My discovery of Norwegian singer/songwriter Aurora Aksnes aka AURORA is essentially the reason CMJ continues to be favorite music festival. I had never heard of her but lured to Brooklyn Bowl with the promise of one of Adult Jazz's few stateside shows, I was charmed and intrigued by the fresh eighteen year old's charmingly awkward stage banter and pure appreciation to be there.
AURORA's presence at CMJ is precisely the reason why I fell in love with CMJ in the first place. With only her (massively successful) first single "Awakening" released and nothing really to promote but herself, she was invited as an official artist based on pure potential, the strength of that debut, and word of mouth from those lucky enough to see Aksnes in her native Norway. It was a gamble well paid however as Aksnes and band were a refreshing treat and definite festival standout.
And while right after that successful run of shows stateside would've been just the right time to release another track, it wasn't until some months later at the very tale end that we were gifted with the delightful "Under Stars" - a track that delicately splices a more overt electronic element into Asknes' precocious folk pop narratives. If the winsome quality alone of her music alone wasn't enough, the patience deployed in the release of her music seems designed to curtail hype and establish AURORA as an artist that's more than just the buzz surrounding her.
With the release of the debut EP Running With The Wolves planned for May 4th on Glassnote Records, it luckily won't be too long before AURORA proves that to a wider collection of ears.
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