Singer, songwriter and producer, the 27 year old Norwegian has independently carved her way through the initial stages of her inevitably long music career, and is currently sitting on the edge of breaking big. Part of a widely recognized, ice cool wave of musicians and bands coming from Scandinavia, Emilie is a shining light, with an album of stunning tracks that don’t sound like anyone else, let alone her native peers.
Emilie’s early years were influenced by a huge range of genres and musical styles. “My dad listened to a lot of Jazz and Bossa Nova” Emilie explains, “Of course, I listened to the big stars in the 90’s. I sang to Celine Dion and Destiny’s Child in my living room”. It is this blend of musical styles that define Emilie’s sound. Pop, contemporary R&B, electronica but with the sensibilities and talent of a jazz musician.
Very much a product of her upbringing and her background, Emilie was introduced to music by her family from a very early age. “When I was 3 years old I told my mom I wanted to be a “singing lady” so I think I’ve been singing from very early on” says Emilie, “and I started writing songs when I got a guitar from my uncle”.
Growing up in a quiet run-of-the-mill town just outside of Oslo, Emilie’s “wild and rebellious” teenage years saw her tastes broaden and develop through a lot of exposure to music at school. This proved particularly important at Oslo’s Jazz Conservatory where she met original band mate and co-producer Eivind Helgerød. Soon after, along with Nicolay Tangen Svennæs and Anders Opdahl, they began to collaborate on music, which would eventually come together to form her Norwegian #1 debut LP.
Impressively every track on the album was written and co-produced by Emilie, apart from ‘Pstereo’, where she translated the lyrics from the original Norwegian version into English. Writing has always been her passion: “I am primarily a songwriter” says Emilie, “songwriting to me is both an act of strength and catharsis”. With her band assisting on production, mixing by Lasse Mårtén and Stéphane Alf Briat, and mastering by Chris Sansom at Propeller Mastering, the record is truly home grown.
Catchy electro-pop gem ‘Pstereo’ was the first track put online by Emilie back in 2013, securing her first Norwegian radio play and starting a chain of critical acclaim. Toying with House, R&B and post-dubstep, the cover of the track by Norwegian band Dumdum Boys showcases Emilie’s unique musical perspective, pop sensibilities and her ability to be a chart-scaling artist.
Another of Emilie’s original tracks is ‘Grown Up’, a personal and powerfully melodic song about family, which has become a flagship of Emilie’s repertoire. Beginning simply and delicately with a warm synth line wrapped around Emilie’s unique, emotive vocal, the track builds through glitchy percussion to an epic climax. Recently taken to radio in the UK, the track is already a favorite with both Huw Stephens, who chose it as his Record of The Week, and Greg James at Radio 1 and was Jo Whiley’s ‘New Favorite Thing’ on her Radio 2 show. ‘Grown Up’ has also received a huge amount of critical acclaim online. It is a truly accomplished work. The original video for ‘Grown Up’ is truly unique, filled with nostalgic scenes from Emilie’s childhood in Norway. Watch the video here.
With other highlights including the gentle but dynamic ‘Nobody Knows’; crowd pleasing electro-thrasher ‘Fail’ and the emotional and introspective ‘Let You Out’, Emilie’s favorite track to play live, the album is full to the brim with stand out tracks.
“The album title is what binds every song together” say Emilie. “Like I’m A Warrior” comes from a text I wrote. I let them all under my skin like I’m a warrior. For me its the balance between the vulnerable and the strong. So the music follows the two and I think that is the concept to my album. The songs are a way for me to try to explain myself and also help me feel better about things.”
As a live act, Emilie and the band are one of the best around. With a tech-savvy set-up, centered around Emilie’s vocals, they’ve played a string of high profile festival dates including The Great Escape, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Øya Fesival and by:Larm in Oslo. Emilie and her band have also headlined Oslo’s prestigious Rockefeller and, more recently, a headline show at St. Pancras Old Church in London.
With over 8 million streams on Spotify and a #1 LP under her belt, which was nominated for the Phonofile Nordic Music Prize, 2015 is set to be quite the year for Emilie.
Emilie Nicolas is available for corporate events, private shows, milestone celebrations (birthday, anniversary), fundraisers, festivals, and more.