Morten Veland (band founder; songwriter, guitar, male growl vocals, synth-programming)
Jan Erik Soltvedt (guitar)
Emmanuelle Zoldan (female vocals)
Jonathan Perez (drums)


Their 1st album was “At Sixes and Sevens” in 2002. Sirenia’s 2nd album “An Elixir For Existence” came in 2004 plus one EP “Sirenian Shores” also in 2004. For these albums Sirenia recruited the Norwegian singer Henriette Bordvik. Sirenia sounded on their first albums like a mixture of hard Goth Metal and Rock with classical Symphonic influences (including choirs), as well as black and death metal elements.

Their album “Nine Destinies and a Downfall” was released in February 2007. This album had a ‘softer’ Symphonic pop/Metal sound and Sirenia introduced a new female singer, Monika Pedersen (Sinphonia) from Denmark, after Henriette Bordvik left. In 2009 they released an album called “The 13th Floor”. With this album Sirenia once again changed female vocalist, with Pilar Giménez García, alco called Ailyn, taking over for Monika Pedersen.

In late January 2011, Sirenia released a new album called “The Enigma of Life”. It followed much the same path musically. Some great songs on this album were “All My Dreams”, the Norwegian entry in FSC March 2011, and “Fading Star”, the Norwegian entry in FSC August 2011.

During 2011 Michael S Krumins, Sirenia’s guitarist of several years, left the band to focus more on his other projects and Jan Erik Soltvedt (guitar) joined as his replacement.

In May 2013 a powerful and epic Symphonic Metal song called “Seven Widows Weep”, the first single from a forthcoming new album, was released to great acclaim from reviewers and fans alike. “Seven Widows Weep” was the Norwegian entry in FSC August 2013.

The album, called “Perils of the Deep Blue” was finally released in late June 2013. It was an album where Sirenia merged their more commercial sound with their heavier music, in a fruitful symbiosis, and it received mostly good reviews in the press. It included “Seven Widows Weep” and also the melodious and epic Symphonic Metal-song “My Destiny Coming To Pass” which subsequently became the Norwegian entry in FSC February 2014.

A first single from a new 2015 album was “Once My Light”, released in April 2015. The album “The Seventh Life Path”, following on from their previous album, fusing the heavier harder sound with the more commercial, was released in May 2015. The album had many great Metal-tracks, including a popular Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal song called “Serpent”, which was the Norwegian entry in FSC June 2015.

In August 2016 Ailyn left Sirenia and they chose Emmanuelle Zoldan, an opera-trained and -educated singer who they had worked with for 13 years and who had been a part of the Sirenia choir since their second album, as her replacement. Emmanuelle can handle lots of different musical styles and various techniques in addition to classical and opera, and this has according to Morten Veland had a big influence on the new album.

Sirenia worked on a new album in 2016 and a first single from the forthcoming album, “The 12th Hour” (heavier Symphonic Metal) was released in October 2016. It was followed in early November by the title-track “Dim Days of Dolor” (more Symphonic Rock-oriented) which quickly became popular among the fans. The new album, “Dim Days of Dolor”, was then released on 11th November 2016 to generally good critical acclaim (the new singer Emmanuelle Zoldan got a lot of praise) in the International Press. The album, which displays a variety of songs and styles, has nevertheless a fairly traditional Symphonic Metal ‘Sirenia-sound’, though slightly less heavy and Dark Metal-oriented than some of their earlier albums, and with the new aforementioned female vocalist (Emmanuelle Zoldan) putting her own ‘mark’ on the finished product and sound.

Among the many other great songs on the new album was the song “Goddess of the Sea”, a hard-hitting, melodic, powerful and epic Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal hymn that quickly became a fan-favourite. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC December 2016.

Morten Veland and Sirenia keep on going strong, ‘reinventing’ themselves at times and building on solid musical foundations, and there is little doubt that we will hear more from Sirenia in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC December 2016, “Goddess of the Sea”, with text and music by Morten Veland, is another melodic, powerful and epic Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal song by Norwegian Sirenia. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Sirenia again in the FSC for Norway.


Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for December!

Sirenia - Goddess of the Sea

Scarlet and red, flaming sunset in the distance
You're going down on the prowl, sea goddess
Never to rest, all obsessed in thy search for northwest

Vigilant eyes coming to life once again
Here in the night, in the depths of the sea
Searching the deep infinitely with desire and greed

Coming alive, thrive in the night, sleeping in the fire
Chest of gold, dreams unfold, burning with desire
You are my treasure, haven and pleasure, my pearls and gold

Give me a gust, give me the wind and that horizon
Give me nine waves. Seaman's grave, endless sleep
I honour thee eternally, ran - my goddess of the sea

At the seashore or ocean floor, always searching
Precious treasures all bound for your net
All you possess, my sea goddess, you will wear as a dress

Coming alive, thrive in the night, sleeping in the fire
Chest of gold, dreams unfold, burning with desire
You are my treasure, haven and pleasure, my pearls and gold

Coming alive, thrive in the night, sleeping in the fire
Chest of gold, dreams unfold, burning with desire
You are my treasure, haven and pleasure, my pearls and gold

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC January 2017 - Norway

FSC Norway - January 2017 - Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør - Never Ever​

Representing Norway in FSC January 2017, ‘resurrected’ and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the accomplished and popular Norwegian Electro-Pop duo Röyksopp in another musical collaboration with the Norwegian pop-singer Susanne Sundfør. Here is some more information about them.

Röyksopp is a Norwegian Electro-Pop \ Electronica \ Electronic Music duo from Tromsø, Norway. The group consists of the members Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland. Röyksopp was formed in 1998.

The word ‘röyksopp’ is alas a stylized version of the Norwegian word for the ‘puffball mushroom’, "røyksopp". The band has stated that the word could also evoke the mushroom cloud resulting from an atomic blast

They have experimented with different genres within electronic music, like ambient, house music, synth-pop and non-Euro American sounds. The band is also known for its elaborate concert performances, which often feature eccentric outfits.

Since their 1998 debut, the duo has gained critical acclaim and popular success around the world. To date, Röyksopp has been nominated for 1 Grammy Award, Brit Awards, won a total of 7 Spellemannprisen awards (Norwegian Grammys), performed worldwide tours, and produced albums which have topped the charts in several countries, including 4 consecutive number-one albums in Norway.

Röyksopp solidified their place in the Electro-Pop \ Electronica scene with their 2001 debut-album “Melody A.M.”, released on the Wall of Sound record label. Popular singles from this album were “Eple”, “Poor Leno” and “Remind Me”. The band's popularity was boosted by several graphically experimental music videos, many of which were put into heavy rotation by MTV. Their 2nd album, “The Understanding”, was released in 2005. Popular singles from this album were “Only This Moment”, “49 Percent”, and “What Else Is There?”, a song which featured the Swedish singer Karin Dreijer Andersson on vocals.

Their 3rd album, called “Junior”, was released in 2009. It included the singles “Happy Up Here” and “This Must Be Here”, as well as the popular radio-hit “The Girl And The Robot” which featured the Swedish singer Robyn on vocals. This song subsequently became the Norwegian entry in FSC June 2009.

The 2009 album “Junior” was in 2010 followed by its ‘ambient twin’, “Senior”, which was more quiet/atmospheric in style. Then in December 2012 Röyksopp released a new popular Electro-Pop single called "Running To The Sea". It featured the talented Norwegian pop-artist Susanne Sundfør on vocals. This was subsequently the Norwegian entry in FSC March 2013.

In May 2014 Röyksopp released a new EP-album called “Do It Again” in a musical collaboration with the Swedish Electro-Pop Star Robyn. The EP - or ‘mini-album’ - which included 5 songs, was preceeded by the popular Electro-Pop title-track single “Do It Again” in April 2014, which subsequently became the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2014. Another popular song on the 2014 Röyksopp-EP album was “Monument”, which was later remixed in several versions.“Monument” (TIE Remix)”, the first single off Röyksopp’s November 2014 CD-album ‘The Inevitable End’, was released in September 2014. This became the Norwegian entry in FSC February 2015. Röyksopp subsequently informed that no further album-releases would be forthcoming from them, they were ‘semi’retiring’ from the music-business.

In September 2016, however, a new digital single was released by Röyksopp, the new song “Never Ever” with Susanne Sundfør once again collaborating with vocals. Another popular Electro-Pop melody in Röyksopp’s musical style, and perhaps a sign that we will hear more from this ‘resurrected’ Norwegian Electro-Pop duo in the future.

Susanne Aartun Sundfør (born 1986, in Haugesund, Norway) is a Norwegian pop-artist and singer-songwriter. She has released 5 studio albums, as well as an instrumental album, in the time period 2007-2015. In February 2008, she was awarded Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) for best female performance. In 2010, her 3rd album "The Brothel" was released to great critical acclaim in Norway, and ended up becoming the 2nd bestselling album of the year. Her musical style was by now quite ‘experimental and atmospheric’ within the ‘broad landscape of pop music’ and with her special, characterized voice it made for a very interesting - and moving - combination.

In 2012 her album “The Silicone Veil was released to critcal acclaim and in late 2012 Susanne Sundfør joined the Norwegian Electro-Pop duo Röyksopp in a musical collaboration, where she provided the vocals on their new song “Running To The Sea”. Her latest album was “Ten Love Songs” in 2015 from which came the two FSC-entries from Norway “Delirious” (April 2015) and “Accelerate” (October 2015). And in late 2016 she then returned with vocals on Röyksopp’s newest single “Never Ever”, another fruitful and popular collaboration.

The Norwegian entry for FSC January 2017, “Never Ever”, by Röyksopp featuring Susanne Sundfør on vocals, is another melodic Electro-Pop song in their cool and rhytmic musical club-style. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Röyksopp again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for January!

Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør - Never Ever

I've been dying to see you
Hoping for a chance to talk
I really wanna be near you
Tell you how I feel inside

Oh, wanna get to know you
Oh, wanna shout it out
Would it really show you
Oh, what it's all about?

Never ever gonna let you go now
I don't wanna cry
Never ever gonna let you go now
Not that I'm in love

Every time that I see you
I just wanna stay a while
And I want you to be here
Don't wanna be alone tonight

Oh, wanna get to know you
Oh, wanna shout it out
Would it really show you
Oh, what it's all about?

Never ever gonna let you go now
I don't wanna cry
Never ever gonna let you go now
Not that I'm in love

Never ever gonna let you go now
I don't wanna cry
Never ever gonna let you go now
Not that I'm in love

Oh - I don't, I don't
I don't - oh

I don't wanna cry
Never ever gonna let you go now
I don't, oh - I don't get

Get, Get, Get - oh oh
Get, Get, Get - oh oh

Never ever gonna let you go now
Never ever gonna let you go now

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC February 2017 - Norway

FSC Norway - February 2017 - Alan Walker ft. Noonie Bao - Alone ​

Representing Norway in FSC February 2017 is the talented young, very popular British-Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer and artist Alan Walker featuring the Swedish singer Noonie Bao on vocals. Here is some more information about them.

Alan Walker (born 24th August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian Record Producer and artist in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM)-genre. Born in Northampton, England of an English father and Norwegian mother, he and his family moved to Norway in 1999 at the age of two. He has since (for 17 years) lived in Bergen, Norway and has made his music career here.

Growing up in the digital era, Alan Walker found an early interest in computers which later turned into a fascination for programming and graphic design. In 2012 he started making music on his computer laptop, and with the help and online following and feedbacks, his own produced songs soon caught the attention of the record labels.

His worldwide digital song and EDM-hit "Fade" gained attention after its release on YouTube via the label NoCopyrightSounds (NCS). The song was then released on a compilation called ‘Uplifting’. The tracks "Spectre" and "Force" followed in 2015. He then signed with MER Musikk under Sony Music Sweden and his first single under that label was "Faded", a remastered vocal version of "Fade", released in December 2015. "Faded" included vocals by the Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim. The song topped both the Norwegian singles chart and Swerdish chart and was a top 10 hit in Finland and Denmark as well as charting in other countries.

After the song and the video for "Faded" were released, they gained worldwide attention. As of June 2016, "Faded" had over 356 million views on YouTube, an incredible feat. On 24th May 2016, he then released a teaser for his new song "Sing Me To Sleep". Featuring once again Iselin Solheim on vocals, this new EDM-song was finally released on 3rd June 2016. "Sing Me To Sleep" was the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2016.

Alan Walker was in summer 2016 chosen as warm-up act on several of world famous artist Rihanna’s summer-concerts in Europe, an honour and a recognition for the now 19-year old British-Norwegian young man.

In December 2016 Alan Walker released a new single, called “Alone”. It featured the Swedish singer (uncredited) Noonie Bao on vocals. It was another melodic song in his typical musical style which gained huge popularity and it currently has almost 80 million views on YouTube and more than 13 million plays on the popular streaming site Spotify. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC February 2017.

In late December 2016 he also released a 'free-for-use' track called "Routine" - and he continues his concert-tour or “Walker Tour” as he calls it to the joy of his many fans everywhere.

He is certainly a talented young Producer/artist in the EDM-genre with huge popularity not the least on digital media/YouTube and similar online sites, from whom we will without doubt hear much more in the future.

Noonie Bao (or Jonnali Mikaela Parmenius as is her actual name, born 1987) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. She signed a contract with the record label EMI as a songwriter, and also founded a music label called ‘2many Freckles’. Under this label she wrote and produced songs for artists such as Adiam Dymott, Clean Bandit, Frederic Sioen, and Tove Styrke. In January 2012 she released her debut single "About to Tell" which was followed by her debut album “I Am Noonie Bao” in October 2012. In 2013 she was nominated for a Swedish ‘Grammis’ award in the category Best New Artist. She had her greatest chart-success as a guest musician (singer/songwriter) for the song "I Could Be the One" by Avicii and Nicky Romero. In 2014 Noonie Bao co-wrote the successful single "Doing It" from Charli XCX's album “Sucker”, as well as contributing on three other album tracks. In 2015 she released the single "I'm in Love" on Soundcloud and YouTube. And In late 2015 she released her first extended play “Noonia”, and then the Burns-produced single "Reminds Me" in April 2016. Later in 2016 she contributed with vocals on British-Norwegian Alan Walker’s new EDM-single “Alone”. She is a talented multi-artist from whom we will without doubt hear more in the years to come.


The Norwegian entry for FSC February 2017, “Alone”, is another melodic EDM-song in his typical musical style by British-Norwegian Alan Walker ft. Noonie Bao on vocals. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Alan Walker again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for February!

Alan Walker ft. Noonie Bao - Alone

Lost in your mind
I wanna know
Am I losing my mind?
Never let me go

If this night is not forever
At least we are together
I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

Anywhere, whenever
Apart, but still together
I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

Unconscious mind
I'm wide awake
Wanna feel one last time
Take my pain away

If this night is not forever
At least we are together
I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

Anywhere, whenever
Apart, but still together
I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

I know I'm not alone
I know I'm not alone

I'm not alone, I'm not alone
I'm not alone, I know I'm not alone
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
I'm not alone, I know I'm not alone

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC March 2017 - Norway

FSC Norway - March 2017- Hanne Vatnøy - Elysium ​

Representing Norway in FSC March 2017 is the talented Norwegian pop-singer, songwriter and artistic multi-entertainer Hanne Vatnøy. Here is some more information about her.

Hanne Vatnøy (born 1984 in Bergen, Norway) is a multi-talented Norwegian pop-artist and songwriter who is also educated with a University degree in music. She was interested in music from an early age and started writing her own songs at the age of 11. Her love for music stayed with her through adolescence (she also took part in local church-choirs in her teens) and she subsequently took part in several projects on the west-coast of Norway.

Her debut-album called ‘Me and My Piano’ was recorded in the autumn of 2009. It was first released in Japan in September 2010. According to her, it all started with a dream of Japan and the song ‘Take me to Tokyo’. She gained popularity there and got a Japanese manager (Tomoyuki Ohsawa) with whom she worked closely with regards to concert-tours (she has had 4 such tours in Japan) and events in the coming years. The album was released in Norway in 2011.

In May 2013 she released a new single called ‘Muffin’, which was popular among her fans, while 2014 and 2015 were spent working on new songs and an album which she planned to release in 2016/2017. In March 2016 she released the 1st single from this forthcoming album, a melodic Scandipop-song called “Elysium” which quickly became popular among lovers of catchy Scandinavian synth-related Pop. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC March 2017.

In December 2016 she released a 2nd single from her forthcoming album, a song called “Air” and this was followed by a 3rd single “Dialogue” in February 2017. At the same time she informed the national press that the album (probably also to be called “Elysium”) that she was working on was coming along well, no release date is confirmed yet but it is believed it may be released before autumn 2017.

Hanne Vatnøy’s music has sometimes been termed ‘dreamy (Scandi)pop with an intellectual and modern twist’, but she is in truth a multi-entertainer and mixes several art-forms with her music, among them dance, visual animation, film and conceptual art (as she says, to ‘challenge the concert-goer’s senses with added artistic stimuli’). In the many concerts she has held over the years she has made use of many of these concepts / stimuli / visual presentations which have added to her fairly unique artistic style. This is a singer and songwriter - an artist - from whom we will without doubt hear more in the coming years.

The Norwegian entry for FSC March 2017, “Elysium”, is a dynamic, melodic Scandipop-song with exciting (percussion) beats and rhythms as well as stylish musical harmonies, performed proficiently by Hanne Vatnøy. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Hanne Vatnøy in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for March!

Hanne Vatnøy - Elysium

Somebody hurt me
Somebody stole from the bottom of my heart
Somebody hurt me

Somebody smashed me
Somebody smashed me down
Somebody smashed me to the ground

Everytime a star is falling down
Some say, wow it’s beautiful
Life can bring you down
But hope will lift you to the sky

There is a chance you’ll be defeated in the game
That love will come and fight for you
In the end
Love will come and fight for you
In the end

Somebody kissed me
Somebody kissed me, could it last
Somebody kissed me and made love’s good

Somebody told me
Somebody told, they all hear a lie
Somebody else told me the truth

Everytime a star is falling down
Some say, wow it’s beautiful
Life can bring you down
But hope will lift you to the sky

There is a chance you’ll be defeated in the game
That love will come and fight for you
In the end
Love will come and fight for you
In the end

Have you ever seen a suffering child
Growing purple in the ‘London Eye’
Feeling supernatural
Watching colours in the sky

Have you ever seen..

Everytime a star is falling down
Some say, wow it’s beautiful
Life can bring you down
But hope will lift you to the sky

There is a chance you’ll be defeated in the game
That love will come and fight for you
In the end
Love will come and fight for you
In the end

There is a chance you’ll be defeated
Love will come and fight for you
In the end
Love will come and fight for you
In the end

Somebody
Somebody

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC April 2017 - Norway

FSC Norway - April 2017 - Serlina - Puste under vann ​

Representing Norway in FSC April 2017 is the young, talented Norwegian pop-singer Serlina. Here is some more information about her.

Serlina Wiig Sulebakk, or just Serlina as is her artist name, is 17 years old and comes from just outside Bergen on the west-coast of Norway. She comes from a truly all-musical (Christian) family where all members have sung and performed (in concerts) since the children were small. She currently studies music and wants a career in this field.

She came to the attention of the Norwegian public in 2016 when she participated in the popular Norwegian TV2 music-show called “The Stream” (a show with several stages of music-competition, including online auditions, counted streams, a ‘showcase’ with judges and more). She makes some music herself as well and got a record contract with Universal Music Norway. She has released several songs, f.ex. “Tenker på deg” featuring the Bergen Rap-duo Kløver og Skarre R (2016), “Målløs” (2016) and “Superhelt” with well known Norwegian Rap/Pop-artists Erik & Kriss (2016).

In March 2017 she then released a new single, the Electronic Dance Music (EDM)-song called “Puste under vann” which has already become quite popular among fans and online. In good Norwegian EDM-tradition it is a catchy, melodic EDM-piece which she also performed, in a down-stripped version, during her time at “The Stream” in autumn 2016. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC April 2017.

Serlina will continue to build her music career and we will without doubt hear more from her in the coming years.

The Norwegian entry for FSC April 2017, “Puste under vann” (‘Breathe under water”), is a melodic Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM)-song performed well by Serlina in her local Norwegian Bergen-dialect. The song was written by Serlina herself together with Mads Arron and Bjarte Ludvigsen and the lyrics tell the story ('allegorically') of demands and expectations of all kinds put on youths in today’s society. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Serlina in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the Norwegian lyrics for the song (in Norwegian dialect) and a translation into English. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for April!

Serlina - Puste under vann

Det e’kkje enkelt å leve / It is not easy to live
Som i en dans på roser / Like in a ‘bed of roses’
Når alt vi ser virker bedre / When all we see seems better
Vi har vel alle følt det / We have probably all felt it

Vil vekk fra skyer som skygger / Want to be away from clouds that cover everything
For eg vil ut i solen / Because I want to be out in the sun
Men alt har tatt en ny vending / But everything has changed

Så du er borte, ser deg ikkje mer / You are gone, I don’t see you anymore
Minnene forsvinner, ser de farer langt av sted / The memories disappear, far far away
Hører du meg rope, høyere enn fjellet / Can you hear me shout, higher than a mountain
Holder meg tilbake, men hjertet mitt vil si / Keeps me back, but my heart wants to say

Eg finner ikkje fram på land / I can’t find my way on land
Men kem kan puste under vann / But who can breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Har aldri hørt det var enkelt / Have never heard it was easy
Og jeg sitt på minner / And I carry memories with me
For alt eg trodde var ekte / Because all I believed was real
Har blitt helt forandret / Has been totally changed

Du sa de ordene til meg / You spoke those words to me
Og eg har eget blikk / And I could see with my eyes
Hvem har blitt plutselig liten / Who has suddenly become small

Visste du er borte, ser deg ikkje mer / Knew you were gone, I don’t see you anymore
Minnene forsvinner, ser de farer langt av sted / The memories disappear, far far away
Hører du meg rope, høyere enn fjellet / Can you hear me shout, higher than a mountain
Holder meg tilbake, men hjertet mitt vil si / Keeps me back, but my heart wants to say

Eg finner ikkje fram på land / I can’t find my way on land
Men kem kan puste under vann / But who can breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under / Can’t breathe under
Kan’kkje puste under vann / Can’t breathe under water

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC May 2017 - Norway

FSC Norway - May 2017 - Margaret Berger - Running With Scissors ​

Representing Norway in FSC May 2017, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the talented and famous Norwegian Pop-singer and songwriter of ESC-fame Margaret Berger. Here is some more information about her.

Margaret Berger was born in 11th October 1985 in Trondheim, Norway. She sang in a local gospel choir and began writing her own songs already at the age of twelve.

She came to the attention of the Norwegian public in 2004, when she was one of the participants in the Norwegian tv IDOL show. She ended 2nd in the end, only beaten by the winner Kjartan Salvesen, and became very popular in Norway, having what later came to be known as the x-factor.

Her debut album, “Chameleon”, which was a mix of musical genres from rock to electronic to R&B to Pop, was released in October 2004. The album reached number four on the Norwegian albums chart and included the singles “Lifetime Guarantee”, which became a big national radio-hit, and the title-track “Chameleon”. The music video for “Lifetime Guarantee” went on to receive the Norwegian Grammy (“Spellemannsprisen”) and she was also nominated in the category “Best Newcomer”.

Her second album, “Pretty Scary Silver Fairy”, was released in October 2006. The album reached number eight on the Norwegian albums chart and received positive reviews. Influenced by Björk, Daft Punk and The Knife, the album was a musical departure from her previous effort, and featured a mixture of electronic (Electro-Pop/Electronica) and dance-pop music. The lead single, "Samantha", reached number six on the Norwegian singles chart. Two more singles followed: "Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?" and "Robot Song".

Margaret then took a break from the music scene for the next few years, focusing instead on other projects in her life.

In 2011 she returned, releasing a new single, the hard-hitting critically acclaimed Electro-Pop song “In a Box” which received popularity and a fair amount of play in club-circles. That same year, her label Sony BMG issued the 4-track EP compilation “Four Hits: Margaret Berger”, which included the singles "Lifetime Guarantee", "Samantha", "Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?" and "Chameleon".



Margaret Berger: Albums

Chameleon (2004)
Pretty Scary Silver Fairy (2006)
Four Hits: Margaret Berger (EP, 2011)


Margaret Berger: Singles

Lifetime Guarantee (2004)
Chameleon (2004)
Samantha (2006)
Will You Remember Me Tomorrow? (2006)
Robot Song (2006)
In a Box (2011)
I Feed You My Love (2013)
Human Race (2013)
Scream (2014)
Apologize (2016)
Running With Scissors (September 2016)



It was, however, in 2013 that Margaret Berger was to get her international breakthrough with her victory in the Norwegian MGP with the popular Electro-pop song “I Feed You My Love” and a subsequent 4th place at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö, Sweden. The song also reached number four on the Norwegian singles chart and became an international hit in many European countries.

In September 2013 she released a second single with Universal Records called “Human Race”, another popular Electro-pop style song, which subsequently was the Norwegian entry in FSC October 2013. It was followed by “Scream”, another very popular Electro-pop melody in March 2014, a song that became the Norwegian entry in FSC June 2014. Both songs were planned to be part of an upcoming album called “New Religion” which, however, was never released.

Margaret went through a period of some confusion and uncertainty with regards to her career in the next year or so before deciding to leave Universal Records and instead release music on her own record label. It appears that she wanted more artistic freedom and to be independent, to have total control of her music. The first result of this change was the single “Apologize” released in early 2016. It was a a very personal song (with soul searching lyrics) and a departure in musical style from her typical Electro-pop club music. She also decided to use the artistic BERGER (her surname) to emphasize her ‘new start’ as she called it.

In September 2016 she then released a second new single called “Running With Scissors”. It was an Electro-ballad, another slower song and again with very personal lyrics, with a melodic chorus and Margaret’s unmistakable vocal talents. It became popular among her many fans and got, on the whole, positive reviews. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC May 2017.

Margaret Berger continues to write songs, hoping to release a full album on her own record label in time, and is without doubt a very accomplished and popular Nowegian Pop artist and songwriter from whom we will hear more in the years to come.


The Norwegian entry for FSC May 2017, “Running With Scissors”, is a melodic Electro-ballad written by Margaret herself together with Max Mostley and performed beautifully by the artist. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Margaret Berger again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for May!

Margaret Berger - Running With Scissors

Here we go again
High risk, high stakes, high hopes
All lovers diving in
Come in darlings hold my hand, and

No time to catch your breath
High risk, high stakes, high hopes
All lovers diving in
Come in darlings hold my hand, and

I know it makes no sense
But if you wanna try
I know I wanna go
Yeah come along for the ride

Oh, I'm dancing in blizzards
I'm running with scissors
Always fighting off these giants

Oh, I'm dancing in blizzards
I'm running with scissors
Always fighting off these giants

Here we go again
Oh Oh Oh Oh
I need you I admit it
Feed the monster, feel the hunger

No time no chance to waste
Higher, better, faster, stronger
I need you I admit it
Feed the monster, feel the hunger

I know it makes no sense
But if you wanna try
I know I wanna go
Yeah come along for the ride

Oh, I'm dancing in blizzards
I'm running with scissors
Always fighting off these giants

Oh, I'm dancing in blizzards
I'm running with scissors
Always fighting off these giants

Even if I'm hurting myself
Even if I'm loosing my head
I keep I keep I keep

Oh, I'm running with scissors

Oh I'm dancing in blizzards
I'm running with scissors
Always fighting off these giants

Oh, I keep I keep
Oh, I keep I keep
Oh, I keep I keep

Running with scissors

-M​

 

[Malagant]

In Celebration of 100 Norway FSC Participations

In Celebration of 100 Norwegian FSC Participations , this June 2017, and over 8 years of continuous friendly competition , welcome on a journey through Norwegian FSC-History. It is a hugely successful and proud history of participation and it gladdens me that the FSC Community has embraced warmly so many Norwegian songs that we have shared with you all here through the years, songs that have been in several musical genres and styles.

Here below , are 15 Norwegian entries from these 8 FSC-years and soon-to-be 100 editions ; some of our winners , some of our top 10-songs, some of our less successful but equally treasured (by our jury) songs , and many of my, Malagant's, personal FSC-favourites from Norway through these years.

In Honour of FSC Norway: 2009-2017 and the coming 100th edition of the FSC!

Enjoy!

 

[Malagant]

FSC #100 June 2017 - Norway

FSC #100 Norway - June 2017 - Ask Embla - Father’s Eyes ​

Representing Norway in FSC #100 June 2017, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the talented and popular Norwegian/Icelandic Electro-Pop duo Ask Embla. Here is some more information about them.

The Nordic Electro-Pop duo (music project) Ask Embla [the name ‘Ask Embla’ comes from Old Norse mythology, where Ask and Embla were the first two humans created by the Old Norse Gods] consists of the Norwegian singer and songwriter Ina Wroldsen and the Icelandic songwriter and music producer Arnthor Birgisson. Ask Embla was founded in mid-2011 when Arnthor and Ina came together to realize the vision of an Electro-Pop project with a true Nordic flavour, to mirror their national heritage. They both had long experience from creating music for other artists, but now they wished to try a music project of their own.

Ina Wroldsen (born in Oslo, Norway in 1984) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter who has for many years lived in London, England (with frequent work-visits to Los Angeles, USA). She lived most of her childhood years in the town of Sandefjord south of the capital. Early in her career she got a record contract and released some music on her own, but has for many years focused on writing songs for other international artists. She has written popular and successful songs for famous artists like Britney Spears, One Direction, Shontelle, The Saturdays and The Pussycat Dolls to name a few. In the 2013 Norwegian MGP she also wrote (together with Quiz & Larossi) the song “Bombo“ which was performed by Adelèn and which came 2nd in the final. In mid-2011 she started a collaboration with the Icelandic songwriter and music producer Arnthor Birgisson - and the Ask Embla music project was born.

Arnthor Birgisson (born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1976) is an Icelandic songwriter and music producer who has lived in Sweden since early childhood. He began his professional songwriting and production career in 1996 working at Cosmos Studio stogether with Kent (Gillström) Isaacs and Bloodshy. Arnthor's breakthrough came in 1998 with the song "Because of You" written for 98 Degrees. In the following years he wrote successful songs for famous artists like Janet Jackson, Ronan Keating, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion among others. Arnthor has also worked with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music, EMI Group and Warner Music Group. In 2008 Arnthor co-founded the Swedish-based record and production company, Aristotracks. Since then he has written and produced songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, The Saturdays and Shontelle (some of this in collaboration with Ina Wroldsen). In mid-2011 he then started the Ask Embla Electro-Pop project with Ina Wroldsen.

Their first written song for Ask Embla was “Father’s Eyes“ which was uploaded to their Soundcloud-webpage on the Internet in 2012. The song was re-released as a digital single in 2013, but already from those early days this was the song which gave them faith in their vision.

“Father’s Eyes” is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC #100 June 2017. It is a song we wanted to enter in the FSC back in the day, but we dicovered it, sadly, too late and it was thereby too old for the FSC. We are glad to be able to enter it for Norway now in this celebratory edition in June 2017.

Ask Embla’s songs on Soundcloud brought them many fans who rejoiced when the Ask Embla CD-album “Northern Light“ was finally released in May 2013. Singles from the album were: “Father’s Eyes“ ( a popular national chart-hit), “Cry Baby“ and “I Fell In Love“. Other popular songs on the album were “Einn“ and “Northern Light (Ida’s dans)“. The album received mixed reviews in the national press, but gained popularity and acclaim on several international music websites and among their growing fanbase in Norway and abroad.


Ask Embla: Albums

Northern Light (2013)


Ask Embla: Singles

Father’s Eyes (2012 / re-released 2013)
Cry Baby (2012)
I Fell In Love (2013)
Legion (2014)
Lay It On Me (2014)


In late 2013 they started work on a 2nd Ask Embla album, untitled, which was expected to be released in late 2014. The album was, unfortunately, delayed indefinetly (due to solo-projects). However, a 1st single from the planned album, an Electro-Pop song with their typical Nordic flavour called “Legion”, was digitally released on 29th January 2014. “Legion“ was subsequently chosen as the Norwegian entry in FSC August 2014.

A 2nd single from the same planned album was released digitally on 1st December 2014. This was a melodious Electro-Pop Ballad called “Lay It On Me“, and it was the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC March 2015.

Ina Wroldsen countiued her solo-career in the next few years, releasing several singles including a new version of “Lay It On Me”. She has also had other projects which have taken up her time. There is little info of what Arnthor Birgisson has been doing since the Ask Embla project was effectively put on ice, but he is probably active with other projects as well.

Should Ask Embla not be resurrected, they can at least know that they have made their mark in Nordic Pop history with their popular songs and many fans in the Nordics and abroad.

The Norwegian entry for FSC #100 June 2017, “Father’s Eyes”, is melodic Nordic Pop-song with Electro/Synth vibes, in Ask Embla’s typical style, beautifully sung by Ina Wroldsen. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Ask Embla again in the FSC for Norway.


Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for June!

Ask Embla - Father’s Eyes

I could paint a picture of my heart, hang it on a wall
And watch the colours fade away
Tell the world that we have been a lie
All this time we've spent

I could tell myself that I have done, all that I could do
If that would take the pain away
Tell the world we lost it, Baby I,
I'm not done here yet

I know that people think our love is like a fantasy
I know that no one seems to understand what I see
But I, I see with my father’s eyes
I see with my father’s eyes

You were like a fire and I've tried, risking all I am
To let you go and kill the flames
Oh, a heart can burn so many times
I am proof of that

And I could paint a picture of your heart, hang it on a wall
And I would never walk away
I would stand there asking myself
Why I'm not broken yet

I know that people think our love is like a fantasy
I know that no one seems to understand what I see
When I, I see with my father’s eyes
I see with my father’s eyes

I know that everybody says you've not been good to me
They just don't realize I'm nothing if I set you free
I, I see with my father's eyes
I, I see with my father's eyes

Oh, I have my humanity, and I know why
Lost in my sanity cause I, think that I could learn to fly
I see it in my father’s eyes

Oh I have my humanity and I know why
Lost in my sanity cause I, think that I could learn to fly
I see it in my father’s eyes

I know that people think our love is like a fantasy
I know that no one seems to understand what I see
But I, I see with my father’s eyes
I see with my father’s eyes

I know that everybody says you've not been good to me
They just don't realize I'm nothing if I set you free
I, I see with my father's eyes
I see with my father's eyes

Oh why, see with my father’s eyes
Oh why, losing my sanity cause I
See with my father’s eyes
I see with my fathers’ eyes

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC#101 July 2017 - Norway

FSC#101 Norway - July 2017 - Martine Kraft - Når Dagen Hviler ​

Representing Norway in FSC#101 July 2017 is the multi-talented Norwegian Hardanger-fiddle player, singer and songwriter Martine Kraft. Here is some more information about her.

Martine Kraft (formerly known as Martine Lund Hoel, born in 1982), is an acclaimed Norwegian Folk-pop artist, musician, Hardangerfiddle (Norwegian ‘Hardingfele’) player and composer who has been on musical stages around the world with her own material for over a decade. She also delivers compositions to a huge number of ceremonial occasions.

Martine has been known to compose what many call ‘Folk-pop with world-music references’. There have often been hints and pieces from several cultures and traditions in her musical expression. In her stage appearances, with her heritage close to her heart, beside her Folk-pop inspired tunes she also has travelled through a multi-genre landscape of progressiv rock, intense Balkan rhythms, dusty American bluegrass and lyrical violin pieces.

Her concerts have often been performed together with her faithful guitarist and pianist Nils Jørgen Nygaard, in a duo, but when the occasion allows it, she has appeared with her entire band.


Martine Kraft: Discography

Hidden Shore (2008)
Distant Call ([with Nils Jørgen Nygaard] 2009)
Spirits from Norway (2011)
Crystals Are Falling (Digital Single 2011)
Fragile Mind (2013)
Huldreblod (May 2017)


She released her 1st album in 2008 under the name Martine Lund Hoel. It was called “Hidden Shore”. In 2009 she released an album together with Nils Jørgen Nygaard called “Distant Call”. Her next solo-album, “Spirits from Norway”, came in 2011. The album included the song “Mighty Moon”, released as a digital single in April 2011, where she sang a duet with the Norwegian artist Knut Anders Sørum. In October 2011 she released another digital single called “Crystals Are Falling”. This was a separate recording, a song and single which was not found on her album. “Crystals Are Falling” was subsequently the Norwegian entry in FSC April 2012.

In late 2013 she released her 3rd solo-album called “Fragile Mind”. The album was well received by the press and among her many fans in Norway and abroad. She focused on concerts and similar artistic work in the next few years, before a new single called “Solefall” was release in March 2016. An energetic uptempo-number, it showcased her great skill with the Hardanger-fiddle (or Hardingfele as it is called in Norwegian, the national instrument of Norway). Several further single-releases followed in 2016: “Himmelfot”, “Mørketid” and “Ravn”, all taken from what was to be a new 2017-album.

Her new popular and critically acclaimed album “Huldreblod”, with songs only in Norwegian, was finally released in May 2017 and besides the released singles it included 7 other Folk-music melodies in her distinct musical style. One of these, a new beautiful Folk-melody called “Når Dagen Hviler”, is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC July 2017.

Martine Kraft is one of Norway’s most respected and talented Folk(pop) musicians. She is often hired to play her Hardanger-fiddle together with other Norwegian artists, and is not afraid to experiment with her music. She sings as well on some of her songs and enjoys fully the music she creates. We will without doubt hear more from this talented Norwegian Folk(pop) artist and musician in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC#101 July 2017, “Når Dagen Hviler” (“When The Day Rests”) is a special, ‘magical’ piece of Norwegian Folk-music, a kind of ‘Folk-inspired lullaby’, written and performed (Hardanger-fiddle and vocals) by Martine Kraft. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Martine Kraft again in the FSC for Norway.


Below are the Norwegian lyrics for the song and a translation into English. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for July!

Martine Kraft - Når Dagen Hviler

Sol går ned / The sun sets
Bak mørke fjell / Behind dark mountains
Sov, mitt barn / Sleep, my child
I stille stunder / In peace and quiet

Sol går ned / The sun sets
På farget grunn / Against a colurful background
Sov, mitt barn / Sleep, my child
Mens dagen blunder / While the day rests

Ooooh Ohooo
Ooooh Ohooo
Ooooh Ohooo

Sol går ned / The sun sets
Bak mørke fjell / Behind dark mountains
Sov, mitt barn / Sleep, my child
I stille stunder / In peace and quiet

Sol går ned / The sun sets
På farget grunn / Against a colurful background
Sov, mitt barn / Sleep, my child
Mens dagen blunder / While the day rests

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #102 August 2017 - Norway

FSC #102 Norway - August 2017 - Kygo ft. Selena Gomez - It Ain’t Me ​

Representing Norway in FSC August 2017, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the famous Norwegian EDM-producer, DJ and artist Kygo, this time with equally famous American singer Selena Gomez on vocals. Here is some more information about them.

Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born on 11th September 1991), with the stage name Kygo, is a hugely popular and talented Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer, DJ and artist. He was perhaps best known in the EDM/club-community for his well known remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran (a famous English singer-songwriter), which some statistics show has been played around 28.2 million times on SoundCloud and around 42 million times on YouTube. Kygo has accumulated over 200 million views of his music on Soundcloud and YouTube, very impressive numbers indeed.

After several original works (songs) in 2013 and a subsequent breakthrough in 2014 he was asked by Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin to create a remix for the song "Midnight". He has also supported the famous Swedish EDM-artist Avicii at Findings Festival in Oslo, Norway the same year. He scored a huge record label deal with Sony International and Ultra Records in the summer of 2014 with also a view to a subsequent international promotion.

In December 2014 he then released his first single, the very popular and internationally successful EDM-single "Firestone" which featured vocals by Conrad (Conrad Sewell). This was the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2015.

In February/March 2015 he released a second single, titled "Stole the Show" (ft. Parson James) which also gained great popularity. More singles followed later that year, among them “Nothing Left” (ft. Will Heard), “Here For You” (ft. Ella Henderson) and “Stay” (ft. Maty Noyes). Kygo continued work on his debut-album to be released in spring 2016. Preceeding the album in 2016 were the singles “Fragile” (ft. Labrinth), “I’m In Love” (ft. James Vincent McMorrow), and “Raging” (ft. Kodaline).

“Raging” was subsequently the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC September 2016.

In May 2016 Kygo finally released his CD-album called “Cloud Nine” which included all his new singles as well as a host of other songs, some in his typical EDM/Tropical House style and others in slightly different music styles. The album got decidedly mixed reviews in the national press, but became a worldwide sales success, showing his huge popularity among his ever-growing world fanbase. Kygo promoted his new album on the world stage in the summer of 2016 in several events and concerts.

In February 2017 he released a new single called “It Ain’t Me” with the famous singer Selena Gomez on vocals. It was the first track from his planned forthcoming new album, a catchy piece of EDM / Tropical House in his familiar music style, and it became a huge hit worldwide reaching the top 5 in many countries. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC August 2017.

There is little doubt that we will hear more from this talented Norwegian EDM Producer, DJ and artist in the years to come.

Selena (Marie) Gomez is a famous American singer and actress. Having appeared as a child in the children's tv series ‘Barney & Friends’, she rose to fame as the leading role in the Disney Channel series ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ (2007–2012). Due to the success of the series, Gomez worked on various films, tv shows, and musical collaborations for the network in the following years. She signed a record contract with Hollywood Records in 2008 and subsequently formed her band Selena Gomez & the Scene the following year. The band released three studio albums and produced four top 30 singles by 2011.

She released her solo debut-album ‘Stars Dance’ (2013). The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 in the USA, and included the top ten single "Come & Get It". Her second studio album, ‘Revival’, came in October 2015. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, while the first three singles "Good for You", "Same Old Love" and "Hands to Myself" all topped the Top 40 chart in the USA. Among music collaborations, she has worked with Charlie Puth on the song "We Don't Talk Anymore", and with Norwegian Kygo on the new 2017-single "It Ain't Me" which was recorded in 2016. As of July 2017, Selena Gomez is the most-followed Instagram-user in the world. She has earned a number of awards and nominations for her work as an actress and singer and is a multi-talented artist from whom we will without doubt hear more in the future.

The Norwegian entry for FSC August 2017, “It Ain’t Me”, is a catchy and playful piece of EDM / Tropical House in Kygo’s familiar music style, a perfect song for fun Summer-parties. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Kygo again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for August!

Kygo ft. Selena Gomez - It Ain’t Me

I had a dream
We were sipping whiskey neat
Highest floor, the Bowery
And I was high enough

Somewhere along the lines
We stopped seeing eye to eye
You were staying out all night
And I had enough

No, I don't wanna know
Where you ‘been or where you're going
But I know I won't be home
And you'll be on your own

Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you when the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home when you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?

It ain't me

(The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful) ( x 4 )
It ain't me ( x 4 )

I had a dream
We were back to seventeen
Summer nights and The Libertines
Never growing up

I'll take with me
The Polaroids and the memories
But you know I'm gonna leave
Behind the worst of us

Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you when the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home when you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?

It ain't me, no, no ( x 3 )

Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?

It ain't me

(The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful) ( x 5 )
It ain't me ( x 5 )

Na na nanana The Bowery, na na nanana whiskey neat
(Grateful, I'm so grateful)

It ain't me

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #103 September 2017 - Norway

FSC #103 Norway - September 2017 - Kari Rueslåtten - Music You Should Hear ​

Representing Norway in FSC September 2017 is one of Norway’s finest female vocalists, and well known performer in the Folk/Folk-pop genre, the multi-talented and accomplished Kari Rueslåtten. Here is some more information about her.

Kari Rueslåtten (born 1973 in Trondheim, Norway) is an accomplished Norwegian Folk/Folk-pop, soprano singer, songwriter and keyboardist, who rose to some fame as lead singer and songwriter for the now disbanded cult progressive Norwegian Doom Metal band, The 3rd and the Mortal, in the early 1990s. The band released several records and she is considered one of the pioneers in female soprano-style Metal band vocals. After she left the band she joined the project Storm (Folk-metal) and recorded ‘Nordavind’ before she released her first solo project ‘Demo Recordings’, both being Nordic Folk-music styled.

‘Spindelsinn’, her first official solo album, was released in 1997 through Sony Norway, performed entirely in the Norwegian language, to honour the Nordic Folk music style. She was subsequently nominated for best female artist in the Norwegian Grammy Awards (‘Spellemannsprisen’). The following year the second album ‘Mesmerized’ was released. A mellower album, with more personal lyrics, in which she left the Folk-acoustic style in favour of exploring more modern sounds. After this she decided to study production and went to London, England for a couple of years. After joining the Swedish label GMR Music Group Kari Rueslåtten released a comeback album, the experimental ‘Pilot’, which contains a lot of modern sounds.

In January 2005, ‘Other People's Stories’, her fourth solo album, was released showing a simpler side of her music but without losing the modern feel, quality and passion in her performance. At the end of 2005, after performing live in support of her last album, she took a long break from her artistic career, focusing on other projects in her life.

Then in 2013 Kari Rueslåtten made a comeback with the remake of The 3rd and The Mortal's classic "Why So Lonely", featuring Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish on piano and keyboards, and followed up with the full-length album ‘Time to Tell’ in 2014, on the Swedish label Despotz Records. In October 2015, Kari Rueslåtten released her sixth full-length album ‘To The North’, fusing the acoustic work of her older releases with the darker atmospheres inspired by her home country of Norway. Singles released from this were a cover of The Byrds 1965 song "Turn, Turn, Turn", showcasing it in a darker and more melancholic way, and "Battle Forevermore".

In 2016/17 she worked on writing songs for a forthcoming seventh solo album and released a couple of singles in 2017, first “Chasing Rivers” and then “Spellbound”, before the new album ’Silence Is The Only Sound’ was finally released in August 2017. It was well received by critics and fans alike and included 10 mesmerizing songs, among them the new beautiful Celtic-Norwegian Folk-ballad “Music You Should Hear”. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC September 2017.

Kari Rueslåtten will promote her new album this Autumn 2017 and hold concerts and different PR-events as well as going on a European mini-tour (with planned concerts in f.ex. Berlin, Frankfurt, Milan and Athens) and possibly also future concerts in Latin America (where she has a good following). She is an accomplished, popular artist, singer and songwriter from whom we will without doubt hear more in the future.

The Norwegian entry for FSC September 2017, “Music You Should Hear”, is a beautful new Celtic-Norwegian Folk-ballad exquisitely performed by Kari Rueslåtten. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Kari Rueslåtten in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for September!

Kari Rueslåtten - Music You Should Hear

You say your mind is made up
You’ll be leaving us today
I see your eyes are filled with sorrow and pain
But, you will not change your mind

There is music you should hear
It’s the sound of your heartbeat
Your were my light, my destiny
Now, I’m begging at your feet

Thunder roaring in my head
Nothing will ever be the same
There will be dark clouds in the clearest sky
Will I ever understand

There is music you should hear
It’s the sound of your heartbeat
Your were my light, my destiny
Now, I’m begging at your feet

My love, my love, my love..

There is music you should hear
It’s the sound of your heartbeat
Your were my light, my destiny
Now, I’m begging at your feet

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #104 October 2017 - Norway

FSC #104 Norway - October 2017 - Sirenia - Dim Days of Dolor ​

Representing Norway in FSC October 2017, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the popular Norwegian Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Rock/Metal band Sirenia. Here is some more information about them.

Sirenia, named after the Sirens of Greek mythology, was founded in 2001 by the Norwegian musician Morten Veland (who also has a one-man Metal-band called Mortemia), after he left the Norwegian Gothic Metal band Tristania due to musical disagreements and personal differences.


The band has had several changes in members over the years, but the current members of Sirenia are:

Morten Veland (band founder; songwriter, guitar, male growl vocals, synth-programming)
Jan Erik Soltvedt (guitar)
Emmanuelle Zoldan (female vocals)
Jonathan Perez (drums)


Their 1st album was “At Sixes and Sevens” in 2002. Sirenia’s 2nd album “An Elixir For Existence” came in 2004 plus one EP “Sirenian Shores” also in 2004. For these albums Sirenia recruited the Norwegian singer Henriette Bordvik. Sirenia sounded on their first albums like a mixture of hard Goth Metal and Rock with classical Symphonic influences (including choirs), as well as black and death metal elements.

Their album “Nine Destinies and a Downfall” was released in February 2007. This album had a ‘softer’ Symphonic pop/Metal sound and Sirenia introduced a new female singer, Monika Pedersen (Sinphonia) from Denmark, after Henriette Bordvik left. In 2009 they released an album called “The 13th Floor”. With this album Sirenia once again changed female vocalist, with Pilar Giménez García, alco called Ailyn, taking over for Monika Pedersen.

In late January 2011, Sirenia released a new album called “The Enigma of Life”. It followed much the same path musically. Some great songs on this album were “All My Dreams”, the Norwegian entry in FSC March 2011, and “Fading Star”, the Norwegian entry in FSC August 2011.

During 2011 Michael S Krumins, Sirenia’s guitarist of several years, left the band to focus more on his other projects and Jan Erik Soltvedt (guitar) joined as his replacement.

In May 2013 a powerful and epic Symphonic Metal song called “Seven Widows Weep”, the first single from a forthcoming new album, was released to great acclaim from reviewers and fans alike. “Seven Widows Weep” was the Norwegian entry in FSC August 2013.

The album, called “Perils of the Deep Blue” was finally released in late June 2013. It was an album where Sirenia merged their more commercial sound with their heavier music, in a fruitful symbiosis, and it received mostly good reviews in the press. It included “Seven Widows Weep” and also the melodious and epic Symphonic Metal-song “My Destiny Coming To Pass” which subsequently became the Norwegian entry in FSC February 2014.

A first single from a new 2015 album was “Once My Light”, released in April 2015. The album “The Seventh Life Path”, following on from their previous album, fusing the heavier harder sound with the more commercial, was released in May 2015. The album had many great Metal-tracks, including a popular Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal song called “Serpent”, which was the Norwegian entry in FSC June 2015.

In August 2016 Ailyn left Sirenia and they chose Emmanuelle Zoldan, an opera-trained and -educated singer who they had worked with for 13 years and who had been a part of the Sirenia choir since their second album, as her replacement. Emmanuelle can handle lots of different musical styles and various techniques in addition to classical and opera, and this has according to Morten Veland had a big influence on the new album.

Sirenia worked on a new album in 2016 and a first single from the forthcoming album, “The 12th Hour” (heavier Symphonic Metal) was released in October 2016. It was followed in early November 2016 by the title-track “Dim Days of Dolor”, a more mainstream Symphonic Rock-oriented track which quickly became popular. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC October 2017.

The new album, “Dim Days of Dolor”, was then released on 11th November 2016 to generally good critical acclaim (the new singer Emmanuelle Zoldan got a lot of praise) in the International Press. The album, which displays a variety of songs and styles, has nevertheless a fairly traditional Symphonic Rock/Metal ‘Sirenia-sound’, though slightly less heavy and Dark Metal-oriented than some of their earlier albums, and with the new aforementioned female vocalist (Emmanuelle Zoldan) putting her own ‘mark’ on the finished product and sound.

Among the many other great songs on the new album was the song “Goddess of the Sea”, a hard-hitting, melodic, powerful and epic Symphonic ‘Gothic’ Metal hymn that quickly became a fan-favourite and which subsequently was the Norwegian entry in FSC December 2016.

Morten Veland and Sirenia keep on going strong, ‘reinventing’ themselves at times and building on solid musical foundations, and there is little doubt that we will hear more from Sirenia in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC September 2017, “Dim Days of Dolor”, with text and music by Morten Veland, is another melodic, powerful Symphonic Rock/Metal song by Norwegian Sirenia. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Sirenia again in the FSC for Norway.


Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for October!

Sirenia - Dim Days of Dolor

Frozen in the moment
Seems like time is standing still
This life feels like a cyanide pill

The sunrise, a new morning
It's the same strife, different day
The grim reaper meets me, in the doorway

I'm just barely alive
I don't know if I will survive
Yet another day, another way
To fade and deteriorate

I've been losing my mind
I've been falling way behind
I'm a lost survivor, walking through fire
But strength is giving away

Broken by this moment
Seems like I have lost the will
The will to carry on further still

The sundown, darkness falling
It all ends right where it begins
I pray for forgiveness for my sins

I'm just barely alive
I don't know if I will survive
Yet another day, another way
To fade and deteriorate

I've been losing my mind
I've been falling way behind
I'm a lost survivor, walking through fire
But strength is giving away

--
Can you see through the fire
Can you see through the rain
Can you walk through flames
Have we all become insane

Is this my funeral pyre
Burning brightly and in vain
Faceless strangers without names
Haunts you over and over again
--

I'm just barely alive
I don't know if I will survive
Yet another day, another way
To fade and deteriorate

I've been losing my mind
I've been falling way behind
I'm a lost survivor, walking through fire
But strength is giving away

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #105 November 2017 - Norway

FSC #105 Norway - November 2017 - Ina Wroldsen - St. Peter ​

Representing Norway in FSC November 2017 is the talented and popular Norwegian singer and songwriter of Ask Embla-fame, Ina Wroldsen. Here is some more information about her.

Ina (Christine) Wroldsen (born in Oslo, Norway in 1984) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter who has for many years lived in London, England (with frequent work-visits to Los Angeles, USA). She lived most of her childhood years in the town of Sandefjord south of the Norwegian capital. Early in her career she got a record contract and released some music on her own, but has for many years focused on writing songs for other international artists.

She has written popular and successful songs for famous artists like Britney Spears, Shakira, One Direction, Shontelle, The Saturdays and The Pussycat Dolls to name a few. In the 2013 Norwegian MGP she also wrote (together with Quiz & Larossi) the popular song “Bombo“ which was performed by Adelèn and which came 2nd in the final. In mid-2011 she started a successful collaboration with the Icelandic songwriter and music producer Arnthor Birgisson - and the Ask Embla music project was born.

They released several popular songs in the years 2012-2014 (‘Father’s Eyes’, their biggest hit, ‘Cry Baby’, ‘I Fell In Love’, ‘Legion’ and ‘Lay It On Me’) as well as an album ‘Northern Light’ (2013). They began work on a 2nd album but it was indefinitely delayed as they started to focus on solo-projects. The Ask Embla-project was ‘put on ice’ for the forseeable future and all Ina’s attention was now on her solo-career.

Ina Wroldsen countiued her solo-career in the next few years, releasing several singles including a new version (with Broiler) of “Lay It On Me”. She also spent time on other projects, including being one of the judges on the Norwegian pop-IDOL tv-show in 2016. Later the same year, she was the featured vocalist on various worldwide acclaimed DJs' records, including Sigma and the Martin Solveig song "Places".

She also travelled to Africa and saw first-hand the hardships suffered there among children and adults alike. It made a very strong impression on her and after her return to Europe she wrote the emotional and gripping song “St. Peter” (see more below) which was digitally released in December 2016. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC November 2017.

In June 2017, she subsequently signed a record deal with Simon Cowell's Syco Music label and plans to release more of her music in the time to come. Ina Wroldsen is a multi-talented songwriter and artist from whom we will without doubt hear more in the future.

The Norwegian entry for FSC November 2017, “St. Peter”, performed and written by Ina Wroldsen after the aforementioned life-changing visit to Africa where she stayed with poor, sick and dying children in Rwanda, is an emotional acoustic guitar pop-ballad reflected with the sadness and pain of her experience. A gripping and special song and story indeed. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Ina Wroldsen in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for November!

Ina Wroldsen - St. Peter

In the middle of hell
Lies a little St. Peter
In a hospital bed
Burning up

With a cloth to his head
He is ridden by fever
And I can't even tell
Whether the demons have won

And his mother is there with his brother
Tied to her back
Praying as hard as she can
To a god in a land that I think he forgot

In the middle of hell
Where a death by mosquito
Is as everyday
As my coffee or your cigarette

And she says God bless me
She says God bless me
And I shake my head
‘Cause I can't see God
In this hospital bed

She says God bless me
She says God bless me
And I look away
But as she lets go of my hand
For the first time in this place I pray

Amen Amen

I got plenty to give
But there's nothing to offer
And the little I brought
Comes far too late

But I urge him to live
With a bottle of water
He is 7 years old
Sleeping outside pearly gates

And his mother looks at me with eyes
I will never let go
They are angry and sad beyond measure
And mad with a child-bearing love that I know

In the middle of hell
We just sit with each other
On a hospital bed
Begging for death to go home

And she says God bless me
She says God bless me
And I shake my head
‘Cause I can't see God
In this hospital bed

She says God bless me
She says God bless me
And I look away
But as she lets go of my hand
For the first time in this place I pray

Amen Amen

In the middle of hell
Lies a little St. Peter
In a hospital bed
Burning up

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #106 December 2017 - Norway

FSC #106 Norway - December 2017 - Alan Walker ft. Noah Cyrus & Digital Farm Animals - All Falls Down

Representing Norway in FSC December 2017 is the talented young, very popular British-Norwegian Electronic Dance Music (EDM) -Producer and artist Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus & Digital Farm Animals on vocals. Here is some more information about them.

Alan Walker (born 24th August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian Record Producer and artist in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM)-genre. Born in Northampton, England of an English father and Norwegian mother, he and his family moved to Norway in 1999 at the age of two. He has since (for 17 years) lived in Bergen, Norway and has made his music career here.

Growing up in the digital era, Alan Walker found an early interest in computers which later turned into a fascination for programming and graphic design. In 2012 he started making music on his computer laptop, and with the help and online following and feedbacks, his own produced songs soon caught the attention of the record labels.

His worldwide digital song and EDM-hit "Fade" gained attention after its release on YouTube via the label NoCopyrightSounds (NCS). The song was then released on a compilation called ‘Uplifting’. The tracks "Spectre" and "Force" followed in 2015. He then signed with MER Musikk under Sony Music Sweden and his first single under that label was "Faded", a remastered vocal version of "Fade", released in December 2015. "Faded" included vocals by the Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim. The song topped both the Norwegian singles chart and Swerdish chart and was a top 10 hit in Finland and Denmark as well as charting in other countries.

After the song and the video for "Faded" were released, they gained worldwide attention. As of June 2016, "Faded" had over 356 million views on YouTube, an incredible feat. On 24th May 2016, he then released a teaser for his new song "Sing Me To Sleep". Featuring once again Iselin Solheim on vocals, this new EDM-song was finally released on 3rd June 2016. "Sing Me To Sleep" was the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2016.

Alan Walker was in summer 2016 chosen as warm-up act on several of world famous artist Rihanna’s summer-concerts in Europe, an honour and a recognition for the now 19-year old British-Norwegian young man.

In December 2016 Alan Walker released a new single, called “Alone”. It featured the Swedish singer (uncredited) Noonie Bao on vocals. It was another melodic song in his typical musical style which gained huge popularity and it currently has almost 80 million views on YouTube and more than 13 million plays on the popular streaming site Spotify. This was the Norwegian entry in FSC February 2017.

At the beginning of the new year 2017, Alan Walker's YouTube channel became the most subscribed channel registered in Norway, after passing about 4.5 million subscribers. In May 2017 he released the single “Tired” featuring vocals by Gavin James while the song “Spectre” (based on one of his earlier songs) followed in September 2017.

Then in October 2017 he released a new original EDM-single “All Falls Down” featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals on vocals. The video for this single on YouTube already has close to 40 million views. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC December 2017.

Alan Walker is certainly a talented young Producer/artist in the EDM-genre with huge worldwide popularity not the least on digital media/YouTube and similar online sites, from whom we will without doubt hear much more in the future.

Noah Lindsey Cyrus (born 8th January 2000) is a young American actress and singer, the youngest daughter of Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus and the younger sister of more famous Miley Cyrus and Trace Cyrus. She voiced the title role in the English version of the 2009 animated feature film ‘Ponyo’. In 2016, she released her debut single "Make Me (Cry)", featuring vocals from Labrinth. In 2017 she released the singles “Stay Together”, “I’m Stuck” and “Again”. She also featured with vocals on Alan Walker’s late 2017-single “All Falls Down”. Her debut album is set to be released in early 2018.

Digital Farm Animals is an artist name for Nicholas Gale, a British DJ, record producer, singer, songwriter and remixer. He has worked as a songwriter and producer with many famous artists incl. will.i.am, R. Kelly, Nelly, and Sigma. As a DJ, he has supported Knife Party, Chase & Status and Netsky on tour. In 2015, Digital Farm Animals signed a record deal with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Entertainment. He has released several singles incl. “True”, “Wanna Know”, “Millionaire”, “Only One” and “Digital Love” as well as featuring on several releases, incl. vocals on Alan Walker’s late 2017-single “All Falls Down”.

The Norwegian entry for FSC December 2017, “All Falls Down”, is another melodic EDM-song in his recognizable musical style by British-Norwegian EDM-Producer and artist Alan Walker ft. Noah Cyrus & Digital Farm Animals on vocals. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Alan Walker again in the FSC for Norway.

Below are the English lyrics for the song. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for December!

Alan Walker ft Noah Cyrus & Digital Farm Animals - All Falls Down

What's the trick? I wish I knew
I'm so done with thinking through
All the things I could've been
And I know you wanted too

All it takes is that one look at you
And I run right back to you
You cross the line
And it's time to say F you

What's the point in saying that
When you know how I'll react?
You think you can just take it back
But shit just don't work like that

You're the drug that I'm addicted to
And I want you so bad
Guess I'm stuck with you
And that's that

'Cause when it all falls down, then whatever
When it don't work out for the better
If it just ain't right, and it's time to say goodbye
When it all falls down, when it all falls down

I'll be fine, I'll be fine
You're the drug that I'm addicted to
And I want you so bad
But I'll be fine

Why we fight? I don't know
We say what hurts the most
Oh, I tried staying cold
But you take it personal

All these firing shots and making ground
It's way too hard to cope
But I still
Can't let you go

'Cause when it all falls down, then whatever
When it don't work out for the better
If it just ain't right, and it's time to say goodbye
When it all falls down, when it all falls down

I'll be fine, I'll be fine
You're the drug that I'm addicted to
And I want you so bad
But I'll be fine

I'll be fine, fine...

'Cause when it all falls down, then whatever (Then whatever, babe)
When it don't work out for the better (For the better)
If it just ain't right, and it's time to say goodbye
When it all falls down (When it all, when it all, when it all falls down)

I'll be fine (Fine, fine, fine), I'll be fine (I'll be fine)
You're the drug that I'm addicted to
And I want you so bad
But I'll be fine (I'll be fine), and that's that

-M​

 

[Malagant]

FSC #107 January 2018 - Norway

FSC #107 Norway - January 2018 - Martine Kraft - Ravn

Representing Norway in FSC #107 January 2018, and returning to the FSC for Norway, is the multi-talented Norwegian Hardanger-fiddle player, singer and songwriter Martine Kraft. Here is some more information about her.

Martine Kraft (formerly known as Martine Lund Hoel, born in 1982), is an acclaimed Norwegian Folk-music artist, musician, Hardangerfiddle (Norwegian ‘Hardingfele’) player and composer who has been on musical stages around the world with her own material for over a decade. She also delivers compositions to a huge number of ceremonial occasions.

Martine has been known to compose what many call ‘Nordic Folk-music with world-music references’. There have often been hints and pieces from several cultures and traditions in her musical expression. In her stage appearances, with her heritage close to her heart, beside her Folk-music inspired tunes she also has travelled through a multi-genre landscape of progressiv rock, intense Balkan rhythms, dusty American bluegrass and lyrical violin pieces.

Her concerts have often been performed together with her faithful guitarist and pianist Nils Jørgen Nygaard, in a duo, but when the occasion allows it, she has appeared with her entire band.


Martine Kraft: Discography

Hidden Shore (2008)
Distant Call ([with Nils Jørgen Nygaard] 2009)
Spirits from Norway (2011)
Crystals Are Falling (Digital Single 2011)
Fragile Mind (2013)
Huldreblod (May 2017)


She released her 1st album in 2008 under the name Martine Lund Hoel. It was called “Hidden Shore”. In 2009 she released an album together with Nils Jørgen Nygaard called “Distant Call”. Her next solo-album, “Spirits from Norway”, came in 2011. The album included the song “Mighty Moon”, released as a digital single in April 2011, where she sang a duet with the Norwegian artist Knut Anders Sørum. In October 2011 she released another digital single called “Crystals Are Falling”. This was a separate recording, a song and single which was not found on her album. “Crystals Are Falling” was subsequently the Norwegian entry in FSC April 2012.

In late 2013 she released her 3rd solo-album called “Fragile Mind”. The album was well received by the press and among her many fans in Norway and abroad. She focused on concerts and similar artistic work in the next few years, before a new single called “Solefall” was release in March 2016. An energetic uptempo-number, it showcased her great skill with the Hardanger-fiddle (or Hardingfele as it is called in Norwegian, the national instrument of Norway).

Several further single-releases from a forthcoming 2017-album followed in 2016: “Himmelfot” and “Mørketid”, and then in February 2017 the single “Ravn” was released. Another Folk-music song in Martine Kraft’s particular style with beautiful Nordic vocals and an expressive Hardanger-fiddle, filled with folklore and mysticism, it soon became a critical and fan-favourite. This is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC January 2018.

Her new popular and critically acclaimed album “Huldreblod”, with songs only in Norwegian, was finally released in May 2017 and besides the song “Ravn” and her other released singles it included 7 other Folk-music melodies in her distinct musical style. One of these, a new beautiful Folk-melody called “Når Dagen Hviler”, subsequently became the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2017.

Martine Kraft is one of Norway’s most respected and talented Folk musicians. She is often hired to play her Hardanger-fiddle together with other Norwegian artists, and is not afraid to experiment with her music. She sings as well on some of her songs and enjoys fully the music she creates. We will without doubt hear more from this talented Norwegian Folk-music artist and musician in the years to come.

The Norwegian entry for FSC #107 January 2018, “Ravn” (“Raven”) is another special, ‘magical’ piece of Norwegian Folk-music, filled with Nordic folklore and mysticism, written and performed (Hardanger-fiddle and vocals) by Martine Kraft. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Martine Kraft again in the FSC for Norway.


Below are the Norwegian lyrics for the song and a translation into English. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for January!

Martine Kraft - Ravn

Synd i ord / Sin in words
Feid på jord / Strife on Earth
Mørkt i sjel / Dark in soul
Splid i sel / Discord in home

Nattens ravner våker / The ravens of the night keep watch
Livets rand fra åker / Of the boundaries of life from fields

Sind i ord / Wisdom in words
Ed på jord / Oath on Earth
Ro i sjel / Calm in soul
Fred i sel / Peace in home

Nattens ravner våker / The ravens of the night keep watch
Livets rand fra åker / Of the boundaries of life from fields

Stille nå, Skaper / Silence now, Maker
La vann slukke ild / Let water extinguish fire
La marken igjen / Let the cropland again
Føle stille vind / Feel the silent wind

La øyne få hvile / Let eyes rest
Når solen går ned / When the sun sets

La nattens ravner våke / Let the ravens of the night keep watch


<<>> Instrumental <<>>


Stille nå, Skaper / Silence now, Maker
La vann slukke ild / Let water extinguish fire
La marken igjen / Let the cropland again
Føle stille vind / Feel the silent wind

La øyne få hvile / Let eyes rest
Når solen går ned / When the sun sets

La nattens ravner våke / Let the ravens of the night keep watch

-M​