If you happen to tune into KCRW on any Sunday morning when I host The Lab, you will be treated to at least one, but more likely several Nordic acts.
I am equally enamored with First Aid Kit’s tender folk lullabies as I am with Todd Terje’s iconic dusty disco tracks…or Lykke Li’s brand of heart-wrenching seductive antics.
There is something in the Swedish musical sensibilities that I find simply irresistible.
If I had to describe it, I think it is this winning combination of intense emotional charge, the stunning melodies, and the lyrical melancholy – beautifully executed with that signature technical precision, that I find so captivating.
That is why I was so thrilled to discover a new artist that is so perfectly in tune with my own musical aesthetics, with a voice that is both distinctly fresh, and hauntingly familiar at the same time.
Her name is Adna and I must confess, I am somewhat obsessed with her.
I had never heard of this 17-year-old until I stumbled across her single “Living” a few weeks ago.
It’s an exquisite mix of melancholia and eruptive cannon-fire and I have not been able to get it out of my head.
Her voice is both, tender and soaring, carried by instrumentation that explores the sparse and the explosive, orchestral-sounding ends of the spectrum.
The more I listen to her words though, the more it seems that Adna is consumed with understanding both, her past and her present, as they intertwine and relate on a personal, as well as on a more broader level – questions that many of us are still asking ourselves, well past the tender age of 17.
Watch the premiere of her new video for “Lonesome”.
The track is available as an exclusive download below for a limited time!